Hall County sheriff’s investigators charged a 75-year-old Gainesville man with seven child pornography-related offenses this week.
The HCSO inquiry began on Monday, February 27, when investigators received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The investigation culminated on Tuesday morning, March 14, when HCSO executed a search warrant at Alan Neil Thur’s home in the 1400 block of Bluff Valley Circle.
Deputies arrested him without incident.
According to the initial investigation, Thur uploaded at least one image of child pornography to a search engine on November 7, 2022. He’s charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor for that incident, one each for possession and distribution of the image.
Thur faces five additional counts of the same charge in connection with this week’s search warrant. As deputies carried out the search, Thur was viewing five images of child pornography on his computer.
The GBI Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit assisted in the search, conducting forensic processing on Thur’s computer.
Thur remains in the Hall County Jail without bond. The case remains under investigation.
A suspect in a sexual assault case involving a Gainesville girl was booked into the Hall County Jail this week after he was tracked to a location in Shawnee Mission, Kansas.
Felix Barragan, 45, faces multiple felony charges in connection to assaults on a female victim who was under the age of 10 at the time of the alleged crimes. The suspect and the victim are known to one another.
The offenses are believed to have taken place between February 1, 2020, and January 15, 2023, at a residence on Poplar Springs Road in Hall County. The victim told a relative about the assaults last month, and the relative made a report to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
“HCSO criminal investigators learned from family members that Barragan had fled to Kansas,” says Hall County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer B.J. Williams.
Barragan was taken into custody with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Johnson County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Office. He was returned to Hall County on Tuesday, March 14.
Barragan faces the following felony charges:
Rape (3 counts)
Sodomy/aggravated sodomy (4 counts)
Aggravated child molestation (4 counts)
Sexual battery with a child under 16 (12 counts)
Electronically furnishing obscene material to a minor (2 counts)
Barragan remains in the Hall County Jail with no bond.
He left the lumber mill he owned accompanied by his beloved dog, Snowball. They walked the usual path around the small fishing pond, which sat peacefully between his home and the mill. It was lunchtime, and he knew his wife, Nannie, had his hot cornbread waiting on the table with fresh summer vegetables. He closed the screen door and went to the powder room adjoining the kitchen to wash his hands. After a few minutes, his wife began to call his name, fearing the cornbread was turning cold. When he did not respond, she found him lying still on the powder room floor. On August 4, 1965, a man quietly moved from a busy, bustling earthly life to heaven within mere seconds.
John Alexander Pugh, my 72-year-old grandfather, was a formidable, robust man who left his family and community in shock and grief.
My grandmother was inconsolable.
Death can arrive abruptly with no warning, no chance to say all those things we intended to say yesterday, which makes mourning more difficult. I overheard folks at his visitation say, “I saw John the other day, but I didn’t have time to stop and chat.” Or “I meant to take a trip to see him this summer but got busy.” Regret accompanies death most of the time in one way or another, and for some, it never goes away.
I was seventeen and preparing for college when my granddaddy died. Early on the morning following his death, I walked onto my grandparents’ carport and found my father weeping. Without taking his eyes off the mill sitting silently beyond the pond, he whispered, “John was the only father I ever knew, and I loved him.”
I wondered if he ever told his father-in-law the depth of his feelings.
My grandfather, John Alexander Pugh.
My grandfather’s death taught me valuable life lessons. I watched as folks came in and out of the screen door bearing food, flowers, and memories. I grieved with those whose love spilled over this remarkable person who touched so many lives. My heart broke as I saw my usually strong mother consumed with weakness when she realized she would not have one more conversation with her father.
I felt my grandmother’s pain and saw raw emotion as I had never before witnessed it, and I learned in those days what faith can do.
Granddaddy was a deacon in his church who loved God. There is no question where this honorable, faithful servant is today.
My grieving grandmother finally started to see the sun again on a day when her eyes indeed saw that death is not the end.
She told the story many times in the years after.
She would walk the mile to the cemetery to visit her husband’s grave several times a week for months following his death. Each time during her lonely trek home, she would be drenched in tears and covered with sorrow. One day, in the distance, she saw her husband standing on the sidewalk with his hands on his hips, appearing very upset.
She knew it was a strange vision, and she rubbed her eyes to erase the anomaly. However, as she proceeded toward the image, the clearer John became.
“Nannie, what are you doing going to visit me at that grave and getting yourself all worked up and sad!” He emphatically asked.
He continued, “You know I am not there! Use your faith!”
The vision abruptly left, and soon, so did the tears. Nannie knew where John was and used her faith to inspire so many, including me.
That is what believing in and trusting in God can do. With faith, you can hear the voices, see the visions, and experience healing relief.
At seventeen, I learned folks need one another when grief comes calling. Those cakes, casseroles, and condolences are brought by friends to ease our burdens, to show their love, and offer aid in any way they can.
I learned to share and be open with my feelings today because I am painfully aware the people I need to tell may not be here tomorrow. I am a big believer in all kinds of reunions because I do not want to miss seeing a beloved friend or family member who may not attend another one.
Yes, death will arrive, but it is not the end; it is just the end of this journey. I have endured the deaths of many loved ones and will experience its sting again. However, life continues beyond the tomb of grief, pain, and sadness to a place where we never will endure such sorrow again.
FILE - Republican lawmakers are pushing bills in 2023 to close loopholes in the 2021 election law overhaul, which restricted donations to run local elections and prohibited absentee drop boxes like the one outside a government building in DeKalb County during the 2020 elections. (Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder)
(GA Recorder) — A Georgia House panel Tuesday advanced legislation that prohibits local government officials from directly receiving donations from outside organizations to administer elections after accusations millions of dollars were unfairly given to Democratic-leaning counties during the 2020 election cycle.
Senate Bill 222 was approved by the House State and Local Government Subcommittee on Tuesday with the support of Republican legislators following a lengthy debate over creating new criminal penalties and forcing a county to return donations it received from a private organization to help pay for election administration.
The GOP-controlled state Senate approved the updated donation restrictions earlier this month along party lines, so if the House also approves, it can advance to the governor’s desk.
If the bill passes, all private donations would have to be funneled to local election administrations through the secretary of state’s office and the State Election Board.
The bill also makes it a felony carrying up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine if someone violates the law by applying for private grants or receiving donations for election operations.
Democratic Rep. Phil Olaleye was unable to get enough votes to reduce punishment for the offense to a misdemeanor with no jail time and a fine of $1,000.
The legislation also requires local governments to return any money they receive from non-governmental organizations that came in since the passage of the GOP’s 2021 election law overhaul that attempted to limit outside funding after millions poured into Georgia elections in 2020 to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A county election official questioned the legality of retroactively requiring an election office like DeKalb County’s to return the $2 million it received this year from a nonprofit. The contribution was part of a five-year, $80 million collaboration with election officials and other experts across the nation.
Dele Lowman Smith, chairwoman of the DeKalb County Board of Registration & Elections, said that the county follows state law as it does for any type of grant that is then used for public purposes.
“All this does is penalize already harassed and underpaid, or in my case, unpaid, election officials and volunteers,” she said. “I have to admit being offended by being told that by seeking to serve the voters of our county, we could risk being sent to prison when there are elected officials right now who actively sought to overturn the results of an election, who were not facing one single charge.”
A lawyer for the subcommittee said Tuesday that the state could be in a legal tangle if it tries to require local governments to return funds that don’t explicitly violate the 2021 election law. County commissions could receive grants and other donations related to elections and then distribute the funding for election administration.
“You’re about to pass a bill that we know will be legally challenged, which in my humble opinion, is a waste of taxpayer dollars,” said Rep. Shea Roberts, a Sandy Springs Democrat.
Democrats criticized Republicans’ 2021 election law changes for new rules they say burden local election officials with unfunded mandates.
Republicans complained Tuesday that liberal-leaning benefactors and organizations are funding metro-Atlanta counties and other Georgia communities with a history of voting for Democrats.
Members election monitoring group VoterGa referenced a report that found that 94% of donations made by nonprofit Center for Tech and Civic Life during the 2020 election cycle went to Democratic-leaning counties in Georgia, where a significant increase in turnout contributed to Democrat Joe Biden narrowly defeating former President Donald Trump in the presidential election.
Sylvania Republican Sen. Max Burns, the donation legislation sponsor, said his bill intends to close a loophole in which many counties in Georgia were not getting an equal chance to bring in donations.
His bill still allows people to provide election services without compensation for goods valued less than $200 and allows for private donation of polling sites.
“In a nutshell, this bill is intended to ensure that Georgia elections are funded from lawfully appropriated, state, or local funds,” Burns said.
“What I’m suggesting is that certain funding sources only provided resources to certain counties,” he said.
Leonardo Hinnant urges lawmakers to vote against SB 140 sponsored by state Sen. Carden Summers (left). (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
(GA Recorder) — A Georgia House committee gave its approval Tuesday to a Senate bill aimed at restricting the type of care doctors could provide to transgender minors.
If signed into law, Cordele Republican Sen. Carden Summers’ Senate Bill 140 would prevent doctors from providing surgical or hormone treatments for gender dysphoria to people under 18. Minors already on hormones for gender dysphoria could continue receiving treatment. The bill would allow puberty-blocking medicine for transgender youth, which Summers said is intended to provide a pause before choosing whether to undergo irreversible treatment.
A last-minute amendment by Columbia Republican Rep. Jodi Lott removes language protecting doctors from civil or criminal charges for violating the proposed law.
Members of the GOP-controlled committee passed the amended bill 12-10 despite pleas from transgender people like 18-year-old Leonardo Hinnant, who said he started hormone therapy at 13 and had a double mastectomy at 15.
“Although I could greatly explain the positive impact that transitioning has had on my life, I think that it’s more important for me to talk about if I hadn’t received that care,” Hinnant said. “These life-saving treatments are the reason that I am able to speak to you today. I would not be able to attend college. My little brother would not have someone to bother every single day. I would not be here. This bill would restrict essential care for transgender minors, care that I know is the reason that I am living today. The reality of it is this: if this bill passes, transgender kids will die.”
Other transgender Georgians signed up to testify but were unable to speak because of a time limit on the meeting. Among them were Kimberly and Grayson, students at Our Resilient Community, a queer-centered school in Athens.
Kimberly, an eighth grader, had printed out a speech to deliver to the committee.
“This bill is supposedly trying to protect me from something, but it’ll only do harm to me and others like me,” Kimberly read after the hearing. “I don’t know if I could convince you that I exist if me standing here in front of you and saying these words doesn’t do it. I’m a trans-Georgian. I need the care this bill is trying to ban. Please do not do this. I’m only 14 years old.”
Grayson, a sophomore, planned to talk about how he felt the day he first started transitioning.
“I finally had a way of feeling comfortable in my own skin,” he said. “It was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. In the months since, I felt more like myself than ever before. In my mother’s words, it’s like I woke up from a deep sleep or hibernation and was experiencing a long-awaited spring.”
Grayson said he is concerned about children who are younger than him not having access to the same care he got.
“I am terrified that they will never receive the help and support that I have and that they will stay in that hibernation throughout their teenage years and miss out on so much joy,” he said.
Our Resilient Community co-director and facilitator Thea Canby said she’s noticed a big difference when students start hormone therapy.
“It changes everything for a kid to think, ‘I am excited about where I’m going to be going in my life and who I’m going to be,’” she said. “And then gradually, the change starts and they can swim in a pool and feel okay. They can look in a mirror and be okay. They can hear a recording of their voice and laugh about it. There’s all these things that get better through hormone replacement therapy that are really valuable.”
Canby said the biggest change between kids pre- and post-hormone treatment is just the way they carry themselves.
“And I think if the people in that room could just see trans kids walking – I know it’s silly, but like, look at them before hormone therapy and after – they walk different,” she said. “They walk like they’re alive and they’re going to keep being alive.”
Robust questioning
Summers told committee members the bill is not intended to harm transgender children but to prevent them from making a decision they will later regret.
“We tried to be as liberal in our thoughts as possible to make sure this bill could work for literally, hopefully, everyone,” he said. “I know a lot of people don’t think it fits that mold. But the bottom line of this bill is simply this: we designed this bill to make a pause for young people we’re going to do. I call it the Protect the Children Act. We don’t want anybody to have gender surgeries under the age of 18 years old. We want them to make their own decisions. At 18 years old, whatever they decide to do is their business.”
Still, he was grilled by Democrats on the committee who disagreed.
Rep. Michelle Au, a physician and Johns Creek Democrat, read from an American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement which says that transgender children understand their gender as consistently as their cisgender peers and benefit from the same level of social acceptance “in contrast to the outdated approach in which a child’s gender-diverse assertions are held as ‘possibly true’ until an arbitrary age.”
Rep. Michelle Au (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
“Essentially, they’re saying that the approach taken in your bill, SB 140, is not in line with the current science and policy of the American Academy of Pediatrics,” Au said. “So my question is, senator, why do you think the judgment of the Georgia State Legislature and of you, 99%-plus of which have no clinical training in pediatrics whatsoever, should supersede what the American Academy of Pediatrics has determined to be best practices in caring for gender diverse children?”
“I can’t speak to that article, never read it,” Summers said. “And I’m sure there’s another article out there that would support our side too. But the point I would like to make to you, Rep. Au, is that I’m not trying to override what you’re saying in regards to medical knowledge that you have in that article. I’m simply saying that it has been also written and proven that children have these sort of issues outgrow them as they mature.”
Smyrna Democratic Rep. Teri Anulewicz listed bills prioritized by Republicans last year emphasizing parental control in areas like mask mandates, vaccinations, and divisive classroom concepts.
“Can you tell me why this is different from those other issues in which the General Assembly has established and codified that we defer to parental authority?” Anulewicz asked.
“Perhaps we’re including parents and medical professionals,” Summers answered. “That would be my reason for that because this way, the medical professionals – I don’t want to call any names here, but I’ve had many doctors call and say this gives us some cover, too, because a lot of surgery we’re asked to do, we don’t want to do these surgeries.”
Atlanta Democratic Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver suggested passing such a law would be unprecedented.
“My question is, has the medical board been directed by the General Assembly in any other medical condition of any kind to write rules and regulations?” she asked.
Republican Sen. Ben Watson, chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and a Savannah physician who worked on the bill said he was not aware of any such case but said that doctors in parts of Europe have been moving away from providing surgical or hormonal treatments to transgender minors.
Sen. Ben Watson (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
“I think that you’ll see, if you look at the Netherlands or Sweden, you’ll see that the pendulum is starting to swing back, it’s started to swing back in Europe, it’s started to swing back here in the United States,” he said. “And I think that most reasonable people will feel that surgery and sex change hormones, which are irreversible for minors, is not an appropriate procedure.”
On Tuesday, a group of 500 Georgia health care providers signed onto a letter calling on the committee not to pass the bill.
“As medical professionals, we are appalled to see politicians promote an agenda with such disregard for standards of medical care,” the letter reads. “Gender-affirming health care is supported by every leading medical and mental health association in the U.S., including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychological Association.”
Potential regrets
Toni Kim, an Atlanta pediatric endocrinologist consulted in the writing of the bill, said some patients will be happier after transitioning, but others may regret it.
“Unfortunately, once you do certain steps in a gender transition, you can’t go back,” she said. “And so the thing that I like about this bill was that it recognizes that there are going to be people who do want to transition, and that’s okay for their choice, because we live in a country where people should be supported in having a different walk of life if it doesn’t hurt other people. And I respect that. But I also also know that there are a lot of children who are hurting, and they blame it on one thing when it’s actually something else, or there are just kids who go through phases.”
At one point, committee Chair Sharon Cooper of east Cobb asked if there was anybody in the audience signed up to speak who had transitioned and regretted it, but none spoke up. Summers said a woman who regretted receiving gender-affirming surgery is flying in Wednesday to speak with the Republican Caucus.
Other Republicans on the committee argued that Georgians are already prevented from making other decisions until they are 18.
“It’s also true that the Legislature sets the voting age at 18,” said Rep. Mike Cheokas, an Americus Republican. “The Georgia Legislature was one of the first in the United States to do that.”
Rep. Katie Dempsey, a Rome Republican, compared the measure to a bill preventing some 17-year-olds accused of a crime from being tried as adults.
“It is profoundly clear that the brain is not fully developed till age 25,” she said. “This is evidence-based science that is true and factual when we talk about that.”
Some transgender people in attendance questioned why the bill seems to prioritize protecting a minority of people who regret receiving gender-affirming care when a larger proportion of transgender people wish they could have gotten treatment earlier.
“The argument for regret is, look how bad it would be if these people had a body that wasn’t in line with who they are because they took this medication,” Canby said. “Well, what about the 99% who take this medication that exactly undoes what you’re worried about with this 1%? We’re going to protect the 1% at the cost of the 99%? That does feel like, if the 1% is the cis person and the 99% is the trans person, that feels very discriminatory.”
“This bill is legal gaslighting,” said Charlie Denton, a transgender woman who hoped to speak at the hearing. “It dedicates more words to acknowledging that there’s a percent of people who regret their transitions than it does to acknowledging that there are more people transitioning. This bill is not medically informed. It’s harmful, especially in a legal climate where there aren’t legal protections for trans people in the workplace, in public, in medical contexts. I think worst of all is that this is already a medical procedure that is highly regulated between medical professionals and their patients, between people and their doctors. You don’t need the state acting as a surrogate father figure in these cases.”
At points in the hearing, Cooper seemed to try to comfort some of the transgender people and advocates in the audience and was photographed hugging the crying mother of a transgender child afterward.
“This decision is not easy, and it won’t be made without many of (the committee members) soul searching,” she said. “I only wish there was an accompanying bill, if this one should pass, that says that we will always also stand behind transgender people and transgender children and not let you be discriminated against going forward.”
The bill now heads to the House Rules Committee and, if it passes there, to the full House. If it meets approval there, because of Lott’s amendment, it will need to go back to the Senate for another vote.
The state’s #1-ranked team proved its hype on Tuesday evening with a Tallulah Falls 10-0 road win at Commerce. The win pushes the school record to now 10 straight victories as the Indians remain unbeaten.
Three players secured a hat trick, with Austin Ball, Jake Hall, and Landon Hall all recording 3 goals apiece. Jared Mullis added a goal and a pair of assists. Ball had 4 assists, and Luis Varona Pastor and Josiah Turney had one apiece. Kelton Reynolds, who secured his 12th career shutout, had 4 saves between the posts.
“The guys had a good game,” says coach Jeremy Stille. “We moved the ball well and put up a lot of shots. We will continue improving and everyone is excited for Senior Night on Thursday.”
The Indians, now 10-0 overall and 6-0 in region play, will play host to Elbert County Thursday for Senior Night.
GOALS:
3 – Austin Ball (27)
3 – Jake Hall (19)
3 – Landon Hall (8)
Jared Mullis (2)
ASSISTS:
4 – Austin Ball (11)
2 – Jared Mullis (2)
Luis Varano Pastor (2)
Josiah Turney (1)
SAVES:
4 – Kelton Reynolds (41)
—
GIRLS
The Lady Indians dropped an 11-1 final at Commerce on Tuesday night in a top-10 matchup within region play.
“Commerce (ranked #1 in the state) is a very good team,” says coach Travis Mullis. “I wished their coach good luck representing Region 8 going forward. Our team is in their third match working on a new formation – more passing connections and movements. Midfield and defenders are adapting, and our forwards are able to get more space to make plays in front of goal.”
#8 Tallulah Falls got its lone goal from Addie Higbie, her 23rd of the season. It came unassisted from the left side of the field.
“This game was another good test as we prepare for the rest of the regular season and into the state playoffs,” adds Mullis. “Our team will conntinue to get better as we maximize our understanding of how to play and use our abilities going forward. Next important step is Senior Night on Thursday when we’re able to celebrate our players. It’ll be a very special time for them.”
Superintendent Matthew Cooper criticized Now Habersham's reporting and defended his choice of Murray Kogod to lead the Habersham County Board of Education Police Department. Six people applied for the position. Kogod was the only one who was interviewed for the job. (Jerry Neacy/Now Habersham)
At Monday evening’s Habersham County Board of Education meeting, the board unanimously approved the appointment of Murray Kogod as the Director of School Safety. The Board also appointed several other key school administrators for next year.
School Superintendent Matthew Cooper presented a list of administrators to the school board that he was recommending for contracts. Cooper stated, “There’s no drama here; I want them all back, everyone, every assistant principal, every principal, and every director.”
Cooper addressed the school board about the Director of School Safety position that was on his list of personnel recommendations. He stated, “We have an opportunity to make our schools among the safest in the state. It’s time to have a full-time School Safety Director. This small investment will bring a huge return for our students, staff, and our schools.”
Cooper continued, “We need this. Shouldn’t have to work too hard to make a case for it. Should be something everyone can get behind and support and celebrate frankly.”
Cooper explained to the board members and to the audience that the Director of School Safety would be working with principals, assistant principals, directors, nurses, the mental health professional, teachers, the SROs, the sheriff’s office, and other law enforcement agencies as well as GEMA and Department of Homeland Security.
North Habersham Middle School Principal Adam Bagwell looks on as Cooper addresses the Habersham County Board of Education during its regular monthly meeting on March 13, 2023. Bagwell has served as the school system’s safety coordinator for eight years. He voiced strong support for hiring Kogod as school safety director. (Jerry Neace/Now Habersham)
Over the last week, comments and reports about the appointment of the Director of School Safety have been met with scrutiny, more specifically, the appointment of Murray Kogod to that position.
“It’s my hope we can get some facts out tonight and set the record straight on some things. Let’s all get behind our new Director of Safety,” Cooper said.
Cooper referenced an article that was published on Now Habersham on March 12. He stated, “It sounds like Colonel Kogod did something wrong. I don’t know how else you read it; he did something wrong by reaching out to POST (Peace Officers Standards and Training Council).”
Cooper explained to the board that after it was determined that Kogod was going to be the recommendation, “We asked Murray to reach out to POST to check on our status of our school system police department and to give them a heads up, that pending board approval, Murray Kogod is the recommendation March 13th. All of this was shared with POST.”
He explained that POST did as it should have done and updated its records. However, Cooper never mentioned this in his interview Friday with Now Habersham.
Cooper continued that the reason for checking on the status of the school police department was that the Director of School Safety “needs to have the full powers of a law enforcement officer, including the ability to carry a firearm. It should be pretty clear why we want our Director of School Safety to carry a firearm.”
The new Safety Director will also “technically serve” as the Chief of Police for this school system, he said.
Cooper also addressed that there were rumors that the school system was going to bring back the police department and fire all of the SROs and make them school employees. “Neither is true. We aren’t bringing back the police department – we’ve always had it.” He explained that they never took action to disband it.
Murray Kogod speaks to the Habersham County Board of Education during their work session on Thursday, March 9, 2023. (Jerry Neace/Now Habersham)
Cooper explains that the police department will have only one employee, and that is the Director of School Safety.
He emphasized that they are not hiring a “police chief” but for the new position to have the full powers of a law enforcement officer, that language was included in the job description.
Cooper again referenced the article from Now Habersham that reported that POST was requested to investigate Kogod’s actions for updating his POST profile for a position that he was not yet hired. The article states that “Sources say an investigator is looking into the matter.”
He referred to a letter that he received on March 13, the day of the board meeting, from Mike Ayers, POST Executive Director. In this letter, it excuses Kogod’s actions over the last 10 days and states, “There was no violation of POST rule by Chief Kogod.” It continues, “There is no POST investigation being conducted on Chief Kogod, as there was no violation of law or of POST rule by his request or the granting of his request by POST staff.”
Now Habersham’s article also references questions raised over Kogod’s use of county resources to run a private, nonprofit from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office. Kogod incorporated the Georgia Alliance of School Resource Officers and Educators (G.A.S.R.O.E.) in 2020. Ayers is a member of G.A.S.R.O.E.’s Board of Directors.
Cooper defended Kogod and G.A.S.R.O.E. saying it is a “good thing, and it makes schools safer. Murray’s work with the Alliance should be commended, not scrutinized.”
Cooper commended Dr. Adam Bagwell for a job well done as the School Safety Coordinator, a part-time position he has held for eight years that is has now evolved into the full-time position of Director of School Safety. Bagwell said of Kogod, “One, I trust him. Two, I respect him.” He continued, “This move makes our school system safer.”
Cooper asked Sheriff Joey Terrell to come up and speak to the board. Prior to giving up the podium, he reiterated that, “Our goal is not make sheriff’s office employees our employees. That is not the goal.”
Sheriff Joey Terrell appeared at the board meeting in support of Murray Kogod, who he promoted as his chief deputy in October 2021. (Jerry Neace/Now Habersham)
Sheriff Terrell shared with the board how G.A.S.R.O.E. came about and how the sheriff’s office and the board of education are one team and stated, “If the Habersham County Board of Education doesn’t hire Murray Kogod tonight, somebody will, because there are schools that are after him all the time.”
Six people applied for the job of school safety director. Kogod was the only one who was interviewed. Now Habersham is pursuing information about the other applicants.
The board unanimously approved Cooper’s personnel recommendations. No one came forward for the public comments section of the meeting.
After the meeting, Sheriff Terrell had a prepared memo answering questions related to the effects on the sheriff’s department with the Chief Deputy leaving.
According to the memo, the sheriff will not have a chief deputy, and all other senior supervisors will remain at their current rank and position. He states that the SROs will remain sheriff department employees, and said the sheriff’s office currently has seven of its approved 14 SRO positions filled, with potentially one more coming on board soon.
The salary for the new Director of School Safety will be $89,270. Currently, Murray Kogod makes an annual salary of $85,321.60 as Chief Deputy.
His first day on the job with the school system is March 20.
Pictured, from left, are Georgia appellate court justices Stephen Dillard, Brian Rickman, and Trea Pipkin.
A three-judge panel from the Georgia Court of Appeals is coming to Habersham County later this month to hear oral arguments. The panel, which includes former Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney Brian Rickman, will hear arguments at Tallulah Falls School beginning at 10 a.m. on March 28.
The session is part of the court’s community outreach aimed at increasing confidence in the judiciary. Holding court at different venues around the state makes the judges and proceedings more accessible to the public.
Chief Judge Rickman, Presiding Judge Stephen Louis Dillard, and Judge Trea Pipkin will hear the oral arguments at Tallulah Falls. The court has provided briefs to the school, and the judges will hold a question-and-answer session for the students following the arguments.
Arguments to be heard
In the first appeal, the judges will consider whether a company can prevent a former executive from working in a related business for an unlimited length of time.
In the second appeal, the judges will consider whether a lawyer can represent two physicians in the same practice, both of whom cared for the same patient, but only one of whom was sued.
“The Court of Appeals is thrilled to hold oral arguments at Tallulah Falls School and give the students a chance to see our judges in action without traveling to Atlanta,” says Rickman.
The school will reserve seating for local attorneys, who are invited and encouraged to attend. This is an open court proceeding. The public is also welcome to attend. Seating may be limited. Campus visitors must check in with security at the front gate of the upper school campus, and they will be directed to the Gertrude Long Harris Theatre, where the court session will be held.
Back from hiatus
After a hiatus of several years due to the pandemic, the court last fall resumed its off-site oral arguments and held court in Macon, Athens, and Valdosta. It traveled to Coffee County in February and will go to Columbus for its next off-site argument in April.
The Court of Appeals is Georgia’s intermediate appellate court, with fifteen judges who serve in panels of three. The court does not hear oral arguments in every case. The parties must ask to be heard. The court grants only about a third of those requests.
Rickman has served on Georgia’s Court of Appeals since 2016. He was appointed to the court by then- Gov. Nathan Deal. Before joining the court, Rickman served as D.A. for Habersham, Rabun, and Stephens counties.
Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez faces a lawsuit over how her office has functioned in recent cases.
The Athens-based Democratic district attorney who took office in 2021 pledging not to prosecute certain crimes now faces a lawsuit alleging high turnover, procedural missteps, and other failures with high-profile cases signals she is ultimately “unable and unwilling” to do her job.
The suit, filed by Athens bar owner Jarrod Miller, seeks to compel Western Judicial Circuit DA Deborah Gonzalez to “perform the duties of her office” as outlined in Georgia law and comes as Republican lawmakers have invoked Gonzalez’s name as reasons to create a prosecutor oversight commission in this legislative session.
While the application for the writ of mandamus wants a judge to force the DA to follow broad statutes that spell out the duties of the district attorney, the 20-page filing and accompanying exhibits more specifically outlines numerous examples of alleged failures within the DA’s office that paints a picture of turmoil and inexperience that has hampered efforts to successfully prosecute crimes.
GPB Remote Media
Gonzalez, Georgia’s first Hispanic district attorney who serves Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties, did not have criminal law experience before winning a December 2020 election on a progressive criminal justice platform that included sending a Day 1 memo recommending certain minor drug offenses not be prosecuted, reducing the use of probation and not seeking the death penalty.
The suit alleges Gonzalez’ inexperience also led to issues with the performance of assistant district attorneys, including a letter from the Superior Court judges in October 2022 that expressed concern with the “efficacy, preparation, and procedural readiness” of the ADAs in court, including improperly pursuing cases under a repealed code section, offering pleas and providing discovery in a timely manner and handling a growing backlog of cases.
Compounding the issue, the suit also alleges more than 50 assistant district attorneys, investigators, and other staff had left since the beginning of Gonzalez’s time in office and says the number of grand juries that have convened has decreased while cases have increased.
In dozens of exhibits and open records requests attached to the lawsuit, lawyers for Miller also include documents that allege the DA’s office failed to prosecute all indictable offenses, highlighting a murder case and drug trafficking case in addition to the memo outlining other crimes the office would deprioritize. Prosecutors also have allegedly violated many defendants’ rights to a speedy trial, risking 150 cases being dismissed in Oconee County for failing to accuse defendants within the statute of limitations and, in Gonzalez’s first criminal case she prosecuted, allegedly failed to introduce key evidence at trial.
Republicans in the General Assembly are working on different versions of legislation that would create an oversight commission that could discipline district attorneys and solicitors-general, including potential removal from office. Both the House and Senate sponsors of the commission said they were inspired by misconduct by their local district attorneys, one Democratic and one Republican, and supportive GOP lawmakers from the Athens area specifically mentioned Gonzalez as an impetus for creating the commission.
For her part, Gonzalez has said the suit and other allegations are partisan in nature.
“This attack on my office is part of a broader, politically motivated campaign to undermine prosecutors who have been elected by their communities to pursue smart justice that moves away from the failed “tough on crime” strategies of the past,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “These attacks, in the form of power-stripping removal petitions and impeachments, among other things, are happening in Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa, and Georgia, to name a few. They have nothing to do with making our communities safer and everything to do with deflecting attention away from our refusal to seriously address the causes of crime. My community elected me based on my promise to fight for a safer and more just future. I will always strive to be better in implementing new approaches, and I am proud of the work our office does every day, fighting for victims and a more just legal system. I will continue to hold myself accountable to my community and resist efforts to strip them of the leadership they have duly elected to carry out this job.”
_______
This article appears on Now Habersham through a news partnership with GPB News
Funeral services for John Leland Skinkle, age 74, of Clarkesville, will be held at 2:00 PM, Thursday, March 16, 2023, at Hillside Memorial Chapel.
Born in Neptune, New Jersey, on June 16, 1948, John was the son of the late W. Herbert and Elizabeth Graham Skinkle. As a small child, John moved with his family to New Zealand to be closer to his mother’s family. While there, John would attend kindergarten and his family later returned to the states. Following a brief residence in California, his family settled in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. After graduating from high school in 1966, John attended Monmouth College. He took a break from his education to enlist in the United States Air Force. An enlistment assignment would take him to Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida, where he would meet the love of his life, Linda Faye Kennedy, at First Baptist Church of Panama City. John would later complete his Associate in Arts degree at Gulf Coast Community College, his Bachelor of Arts degree at Florida State University, and his Master of Science from the School of Library Science at Florida State University. John retired as the Assistant Director for the Northeast Georgia Regional Library System.
John loved to read, eat and laugh, and he was always up for an adventure with his family. John enjoyed photography and was an avid knife collector. More recently, he developed an interest in whittling and carving wood. John was quite a jokester and was always having a good time. He was a devoted Florida State Seminoles fan who loved to travel, and enjoyed spending time at the beach. He adored his family, especially his grandchildren. John was a man of extreme faith and had the heart of a servant. He was a member of Level Grove Baptist Church, a place that he loved deeply.
In addition to his parents, John is preceded in death by brothers-in-law Grady Brooks and Jimmy Lawing, and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Betty and Tip Weldon.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Linda Kennedy Skinkle, son and daughter-in-law Lee and Amanda Skinkle of Gainesville, daughter and son-in-law Laurie and Dennis Gallman of Demorest, grandchildren Johnathan Skinkle, Tori Skinkle, Marley Gallman and Mason Gallman, and granddogs Baxter and Dabo. In addition, he is survived by sisters-in-law Mona Brooks of Clarkesville, Carla Lawing of Taylorsville, North Carolina, and Nancy Kennedy of Clayton, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, close friends, and extended family in New Zealand.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM, Thursday, March 16, 2023 at Hillside Memorial Chapel with Dr. Brian James and Rev. Walter Singletary, officiating.
Interment will follow the service in Yonah Memorial Gardens with military honors by the Grant Reeves VFW Honor Guard.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM.
Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Level Grove Baptist Church, PO Box 416, Cornelia, GA 30531.
