Newspaper Page Text
The
Commerce News
Page 2A • December 12, 2007
Region Roundup
DA Seeks Death
Penalty In WJ
Murder-Arson
JEFFERSON -- Piedmont
Judicial Circuit District Attorney
Rick Bridgeman has announced
that he will seek the death pen
alty against Henry Lee Stringer
— who is accused of killing four
people in a murder-arson case in
Hoschton.
The bodies of Stringer’s girl
friend Marvelette, their chil
dren J’Majuan and J’Lasia and
Marvelette’s mother, Evelyn,
were discovered May 30, 2006,
inside their burning home on
Pendergrass Road in Hoschton.
Stringer was arrested June 1,
2007, after a year-long investiga
tion by authorities.
Stringer was indicted by a
Jackson County grand jury Dec.
3 with 16 counts related to the
deaths of Evelyn Strickland,
68; Marvelette Strickland, 29;
J’Majuan Stringer, 4; and J’Lasia
Stringer, 2.
The indictment charges Stringer
with four counts of malice mur
der; six counts of felony murder;
two counts of aggravated assault;
one count of aggravated battery;
two counts of cruelty to children
in the first degree; and one count
of arson in the first degree.
Earlier, authorities claimed
Stringer stabbed the two adults to
death before setting fire to their
Pendergrass Road (Ga. Hwy. 332)
house, leaving the two children
to die. Stringer, 34, later pled not
guilty to the charges.
Hoschton police chief Dave Hill
said in a statement Tuesday that
his department presented evi
dence of the crime to the Jackson
County grand jury. The presen
tation included evidence from
the year-long investigation, and
included work from Hoschton
police, the Athens office of the
Georgia Bureau of Investigation,
the Barrow County Sheriff’s
Office, the state Fire Marshal’s
Office and other law enforcement
agencies.
“The Hoschton Police
Department fully supports the
decision of Piedmont Judicial
Circuit District Attorney Richard
K. Bridgeman to seek the death
penalty in this case and appreci
ates the partnership his office has
provided,” Hill’s statement read.
District attorney Bridgeman
filed the notice to seek the death
penalty against Stringer with the
clerk of superior court of Jackson
County Monday, according to
court records.
The case will now progress
according to the unified appeals
procedures that governs pretrial
and trial proceedings for death
penalty cases in Georgia. The next
court appearance for Stringer will
be a first proceeding hearing,
which has not been scheduled by
the superior court.
Couple Irrigates
Landscape With
Trucked-In Water
BRASELTON - The total out
door watering ban in Jackson
County has prompted one couple
to resort to a unique water conser
vation method.
Larry and Jean Beck were recent
ly putting the finishing touches
on their new home in Traditions
of Braselton when the outdoor
watering ban nearly stopped the
residential project.
Jackson County currently
doesn’t allow new landscapes to
be watered — but the Becks didn’t
want to leave their 10,000 square-
foot house without a yard.
“It was almost done, but it was
sitting there with no landscaping
and just dirt,” said Jean Beck,
who designed the house. “It was
just sad.”
Instead, the couple opted to
find a unique way to water their
new landscape without violating
watering restrictions.
The Becks are using their unfin
ished pool to store water trucked
in from another county that
doesn’t have an outdoor watering
ban. The water is then pumped
from the pool to the landscaping.
And just so neighbors don’t
wonder how the new landscap
ing is surviving the drought, the
Becks placed a sign in the yard
that states, “Watering Done From
Pool with Trucked in Water.”
The idea to use their pool as
a holding pond for landscaping
water first came to Jean Beck as
a dream. She admits the method
is one that came out of “despera
tion” after other ideas failed.
The couple asked officials in
Jackson County and the subdivi
sion about drilling a well on their
property on Traditions Way. Both
authorities rejected that plan.
Later, Jean Beck asked her land
scaper about using pool water for
the new sod. That idea worked,
but the pool remains unfinished
while it serves as a reservoir for
landscaping.
Larry and Jean Beck, who are
both local real estate agents,
hope to finish their house in two
weeks.
Commissioners
Deny Plan For
Golf Development
DANIELSVILLE -- The planned
golf course overhaul with an age-
restricted residential development
around it — well, that’s a no-go.
County commissioners voted
5-0 Monday to deny Sunrise
Golf Course owner John Byram’s
request to create a senior com
munity around his struggling golf
course.
The Madison County Journal left
Byram a voice message Tuesday
to inquire about his plans for the
course after Monday’s denial, but he
had not responded as of press time.
Though the denial came quickly,
the BOC seemed poised to post
pone a decision on the matter
again Monday. In October, the
group requested a Development
of Regional Impact (DRI) study by
the Northeast Georgia Regional
Development Center in Athens.
That study has been completed,
but commissioners voiced annoy
ance Monday that they didn’t have
a copy of that report, though Byram
and his representative did. No
county planning and zoning staff
members were on hand Monday to
speak on the matter or to provide
any findings from the DRI study.
“It’s hard to move on because
we’re in about the same shape as
the first night we heard it (Byram’s
request),” said commissioner
Stanley Thomas.
Byram said the DRI report was
unambiguous, establishing that the
proposed development is good for
the area.
“The report stated that the find
ings were positive, that it’s good
for the region and good for the
state,” said Byram. “That was a very
succinct statement. ... It was very
unequivocally a positive response
on the findings.”
Thomas said the board should
have been provided with the DRI
report.
“That’s not my problem,” coun
tered Byram. “That’s on the plan
ning and zoning department in
conjunction with you guys. I mean,
I did what I was supposed to do.”
Commissioner Bruce Scogin
then made a motion to deny the
request.
“We won’t argue about it,” said
Scogin. “I make a motion we deny
the request.”
Commissioner John Pethel quick
ly seconded the motion. And the
board voted 5-0 in favor of the
denial. There was no discussion
of the matter, no explanation of
the denial offered by the commis
sioners.
Moments earlier, Scogin read a
letter from the Colbert Volunteer
Fire Department that outlined
numerous concerns about the
proposed development that could
include up to 158 houses and 60
townhouses. Scogin acknowledged
that he is a member of the Colbert
VFD and that he typed the letter
for the department, which met to
discuss the matter.
“I did in no way insert my opin
ion in here,” he said.
In the letter, the VFD voiced con
cerns “about the continuing severe
drought and Madison County’s
persistent dependency on wells
for its water supply.”
The fire department noted that
increased residential development
in the area is putting more bur
den on the department’s resources.
They said the density of the pro
posed development, with homes
potentially situated within a few
feet of each other, was a fire safety
concern. The potential for traffic
problems was also noted.
The department also requested
that conditions be placed on the
development. For instance, they
wanted all homes to have sprinkler
systems; they requested that all
units be brick, stone or hardiplank,
that all cul de sacs be wide enough
for emergency vehicles, that
Charles Hart Road and Colbert
Danielsville Road be resurfaced
and widened.
They also asked that the BOC
increase its annual allotment to the
county’s 11 fire departments from
one mill to 1.5 mills “in order for
department’s to meet the growing
demands of residential growth.”
One citizen, Charles Hart, spoke
on the proposal Monday, urging
the board to turn down the request.
He posed several questions to the
commissioners.
“Is the county ready for it?” asked
Hart. “Will it cost its residents more
in the form of taxes? Can you
come back 20 years from now and
be proud of it? And did it benefit
the county? How does it affect the
neighboring land owners and sur
rounding community?”
Hart suggested Monday that
the golf course will close even if
Byram’s request is approved.
In recent meetings, Byram told
county leaders that he is losing
roughly $10,000 a month operating
the county’s lone golf course. He
said the proposed residential devel
opment, which would be restricted
to residents 55 and older, was the
only way to save the course, which
would be significantly shortened,
with a number of par fours and par
fives made into par threes.
Blood, Marrow
Donor Program
Set For Youth
A blood and national marrow
donor program drive in honor
of Jackson Austin will be held
Thursday, Dec. 13, from 3-8 p.m.
in Athens.
Austin is a Jackson County boy
who has cancer.
The drive will be held at the
Georgia Center for Continuing
Education, Hill Atrium, on the
campus of the University of
Georgia.
Donors are encouraged to give
blood and/or register for the
National Marrow Donor Program.
Since Clarke County has a grant,
all testing for the National Bone
Marrow Registry is free and only
involves a cheek swab.
All blood donors are strongly
encouraged to eat a full meal or
snacks, and drink lots of caf
feine-free liquids before donating
blood.
To make an appointment for the
event, contact Danielle Austin at
daaustin@alltel.net or Janet Jarrett
at jarrettja@usa.redcross.org.
For more information about
donating blood, visit www.give-
bloodredcross.org. For more
information about the National
Marrow Donor Program, visit
www.marrow.org.
The Georgia Center for
Continuing Education is located
at the corner of Lumpkin and
Carlton streets, near the UGA
track.
Playhouse Being
Given Away In
Habitat Fund-Raiser
The Jackson County Habitat
for Humanity is selling tickets
on a one-of-kind children’s play
house to raise funds for the con
struction of the county’s eighth
Habitat house.
The 10 by 8 playhouse fea
tures a front porch with carriage
lights, and dormer windows with
window boxes filled with pan
sies. Construction of the house
was supervised by Stan Beeco,
owner of Beeco Construction
and a Jackson County Habitat
board member.
“Each house we build, even tak
ing into account donated materi
als and volunteer labor, requires
about $45,000. We felt that the
playhouse would be a great way
for us to use our Habitat building
experience to make something
that children would enjoy and
their families would be proud of,
and in doing so help build a real
house that will provide a family in
need with a decent place to live,”
said Jackson County Habitat
president Gordon Wilson.
The house is on display in
front of the Jefferson offices of
Jackson EMC on the Commerce-
Jefferson Road.
Tickets for the house are $10
and can be purchased at the fol
lowing locations: in Jefferson at
Jackson EMC, Mattox Feed and
Seed, Trinity Tire, Jefferson Tire,
Sugar & Spice, Bright Beginnings,
Verizon Wireless, Living Jackson
magazine and Doggie Style’n
Professional Pet Grooming; in
Commerce at Northeast Georgia
Bank, Athens First Bank and Trust
and McDonald Ace Hardware;
in Braselton at Hometown
Community Bank and Trust and
Northeast Georgia Bank; and in
Talmo at CAM Realty Group,
or by calling or emailing Bonnie
Jones at 706-367-6114 or bjones@
jacksonemc.com.
The drawing will be held Dec.
15, in time for the playhouse to
be delivered for Christmas.
Bank Invites
Public To Fund
Christmas Angels
First Commerce Bank, the
Partner in Education with
Commerce Primary, Commerce
Elementary and East Jackson
Elementary schools, is trying to
help 20 students there have a bet
ter Christmas.
An “angel tree” in the bank’s
lobby at its 1731 North Elm
Street office contains the names
of 20 children, and customers
are invited to sponsor a child or
make a donation of clothing or
g ifts .
To sponsor a child or make a
donation, call Kelsey Blalock at
706-335-8225.
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