Southern Catholic College filed paperwork Monday to evict a local sports academy that has been leasing its former campus in northern Dawson County.
The director of North Georgia College Prep Academy is facing felony charges for reportedly writing nearly $20,000 in bad checks to his employees and area businesses.
Bond has been denied for Darren Wesley, 39, who remains in local custody after a judge deemed him a high flight risk.
U.S. marshals arrested Wesley on Sept. 21 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He was extradited to Georgia on Oct. 5.
The charges against Wesley include felony theft by deception and felony deposit account fraud.
Wesley likely will remain in custody until at least Oct. 25, when he has hearings scheduled in Magistrate Court.
According to Jennifer Alday, magistrate court chief clerk, a dispossessory affidavit dated Oct. 18 will be turned over to the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office.
After the sheriff’s office serves staff of North Georgia College Prep Academy with the affidavit, the academy has seven days to respond.
If it does so, a dispossessory hearing will be held Nov. 10. If not, a writ of possession can be filed and Southern Catholic will then retake possession of the campus.
The college ended classes due to a lack of funding. It has been leasing the property, which is next to Gold Creek subdivision, on a month-to-month basis to the academy.
Mayor Joe Lane Cox said the city of Dawsonville has plans to notify the business “to cease and desist” this week.
“They have never obtained a business license, they haven’t had an approved inspection by the fire marshal, so our attorney says we should contact them,” Cox said.
The academy, which touts itself as a nonprofit college preparatory school, opened in August.
Many of the students have traveled from as far as Canada to attend the academy in pursuit of college football scholarships.