Defendant Acquitted of All Charges in Obstruction Case

Fort Valley, Georgia: In June 2024, attorneys J. Travis Griffin and P. MacKenzie Miller obtained an acquittal in an obstruction case pending in Peach County Superior Court.  Mr. Griffin and Mrs. Miller convinced the jury that the Defendant acted in self-defense when he threatened to release his dog on law enforcement officers who were attempting to enter his home illegally.

On the date of the alleged crime, the Defendant’s dog bit his wife during an argument.  EMTs and law enforcement were called to the scene.  While EMTs were treating the Defendant’s wife for her wounds, one EMT reported to law enforcement that the Defendant had verbally threatened them.

Law enforcement sought to arrest the Defendant.  After a brief verbal exchange with law enforcement, the Defendant retreated into his home.  A law enforcement officer then entered the curtilage of the Defendant’s property and attempted an illegal entry into his home.  During the illegal entry, the law enforcement officer stuck his taser through a crack in the door and electrocuted the Defendant before the Defendant could close and secure the door.

The law enforcement officer then called for backup, alleging that the Defendant was barricading himself inside the house.  After law enforcement made multiple attempts to illegally enter Defendant’s home, the Defendant threatened to release his large dog on law enforcement officers.  Once more reasonable officers arrived, the Defendant exited the house and was arrested for aggravated assault on a police officer, terroristic threats, and obstruction.  The Defendant was eventually indicted for felony obstruction and terroristic threats.

At trial, Hogue Griffin was able to show the jury that the EMT was lying about the alleged threat and that law enforcement acted recklessly in attempting the illegal entry into the Defendant’s home.  Additionally, the jury found that the Defendant acted in self-defense when he threatened to release his dog on law enforcement officers, and that such a threat was reasonable, proportional, and necessary to stop the aggressive attack by the officers.

After a four-day trial, the Defendant was found not guilty on all counts.