About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2023)
Fed holds key rate still, may raise it later in year. INSIDE, 4A Honestly Local Gainesville man gets 10 years for dealing cocaine Willis BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Gainesville man was sen tenced to more than 10 years in federal prison after plead ing guilty to dealing cocaine, according to court documents. Chester Willis Jr. entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine, distribution of cocaine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was sen tenced June 5 to 121 months in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Steve Jones. The Hall County Sheriffs Office, aided by state and fed eral law enforcement, exe cuted search warrants in May 2022 in Oakwood, Gainesville and Jefferson. Authorities seized 2.5 kilos of cocaine, 130 grams of crack cocaine, 100 grams of meth and 18 pounds of marijuana. They also took $205,000 along with two guns and two vehicles. According to court docu ments, Willis was accused of four hand-to-hand drug deals involving four ounces each. Dexter Cobb, 42, of Gaines ville, was also arrested on federal warrants in the case. He also faces federal viola tions related to distributing controlled substances and pos session of drugs with intent to distribute. Willis’ attorney, Graham McKinnon, argued that the ■ Please see WILLIS, 3A ‘Imprisoned us in this house , Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times South Hall residents Paul and Veronica de Kozan have been in limbo for 12 years having known since 2011 that a map shows their Sherwood Mill Drive house being taken as part of the Spout Springs Road widening in South Hall. Couple feels 'held hostage' by delays in road widening The couple’s home, in the path of the planned phase II widening of Spout Springs Road, was among 161 parcels claimed by Hall County through eminent domain for right of way acquisition in 2011. BY BRIAN WELLMEIER bwellmeier@ gainesvilletimes.com The home Veronica and Paul de Kozan once cher ished on Spout Springs Road has now become a 12-year prison sentence, they say, at the hands of Hall County’s government. The couple’s home, in the path of the planned phase II widening of Spout Springs Road, was among 161 par cels claimed by Hall County through eminent domain for right of way acquisition in 2011. It’s been 12-years since the de Kozans learned the county would acquire their home for the widening of Spout Springs. Before that, they had plans to sell and downsize. “(Hall County) has talked about it for 12 years, mak ing us prisoners here in this house,” Veronica said. “We’ve been held hostage. They have imprisoned us in this house. They’ve taken our freedom away.” Director of Public Works and Utilities Bill Nash detailed various procedures he said must be completed before the county can move forward with early acquisi tion. Gathering appraisals and assessing the land for environmental impact, he said, is now underway. Nash insisted the proj ect is “not delayed,” stat ing that while the project began in 2012, there’s been “new steps that have come along.” He went on to say that certain aspects of the proj ect that took place in phase I — like the environmental study — have a “shelf life” and have since expired. “Those are not delayed steps,” Nash said. “Wher ever there’s a certain period of time that’s gone on from an original evaluation, you would have a refresh of some evaluations.” Declining physical health Veronica is now in her 70s and suffers from declin ing physical health. She’s also the sole caregiver to her mother, who is nearly 100-years-old and lives on the main floor of their home, requiring the couple to stay on the second floor. Veronica has undergone two knee surgeries and a hip replacement after a fall in January. Her husband Paul, 84, is no longer physically able to maintain their yard. And the stairs to the couple’s bedroom have become a dangerous obstacle. With the de Kozan home destined for demolition, they’ve had to forgo home improvements and reno vations — only spending money on essential replace ments that couldn’t be ignored. For Veronica, it’s also the inability to design her home with her own style and charm that aches her most. “There’s no point in painting a house or doing anything else to it,” she said. “Why would you spend that kind of money? That in itself is anxiety to me — that I can’t go in here and have a house painted and change something around because you can’t spend the money ... the things that we can’t do for our own pleasure in our own home.” Plans to widen Spout Springs Road from Inter state 985 to Thompson Mill Road at the Hall-Gwinnett line were first conceived in 2011. The project calls for wid ening Spout Springs from two to four lanes with a 20-foot raised median and sidewalks. Construction costs have been estimated at $36 million. Veronica said there have been a series of commu nication failures between her and county officials since 2011 that have only prolonged what they now call “the Spout Springs debacle.” Despite the project being split into two phases in 2016 for what county officials described as an “effort to expedite the project’s over all timeline,” there’s been no movement on property acquisition or phase II Spout Spring’s expansion even now — seven years later. In 2017, she said, officials with Hall County said they’d finally begin the process of land acquisition. That hasn’t happened, and Veronica said she’s become “leery” of anything county officials tell her. After so many false promises, the couple has long-accepted the notion that they’re at the mercy of the county, indefinitely. She ■ Please see HOUSE, 3A Hall school board split on tax rate BY BEN ANDERSON banderson@gainesvilletimes.com Hall County’s school board is split over where to set the tax rate for the 2023-24 fiscal year. They emphasized that budget talks are still very fluid, but right now the five school board members break roughly into two camps: those who don’t mind lowering the tax rate beyond what they’re calling the “break even point” and dipping into the $70 million in reserve funds, and those who are more intent on producing a balanced budget. The current tax rate is 15.99 mills. One mill is equal to $1 per $1,000 in assessed property value. In Hall, property is assessed at 40% of its value, so at 15.99 mills, a $400,000 home would yield a $2,558 tax bill. At Monday’s board meeting and the first of three budget hearings, Hall County Superinten dent Will Schofield said a tax rate of 15.64 mills would likely be the “break even point” — a balanced budget, in other words. If you have a $400,000 home, that would translate to a yearly savings of $56 compared to the current millage rate. In the first camp are those who say they prob ably wouldn’t mind dipping into reserve funds and lowering the tax rate beyond that break even point. That camp includes chairman Craig Herrington and vice chairman Nath Morris. “There was another (tax rate) where we would use approximately $10 (million) to $20 million of our ending balance. I would be pretty comfortable with that, personally,” Herrington said. “It’s still a balancing act. The five of us have to decide what everyone’s comfortable with approving.” Morris said over text that he would like to set the tax rate at 15.29 mils and use some of the district’s reserve funds. That would translate to a yearly savings of $111 on a $400,000 home ■ Please see BUDGET, 3A Public Hearings Here is the 2023-24 budget and millage rate adoption schedule, which includes two more public hearings at the school district’s central office at 711 Green St. When: 11:30 a.m., 6 p.m. June 26 Man charged with molestation now faces new charges BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Flowery Branch man previously charged with child molestation now faces 121 new counts related to child porn —^— found on his devices, accord- ing to authorities. wj ^ Jonathan Malinguaggio, 38, was charged in January with aggravated child molestation and aggravated sodomy after an investigation by the Hall ' County Sheriff’s Office. . The Sheriff’s Office said Malinguaggio the case began Qn Sept 13 after deputies were notified of the allegations by the Hall County Division of Family and Children Services. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Derreck Booth said Malinguaggio abused the girl between March 18, 2020 and Sept. 13, 2022. Authorities seized his phone and performed forensic testing on it, which uncovered 20 sep arate images of child sexual abuse material, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Malinguaggio was charged with 20 felony counts of sexual exploitation of children, according to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. Malinguaggio turned himself in Tuesday, ■ Please see CHILD PORN, 3A
