A disabled veteran facing serious charges in Jones County entered a guilty plea in Superior Court last week and was sentenced to a combination of confinement and probation.
Henry Thomas Redd was in court May 23 and received a total sentence of 10 years with the first year to serve in confinement. The charges to which he pleaded guilty include fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, criminal damage to property in the second degree, possession of a schedule IV controlled substance, possession of drug-related objects, possession of marijuana less than an ounce and driving while license suspended.
After a year of confinement, the remainder of Redd’s sentence is to be served on probation. The defendant will receive credit for time served from Aug. 9, 2023, the date of his arrest.
The sentence was the result of negations with the state, which was represented by Assistant District Attorney Cara Fiore. Redd was represented by defense attorney Debra Gomez.
Fiore presented the court with the facts of the case. She said Jones County Sheriff’s Deputy Kasey Carr was on patrol and received a lookout for Redd’s vehicle.
The prosecutor said Carr attempted a traffic stop, but Redd fled, striking a Gray Police vehicle in the process. The chase ended when Redd ran into a ditch, and drugs were found in the vehicle.
The plea was heard by Chief Superior Court Judge Brenda Trammell. Upon hearing the terms of the negotiated plea, she questioned that the criminal damage to property charge was listed as a lesser-included offense of aggravated assault of a police officer.
The judge said criminal damage to property is not a lesser-included offense for that charge. Gomez acknowledged that but explained the state agreed with the charge. The attorney stated that the charge was from Redd’s car striking the GPD vehicle, and the damage was slight.
“He was trying to miss the patrol car,” she said.
Gomez told the court that her client is a 100 percent disabled veteran who suffers from PTSD. She said the night of the incident, Redd thought he was being chased by people from Texas.
After assurances from the attorneys that all involved agreed to the negotiated sentence, the judge accepted the plea.
Original arrest
A report of Redd’s arrest by JCSO Sgt. Kasey Carr stated he was on routine patrol when he was alerted to the lookout for the silver Taurus headed northbound into Gray. Carr said a witness followed the car down Gray Highway into Jones County, and he observed the vehicle with front and rear damage near the bypass.
The sergeant said he turned around and attempted a traffic stop, but the Taurus made a right turn on Clinton Crossing Drive. The vehicle continued through the parking lot of a business and failed to stop.
Carr said he saw Gray Police Lt. Thaxton Pennamon come from the opposite direction in an attempt to block the Taurus, but the vehicle increased its speed, struck the GPD patrol car and continued back to Clinton Crossing toward Gray Highway.
The sergeant continued to pursue the Taurus through the bypass intersection and down Gray Highway toward Macon at a high rate of speed. He said the Taurus was on the wrong side of the road.
Carr said he advised dispatch that the driver started throwing items out of the car after passing Landfall at Porter. He said the driver made a U-turn near Greenwood Road, lost control and ran into a ditch.
The sergeant said he exited his vehicle and held the driver on the ground until backup arrived.
The driver was identified as Redd and taken into custody. A meth pipe was found in the suspect’s pocket, and pills and marijuana were found in the car.
Pennamon’s report stated that he turned around and joined in the chase after hearing Carr state he was in contact with the Taurus. He said he turned into the parking lot off Clinton Crossing to meet the Taurus head-on.
The lieutenant said the driver saw a hole and was able to get through it after striking his car.
