This is Sheriff Dix, I’ve tried to answer several questions on different posts and each time I’m accused of being a liar, arguing with the family, making my deputies out as victims, covering up, or belittling what happened. I’ve said I couldn’t comment on it, but with all that’s going on, I am.
For a fact, the person that started the rumor that Mrs. Mallory asked for an escort has admitted that it was a lie. Clerks in the Magistrate Office were asked, not a Deputy, and a Deputy was never requested by anyone to escort her. Video from the lobby shows that as Mrs. Mallory walked through the lobby, she passed Deputies and did not ask for assistance either. She walked out of the courthouse to her car that was parallel parked facing north on 6th St., and entered it. Mr. Mallory, who was in a second car, traveled north on 6th St. with the traffic flow, stopped beside her car where she was sitting, fired multiple rounds through the passenger side window of his car, and the rounds struck her. There were Deputies on the front of the courthouse and when they heard the shots they responded. Mr. Mallory by this time was driving off, and turned east on Solomon Street. A marked police unit got behind him and Mr. Mallory refused to stop. When he finally did stop, he shot himself in the head. He is still alive. Yes, in the past we have received multiple calls to the Mallory’s residence. Both would claim that the other started the fights. On occasions where witnesses were present and interviewed by deputies they said they didn‘t see anything, or said it didn‘t happen like it was described by either Mr. Or Mrs. Mallory. On other occasions it was her word against his, or his word against hers with no marks on either except old bruising, or no marks at all. On one occasion when furniture and other items were damaged, both agreed that the fight was mutual, and they both caused the damage observed by Deputies. There was information given about services available to them for help and counseling.
Under Georgia’s Family violence law it says that the primary aggressor “shall” be arrested. If witnesses didn’t see anything, say that what they saw was not what was described by either party, both parties say they both fought mutually, all marks or bruising appear to be old, and there is no physical evidence found, no arrest can be made. There were times when she claimed he hit her or pulled a gun on her, there were times where he said she got angry hit him, and shot at him. This was by all definitions a toxic relationship. In these situations where no one can be determined to be the primary aggressor, both parties are given information about contacting a Magistrate Judge on their own to see if the Judge, after a hearing, will issue a warrant.
On one occasion Mr. Mallory was in fact arrested by Deputies, but posted bond. We are tracking down who posted his bond.
He was at the courthouse, just as she was, for their hearing. From what we can find, the only people that were at that hearing were the Mallory’s, their attorneys, the Judge, and a friend of Mrs. Mallory. (Who is the same person that started the lie about asking a Deputy for an escort). They are the only ones who know for a fact what was said and what happened. I cannot speak about a Judge’s decision or orders. No one is picking one person over the other or believing one over the other. No one is blaming Mrs. Mallory for what happened to her. We have to take facts and evidence and weigh them against the law in order to act. This is a horrible thing that happened and people are emotional and angry about it. Mrs. Mallory’s family believes she did no wrong and he was bad guy. Mr. Mallory’s family believes he did no wrong and she is the bad guy. Everyone else picks a side to stand with. Deputies don’t have the option to arrest based on who has the most followers, that’s not how it works. Do improvements need to be made to the law, yes they do. Maybe it wasn’t a Deputy or my agency that failed, maybe it was the law itself. By the way, the Deputies that allegedly refused to escort her are the same ones that removed her from the car, tried to control the bleeding and tried to save her life.
Spalding County Sheriff
Spalding County is in Griffin, Georgia. About 2.5 hours east and slightly south of Augusta.
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