A 35-year-old defendant is on his way to prison facing nine years to serve due to a combination of a new charge and a probation revocation.
Chad Ervin Lowery was in Jones County Superior Court March 21 to enter a guilty plea to the charge of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, and his probation for a 2013 RICO charge was revoked in full.
Lowery received five years to serve for his new sentence, which will run concurrently with the probation revocation. He was arrested Sept. 19, 2023, after a high-speed chase with Jones County Sheriff’s Office deputies. Lowery was one of 50 individuals arrested on or around Oct. 22, 2013, and charged under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. He entered a guilty plea to the charge Jan. 28, 2016, and was sentenced to 20 years. The end date of the sentence is Oct. 21, 2033.
Lowery was represented in the March 21 proceeding by defense attorney Hoganne Harrison Walton. Assistant District Attorney Cara Fiore represented the state, and Superior Court Judge Amanda Petty presided.
Fiore styled the case for the court. She said the state agreed not to file the sentence under the recidivist act in exchange for the guilty plea and stipulation of the probation violation. The prosecutor said Lowery has an extensive criminal history with arrests in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020 and 2022.
In addition to that, she said he has picked up three felony probation violations.
“Mr. Lowery is not a good candidate for probation,” Fiore said. “That’s what we looked at when we made our recommendation.”
When Lowery had the opportunity to speak, he asked the court to terminate the probation sentence after he served six years.
During her argument, Walton said her client admits he needs help with his drug addiction, but he had not gotten it.
“If he’s revoked to prison, he will have more access to drugs. I ask you to allow him to parole out and address his drug problem,” she said.
Petty listened to the arguments of the attorneys and then pronounced sentenced, addressing Lowery.
“I run a drug accountability court, and it’s amazing to me when people are facing prison, it becomes my problem to get them treatment. I’m not a fan. You got yourself in this hole, and now it’s the court’s responsibility to fix it?” she said.
The judge told the defendant it was up to him to decide he wants to get clean.
“You have to ask for help. You have an opportunity because you’re not being treated as a recidivist,” Petty said. “I can’t fix the problem for you.”
Lowery received five years to serve for fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement officers, and his probation was revoked in full to prison.
September arrest
Lowery was arrested Sept. 19 and charged with a probation violation, failure to stop at stop sign, seatbelt, fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer for a felony offense and misdemeanor obstruction of law enforcement officers.
Jones County Sheriff Butch Reece announced Lowery’s capture in a Facebook post.
“You can run, but you just go to jail tired and dirty,” Reece said. “Special thanks to the Georgia Department of Corrections K9 Unit and K9 Maybelle for helping us apprehend Chad Lowery this afternoon. Deputies and US Marshals have been chasing after Lowery all day. Thanks to everyone involved and all the citizens who called in to report sightings of Lowery.”
Earlier in the day, Reece let it be known that JCSO deputes, the US Marshals Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Georgia Department of Corrections K9 Unit were out in the area of Fortville-Milledgeville, Ethridge and Fifth roads looking for Lowery.
The sheriff said, while deputies were attempting to serve the warrant, Lowery fled in a vehicle, which he quickly abandoned and ran on foot.
A report of the search that led to the arrest of Lowery by JCSO Sgt. Kasey Carr stated he was assisting Investigator Gerry Nelson and the Southeast Regional Task Force execute a warrant service at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 19.
He said Nelson was aware that Lowery was known to be at a residence on Ethridge Drive. Lowery was wanted for probation violation warrants out of Jones and Houston counties.
The deputy said the suspect drove a dark gray Dodge Charger. While enroute to the address, officers were advised Lowery had gotten into the car and was leaving the residence. As he approached the driveway, he saw the dark gray Charger coming toward the officers.
Three vehicles in front of Carr attempted to stop the Charger, but it went around them at a high rate of speed.
Lowery was identified as being the driver, and the sergeant attempted to stop the vehicle. He said the vehicle accelerated in his direction and came at him head on. Carr said he had to put his patrol car in reverse and back off the road to avoid being hit head-on.
The officer said he pulled behind the Charger and advised dispatch he was in pursuit. He said the vehicle continued to Ethridge Road and toward Eatonton Highway at a high rate of speed. He said the chase reached speeds around 110 mph in the 45 mph posted speed limit zone.
The vehicle then made an abrupt sharp right turn onto Fortville Milledgeville Road and Carr lost sight of the Charger as the chase entered the 800 block of Fortville Milledgeville Road.
The officer said dispatch later notified him that a lady on Fortville-Milledgeville Road called and stated the vehicle was in her backyard.
Carr and Lt. Wesley Ransom responded to the address and made contact with the homeowner. She advised them that a white male exited the Charger and began walking toward the wood line.
A perimeter was set up around the area, and the Georgia Department of Corrections K9 unit was called to assist with tracking the suspect.
The deputy said he and Ransom went into the woods and followed along with DOC K9 Unit.
A few hours later he was notified Lowery was located in the woods off Ethridge Road and was taken into custody.
2013 RICO arrest
According to a story about the arrests in The Jones County News, the RICO investigation was initiated by the Jones County Sheriff’s Department in August of 2013 starting with a focus on Robert Olin Rosser, who lives in the northern portion of the county. Sheriff’s departments in Putnam and Baldwin counties soon joined the investigation of what turned out to be a drug distribution organization dealing mostly with methamphetamine.
The investigation extended to the counties of Wilkinson, Washington and Spalding. Reece said investigation of the case revealed that persons from Jones, Baldwin and Washington counties were traveling to Griffin and the metro Atlanta area to obtain meth and then returning to Middle Georgia to distribute it. As the investigation progressed, it also reached Jasper, Bibb, Butts and Monroe counties.
Lowery was considered a second-tier defendant in the case and received a 20-year sentence.
