Newspaper Page Text
Second Amendment sanctuary
measure overturned in Oregon
INSIDE, 3A
Thursday, February 16, 20231 GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com
Authorities seize $22K in marijuana, THC, cocaine
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
A Gainesville man was
arrested on drug charges
after law enforcement seized
more than $22,000 in cocaine,
marijuana and THC products,
according to authorities.
Patrick O’Neal Mitchell
Johnsa, 22, was arrested Mon
day, Feb. 13, and booked in to
the Hall County Jail, where he
remains with no bond.
The Hall County Sheriffs
Office Special
Investigations
Unit searched
his home in
the 5000 block
of Trudy
Circle.
Investiga
tors seized
2 pounds of
marijuana, 19
ounces of THC gummies and
five grams of cocaine, accord
ing to the Sheriffs Office. Offi
cers also found roughly $7,600
Johnsa
in cash and a handgun.
“According to the prelimi
nary investigation, Johnsa
received the drugs through the
mail from fraudulent addresses
in California,” according to the
Sheriffs Office.
Johnsa was charged with
possession of a schedule I drug,
cocaine and marijuana with
intent to distribute. He also
faces charges of possession of a
firearm during the commission
of a crime and possession of a
firearm by a convicted felon.
The Hall County
Sheriffs Office
seized roughly
$22,000 in
marijuana,
THC and
cocaine in a
Gainesville drug
investigation.
Provided by the Hall
County Sheriff’s
Office
‘We know how important this trail is’
SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
A new portion of Highlands to Islands Trail winds through the woods near the University of North Georgia Gainesville campus
Wednesday, Feb. 15. The new portion of the trail features a boardwalk.
Newest section of Highlands to Islands Trail open for use
NGHS keeps their
payroll company
after paycheck delays
BY BRIAN WELLMEIER
bwellmeier@gainesvilletimes.com
Northeast Georgia Health System has
elected to retain payroll management pro
vider ADP after completing a review of the
national processing vendor and its services.
The New Jersey-based company came
under scrutiny in late-December after
NGHS’ 10,000-plus employees experienced
a delay in receiving their paychecks — once
in November and again Christmas weekend.
In response, NGHS moved to coordinate
with upper levels of ADP’s leadership to
“develop a plan” to prevent any such issues
from arising in the future.
“Our finance team worked closely with
ADP to develop a plan to help ensure we
don’t have any issues that would result in
any payroll delays after our typical pay
day. .every other Friday,” Vice President
of Finance Roy Griffin said. “We have been
assigned a dedicated account representative
to follow our transactions through what’s
called the payment settlement process.
With that in mind, we’re sticking with ADP
and trusting the process we have with them
will work in the best interest of all NGHS
employees.”
NGHS, which attributed the delays to a
lapse in communication between the third
party payroll processing company and vari
ous banks and credit unions, transitioned its
payroll services to ADP Oct. 1.
Sean Couch, a spokesperson for NGHS,
said the hospital is actively reinforcing the
notion that employees can expect checks
to come in every other week, rather than
at a specific hour, by the end of the day on
Fridays.
“We totally recognize that what happened
the last time around, right before Christmas,
BY BRIAN WELLMEIER
bwellmeier@gainesvilletimes.com
Part of the Tumbling Creek sec
tion of the Highlands to Islands Trail
has opened for public use, extending
the trail another quarter-mile from
the pedestrian tunnel under Atlanta
Highway to the pedestrian bridge near
the University of North Georgia in
Oakwood.
The Tumbling Creek section, once
complete, will connect Atlanta Highway
to Landrum Education Drive, adding
0.6 miles to the trail.
“We anticipate the full completion of
this Tumbling Creek Trail section in the
spring; however, we know how impor
tant this trail is to the community,” said
Bill Nash, Hall County’s assistant direc
tor of Public Works and Utilities. “With
that in mind, it only made sense to open
up the first section for citizens to enjoy
as we head into the warmer spring
months.”
The newly-opened section includes a
“picturesque boardwalk,” according to
county spokesperson Sarah Crowe, and
parking is available at the Park and
Ride Lot at the intersection of Thurmon
Tanner Parkway and Atlanta Highway,
which can be accessed from Thurmon
Tanner Parkway and Frontage Road.
A grand opening and ribbon cutting
ceremony is expected once the entire
Tumbling Creek portion of the trail is
complete.
Updates and maps of the trails are
available at HighlandstoIslands.org.
Cleveland Highway
in N. Hall set to
resurface this year
BY JEFF GILL
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
A major North Hall
County traffic artery is
about to get a big road
improvement.
The Georgia Depart
ment of Transportation
is planning a $3.2 million
resurfacing, including a
shoulder rehabilitation, of
Cleveland Highway/U.S.
129 between just south of
Jim Hood Road/Nopone
Road and just south of
King Street/Holly Springs
Road/Ga. 283.
The 6.4-mile project is
set for a Nov. 30 comple
tion, according to GDOT.
Ga. 283, which leads to
downtown Clermont, is a
couple miles south of the
White County line. Jim
Hood/Nopone is a key
North Hall crossroads,
with North Hall Com
munity Center and Park
nearby.
The area in between
is largely rural, with
the occasional business
or church dotting the
landscape.
The road project,
awarded in December
but announced last week,
follows on the heels of
another major resurfac
ing in Hall.
Earlier this year, GDOT
announced a $3.5 million,
7-mile makeover of Can
dler Road/Ga. 60 between
Professional Parkway
near Interstate 985 and
Poplar Springs Road/Ga.
332.
The work, which also
will include shoulder
rehabilitation, is set for an
Oct. 31 completion.
SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
Traffic moves along Highway 129 north of Jim Hood/Nopone
Roads Monday, Feb. 13, in Hall County. A $3.2 million, 6.4-mile
resurfacing project is planned for the road with a completion date
of Nov. 30.
■ Please see PAYCHECK, 3A
Hall girl severely
injured in crash on
Mount Vernon Road
BY NICK WATSON
nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com
A 7-year-old girl was taken to Children’s
Healthcare of Atlanta with serious injuries after
a wreck Tuesday, Feb. 14, in North Hall, accord
ing to a report.
Claire Shockley, of Gainesville, suffered seri
ous injuries, while her mother, Olivia Shockley,
was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center
with minor injuries.
Georgia State Patrol troopers responded to
a crash about 4 p.m. on Mount Vernon Road at
Buckhorn Road.
Shockley, 35, of Gainesville, was heading
north in a Chevrolet Traverse on Mount Vernon
Road and was trying to turn left onto Buckhorn
Road.
Lesley Ham, 35, of Gainesville, was heading
south on Mount Vernon Road.
Shockley failed to yield while making the
turn, leading Ham’s Toyota Highlander XLE to
hit Shockley’s vehicle in its right side, troopers
said.
Shockley’s car overturned onto its left side.
Shockley told law enforcement she looked
down for a moment. When she looked back
at the road, she said she could not avoid the
collision.
“She stated that she was turning onto Buck
horn Road to turn around,” according to the
report.
A witness said he saw the crash but couldn’t
recall what preceded it. He said he saw Shock-
ley exit the car and heard her mention that her
daughter was in the car.
Ham had three children in the car: Zachary
Weaver, 12, Walker Wetherford, infant, and
Mary Katheryn Ham, 9. Weaver was taken later
by his mother for evaluation, but everyone else
in the Toyota Highlander XLE was taken to
NGMC from the scene, according to the report.
