On Dec. 14 in state court, a jury of six found Rudolph Bradford guilty of illegally slaughtering animals in his backyard. He will be sentenced Jan. 13, 2023. We will let you know details when we receive them.
Assistant Solicitor-General Karen Scott and assistant attorney Daniel Sanmiguel presented a solid case and persuasive closing arguments. Ms. Scott is pleased that guilty verdicts were returned on the first three charges dealing with illegal slaughtering of animals on residential property. The other two guilty verdicts dealt with inappropriate parking and storage of machinery.
Bradford was found not guilty of the four counts dealing with his license and four other nuisance charges.
Ms. Scott asked that Judge Purdom consider fining him $1,000 on each count and requiring a 600-day sentence (300 days would be suspended if he closed the abattoir within 90 days of sentencing.)
Bradford is still advertising his slaughtering business on Craig’s list. https://atlanta.craigslist.org/eat/grd/d/lithonia-goats-sheep-lamb-cows-chickens/7570607801.html
Clearly, a guilty verdict is not enough to get him to shut down the illegal slaughtering operation. The Georgia Department of Agriculture records show that he has slaughtered 7,209 cows, pigs, goats, and sheep since the state began keeping records in 2016.
In addition to the dedication of attorneys Scott and Sanmiguel, thanks also goes to DeKalb County Senior Code Compliance Officer Shaun Shaifer and to Solicitor-General Investigator Barbara Floyd. We also appreciate the efforts of Investigator Tessa Bowers who worked hard on this case until her untimely death in July 2022.
Senior Housing Text Amendment Passed
On Dec. 13, the BOC unanimously passed the text amendment to allow senior housing in the center area of the closed Hidden Hills golf course. Commissioner Mereda Davis Johnson made the motion and mentioned Hidden Hill’s support. Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson commended the community for thinking of the needs of seniors who might want to downsize and age in place.
This amendment makes it possible to put a several-story residential tower for seniors in the southeast quadrant of Tier Five rather than an office building.
Status on Closed Golf Course Development
McKinley Homes is the residential developer that has won approval to put 228 townhomes and a 240-apartment community in Tier Five, the former clubhouse area of the closed Hidden Hills golf course. McKinley Homes continues to work through the land development permitting process. Vice President Bill Schmidt said that an agreement to provide sewer service has been reached with the County. The company is still addressing comments on the permit application and expects to be completed with that phase by early spring 2023. He says that if the sewer repairs are on schedule, the company hopes to start development in summer 2023.
Video Surveillance Now Required at Convenience Stores
Thanks to Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, DeKalb County now requires all convenience stores and high-risk businesses to own and operate a video surveillance system. The commissioner has been working hard for this legislation for years. It goes into effect June 30, 2023. You may read the ordinance at this link:
The next meeting of GHHCDC will be Feb. 18, 10 a.m., via Zoom.
Details will be provided in a few weeks.
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May you have a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!
Thank you for reading. Let’s keep working together to leave our community better than we found it!
Jan Costello
Greater Hidden Hills 