About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2024)
Truck driver crashes during a medical emergency on Jesse Jewell Parkway, inside,3a Tuesday, January 23,20241 GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA I gainesvilletimes.com Honestly Local Teenager sentenced to 5 years in classroom assault Jackson BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Flowery Branch man was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to slam ming another Johnson High School student to the floor in April 2022, according to court documents. Joshua Lionel Jackson, 19, pleaded guilty Jan. 12 to aggra vated assault, aggravated battery and simple battery. Superior Court Judge Lindsay Burton sentenced him to 15 years with the first five years in prison and the remainder on probation. The plea concerned an April 22, 2022, incident in a Johnson High School classroom. Jackson was accused of picking the then 15-year-old student and slam ming him into the classroom's concrete floor. Jackson's mother, Shuntay Jackson, previously told The Times that Jackson was threat ened and called racial slurs prior to the body slam. Hall County spokesman Stan Lewis said in May that the school had found no evidence of the alleged threat. Defense attorney Adam Levin previously told The Times that the school resource officer said the other student admitted to using racial slurs during a bond hearing. See Jackson 13A ‘It’s all about location’ Photos by Scott Rogers The Times Destiny Yarbrough, community director of The Midland apartments in Gainesville, tours units Wednesday, Jan. 17. The Midland is the newest set of apartments in downtown Gainesville By JEFF GILL jgill@gainesvilletimes.com More apartments are opening up in downtown Gainesville, with roof top views for residents expected in the spring. People have started moving into the first of three buildings at The Midland Gainesville at 2100 Saint Thomas Drive, off Queen City Parkway and Jesse Jewell Parkway. The second building in the 214-unit complex featuring one- and two-bed- room units could open by mid-April and the third building by late May, said Destiny Yarbrough, the complex's com munity director. Rents range from $1,575 to $2,050. When done, the complex will fea ture a rooftop club room facing the downtown square, as well as a co working area for those choosing to work remotely. Residents also will have access to an outdoor swimming pool and indoor exercise area. Overall completion for the project is expected in June, said William Norris, principal of Marietta-based McNeal Development, which is developing the apartments. “It's all about location,'’ Yarbrough said in giving The Times a tour of the property last week. Residents are within walking distance to growing downtown, including restau rants, shopping and attractions, such as the new music venue, Boot Barn Hall. See Midland 13A The Midland apartments in Gainesville will feature a rooftop bar with views of the downtown area. The Midland apartments in downtown Gainesville are leasing one and two bed room apartments. Gainesville man charged with murder in shooting BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com A Gainesville man was charged with shooting and killing a Braselton man Fri day, Jan. 19, at the Motel 6, police said. Corey Maurice Rucker, 47, was charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and theft by taking a motor vehicle. Gainesville Police were called out around 2:30 p.m. Friday to the Motel 6 on Monroe Drive. Destyn Rashad Alexander, 34, of Braselton, was transported to Northeast Georgia Medi cal Center with a gunshot wound to the chest, police said. He died shortly thereafter. Rucker, who knew Alexander before the shooting, drove off in Alexander's Nissan Murano, police said. With help from local, state and federal law enforcement, Rucker was found at 4 a.m. Sat urday, Jan. 20 at a motel in DeKalb County. He was booked into the Hall County Jail, See Rucker 13A Rucker Gainesville CEO appointed to water conservation board By BEN ANDERSON banderson@gainesvilletimes.com Rochester Darrell Rochester, CEO of Rochester & Associates, a Gainesville-based civil engineering firm, has been appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to the governing board of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning Dis trict, which works with cities and counties to conserve the region's limited water resources. Last week, Kemp's office announced 85 appointments to various state boards, authori ties and commissions. “He has worked with both private and pub lic partners throughout his career and brings a strong understanding of civil engineering principles relevant to the Metro Water Dis trict's program and policy development,'’ Kemp office said of Rochester. “I feel like we need representation in Hall County,’’ Rochester said in an interview. “I'm honored that I was asked to be a part of the See Water 13A Hearing officer rules jail lieutenant’s harassment claims false BY NICK WATSON nwatson@gainesvilletimes.com The hearing officer oversee ing a Hall County Jail lieuten ant's termination appeal ruled that she “intentionally made false claims of sexual harass ment" by her superior and that there was no merit to her alle gations, according to the ruling obtained by The Times. Hall County Hearing Offi cer Madeline Wirt upheld the termination of Lt. Jane Ellen Young, who was terminated Oct. 3. A month before, the Hall County Sheriff's Office released information on Young's termination and the Aug. 22 resignation of Capt. Casey Ivey. During a Dec. 20 civil service hearing, Young alleged that she was sexually harassed by Ivey and terminated after an internal investigation. She also claimed that her superiors handled the investigation unfairly in retali ation for her sexual harassment complaints. The county, however, brought a slew of witnesses testifying that she lied during the inves tigation, retaliated against staff and made inappropriate com ments in the workplace. Wirt ruled there was no merit to her allegations, writing that Young had not met the burden for her appeal. Ivey admitted during the investigation that he had See Young 13A Jane Young, a former lieuten ant for the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, gives tes timony through a video feed Wednesday, Dec. 20, during her civil service hearing. E Scott Rogers The Times
