Teens Arrested for Destroying Dunwoody Garden; Lemonade Days Are Here

WXIA - DUNWOODY, Ga. -- Five teenagers are facing felony charges for trashing a community garden that was growing produce for needy families.

The Dunwoody Community Garden at Brook Run Park provides 50 to 60 pounds of produce to the St. Patrick's Food Pantry every week. Late last month, vandals broke in and destroyed more than $4,000 in property and plantings "A group of teenagers decided to go to Brook Run Park after hours," Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan said in a statement Tuesday. "One thing led to another and now all five of them are charged with Criminal Damage to Property, a felony."

Dunwoody Police Sgt. Jason Witcher said four of the teens are from Dunwoody and the fifth is from Roswell. Their names have not been released, but the teens have been released to their parents' care.
"I can't stress enough about how important it is for teenagers to think about the consequences of their actions before they do something like this," Chief Grogan said. "Actions have consequences and as you get older the consequences become more severe. This is a great opportunity for parents to engage their teenager in a conversation about decision making that may help them make better decisions in the future."
Click WXIA to read more.

Lemonade Days

Here's hoping that the weather holds up for the start of Lemonade Days this evening.  There is a 30 percent chance of rain, but I have a feeling Dunwoody will be spared.  Once again, unlimited ride coupons are available on the Lemonade Days website.  All proceeds raised by the Dunwoody Preservation Trust will go towards the restoration of the Donaldson-Bannister farmhouse at the corner of Chamblee Dunwoody Rd. and Vermack Rd. 


Click to enlarge 5-day forecast



Update from Councilman Nall

The following update was provided by Councilman Terry Nall.

This is the first of my planned regular updates about your Dunwoody City government. I'm just over three months into my new term on Dunwoody City Council and the orientation transition is behind me.

If you'd prefer to not receive these emails, please click on the "SafeUnsubscribe" link at the bottom or just reply and let me know. If you find this email to be of interest, please forward it to your friends and neighbors. If you received a forwarded copy and wish to subscribe, please send me a note at terry.nall@dunwoodyga.gov.

Mt. Vernon Road Closure on Saturday, April 14
The section of Mt. Vernon Road between Ashford-Dunwoody Road and Abernathy/Perimeter Center West will be closed to through traffic this Saturday, April 14 beginning at 7:00am. Detours will be posted at Ashford-Dunwoody and Abernathy/Perimeter Center West. However, that segment of Mt. Vernon Road will be accessible from Abernathy/Perimeter Center West for local traffic and neighborhood access only.

While inspecting the stormwater drain pipes below the Dunwoody portion of this Mt. Vernon Road segment in advance of its summer repaving, Dunwoody Public Works found a pipe near Dunwoody Baptist Church that has crumbled so much that the city cannot wait for the summer repaving project to replace it. This pipe replacement is the work to be performed this Saturday and is symbolic of the aging infrastructure conditions we noted when reluctantly increasing the stormwater utility rate last month.
The work and road closure is expected to last all day until dark and the hope is to finish the project by evening. The work will not continue into the night to avoid evening noise disturbance of the nearby homes. If for any reason the project cannot be completed by evening on Saturday, Mt. Vernon Road will reopen for Sunday access and then close again mid-morning on Monday.

Zoning Code Rewrite Project
City staff, consultants, and the citizens Sounding Board are already at work. This project will occur in workable modules. Just as with any stream buffer proposals noted above, the proposed Zoning Code rewrites will be aired through our community boards and forums before coming to City Council. The next public meeting on the Zoning Code Rewrite Project is Thursday, April 26, 7:00pm at Dunwoody Baptist Church, 1445 Mt. Vernon Road. This is when the Concepts and Direction Report will be presented. For more information, please go to http://zoningdunwoody.com/.

Growlers Approved
City Council approved legislation to allow "Growlers" in Dunwoody. This is a new business model for Georgia and adds to our diversified tax base without an adverse impact on our residential base. A Growler operator sells craft beers in sealed reusable bottles of up to 64 ounces. We're not the first city to allow Growlers, but our version allows for in-store tasting. Our approach will set Dunwoody apart as innovative and attract other businesses that may otherwise have considered opening just outside of Dunwoody. Significant thought went into this legislation wording to avoid unintended adverse consequences. Based on the entrepreneurial indications of interest expressed already, expect to see a Growler in Dunwoody very soon.

Residential Fill Dirt Delivery Limitation Approved
City Council approved legislation to limit the amount of cumulative fill dirt that can be delivered to a residential parcel without requesting a variance. The limit is 1,000 cubic yards and 20 trips each way. Up until now, Dunwoody had no limitation, which led to a property owner agreeing to stockpile over 5,000 cubic yards of dirt on their vacant property as a matter of right. City staff worked diligently to find alternative, appropriate locations for this large quantity of dirt, but the situation highlighted a gap in our Code of Ordinances.

Project Renaissance Proposals Due April 20
April 20 is the due date for development proposals and financial bids for the 35 acres in Georgetown consisting of the former "pipe farm" (16 acres) and the former hospital site (19 acres). Council's intent is to promote urban redevelopment in this Georgetown area through low density single-family homes, park spaces that might include a playground, community gathering areas, a multi-purpose field, and walking/biking trails, plus add a small commercial node and a possible future city hall location. Financially, this involves a combination of installment purchases and sales of parcels, but the net financial result of the property transactions is expected to be no more than the payments previously committed for the 16-acre pipe farm property. Our goal is to facilitate redevelopment of 35 acres for the same payment as now committed for just 16 acres. If none of the April 20 bids are deemed viable, we revert to our prior commitment for the 16 acres. Look for more information and public input opportunities in late April and May.

Stream Buffers Consideration
At the request of Councilwoman Bonser, City Council may take up the issue of stream buffers and specifically, clarifying what is defined as a stream. Stream buffers in Dunwoody represent 75 feet on either side of a stream. Disturbances on either side of the stream in this buffer area are subject to special review in order to protect our water quality. Any changes to this section of our Code will be aired in public via our Sustainability Commission, Community Council, and Planning Commission before it comes to City Council for consideration. I encourage you to participate in the public input opportunities.
If you have input or suggestions on these or any other City Council issues, please let me know. Should any of your organizations, church groups, neighborhood associations, etc. desire a City Council member to attend and provide in-person updates, please let me know. I'm very proud to serve you.

Terry Nall
Dunwoody City Council (At Large)
Email: mailto:terry.nall@dunwoodyga.gov

Mt. Vernon Rd. Closed on Saturday; Lemonade Days Near; Clint Eastwood Helps Dunwoody PD



Click photo to enlarge

The following release was issued by the city of Dunwoody.
Dunwoody, Ga. – On Saturday April 14, 2012 at 7:00 AM Mount Vernon Road will close to through traffic between Mount Vernon Highway and Ashford Dunwoody Road for a storm drain pipe replacement.

The road will be closed most of the day Saturday and possibly for a short time between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM on Monday April 16, 2012. Through traffic on Mount Vernon Road should use Ashford Dunwoody Road and Perimeter Center West as alternate routes. Access to the neighborhoods along Mount Vernon Road will be allowed from the Sandy Springs end of Mount Vernon Road. Updated road closure information will be provided via the City’s Twitter feed as the work progresses.
For additional information on this stormwater project please contact Carl Carver, Public Works Deputy Director, at 678-382-6854 or by e-mail at carl.carver@dunwoodyga.gov.

Lemonade Days

The start of Lemonade Days is just around the corner.   This year's annual fundraiser by the Dunwoody Preservation Trust begins on Wednesday, April 18.  Proceeds will go to the restoration of the Donaldson Chestnut Bannister farmhouse on the corner of Chamblee Dunwoody Rd and Vermack Rd.  Click on the photo above to be taken to Lemonade Days website.

Clint Eastwood Helps Dunwoody Police

Submitted by Jennifer Leslie
11Alive Reporter
Dunwoody, GA -- A brush with Hollywood will help Dunwoody Police raise money for Special Olympics this summer.
Clint Eastwood signed four baseballs for officers while he was filming his new movie, "Trouble with the Curve."
Eastwood and co-stars Justin Timberlake and Amy Adams were in Dunwoody last week to shoot scenes on the baseball field at Dunwoody High School.
Dunwoody Police plan to put the baseballs up for auction online this summer to raise money for Special Olympics.
"We approached him about signing baseballs for the Special Olympics work that we do at the police department, and he gladly did," said Dunwoody Police Sgt. Fidel Espinoza.
"He was just very down to earth, very approachable," Sgt. Espinoza said. "We were most impressed with that."
Sgt. Espinoza said Eastwood also agreed to take pictures with the officers.
"He began talking to us about his work as the Honorary Chair of the National Law Enforcement Museum and Monument in Washington," Sgt. Espinoza said.
"Trouble with the Curve" is expected to be released in September.
Click 11Alive for the story with more photos.

DeKalb School Calendar Survey

The following email was sent out by the various elementary schools in Dunwoody.  It may be worth your time to respond to the survey.

From the DeKalb County School District Website:

Per Dr. Atkinson's request, the Division of Curriculum and Instruction has convened a group of stakeholders to explore school calendar options for next year. The Calendar Committee includes parents, teachers, principals, district office staff, and community partners. The committee has worked together to present three calendar options to the DeKalb County School District community of stakeholders. The survey is designed to gather stakeholder input that will be used to inform our decision about school calendars.
Please take a moment to review the three proposed calendars and provide us with your calendar choice and comments. We value your input.

2012-2013 School Calendar Survey Information

Proposed Calendar A

Proposed Calendar B

Proposed Calendar C

Happy Easter

Easter Sunday has given me pause to reflect on some of the things I'm thankful for here in the Dunwoody area.

1.  The many wonderful houses of worship in our community.  From Dunwoody United Methodist to Dunwoody Baptist to All Saints to Saint Luke's to Temple-Emanu-El and the rest of the great churches that do so much to make Dunwoody such a great place to live.

2.  The Dunwoody Crier  A wonderful hometown newspaper that does much more than just print the news of the area.  The paper gets involved - from it's sponsorship to events like the 4th of July Parade, to its role as the official organ of the city.  Thanks Dick Williams!

3.  Murphey Candler Park  If you don't have children that have played sports at Murphey Candler, you don't know what you're missing.  The sportsmanship learned and friendships gained are truly priceless! 

4.  Dunwoody City Council  The selfless time that our elected officials have given to the city is amazing.  I don't always agree with everything council does, but I certainly appreciate the effort.

5.  Dunwoody Urgent Care  Dr. Casey Locarnini is seemingly always there when my family needs him (three times in the last few months)!  Another urgent care center is about to open its doors to Dunwoody, but my business will remain with DUC.  Casey - thanks for caring and being a vested partner in the community.

Update From Councilman Shortal

The following update was sent by Councilman Denis Shortal. 

The My fellow citizens ... the following are some update items of interest ....


1. Project Renaissance (in common terms this is the proposed redevelopment of the 16 acre PVC Farm and the 19 acre old Shallowford Hospital site). The plan is through a public / private partnership to develop these two parcels totaling 35 acres through which the city will be trading part of the 16 acre PVC farm for part of the 19 acre Shallowford hospital site in a land purchase/sale transaction with a to-be named private builder/investor. A rough sketch is both parcels would be developed into park land and trail totally approximately 15 - 16 acres, approx. two - three acres for high end commercial development along Shallowford Rd and the remaining acreage would be high-end, single family, owner occupied and low density housing. Some information of this transaction follows ... (PLEASE NOTE, that the below is as of the issuance of the Invitation For Proposals (IFP) and could change somewhat depending on the proposals put forth by the bidders:

a. The City has issued an IFP ... The IFP, and all other information about this project, are on our city website, www.dunwoodyga.gov — on the right side of the home page just click on the orange box noting Project Renaissance. To date over 20 firms have downloaded the IFP from our website and several firms attended the Pre-Proposal Conference about two weeks ago. The IFP gives the bidder some leeway but it has some fairly specific guidelines on what the city expects/wants from the bidders. The bid deadline is Friday, 20 APR 2012 at 2 PM.

b. Finances and Timelines ... The City has signed a "letter in intent" (LOI) to purchase the 19 acres ... see above. (FYI, this 19 acres is zoned O&I.) In signing the LOI the city has put up $100,000 earnest money. This money is fully refundable thru the close of business (COB) on 23 APR 2012 ... after that time the earnest money is no longer refundable. Thus, you will note from the above IFP deadline that the city has three days to determine if there is a creditable private bidder. If there is not a creditable bidder then the city will cancel the LOI with the seller of the 19 acres, get a refund of the $100,000 earnest money and be back to where we started owning the 16 acre PVC Farm. Assuming there is a creditable bidder, then the city will go thru the due diligence process with the successful bidder and move towards the closing date of 15 JUN 2012. There is a stipulation in the contract that if the city is not ready to close on the contract by 15 JUN 2012 then the city must put forth $500,000 additional non-refundable earnest and reset the new closing date of 31 JUL 2012. It is the city's full intends to make a decision to move forward or cancel the transaction prior to the close COB on 23 APR 2012. If there are unforeseen circumstances that arise after 23 APR 2012 but before 1 JUN 2012 then the city will not move forward with the transaction. The total purchase price of the 19 acres is $6.132 million plus fees and interesting ... total interest/fees, if it is financed over a three year period, as currently envisioned, would be approx. $216,000. The three years principle and interest payments for the 19 acres ... as currently envisioned ... would be $3.75 million in year one (2012), $543 thousand in year two (2013) and $2.05 million in year three (2014). These funds would come from a combination of funds paid to the city from the private developer and city funds. As depicted in the original plans, prior to going to a public bid, the entire end game financial number for the 35 acres would have been, at worse, financial neutral to the city ...… in other words the city's out of pocket money would still be the $5.6 million that the city committed (principle and interest) to purchase the 16 acre PVC Farm.

c. Risk ... The first risk is the loss of the $100,000 that the city has put down as earnest money on the 19 acres. We must be ready to analyze the bids from developers efficiently when the bids arrive on 20 APR to determine if there is/are creditable bidder/s... or not. To me and others, $100,000 of your tax dollars is a huge amount and I do not want to see it go non-refundable unless we are going to complete the transaction. Needless to say the period of 20 APR - thru 23 APR will be a period of intense evaluation by the City Council, Staff as well as any professional assistance we may need. The second risk is if we sign a contract with a developer and after a certain period of time that developer backs out of the contract, declares bankruptcy or whatever. To mitigate this risk we will take all precautions to check the financial stability of the developer and we will be front end loading the payments from the developer with no refund ... thus the developer will sustain a substantial financial commitment/loss if he/she walks away from the deal.

d. Advantages ... The biggest advantage is that it gives us control over what happens to 19 more acres at what we hope to be a financially positive or neutral sum final outcome vs the $5.6 million that we have obligate to buy the PVC farm. Other advantages, if the proposal is as currently envisioned:

- low density, high quality, owner occupied homes ... for me, this is NOT a negotiable item
- a location for the building of a future city hall / police department if future city council so decides
- there is a vacant 22,000+ square foot building on the 19 acres that may have uses for the city
- there is an area along Shallowford Rd that is planned to be developed into high end retail
- we will still have approx. 16 acres of parks land spread over the two parcels, which among other things includes a planned playground ... similar but smaller than the one at BR .... and a multi purpose field on the 19 acres
- there will be a walking (and maybe biking) path thru the 16 acres connecting to and proceeding thru the 19 acres … (there is also a vision to connect this path all the way to BR Park but much needs to come together for that to happen)

2. Tilly Mill Rd/North Peachtree Rd Intersection Improvement .... As all of you know this intersection is one of the most troublesome intersections in our city. We have had a design team come up with options on how to improve this intersection. This team came up with quite an elaborate design that would add turn lanes in several directions and a stop light at the intersection of N. Peachtree Rd/Peeler Rd. Cost estimates are approx. $1.6 million. If we proceed with this plan it will probably be a late 2013/2014 project and because of cost will be a multi-year project. I fully agree that improvement are needed at this intersection but I am not that sure that this is the right plan and/or the best value for the expense. A couple of other concerns are ... if we enhance the intersection will it just attract more thru traffic and, we must minimize the negative effect on the citizens that live in that immediate area. I am fully aware that with the traffic volume we have in our city there is no cure-all solution but there are definitely things that can be done that will be enhancements … and intersection improvement are close to the top of that list. I ask all you to stay up to date and involved in this and other intersection improvements. We had a public meeting with plans, etc on the subject intersection and frankly I was a bit disappointed at the citizen turn out.

3. Paving ... As you know the paving/street enhancement list has been completed for 2012. The total budget this year is $2.5 million. I want to focus on two of our streets that are scheduled for paving/improvements. Both of these streets are heavily traveled and are scheduled for improvements, including bike lanes, as well as paving. These streets are Mt Vernon Rd west from Ashford Dunwoody Rd to the Dunwoody / Sandy Springs border and Chamblee Dunwoody Rd from Peeler Rd to Nerine Circle. If all goes as planned these two projects are slated to have construction start in the first or second week of June ... after school is out. There will be some curb and gutter work, etc., which at times may require some temporary lane closure ... we will do our best to minimize the inconvenience. Remember before we became a city we didn't have this inconvenience as our streets were not being repaved. For those of us that do not live on or in the vicinity these street I would ask you to use alternate routes in your travels. For all of us it require some patience. Think of it as remodeling your house ... it is kind of a pain when you are going thru it but when you are done the finished product is awesome.

4. Events Around Town ... There are some fun events going on and coming up in our city ... as well as some information events of interest:

a. Stage Door Player ... The last three performances of "Same Time Next Year" are this Th, Fr and Sat at 8 PM ... Call 770-396-1726 for tickets. Meredy and I saw the play last Fr and we give it a definite "thumbs up."
b. City Council Meeting ... 9 APR @ 7 PM.
c. Walk to School Day ... Wed, 11 APR
d. Missouri Spring Black & Gold Football Game ... 14 APR @ 2 PM .... Oh, that is in Columbia, MO.
e. Lemonade Days ... 18-22 APR at Brook Run Park. A fun filled event for the entire family. All the proceeds will be used for improvements of the Donaldson-Chestnut Farm House .... and buildings.
f. Monarchs & Margaritas Gala Event ... 21 APR from 6:30 - 10 PM at beautiful Glenridge Hall in Sandy Springs. A fun evening with all the proceeds going to support the DNC. For tickets/info go to www.momarchsandmargaritas.org
g. City Council Meeting ... 23 APR @ 7 PM ... One of the highlights will be a briefing for all of us citizens by Tony Simon and Clint Austin on the just completed Georgia Legislative Session.
h. Community Meeting on the Zoning Rewrite … 26 APR ... exact time and place TBA … check our city website for details. This will be an update on the progress of the city's zoning ordinance rewrite.
I. Dunwoody Arts Festival (3rd annual) ... 12 & 13 May in Dunwoody Village

5. If anyone would like me to address your HOA members or neighbors on a specific issue or just issues in general just let me know I will be glad to come to your meeting.

6. I better end this as my spelling is getting worse as the evening/morning goes on. Please pass this on to all your friends, neighbors, members of your HOA or anyone else that you think maybe interested. If anyone would like to added to my email update list please let me know and I will make that happen. To all, a blessed Easter, Passover or whatever you celebrate this special religious season of the year! Thanks for your continued involvement ...… it is you, the citizens, that makes Dunwoody a great place to live!

Let Us Continue To Build Our City Together

Denny Shortal
Dunwoody City Council, District One, Post-1
Mayor Pro Tem
denis.shortal@dunwoodyga.gov
PH (O) 678-382-6700 (C) 678-246-9006

Community Garden Vandalized

Unfortunately, the photo above doesn't begin to show just how much destruction was done to the garden.

Dunwoody police are searching for the vandals who destroyed much of the community garden at Brook Run on Friday night/Saturday morning.
The vandals smashed structures, fencing and plants throughout the garden and destroyed food that was to be donated to a local food bank. 
The community garden is offering a $250 reward (up to $500) for information leading to the arrest of those involved. 
Last year the garden contributed donations of more than 3,000 pounds of produce to families in need in the Dunwoody area. 
I know Don Converse and his group will do an amazing job of getting the garden back up-to-speed as soon as possible, but it's just mind-boggling that someone would do this.  It's like taking food out of the mouths of the poor.  Completely incomprehensible!

Knights of Columbus Fish Fry

On behalf of all my fellow members of the Knights of Columbus at All Saints Church, a big thank you to the community for its continued support of our Lenten Fish Frys!
Our final Fry of the year was this past Friday night - over the course of this Lenten season we served a record 8,009 meals!  Over the final five Friday night, we averaged over 1,200 meals.  That's per night.  Our Knights of Columbus charities appreciate your support.  We can't wait until next year!

Dirt Put to Good Use, Nature Center Sale, Ticketing at Murphey Candler

I received the following news release from the city of Dunwoody today.  Congrats to city officials for killing two birds with one stone:  1) solving the dump truck issue on Glaze Drive and 2) finding a location where 5,700 cubic yards of dirt can be put to good use. 
An all purpose field at the back of Brook Run Park is exactly what the city needs.  And it wouldn't hurt if one end of the field had a baseball diamond and a backstop (for either pick up games or organized practices).
Of course, the Dunwoody Homeowners Association gets a big pat on the back for making this possible.  It was the DHA that first raised a red flag on the city permitting the dumping of all this dirt in a residential area.  While procedure was followed in issuing the permit, if officials had dug a little deeper, they likely would have had second thoughts, and potentially prevented the residents of Glaze Dr. from having the veins popping in their neck, seeing red!

Dunwoody, GA – March 29, 2012 – The City of Dunwoody today began moving soil from the Chamblee High School construction site on Chamblee Dunwoody Road to a location within Brook Run Park which the City intends to use as a future open play field and recreational site.

The soil currently is being hauled in and placed at a spot where the old hospital facility was located in the northwest area of Brook Run Park. Once in place, the dirt will be moved, graded and leveled to accommodate an approximate 3,000-square-foot open play field and recreation area.
The dirt from the construction site was previously permitted for a location on Glaze Drive in Dunwoody. After meeting with local residents, City officials explored alternate locations and determined the Brook Run Park site as an available and optimum place for the construction soil.
“We are pleased to have found both an alternative site for the soil coming from the construction site and a beneficial use for the dirt being moved,” said Brent Walker, City of Dunwoody Parks and Recreation Manager. “We are doing everything possible to ensure this operation is safe, efficient and as non-intrusive a process as possible for residents and park visitors.”
The City this week ran thorough tests on the soil and determined the contents are well within all of the required U.S. Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) environmental standards. The soil tests performed by the City have shown that the soil is un-impacted and permissible to use on the Brook Run Park location.
The City is working with an experienced contractor to move the soil from its present location at the Chamblee High School construction site. The contractor and City estimate all hauling operations will take approximately two weeks and have made arrangements to not perform any hauling activities during weekend hours.

Dunwoody Nature Center Spring Sale

The Dunwoody Nature Center is having its Spring plant sale through March 31. All ordering is online; information, plant descriptions and pictures and payment instructions can be found at dunwoodynature.org. This year the Nature Center is offering hard-to-find Spring wildflowers, which you won’t see in big-box stores or even in most nurseries. This is a painless way to support the DNC, not to mention the pleasure you’ll get from these lovely flowers every Spring.

Traffic Tickets at Murphey Candler

If you are a Murphey Candler family and spend many of your spring evenings at the ballpark, be very careful where you park your car.  DeKalb Police are on a ticket-writing spree!  Unfortunately, Murphey Candler does not have enough parking spaces, thus, sometimes parents are forced to be creative in finding or "making" a space.  I can understand DeKalb Police ticketing cars that hop curbs and park in some very precarious areas, but police officers need to exercise common sense.  Take a look at the photo below.  Does the white Jeep warrant a ticket?  It got one!

Sneiderman's Brother Gives Emotional Plea

Click photo to watch Steve Sneiderman's emotional plea asking judge that Hemy Neuman receive a life sentence without parole.

By Staff Reports
For the AJC
In the sentencing phase of the trial, Steve Sneiderman spoke for the victim's family. All capitalizing and other emphasis come directly from his printed statement:

Your Honor:

I am Steven Sneiderman, Rusty Sneiderman's brother. I am here today to speak on behalf of my parents, Marilyn and Donald Sneiderman, my wife Lisa, my daughter Samantha and, especially, Rusty's children Sophia and Ian.
We appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today and share with the Court the impact this crime has had on our family.
During our investigation and the trial, my mother has repeatedly asked me, "When is this about Rusty?" Unfortunately, I have been forced to explain to her this trial was really not about him. As a lawyer, I understand why that is so, but now it is important for you to know a little more about Rusty and why his murder and the subsequent loss of him from our lives is so devastating. There have been so many lies told to this court about Rusty, even to the extent of the defense shamefully equating my brother's life with that of this killer. So let's set the record straight:
Click Sneiderman to read full statement.

Neuman Found Guilty!

By ASHLEY BRIDGES and ALICE GOMSTYN (@AliceGomstyn)

March 15, 2012 A Georgia judge today sentenced Hemy Neuman to life in prison without parole for the murder of father and entrepreneur Rusty Sneiderman.

Dekalb County Judge Gregory Adams made the ruling minutes after Neuman, 48, expressed his apologies for Sneiderman's death.
Adams called Sneiderman's death "a planned execution."
"I fully understand you're sorry but this was by your hands," Adams said, noting that Neuman had attended Sneiderman's funeral. "... His family can decide if they'll accept [your] words 15 months after the shooting."
The judge said Neuman has a right to appeal.
A jury found Hemy Neuman guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt but mentally ill." The "mentally ill" designation means Neuman will receive mental health treatment in prison. The jury forewoman was in tears as she read the verdict earlier this afternoon.
Click Neuman to read full story.