Newspaper Page Text
Heritage Days Festival
this weekend
Page 10A
Thursday, October 14, 2021 | Volume 134 Number 26 | Jasper, Georgia | 22 pages, 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1.00
Voting
underway
for Jasper,
Nelson,
Talking
Rock
—>■ Sample Ballots
Page 9A
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
Voters inside city limits
of Jasper, Nelson and
Talking Rock may cast
ballots in city council
races this week. All early
voting will be at the Com
munity Center in Roper
Park.
Voting began Tuesday
with no line and little ac
tivity. A poll worker said
they had only seen a hand
ful of voters in the first
hours when this reporter
went by the entrance to
the voting area at the rear
of the building, under the
pavilion.
There had been just
enough activity that they
could tell their set up in
the community center was
working well and ready
for action. “We
just need some voters. It’s
slow,” the poll worker
said.
Election officials re
mind people that this elec
tion is only for voters in
See Voting on 11A
Renovations at Tate
Depot to begin ASAP
The historic Tate Depot was relocated across Highway 53 in April of 2015,
and had exterior renovations completed. Other than being used a handful of
times during Tate Days, the building has sat empty since 2015. The county now
has plans to move ahead with interior renovations.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
To say renovations at the historic
Tate Depot have suffered setbacks over
the years would be an understatement.
Way back in 2009, Commissioner Rob
Jones likened the depot project to
“rowing a boat with a rope.”
But now, six years after the depot
was relocated across Highway 53 and
renovated on the exterior, the county is
going full steam ahead with interior
renovations that include the addition of
a massive model train set. Commis
sioners have earmarked up to $200,000
from their COVID-19 relief funds for
the project, which local leaders hope
will become a draw for tourists and
motorists.
Valerie Bates, who has been hired as
designer for the renovation, gave com
missioners a brief update during their
Oct. 7 work session. Bates will bring
the building up to code and improve ac
cessibility. Renovations will include
heating and air, as well as electrical,
lighting, a chair lift for handicap acces
sibility, flooring, insulation, minor in
terior construction, and wall finishes.
“My goal is not to change the aes
thetics of the depot,” Bates said.
“[There] won’t be at this time any
changes to the exterior of the building.
With the interior, we want to keep and
maintain that character that’s already
there. We’re going to build on what we
already have, which is really a beauti
ful backdrop.”
A major feature of the depot will be
an expansive model train set donated
by Big Canoe resident Bill Gibson, to
be specifically displayed in the Tate
Depot. The set, which Gibson commis
sioned over 15 years ago, includes
scenes from Pickens County including
a miniature version of the marble
quarry in Tate.
“I would love to see it enjoyed by
the community, and have it be some
thing where kids can learn about trains
and electronics, and hopefully attract
some people to Tate to enjoy other
things in town,” Gibson told the
Progress in late 2020 when he was in
terviewed about the donation.
Bates noted that Kennesaw State
Department of Museums, Archives,
and Rare Books will add historical in
formation displays to the interior.
Renovations are only for one half of
the building. In a later interview, Com
missioner Becky Denney - who has
worked closely on the project since the
steering committee was formed in 2020
- explained that renovations are being
completed on just one half of the build
ing first because the train set needs to
be relocated ASAP. Renovations on the
second half of the building will begin
immediately after phase I. The county
plans to lease the second half to a pri
vate business that will compliment the
See Renovation on 11A
Man suspected as
source “for large
amounts of meth and
heroin” here arrested
Becky Denney resigns:
Q&A with outgoing commissioner
Commissioner Becky Denney, right, will be ending her term early to spend more time
with family. Commission Chair Kris Stancil, center, and Commissioner Jerry Barnes
will continue on as a two-person board for the immediate future.
Sheriff’s Press Release
The Pickens Sheriff’s
Office and CMANS seized
62 grams of Heroin, lead
ing to an arrest on October
4,2021.
Pickens Sheriff / Photo
Jeremy Ted Patterson,
Talking Rock, book-in
photo
f . i— -mm ;
Pickens Sheriff / Photo
Some of the 62 grams
of heroin found with the
suspect.
After a several month
long investigation, Jeremy
Ted Patterson was placed
under arrest and charged
with Trafficking Heroin
and Possession of Metham-
phetamine.
Through the course of
the investigation, agents
learned that Patterson was
a source of supply for large
amounts of methampheta-
mine and heroin in Pickens
County. Subsequently, a
search warrant was exe
cuted at his residence lead
ing to the discovery of
approximately 62 grams of
heroin, a small amount of
methamphetamine and
drug-related objects.
Of the 62 grams found,
14 grams were located on
Patterson’s person and the
remaining 48 grams of
heroin along with the
methamphetamine and
drug-related objects were
located in Patterson’s bed
room.
Patterson was arrested at
his residence located at
North Ridge Road, Talking
Rock, and transported to
the Pickens Sheriff’s Office
jail.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
District Commissioner
Becky Denney has an
nounced she will resign from
her post effective October
31. Denney has represented
east Pickens County for
eight years and 10 months.
She took office in 2013 and
was on Pickens County’s
first multi-person board.
Commission Chair Kris
Stancil read Denney’s resig
nation letter during the
Thursday, Oct. 7 regular
meeting, and Denney made a
few additional public com
ments. She cited a desire to
spend more time with her
husband, children, and
grandchildren as her reason
for resigning, which she
prayed about before making
it public.
“You just have no idea
what a tough decision this
was,” she said, noting ongo
ing, exciting projects the
county is involved in.
Stancil said the county is
working with the Pickens
Elections Board to deter
mine the procedure for hold
ing a special election to fill
the vacancy. That timeline
will be announced as soon as
possible, with the election
expected to be sometime
next year.
In a later interview, Stan
cil said in the interim he and
district commissioner Jerry
Barnes will each cast a vote
for issues that need board ap
proval. If one commissioner
cast as ‘yes’ vote and the
other casts a ‘no’ vote the
motion will not pass. Both
commissioners must vote
‘yes’ for the motion to pass.
Denney will attend one
more work session and one
more regular meeting before
See Resign on 11A
More details emerge in sex trafficking case
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
During probable cause
and bond hearings last week,
details emerged about sex
trafficking charges against
Pickens County resident
Roland Buchanan, 67.
Buchanan’s defense attor
neys argued there is no evi
dence that the victim exists
or that Buchanan took steps
to follow through with plans
discussed in the e-mails pre
sented as evidence.
Buchanan, who was at
one time a prominent Jasper
business owner, was arrested
on Monday, Sept. 13. He
was charged with one count
of Criminal Intent to Com
mit the Offense of Human
Trafficking, one count of
Criminal Attempt to Commit
Aggravated Child Molesta
tion, one count of Pandering,
and one count of Sexual Ex
ploitation of Children by the
Georgia Bureau of Investiga
tion Child Exploitation &
Computer Crimes (CEACC)
Unit.
Buchanan was well-es
tablished in the poultry farm
ing business locally, and in
the early 80s operated a
restaurant on Cove Road that
later became the Jasper Fam
ily Steakhouse. He more re
cently purchased and later
sold a Pickens County dry
cleaning business.
According to testimony
of GBI investigator Tricia
Keenan with the CEACC
Unit, Google Chat messages
and emails from Buchanan’s
work and home computers
show that he attempted to
arrange sexual relations with
a 13-year-old girl in the
Philippines. The messages
were between him and a per
son named “Annie” who
claimed to be the mother of
the young teenager. Keenan
said Buchanan offered to
travel to the Philippines and
pay first 25,000 pesos, then
later 50,000 pesos, to Annie
to engage in sexual relation
ships with her daughter, and
further that he requested to
have the mother watch as
sexual acts were performed.
Inappropriate photos of the
13-year-old were also recov
ered from his devices.
The agent testified that
Buchanan has had email ex
changes between the woman
since at least 2012. Recov
ered emails show that at one
point he asked if the woman
had access to any other
young girls for sexual en
counters, and also that
Buchanan responded to Fil
ipino advertisements for sex
with underage girls.
In what visiting Judge
Jim Cornwell believed made
Buchanan a greater flight
risk, the Pickens resident
owns two properties in the
Philippines where he lived
for between five and seven
years for business.
Law enforcement was
originally alerted to the illicit
messages by the wife of an
employee at Beasley Interna
tional, a poultry house sup
ply company in Gainesville,
Pickens Sheriff / Photo
Roland Buchanan
book-in photo
Ga. where Buchanan had
been employed. Keenan said
the informant saw the mes
sages on his work computer
and contacted the GBI. It
See Case on 11A
Inside this Edition:
Local women
educators group
named Ga.
outstanding
chapter
Page12A
Election News
Sonny Proctor
announces
re-election
campaign for
Jasper counci
Page 10A
Entertainment
Jasper United
Methodist Church
wants to help kids
be kids again
Page 5B
Wanted
Patriotic citizens
wanted to
celebrate
Veterans Day
Page 3A
Sports
Jr. High softball
team wins
Mt. League
Championship
Page 1B
Obituaries - 8A
• Barbara Worley
• George Utiss Jr.
• Gerald Robson Sr.
• Herman Ray
• James Jarrard
• Lurlene Kent
• Mary Moore
• Teresa Tatum
• Winnie Mitchell
Contact Us
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