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Sunday, December 31,2023 I GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA I gainesvilletimes.com
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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
