About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2023)
Gainesville boys, North Hall girls lead list of contenders in Hall County golf championships. SPORTS, 1C Ml mt (ttin fs Local artist brings modern take to traditional Korean jars. LIFE, 3C Weekend Edition - MARCH 17-18,2023 | $2.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com Honestly Local Suspect grilled over text messages Wood defends actions in communications after mans death BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com The prosecution grilled Tabitha Wood on text messages sent in the weeks after Leroy Kramer’s death, showing she impersonated him and pre tended he was still alive. Wood spent more than three hours on the stand combined between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. She detailed for the jury Wednesday how Kramer was alive when she ran out of the house in early April after a fight. Wood testified Wednesday that she returned to the home and slept next to him for three days before facing the reality that Kramer was dead. Law enforcement believes Kramer died in early April, but his body was not discovered until June 7. The indictment stated Kramer died from a traumatic injury to his neck and chest. In a limited fashion, Wood tes tified about other women whom Wood claimed were abused by Kramer by his own admission. In the defense’s filings regard ing self-defense, the attorneys claimed there was admissible evidence about Kramer’s alleged character for violence. “Such evidence would also be for the purpose of motive to con trol females, which goes toward the defendant’s self-defense jus tification as the evidence corrob orates Leroy Kramer’s motive to control and abuse women in domestic violence situations, which is exactly what he did to ■ Please see TRIAL, 3A Tabitha Wood takes the stand in Hall County Superior Court Wednesday, March 15, during her murder trial. Wood is accused of killing her 82-year-old fiance, Leroy Franklin Kramer Jr., then living with the body for months. SCOTT ROGERS The Times A new lease on life SCOTT ROGERS I Associated Press Braselton is currently accepting bids to improve their historic grist mill that sits along Frances Street in the downtown area. Braseltons historic grist mill on pace for facelife, addition BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com The exterior has been painted and the foundation shored up over the years, but otherwise, the grist mill sits like a time capsule in downtown Braselton. The building lacks modern conve niences, such as plumbing. It has early original tools and equipment still in place. Various handwritten scribblings in pencil — including Bible verses and peo ple’s names — are on still-sturdy upright wooden beams throughout the three-story structure, which was built about 1900. The mill at 20 Frances St. has sat overlooking busy Ga. 53, which cuts through downtown and into neighboring Hoschton, while growth and change took place around it. That is, until a few years ago, when the Braselton Town Council decided to plot a future for the 6,000-square-foot building it had acquired about 15 years ago, Town Manager Jennifer Scott said during a visit to the property earlier this week. “One of the challenges is how do we preserve the history and still use the building,” she said. A major step was taken Monday, March 13, when the council voted to transfer ownership of the mill to the Bra selton Visitors Bureau Authority, which can borrow money without needing it to be backed by property taxes. Next is a process of accepting bids through March to renovate the mill and build a 3,854-square-foot, two-story addi tion. The addition will include a lobby, restrooms, stairs and office space. Other work will include “grading around the addition and existing mill, and new site walls to improve site drainage.” Maps of the project show part of the mill being used as a museum, a suite of offices in the existing building and then ■ Please see MILL, 3A Man charged in shooting on Ga. 365 BY BEN ANDERSON banderson@gainesvilletimes.com A Lula man has been charged with shoot ing two people in a road rage incident Wednesday morning on Ga. 365, Gainesville police said. Steven Dallas Cooper, 26, faces charges of aggravated battery, criminal attempt to commit murder, criminal damage to property, reck less conduct and aggravated assault. Cooper is accused of exiting his vehicle and shooting a man and a woman around 8:30 a.m. at an intersection of Ga. 365 ■ Please see SHOOTING, 3A Cooper Hall employees lose ruling on pension lawsuit BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com In a 2-1 split decision, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled against the Hall County employ ees who claimed their pension benefits were unlawfully frozen 25 years ago. The class action lawsuit concerns an esti mated $75 million and a group of roughly 100 current and former Hall County employees. Filed in Hall County more than six years ago, the case has pinballed between its home juris diction and the appellate courts. Following the Court of Appeals ruling, the employees’ attorneys said they will ask the Supreme Court of Georgia to review the case. ■ Please see LAWSUIT, 3A ONLINE gainesvilletimes.com/newsletters: Sign up to receive email newsletters from The Times gainesvilletimes.com/apps: Download The Times’ app for a user-friendly online experience and app notifications for big stories INSIDE Advice 2B Calendar 2A Classified 5C Comics 1D Life 3C Opinion 5A Our Region 1B Sports 1C Fun+Games 2B Television 4B 0 4 0 9 01 06825 9 SCHEDULE TODAY’S VIDEO VISIT ONLINE You can now visit with a trusted Northeast Georgia Physicians Group provider on your phone, tablet or computer right when you need them with On-demand Urgent Care Video Visits. With this new virtual service - available Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. - our board-certified Urgent Care providers are available to address your immediate care needs right away. No need to schedule an appointment - just get in line! NGPG.ORG/ON-DEMAND-VISIT
