Arrest and booking photos courtesy of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office
STAFF REPORT :::
A joint operation of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations and C.A.G.E. units and the United States Marshal SERFTF Unit resulted in the arrest of Myrrin Watson at 276 Hosanna Road.
Authorities describe Watson as one of the highest-ranking Bloods gang members effecting Griffin-Spalding County.
According to Sheriff Darrell Dix, Watson has been at-large since eluding agents after a traffic stop earlier in January.
Watson is on active felony probation for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. At the time of his arrest, he was also free on bond out of Tattnall County, where he faces drug trafficking charges related to an alleged attempt to smuggle narcotics into Reidsville State Prison.
“Watson is a known gang member and gang leader with ties to Atlanta and other parts of the state and is also affiliated with the bloods with ties to California. Watson is not a “Wannabe” gang member but is a dangerous leader of a violent organization that preys on people in Spalding County and surrounding counties,” Dix said. “When we located him yesterday, Agents and Marshals were surveilling the residence and confirmed he was there. They entered and began searching for him when they heard movement in the attic. They deployed a camera to locate him and once he was located, they began ordering him to come out, but he would not respond to their commands. At that point, knowing his exact location in the attic, the agents began dismantling the ceiling near him and continued to order him out and to surrender. He continued to ignore them, even after they had torn out enough of the ceiling to see each other. He refused to surrender or show his hands, so he was shot with a Taser. He fell from the ceiling to the floor where he was taken into custody uninjured.”
A subsequent search of the residence revealed evidence officials say tie Watson to dog fighting.
“A subsequent search warrant was executed at the residence. During the search we located 6 firearms, 4 dogs, and other evidence that we believe ties him to dog fighting. We have reached out to our contact with the USDA that handles dog fighting, and to the ATF regarding the firearms the convicted felon had. It is our hope that his case will be adopted federally, and he will spend the rest of his life in prison,” Dix said. “Throughout Watson’s history, he has faced several serious and violent felonies, his involvements have shown that with the most serious he has always been able to have someone else with him and utilize his position with the blood gang to force others into taking responsibility for his charges. We have ensured that with this case that no one will be able to take them (sic) blame for his crimes.”
Watson, age 41, is currently being held without bond in the Spalding County Jail. He is facing 18 counts of violation of the Georgia Criminal Street Gang Act, six counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, obstruction of law enforcement officers, possession of drug related objects, fleeing and attempting to elude and violation of probation.
Geraldo Williams, age 30, another suspect the SCSO identifies as a “documented Bloods gang member,” who allegedly assisted Watson with hiding in the attic, was also arrested and charged with two counts of violating the Georgia Criminal Street Act, hindering the apprehension of a fugitive, obstruction of law enforcement officers and violation of probation.
“Watson is a threat not just to our own community but communities around us. He is a menace to society, continually disregards the law, and is known for his violent leadership in the bloods. We will be petitioning the court for bond revocations on any previous charges and denial of bond on the new charges we have against him,” Dix said. “He had been boasting since he ran from Agents two weeks ago that his new street name would be Myrrin “Copperfield” Watson because he always escaped just like the magician does. We didn’t give him a chance to pull a rabbit out of his hat on this one. We pulled a convicted, documented, thug out of an attic for what is hopefully his final disappearing act from our community.”
