About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 12, 2020)
LOCAL The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Weekend Edition - September 12-13, 2020 5 A Clarkesville man charged in mail theft investigation BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Clarkesville man is behind bars and has warrants pending from Lumpkin County in connection to a mail theft investigation that spanned five counties, authorities say. Kristopher Jordan Beasley, 26, was arrested after a suspicious person call Aug. 23 near the Hof- brau Hotel in Helen, according to Helen Police. Helen Police said roughly three 30-gallon trash bags of mail were seized from Beasley’s car after the suspicious call investigation. Sheriffs office spokesman Alan Roach said Beasley is being held in the White County Detention Center and that war rants have been obtained for “Lumpkin County on the theft charges of the mail.” Hall County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derreck Booth said Friday, Sept. 11, that investigators also obtained an arrest war rant for Beasley concerning 30 counts of theft by taking. All mail taken from Hall County residents has been returned, Booth said. After responding to the suspicious person call last month, officers could see several shipping boxes and “numer ous pieces of mail” inside the suspect’s Honda, according to an incident report. The Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office had recently issued a be-on-the-lookout post regarding mail theft, and the White County Sheriff’s Office had responded to two mail theft calls that day, according to the report. None of the mail came from the city of Helen, the report shows. The Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office said in late August there were thousands of pieces of mail recovered from Hall, Union, White, Habersham and Lumpkin counties. The Hall County Sher iff’s Office said there were 33 victims in Hall County in this mail theft investigation and 70-80 pieces of mail involved. In addition to the bags of mail, there were also assorted packages from Amazon and the U.S. Postal Service, according to Helen Police. Roach said the suspect allegedly drove up to mailboxes and took the mail inside. “As far as where the mail was stolen from, the mail was taken from each of the individual mailboxes at each location/ residence and not from any centralized location,” Roach wrote in an email. Roach said there is no indication that anyone except Beasley was involved. Beasley Photo courtesy Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office The Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office investigates a mail theft case in August 2020. 700 gallons of sewage spills near Chicopee Village About 700 gallons of sewage spilled into a creek between Palmour Drive and Chicopee Village on Wednesday, Sept. 9, Gainesville Water Resources reported Thursday. A sewer line clogged with grease caused the spill into E.T. Creek, a tributary of the North Oconee River. The problem was dis covered at about 3:38 p.m. Wednesday, and crews stopped the overflow within about 20 minutes, according to a city news release. Signs of the spill were found on the ground and in the creek, but no dead or dis tressed aquatic life was present, according to the news release. Downstream of the spill site, dissolved oxygen levels were 6.24 milligrams per liter, and the pH was 7.48, according to Brian Wiley, environmental services man ager with Gainesville Water Resources. The goal for dissolved oxygen levels is at least 5 milligrams per liter, and a pH between 6 and 8 is ideal, he said. Upstream of the spill site, dissolved oxygen levels were at 8.05 milligrams per liter, and the pH was 7.88, Wiley said. Wednesday’s spill was relatively small, Wiley said. Crews cleaned the area and applied lime and hay. The Georgia Environmental Pro tection Division has been notified, accord ing to the news release. Megan Reed more voices, more victories. $EMOW WSSHff CANCER msrrnnE When you’re facing cancer, you want a strong team on your side. Even better, two. That’s why Northeast Georgia Medical Center is now a network affiliate of Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University - Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. Together, we deliver some of the most effective treatments and promising clinical trials, right here at home. It all starts with more voices - and leads to more victories. Northeast Georgia Medical Center Learn about the collaboration, and choose your cancer doctor at nghs.com/more Emory Winship Cancer Institute Network Affiliates collaborate with Emory on quality and safety initiatives to improve care locally. EMORY WINSHIP CANCER INSTITUTE NETWORK AFFILIATE
