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PAGE 12A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. APRIL 28. 2022
Continued From 1A
Wilson
with the DA’s office in Sep
tember 2021, which spurred
the original sick leave pay,
but that “as his injuries
healed, Carlton Wilson began
to go to the Appalachian Gun
Range....” to teach firearm
classes. This was despite Wil
son telling the DA’s office his
doctor would not release him
to return to work until April
4, 2022. Between October 5,
2021 and January 25, 2022
investigation shows that Wil
son taught approximately
138 individuals at the range,
during which a portion of
time he was drawing payroll
checks from the shared leave
bank.
Wilson was employed as a
Victim Witness Coordinator
through the Appalachian Ju
dicial Circuit District Attor
ney’s Office. The shared
leave policy allows employ
ees to donate their unused
leave hours into a pool that
other employees can apply to
use and convert into a payroll
check. The county adopted
the shared leave policy in
September 2021.
Appalachian Gun Range
co-owners George W.
Weaver, Jr. and Jenni Weaver
have also filed a civil suit
against Wilson and his wife
Cindy Wilson. The suit was
filed in Pickens County Su
perior Court on April 19 at
4:45 p.m., two days before
Wilson turned himself into
authorities.
The suit alleges that Mr.
Wilson, in his role as presi
dent and CEO of the gun
range, and Mrs. Wilson, who
served as secretary and treas
urer of the range, “appropri
ated.. .monetary funds and
business opportunities be
longing to Appalachian Gun
Range...” and “wrongfully
profited, personally, from
January 2018 to April 2022.”
For this, the Weavers are
seeking $500,000.
The plaintiffs are also
seeking $250,000 from each
of the Wilsons for punitive
damages against Appalachian
Gun Range, as well as attor
neys fees.
(Note: Appalachian Gun
Range is a separate business
from Appalachian Gun &
Pawn. Both are in the same
building, but the owners of
Appalachian Gun & Pawn
lease the range space to the
Weavers and Wilsons).
Pickens Sheriff Donnie
Craig told the Progress that
they have not found any fi
nancial wrongdoing of Wil
son’s within the school
system, where he once served
as superintendent.
“We’ve found nothing as
far as the school system is
concerned,” said Craig, who
noted that the overall investi
gation is still underway. “We
are looking at all aspects of
this case, are continuing to
investigate, and will work
closely with the attorney gen
eral.”
The investigation into
Wilson’s financial malfea
sance began after the sher
iff’s office received a tip in
early March of 2022 that he
sold the property intended for
the Boy Scouts for his own
benefit.
Because Wilson was on
leave with the DA’s office at
the time of his arrest, the Ap
palachian Judicial Circuit
District Attorney’s Office re
quested assistance from the
Georgia Office of the Attor
ney General. The Attorney
General will prosecute the
case. The Pickens Sheriff’s
Office in charge of the inves
tigation, which is still under
way. Wilson reported to the
Pickens County Sheriff’s Of
fice on Thursday, April 21
and was booked in at noon.
His bond was set at $5,000,
and he had bonded out by
1:30 p.m. that same after
noon.
Wilson served as superin
tendent of Pickens schools
from May of 2017 through
December of 2019, after a
long career in education here
beginning in 1996 as a mid
dle school principal. His dis
missal in 2019 touched off a
political firestorm with sup
porters calling for him to be
re-hired.
He had left the school sys
tem in 2015 and served as an
assistant magistrate judge be
fore being hired as superin
tendent in 2017.
Continued From 1A
Districts
515 north from there. But the
line wanders off the roadway
in some spots to see that the
population on each side is as
near equal as possible.
Small changes in that line
are also obvious on the map
where instead of following
the road, the cities of Jasper
and Nelson are encompassed
entirely in the East, before
the district line returns to the
highway.
For people who live near
the dividing line, the elec
tions office recommends
using the secretary of state’s
website to check whether you
are east or west district.
Stacey Godfrey, supervi
sor at the Office of Elections
and Registration, encourages
voters to go to the My Voter’s
Page on
http://mvp.sos.ga.gov for all
their questions.
With several candidates in
the west district commission
race this May and questions
from both parties on the bal
lot, Godfrey has encouraged
voters to take a look at the
election information with ad
vanced voting opening Mon
day, May 2 at the Pickens
County Community Center.
Voting will run Mon-Fri 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. and two Satur
days, May 7 and 14 from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m.
Voters may also call the
elections office at 706-253-
8781 or visit their office on
Pioneer Road.
Continued From 1A
Keown
point. When they arrived at
the restaurant, Keown asked
the male to meet her and a fe
male friend at a waterfall off
Upper Salem Church Road.
At the waterfall, two masked
men she had arranged to be
there robbed her male friend
at gun point. The young men,
19 and 20 years old at the
time, stole the victim’s
phone, keys, and wallet.
They then pretended to rob
Keown and her female friend
and “stole” their car.
The plot was foiled after
detectives utilized an exten
sive network of cameras and
surveillance to track the sus
pects to an abandoned home
in Conyers, Ga. All four were
in custody two days after the
incident.
During the plea hearing
Wednesday, April 21,
Keown’s armed robbery
charge was reduced to a rob
bery charge, and she was sen
tenced to 10 years of
probation for that charge and
five years of probation for
entering an automobile (to
run concurrently with the 10
years of probation for the
robbery charge). Conditions
of Keown’s probation are
that she is banned from Pick
ens County, and must pay
$3,500 in restitution. She was
also granted first offender
status.
Keown responded to sev
eral questions from Pickens
Superior Court Judge John E.
Worcester, which included
making sure she knew what
maximum sentences were for
each charge and how much
prison time she could face.
Keown was soft spoken and
clasped her hands behind her
back while speaking.
Judge Worcester told the
defendant, who was dressed
in a pale blue shirt and wear
ing a black face mask, that
she should thank her attorney
and the state for her reduced
sentence. Worcester said it
was unusual for an armed
robbery charge to be reduced
to robbery, and that “some
one obviously thought you
merited this kind of treat
ment.”
It was noted at one point
that Keown is a sophomore at
Georgia State University
where she is majoring in
marketing, and that she grad
uate high school with an ex
emplary GPA.
Keown’s attorney Kevin
Roper made the following
statement after sentencing.
“I am thankful we were
able to reach a deal on behalf
of my client,” Roper said.
“She accepted responsibility
for her role from the begin
ning and now begins the
terms of her sentence. I do
not believe this was typical
behavior of my client and I
trust that she will be able to
complete the terms of her
plea and have a successful
and productive life.”
Co-defendants in the case
are Nicholas Saul McLeod,
Sandra Romero, and Gregory
Scott Wesley, Jr.
Professional Women updated on Pickens non-profit organizations
o A a I
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Notice of Regular Meeting
The Pickens County Board of Elections
and Registration will hold a regular
scheduled meeting on
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022, at 6:30 pm
in the Pickens Room at the
County Administrative Building,
1266 East Church Street,
Jasper, GA 30143.
The public is invited to attend.
Stacey Godfrey, Supervisor
Pickens County Elections & Registration
IWiMt 83 Pioneer Road • Jasper, GA 30143
I Office: (706) 253-8781
Fax: (706) 253-8782
'fllpDALTON
l*|[ STATE
Part-Time Instructor
Mountain Campus Ellijay
Dalton State College is currently accepting
applications for the position of Part Time
Instructor.
Please apply directly online at
https://www.daltonstate.edu/resources_for/
employment.cms
E O E/AA/D ru g - F ree
Bryan Lawrence
Email: Bryan@Iaithtuif.com
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The latest networking luncheon for PWPC (Professional Women of Pickens County)
was hosted on April 7. The program focused on some of the non-profits in the Pickens
County area. The Pickens County Progress was the sponsor for the event. Pictured left to
right is the program speakers along with the PWPC leadership team. Jessica Wells, CEO
with Boys & Girls Club of North Georgia; Sally Stenger, a local attorney and PWPC sec
retary; Kathleen C. Varda, Foundation Director for Highland Rivers Foundation; Jennifer
McDonald, Outreach Coordinator with North Georgia Family Partners; Michelle Tidwell,
iTHINK Financial and PWPC president-elect; Kelly Stover, iTHINK Financial and PWPC
president; and Sheri Crowe, Pickens County Progress, and PWPC past president.
The next networking luncheon will be June 2. PWPC is a program through the Pickens
Chamber of Commerce. For more information about attending contact the chamber office
at 706-692-5600 or visit www.pickenschamber.com.
Families Anonymous meeting
Families Anonymous Appalachian Circle, Talking ily and/or friends of those
(FA) will resume meeting in Rock, 30175 (one mile north with drug, alcohol, or related
person weekly on Wednes- of the Jasper Walmart off behavioral problems,
days at 11 a.m. beginning 515). Families Anonymous For more information
February 2nd at King of is a nonprofessional, non- contact Mary at mkc@etc-
Kings Lutheran Church, 45 profit support group for fam- mail.com 706-276-1850.
look for Sample Ballots
in next week’s paper.
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