PRESS RELEASE
Grand Jury May Term
May 7th the Grand Jury convened in Decatur County. After hearing the cases presented by District Attorney Joe Mulholland, the Grand Jury returned just over 40 True Bills of Indictment and less than 6 No Bills of Indictment, and 1 case was continued for the term. Two cases of significance were True Billed. Aanija Burke was indicted for Burglary, Possession of Tools for the Commission of a Crime, and Home Invasion. Burke is alleged to have broken into a home with a BB gun which appeared to be a real handgun while the occupant was watching her grandchild. “The defendant not only put this poor family at risk but himself also. Your home is your castle and the defendant terrorized the poor occupants. We will be taking a hard stance on this matter as this kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our community” Mulholland commented.
The other notable case involved Thaddus Nundra, Louis Ousley, and Ronnie McFadden. The trio were indicted for the murder of Hubert Moore, a Bainbridge local employed at the Post Searchlight. “Mr. Moore’s senseless killing shook the entire community, myself included. We will do everything possible to make sure that those who committed this horrible act are held responsible. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Moore family, and we will get them justice in this matter” Mulholland stated.
Trials for May Term
There were three cases to be tried by a jury the week of May 7th in Decatur County. The first case for trial was Robert Ezell. Ezell was charged by way of indictment with Child Molestation and Cruelty to Children in the 1st Degree. Monday morning, Ezell pled guilty to the charges. He received a sentence of 25 five years, 15 to serve in the State Penitentiary and must register as a sex offender. Ezell brutally beat the child of his girlfriend on at least two occasions. The case was handled by Senior Assistant David Atwell. “As the investigation into this matter developed, we found that not only did Ezell beat this young child but also sexually assaulted him. We were able to revoke four years of his previous probation and run it consecutive to his current sentence which means he will be incarcerated for 19 years. Which he deserves. I am thankful to Amy Eakin at our local Child Advocacy Center and the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office for their hard work in making sure this sick and violent predator is put away for close to two decades.” Mulholland replied.
The second case that was set for trial was Lonnie Baggling, Christopher Baggling, and Marq Lewis. District Attorney Joe Mulholland handled the case. The trio robbed at gunpoint Earnest Lowrey at the local Wal-Mart in Bainbridge while he was in his vehicle. In addition to robbing Mr. Lowery, the three also entered several other automobiles. Just prior to trial, the three pled guilty to Armed Robbery and Entering an Automobile. They were all sentenced to 30 years, 15 to serve in the State System. “I would venture to say that almost everyone in our community has shopped at this Wal-Mart at some point. The fact that these three would not only rob someone but use a firearm in doing so shows how violent they are. Kudos go out to Bainbridge Public Safety for making sure they spend the next decade and a half behind bars.” Mulholland commented.
The final case to be tried this week was Gary Glass. Chief Assistant Mike Bankston tried the case. Glass was charged with Child Molestation. After picking a jury in the matter, Glass decided to plead guilty and received a sentence of 40 years, 10 to serve in the State Penitentiary. “Apparently Glass didn’t like the looks of the excellent jury we were able to impanel and pled. Sexual predators are unfortunately a reality we must deal with. I thank Cheryl Nix, law enforcement, and the victim and the victim’s family for their courage and hard work.” Mulholland stated.
“This was a long but very productive week in Decatur County. I am very proud of the work my office did in securing major convictions in several high-profile cases. We still have some unfinished business to do next week but we will be ready to go and make sure we keep our community safe.” Mulholland said.
I met Mr Mulholland a few years back when my wife received her first speeding ticket at 59 years old. She was guilty because she did have the ears laid back on it when stopped. This guy will go above and beyond to help good people, but at the same time will drop the hammer on the bad ones. He has a very hard job to do, and does it well. Keep on rockin Joe.