About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 2023)
NOTE TO OUR READERS: South Africa brings case to top UN court accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, inside,4a Sunday, December 31,2023 I GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA I gainesvilletimes.com Due to the New Year's Day holiday, there will be no ePaper forTuesday, Jan. 2. Visit our website at gainesvilletimes.com for breaking news until the next ePaper and print edition on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Enjoy your holiday and thank you for reading The Times. Honestly Local Man accused of attacking officer with crucifix sentenced BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Gainesville man accused of striking a Gainesville Police offi cer with a gold crucifix along with other violence to law enforcement was sentenced to time served and probation, according to court documents. Sebastian Marcos-Bautista, 34, pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor obstruction Dec. 6. He was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Kathlene Gosselin to five years with the first three years in custody. Gosselin deemed the custodial time served, and the remainder of the sentence is on probation. Marcos-Bautista has been in jail since June 1, 2020 and was released Dec. 8. Gainesville Police were called June 1, 2020 for an abnormal behavior call on Summit Street, where witnesses saw Marcos-Bau tista “carrying a stick or paddle into business.” Officers tried to detain him after seeing him “in a tussle” with other people, according to Gainesville Police. “At this point, he had his fist wrapped with a gold crucifix, with the sharp end of the crucifix exposed,” Gainesville Police Sgt. Jessica Van previously told The Times in an email. “He struck our female officer on her head, causing a laceration/bleeding.” Marcos-Bautista was originally indicted on aggravated assault on a peace officer for the crucifix case, but it was reduced to felony obstruction at the plea. The Gainesville man was also indicted on three other counts of See Crucifix 13A Marcos-Bautista ‘He’s a staple of Gainesville’ Photos by Scott Rogers The Times Gainesville City school board treasurer Sammy Smith recently announced that he will step down at the end of the year after 16 years on the board. Smith stands with a shelf filled with the works of Gainesville High School published authors for which he spearheaded gathering the collection for the GHS library. Smith remembered fondly after 16-year BOE tenure BY BEN ANDERSON banderson@gainesvilletimes.com Sammy Smith is stepping down after 16 years on the Gainesville school board, leaving a legacy that saw him become the de facto historian for the school system. Smith earned a reputation for asking tough questions during meetings but also for the curt manner in which he would try to hurry those meetings along, often mak ing a “motion to approve” before the superintendent could finish explaining an agenda item to the board. As board treasurer, Smith will also be remembered for helping lead the district through one of its worst financial crises shortly after he took his seat in 2008 around the time of the Great Recession. Regarded as the historian of the board, Smith is said to possess an encyclope dic knowledge of the his tory of the school system. Throughout his 16-year ten ure, he worked to both pre serve and honor that history, especially at Gainesville High School. Smith was responsible for the addition of a local author section in the high school's library, as well as a collection of yearbooks dat ing all the way back to the first edition in 1914. The library will be named in his honor in the spring. He also spearheaded the creation of Gainesville High School's honorary diploma program, which is believed to have been the first in the nation. In 2016, Smith published “The Ghosts of Bobby Gruhn Field,” a collection of stories about the football field at City Park, where the Red Elephants have been playing since at least the early 1900s. “If there's anyone alive that knows more history about Gainesville City See Smith 13A Three remain to be Lula’s new assistant city manager BY BRIAN WELLMEIER bwellmeier@gainesvilletimes.com The city of Lula could be a step closer to filling its new assistant city manager position, a process that began earlier this year and has been full of controversy. The hiring process had been scrapped in August after the name of a previous candidate was disclosed by Councilman Gene Bramlett, who was investigated and then removed from office by his fellow council members at a pub lic hearing in mid-December. Bramlett, who challenged the decision, continues to serve on council as he awaits the outcome of his appeal in superior court. Before entering executive session at a spe cial called meeting Thursday, city officials said the candidate pool had come down to three “qualified” individuals. Mayor Joe Thomas said one of the four candidates who'd applied for the position accepted another job instead. “We've done the first interviews, then we're going to do the second interviews and then we're probably going to narrow it down to one (person),” Thomas said. “We're not sure what we're going to do. I can't speak for (council).” See Assistant 13A No serious injuries in 3-car crash on McEver Road BY BEN ANDERSON banderson@gainesvilletimes.com A head-on crash involving three cars closed a stretch of McEver Road for about an hour and a half Thursday Dec. 28, according to authorities. Georgia State Patrol said there were no seri ous injuries. The crash occurred around 3:45 p.m. Thursday, closing all lanes of McEver Road between Vista Glen Drive and Lake Run Drive. The road reopened around 5:15 p.m. According to a description of the crash from state patrol, “a 2013 Land Rover Range Rover was traveling north on McEver Rd. The Ford F250 and Chevrolet Silverado were trav eling south on McEver Rd. The Range Rover failed to maintain its lane and struck the Ford F250. After initial impact, the Range Rover struck the Chevrolet Silverado.” Ready-mix concrete plant proposed off Candler Rd./Ga. 60 in SE Hall BY JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com A ready-mix concrete plant “to serve the greater Hall County area” is proposed off Candler Road/Ga. 60 in southeast Hall. With an estimated completion by mid-2024, the facility would include the construction of a build ing and an office that would house the controls for the mixing opera tions, according to Hall County planning documents. The operation would be at 2955 Candler Road, between Tanners Mill Road/Ga. 211 and Poplar Springs Road/Ga. 332, as well as 1.4 miles from Myers Elementary School. A submitted site plan depicts the office and concrete mixing area on 33 acres. The size of the office isn't specified in documents. “The applicant has requested flexibility to modify the arrange ment of improvements upon the property during the development process,” documents state. Other plans call for an excava tion area, loading hopper, truck parking, two storage yards, sev eral storage areas and a 30-foot private road leading from the plant to Candler Road, according to documents. A network of private roads See Concrete 13A A concrete plant is proposed off Candler Road/Ga. 60 in southeast Hall County, 1.4 miles from Myers Elementary School. Jeff Gill The Times
