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OPINIONS
Frank Gillespie
Those square foods
Did you see the big news story about the Japanese growing a square
watermelon? Apparently, they want to produce watermelons that
will fit into the refrigerator better.
Margie Richards
Celebrating number 22
Charles and I celebrated our wedding anniversary last week by
attending a relative's out-of-town nuptials and eating out (a
lot).
SPORTS
Directions to Area Schools
Westbrook continues to mature with Indians despite shuffle
Despite the jet lag Jake Westbrook may be experiencing from being
shipped back and forth from AAA Buffalo to Cleveland, the former
Raider continues to be sharp against Major League foes-when he
gets the chance.
Neighborhood News...
BANKS COUNTY
Fire destroys Homer residence
The home of Homer native John Nation burned to the ground Sunday
afternoon. Nation, who was not seriously injured in the fire,
said he was watching a race on television when he noticed how
hot the house had become.
Banks Countians to receive Indian names from chief
Rene´ Hudler, Commerce, has earned the honor of receiving
her "Indian name" from Chief Edwin "Wamblee"
Poulan of the Southern Band of the Cherokee.
News from...
JACKSON COUNTY
BOC says 'No' to Earth Resources landfill request
North Jackson residents opposed to a landfill locating on Lanier
Road had reason to celebrate Monday night, but the battle likely
isn't over yet.
Elton Collins named county water authority's new chairman
The Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority has its first
new chairman in six years.
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mainstreetnews.com
The Madison County Journal
Danielsville, Georgia
Telephone: (706) 367-5233
Fax: (706) 367-8056
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UPDATE: 6-25-01
Mistrial declared
in Wymbs case
Despite more than five hours of deliberation, a Madison County
jury could not agree last week on the guilt or innocence of Hull's
Albert Wymbs, who was accused of killing Angela Harris in her
parents mobile home off Hwy. 106 in 1996.
The court declared a mistrial in the case Saturday morning after
the jury split 11-1 on the case. It was not revealed which way
the majority of the jurors voted.
The case opened Wednesday and closing arguments concluded Friday
afternoon.
During the arguments, District Attorney Bob Lavender, who depicted
Wymbs as a violent man who lashed out at women, said that "the
simple facts" of the case pointed to Wymb's guilt.
The prosecution reinforced what they had built their case on
all week - footprints left at the scene leading to Wymb's grandmother's
house that they say belong to the defendant.
Although no matching shoes have been found, the GBI has said
the footprints were linked to Nike shoes which they say match
a shoe box belonging to Wymbs.
Furthermore, Lavender pointed to the Thursday testimonies of
two witnesses - ex-girlfriend Shlion Dious and longtime friend
Terrell Young - who said Wymbs admitted to murdering Angela Harris.
"The evidence says he did it and he says he did it,"
Lavender told the jury.
During Lavender's rebuttal, the district attorney addressed the
defense's claims that the prosecution's case had been filled
with holes and inconsistencies that cast reasonable doubts to
link Wymbs to the crime. Lavender said the defense had merely
been looking for "cracks" all week in the case and
had "been attacking everybody involved."
Lavender said that the inconsistencies in the testimonies dealing
with the crime scene were trivial and a result of witnesses trying
to recall specifics from five years ago. The district attorney
said the substance was still there to convict Wymbs.
"The facts are still the facts," he said.
However, during his closing argument, defense attorney Scott
Davis said that the accusations against the defendant were a
shaky solution to attempt to solve a five-year-old murder. Davis
said that what he believed to be holes in the prosecution's case
left much up to question.
Davis went through three areas in which the defense believed
there were several reasonable doubts against convicting Wymbs.
The defense attorney said Wymbs didn't have a motive to commit
the crime, that there were several inconsistencies in the testimonies
against the defendant and that evidence against Wymbs had been
tainted by sloppy police work.
Davis said the murder was "a crime of passion" adding
that the evidence showed that the murder was committed by someone
that Harris knew well. Davis said that the crime was covered
up to look like a robbery, but no valuables were taken. The defense
said Wymbs hardly knew Harris.
The defense team also pointed out that both of the key witnesses
against Wymbs - Dious and Young - were angry at the defendant
and that they were pressured by investigators with threats of
jail time if they didn't cooperate - an allegation GBI investigator
Gary Hughes denied.
Wymbs' lawyers suggested that Dious was upset over her breakup
with Wymbs and that Young may be seeking payback against the
defendant, who turned him in on burglary charges.
The defense attorney said the case against Wymbs was further
discredited by the testimony of GBI agent Gary Hughes. Davis
claimed the agent impeached the testimonies of other witnesses
called by the state because he offered contradictory information.
Davis claimed that Hughes went to the stand "to fill the
holes" that were left in the state's case.
For a day-by-day summary of the murder trial of Albert Wymbs,
see the June 27 issue of The Madison County Journal.
RIDING HIGH
Darrell Griffin stares down at the horns of a bull Friday
during the Comer rodeo put on by Cross Creek Rodeo Company. See
this week's Madison County Journal for more pictures.
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BOE hires new
legal counsel
The Madison County school board hired the law firm of Sam Harben
and Phil Hartley of Gainesville as the school system's new legal
counsel Tuesday night.
The five-attorney company, which represents school systems across
the state, will replace Lane Fitzpatrick, who resigned as school
attorney earlier this month.
"I think they're good people," said school board chairman
Robert Haggard, noting that the firm will lead school board seminars
in Savannah this week. "They've done work for us before
on a contract basis. They're probably the best school attorneys
in the state."
Haggard said Harben and Hartley will receive an hourly rate of
$125 to $140 an hour - which he said is standard for school attorneys.
He added that the law firm will work on an as-needed basis.
"People will see a more diminished role of the school attorney,"
said Haggard. "You probably won't see Harben and Hartley
at a meeting unless we ask them to come for a specific reason."
Fitzpatrick, who was paid $90 an hour by the school board, attended
most every school board meeting. The school board was often criticized
by citizens who felt the attorney had too much influence on BOE
decisions.
Jury selected for
Wymbs trial
A jury of six men and seven women, including one alternate, will
determine the guilt or innocence of Albert Wymbs. Wymbs is accused
of murdering Angela Harris at her home on the Ila Road near the
Clarke County line.
The attack occurred in November of 1996 during a home invasion.
The Judge, Defense Attorney and District Attorney have devoted
two long days to selecting a jury for the Albert Wymbs murder
trial. Jury selection began at 1:30 p.m. Monday and was completed
at 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday.
Eleven of the jurors are white, two are black. Opening arguments
were scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
The case was unsolved for three years before witnesses came forward
connecting Wymbs to the case. Wymbs was considered a suspect
early in the investigation, but adequate evidence was not available
until August 2000 when the new witnesses were found.
Wymbs is currently serving a six-year sentence for burglary in
Clarke County. He is also a suspect in a 1994 abduction and rape
of a University of Georgia student.
The 60 potential jurors were called into the judge's chambers
individually for an interview. The questioning continued late
Monday night with approximately 18 panel members being interviewed.
Court reconvened at 9 a.m. Tuesday with half the panel being
questioned by the noon recess.
Judge Thomas Hodges heard arguments on a motion to move the trial
to another location prior to the start of jury selection, but
decided to withhold his decision until questioning of the panel
is completed.
MCHS shows decline
in science on grad tests
Madison County's Class of 2002 showed strength in English and
math, but struggled in science and social studies on state-mandated
graduation tests.
Only 57 percent of Madison County's rising seniors passed the
science portion of the graduation test on their first try, down
21 percent from the MCHS class of 1999 and 15 percent from this
year's graduates. Madison County finished 11 percentage points
behind the state average on the science exam.
The class of 2002 was also behind this year's graduates on the
social studies portion of the test, with 75 percent of the upcoming
seniors passing that part of the exam on their first try, down
from 83 percent of the previous class. The rising MCHS seniors
were also five percentage points behind the state average in
social studies.
But the news wasn't all bad for next year's graduates. The graduation
tests showed improvement in English and math.
Ninety-six percent of Madison County's upcoming seniors passed
the English portion of the graduation test on their first try,
up from 94 percent of the class of 2001 and slightly above the
state average. The class of 2002 also matched the state average
on the math section of the test, with 91 percent of the first-time
test takers passing the exam, up from 89 percent the previous
year.
Students are required to show proficiency in English, math, social
studies and science before receiving a high school diploma.
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Home invasion reported
on Wayne's Lane
An elderly man was reportedly robbed at gunpoint last Friday
morning in what was described as "a home invasion-type robbery."
According to sheriff's department investigator Buck Scoggins,
two white men wearing masks and armed with handguns, along with
a white female, robbed the man of an undetermined amount of cash
at his residence located just off the Commerce Neese Road.
According to Scoggins, the man was approached by the female,
who knocked on his door in the early morning hours complaining
of "car trouble."
The man was not injured in the robbery. There were no arrests
as of press time and the investigation is continuing.
Scoggins asks that anyone who may have been traveling on Commerce-Neese
Road between 4:30 to 5 a.m. last Friday morning, June 15, and
who may have seen a vehicle parked at the old Minish Store or
at any point from Erastus Church to Freedom Church call Madison
County 911 with the information.
Planners approve
rezonings for two new subdivisions
Madison County planners gave the green light Tuesday night to
plans for two new subdivisions to be located near Colbert.
Planners voted 5 - 1 to recommend approval to the board of commissioners
on a request by property owner Millie Hart, represented by developer
Edwin Hart and realtor Hal Grant, to rezone a 9.4-acre tract
on Charles Hart Road off Hwy. 72 from A-1 (agricultural, five-acre
minimum) to R-1 (residential, 1-acre minimum, with community
water) for a major subdivision.
Commission member Jeep Gaskin provided the lone "no"
vote.
The Harts want to subdivide the property into six lots ranging
in size from one acre to 3.5 acres.
Preliminary plans call for 1,600 minimum square feet site-built
homes with water to be supplied by Piedmont Water.
In a separate request, planners also voted 5 -1 to recommend
approval on a request by Phil Munro, representing Tony and Annette
Shubert, to rezone a 29.67-acre parcel on Colbert Danielsville
Road from A-2 to R-1 (residential, 1.5-acre minimum with private
water source).
Chairman Pat Mahoney provided the lone "no" vote.
The Shuberts want to subdivide the property into 13 lots for
a major subdivision.
Munro said the lots will have individual wells and an on-site
sewage disposal system.
The board of commissioners will have the final say on these and
other zoning matters at its regular business meeting.
For the rest of this story, see this week's Madison County
Journal.
To read more about the local events in
Madison County, including births, weddings, sports news and school
news, see this week's Madison County Journal.
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