Newspaper Page Text
School: 8B
Sports: IB
Leopards begin region
tournament Friday
BCHS holds
military ball
April 23,2008
The Banks County News
504^ Homer, Banks County, Georgia 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • mainstreetnews.com • 26 Pages, 3 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 39 No. 37
a n=
Jones gets
180-day
sentence
Madison gives
up law license
BY ANGELA GARY
Linn Jones, wife of former
District Attorney
Tim Madison,
was sentenced
in Banks County
Superior Court
Friday to 180
days in a wom
en’s detention
cencer on chef,
charges. She was
also fined $500 and will have to
perform 250 hours of community
service.
Meanwhile, Madison has surren
dered his Georgia Law License. The
Georgia Supreme Court approved
the voluntary surrender Monday.
Madison moved to give up his
license in February.
Jones’ sentencing last week effec
tively ends an extraordinary state
investigation into the Piedmont
Judicial Circuit DA’s office. Madison
was sentenced earlier this year to
six years in jail on theft charges and
former ADA Brett Williams was
fined on misdemeanor charges.
Jones was charged with having
conspired to defraud the county
government by submitting payroll
hours for times when she didn’t
work. Jones was on both the Jackson
County and Banks County DA pay
rolls at the same time.
According to documents present
ed in court last week, Jones claimed
that she was working at the same
time evidence proved she was out
of state.
Jones’ attorney said she “accepts
full responsibility for her actions”
and is “sorry for what she did.”
In her only comment to the court,
Jones said, “I would like to tell the
court I’m sorry, sir.”
The scandal surrounding the DA’s
office was uncovered by MainStreet
Newspapers in early 2007. A series
of investigative stories were pub
lished in March 2007 question
ing Madison’s handling of various
government funds. Madison sub
sequently resigned as DA in June
2007 and was indicted in August
2007.
News - 2-3A
•Conservation program
details to be given Thurs.
— page 3A
•Spring festivals planned
in Alto, Lula
— page 3A
Op/Ed
• ‘Yardwork a sign
spring has arrived’
— page 4A
Other news
•Social News — page 6-7B
•School News — page 10A
•Public Safety — page 5A
• Legals — pages 8-9A
• Church — page 7A
• Obituaries — page 6A
Shoplifting suspect flees, crashes
APPLE VALLEY WRECK
This is the scene of a wreck on Hwy. 11 in Apple Valley, Jackson County, last Wednesday after a shoplifting suspect fled from Tanger
Outlets. Melinda Renee Thomas, 30, of Athens, fled from Banks County officers and wrecked, injuring four passengers. Thomas faces a
number of charges from Banks County and the Georgia State Patrol. Photo by Justin Poole
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
A shoplifting suspect led a Banks
County Sheriff’s Office deputy on a
pursuit from Tanger Outlet through
Commerce and into the Jackson
County community of Apple Valley
last Wednesday before eventually
crashing her vehicle and injuring
four other passengers.
The driver, later identified as
Melinda Renee Thomas, 30, of
Athens, is facing a slew of charges
from Banks County and Georgia
State Patrol officials. Sheriff Charles
Chapman said Monday morning
charges have been filed and war
rants issued for Thomas for fleeing
and attempting to elude, reckless
driving, removing a license plate in
an attempt to conceal the identity
of a vehicle, failure to signal when
changing lanes, failure to signal
when turning, driving too fast for
conditions, failure to yield and three
counts of cruelty to children in the
first degree.
Additional felony charges of shop
lifting are also pending, Chapman
said.
The GSP is also charging Thomas
with failure to maintain lane, reck
less driving and safety restraint vio
lation.
Thomas was already on parole
involving previous shoplifting
charges. She was taken to an area
hospital following the chase but was
not seriously injured.
The incident began last Wednesday
at approximately 1:30 p.m. when a
call was received by Banks County
dispatch concerning a shoplifting at
J. Crew at Tanger Outlet. A Banks
County patrolman on I-85 located
the vehicle and began pursuit.
Thomas began fleeing at a high
rate of speed toward Commerce.
The pursuit continued through
Commerce toward Jefferson on Hwy.
11. The Jefferson Police Department
was notified and was on standby if
needed.
No Commerce police officers were
involved in the Wednesday chase,
Chief John Gaissert said. The chase
came down old U.S. 441, through the
Hardee’s/CVS intersection and out
toward Apple Valley, but by the time
the Commerce Police Department
was notified, the chase was out of
town and there was no potential to
catch up. The Commerce police did
assist with traffic control around the
wreck, the chief said.
Thomas ran off the road, however,
near the Apple Valley community
in Jackson County before reach
ing Jefferson. Three juveniles and
one other adult female were in the
vehicle with Thomas.
Sheriff Stan Evans said the Jackson
County Sheriff’s Office also was not
involved in the chase. Deputies were
at the scene assisting with the wreck
and traffic control after the accident
occurred.
The GSP was called in to work the
accident scene and the passengers in
the vehicle were transported to vari
ous hospitals. Two people, including
a 12-year-old, were airlifted from
the accident scene.
Several large bags of clothes from
J. Crew were recovered at the acci
dent scene.
No one else who was in the vehi
cle with Thomas faces charges at
this time although Chapman said the
investigation continues.
MEASURING HEIGHT
Nancy Baymiller measures the official height of a Banks County
Middle School student while he received his physical to partici
pate in athletics for the following school year. The Banks County
Health Department helped coordinate the event, which was held at
BCMS. Photo by Chris Bridges
Sheriff's office prepares for
NHRA Southern Nationals
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Thousands of spectators will
descend upon the Banks Crossing
area this weekend for the annual
NHRA Southern Nationals.
The enormous crowd is some
thing Banks County sheriff
Charles Chapman and his depart
ment has been busy planning for.
In fact, the event, as in years
past, is expected to draw on over
flow crowd to Atlanta Dragway.
Chapman said all BCSO deputies
will be working this weekend.
“No one takes time off dur
ing this event,” the sheriff said
earlier this week as he enjoyed
the calm before the storm. “The
Southern Nationals always draws
a big crowd.”
Chapman and his deputies
will receive assistance from 60
Georgia State Patrol officers from
the across the state. The GSP
Qualifying will begin at 9 a.m. on
Monday for the July General Primary
Election. Qualifying will be held
through noon on Friday, May 2.
Probate judge Betty Thomas said
qualifying for all candidates will be
in the probate court in the Banks
County courthouse.
Offices which can be contested in
the primary election and the qualify
ing fee for each is as follows:
•sheriff, $1,616.40
•tax commissioner, $1,392.24
•clerk of superior court, $1,392.24
•coroner, $72
•county chairman, $1,080
officers will handle traffic to and
from the event. BCSO deputies
will answer all calls which arise
from the area.
“Things have gone well over the
past few years,” Chapman said.
“We hope it will continue.”
Fans will begin arriving before
Friday although the sheriff expects
the large crowds to be in the area
Friday through Sunday.
“Last year on Saturday it was
as large of a turnout as I’ve seen,”
Chapman said.
Atlanta Dragway has been busy
in recent months adding addi
tional parking areas for fans, but
traffic is going to be a concern this
weekend, Chapman said.
“I would encourage local citi
zens not to travel in the area
unless they have urgent business,”
he said. “It will be best not to go
through the area.”
•county surveyor, $25
•board of education, post 1,
$64.50
•board of education, post 2, $60
•board of education, post 4, $60.
Qualifying for magistrate judge
and probate judge will be held the
last week of June since these offices
are non-partisan. The fee to run for
both of these offices is $1,392.24.
The qualifying fee for each office
is based on three percent of that
office’s base salary.
For additional information about
qualifying, contact the Banks County
Probate Court at 706-677-6250.
Alto, Baldwin
plan clean up
day Saturday
The arrival of spring means it’s time
for some spring cleaning. Clean up
days have been planned in Alto and
Baldwin.
Clean up day will be held in Alto
on April 26 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Volunteers are needed to tidy up the
streets inside the city limits. All sup
plies will be furnished. Free lunch and
T-shirts will be provided for partici
pants.
“Contact City Hall to sign up or just
show up,” leaders state.
Baldwin is also seeking volunteers
to meet at Fellowship Church at 9 a.m.
on April 26 to help clean up the streets
in town. Supplies will be furnished.
Biscuits will be provided on a first-
come, first-served basis. Fellowship
Church will be cooking lunch for the
volunteers. T-shirts will be provided to
the participants in the clean up.
Fellowship Church is located in the
Industrial Park in Baldwin.
Garrison egg
hunt featured in
Reader's Digest
The annual Garrison egg hunt
held in Homer was featured in the
May issue of Reader’s Digest.
The egg hunt was included in a
feature on the “Best of America.” It
was listed as “best good eggs.”
The 49-year-old tradition was
described as “a truly eggs-cellent
adventure.”
Qualifying to get under way Mon.