Suspected Tifton County Drug Trafficker Behind Bars
A 43-year-old Alabama man faces up to twenty years in prison for alleged fentanyl trafficking in the Peach State. Court documents state that the Tifton County Sheriff’s Office initiated an investigation into the possible distribution of fentanyl, heroin, and other illegal drugs within the local community. During the investigation, Tifton investigators searched a Howard Johnson […]
Getting and Staying Out of Jail Before Trial in Georgia
The brief Eighth Amendment, which forbids “excessive” bail, controls all aspects of pretrial release in Cobb County. This E-word refers not only to the initial amount of bail, but also to the conditions of pretrial release. In other words, the system must give defendants a fair chance to not only get out of jail after […]
July 1 is the New January 1
Several important criminal laws go into effect in Georgia on July 1. Most are in line with the prevailing “get tough on crime” attitude in the statehouse. Senate Bill 44 imposes a five-year mandatory prison sentence for gang-related offenses and an additional five years for recruiting minors to commit crimes on behalf of the gang. […]
Judge Hands Down Long Sentence in Sex Abuse Case
Two years after the alleged incident occurred, a Columbus man pleaded guilty to aggravated child molestation. Prosecutors charged the 44-year-old man with two counts of aggravated child molestation and two counts of sodomy. He pleaded guilty to the two counts of aggravated child molestation and was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. He will be […]
Post-Conviction Matters in Cobb County
Judges must ensure that defendants know the direct consequences of a criminal conviction, such as the maximum incarceration period and fine. But they don’t need to warn defendants about, and probably don’t care about, the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction. According to one major study, these consequences include “accessing employment, business and occupational licensing, […]
Waiting for Trial: Ten Years and Counting
Many murder defendants look forward to their release dates after they’ve been incarcerated for a decade. One Georgia man who’s served this much time is still waiting for his day in court. It’s unclear why the man has languished in jail for so long. Gregory Edwards, the Dougherty County district attorney, said some of the […]
Double Shooting at Dublin Apartment Complex
Few details were available after multiple shooting incidents sent multiple people to an area hospital. The shooting happened just before 7 a.m. When officers arrived on the scene a woman with a gunshot wound was at a neighbor’s apartment. She told officers a man shot her and that he was still inside her apartment. Just […]
Authorities Break Up Large Insurance Fraud Ring
According to Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King, a 32-year-old former AFLAC employee was the ringleader in an insurance fraud scam that netted over $21,000. Authorities state that the woman encouraged and assisted three other suspects to follow in her footsteps. The three women submitted several fraudulent medical invoices to AFLAC for treatment […]
Post-Conviction Relief in Georgia: A Closer Look
The game doesn’t always end when the final horn blows. In 2011, because of massive rules violations, the NCAA stripped USC of its 2004 BCS national title. Standout tailback Reggie Bush also relinquished his Heisman trophy after the NCAA threatened to take it back. Allegedly, a sports company gave Bush and his family over $280,000 […]
What You Need to Know About Bond Forfeiture in Cobb County
During the coronavirus pandemic, for public safety reasons, many advocates called on local jails to release most inmates. That didn’t happen, although jail populations did drop, mostly because of decreased police activity. If a global pandemic doesn’t open cell doors on a widespread basis, nothing will. So, the current system, which mostly relies on secured […]
