Towns County Archives - Page 16 of 22 - TownsTowns

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 8/9 – 8/15

Arrest Reports, Police & Government August 17, 2021 , by Content Admin

Arrest report with photos provided by the Towns County Sheriff’s Office. The Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A. 50-18-70) allows for FetchYourNews.com to obtain and post the arrest records of any and all individuals arrested in Towns County. Those arrests are posted on FetchYourNews.com for viewing pleasure. Please remember that all individuals listed have been arrested and charged, however, they are presumed innocent until guilt has been proven in a court of law.

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 8/2 – 8/8

Arrest Reports, Police & Government August 10, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 7/26 – 8/1

Arrest Reports, Police & Government August 3, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 7/19 – 7/25

Arrest Reports, Police & Government July 27, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Towns new courthouse designs near final stage

News July 25, 2021 , by Lauren Souther

Hiawassee, Ga – The courthouse plans are almost complete and going through the final stages.

Sole Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw has included Chief Superior Court Judge Raymond George, Probate Judge David Rogers District Attorney Jeff Langley, and Clerk of Court Cecil Dye in the planning process.

“Any day now they are going to have the plans signed off by us. Of course, we’ll let you know when all this happens,” Bradshaw commented.

However, some changes will have to be made for county operations once construction begins.

“I was thinking that we would move into the addition and when they are done remodeling, we’d move in [the courthouse,” Bradshaw explained. “They are saying that will double the time to do the whole project.”

Since then, the county is considering moving into the old recreation gym, along with all the offices that work out of the courthouse.

“We’d have plenty of parking where the public can come when we have a county meeting. There’s adequate space in there. We already have heat in there. We have air condition in half the building. We’d have to add air in the gym which would stay there when we move back to the gym,” Bradshaw stated.

How the court will operate is being worked on by the county attorney, perhaps at the civic center.

The architects are also drawing up a cubicle plan for each office so everyone will have their own space when they move.

Detainee labor will most likely be used to move the offices over on a Wednesday and finished by a Sunday evening.

“There’s a lot of work going into this, but we think it will save money and I think it will be better working conditions for Towns County elected officials and employees, than back here with parking and noise and stuff like that,” Bradshaw remarking.

The county, public safety officials, and architects are working on a state-of-the-art safety system for the new courthouse as well.

EMS Ferno Stretcher

Before COVID-19, the county purchased two automated stretchers to help with workman compensation claims as well as the health of EMS employees.

The stretchers cost $59,499 for two units. It’s built on an X-frame that can raise or lower at the push of a button. The legs move independently and take the pressure off a person’s back. One EMT can take a person from a porch to the ambulance without assistance from their partner.

With an old stretcher, it takes two to three people to load someone into the ambulance. The old model weighs 160 lbs. and if a person weighed 200 lbs., an EMT’s legs would experience 360 lbs. of pressure plus their body weight.

The Ferno puts zero pounds of pressure on someone’s legs and back.

Demonstration of the Ferno stretcher

A stretcher can lift 1,500 lbs. and one person can operate it. If the EMS crew is working along a road or at night, the unit comes equipped with lights to alert those passing through the area. The arms make it easier to render assistance such as starting an IV.

Contracts and Agreements

Towns County agreed to pay $11,844 for its share of services for the UGA Extension Office. Legacy Link was paid $12,450 for its services to help the senior community in Towns.

Sole Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw also signed the contract with Towns County Schools for SRO officers for the upcoming school year. The county pays 25 percent of the officers’ salary, and the school covers 75 percent.

The county amended the 2020 budget. It added $30,450 in revenues from the sale of surplus equipment from the sheriff’s department. The office collected older vehicles and sold them for extra revenue.

$83,989 was added to the sheriff’s capital expenditures and $53,500 was taken from the public safety detainee crew. The detainees weren’t available for work for most of the year because of COVID-19; this resulted in savings for the county.

The $53,500 was moved to the sheriff’s office for capital expenditures.

“The sheriff’s department needed some new vehicles. The old vehicles cost a lot of money in repairs. By not having detainees, they gave us a little extra money so we can help bring them up to date on their vehicles which in the long run will save money. He’s working on a program to change the cars out, not run them into dirt to where they’re worth nothing so we can continue to have good vehicles on the road,” Bradshaw explained.

He added that financially the county is in good shape and Towns is experiencing a very busy summer.

The Pickleball courts are being resurfaced and they are looking at replacing the player’s surface at Foster Park. It will probably be a multipurpose floor like at the old rec gym. The current floor is out of warranty. More details will be available at the next meeting.

Hiawassee and Towns County also entered into an agreement for the county to run the city’s election in November.

courthouse courthouse renovation Towns County

Towns County asking citizens’ input in comprehensive plan

Community, News July 25, 2021 , by Lauren Souther

HIAWASSEE, GA – Towns County, City of Hiawassee, and City of Young Harris want citizens’ input in the joint comprehensive plan for the next five years.

The public survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W7MHXXN?fbclid=IwAR0Pc7lMiYqfPwuKAY1gggoUSsqnxmhNxtN03u53oHu8uT7h5v8Spu9AvPQ

The goal is to hear from those living in the area and gain a better understanding of how they would like to see Towns County develop in the future.

A comprehensive plan is updated every five years, previously it was every 10 years. It takes into account residents’ wishes for the future and outlines a mission, which hopefully makes the end result easier to achieve.

Often times by including a certain goal in a comprehensive plan, it becomes easier for a county or city to receive grant funding for those projects.

The survey only takes a few minutes, and all responses are kept entirely confidential.

The county and cities will host public meetings and additional opportunities to participate in the process too.

comprehensive plan Hiawassee Towns County Young Harris

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 7/12 – 7/18

Arrest Reports, Police & Government July 20, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 7/5 – 7/11

Arrest Reports, Police & Government July 13, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 6/28 – 7/4

Arrest Reports, Police & Government July 6, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 6/21 – 6/27

Arrest Reports, Police & Government June 29, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 6/14 – 6/20

Arrest Reports, Police & Government June 22, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Largest meth bust in Towns County history

Business June 21, 2021 , by Lauren Souther

TOWNS COUNTY, Ga – Towns County Deputies executed the largest methamphetamine bust in the county with the arrest of suspect Alex Robinson of Monroe, Ga.

Following a four-month investigation and the three-day round-the-clock operation, a team consisting of the Towns County drug agents, deputies, and Sheriff Ken Henderson converged on a heavily-armed Robinson and arrested him without incident on Thursday, June 17.

Robinson allegedly was found in possession of six pounds of meth, four pounds of marijuana, methamphetamine pills, Xanax, various pills, three handguns, and cash.

Drugs seized following the arrest

Sheriff Henderson released a statement that detailed the distribution of the drugs in Towns County.

“These drugs were targeted for specific locations in Towns County to be cut into smaller amounts and delivered to specific drug dealers in Towns County. This will impact the supply chains of drugs coming into Towns County and sold to our community and youth.

The Towns County Sheriff’s Office arrested a major drug supplier and trafficker in Towns County.

Alex Michael Robinson, 32 of Monroe, GA was arrested on the following charges:

1. Trafficking Marijuana

2. Trafficking in methamphetamine over 400 grams

3. Possession schedule IV-controlled substance

4. Possession of a stolen firearm

5. Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime

AlexRobinson

“The six pounds of methamphetamine and other drugs designated for the Towns County community is significant.

Sheriff Henderson cannot give enough praise for the Sheriff’s Drug Investigative unit and deputies that put in so many long hours on these investigations. In the short five months, our commitment and multiple arrests has impacted drug dealers and supply to our community,” the statement added.

drug bust Sheriff Ken Henderson Towns County

Towns still deciding how to properly use American Rescue Plan funds

News June 21, 2021 , by Lauren Souther

testing site American Rescue Plan Bradshaw

HIAWASSEE, Ga – In a short and sweet June Towns Commission meeting, Sole Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw gave an update on local business and the American Rescue Plan funds.

Towns County received just over $1 million in American Rescue Plan funds last month and Bradshaw’s still deciphering how exactly the money can be used. On Wednesday, the county attorney will be in the courthouse helping to determine where the funds can be spent.

Since the initial approval of the American Rescue Plan earlier in 2021, the strings attached and approved areas for spending has continued to change. Previously, the Democrat-led plan stipulated states that accepted funding couldn’t cut taxes. This provision has since been removed after protests from Republican states.

“We want to make sure that we’re very clear on how the money is to be used. Anytime you get money from the federal government there’s not many strings attached to it, is there?” Bradshaw joked for a second.

He’s spoken with Union County Commissioner Lamar Paris and both are dedicated to understanding the ins and outs of these federal funds.

“My main concern with the money is doing what we can for our county employees first and then see how we can use the money as we go forward. Our county employees worked all through the pandemic. We didn’t have people quit. We didn’t have people leave. They showed up. They went to work. Several people caught COVID, were very sick, and were out several weeks, but back to work they come. When a lot of other places were shut down, the county government can’t shut down,” Bradshaw explained. “I’m very proud of all public safety, all county employees for sticking with us, doing there job, not whining and crying, doing the extra work they needed to do.”

However, the areas for spending are still changing. Water, sewer, and broadband access appear to be the services consistently approved for spending. Public health was on one version but later was removed.

More information about Towns County’s plans for the funds will be available once they thoroughly review all the information.

Bradshaw commended Towns County Fire Department for their efforts in public safety and spoke about the department recently receiving a $1,000 donation from homeowners whose house caught fire seven years ago.

A camera surveillance system for Bell Mountain was approved for $2,500 and a $75 per month maintenance fee.

The road into Tate City is being regraded and repaired for public safety needs. The county rented a bulldozer and the road department will take charge of the project. They plan to check on it every few months.

“Once we get the road done, I’m going to call the [Sheriff], and on the weekends, he’s going to have special people who do that zone go up Hightower and wait on the jeepers to come out and have a friendly talk with them,” Bradshaw stated.

The Pickleball courts will be redone for $18,000.

The Georgia Mountain Regional Commission will be helping Towns County to update its Joint Comprehensive Plan. The process requires public hearings and the first one will be Tuesday, June 29 at Foster Park. Denise McKay was reappointed to the Georgia Mountain Regional Council as Towns County’s private sector representative.

The Georgia Indigent Defense Services Agreement for those who need public defenders was renewed. Towns County pays the state for these services along with the other counties in the Enotah Judicial District. Towns pays 12 percent of a $409,105.44 annual contract.

American Rescue Plan Sole Commissioner Cliff Bradshaw Towns County Towns County Commissioner

Towns County Sheriff’s Office Arrest Report 6/7 – 6/13

Arrest Reports, Police & Government June 15, 2021 , by Content Admin

arrest arrested arrests chatuge City of Hiawassee co criminal Criminals FYN GA Georgia Hiawassee history RECORDS Sheriff Sheriffs so Towns Towns County Young Harris

Georgia State Patrol investigating pedestrian fatality at Sand Bar

News June 14, 2021 , by Lauren Souther

HIAWASSEE, Ga – A pedestrian was killed in front of the Sand Bar and Grille on US Hwy 76 overnight on Saturday, June 12.

Georgia State Patrol and Towns County Sheriff’s Office are in the midst of an active investigation. FYN has put a request into the GSP for more information about the tragic incident. Towns County Sheriff Office referred FYN to GSP for case details.

US Hwy 76 is a four-lane road and expands into five with a middle turn lane in front of the dining establishment. The Sand Bar faces out to Lake Chatuge, and the Marina Station Restaurant located diagonally across the road from the Sand Bar. The restaurant and bar is a popular location for a weekend night out, staying out until 1 a.m. in an area with few late-night social options.