Judge: Candidate has to stay in jail

DALTON — Whitfield County Superior Court Judge Cindy Morris, who in August sentenced congressional candidate Steve Foster to six months in jail for a DUI conviction, denied Foster’s request Tuesday for bond while he awaits an appeal.

Citing Foster’s history of humanitarian work in Central America, Morris said Foster could be a flight risk.

Foster, who is the Democratic candidate for the 14th Congressional seat currently held by Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger, could be heard saying “waste of time” as he was escorted out of the courtroom by Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office deputies. He did not address Morris.

Foster was sentenced on Aug. 14 to six months to serve in jail and six months on probation after a jury found him guilty of DUI in September of 2017. In video and audio of the arrest released after the trial, Foster rambles and rants through the arrest, a trip to the hospital and eventual booking into the Whitfield County jail.

Richard K. Murray, Foster’s attorney, said the basis of his appeal will be Morris’ ruling on a pre-trial motion to exclude the state’s blood test evidence against Foster. Testimony at trial said Foster had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher, which is above the legal limit in Georgia.

Morris ruled that it is not the duty of officers to ensure independent testing and testing should have been arranged by Foster.

With Morris’ ruling, it is now more than likely that Foster will be in the custody of the Catoosa County jail on the Nov. 6 Election Day. Because Foster’s conviction is a misdemeanor offense, Foster remains on the ballot as state law says only a felony conviction would bar him from being on the ballot. Foster says he will not drop out of the race. Chris Whitfield, Dalton Daily Citizen

Braves to pay Cobb nearly $1.4 million

MARIETTA — More than $1.6 million will change hands between Cobb County and the Atlanta Braves under an agreement approved Tuesday, ultimately resulting in the ballclub giving about $1.4 million to the county to settle a months-long dispute.

During an at times contentious meeting Tuesday, the commission voted 4-1 with Commissioner Lisa Cupid opposed to approve a settlement between the two parties, resolving questions of millions of dollars each side said the other owed.

The approved agreement, according to the county, includes the Braves paying a nearly $1.5 million “system development fee” to the county’s water department as well as the Braves owing $380,000 to the county under a 2017 agreement for signage and maintenance of bridges near SunTrust Park.

However, Cobb will reimburse the Braves $500,000 for payment of the county’s project management costs and the county will maintain its remaining two annual payments of more than $163,000 — scheduled for this October and October 2019 — to satisfy the transportation and infrastructure requirements in the development agreement Jon Gargis, Marietta Daily Journal