About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2023)
LOCAL The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Midweek Edition-April 5-6, 2023 3A Man found dead in Lula remembered by community BY BRIAN WELLMEIER bwellmeier@ gainesvilletimes.com A homeless man beloved by many in the Lula commu nity was found dead Friday, March 24, at a residence on Thornton Alley. Investigators with the Hall County Sheriffs Office believe Ricky Lee Armour, 59, died from a drug overdose. Armour was known for his kind, friendly and soft- spoken nature after nearly a year of living there. “(We’re) sad to learn of the passing of Ricky Lee Armour this past week,” local Chris tian group Love Your Neigh bor Ministries said in a Facebook post. “God allowed us to minister to Ricky Lee on several different occasions through Love Your Neighbor Ministries. Ricky was a quiet man who kept mostly to him self. He was always kind and polite to us, and could be seen often riding his bike around town or working on his car. ... Please keep Ricky’s family and those that cared about him in your prayers. ” Dave Wilson, owner of Lula Mercantile, said he’d developed a friendship with Armour over the last year. “(Armour) lived just down Carter Alley from me,” Wil son said. “He was always walking back and forth through here, and it was just kind of good to know him because he was my neigh bor, you know.” Sometimes Wilson drove Armour to a nearby bank to draw a disability check, and as he grew to know Armour, he learned Armour was a guitarist who once played in a band and performed at a number of bars over the years. “He was like a kid at heart,” Wilson said. “I used to call him ‘Tricky Ricky.’ He was always smiling, always cutting up. Probably the nicest person I’ve met in this town, just as good as he could be.” Wilson’s bond with Armour was close — so much that when Armour was hospitalized for pneumonia several months ago, Wilson was the first person con tacted by the hospital over Facebook when Armour was released. “He got back here and we got him set back up,” Wilson said. Wilson said he holds a community cookout at his downtown business, where anyone can come for food on the second Tuesday of the month. Wilson said he hopes to expand this in the com ing years, and he credited Armour for getting it off the ground in its initial phases. “It’s for anybody,” Wilson said. “We try to play music — we’re trying to present to city council to maybe even move it toward the stage to grow into something larger. That way, people get to meet the disadvantaged in more of a humanistic light.” “(Armour) was kind of one of the people who helped it get off the ground — just for feeding people,” Wilson said. Wilson said he was sad dened to hear of Armour’s death, and that his spirit will be missed in the community. Wilson went on to say that he’s planning to hold some kind of memorial service in honor of Armour, though he hasn’t yet determined a specific date that could take place. Submitted photo Ricky Lee Armour attends Loads of Love Laundry Ministry in October. Planning and Appeals to consider office building, lot annexation Gainesville Planning and Appeals Board What: Proposed office building off Green Street Circle; proposed annexation of lot for water/sewer maintenance uses When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 11 Where: Public Safety Complex, 701 Queen City Parkway BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com A 2,000-square-foot office building is proposed off Green Street Circle near Stan’s Biscuits and Deli in Gainesville. A tenant hasn’t been identified for the property at 1113 and 1117 Green Street Circle, but office uses “may include a medi cal office/clinic, business service establishment or a general office,” according to Gainesville planning documents. The half-acre site, also not far from Thompson Bridge Road/Ga. 60, will share access with the adjacent James Kennedy State Farm insurance office. Bradley Dunckel is seeking to rezone the property from residential to office and institutional. The board will recom mend denial or approval to Gainesville City Coun cil, which will take action at a later date. Site proposed for Gainesville water/sewer use Gainesville is hoping to add a couple of acres to the city for water and sewer maintenance uses. The city plans to ask the Gainesville Planning and Appeals Board to annex nearly 2 acres at 1200 and 1204 Marler St., which is south of Industrial Boule vard and near the older Gainesville Mill housing single-family and duplex homes in unincorporated Hall County. Gainesville recently bought the property for $425,341 “to expand maintenance operations for water and sewer ser vices,” according to city planning documents. The site, which now contains two small office structures and two metal warehouse build ings, is next to other city operations. “We will use this prop erty for ... mainly fleet maintenance,” said Linda MacGregor, director of the city’s Department of Water Resources, on Tuesday, April 4. “We do not expect to construct any new buildings. We will make relatively minor modifications to join this property with our other facilities.” The city also is seeking a heavy industrial zoning for the property, match ing its Hall County zoning. The board will recom mend denial or approval to Gainesville City Coun cil, which will take action at a later date. Lula man facing charge of attempted murder claiming self-defense Editor’s note: This pub lished in a previous E-Paper edition and is being provided here for print-only readers. A Lula man facing an attempted murder charge from a March 15 road rage shooting on Ga. 365 is claim ing self defense, according to his attorney. Steven Dallas Cooper, 26, also faces charges of aggra vated assault, aggravated battery, criminal damage to property and reckless conduct. Gainesville Police said Cooper fired multiple shots and hit Michael Charles Gabriel, 50, and Paula Kay Blackwell, 65 Blackwell, who police said was “caught in the cross fire,” was taken to North east Georgia Medical Center after being shot. Hospital officials said Fri day, March 31, that Black- well was still in critical condition. Cooper was set to have a hearing Wednesday, March 29, but the hearing was waived. The plan was for Cooper’s attorney, Michael Katz, to file a motion for bond and then return the case to Magistrate Court for a preliminary hearing. Katz said he intended to file a motion for bond in the coming days. Talking to The Times after the scheduled hearing, Katz said Cooper’s contention was that Gabriel had a gun. Referencing a video obtained by The Times from Gabriel, Katz said it showed Gabriel not running away but coming at his client. “We certainly consider it a case of self defense,” Katz said. Start earning today with Bank OZK! <4.40%> 7-MONTH CD OR IRA CD** SPECIAL <5.00 o/o > 13-MONTH CD OR IRA CD * SPECIAL Visit our Oakwood location or open an account online at ozk.com** <> Bank OZK Greater awaits" ozk.com I Member FDIC *Annual Percentage Yield (APY) effective as of the publication date. Offer applies to new CDs only. $1,000 minimum deposit to open and is required to earn stated APY. Penalty for early withdrawal. IRA CD is subject to eligibility requirements. Offer not available to Public Funds, brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. Fees could reduce earnings. Offer subject to change without notice. Offer good at locations in Oakwood, GA only. **IRA CD must be opened in person and cannot be opened online. Katz said they are hoping for Blackwell’s full recovery. “It was not anywhere near my client’s intention to harm anybody that was not involved in the situation,” Katz said. The Times sent questions via email Friday to Katz to further elaborate on the self-defense issue, but no response was received. When asked if any of the other drivers had a weapon, Gainesville Police Lt. Kevin Holbrook did not answer the question directly. Holbrook said the case remains “open and active” and that no additional charges have been filed. When reached by The Times Friday, Gabriel said he does keep a six-shot revolver in the car. Gabriel said he submitted to a gun shot residue test and that he had nothing to hide. “No shots were fired by me,” Gabriel said. “My gun didn’t even come into play.” Gabriel said the revolver was in a small storage area in the car dashboard, which is where Gabriel said it stayed. Gabriel directed further questions to his attorney Brett Turner, who did not return a call for comment late Friday. Nick Watson Holy Week Schedule Palm Sunday Sunday April 2, 2023 10:00 AM Good Friday Maundy Thursday Thursday April 6, 2023 7:00 PM Foot & Hands washing Holy Eucharist Gethsemane watch at altar of repose after service The Great Vigil
