This column is part of a weekly round-up of notable grand jury indictments and court decisions, following through on cases reported by Savannah Morning News public safety reporter Drew Favakeh. If there are cases you're curious about, email Drew atAFavakeh@Gannett.com.
Jenny Parker re-hired at District Attorney’s office
In early July, the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office re-hired Jenny Parker, a former Chatham County prosecutor who lost the May 21 Democratic primary for Chatham County District Attorney against Shalena Cook Jones, now her boss.
Voters handed Jones, the incumbent, a resounding victory in the May 21 Democratic primary with 73.1% of the vote. Parker garnered 4,347 votes, or 26.9%, of the overall tally.
From May 2000 through November 2021, Parker prosecuted a range of crimes, including misdemeanors and felonies, according to previous reporting by the Savannah Morning News. She served as chief assistant district attorney for Chatham County until leaving in 2022. Since then, Parker served as an assistant district attorney in the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit, which includes Effingham, Bulloch and Screven counties.
In an April 29 candidate forum hosted by the League of Women’s Voters of Coastal Georgia, Parker argued that the District Attorney’s office was understaffed due to Jones’ lack of leadership ability. Parker said the office lacked transparency and failed to deliver on multiple campaign promises, including failing to advance key units past the developmental stage.
Parker will prosecute at least 20 pending cases, according to a court order obtained by the Savannah Morning News.
In November, Jones will face Republican Andre Pretorius, a former deputy chief assistant for the Chatham County State Court. He works now on a part-time basis as an attorney for Chatham County government.
Leilani Simon motion hearing scheduled
A motion hearing for Leilani Simon, the mother charged with malice murder in the death of her son, 20-month-old Quinton Simon, has been scheduled for Aug. 16 of this year. The court will also hold a motion hearing on Sept. 17.
"The parties shall be prepared to present evidence and arguments to pending motions during the motions hearing," according to the order, which was signed by Chatham County Superior Court Judge Tammy Stokes.
On Monday, the State must file its motion in limine ― a pretrial motion that seeks to exclude specific evidence or agruments at trial ― in which the defense attorneys have two weeks to file its responses.
Jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 7.
Montez Wade sentenced for jail smuggling scheme
On July 19, Montez Wade was sentenced to a total of 20 years, with the first three years to be served in confinement, for a charge of conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act. Prosecutors did not prosecute charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
In total, a Chatham County grand jury indicted six defendants in February, including Wade, for a scheme that involved supplying drugs to a Chatham County Detention Center corrections officer Georgette Bennett.
On March 20, Bennett was sentenced to 20 years, including a mandatory six years of confinement followed by probation. Bennett was prosecuted for trafficking illegal drugs, conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and furnishing prohibited items to inmates.
According to previous reporting by the Savannah Morning News, Bennett had worked at the CCDC for five months, despite admitting to another corrections officer that she had smuggled drugs at her previous job as a corrections officer at Rogers State Prison in Reidsville, Georgia. She also told the other officer she had been "in and out of jail in New York” and that she had resigned from her old job after being accused of bringing in contraband for inmates.
The training officer filed an incident report on July 31, 2022. The Chatham County Sheriff's Office launched an investigation but didn't find evidence of Bennett, 26, selling drugs, according to Chief Deputy Gary Taylor, who said they couldn’t prove “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
On March 20, Xavier Scott was sentenced to a total of 15 years, with the first three years to be served in confinement, for a charge of conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act. Prosecutors chose not to prosecute a charge of illegal use of a communication facility.
A plea hearing for Brandon Miller was also scheduled for July 19. Miller has a jury trial scheduled for August 5 of this year.
On June 10, Jabez Reid was sentenced to a total of 15 years, with the first three years to be served in confinement for a charge of conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substances Act. Prosecutors chose not to prosecute a charge of illegal use of a communication facility.
A bond hearing is scheduled for Tavoris Johnson on July 23.
Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@Gannett.com.
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