The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, December 21, 2018, Image 8

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The times., December 21, 2018, Image 8

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Newspaper Page TextA OUR REGION Shannon Casas | Editor in Chief 770-718-3417 | news@gainesvilletimes.com The Times, Gainesville, Georgia Friday, December 21,2018 AUSTIN STEELE I The Times Flowery Branch is looking at building a 250,000-gallon tank on Gainesville Street and making improvements to the one on Roberts Drive. Flowery Branch looking to add new water tank, improve another JEFF GILL I The Times Flowery Branch City Manager Bill Andrew, left, talks to the council Thursday, Dec. 20, about water and sewer plans for the South Hall city. Also pictured is City Attorney Ron Bennett. BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Flowery Branch took early steps Thursday night in a long-term plan to improve water and sewer infra structure and cope with growth that’s already taking place in the South Hall city. The City Council voted Dec. 20 to start the engineering for a new 250,000-gallon water tank, replac ing an existing 60,000-gallon tank on Gainesville Street, and in raising the elevation of the city’s existing 150,000-gallon tank on Roberts Drive. “We’re going to be balancing the (water) pressure between these two tanks,” City Manager Bill Andrew said of the project. The cost for the engineering work is $51,500. The work will involve “dig ging into the ground (and) testing the soils to make sure the foundations are built properly,” Andrew said. Flowery Branch is raising water and sewer rates 5 percent this year to help bolster its capital improvement plan. The city is experiencing and antici pating significant growth,” states a let ter to customers announcing the hike. “Accommodating this growth creates an opportunity for the city to improve our service to all customers. ” The letter goes on to say the city is planning water tank improvements, water and sewer line improvements and a sewer plant expansion. “These enhancements will ensure continued service now and into the future,” it says. Construction is underway through out the city on new residential developments. And more is on the way, includ ing a 324-unit apartment complex off Phil Niekro Boulevard at Thur- mon Tanner Parkway, just west of Interstate 985. The front portion of the property, facing Phil Niekro, will feature five outparcels, varying in size from 1 to P/2 acres. The lots could contain retail businesses, such as restaurants, Kurt R. Alexander, principal for The Resi dential Group, told the council at its Dec. 6 meeting. The council gave its final rezoning OK Thursday night to the project. Two women arrested in massage parlor sting Two women at two different massage parlor locations in Hall County were arrested on prostitution-related charges on Wednesday, Dec. 19, by the Hall County-Gainesville Multi- Agency Narcotics Squad. According to a press release, the task force officers arrested Jean Ann Medina, 64, of Ray City, on charges of prostitution and masturbation for hire at a property in the 1700 block of Atlanta Highway in Gainesville, and Li Ying Wang, 55, of Atlanta, for keeping a place of prostitution and masturbation for hire at a property in the 200 block of John Morrow Parkway in Gainesville. The Atlanta High way location is known as Bali Massage, and the John Morrow Parkway business is known as Joy Massage. Law enforcement officials said they had received complaints about possi ble illegal activity at these businesses. Task force officers acted in an undercover capacity during the operation. The arrests in this case come after multiple sting operations on different loca tions within the county. Joy Massage on John Mor row Parkway opened in Sep tember, according to a local merchant who spoke with The Times. Lt. Don Scalia said no other arrests are expected. Joshua Silavent and Nick Watson Medina Wang DUI ■ Continued from 1A Deputy Chief Jay Par rish, who was named police chief this week to succeed Chief Carol Martin, said Davis reported his arrest and submitted his resigna tion the Saturday following the arrest. Woodard said she was aware of roughly two dozen pending cases in her court, though it could be more with traffic citations. Davis formerly worked in the traffic unit and had moved to the K-9 division, Parrish said. “He was a really good offi cer, did a great job and made a terrible, terrible decision that changed his career path,” Parrish said. In a 2013 Gainesville Police annual report, Davis received the bronze award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving for 25 DUI arrests as well as a traffic safety award for “occupant safety violations.” Phone numbers listed for Davis through online databases were inoperable Thursday, Dec. 20. “It is a charge and a mere allegation. He is innocent until proven guilty. He is a good officer. I don’t think any charge or allegation is going to reflect upon him as it relates to his veracity or reliability in any case. He is a very honest gentleman,” defense attorney Jeff Talley said. Woodard said Davis’ case is still pending in State Court, as she has not reviewed the entire file. She described Davis as an “officer who had served the city of Gainesville with honor and excellent discretion as it revolved around his treating of citizens.” “I hate it for him, but it was a circumstance that none of us could turn a blind eye to. We hold our employees to a very high standard, higher than that of the average citi zen. And he knew that. I think that’s why he immediately resigned,” Parrish said. FLOWERY BRANCH Mary Jones resigns from council seat BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com Flowery Branch City Councilwoman Mary Jones is stepping down from the Post 2 seat she has held since 2012. “I’ve enjoyed every bit of it,” Jones said of her council service after Mayor Mike Miller announced her res ignation at the end of Thursday night’s council meeting. She didn’t give a reason for leaving but said the timing was good. “We’re at the end of the year. We’re going to start new, so it should work out very well,” Jones said. City Clerk Melissa McCain said her family sent a note earlier this week saying the Dec. 20 meeting would be her last. Jones said in June, after Councilman Fred Richards had died, that Richards drove her to council meet ings “as I don’t get around as much as I used to.” She last won election in 2015, with her term set to end Dec. 31,2019. An Indiana native who has lived in the South Hall city since 1959, she was first elected to the council in 2006, choosing not to seek re-election after one four- year term. When preparing to take office after a spe cial election in 2012, she said she believed Flowery Branch “is going to do something, and I’d like to see it go forward, not backward.” “Mary has been a vital part of this community,” said Miller, who presented Jones with a plaque honoring her. Also at the meeting, offi cials announced that a new city park near the round about on Lights Ferry Road would be named the Dean Jones Family Park. Dean Jones, Jones’ late husband, was involved in public service, as well. Mary Jones’ daughter, Ann Jones, also served on the Flowery Branch City Council. “Thank you for every thing you’ve done for our city,” Miller told Jones. McCain said a special election to replace Jones would be held in June. Jones Man accused of offering teen cash for sexual pictures BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Murrayville man is accused of offering a teenage girl money for “sexually suggestive photographs,” according to authorities. Hall County Sheriff’s Office investiga tors delved into the alleged online activ ity of Randy James Stephens, 21, and a 17-year-old girl he “knew to be a minor,” Lt. Scott Ware said. Ware said Stephens allegedly proposi tioned the girl Tuesday, Dec. 18, for “sex ual activity which he intended to record. ” “Stephens offered to pay the victim in this case money in exchange for sexually suggestive photographs, as well as paying her for participat ing in various sexual acts with him which he intended to cap ture on video,” Ware wrote in a news release. Ware was unfamiliar with how much money was offered. “I know they knew one another but I don’t know anything further or more specific regarding their affiliation,” Ware wrote in an email. Stephens was charged with felony pandering and sexual exploitation of a minor. He was booked Thursday, Dec. 20, in to the Hall County Jail, where he remains without bond. There was no attorney information available for Stephens with Magistrate Court officials. Stephens Government offices to close for holiday Several local government offices will be closed for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Hall County’s administra tive offices and courts will be closed Dec. 22 through Dec. 25, as well as Jan. 1. All libraries, except for the North Hall Tech Center, will be open Dec. 22. Librar ies will be closed Dec. 23 through Dec. 26, as well as Jan. 1. All library branches will close at 5 p.m. Dec. 31. The Hall County Landfill, Hall County Recycling Cen ter and Hall County Animal Shelter will be closed Dec. 24 and 25 and again Jan. 1. County compactor sites will only be closed on Dec. 25. Community centers will close at 5 p.m. Dec. 31. The city of Gainesville’s offices will be closed Dec. 24 and 25 and Jan. 1. There will be no city trash or recycling pickup on Dec. 24 or 25. Flowery Branch city offices will be closed Dec. 24 and 25 and Jan. 1. Oakwood City Hall will be closed Dec. 24 and 25 and Jan. 1. Lula City Hall will close at noon Dec. 21 and will stay closed on Dec. 24 and 25. The city hall will also be closed Jan. 1. Trash collection in Lula will be unaffected. Clermont Town Hall will be closed Dec. 24 through Dec. 27. The January Town Council meeting has been rescheduled to Jan. 8. Megan Reed FRAUD ■ Continued from 1A According to the indict ment, Williams is accused of “claiming that computer servers were stolen from his place of business, when in fact they were not” when fil ing a claim to The Hartford. Campaign spokesman Seth Weathers previously told the media that roughly $300,000 worth of crypto currency mining servers were stolen from Williams’ office in Gainesville either late Tuesday night, May 8, or early Wednesday, May 9. Williams owns LPW Investments, a business with a server farm, at 2365 Mon roe Drive in Gainesville, Weathers said. Weathers previously said the campaign had been using additional space in the building, although the servers were not kept in the campaign’s side of the building. Williams drew widespread ridicule during his campaign for governor by launching a tour using a grayed-out school bus covered in anti- illegal-immigration slogans. He drew less than 5 percent of the vote in the Republican primary in May. COP ■ Continued from 1A the children rolled up to register 22. Officer Chase Fears and Carter Jordan, 8, ran along the toy section back row to get to the Treasure X, a series of toys where kids dig up buried treasure and hidden explorers. With the last $57 to his account, Carter grabbed five of the Treasure X and finished off with a $7 Bey- blade toy. As they unloaded a cart of slime and a collection of baby doll accessories, Officer Allison Lathem com mended 9-year-old Makhya Barner for her choices. At the end of the checkout line, Becca Jordan, 3, pretended to strum her “Frozen” guitar still in the box. Pilgrim’s Pride was the main sponsor for the event. Rain, accidents cause traffic delays BY JOSHUA SILAVENT jsilavent@ gainesvilletimes.com Two people were trans ported Thursday morning to the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gaines ville with injuries that are not life threatening follow ing a traffic accident on Interstate 985 in Flowery Branch. The accident occurred about 7:30 a.m. Dec. 20 on the northbound side of 1-985, according to Hall County Fire Services spokesman Zachary Brack ett. Northbound lanes were closed for a time. Rains caused slowdowns and delays on major thor oughfares across Hall County. Another accident was reported near the intersec tion of EE Butler Parkway and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Gainesville about 10 a.m. More than a half inch of rainfall was recorded at Lee Gilmer Memorial Air port in Gainesville between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.