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I2J OUR REGION
Shannon Casas | Editor in Chief
770-718-3417 | news@gainesvilletimes.com
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Third excavator theft suspect in custody
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
A Buford teenager was iden
tified by police as the third sus
pect in a Caterpillar excavator
theft from a Flowery Branch
construction site, police said.
Flowery Branch police were
investigating the Dec. 4 theft
of a skid steer excavator from
Sterling on the Lake. A skid
steer is a machine that looks
like a small bulldozer.
Investigator Robin Kemp
said Brett Crissey, 39, of Flow
ery Branch, and Kelley Hosch,
38, of Buford, were arrested
Dec. 12 in Rabun County after
the two were “attempting to
steal another excavator.”
Kemp said a third suspect,
Hunter Moon, 17, is in custody
in the Gwinnett County Jail on
charges of “forgery and theft
by deception from where he
supposedly sold a stolen trailer
in Gwinnett County.”
Kemp said a warrant was
issued for Moon’s arrest in the
Flowery Branch theft.
Police later found the skid
steer, which was taken from
Sterling on the Lake, behind a
house on Amber Cove Way in
Flowery Branch.
Crissey and Hosch were
charged with felony theft by
taking and possession with
intent to distribute metham-
phetamine, and both remain
at the Rabun County Jail.
“Our investigation contin
ues, and we suspect there may
be other thefts of heavy equip
ment in other jurisdictions,”
Kemp wrote in an email.
Anyone with informa
tion is asked to call Kemp at
770-967-6336.
Moon
Santa brings bicycles galore for kids
Photos by SCOTT ROGERS The Times
Santa Claus, along with elf Steve Lifland, gives a bicycle to Luis Aboytes, 5, Monday, Dec. 17, while mom Marissa watches at the
Hall County Sheriff’s Office. Each year the Hall County Sheriff’s Office gives away bicycles to families in need.
More than 100 bikes given to kids ahead of Christmas
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
With her eyes lighting up at
the sight of a purple-and-pink
Huffy bike, Genesis Men
doza, 3, could hardly help but
giggle.
“Is this my bike?” she
asked, as Santa and his dep
uty elves rolled the white
wheels down the Hall County
courthouse corridor.
A tradition dating back to
1997, the Hall County Sher
iff’s Office gave more than
100 bicycles to kids Monday,
Dec. 17.
The Sheriff’s Office
donated more than 130
bicycles last year, and Capt.
Cindy Mustachio said it will
probably be close to that total
this year.
“Our goal every year is
$10,000, and we collected
more than that ... so we’re
able to help more families,”
she said.
Fundraising for the event
comes from deputies’ dona
tions, the Show and Shine car
show as well as other com
munity charity.
Genesis’ mother, Maria
Garcia, said her little girl was
excited for all of the sparkles
and Santa Claus, who lifted
the 3-year-old girl over the
bike.
“She is excited about the
bike. She’ll learn it. I know
that the other two will be
excited about the bikes, too,”
Garcia said.
Garcia also was getting
bikes loaded for Kimberly,
12, and Jose Hurtado, 10.
Mustachio said the sheriff’s
office expanded the registra
tion period for a two-month
sign-up period because it
received more than its tar
get fundraising goal. Fami
lies are chosen during the
sign-up period “and through
partnerships with the Hall-
Dawson (Court Appointed
Special Advocate) program,
churches, schools and others
who have contact with fami
lies in need,” according to the
sheriff’s office.
As the family departed the
courthouse, all there was left
to do was give a hearty hug to
Santa.
“See you in about a week,
OK. You be a good girl. Enjoy
the bicycle,” Santa said.
^— V Mr
4 Jr ^
Arturo Boytes lifts his daughter Marissa, 2, onto a new bicycle
Monday, Dec. 17, at the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. Each
Christmas the Hall County Sheriff’s Office gives away bicycles
to families in need.
Gainesville
City Council
meeting: Three
things to know
BY MEGAN REED
mreed@gainesvilletimes.com
In its final meeting of 2018 the Gainesville City
Council on Tuesday, Dec. 18, will vote on new
members for the city’s parks board, a donation
to maintain the city’s cemetery and the meeting
schedule for 2019.
Parks and Recreation Board
The council will vote on the reappointment of
John Simpson and Chris Romberg to the city’s
Parks and Recreation Board. Councilmembers
will also vote to appoint Robert Washington to the
board, taking the seat of Jeffrey Goss.
The board has been tasked with finding a
replacement for Melvin Cooper, the city’s parks
director who will be retiring in May after 47
years with the department.
Donation to Alta Vista Cemetery
A woman’s will requested that $25,000 be
donated for the maintenance of Alta Vista Cem
etery, and the council will vote to accept the
donation.
Dolores Irene Dobbins, from Texas, died in
2017 and had requested that the donation be
made in memory of David E. Twitty, who died in
1978 and is buried at Alta Vista.
Meeting calendar for 2019
The council also will vote on the meeting cal
endar for 2019.
Work sessions, where councilmembers hear
presentations on upcoming meeting items, are
on Thursday mornings, with meetings following
on Tuesday evenings.
With some exceptions to account for holidays,
meetings are held every other Tuesday at 5:30
p.m. at the Public Safety Complex, 701 Queen
City Parkway.
The first two meetings of 2019, on Jan. 8 and
Jan. 22, were already approved as part of the
2018 meeting calendar.
Gainesville City Council
When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18
Where: Public Safety Complex, 701 Queen
City Parkway
OFFICER
■ Continued from 1A
The 1-985 northbound off-ramp will be closed,
and no northbound traffic will be allowed until
the procession clears out of the area on its way
to Demorest.
The 24-year-old took gunfire Dec. 13 while
pursuing a man who ran from a traffic stop on
Candler Road in DeKalb, according to police.
He was shot multiple times and pronounced
dead at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. He
is survived by family in Cornelia and Baldwin.
A GoFundMe account was created to help
Flores’ long-term girlfriend with “funeral
arrangement, memorials and some of Flores’
pending bills,” according to the fundraiser’s
summary.
As of 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 17, the
GoFundMe campaign had $20,318 in donations.
PANDA
■ Continued from 1A
career they intend to pursue.
“In any business, your food or
your product is the foundation
of your finances, but for quality
growth, you can’t just only focus on
that,” he said.
Dang started working for Panda
Express in Inglewood, California,
after being unemployed for a year
and a half. Three months later he
moved up from his job at the front
counter to the role of assistant
manager. Fast-forward a couple
of months and he became the
general manager.
From the day he received the
title of general manager until now,
Dang said he keeps asking himself,
“Where can I go to get that much
advancement that quickly?”
Now with around 10 years expe
rience as a general manager, Dang
seeks to help others along their
career paths.
One of his most memorable suc
cess stories involved a cook who
worked for Panda Express for six
years. When Dang took over the
cook’s store, he soon discovered that
his employee wanted to become a
truck driver.
Dang said he assumed the role of
the man’s counselor and coordinated
with a driving school to help provide
necessary skills for his dream job.
Six months later, the man left
Panda Express to become a full-time
truck driver.
“We’re not just here to keep
people,” Dang said. “Of course
we’re a business that wants to run,
but people will always come if
we’re giving the community some
thing they want. I connect with that
a lot.”
Once the Gainesville Panda
Express gets settled into its new
location, Dang said he plans to find
ways to give back to the community,
whether raising funds for a local
organization or offering catering for
a school event.
The restaurant now is run by staff
members of other Panda Express
locations, but Dang said he is aggres
sively looking to employ people in
the Gainesville area.
For those interested in applying
for a job at the Gainesville Panda
Express or for more questions
about the fast-casual restaurant, call
678-928-9228.
Panda Express is open from 10:30
a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday;
10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday-Satur-
day and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday.
The drive-thru remains open 30 min
utes after the dining area closes.
Panda
Express
server Ensly
Chan takes
customer’s
food orders
Monday,
Dec.
17. The
restaurant
recently
opened at
Gainesville
Towne
Center off
of Browns
Ridge Road,
scon
ROGERS
The Times
