THOMASTON MAN SENTENCED TO 31 YEARS IN PRISON

On Thursday, February 17th, 2022, an Upson County jury convicted Terel M. King, age 33, from Thomaston, Georgia, of Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer, Theft by Taking, 5 counts of Fleeing and Attempting to Elude, 2 counts of Obstruction of an Officer, 2 counts of Reckless Driving, and 6 additional traffic violations. King was convicted after three days of trial.

The State was represented by Assistant District Attorney Ashton Fallin and Assistant District Attorney Audrey Holliday. The Honorable Ben J. Miller, Jr. presided over the trial and sentenced the defendant to a 54 years with the first 31 years to be served in prison after the jury announced its verdict. The Thomaston Police Department investigated the case with Cpt. Monica Snipes leading the investigation.

The case stemmed from a vehicle pursuit that occurred on February 12, 2020. King was wanted on outstanding felony warrants and had been on the run for over 2 years from multiple agencies when TPD received information that he was in Thomaston driving a gold Cadillac Escalade. A BOLO was placed on the vehicle, and King was spotted around 4:00 P.M. Officer Bobby Poore attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but King refused to stop and began driving recklessly through a residential area in an attempt to flee and elude law enforcement. His vehicle was eventually stopped by an officer who collided with King’s vehicle on Barnesville Street near Avenue J. King then fled on foot and stole a bystander’s Nissan Pathfinder. Officer Poore twice tased King and was attempting to remove him from the Pathfinder when King abruptly accelerated away from the scene. Officer Poore was thrown into the middle of Barnesville Hwy and sustained serious back injuries. He was forced to retire early and end his decorated 20+ year law enforcement career. King was able to get away and wasn’t captured until May 14, 2020 with the help of the United States Marshals, Thomaston Police Department, Upson County Sheriff’s Office, and Zebulon Police Department.

District Attorney Marie Broder said of the case: “This conviction should send a message to those willing to do harm to officers while they are in performance of their official duties that their criminal acts will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It was clear from video evidence that Mr. King did not care what he had to do or who he had to injure in order to avoid being captured. Every law enforcement officer and person on the road was in danger because of Mr. King’s actions that day. Our officers risk their lives every single day to protect the citizens of this Circuit, and my office will seek justice for them when they are harmed. I am proud of my office for their hard work on this case as well as all of the agencies that helped capture Mr. King after many years on the run. I want to thank the jurors for their service and for making our community a safer place to live.”