Aggravated assault and battery charges resulted in a total sentence of 15 years in Jones County Superior Court following the entry of a negotiated guilty plea.
James Benjamin Dupree was in court Feb 19 to enter his guilty plea to charges of battery family violence and aggravated assault family violence. The counts are to run concurrently for a total of 15 years with the first two years served in confinement. The remainder of sentence may be served on probation.
Dupree was arrested Oct. 21, 2025, and charged with battery against a pregnant female and two counts of aggravated assault family violence.
A report of that arrest by Jones County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Dennis stated he was dispatched to Piedmont Hospital Oct. 17 in reference to the physical assault of a female. The assault took place in Jones County.
Dennis said he made contact with the victim, who was a small-framed female covered in bruises. The bruises ranged in sizes and were in various stages of healing. The bruises were located from her head to her ankles.
The deputy said the victim also told him she was nine weeks pregnant. The victim identified Dupree as the offender and said he knew she was pregnant. Dennis said the victim told him the assault had occurred the previous night from 11 p.m. to 11 a.m. The victim’s statement was the assault happened both indoors and outdoors and consisted of Dupree not only hitting her but being kicked, tossed, and dragged and having items thrown at her. At one point she said he choked her until her vision went black and she was seeing stars. The deputy said she revealed a fresh bruise on the left side of her abdomen.
“While speaking about the assault, she stated that she thought she was going to die,” Dennis said.
Based on those statements and the injuries he observed, Dennis obtained arrest warrants for two counts of aggravated assault and battery of a pregnant female against Dupree.
The deputy said after obtaining the warrants, it was revealed that Dupree had been arrested on unrelated felony charges and was incarcerated in Twiggs County.
He said Dupree was booked into the Jones County Law Enforcement Center Oct. 21, 2025.
In a second incident involving Dupree, Dennis was dispatched to a Jones County address in reference to a report of harassment. While he was en route to the residence, he was advised that Dupree had contacted the female victim, which was in violation of a no contact order.
When he arrived at the scene, he was told the victim had been receiving calls from an unknown number that turned out to be Dupree. She answered one of the calls and put it on speaker phone so a third person could hear it was Dupree.
Dennis said he contacted staff at the jail and received information about the bond conditions for Dupree’s release. The offender was granted a $50,000 bond Nov. 20, 2025. The special condition of the bond was no contact with the victim.
A search of the phone number that made the calls to the victim led Dennis to Dupree’s location. The deputy was able to make contact with Dupree, who admitted contacting the victim by phone.
An arrest warrant was obtained by Dennis against Dupree on the charge of aggravated stalking. The offender was informed of the warrant and turned himself in to Dennis at the Jones County jail that evening.
Dupree was indicted by a Jones County Grand Jury Dec. 5, 2025, for two cases. The first battery family violence and two counts of aggravated assault family violence, and the second for aggravated stalking.
