The defendant, 24-year-old Justin Franklin Bacon, was represented by public defender Julie Moore. He was sentenced to five years in state prison in two separate cases.
In the first case, Bacon was sentenced on charges of criminal damage to property, fleeing or attempting to elude an officer and misdemeanor battery. Bacon was originally charged with kidnapping with bodily injury, a charge that could carry a life sentence if convicted, but the state reduced the charge because of the plea.
Bacon also pled guilty in a separate case, on charges of interference with government property. In May, while Bacon was in Carroll County Jail, he allegedly used his shoe to tamper with his cell’s sprinkler system, causing his cell to flood. The defendant was sentenced to five years in prison for this case as well, to run concurrent with his prior case.
According to reports from the Carrollton Police Department, Bacon was causing a disturbance at the McDonald’s on Bankhead Highway around midnight Dec. 17, 2011.
“Dispatch advised [that] the suspect had chased several male subjects in the parking lot of McDonald’s trying to fight with them. They then advised the suspect had left McDonald’s, but was ramming his truck into a car,” read the department’s weekend report. “When Officer [Johnny] Lynn arrived, the male suspect then fled in his vehicle.”
The report indicates that the chase, involving several CPD officers, commenced down Bankhead Highway towards Villa Rica. Sgt. Craig Gibson, Cpl. Brad Easterwood, and Cpl. Cynthia Lewis were able to box the suspect’s truck in with their patrol cars near the Sales Barn, where the suspect then fled on foot. He was apprehended a few minutes later in the parking lot of Scott Evans Dodge with the help of several units from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.
Following the suspect’s arrest, officers discovered that Bacon and his girlfriend were in town visiting a friend, and the three had gone to a club, where officers believe Bacon first began to assault the woman.
After leaving the club, the friend was dropped off, and the suspect drove the woman to McDonald’s, where investigations indicate he continued to “beat on her” in front of several witnesses.
“She tried to get away, but he dragged her by the throat to his truck,” the report read. “When some male subjects tried to intervene, Justin chased them, trying to fight with them. He then rammed a woman’s car twice with his truck and then got out and punched her several times.”
According to Capt. Chris Dobbs, the police’s chase of Bacon did not take very long.
“The officers were able to stop him very quickly,” Dobbs said. “He was obviously being extremely violent that night, not only to his girlfriend but to other people that were there. It was good to get him picked up and off the streets that night before he really hurt somebody.”
All totaled, Bacon was originally charged with kidnapping with bodily injury, false imprisonment, aggravated assault, fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, misdemeanor battery and obstructing or hindering a 911 call.
Bacon was given credit for time served back to Dec. 17, 2011, when he was originally put in Carroll County Jail. If paroled, he will be required to pay $4,955 in restitution.
Also, in the first day of Simpson’s jury trial week Monday:
• Terri Florence Johnson, represented by Newnan attorney Lazanea Lucas, pled guilty to charges of forgery, theft by taking and making a false statement to an officer. Johnson was charged and pled guilty in two different cases.
Johnson was sentenced to two years in jail, followed by three years of probation. She was also ordered to pay a $500 fine, and was given credit back to Feb. 12 toward her incarceration.
In the first case, Johnson was charged with two counts of forgery for allegedly forging checks in August 2011 from her ex-boyfriend.
In the other case, Johnson was charged with theft by taking and making a false statement after she was found with a stolen purse that a co-defendant had taken.
Johnson gave police a false name when arrested, which was not discovered until after she had made bond.
• A man and his wife pled guilty after being arrested for allegedly taking metal from a residence in March.
The defendants who pled guilty, Claude Allen Campbell and Stephanie Tamar Campbell, were charged with burglary, but because of the plea, the state agreed to lessen the charge to criminal trespassing.
Joseph Campbell is also charged with burglary and obstruction because of his attempted escape from officers following the incident, but he did not plead guilty.
Claude and Stephanie Campbell were sentenced to one year probation and a $200 fine each. They also gave testimony on Joseph Campbell’s involvement in the incident.
A press release from Carroll County Sheriff’s Office at the time of their arrest said Sgt. Keith Price was on routine patrol on Miller Academy Road when he noticed a man loading metal into the bed of a truck parked in front of a residence.
The release reported that upon confronting Claude Campbell, 43, of Villa Rica, the officer was told that the suspect was merely “cleaning up,” though he was unable to say who gave him permission to do so.
“In the meantime, a female, Stephanie Campbell, 42, of Villa Rica, (Claude Campbell’s wife) came out of the residence carrying metal,” Richards reported in a press release. “A third person who was in the house, Joseph Lamar Campbell, 40, of Villa Rica (Claude Campbell’s brother), ran from the residence after his discovery. He was apprehended a short time later on Miller Academy Road.”
Senior Assistant District Attorney Anne Allen said the police report read that Stephanie Campbell had told officers they went into the house to take metal, scrap it and “make some money.”
The couple will be back in court on Oct. 31 for a restitution hearing.
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