About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 2018)
Flowery Branch girls basketball team picks up win over Chestatee behind dominant defense, sports, ib SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2018 | $1.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Gov. Deal appoints Hall County sheriff to justice panel, region, 6a Honestly Local Flash floods, ice, wind possible in Hall BY NICK BOWMAN nbowman@gainesvilletimes.com A flash flood warning is in effect for Hall County from 7 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, to 7 p.m. Sun day. The flood warning coincides with a potential freezing rain event at higher elevations begin ning Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service. Anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of rain is expected over the week end, with heavier rainfall possible in local areas throughout North Georgia. “A mix of rain, freezing rain and sleet can be expected with some accumulating snowfall over the mountains,” states the National Weather Service advi sory. “This could then transition to a light mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain across the rest of north Georgia and portions of central Georgia on the back side of the system for late Sunday into Monday.” Along with rain and poten tial ice, gusts of 20-30 mph are expected from Saturday night to Sunday morning, creating a risk of tree falls in the region. The worst of the storm will be concentrated north of Hall County, according to forecast ers, in the counties of Lumpkin, Union, Towns, Rabun and Haber sham. Those counties are under a winter storm watch through the weekend and are expected to get both snow and ice. The worst of the winter storm is expected to hit in western North Carolina. Local weather is expected to clear by Tuesday. Heavy rainfall will add to an already (almost) full Lake Lanier, which as of Friday sits at 1,070.4 feet above sea level, less than a foot below its full summer pool of 1,071 feet. The lake level remains in stark contrast to the bone-dry 2016 — on the same day two years ago, the lake sat at 1,061 feet. While recent rain helps keep the lake full, persistent rainfall loosens soil. If winds pick up as expected in the forecast, recent rainfall could make it easier to topple trees during the storm. You can stay up to date on local forecasts by following the National Weather Service here. Residents can sign up for citizen alerts through the Hall County website to get warnings from the local emergency management agency about inclement weather. Millwood ready to take reins at South Hall Middle School Joey Millwood is now the principal of the school he attended as a youth. Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times New principal already familiar with community and school BY JOSHUA SILAVENT jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com Joey Millwood is in the midst of one of the biggest transitions in his profes sional career as he becomes principal at South Hall Middle. “I am seeing there’s some distinct dif ferences,” he said. But at least he knows the landscape. “As far as familiarity with the com munity, with the kids, teachers and staff ... there’s not a lot of change,” Millwood said. That’s because Millwood began his career in education in 1997 as a science and history teacher in South Hall. During this period, he was named teacher of the year. In 2000, he resigned from the district to accept a position at Eagle Ranch in Chestnut Mountain. Millwood returned to Hall County Schools in 2005, accepting a position as instructional coach at South Hall Middle. He has served as assistant principal at the school since 2007 and was named principal when Paula Stubbs announced her retirement effective Dec. 28. Millwood said he’s been connected to the South Hall community so long he’s now got students in his school who are children of his former pupils. Now that he’s the lead messenger, Millwood said he hopes his values remain true even while accepting new responsibility. “I hope I don’t treat them any differ ently,” he added. “I truly believe that the person that bears the responsibility South Hall Middle School principal Joey Millwood talks with Jeremy Soto, 14, about ■ Please see PRINICPAL, 6A a project for construction class Wednesday, Dec. 5. Mother indicted in death of baby found in freezer Associated Press Oakes DOTHAN, Ala. — A woman has been indicted in the death of her 6-month-old son, whose body was found last summer in an Alabama motel room freezer. The Dothan Eagle reported Fri day that 36-year-old Amanda Gail Oakes is charged with manslaugh ter and abuse of a corpse. A man who had been travel ing with Oakes, 28-year-old Carl ton James Mathis of Gainesville, Georgia, was arrested on a mur der warrant June after the baby’s body was found. The baby, Curtis James Oakes, died while being cared for by Mathis, the newspaper reported. The mother said they placed her son’s body in the freezer of a Dothan motel room when the smell became unbearable. Investigators determined that Oakes and Mathis had left Geor gia with the infant after authorities there attempted to arrest Mathis on burglary and parole violation ■ Please see BABY, 7A Mathis Man taking DUI conviction to Ga. Supreme Court BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A man is asking the Georgia Supreme Court to rule that an earlier agreement he made to plead guilty to a DUI in Hall County should not have been admitted at trial when he later changed his plea. A Georgia State Patrol trooper smelled alcohol and saw Gregory Claude Adams’ eyes were blood shot when he encoun tered him July 2, 2016, according to the Geor gia Supreme Court’s summary of the case. Adams’ car had hit an embankment after he swerved to avoid another car that had stopped to turn left. The trooper arrested Adams for DUI and read him the Georgia implied consent notice about submitting to a chemical test for ine briation. Adams signed an agreement to plead guilty in exchange for not having his license suspended. “Adams also refused to take the state-admin istered blood test. The arresting trooper then initiated an administra tive suspension of Adams’s license but agreed to suspend the administrative proceeding and allow Adams to keep his license based on Adams’s for mal written ‘stipulation’ that he would enter a guilty plea to the DUI charge,” according to the court’s summary of the case. Adams later decided to plead not guilty and go to trial, but his previous stipulation about entering a guilty plea was admitted into evidence. ■ Please see DUI, 6A Adams later decided to plead not guilty and go to trial, but his previous stipulation about entering a guilty plea was admitted into evidence. INSIDE WEATHER 2A DEATHS 7A 0 *40901 06835 8 Advice 5B Bridge 5B Business 8A Calendar 2A Classified 7B Comics 6B Life 4B Lottery 2A Opinion 5A Our Region 6A Sports 1B TV/puzzles 5B k High Low 39 34 Lake Lanier level: 1,070.4 feet Full pool 1,071. Down 0.18 feet in 24 hours Eugene Logwood, 84 Dorothy Bruce, 86 Lois Chestnut, 91 Zachary Coleman, 43 Eleanor Cook Billie Cooper, 65 Robert Eaton, 84 Edward Heil, 90 John Ingrisano, 68 Gustavor Orozco, 12 Billy Peppers, 72 Jamey Simmons, 47 Jessie Truelove, 82 Deborah Wright, 60
