by Dave Williams | Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA – The statewide Gang Prosecution Unit Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr created in 2022 is about to expand its operations.
Starting Monday, a newly hired prosecutor and a new investigator will oversee the unit’s regional efforts in Macon-Bibb County. Currently, the unit is based in Atlanta, Albany, and Augusta.
“Since creating our Gang Prosecution Unit nearly two years ago, we have seen unprecedented success in putting away some of Georgia’s most dangerous criminals,” state Attorney General Chris Carr said Thursday.
“Now, we’re expanding our efforts to include a new regional team in Macon-Bibb County so we can work more closely with and effectively with all levels of law enforcement to combat violent crime and keep Georgians safe.”
The new prosecutor, Ashton Jordan, joins the state unit after serving as a senior district attorney in the Griffin Judicial Circuit since 2015. Criminal investigator Nathan Shoate comes to the state after serving with the Fulton County District Attorney’s office since last year.
In its two years in operation, the state unit has won more than 40 convictions and indicted nearly 140 criminal suspects in 13 counties from Athens-Clarke County to Dougherty County in Southwest Georgia, including all five of metro Atlanta’s core counties.
“Macon’s Gang Prosecution Unit will follow the examples set by others in cities across the state to take the fight to criminal street gangs,” Gov. Brian Kemp said. “We know these units are an important part of our work to keep all our communities safe.”
In addition to Macon, the unit also plans to expand its footprint with new prosecutors and investigators in Columbus and Southeast Georgia.
