STAFF REPORT :::

The Griffin Police Department is investigating an alleged armed robbery that was reported March 27 at the Waffle House located at 1408 Highway 16.

According to GPD Officer Amanda Frix, she responded in emergency mode to that location at approximately 3:16 a.m.

“When I arrived, I spoke with Michele Chambers who stated that she and the cook, Dwight Maddox, were working when a black male came in and robbed them,” Frix said. “Michele advised that a black male with a pink bandanna, black sunglasses, blue gloves and a dark colored hoody (sic) came in pointing a gun at their faces.”

According to Chambers, the amount of cash available was limited.

“Michele said that she told the male subject that the cash drawer was locked, so he took the money that was on her,” Frix reported. “Michele stated that she had $116 plus her tip money of $40.”

Only one customer was in the restaurant at the time of the incident.

Chambers stated the suspect fled the restaurant on foot and proceeded towards the back.

“Officer (David) Porter checked the Kroger parking lot and located the subject,” Frix said.

Porter reported seeing a BMW leave the scene, and after dispatch advised the alleged armed robber fled on foot then possibly got into a vehicle matching the description of the BMW, the officer stopped the vehicle.

Upon the arrival of other officers, Porter made contact with the driver, identified as 19-year-old Teddrick Clark, of Griffin.

Officer Austin Hammond reported he remained at the trunk of the suspect vehicle with his firearm drawn as Porter spoke with the armed robbery suspect.

“Patrolman (Stephany) Allen arrived on scene at which point she and I went to the driver side to remove the subject from the vehicle,” Hammond stated. “I opened the door and advised the subject to step out. When the subject extended his left leg, I saw, laying in the floorboard against the seat, a black hand gun and pink bandanna which the suspect from the armed robbery was described as wearing. I grabbed the subject and escorted him to the ground.”

After the suspect was handcuffed and taken into custody, Hammond removed the weapon and bandanna from the vehicle.

“I attempted to clear the weapon, at which time I became aware that the handgun was an air pistol used for either pellets or BBs,” Hammond reported.

Further search of the vehicle turned up blue and gray work gloves matching the description of those used by the man accused of committing the Waffle House armed robbery.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

Jackson Road Elementary School was briefly placed on lock down when an alleged domestic dispute ended in gunfire in front of the school.

According to Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix, Spalding County E911 at approximately 1:19 p.m. Tuesday received a report of shots fired in that area.

When deputies arrived, they found a red pickup truck facing westbound on Jackson Road just before Jackson Road Elementary School.

“They made contact with two people, one identified as 43-year-old Emoni Taylor and a female, 44-year-old Shateema Daniels.

Deputies got out with the subjects. Taylor and Daniel both stated that they were in the vehicle when they became involved in a heated domestic dispute,” Dix said.

From this point, Taylor and Daniels’ stories vastly differ.

“According to Taylor, Daniel began driving the vehicle erratically. In an attempt to get it to stop, he was able to manipulate the steering wheel, get the truck to stop, put it in park and cut it off. Taylor said that when the vehicle came to a stop, his pistol slid out from under the seat and was retrieved by Shateema Daniels, who then exited the vehicle and fired a single shot at him through the open vehicle door,” Dix said. “According to Shateema Daniels, Taylor began striking her. Taylor attempted to retrieve the pistol. Daniels and Taylor both fought over the pistol. Daniels was able to get control of the pistol. She exited the vehicle and pointed at Taylor and the weapon accidentally discharged. According to Daniel she had texted someone earlier saying that Taylor had hit her again, so it appears there was a physical altercation at another location prior to this.”

Jackson Road Elementary School staff reported hearing the shot fired, but there were no witnesses to the incident.

As the incident unfolded, the school was placed on lock down as a precaution.

Both Taylor and Daniels were arrested and are being held in the Spalding County Jail. Taylor was charged with simple battery under the Georgia Family Violence Act, and Daniels was charged with aggravated assault under the Georgia Family Violence Act.

“There were no shots fired at the school It just so happened that the location where they had their domestic dispute was on Jackson Road right before the school. Children were not in danger at any time. I went up to the school and spoke with the principal and reported it was safe to take the school off lock down,” Dix said.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an incident reported as a residential burglary during which the alleged suspect was shot.

According to Sheriff Darrell Dix, homeowners were inside their residence when a man attempted to make entry.

“There was a burglary call up on Willow Street. The homeowner and his wife – an older couple – heard somebody trying to get in the front window of their house,” Dix said.

The couple reported they attempted to stop the man, but he was undeterred by their efforts.

“The guy (the suspect) tried to throw a log through the window – a piece of firewood through the window to break it out. They (the homeowners) confronted the guy while he was outside the house and told him to get away. He continued to try to get in,” Dix said. “The female went to the front door. She yelled at the guy that she had called 911, and the guy started trying to get in through the storm door where she was standing. The husband shot the guy in the shoulder.”

The couple said at that time, the man stopped trying to enter their home.

“The guy fled the scene a couple of blocks fell down where he was found. He’s alive and he does appear to have life-threatening injuries. He’s been transferred to Atlanta Medical for treatment,” Dix said.

At the time of this report, SCSO investigators remained on the scene.

“Investigators are fixing to wrap up there,” Dix said. “It is still really early in the investigation, but it does appear to be self defense. Preliminarily, it looks like the shooting was absolutely self defense – completely justified.”

STAFF REPORT :::

Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix has confirmed that a Wednesday morning shooting that occurred on Willow Drive has been ruled self defense.

According to a press release issued by Dix, deputies responded to the residence at approximately 5:42 a.m. in response to a burglary in progress and shooting.

The homeowners reported they were awakened by the sound of someone attempting to break in to their residence through a front window.

The female resident armed herself with a handgun and walked toward the sound. As she entered her living room, she saw an object hit the window and break it out. At that point she could see a white male wearing a red shirt and blue jeans standing outside the window.

She then fired a warning shot out of the window in an attempt to scare the suspect away and began calling out to him that she had called 911. She continued to yell at him telling him to leave her home. The suspect then attempted force the front door open to gain entry to the residence.

The male resident then fired one round toward the suspect causing him to fall off of their porch and run away.

They then called 911 to report the incident not knowing if the suspect had been struck by the round.

As deputies arrived and began searching the area, they located the suspect, identified as 53-year-old Mac Chason laying at the corner of Willow and Pine streets.

Chason had a single gunshot wound to his left shoulder, and was transported to Atlanta Medical for treatment.

Chason has been released into the custody of SCSO investigators and is awaiting transport back to the Spalding County Detention Center where he is facing charges of criminal attempt to commit burglary, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana and criminal trespass.

“We are thankful that the residents were not hurt during this incident and our thought and prayers are with them. These citizens were in bed asleep when this criminal attempted to break in to their house. It appears that the residents did all that they could do to stop the incident before it escalated to the point where they felt that they had no other choice but to defend themselves,” Dix said. “A warning shot was fired, Chason was repeatedly told to leave and was even warned that law enforcement officers had been called. Chason continued to attempt to gain entry to the house and forced the residents to take action to defend themselves. Chason made a poor decision and paid the price for his actions. He alone is accountable for the outcome of this situation.”

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

It has long been said that dog is man’s best friend, but for one Griffin woman, the family pup proved to be more – much more – than her best friend. Domino became her unexpected hero.

Dana Ogle’s day seemed a typical one. She finished her night shift at work, returned home and soon went to bed to get some sleep. However, nothing else about her day would be typical.

While the family dog, Domino, usually slept with Ogle, but not this morning.

“She sleeps in the bed with us, so normally, she’ll come in and nudge me to get under the blanket, but she kept coming over there bouncing on the bed,” Ogle said.

Ogle finally awoke enough to understand just why Domino was so insistently attempting to get her attention.

Rather than sun streaming through her home, Ogle instead discovered her home was filling with smoke. A fire that began in the kitchen had already rapidly advanced before she awoke.

“The first thing I noticed was that the mini blinds were melting,” Ogle said.

By the time she made her way out of the house, flames were showing through the rear windows.

“I ran out in my pajamas and barefooted,” she said.

Spalding County Fire Chief later reported the residence and its contents were complete losses, something familiar to Ogle and her family – they came to Griffin after the destruction to the gulf coast wrought by Hurricane Katrina.

“It’s going to be better. I haven’t cried in a few days now,” Ogle said. “This isn’t our first rodeo.”

Thanks to Domino, Ogle is here to overcome…again.

Publisher’s note: Anyone who would like additional information on how they may assist the Ogle family may contact The GRIP at sheila@the-grip.net.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office has concluded its investigation into an alleged physical altercation between a male Spalding High School student and a male substitute teacher.

The SCSO was on Wednesday notified of that day’s altercation by the Griffin-Spalding County School System after the involved student reported the incident to another school staff member.

“Deputies were called to Spalding High School regarding a possible altercation between a student and an employee. Our investigators were called to the scene and conducted an investigation into an alleged physical confrontation between a student and staff member,” said SCSO Capt. Dwayne Jones.

Jones said investigators spoke with the substitute teacher and student who were involved in the incident, as well as a second student who witnessed the alleged physical altercation.

Evidence was also reviewed, and upon concluding the investigation, the case information was turned over to the Spalding County District Attorney’s Office for review.

“After conducting the investigation, reviewing the evidence reviewing the video tape that was available, investigators consulted with the Spalding County District Attorney’s Office and they made a determination that it was not a prosecutable offense,” Jones said. “There’s no prosecution that’s going to occur. So, we essentially turned it back over to the school system. As far as anything occurring, the school system will be handling any sort of potential disciplinary action, if any. We’re not involved in it.”

When asked if the question presented to the DA’s Office was whether there was sufficient evidence to prosecute the student or teacher, Jones said, “The question, it’s my understanding, was whether any charges could be brought against the staff member.”

Jones later described the altercation as “an alleged pushing incident,” and said the incident was visible on the video recording.

“The District Attorney made the determination that there wasn’t enough to pursue any type of criminal charges, so they declined prosecution essentially,” Jones said. “The one thing about it is that the District Attorney’s Office reviewed the video and all the evidence, and they’re the ones that decided not to prosecute based on what they referred to basically as a lack of prosecutable evidence. It was caught on video. It was. What they said was that there was a lack of prosecutable evidence.”

Jones said the incident was immediately reported by the school system, and that GSCSS officials assisted in the process.

“I do want to stress that the school system notified us promptly of this and cooperated fully with us and our investigation,” he said.

Severe weather Monday afternoon left trees down in Griffin-Spalding County. This 17th Street home sustained damage from a large tree that was felled by strong winds. Photo courtesy of Griffin Fire-Rescue Chief Tommy Jones

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

City of Griffin and Spalding County first responders are working calls related to this afternoon’s weather.

According to Griffin Fire-Rescue Chief Tommy Jones, his personnel has responded to a few calls, but nothing serious.

Jones said reports of people being trapped in a residence in Griffin are false.

Spalding County Fire Department Chief Kenny West said he had personnel responding to two incidents involving weather-related damage.

“We’ve got a couple of calls out right now in reference to some trees down on power lines,” West said.

He also confirmed a tree is down in the area of Experiment Street, and that has resulted in a partial road blockage.

West said that as of this interview, there has not been confirmation of a tornado touching down or causing damage in Griffin-Spalding County.

Neither Griffin Fire-Rescue nor the Spalding County Fire Department has received any reports of injuries resulting from the weather.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

Parents of five Orrs Elementary School students picked up their children today after they reported feeling ill and were checked out by personnel of Griffin Fire-Rescue.

According to Griffin-Spalding County School System Executive Director of Communications and Partnerships Department Judy Parker, the children complained of feeling unwell in the midst of the Monday afternoon storms.

“The power went out today and a little girl with asthma started wheezing. She must have gotten scared because it’s not that hot, but they called the aid cart to come to her,” Parker said. “All these fifth-graders, which is the oldest group, they all began to feel sick, so they called for a fire truck with EMTs (emergency medical technicians) on it to check them. Four kids got picked up by their parents. Now, I can’t guarantee you that they took them to the emergency room or not, but their blood pressure was high. I don’t know if they got scared because the power went out, or if the storms scared them. I don’t know that. We’re still trying to sort all that out.”

Although Parker is uncertain what actions these students’ parents took after picking up their children, she did confirm none were transported by ambulance for medical treatment from Orrs Elementary School.

UPDATE – According to an update received at 4:13 p.m. from Judy Parker, executive director of the GSCSS Communications and Partnerships Department, several students were transported to the hospital by ambulance.
“They took cover in the hallway due to the storm, and then lost power. Six fifth-graders had a panic attack. The nurse assessed all students, calmed them down and called parents,” Parker said. “One of these six had asthma and seemed to be having difficulty. One of the parents called EMT so they came and helped the nurse. Four students were transported to the hospital in the ambulance at their parents’ request.”

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

Two people sustained what appears to be minor injuries resulting from a Monday afternoon collision in the Moreland Road Elementary School car rider line.

According to Capt. Dwayne Jones, of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred when school was dismissing for the day.

“The child was getting in grandmother’s car. In a car behind the grandmother’s car, the driver got the gas and brake mixed up and rather than step on the brake, they stepped on the gas. When they did, the car lunged into the vehicle the child was getting into,” Jones said. “The child was not actually struck by the car. They just complained that their foot was injured.”

The grandmother’s vehicle was struck in the rear.

“The child complained of an injury to the foot, and the grandmother who was picking that child up complained of neck and back injuries,” Jones said.

Deputies of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office did respond to the school, but because the incident happened on private property, no citations were issued.

The student and the grandmother were transported by ambulance to the emergency room of Spalding Regional Hospital.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

A number of Griffin-Spalding County residents are cleaning up after storms damaged property early Monday afternoon.

As of early evening, no official determination had been made regarding what caused that damage.

“Nobody has confirmed that there actually was one (a tornado), but something went through over there around Herndon,” said Griffin Fire-Rescue Chief Tommy Jones. “It may have been a straight line wind, but I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to anyone with the Weather Service or anything like that.”

Jones said his personnel remained steadily busy throughout the afternoon and early evening responding to weather-related calls for service.

“We’re on about 21 (calls) it looks like. It’s been busy, but it could have been a lot worse,” Jones said. “Over there around Ellis Road, Herndon, Drury, Experiment – that area is where we had the most calls.”

He was grateful damage within the city of Griffin was not extreme.

“It was moderate damage – a few holes in roofs, siding torn off, trees that had to be cut up. It gave the community a little scare for a second there, but it turned out okay,” Jones said.

Spalding County Fire Department Chief Kenny West said he had also heard of no classification of Monday’s storm.

“The only thing I know for a fact is that they toned out it was a tornado warning,” said West, who also serves as director of the Spalding County Emergency Management Agency. “We don’t have any confirmation that a tornado touched down in Spalding County.”

West, who said the SCFD ran six weather-related calls, described countywide damage as moderate to severe.

“In some areas of the mill village, it was severe. We had a lot of big trees fall down in the mill village – Cedar Street was one of them,” he said. “There were some cars that had trees fall down and crush them, and damage to homes and then there is the power outage. That’s a lot of damage to the people who experienced those things.”

After assessing all city and county calls, Jones and West confirmed there were no injuries reported related to Monday’s storm.

STAFF REPORT :::

The Griffin Police Department has arrested a Griffin man, 22-year-old Terry Keitt, in connection with multiple Peeping Tom incidents.

According to a GPD release, Keitt was apprehended by officers of the Criminal Investigation Division and Crime Scene Unit.

Authorities say Keitt allegedly entered the restrooms of local businesses and used a cell phone to video record and/or photograph women in bathroom stalls.

If you believe you may have been a victim of or witness to this activity, you are asked to contact the Griffin Police Department at 770.229.6450.

STAFF REPORTS :::

Officer Duon Dorsett, of the Griffin Police Department, was injured Saturday night in a multi-vehicle wreck.

According to a statement released by GPD Chief Mike Yates, the incident occurred in the line of duty at approximately 9 p.m.

“While in route (sic) to assist the Georgia State Patrol, operating in emergency mode, Officer Dorsett collided with multiple vehicles,” Yates said. “Officer Dorsett was flown to Atlanta Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, where he was treated and released early Sunday morning.”

Yates said that as of approximately 8:30 a.m. Sunday, no additional injuries had been reported in association with the wreck.

“The investigation of the accident is being conducted by the Georgia State Patrol and we (Griffin Police) await their findings,” Yates said.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

An early Sunday morning fire on Morningside Drive took the life of an elderly Griffin resident, 76-year-old Albert C. “Carey” Jones.

According to Griffin Fire-Rescue Chief Tommy Jones said he received notification of the fire at approximately 7 a.m., and heavy smoke was showing upon the arrival of the first fire units.

Chief Jones said the victim attempted, but was unable to escape his residence.

“He was found at the front door. He was trying to make an escape. My guys immediately went through the front door and found him, pulled him out and started cardiac arrest procedures on him,” Jones said. “He was transported by Spalding Regional (Emergency Medical Services).”

Chief Jones said fire officials do not consider this incident suspicious.

“This was highly unlikely, but there’s nothing suspicious at this point,” he said. “There was a heavy fuel load in the house, so it took a little while to get it under control. Most people have heavy fuel loads in their home just with furnishings.”

Spalding County Coroner Sonny Foster concurred that while tragic, Mr. Jones death does not appear suspicious.

“It’s one of those sad things that happens, but you don’t expect,” Foster said.

Foster confirmed that preliminary examination in the WellStar Spalding Regional Hospital Emergency Department indicated the victim’s death was caused by smoke inhalation, but Mr. Jones’ body has been transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for autopsy.

Cpl. James Cape, left, and Deputy Derrick Phillips are seen with the body worn cameras now being fielded by personnel of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office. Photo courtesy of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office

STAFF REPORT :::

Beginning April 17, 2017 Deputies of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office will begin wearing body worn cameras as a part of their issued duty gear.

The cameras were ordered in early February arrived in March. According to Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix.

“The delay we had in issuing the cameras to the deputies as soon as they came in was arranging for computer storage space for the videos. Retaining videos using state mandated retention limits takes up a massive amount of storage. Fortunately, we were able to work with one of our detention center vendors and they donated approximately $14,000.00 for the storage space needed. Liberty Technology set the storage up and has it running. The cameras themselves were purchased with asset forfeiture money so there was no cost to the taxpayers for this program at all,” Dix said. “We are issuing them out as we speak to deputies that are working and will continue to do so until they are all distributed. Once completely issued the cameras will be worn by Deputies in Uniform Patrol, Warrant Division, Court Services, School Resource Officers and Detention officers. Basically, if you wear a uniform on a day to day basis you will have on a camera.”

Sheriff Dix continued, “This project was a priority due to the expectations placed on law enforcement officers in this day and age, coupled with the demands of citizens and the courts for video evidence and transparency. It’s been my experience that the cameras have led to reductions in complaints filed on officers, reductions in internal investigations, less time spent in court proceedings, and fewer use of force incidents. I believe that they will also increase convictions in a broad spectrum of criminal cases because you are seeing what the deputy saw during the initial call for service, encounter, or arrest.”

The policy for camera usage and data storage has been distributed and is modeled after state law, policies that meet State Certification and CALEA standards, and have also been court tested.

“We believe this program will be an asset to the agency and the community. It will further our efforts to continue building trust and adding transparency for the citizens of Spalding County,” Dix said.

STAFF REPORT :::

The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that occurred Monday night that resulted in one death.

According to Sheriff Darrell Dix, deputies responded to 508 Terry Drive at approximately 7:40 p.m. in response to a reported shooting.

Upon their arrival, they discovered a female victim inside the residence. The scene was secured and investigators from the Criminal Investigative Division responded to the residence.

WellStar Spalding Regional Emergency Medical Services was dispatched and arrived at the residence.

It was discovered that the female victim was deceased.

Spalding County Coroner Sonny Foster pronounced 57-year-old Joanne Redding, of 507 Terry Drive, dead.

Deputies arrested 53-year-old Johnny Johnson Jr., also of 507 Terry Drive, at the scene.

Johnson has been charged with murder.

Additional details and charges may be released as the investigation continues.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, on Tuesday morning executed a search warrant in the county. Submitted photo

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, on Tuesday morning executed a search warrant at a North 9^th Street residence.

According to Sheriff Darrell Dix, little information is available at this time.

“All I can tell you right now is it was us assisting the FBI in the execution of a search warrant,” Dix said. “That’s really all I can say right now.”

A witness reported numerous articles were removed from the residence.

The GRIP has contacted the Atlanta Bureau of the FBI and is awaiting additional information, if available, from the media liaison.

Johnny Johnson Jr., age 53, of Griffin, has been charged in the April 17 shooting death of 57-year-old Joanne Redding, his fiancé. Photo courtesy of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

Johnny Johnson Jr., age 53, has been formally charged in connection with the Monday night shooting death of 57-year-old Joanne Redding.

The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office on Monday responded to a 508 Terry Drive residence where Redding was located. WellStar Spalding Regional Emergency Medical Services responded, but Redding was pronounced deceased by Spalding County Coroner Sonny Foster.

Johnson was taken into custody at the scene.

“We processed the crime scene and the body was transportation to the state Crime Lab for autopsy,” Sheriff Darrell Dix said Tuesday.

Johnson was interviewed Monday night, but Dix did not say if the suspect made any statements to investigators.

“I think it’s going to be domestic related,” Dix said. “They were engaged.”

Dix said the woman who reported the shooting and was present at the scene when deputies arrived is a neighbor of the couple.

It has been confirmed that Redding sustained multiple gunshot wounds fired from a handgun.

“He meant to kill her,” Dix stated. “There was no doubt that he meant to kill her.”

Johnson has been charged with murder, malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and burglary, and is being held in the Spalding County Jail.

SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::

Despicable – that is the description Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Ben Coker ascribes to the actions of Chantell Mixon, who stood accused in the May 2014 murder of Griffin Police Department Officer Kevin Jordan and today plead guilty in Spalding County Superior Court.

Mixon on Monday appeared before Superior Court Judge Fletcher Sams and entered a plea of guilty to felony obstruction of a law enforcement officer, public drunkenness and two counts of disorderly conduct.

She was sentenced to eight years with three years to serve in prison. This sentence will run consecutively with a sentence Mixon is currently serving.

Mixon, who is being housed in the Pulaski State Prison, was previously convicted of possession of a weapon or drugs by a prisoner. She was convicted of this crime in Fayette County, where she was being held following her arrest in connection to Jordan’s murder. That crime occurred Sept. 24, 2015, and on Sept. 21, 2016, she began serving a two-year sentence for that conviction. Her maximum possible release date is Sept. 26, 2017. Upon completion of that sentence, Mixon will begin serving her three-year sentence for her involvement in Jordan’s murder.

As part of her plea agreement, Mixon will be banished from the Griffin Judicial Circuit which is comprised of Spalding, Pike, Upson and Fayette counties.

In addition to the charges for which she today plead guilty, under Scott Ballard, who formerly served as the Griffin Judicial Circuit district attorney, Mixon was also indicted on a charge of felony murder. Ballard previously announced he would not seek the death penalty against Mixon, but said if convicted of felony murder, she faced a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

According to current District Attorney Ben Coker, the indictment Ballard obtained for felony murder could not be proven in court.

Based on a press release Coker issued, based on Georgia law and the evidence adduced at the trial of Michael Bowman, the state could not prove the required nexus for felony murder against Mixon, as Georgia law requires that the predicate felony must create a foreseeable risk of death.

Asked during a later interview if the predicate felony with which Mixon was charged – felony obstruction of a law enforcement officer – does not in and of itself produce a foreseeable risk of death.

“It does, but you’ve got to consider the circumstances – whether she saw foresaw her actions as creating a foreseeable chance of death. Her action of striking Kevin Jordan, she could not foresee that it would cause Michael Bowman to turn around and shoot Officer Jordan in the back,” Coker said. “Felony obstruction in and of itself it’s foreseeable that it could cause the death of another person, but you’ve got to look at it through the person committing the obstruction, which is Chantell Mixon. Was it foreseeable that her striking Kevin Jordan would make Michael Bowman pull out a gun and shoot him in the back, and the evidence just wasn’t there.”

Coker then explained how profoundly the Michael Bowman verdicts of guilty, but mentally ill effected the Mixon case.

“That (the guilty, but mentally ill verdict) makes it even harder for it to be foreseeable that he (Bowman) would react the way he did. You don’t know how they’re going to react,” Coker said.

The decision to move forward with this plea bargain was exceptionally difficult, Coker said.

“It’s the hardest plea I’ve ever had to take. It’s one of the hardest pleas I’ve ever had to deal with, but we couldn’t get to felony murder on her. We discussed it as a trial team and we discussed it with Judge Sams, and he agreed,” Coker said, adding that Jordan’s family was also party to the discussions. “They understood. They understood that since she didn’t pull the trigger, getting a guilty verdict on murder would be virtually impossible.”

Under Georgia law, five years imprisonment is the maximum possible sentence for felony obstruction of a law enforcement officer, but Coker said the plea was strategic to accomplish another goal.

“(The maximum) is five years to serve, but we didn’t want to give her a straight sentence because we wanted her out of the circuit, and the only way I could get her out of the circuit is with a split sentence, he said. “With a split sentence, she can be banished.”

Coker said this decision was made with a heavy heart, and he is hopeful it will give closure to Jordan’s family, law enforcement and the community.

“Unfortunately, it’s an option I had to deal with. It was my duty to take care of it,” he stated. “Like I said, it’s the hardest plea I’ve ever had to take, but based on the outcome with Bowman, we were never going to get a murder conviction on her.”

STAFF REPORT :::

The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two individuals in association with alleged narcotics and gang-related activities.

According to a press release issued by Sheriff Darrell Dix, the arrests were made by agents of the Special Operations Unit.

On April 29, agents were en route to 642 Melrose Avenue to execute an arrest warrant for Mary Michelle Farmer, who was wanted for violation of probation.

As the agents were serving the arrest warrant they interrupted an alleged drug transaction between Farmer and Marcus Daniel Bonner.

Farmer and Bonner were arrested and found to be in possession of an amount of methamphetamine indicative of distribution.

Bonner is allegedly a member of the gang known as the Ghost Face Gangstas.

Marcus Daniel Bonner is charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, two counts of obstruction of a law enforcement officer, criminal street gang activity.

He was also wanted on an outstanding warrant out of the city of Griffin.

Mary Michelle Farmer is charged with felony violation of probation, possession of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of drug related objects, crossing the guard line with contraband and criminal street gang activity.

Bonner and Farmer are both being held without bond at the Spalding County Jail.

SUBMITTED :::

The Griffin-Spalding County Board of Education named four new executive directors at its May 2 meeting. Dr. Norman Sauce, Dr. Donald Warren, Sara Jones and Anthony Aikens will join GSCS as executive directors.

Dr. Kiawana Kennedy, current assistant superintendent, was named deputy superintendent at the same meeting.

These appointments are based on the recommendations of our recent curriculum audit.

Dr. Norman Sauce will become Executive Director of Elementary and will supervise all elementary principals. Sauce earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from California State University Long Beach (2000), a Master of Education degree from the University of California Los Angeles (2002), and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Southern California (2009).

He is currently principal at Chamblee Charter High School and he has served as principal at Barnwell Elementary in Johns Creek. . He was an assistant principal and social studies teacher in his native California before coming to Georgia and serving as assistant principal.

Dr. Donald Warren becomes Executive Director of Secondary and will supervise middle and high school principals along with career and technical ed. Currently serving as director of curriculum and instruction in Henry County, Warren has been a mathematics teacher, assistant principal and principal in Georgia. He holds a Doctor of Education and Specialist degree from the University of Georgia (2002, 1998), a master’s degree in administration & supervision from Georgia College & State University (1997) and a B. S. in mathematics and computer information systems from Georgia Southwestern (1990).

Sara Jones is currently director of school improvement, assessment and data for GSCS. She is Executive Director of Instructional Services and has served as principal at Jackson Road Elementary. She was also assistant principal at Atkinson where she was also a teacher. She will be responsible for implementation of the literacy plan, testing, curriculum, instruction, special education and the College and Career Academy. Ms. Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Georgia (1992), a master’s of Educational Leadership from West Georgia College (1994), and a Specialist of Educational Leadership also from West Georgia (1996). She is also a graduate of Griffin High. Her new title is Executive Director of Instructional Services.

Executive Director of Administrative Services will be Anthony Aikens. Currently the principal of Jordan Hill Elementary, Mr. Aikens has almost two decades of experience in the private sector. His early career included retail, insurance, finance and manufacturing management. He has also been an assistant principal in GSCS and in Crisp County and a mathematics teacher. He holds bachelors and masters from Georgia Southwestern in mathematics (1998 & 2000), and an educational specialist in Leadership & Supervision from UGA (2002). Mr. Aikens will be responsible for the smooth operation of transportation, food service, facilities & maintenance, technology, student services and athletics.

“We have a great slate of new executive directors whose experience, skills and knowledge will greatly enhance our district. Their leadership will allow us to move forward with recommendations from our curriculum audit. I think you will be impressed with their work,” said Superintendent Jim Smith.

These new positions are effective July 1.