Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, April 22, 2021
Volume 134 Number 1
Jasper, Georgia
20 pages in two sections
Published Weekly
Wigington pleads guilty;
sentencing in May
Allen Wigington book-in
photo
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
In an ironic turn of events, on Mon
day, April 19, former Pickens County
Magistrate Judge Allen Wigington pled
guilty to dozens of charges in the same
courtroom he worked out of and deliv
ered sentences from for years.
The disgraced 45-year-old former
judge, dressed in a suit, pled guilty to
49 charges that have been brought
against him in a financial theft and
fraud case that stretches back several
years. The case involves improper use
of a county-issued credit card and has
resulted in charges that range from theft
by taking, to racketeering, to financial
card fraud, and violating oath of office.
Negotiations led to nine charges being
dropped and three others that involve
Wigington’s wife Rosemary being con
sidered for offered pleas.
The courtroom was empty other
than a few members of the Pickens
Sheriff’s Office and attorneys. No fam
ily or friends were present. Visiting
Judge Tambra P. Colston advised Wig
ington of his rights, and advised him
that by entering a guilty plea he was
waiving his right to a trial, and waiving
his right to withdraw his guilty plea at
a future date.
“This is not Sears Roebuck,” she
said. “You can’t take it back.”
The judge also advised Wigington
that sentencing would be solely at the
discretion of the court, not a jury, and
made sure he understood maximum
sentencing could be up to 165 years
plus 60 months and fines up to
$530,000. Other than responding
briefly to direct questions from the
judge, he made no statements other
than saying his attorneys have “been
wonderful.”
Wigington is represented by attor
ney Jenny Smith of Woodstock and
Mitch Skandalakis, who became a pub
lic figure in the 1990s when he was
elected to the Georgia House of Repre
sentatives, served as a Fulton County
commis- See Wigington on 8A
Two cited for illegal dumping at Thrift Store
By Dan Pool,
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
Sheriff Donnie Craig announced
Tuesday that two people had been is
sued citations through the county mar
shal for separate cases of illegal
dumping at the entrance of the Commu
nity Thrift Store on Samaritan Drive.
The Thrift Store has been a perpetual
problem spot for illegal dumping, where
people would leave both household
garbage and donated items at the gated
entrance when the store was closed.
Terry “Sarge” Bishop at the Thrift
Store said the problem “never stopped.”
“They broke down our chain to pull
in to drop stuff off. We had to put a truck
to block the drive when we were closed.
Pathetic.”
He said all the Thrift Store staff are
excited to see progress being made.
Following requests for help from the NOT A DUMP - The entrance to the Community Thrift Store clearly shows a “No Dumping” sign (to
See Dumping on 8A the left), but it doesn’t deter everyone. Citations from law enforcement may be more effective.
THRIFT
to
PUKPIHG
Election supervisor resigns over reorganization
Inside:
NATIONS
Day of Prayer
Plans underway
for National Day
of Prayer Page 4B
Firefighters
relocate during
mold remediation
Page 7A
COVTD-ig
vaccine
update
OFFICE closed
temporarily
Voter Registration questions, please visr
sos.ga.gov
Look under “ Election “ tab
pTckensTounty Board
A- „ c & Registration
Of Elections & * *_—-
The elections office on Pioneer Road closed Monday.
An emergency called meeting of the elections board may
determine when it reopens.
Office closed
with no certified
staff available
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
Elections Supervisor Ju-
lianne Roberts, an almost
20-year employee of county
government, resigned Friday
saying she is being unfairly
blamed for problems with
voting last November and
that efforts to reorganize the
board are mostly political.
Her abrupt departure,
coupled with medical leave
for the office’s second em
ployee, has forced the office
to temporarily close. The
current election board, run
ning shorthanded and only in
power until the end of June,
is expected to hold an emer
gency called meeting this
week and take guidance
from the secretary of state’s
office. Technically, only cer
tified election workers can
do many of the tasks in the
office.
Legislation awaiting the
governor’s signature would
abolish the current election
board, change the appoint
ment process, and empanel a
new board on July 1. The
legislation was introduced
by House Rep. Rick Jasperse
following a request from
Commission Chair Kris
Stancil to review all local
boards in regard to state stat
ues. The General Assembly
legislative counsel found
issue with the current ap
pointment process of the
elections board.
The legislation will
change appointments from
solely handled by the local
Republican and Democratic
parties to a system where
each party will provide a list
of four board nominees, and
the board of commissioners
selects two of the four from
each party. The chair is
selected from a non-partisan
list by the board of commis
sioners.
Roberts said in an inter
view Monday that after
closely studying the legisla
tion and consulting with the
county attorney, she came to
realize her position is also
being abolished/re-estab-
lished. She would have to
apply for her own job again
and with the political envi
ronment she didn’t want to.
Roberts went to the ad
ministration building Friday
to hand in the office keys but
found the commission chair,
his secretary and the HR di
rector all out for the after
noon, so she left the keys
without discussing the clo
sure with anyone.
Roberts began working in
See Elections on 8A
Deputy receives office’s highest award;
Talking Rock development tabled; proclamations
signed at the commissioners’ meeting
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
This month’s commis
sioner’s meeting opened
with powerful, heartbreaking
testimony from the victim of
prolonged, demeaning, and
violent abuse from her hus
band who was shot and
killed by a Pickens deputy in
September during a domes
tic dispute call.
The victim, Ashley
Cooper, discussed the most
intimate and disturbing de
tails about her relationship
with the man she introduced
as “a monster” and narcissist
- husband Derek Cooper of
Acworth .
“When I was 17 1 met a
monster,” she said, “and for
the next 17 years I was in an
abusive relationship. When I
was 34 he tried to kill me,
and our kids, and my sister.”
Ashley described the hor
rifying events that led up to
the day she fled from out of
county to hide at her sister’s
house in Pickens, where her
husband tracked her and the
kids down to harm them, and
was later killed by respond
ing deputies.
Ashley said Derek con
stantly lied and manipulated
her and she began to isolate
herself from her family and
friends. Threats increased
and became more violent
over time. She tried to leave
on numerous occasions, but
Derek would threaten her
and her family, or become
violent. She recalled two of
those instances.
See Meeting on 8A
Pickens Deputy Andrew Plemons, center, was presented with the Pickens Sheriff Of
fice’s Life Saving Award, as well as the Medal of Valor, for his bravery in the line of
duty. Ashley Cooper, second from right, told Plemons that her children would not be
alive if it wasn’t for his action during a domestic dispute. Ashley and Plemons are pic
tured with (L-R) commissioner Jerry Barnes, Sheriff Donnie Craig, and commissioner
Becky Denney.
Supply ample,
appointments
available
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
The North Georgia Health
Department reported that as
of Friday, April 16, the Pick
ens County Health Depart
ment had administered
14,729 COVID-19 vaccina
tions and had an additional
730 appointments scheduled
for Monday, the 19th.
According to NGHD Pub
lic Information Officer Jen
nifer King, they currently
have a frill supply of vaccina
tions and anticipate continu
ing to get enough doses to fill
future appointments. King
said at this time first-dose ap
pointments are available, and
that during this week through
Thursday, April 22 walk-ins
are available from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. They will be offered at
See Vaccine on 8A
Obituaries - 6A
• Artemus Childers
• Darryl Payne
• Doris Burton
• Earnest Densmore
• Elizabeth Gayton
• Frances Crook
• Jerry Evans
• Joy Black
• Paul Barfield
• Thomas Drake
Contact Us
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Jasper, Ga. 30143
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www.pickensprogress.com
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