Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Volume 134 Number 4
Jasper, Georgia
26 pages in two sections
Published Weekly
Suarez pleads
not-guilty in
two restaurant
arson cases
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
Former Bee’s Home Cookin’
owner Tyler Jose Suarez has pled
not guilty to several charges re
lated to restaurant arsons that oc
curred in the fall of 2019.
In the court document where
Suarez entered his plea, filed in
Pickens County on April 23, he
also requests a trial by jury.
At the time of Suarez’s arrest in
late 2019, sheriff’s investigators
said they believed he conspired
with and paid men to burn Mary
Ann’s Country Cooking on East
Church Street to eliminate his
competition, and when that didn’t
increase business he paid to have
his own restaurant on Church
Street burned. Investigators said at
the time they suspected the restau
rant owner planned to file for in
surance on the building he rented,
but that he was arrested before he
was able to file.
During the March 2021 grand
jury session, they indicted Suarez
and four other defendants in the
two arson cases that occurred in
October and November of 2019.
Accusations were also brought
against William Alexander Can-
nady, Miguel Nathan Suarez,
Charles Cole Wilson, and Hank
Eugene Wilson Jr. in a variety of
counts including arson in the first
degree.
According to details in the in
dictment, Tyler Suarez is accused
of encouraging and hiring Hank
Wilson Jr. to set fire to Bee’s
restaurant, and telling him he
would pay him with insurance
money. Tyler Suarez, Charles Wil-
See Suarez on 13A
Refuge Road
man tied to
massive
phone scam
operation
Sheriff Book-in photo
David William Bramblette is
accused of being involved in a
massive phone scam.
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
A fraud investigation in a small
town in southern Virginia led
Pickens Sheriff officers to a home
on Refuge Road where they ar
rested a man whom they believe is
tied to hundreds of thousands of
dollars in phone scams conducted
across the nation with the pro
ceeds mostly sent to Jamaica.
John Cagle, the head of the
sheriff’s criminal investigations
division, said a detective from Vir
ginia contacted them on May 1
saying he had traced a fraud to
Pickens County. The elderly Vir
ginia woman was told she had
won a sweepstakes but in order to
collect her winnings she must pay
certain fees. During the month of
April in multiple different pay
ments, the victim sent more than
$20,000 to the Refuge Road ad
dress.
After arrest warrants were
taken for David William Bram
blette, officers searched his home
at 2587 Refuge Road and found
evidence that he had been in
volved in phone scams for several
years and likely handled “hun
dreds of thousands” in money sent
See Scam on 13A
Roper Park revamp
being considered
qPublic / Photo
The outlined area is the just over 41 acres owned by Pickens County government. It includes Roper Park,
the Pickens Community Center, ball fields, a track, and other facilities. The county is in early discussions with
a design firm to create a “master plan” renovation concept. The Boys & Girls Club is inside this outlined area
but not owned by the county.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
In what many officials and mem
bers of the public see as being long-
overdue, the county is taking first
steps to renovate Roper Park which
has been criticized being inadequate
for the county’s needs.
“We’re an old park,” Pickens
Recreation Director Brian Jones said
speaking at the Thursday, May 6
commissioners’ work session. “[It]
was built in the 70s and really
kicked off in the 80s. The fencing is
rusted. The parking lot is too small.
We try to do our best to maintain and
make sure the grass is mowed and
keep the trash picked up.. .but there
are some things we’re going to have
to take a good look at and spend
some money to on it to bring it up to
standards.”
Jones gave an overview and cur
rent status of the Roper Park “master
plan” in first steps of development.
The county is in discussions with
Lose Design firm, which Jones said
comes highly recommended from
their work on Cherokee Veterans
Park. Commission Chair Kris Stan-
cil and Jones recently met with the
firm to discuss the 41-plus acres
owned by the county at Roper Park.
This will be a SPLOST-funded
project.
“After they did an initial site
visit,” Jones said, “they had lots of
questions and concerns. Their
biggest concern was ADA compli
ance, especially with our parking
lots, [and] the walking track needs
to be upgraded. There’s a lot of stuff
that can be done to Roper Park to re
ally make it the crown jewel as far
as parks and recreation. Considering
the community center is there, and
the Boys & Girls Club, we could re
ally make that place look good.”
Lose Design has sent the county
a list of to-dos “sooner-than-later,”
which includes a good survey of the
property.
“Then we will start forming com
mittees in order to kind of zero in on
what the board of commissioners,
parks and recreation advisory board,
what our staff is looking at to get
that park up to where it needs to be
just to serve the community cur
rently,” said Jones.
See Revamp on 13A
Stephens named top teacher
Inside:
Mama Geraldine’s
wins state award
Page 5A
* * * * *
Interviews with
Pickens High’s
10 STAR students
and teachers
Page 2-4B
By Larry Cavender
Progress Contributor
Several of Pickens County's
finest teachers were honored Mon
day night at the annual Teacher of
the Year Banquet held at the Ap
palachian Campus of Chattahoochee
Technical College in Jasper.
From a group of six teacher of the
year nominees, each representing
their own respective schools, Carrie
Stephens of Pickens High School
was selected as the system's 2021-
2022 Teacher of the Year.
A math teacher, Stephens enjoys
sharing with students her creative
ways to remember math concepts.
She adds that students often say they
can't do math usually because they
lack self-confidence, yet she does
not allow her students to use that ex
cuse, but guides them to say, "I don't
get it, yet."
Other teacher of the year nomi
nees include: Stephanie Grisham of
Harmony Elementary School; Abby
Tippens with Hill City Elementary;
Jessica Bryan from Tate Elementary
School; Eileen Steinhauer of Jasper
Middle School; and, Laurie
Guelcher, Pickens Junior High
School. Turn to Page 13A for a
group photo of all the nominees.
Ms. Stephens will now compete
later this year for Georgia State
Teacher of the Year honors.
Pickens County Teacher of the Year Carrie Stephens, pictured here
with her husband, Paul. Stephens is a math teacher at Pickens High
School and will represent Pickens County in the Georgia Teacher of the
Year competition later this year.
Government News
County denies
278-acre rezoning
request
Page 10A
Church
Marble Hill Baptist
to hold all-day
singing to
celebrate 100
years Page 6B
Richards and
White named
Athletes of the
Year PagelB
PHS graduation plans
Date: May 21
Campus Opens: 4:30 p.m. (5 p.m.
in case of indoor event)
Event Time: 7 p.m. (Stadium ac
cess begins at 5 p.m. Doors open at
5:30 p.m. in case of indoor event)
Graduates Report: 4:30-5 p.m. to
new gym/PAC (5 p.m. at main en
trance/old gym in case of indoor
event).
If weather permits an outdoor
event there is no limit to guests. If
the event must be held indoors, each
graduate will receive four guest
tickets for the PHS gym and two for
the Performing Art Center where the
event will be live-streamed. If there
is unfavorable weather conditions,
the event could be moved indoors.
That decision will be made by 4
p.m. on Friday, March 21.
Parking Details:
•No parking allowed along
Dragon Drive.
•Each graduate gets three park
ing permits, which will allow three
cars per graduate.
Shuttle Info: (Guests will have
the option of using a shuttle - the
following locations will offer a
parking area
and air-con-
d i t i o n e d
school bus shuttle).
•Pickens Junior High: Shuttles
will load on side of the gym and
leave at 5:15 and 6 p.m.
•Chattahoochee Technical Col
lege: Shuttles will load at the front
entry of school and will leave at
5:15 and 6 p.m.
•Royston, LLC\ Shuttles will load
at main parking lot where a tent will
be set up. Shuttles will leave at 5:15
and 6 p.m.
Obituaries - 9A
• Edna Beal
• Kimsey Clark
• Louis Chester
• Mary Lou Brinson
• Patricia Raygor
• Paul Jones
• Phyliss Young
• Sue Blackwell
• Virginia Shaw
Contact Us
706-253-2457
