A man previously accused in a 2019 incident at the Dawsonville Wendy's will not have a criminal conviction on his record, according to court documents filed June 17, 2022. 

In April 2021, Donald Murray pleaded to multiple charges under Georgia's First Offenders Act, receiving a split five-year sentence, with 175 days to be served in custody and the rest on probation. 

First offender status means that since Murray has completed his sentence, he is not considered to be a felon, and the court hasn't determined him to be guilty. 

Obstruction case update

A Dahlonega man has been sentenced in relation to a January 2019 roadside incident, according to court documents filed March 9, 2021. 

Robert Sanders pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of obstruction, receiving a 12-month sentence, most of which was for probation, the filing showed. 

Authorities previously accused Sanders of allegedly impeding traffic along Lumpkin Campground Road, near Red Rider Road and of throwing a rock at a passing vehicle the morning of Jan. 2, 2019. 

Once deputies made contact with the man, Sanders refused to comply with their orders, Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson previously told DCN. 

Sanders, who was carrying knives and two machetes at the time of the incident, was detained and arrested after a brief physical struggle, Johnson said.

Because of probation violations in April 2021, Sanders' probated sentence for this case was extended 60 days. 

Burglary case updates

Multiple men have been sentenced following a separate Jan. 2, 2019 burglary in Dawson County. 

Previously, Dawsonville men Austin Gage Sammons, Bobby Lynn Mills and John Franklin Holder were arrested after a homeowner along Highway 53 reported the theft of a power tool, copper wires and batteries, Johnson previously told DCN. 

When deputies responded, they detained a suspicious person who was loitering in the area of the house, later identified as Holder. It was determined Holder allegedly acted as a lookout.

Austin Gage Sammons pleaded guilty to one felony count each of second-degree burglary, criminal attempt to commit a crime and theft by taking, according to a court document filed Dec. 17, 2021.

Bobby Lynn Mills pleaded guilty to one felony count each of second-degree burglary, criminal attempt to commit a crime and entering auto, according to court documents filed June 6, 2019. 

Mills got a five-year sentence, with the first six months to be in custody and the rest on probation, as well as a $2,500 fine. 

Holder was released on bond and later indicted in March 2021 for alleged second-degree burglary, criminal attempt to commit a crime and theft by taking. 

When Holder could not be found after a bench warrant had been issued for his arrest, the case was placed on the court's dead docket in September 2022. 

He was sentenced to five years in custody and a $2,000 fine, the filing showed. 

In September 2022, Sammons was paroled and allowed out of custody. Then on March 11, 2024, authorities executed an arrest order for Sammons for an alleged parole violation.