FREE VOLUME 24 NUMBER 46
FEBRUARY 15, 2019
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DeKalb Judge Latisha Dear-Jackson to oversee trial of ex-cop charged with murdering Anthony Hill
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eKalb Superior Court Judge Latisha DearJackson has been named to oversee the high profile Anthony Hill case, after three other judges recused themselves less than two weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin. The case has drawn national attention. Former DeKalb Police Office Robert Olsen has been charged with the fatal shooting of Hill, an Afghanistan war veteran who had stopped taking his meds and was roaming naked when Olsen, dispatched to the apartment complex, found him. Olsen was charged with murder after fatally shooting Hill, who was unarmed. The shooting took place on March 9, 2015. Olsen said he fired in self-defense. Judge J.P. Boulee removed himself from overseeing the trial without
Judge Latisha Dear-Jackson
Judge J.P. Boulee
an explanation, District Attorney Sherry Boston said in a Feb. 11 news release. Boulee, who has been nominated for a federal judicial vacancy, stepped down from the case after questions arose about his contribution to a charity walk sponsored by Boston. Boston issued the following statement in the release: “Late this afternoon, the Office of the DeKalb
County District Attorney received notice of an Order of Recusal from Judge J.P. Boulee in the matter of State vs. Robert Olsen. The Order provided no specific basis for recusal. We have spoken with the victim’s family notifying them of this development. They are understandably devastated. And while we, too, are dismayed by this action, we are not deterred. We plan to file a motion
DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston
seeking a hearing detailing the specific reasoning for this recusal and clarification as to whether such recusal extends to ALL cases assigned to this Judge. In the interim, once the case has been reassigned to a different Judge, we will ask that it be immediately set for trial on its previously scheduled date of February 25, 2019. The State stands ready to proceed in the interest of
justice for this family who has waited four long years for their day in Court.” Boulee was initially replaced by Judge Asha Jackson, who recused herself. The case was then assigned to Courtney Johnson, who also recused herself. Jackson and Johnson did not say why they did not wish to take on the case. Dear-Jackson agreed to take on the case but her staff said the trial scheduled Feb. 25 would be delayed because she already has a murder trial scheduled for that day. Dear-Jackson was elected to the 4th Superior Court District of Georgia Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit last year. There was no immediate word at OCG News deadline on when the Olsen trial would be rescheduled.
Stonecrest City Council votes 4 to 2 to award SPLOST Management Contract to Grice Consulting By Valerie J. Morgan
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fter more than a year of infighting and negotiations, the Stonecrest City Council voted 4 to 2 to award a $3.3 million contract to Grice Consulting Group, LLC to manage the city’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) project. The vote marked yet another round in the contentious tug-of-war over Stonecrest’s SPLOST management program, which has been in limbo for over a year and a half. Road paving and other infrastructure improvement projects have stalled because of the continuing battle with Grice. Councilmembers George Turner, Jazzmin Cobble, Diane Adoma and Rob Turner supported the most recent vote for Grice, while Mayor Jason Lary and Councilman Jimmy Clanton opposed the measure. Lary said the council made the decision to approve the contract, despite the citizens’ oversight committee and staff’s recommendation to move forward with staff members’ oversight. The committee urged the City Council to let staff manage for now until the city receives bids in order to take advantage of the warm weather expected in the next couple of months. “We’re doing this the wrong way and you all know it,” Lary said at the City Council meeting. “…You’re going to have to answer to the people that know for sure that we could be paving roads with money that you all are trying to give to a vendor that can’t even do SPLOST. Period. We don’t owe him a contract. We don’t owe him
any business… I’m disappointed in how we’re handling the people’s money.” With the Feb. 11 approval, the council asked the city’s attorneys to draft an enforceable SPLOST service contract that will not exceed $38,878 per month for not more than 72 months. Councilman George Turner made the motion, which also included an additional contract for
Grice to manage the city’s Comprehensive Transportation Plan for $480,000. The council asked that the drafts are ready by Feb. 17. Councilmember George Turner said he made the motion to award the contracts to Grice in part because he believes the city’s dealings with Grice were muddied after the firm invoiced the city for pre-SPLOST work performed in the fall
SEE STONECREST page 7