The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

October 26, 2009

Council member Mosier cited for haunted house in Varnell


The Varnell Police Department has cited City Council member Carlus Mosier twice in the past two weeks regarding a haunted house he was running, city officials said.

A police officer cited Mosier on Oct. 17 for not having a business license. Mosier was cited again on Oct. 24 for a zoning violation. The haunted house is at a building he owns at 210 Cedar St., which is in an area zoned residential. A court date has been set in Varnell Municipal Court on Nov. 16 at 6 p.m.

A spokeswoman for the Mosier family said the haunted house was being operated for donations to Boy Scout Troop 67. Waydean Bradley said Mosier was simply trying to offer children an activity to help keep them out of trouble by holding the haunted house open every Friday and Saturday in October. She said Mosier had held the haunted house without charge for two years but this year, after his grandson completed his Eagle Scout project at the Varnell Spring, Mosier decided to ask for donations to help other scouts.

Varnell Mayor Dan Peeples said Mosier is not being singled out. He said all businesses in the city are required to have a business license and it would be unfair to allow a member of the City Council to operate a business without a license.

See Tuesday’s Daily Citizen for more on this story.