Augusta District Attorney Jared Williams routinely dismisses drug cases, including dozens over the summer, citing limited resources and a focus on violent crime.
The move has drawn concern from Richmond County Sheriff Eugene Brantley, who says the practice sends the wrong message and undermines accountability.
Sheriff Brantley: “No Accountability”:
“I disagree with him because there is no accountability,” Sheriff Brantley said. “You catch someone with meth or whatever, we charge them, and he just throws it out like it never happened.”
Court records show at least 27 individuals had drug charges dropped since June. Those charges included methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, Oxycodone, and Alprazolam, with some defendants also facing related offenses like tampering with evidence or traffic violations.
“For the people to feel like it was dismissed because of negligence on our part is not the way to go,” Sheriff Brantley said. “They feel we held them in custody for no reason.”
Williams says he has been dismissing such cases on a regular basis, not just in recent months. And he defends his decision.
DA Williams: “We Make Independent Decisions”
Williams said the dismissals are part of a broader effort to focus on high-impact cases. His office, he said, prosecutes about 2,500 cases each year, and not all drug arrests justify the time and resources required to go to trial.
“These are the cases that didn’t make the cut,” he said. “We make an independent decision in every case.”
He pointed to one example involving Britto Tutt, who was arrested with 43 grams of marijuana but had no prior arrests, no firearm, and limited evidence of intent to distribute.
Williams said other, nearly identical charges were prosecuted because the defendant had a criminal history and the evidence supported distribution.
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Williams emphasized that prosecuting drug cases, even seemingly minor ones, can consume substantial time and manpower. Getting drugs tested at the state crime lab, flying in chemists to testify, and ensuring airtight chain of custody can take 18 months or longer.
“I don’t have that much time to put into cases that aren’t going to result in any meaningful safety outcome,” Williams said. “I left a bond hearing today involving someone accused of molesting his 7-year-old daughter. That’s where my focus has to be.”
Public Safety vs. Personal Struggle
Many defendants, Williams argued, are addicts, not dealers, and should be connected to treatment, not prison.
“We’ve had homeless people arrested with a single pill in their pocket,” he said. “Why are they sitting in jail for that, when they really need help?”
His office is working with accountability courts and healthcare providers to steer eligible individuals into rehabilitation earlier in the process. But treatment often requires a conviction, and that, he said, takes time poor defendants often spend waiting in jail.
Sheriff Wants Consequences
Sheriff Brantley says he understands the reasoning but worries about the long-term impact on public safety.
“If there are users and he dismisses it, they are going to continue to use,” Sheriff Brantley said. “Even if it’s not very severe, there has to be some accountability. We aren’t just going to act like you didn’t commit the offense.”
He said dropping the charges entirely, rather than reducing them or offering probation, removes any deterrent or path to services.
“At least plead it to probation,” Sheriff Brantley said. “But just to act like it didn’t happen?”
The district attorney says he doesn’t feel like anyone who has spent time at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center after their arrest feels like they have gotten out of anything. That is a type of punishment, he suggested.
Plus, the seized drugs are taken off the streets, he said.
But some suspects are caught again despite the second chance. Jessica Lynn Compton, 41, of Hephzibah, was charged Aug. 26 with possession of meth with intent to distribute, possession of Adderall and weapon possession. That came just one month after the district attorney dropped a meth possession charge.
Two Jobs, Two Perspectives
Sheriff Brantley said he has discussed the issue with Williams directly. While the DA made clear the decisions are within his authority, the sheriff insists the responsibility for accountability shouldn’t be passed over.
“I ran for sheriff to do my job. And he ran to be the DA,” Sheriff Brantley said. “It is my job to catch them and lock them up. It is his job to prosecute them.”
Williams said that’s exactly what he’s doing, but selectively. He added that just because an arrest occurs doesn’t mean the case should be pursued.
“From a narcotics-specific standpoint, I want to cut the head off the snake,” Williams said. “I’m not interested in chasing the snake’s droppings.”
A Matter of Priorities
Williams said his priority remains public safety and high-impact crime. He said his office has the most staff it’s had since 2008, but resources are still finite, and stretched thin by serious cases like murder, sex trafficking, and child exploitation.
“Every time I have a grand jury or trial, an officer is stuck in court testifying about 0.2 grams of something instead of being on the streets,” he said. “I’m not going to spin my wheels over one Oxycodone pill when there are kids shooting each other.”
Sheriff Brantley said it’s up to the public to decide whether this approach is the right one.
“He is well within his right to do it,” Sheriff Brantley said. “So that is going to be a question for the citizens, not really for the sheriff.”
DRUG CASES DISMISSED:
The Augusta District Attorney’s Office dismissed drug-related charges against these individuals after prosecutorial review:
Carol Stamey – Methamphetamine (June 16)
Britto Vincente Tutt – Marijuana with intent to distribute (July 16)
Charles Demmons – Oxycodone, tampering, no license (July 16)
Aurea Ailed Ortiz – Methamphetamine, lane violation (July 16)
Jamie Terrell Garnett – Cocaine (June 25)
John Terrell Freeman – Felony marijuana (July 2)
Jesse Allen Attucks – Fentanyl, cocaine (July 9)
Kirk Patrick Barrett – Cocaine (July 9)
Jessica L. Compton – Methamphetamine (July 16)
Ladea Blocker – Cocaine (July 16)
Malcolm Akeem Jackson – Codeine, headlight violation (June 30)
Marlaina Ann Alexander – Alprazolam, fentanyl (July 9)
Phillip Michael Ohara – Fentanyl (June 16)
Melvin Dion Barley – Cocaine (July 9)
Raymond Gerald Blackburn Jr. – Methamphetamine (June 30)
Reginald Haythe – Meth, tampering, obstruction (March 27)
Robby Kentrell Lyons – Meth, seatbelt violation (July 16)
Savannah Hope Luke – Meth, improper lane change (July 9)
Terry Lee Shields – Methamphetamine (June 30)
Travis Campbell – Methamphetamine (July 16)
Victor Marcellouse Churn – Alprazolam, fentanyl (July 9)
Wayne Anthony Herrington – Oxycodone, weapon charge (July 9)
Zachary Thomas Burleson – Methamphetamine (July 16)
Erica Deion Boozer – Oxycodone (Aug. 11)
Damian Jlindsey M J Hill – Controlled substance (Aug. 8)
Joshua Eric Schleicher – Fentanyl with intent to distribute (Aug. 18)
Sadiyah Makala Washington – Felony marijuana, failure to register vehicle (July 16)
