Regional

Congress: DOJ withheld 1,000 jail deaths

News Staff
Friday, September 23, 2022
A new report a U.S. Senate subcommittee released Tuesday found that the Justice Department (DOJ) failed to properly count the deaths of close to 1,000 people in state and local prisons and jails last year. The oversight committee, chaired by U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.

Athens woman’s death still under investigation

News Staff
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
No suspects have been named in connection with the death of an Athens woman, who was discovered on the northern end of the county near Tallulah Falls School on Sept. 7, which authorities are now investigating as a potential homicide. According to Col.
Traffic travels in both directions on Highway 441 through the Tallulah Falls school zone Tuesday morning. ENOCH AUTRY/The Clayton Tribune

Traffic travels in both directions on Highway 441 through the Tallulah Falls school zone Tuesday morning. ENOCH AUTRY/The Clayton Tribune

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Speed cams send ‘thousands’ of warnings

News Staff
Friday, September 16, 2022
The 30-day warning period for the School Safety Program at Tallulah Falls middle and high schools has ended, as citations began being issued to motorists Sept. 7. Starting Aug. 8 through Sept.
A pair of handcuffs owned by Jonathan Merck that were owned by a friend who was killed in Iraq were used to secure Gabrielle Beutler after she was arrested on charges of making up her veteran status and other charges. Merck wears a bracelet with the name of his friend, SPC Daniel Lucas Elliott. FRANKLIN COUNTY CITIZEN LEADER

A pair of handcuffs owned by Jonathan Merck that were owned by a friend who was killed in Iraq were used to secure Gabrielle Beutler after she was arrested on charges of making up her veteran status and other charges. Merck wears a bracelet with the name of his friend, SPC Daniel Lucas Elliott. FRANKLIN COUNTY CITIZEN LEADER

Fallen soldier’s cuffs used during faker’s arrest

News Staff
Friday, September 9, 2022
Throughout his entire law enforcement career, Lavonia Police Officer Jonathan Merck has used handcuffs with SPC Daniel Lucas Elliott’s name inscribed on them. The handcuffs once belonged to Elliott, who was a military police officer. Merck met him through their service in the U.S. Army.

Valor thief gets prison time

News Staff
Friday, September 9, 2022
Gabrielle Beutler pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges from both Franklin and Hart counties and was sentenced to 15 years of probation with two years to serve in prison, and ordered to pay restitution which would be determined at a later date.
Gabrielle Beutler (fourth from left) posed with actual veterans with a Rosie the Riveter impersonator at a women’s luncheon in Cornelia on May 21.

Gabrielle Beutler (fourth from left) posed with actual veterans with a Rosie the Riveter impersonator at a women’s luncheon in Cornelia on May 21.

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Hole deepens for fake veteran as new charges loom

News Staff
Friday, August 26, 2022
A woman arrested on charges of falsely representing herself as a veteran allegedly lied about her child’s health issues too. Lavonia Police Chief Bruce Carlisle said it was his understanding that Gabrielle Beutler admitted through investigative interviews that her child never had cancer.
Rabun County Search and Rescue (SAR) Chief Will McCracken utilizes an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) drone to take pictures and investigate the area of a crash where a commercial vehicle carrying “blasting agents” overturned on its side early Tuesday morning at Kellys Creek Road in Rabun Gap. Also pictured is RCSO Corporal Jeffrey Hooper working the scene with other emergency personnel. MEGAN BROOME/The Clayton Tribune

Rabun County Search and Rescue (SAR) Chief Will McCracken utilizes an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) drone to take pictures and investigate the area of a crash where a commercial vehicle carrying “blasting agents” overturned on its side early Tuesday morning at Kellys Creek Road in Rabun Gap. Also pictured is RCSO Corporal Jeffrey Hooper working the scene with other emergency personnel. MEGAN BROOME/The Clayton Tribune

Truck carrying ‘blasting agents’ overturns in Rabun

News Staff
Friday, August 12, 2022
Dozens of residents were evacuated after a commercial vehicle carrying “blasting agents” overturned on its side early Tuesday morning at Kellys Creek Road in Rabun Gap.

Big cat sighting in Gilmer County stirs controversy

News Staff
Friday, August 12, 2022
When Ellen Parks heard a neighbor’s cat crying outside her home in Creekside Estates, she ventured outside to see what was wrong. “It was way up in the top of a tree, and at that point I didn’t see the big cat,” she said of an alleged panther on a lower limb of the tree.

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Tax revenues start well

News Staff
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
State tax collections have begun the new fiscal year on a strong note. The Georgia Department of Revenue brought in nearly $2.21 billion in taxes last month – the start of fiscal 2023 – $54.2 million, or 2.5 percent, above July of last year. The three major tax categories all showed increases.

The Mountain Traveler cover contest now underway

News Staff
Friday, July 29, 2022
With colorful leaves and breathtaking scenery, fall in the Northeast Georgia mountains is the most beautiful time of year. If you have a photograph that represents this beauty, it could be featured on the cover of The Mountain Traveler’s fall 2022 edition.