SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::
The hearing scheduled to be held Tuesday afternoon in Spalding County Magistrate Court to determine if an arrest warrant would be issued against Tommy Scott, a former security guard at Griffin Skate Inn, was cancelled.
“The attorney consulted with his client and they decided to withdraw the warrant application,” said Chief Magistrate Judge Rita Cavanaugh.
She said she explained to the attorney representing Monica Evans, the warrant applicant, that under child abuse protocol, an individual may not obtain an arrest warrant for child abuse.
Cavanaugh went on to explain the basis of Spalding County’s protocol.
“Every county has a child abuse protocol procedure. Our procedure parallels the statewide protocol from the Child Advocacy Center in Atlanta. There are a few things we’ve added to it, but it has the same requirements plus some,” she said. “Under the child abuse protocol, an individual cannot take a warrant on a crime that involves a child victim. Only law enforcement can do that.”
Evans is the mother of a 14-year-old girl identified by the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office as “the primary aggressor” in three incidents at Griffin Skate Inn on July 24, filed the arrest warrant application seeking a charge of simple assault against Scott.
“I got a call from my daughter (name redacted) stating that the security guard had slap her to the ground that works at the Griffin Skate Inn. She stated that she hit the phone out of his hands and then he slap her. Witness stated that the person indeed slap her (sic all),” Evans alleged in the application.
The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office has charged the 14-year-old with simple assault/simple battery and criminal trespassing.
Please consider financially supporting The GRIP.
The news you find in The GRIP is free for all. You’ll never be hindered by a paywall or limited to only a few articles each month. That’s because knowledge CANNOT be a commodity available only to those with the ability to purchase it.
While the news will always be free for all, it is far from free to produce. That’s why The GRIP needs your support.
Your support will enable The GRIP to continue to provide relevant news in your community and beyond. It’s quick and painless. Just click this link: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=16902623
All support will be greatly appreciated, whether a small one-time donation or recurring monthly gift.
Thank you!
