SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::
The arrest warrants obtained by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation against David Gibson, formerly the captain of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office Uniform Patrol Division, allege criminal wrongdoing dating back as early as 2008.
Gibson was arrested by the GBI Sept. 10, when he turned himself in to the Spalding County Jail in response to ten charges – aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated sexual assault, sexual battery, influencing a witness, stalking, two counts of simple battery, public indecency and violation of oath of office.
The arrest warrants, which were taken Sept. 9, by GBI Special Agent Jared Coleman, outline the basic allegations associated with each charge. Altogether, the GBI arrest warrants state a number of the incidents occurred at the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, and identifies five alleged victims, one of whom is a civilian with no association to the Sheriff’s Office.
The aggravated assault warrant alleges that in 2013, Gibson pulled a woman “into a headlock during the course of a verbal altercation and physically held said victim against her will. The accused then drew his department issued taser and conducted a discharge of the weapon which is likely to cause serious bodily injury to the victim.”
Gibson also faces a charge of simple battery in connection with the aggravated assault, with the GBI alleging he also struck the female prior to placing her in a headlock. The second count of simple assault Gibson faces is related to a 2015 incident in which the GBI alleges he “did strike the victim…with an open hand across the back of the victim’s head causing the victim’s head to jolt forward.”
That arrest warrant also states, “Said act was reported by the victim and corroborated by a third party witness to such act.”
The warrants for aggravated sexual battery involved two female Sheriff’s Office employees and describe the physical contact Gibson had “without the consent of the victim(s).”
One of those S.C.S.O employees is identified as the alleged victim in two additional warrants – one for sexual battery and the other for public indecency. Contained within those warrants is information on physical contact Gibson allegedly had without the victim’s consent and describes a sex act Gibson allegedly performed on himself as he made the female watch. Those incidents are said to have occurred between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2013.
The second aggravated sexual battery warrant alleges Gibson in 2012 made sexual contact with a second S.O. employee without her consent.
The warrant for Gibson’s arrest on one count of influencing witnesses pertains to incidents that occurred between 2008 and 2012 and involves the alleged victim without connection to the S.O.
It states, “The accused did hinder, delay and prevent the victim…from reporting illegal sexual activity against the accused through threats of physical violence against the victim should she report the accused’s [sic] illegal acts to the proper authorities.”
Coleman also alleges “the accused did willfully and intentionally violate the terms of his oath of office as prescribed by law” between the dates of Jan. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2015.
A first appearance hearing was conducted Sept. 10, by Spalding County Magistrate Court, and Gibson was no bonded.
According to Chief Magistrate Judge Rita Cavanaugh, the two counts of aggravated sexual battery Gibson faces carry a minimum sentence of 25 years imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment, and prohibit magistrate judges from setting bond. Instead, the defendant must face a Superior Court judge.
Gibson’s attorney, Larkin Lee, of Zebulon, on Thursday filed a motion for bond which will be argued Monday before Superior Court Judge Robert M. Crawford.
