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Gang task force busts drug deal at school
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Ronald Gomez is shown.
Three teens were caught in the midst of a pot deal by plainclothes investigators Tuesday in the parking lot of a Hall County alternative school just before the school opened for the day, authorities said Wednesday.

Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad Commander Lt. Scott Ware said gang task force investigators were at Lanier Career Academy on Tumbling Creek Road at about noon Tuesday on an unrelated matter when they saw the marijuana transaction take place in plain view.

"They saw them make a deal right in front of them," Ware said.

The suspected dealer, 18-year-old Ronald Gomez, had about an ounce of marijuana on him, Ware said.

Gomez, who authorities say is a member of the BOE street gang, was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Ware said Gomez sold between $10 and $15 worth of marijuana to two others, identified as 18-year-old Robert Ivan Mendez and 17-year-old Adan Ayala.

Hall County Schools spokesman Gordon Higgins said Mendez and Ayala are students at Lanier Academy. Gomez is a student at Lanier Technical College.

Mendez and Ayala were suspended from school pending a tribunal hearing, Higgins said.

Both were charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

How planning board voted on proposed Gas station, restaurants on Spout Springs Road in South Hall
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A gas station and a building for restaurants are proposed off Spout Springs Road in South Hall. - photo by Jeff Gill
A gas station and a building for two restaurants could be built across from the Spout Springs Library near the entrance to Sterling on the Lake.
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