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COPYRIGHT-THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015 • VOLUME 127 NUMBER 38
JASPER, GEORGIA • 750
Teams compete
in Holiday
Classic
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Book
selections
for 2015
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Juvenile defenders suit settled
Details released after
open records request
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Two former juvenile indigent defense
lawyers have been awarded a total of
$75,000 in a negotiated settlement
agreement following a lawsuit that
brought breach of contract and First
Amendment violation charges against
the county.
Under terms of the agreement, signed
January 3, 2015, plaintiffs James John
son and Victoria Ford agreed to “keep
confidential the amount of the settle
ment, as well as the terms and condi
tions of this settlement,” according to
the Confidential Settlement Agreement
obtained by the Progress following
Open Records requests.
It was only after Open Records re
quests were filed that details of the set
tlement were released.
The settlement goes on to state that
payment by the Pickens County Govern
ment to plaintiffs is not “an admission
of liability” and that the county “specif
ically denies any liability.”
The settlement was mentioned
briefly at a recent board of commission
ers’ meeting, but county leaders would
not release information to the public at
that time. The Progress later learned that
parties were subject to a confidentiality
agreement regarding details of the me
diation and filed Open Records Re
quests soliciting all documents related to
the settlement.
County attorney Phil Landrum, III
made settlement documents available to
the Progress on Tuesday, Jan. 13 after
requests were filed with the county on
Friday, Jan. 9.
In the original complaint - submitted
to the U.S. District Court for the North
ern District of Georgia on December 24,
2013 - plaintiffs Johnson and Ford al
leged that although contracted with
Pickens to provide legal defense for in
digent persons in the Pickens County Ju
venile Court for $45,000 and $40,000 a
year, respectively, those contracts went
underpaid for three years. They also
claimed that, as a violation of their First
See Settlement, Page 14A
Tate marble
worker killed
by falling stone
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
Pickens emergency crews responded Monday
evening to a 911 call at the marble plant, 200 Georgia
Marble Lane, in Tate where a worker had been hit by
falling stone.
The incident report said Kevin Voyles, 28, was
found unresponsive and bleeding with large pieces of
broken marble on him. Voyles later died from those
injuries.
A co-worker told a deputy that he saw Voyles be
fore he had gone on break. When he returned 30 min
utes later, “I saw Kevin lying underneath several large
broken pieces of marble. I immediately began pushing
the marble off of Kevin and tried to wake him up.
When I couldn't get him to respond I called 911,” co
worker Keith Myers told the deputy.
Voyles was taken to Piedmont Hospital by ambu
lance.
Voyles was married with two small children.
The Rev. John Foster, who is the head of the union
at the marble operations, said the company closed
See Voyles, Page 14A
Thick as pea soup: County cocooned by thick fog
Damon Howell / Photo
A view from the driver’s seat looking west across Highway 515 shows a heavy fog early Monday. Foggy conditions remained through Tuesday.
Well-loved business owner Maxine Moore dies
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Lifetime Pickens resident
Maxine Moore passed away last
week, leaving a legacy of unwa
vering support for and love of the
community.
Moore, who ran one of the
oldest businesses in Jasper until
the day of her passing, was
known for her active community
involvement with civic groups,
as well as her tireless work to
promote downtown Jasper and
Pickens County.
Moore began her career in re
tail in 1947, working for Will
Poole in a downtown Jasper gen
eral store. In 1961 Moore and her
husband, G.L., opened Moore
Furniture on Main Street in
Jasper, the same location the
business has operated out of for
over five decades.
Moore was a member of the
Jasper Lions Club, the Down
town Development Authority,
the Jasper Merchants Associa
tion, and was on the Pickens
County Chamber Board of Di
rectors from 1984-1987 and
again from 2003-2005. In No
vember of 1991 she was awarded
the first Downtown Merchants
Award.
Moore was also a charter
member of the Piedmont Moun
tainside Hospital Auxiliary and
was very active organizing
downtown Cruise-Ins, the annual
Fourth of July parade and a num
ber of other events. In addition,
she supported the Pickens
County Recreation Department,
the Pickens County Library and
many other programs and chari
ties.
The downtown business
owner helped local organizations
and individuals through her store
by selling event tickets, putting
out collection boxes and support
ing local authors by selling their
books.
For her lifelong dedication to
the county through volunteer and
humanitarian work, Moore was
named Pickens County Citizen
of the Year in 2008.
Moore passed away on Thurs
day, Jan. 8.
Cautious optimism at legislative session
From medical
marijuana to
transportation
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
State Representative Rick
Jasperse, who has represented
Pickens County as part of his Dis
trict 11 for four years, sat down
with the Progress Friday to discuss
the legislative session that opened
this week.
Jasperse said he sees “a cautious
optimism” with fellow lawmakers
this year. This marks a subtle
change from previous years where
huge budget challenges dominated
the work of the legislature.
“There are always issues, but
fortunately Georgia is in a positive
position. The last four years we
have seen increased revenue, in
creased jobs and businesses mov
ing here,” he said.
While not apparent in District
11, Jasperse said the effects of the
improving economy are seen in
major companies moving to the
state, like Mercedes Benz announc
ing a relocation here earlier this
month.
Around the south, Georgia is
clearly doing the best in economic
terms, Jasperse said. He credits this
to progressive business practices
adopted and encouraged by the
state including incentives, tax pol
icy, cutting energy taxes to manu
facturing sites and other
components that make this state at
tractive.
But Jasperse said he believes
lawmakers are starting this session,
“knowing the economy is some
thing that can change in a hurry.”
Budget aside, Jasperse noted
several areas that he believes will
be take center stage under the Gold
Dome this year.
Transportation - Jasperse said
the funding of state transportation
needs will be the “big discussion.”
He didn’t believe it would be set
tled this session, but state leaders
recognize the need to develop a vi
sion.
“Do we want more mass transit,
more local control, an outer
perimeter, toll lanes?” he asked.
“This is coming to a head.”
The driving force is the gridlock
reaching Atlanta in most any direc
tion. A few people have argued this
is purely an Atlanta issue. Jasperse
disagrees; pointing out that Atlanta
is clearly the economic center of
the state and the traffic is prevent
ing companies from operating effi
ciently.
“You have to be able to get serv
ices in to and out of Atlanta,” he
said. “Once you can’t do that, you
are in trouble.”
Jasperse said he believes more
trains will figure in as a means to
State Rep. Rick Jasperse says
with a stronger economy, law mak
ers will turn their attention to
transportation during this session,
now underway. Look for Jasperse
to offer regular reports in the
Progress as the session continues.
get goods from the ports on the
coast into other areas. While Pick
ens doesn’t see much train traffic,
Jasperse said the part of his district
See Jasperse, Page 14A
Obituaries - Page 4A
Michael Ferguson
David Stokes
Jack Pagel, Jr.
Ned Womack
Maxine Moore
John McNeal
Sarah Hamilton
Billy Norton
Helen Chatman
Traffic stop ends
with foot chase
through busy
commercial area
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@picken-
sprogress.com
A deputy arrested a
man for DUI (drugs)
and other offenses fol
lowing a traffic stop and
foot chase through the
crowded commercial
area at Highway 515
and Highway 53 on Jan
uary 2.
The Progress was
alerted to the story by
bystanders who saw the
chase, which started
after Cody Alan Jones,
27, of Nelson, left his
truck after a traffic stop
at Zaxby’s and took off
on foot. Sheriff Sgt. Jer-
rit Pack had been pa
trolling and recognized
Jones as someone he
had tried to serve an ar
rest warrant on earlier
that day. Jones was
wanted for failure to ap
pear in court.
The foot chase con
tinued from Zaxby’s
across Highway 53 and
through the Bojangles
and Trout’s parking area
and included an effort
by Pack to use his taser
on Jones. But, possibly
due to the drags in the
suspect’s system, the
taser was ineffective on
Jones, who pulled the
taser leads out and con
tinued running, accord
ing to sheriff office
spokesman Lt. Kris
Stancil.
One person told the
Progress that people had
seen the action in the
busy area a little after 8
p.m. and that a shot had
been fired during the
chase, but sheriff
records show no shots
were fired by either the
fleeing driver or
deputies. Stancil con
firmed that only tasers
were drawn.
Deputy Tony Heath,
who joined the pursuit
on foot, did aim and
warn Jones that he
would be tased. The in
cident report filed by
Heath noted that he was
out of taser range when
he yelled this but seeing
the red dot of the taster’s
targeting beam caused
Jones to stop briefly.
Jones then fell trying to
jump down a cross tie
wall between Trout’s
parking lot and Century
21 near the intersection.
Jones was hand
cuffed after a brief
straggle with the
deputies. He then passed
out and EMS was
called. The deputies
noted that the medics
gave Jones Narcan.
Stancil said Narcan is
used to reverse the ef
fects of drugs in some-
See Chase, Page 14A
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