THE
^ISLANDER
Published by
Permar Publications
www.theislanderonline.com
ssislander@bellsouth.net
March 11, 2019
Established in 1972
Vol 47 Issue 10
Police officers
testify in drug
squad case
By Pamela Permar
Shierling
During the second hearing
last Tuesday (March 5) for de
fendant Gary Whittle in Glynn
County Superior Court, sever
al current and former GBNET
(Glynn-Brunswick Narcotics
Enforcement Team), officers
were called to answer ques
tions regarding allegations
made against former Glynn
County Police officer and GB
NET member James Cassada.
Superior Court Judge Rog
er Lane is presiding in the
case, and the GBNET officers
were questioned about what
they knew and when they
first knew about allegations
that have been made against
former Glynn County Police
officer and GBNET member
James Cassada.
Cassada recently resigned
while under an internal inves
tigation of the allegations, that
he had sexual relations with
two confidential informants.
The allegations also were
being investigated by the
Georgia Bureau of Investiga
tion (GBI).
After Cassada’s alleged
misconduct arose, the county
public defender’s office sought
a hearing to have Whittle’s
original guilty plea set aside.
Whittle pled guilty last No
vember to the sale of a con
trolled substance.
The first Glynn County Po
lice Officer to be questioned
last week was Lt. David
Haney who is also a former
GBNET member.
Lt. Haney said he served on
the narcotics squad from April
2016 until May 2017.
Haney maintained that
Cassada only said he had a
drinking problem and asked
Haney about going to rehab.
“This was after I was out of
GBNET,” Haney said.
Glynn County
Turn to Page 10
GBNET
Park project in progress
Falling limbs in the hugely popular Neptune Park picnic area on St. Simons have Glynn County
officials concerned about public safety. The county commission is currently working on a solution
to the issue and has hired an arborist and a consultant to assist with a plan.
Islander Staff Photo - Permar
Some residents concerned about Neptune Park
picnic area; County has plan underway
After several large oak tree
limbs fell in Neptune Park
breaking a concrete picnic
table in half, the Glynn Coun
ty Board of Commissioners
(BOC), concerned about pub
lic safety, blocked the area off
with temporary fencing and
started working on a plan to
deal with the situation.
In the meantime local resi
dents have taken to social me
dia to complain and criticize
the county.
Some seem to think the
temporary fencing is a per
manent solution, while oth
ers have suggested the county
simply put up a “Use at your
own risk” sign and allow the
public to continue using the
tables under trees.
This is not going to happen
because the BOC is primarily
concerned about public safety.
By Matthew J. Permar
What is being done is...
Working with the Golden
Isles Fund for Trees (GIFT),
the BOC brought in an arbor
ist and got recommendations
on how to save the trees. One
recommendation was to move
the picnic tables away from
the critical root zone. If prop
erly maintained and allowed
to recover, the trees should
live for many more years, ac
cording to the arborist.
The BOC them employed
EMC Engineering Services,
Inc. to formulate a landscape
plan to include a permanent
barrier around the trees and
find a suitable place to relo
cated the picnic tables.
County Commissioners
Peter Murphy (Dist. 2) and
David O’Quinn (At Large
#1) met about two weeks ago
with EMC and county staff to
discuss the situation.
Murphy said, “We met at
the Casino and the priorities
we agreed on were safety first,
then the need for an attractive
appearance for a fence around
the trees, and finally, where
is the best, most appropriate
place to relocate the picnic
tables.”
There is a possibility the
tables could be placed near the
outer edges of the tree limbs
where there would still be
shade, but away from where
large limbs might fall.
Murphy said at the meeting
they reviewed different possi
ble scenarios for the park with
the landscape architect.
On Friday (March 8) Public
Works Director Dave Austin
Turn to Page 10
Neptune Park
Glynn officially
opposes law
prohibiting
design rules
By Matthew J. Permar
Georgia House Bill 302,
which would prohibit local
governments from regulating
“building design elements” in
single or double family dwell
ings, currently sits in the
House Agriculture and Con
sumer Affairs Committee.
It was recommitted there
from the Rules Committee on
Thursday, March 7.
The Glynn County Board of
Commissioners (BOC) oppos
es the bill and made their op
position official last Thursday
night when they unanimously
approved a resolution to that
effect.
According to the reso
lution, the BOC believes
HB 302 “could negatively
Turn to Page 6
County commission
City votes down
'pour tax'
• Public asks for Mary
Ross Park master plan
By Pamela Permar
Shierling
At their meeting last week
(Wednesday, March 6), Bruns
wick City Commissioners
unanimously voted not to cre
ate an excise tax that would
have cost restaurant patrons
an additional 3% by the drink
on distilled spirits.
Several downtown business
owners spoke against the ex
cise tax at the previous city
commission meeting and re
turned to do so at last week’s
meeting.
Lance Sabee, a city resi
dent, told the commission he
felt the pour tax was a step in
the wrong direction. “It’s coun
ter-productive,” he said.
“The city is in a growth
and redevelopment phase,”
Turn to Page 12
City commission
County-Wide News - Read County-Wide
Page 2 - 4H Youth Day
~ Ernie Andrus
Page 4 - Letters to the Editor
Page 5 - jekyll Creek dredging to begin
Page 8 - Relay for Life and Peggy Tuten
Page 11 - BOE
Page 13 - NEW-Dave Jordan's column
Page 16- Back Talk
0 94922 29970 3
