Pickens County progress. (Jasper, Ga.) 1899-current, February 23, 2012, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextCOPYRIGHT-THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012 • VOLUME 124 NUMBER 43 • JASPER, GEORGIA • 500 Election office opens this Saturday for early presidential voting Page 13A Becky Denney enters race for East District Commissioner Seat Page 5A ‘Nettes head to state tournament Friday Page 1B If you would like to subscribe call 706-253-2457 or fill out a form at pickensproaress.com Witnesses describe plane crash Av gas drips from a crumpled wing as emergency responders beside the NAPA building (background) maintain a safe zone around the downed plane. On its way to the grassy vale where it finally stopped, the crippled plane bumped over the tall dump ster shown behind the men pictured. Full account of Friday’s emergency landing By Jeff Warren Staff writer jwarren@pickensprogress.com Reported engine failure aboard a two-seater aircraft resulted in its emer gency landing midday Friday, Feb. 17, near the NAPA auto parts store on Luke Carver Drive, slightly north of the Pick ens County Airport runway. The crash landing occurred at 12:07 p.m. Aboard were David Mathews of San Antonio, Texas and Randy Carpen ter of metro Atlanta. Still alive when the plane came to rest after a harrowing re turn to earth, both occupants exited the aircraft with facial injuries. In the same hour as the crash, both moved by ambu lance to Kennestone Hospital, their in juries termed serious but not life-threatening. According to Pickens County Airport officials, both Mathews and Carpenter are licensed airplane pilots. Caipenter is also certified as a flight instructor. Car penter and Mathews arrived to the county airport earlier in the day, landing at the airfield around 10 a.m. in a small plane flown from DeKalb Peachtree Air port at Chamblee, said Randy Thoma son, assistant airport manager here. Mathews had come to negotiate pur chase of a 1969 Cessna 150 J-Model two-seater, owned by Pickens County pilot Kevin Theim, Thomason said. Car penter was along to perform a "check out" on the plane with Mathews, that is, to familiarize Mathews with this partic ular type of aircraft. "It's a good idea to get a check-out from an instructor, no matter how much experience you have, if you're flying a different type aircraft than you've flown previously," explained Pickens County Airport Manager Marion Harris. The purchase arrangement appar ently completed, Mathews and Carpen ter took charge of the Cessna 150, starting its single engine near the edge of the airport tarmac. "They ran it up, let it idle for a long, long time, pulled up to the gas pumps and bought just under nine gallons of gas," Thomason recounted. That was 100 octane low-lead aviation gasoline, he said. And at noon that Friday, the two pilots took the plane into the air. "It had taken off and was making a training circle when the engine sputtered out," Thomason said. The plan was to take off from the air port, circle north, turn south and return, completing the loop three times before landing again, Thomason said. Accord ing to Mathews' recall of the incident, relayed to Thomason later through an other party, Mathews was piloting the Cessna on his final approach to the run way when Carpenter warned they were too low and advised him to increase en gine power. When Mathews went to add power, the engine quit, and Carpenter See Plane on Page 15A Ga. Tech student charged for fatal Burnt Mtn. crash By Angela Reinhardt Staff writer areinhardt@pickensprogress.com Following a single-vehicle accident that killed two Ga. Tech students in early November, the driver of the vehi cle, Ratheesvar Mohan, 20, also a Ga. Tech student, has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, ac cording to his attorney. Reports of the Georgia State Patrol record the accident occurred on Hwy. 136 at a sharp curve near the intersec tion of Old Burnt Mountain Road in the early morning hours of Nov. 4, 2011. The vehicle, a 2010 BMW, was traveling west, bound downhill toward Jasper from the crest of Burnt Moun tain, when it veered into the eastbound lane, lost control and came to rest at the top of an embankment on the west bound side. The vehicle’s occupants were trav eling back to Atlanta from a weekend stay in the mountains. The three stu dents, who were all trapped inside the vehicle, had to be extracted. A passenger in the car, Naren Raghuraman, 21, died at the scene. Mohan and another passenger, Daniel Bernard Hickman, 21, of Atlanta, were initially flown to Atlanta Medical Cen ter for treatment. Hickman died a few days later. According to Mohan’s attorney, See Charged on Page 15A Middle schoolers produce Beauty and the Beast Submitted by school publicity Choral Directors Leah Van Doran (Jasper Middle School) and Jack Louden (Pickens County Middle School) have teamed their students and talents to produce Disney's Beauty and the Beast Jr., a magnificent musical being presented at Pickens High School's new auditorium next Thurs day and Friday, March 1 and 2 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for students. Children under the age of 4 are free. Proceeds from the show will help pay for the many expenses in volved in such a production. Last year, Ms. Van Doran and Mr. Louden produced Disney's Aladdin Jr., the first ever middle school musical in Pickens County. The production was a big hit and drew lots of people. This year's musical is even bigger and more impressive! Children and adults of all ages will certainly be in for a treat as Belle, Beast, Gaston, Mrs Potts and Chip, and all the other char acters come to life right in front of your eyes. Angela Reinhardt / Photo Middle school students put the final touches on their characters for the up coming production of Beauty and the Beast Jr., slated for the weekend of March 1. Elaborate costumes transform students into Lumiere, Chip, Mrs. Potts, Feath- erduster and Wardrobe, the inanimate objects that come to life and befriend Belle. Bent Tree board reaffirms deer kill decision at packed meeting Bent Tree Board ofDirectors, assembled before a full house Monday evening, Feb. 20, for discussion of rescinding the subdivision deer cull for 2012. By board vote, the cull was confirmed to go forward. By Jeff Warren Staff writer jwarren@pickensprogress.com The Bent Tree Board of Directors expended lit tle more than a quarter hour in a special called meeting that ultimately reconfirmed a previous board decision to proceed with a deer cull some time this month. The meeting drew a standing-room-only crowd of approximately 300 residents into the lower level assembly room of the Bent Tree clubhouse. With some cooperation from the audience, the meeting came off without incident, after a charge from board president, Sheryl Crum, that all in attendance maintain civil decorum or be removed. The meeting began promptly at 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20. A roll call indicated all board members were present. By rules that govern Bent Tree's board, member Bill Wickham had formally re quested this special called meeting agreed to by president Crum. Wickham's purpose for the meeting was to in troduce a new motion framed to rescind the previ ous board vote in support of a 2012 deer cull. In winter 2011, the first deer cull in Bent Tree history harvested 54 deer. That came after the board approved thinning of the Bent Tree deer herd, a herd considered overpopulated as gauged by State of Georgia deer management standards. More recently the board voted to approve a cull for 2012 to happen during February. This present cull is to harvest no more than 120 deer. Opposed to the cull, a vocal minority of Bent Tree residents has publicly protested the cull in re cent days, calling for a referendum of Bent Tree property owners on the question. "The community of Bent Tree remains seriously divided over wildlife management and budgetary priorities," Wickham's motion began. The motion included six points, among them an undo of the board’s previous cull-supporting vote and 60 days of mediation. That would be time to arrange a polling of property owners or some other means by which to gain a consensus among residents on the deer cull question. Board member Verne Girard seconded Wick ham's motion. "I second this motion because we need more time," Girard explained. He said his issue with the cull involves the money required. "I think we can spend it more wisely than on a deer cull," Girard said. During discussion of the motion, board member Bob Crowl said he previously voted in favor of the cull, citing state wildlife management standards of 20 to 27 deer per square mile and surveyed Bent Tree deer numbering at 50 per. "That's pretty much the nuts and bolts of it," Crowl said. He also vented his displeasure over re cently reported protester characterization of cull supporters as residents who favor yard flowers over wildlife. "I do not have flower beds and azalea beds aroimd my home," Crowl said. "I do not mind prop erty owners taking a different position than I do, but be accurate in your position," he advised. Speaking in support of his motion, Wickham said, "Right, wrong or indifferent, whether you agree or disagree, there's a huge division in our community." Residents have moved, real estate transactions have fallen through as a result of the present house-divided climate within the gated sub division over the deer question, he indicated. "To see the kind of See Deer on Page 15A Obituaries - Page10A Ann Burch Jean Ryder Ann Usry Johnny Vickers, Sr. Betty Emory John Hooker, Jr. Cleo Honea Linda Nichols Danny Holden Odell Evans Irene Hollifield James Carver Thomas Moss www.PickensProgress.com www.facebook.com/PickensProgress www.Twitter.com/PickensProgress Part of this newspaper is made up of recycled newsprint and is recyclable. 4 8 7 9 0 8 16 3

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Pickens County progress. (Jasper, Ga.) 1899-current, February 23, 2012, Image 1