About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 2020)
LOCAL The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Thursday, March 5, 2020 5A Man accused of rape, assault BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Gainesville man is accused of sexually assaulting a woman and placing his arm around her neck, cutting off her ability to breath, police said. Manuel Ruiz, 42, was charged with rape and booked in to the Hall County Jail Feb. 29. Gainesville Police said Ruiz and the woman were acquainted with one another Ruiz before the incident. According to the police bulletin, the rape was reported Feb. 29 and alleg edly took place that day. “An argument took place and shortly after, Ruiz wanted to have sex with the victim. The victim did not want to but she was afraid Ruiz would hurt her; therefore, Ruiz contin ued to force himself to have sexual intercourse with her,” Cpl. Jessica Van wrote in an email. Van said there was a lan guage barrier during the initial report, which required follow-up investigation. According to the jail log, Ruiz was also charged with aggravated assault and 911 obstruction. “During the rape, he allegedly placed his arm around her neck/ throat, cutting off her ability to breath. He also physically pre vented the victim from making a 911 telephone call,” Van wrote in an email. Defense attorney Andy Maddox declined to comment. CUTS ■ Continued from 1A money for restorations by making a series of cuts to the justice system, as well as cutting more than $2 million from scholarships administered by the Georgia Student Finance Com mission, instructing the commission to instead use existing reserves. The Senate also pulled $3.2 million from an adjustment to the state’s K-12 fund ing formula. Almost all Democrats in the cham ber voted in favor of the bill, though Sen. Majority Leader Steve Henson told his Republican colleagues he had concerns about cuts that will leave vacant positions at state agencies unfilled as the state continues to grow. “We appreciate the work that was done. We have concerns about some of the rollbacks that are in there for positions and we will be talking to you further to see what can be addressed” in the next fiscal year’s budget, Hen son said. DIXON ■ Continued from 1A “The State of Georgia lost one of its finest citizens and most dedicated law enforcement officers” with Dixon’s death, the resolution states. The resolution also says that Dixon graduated from North Hall High School “and followed his lifelong dream to serve others as a law enforcement officer.” Hall Sheriff Gerald Couch, who approached officials about naming the bridge after Dixon, said, “I certainly wanted to honor Deputy Dixon and make sure his sacrifice was not forgotten by this community and future generations of law enforcement officers. (Motorists) will see those signs and remember him. “Also, a good portion of the Dixon fam ily regularly travels Cleveland Highway. This is one way to let them know that we will not forget.” Dixon was shot and killed July 7 while chasing burglary suspects. A community outpouring of grief followed the tragedy, including hundreds turning out for his funeral procession. Tributes continued through 2019, including a Christmas tree decorated in his honor in the Hall County Magistrate Court’s office. Bells Mill Bridge, meanwhile, is being replaced with a new two-lane structure over East Fork Little River. The work is being paired with the Longstreet Bridge replacement also on U.S. 129, with an overall official completion date of Sep tember 2020. LEAVE ■ Continued from 1A because that’s not consistent with what any of us up here believe,” Ralston said at a news conference Tuesday. “But hopefully they will take inspiration from us.” Roughly a dozen GOP committee chairmen joined Ralston and Rep. Hous ton Gaines, R-Athens, to announce the measure, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Currently, state employ ees in Georgia are eligible for 12 weeks of unpaid leave when they have a new child, as required by federal law. “This legislation is going to directly impact the lives of so many constituents who are starting families in my district,” said Gaines, whose district is near the University of Georgia. He said it would also help Geor gia agencies retain workers who might otherwise leave for the private sector. Gaines said no significant financial impact is expected if the policy were to take effect. State Rep. Matt Dubnik, R-Gainesville, said Wednes day he supported the proposal. “We have to remember that the state of Georgia is an employer, and with record low unemployment, everybody, the govern ment included, is fighting for workers,” Dubnik said. “Wages, benefits, etcetera I believe all play into people choosing between which job offer to take and not to take. I certainly think this keeps us, us being the state of Geor gia as an employer, competi tive in the marketplace.” State Rep. Lee Hawkins, R-Gainesville, said he also believes it could make the state more competitive as an employer. “We have some very, very bright and hard-working employees in the state that we’d sure like to keep,” Hawkins said. “It would put us on equal footing with what (private) companies are doing, and I think it’s very reasonable.” State Rep. Emory Duna- hoo, R-Gillsville, said he supports the bill as it is cur rently written and views it as being “pro-family.” The bill will still go through commit tee hearings and could be adapted. State Rep. Timothy Barr, R-Lawrenceville, said he liked that the bill is also inclusive of adop tive and foster parents. He said he planned to follow any potential changes the bill goes through while in committee. State Sen. Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, said he hopes the legislature does what it can to “promote family unity and family harmony and just the happiness of the family,” although with the bill still in the House, he had Summer FLIGHT is a celebration of the creative craft beverage-making skills found in area restaurants, cafes, breweries, and coffee shops. Participating competitors will launch a unique alcoholic or non-alcoholic specialty drink not already featured on their menus. During the two-month event, patrons are invited to rate each sip they try. At the end of the event, based on the drink ratings, one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic drink will both be crowned “Summer Flight 2020 WINNER” in their respective categories. To register your business, go to www.flightsummerfun.com/ participant-registration ®tmes gainesvilletimes.com Honestly local. not yet reviewed it firsthand. House lawmakers rolled out the proposal two months after giving three weeks of paid parental leave to about 95 employees who work full-time for the legislative chamber. The state Senate followed with a similar ben efit for its staff. Georgia does not require private companies to offer paid parental leave to their employees. Many workers in the state have to take unpaid time off — or use vacation days or other leave time — when they have a new child. The House Health and Human Services Committee, of which Barr and Hawkins are members, approved the bill Wednesday. Reporter Megan Reed contributed to this report. Authorities searching for missing teen The Hall County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public to be on the lookout for a missing teen. Megan Erazo, 16, of Gainesville was last seen Tuesday, March 3, walking along Strickland Road. Erazo is 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 125 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair. Anyone with information is asked to call 770-533-7690. Nate McCullough Erazo Lanier Islands Parkway lanes closing as widening continues Single-lane closures are set for 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily through Monday, March 16, on Lanier Islands Parkway in South Hall so crews can put down asphalt topping and install sidewalks and sod. The closures will occur between Holiday Marina and McEver Road, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. The work is weather permitting. The work is being done as part of the DOT adding a center turn lane, along with a 10-foot multi-use path on one side of the road and a 5-foot sidewalk on the other side, between McEver Road and Lanier Islands resort. The $10.4 million project is set for completion in late April. Jeff Gill Work on Lanier Islands Parkway continues. 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