What? Man. Okay. We just got out the house. Mom got you up and got the other other two and y'all left. There four phones just all four of them. My mom. Okay. Been arrested. I don't been to jail two or three times. I used to hate to come home from work cuz I be so scared of me have to worry about way like what kind of attitude he got. Yeah. You don't even live in the field. You don't know what I'm saying, man. On December 11th, 2022, while on patrol in the beautiful Athens, Georgia, an officer was flagged down by a woman and her three kids. She informed officers about a domestic disturbance between her stay-at-home baby daddy and herself. Y'all just yelling, arguing, "Oh, he yelling. He just started yelling like he's always yelling." He picked up a candle and act like he going to throw it at me. It was some class Victoria Secret, you know. He picked up act like he was going to throw it at me and he threw it at the wall and busted it. Then he picked up some more little cars and mirrors that I got and he act like he going to hit me, you know. I kept flinching like that. That's I believe that's all he wanted me to do was to flinch, you know, and I like you hit me jumping that you going to jail. He like, "No, I ain't cuz I ain't gonna hit you." You know, he was just trying to scare me away. But my children right there and he do that all the time, you know, like I don't know. It's I don't know. I'm just going I I guess I just have been accepting that too long that it it's just becoming normal to him to do that and to run me out of my house, you know, just knowing I'mma leave and because housing authority, I think he knows that that's going to it, you know, cuz I can probably get put out for something like that or something. I don't know. Is he on the lease? No. Okay. And so, you know, but Oh, no. What's the address? How long has he lived there? He been living there the whole time since I've been staying there. How long's that been? Like 10 years. Okay. So, we've been together, but something happened a while ago. Like when he left me on New Year's Eve, I stopped being the the crybaby girlfriend for him. I used to be like, "Don't leave me, John. Don't leave me." But after he left me on New Year's Eve, you don't give a So, you know, just whatever. And I start talking to somebody else. And when he realized that, he just really got really jealous and all that. And it's nothing but a whole lot of mess. like he just keep bringing my past and I know it seems like I'm like like I'm like I'm like like I have no point I go through the same thing every day because of something that happened in the past you know like he keep breaking up every day you know and there's a point to all this. So when did this happen like the just now like just just now like you you just drove off from there. Okay. And I just grabbed my baby. my baby don't got no clothes on and I don't f to do my little daughter hair like and I usually go to church I work at Takaria Tsunami I work six days a week and I go to church on Sundays and this Sunday I just took the day off because I was so tired and I cuz I told my daughter I was like we're not going to church tomorrow cuz I want to do your hair and she asked him you know like I don't know what he says to them when I'm not there but whatever it is it's not good I got you and what's your name I'm sorry what's your birthday 83. What's his name? John. And what's his birthday? 85. Okay. I don't know where he going to stay. Is he still home? Does he drive? Well, let's head over there real quick. Um, let's park down the street and then I'll walk up and we'll we'll talk to him over there. Now, we get to see the stay at home dad side of things. And he believes that his girlfriend always wants to make him look bad. What do you think? We got out with the old lady. Yeah. Yeah, man. She's always starting with me and me and my kids, man. Trying to make me look bad, man. And then she sitting up here got my little girls crying and stuff, man. And then she every time she do, she get the kids and you hang over there for a second. I'm going to call the police. I'm going to do this and do that. She got my kids up there crying. All my little girl asked me was I came downstairs. You mind about 7 seconds? Yeah. Yeah. Come on in. Come on in. Come on in. All All my little girl asked her was her to do her hair. She works. I I'm not working right now. So, I'm here take you I'll cut this down. Yeah, if you don't mind, that'd be great. Yeah. So, I'm sorry. So, I'm here taking care of my um my kids every day while she's going to work. We already down this and that out. I come down the stairs. My little girl asks her to uh to do her hair. She starts yelling at me, "See what you made him do? You see what you got him doing this and that." I tell my little girl, "Stop crying. Don't worry about whatever she's telling him." She's always doing this. We've been going through through this for years now. She going to go. She doesn't make a big for nothing. Now, if she wants me to get out, that's fine. I will get out. I've been staying here for 10 years. 10 years. And you all have kids together? Yes. All three of the kids. Yes. Had a case with her now. Yeah. They with her. She t I ain't going to do nothing to her. Nothing. I let her leave. Okay. What was the complaint from her? Just that there was like an argument going on and that she basically she was upset when she saw me and flagged me down. when she's out [ __ ] that she don't want to talk and communicate as a parent. She just wants to get mad and have a fit and go her way. And it's it's got to be her way or the highway. I got you. Is there any reason anything would be broken in the house and didn't get broken? I did. I'm not going to lie, sir. It was a um a counter. I threw I threw it because I was mad. I don't want to hit her, hit my kids. I took it all myself. I threw a glass. Where'd you throw it? I throw it right there against the wall. Which part of the wall? Is that little? No. No. That's already been there. I'm talking about that one right there. No. No. Oh, this is old. I It didn't even make No, I think I This is old. All this is I don't see any fresh damage on the wall. I think I I did it. It bust on the floor. I cleaned it up. Okay. It was a piece of glass. It was a little glass jar I threw cuz I got mad, you know, and I'm being honest with you. People throw things when they get mad. I got mad. I have a um I had I I I had depression and anxiety. I go through a lot of things. So to keep myself from, you know what I'm saying? I throw the glass. She me and her were right here. I'm going tell you what, we were arguing right here. I picked up the glass. She was standing right here in front of me. Instead of throwing, I didn't hit her. I just throw it against the wall because I was mad. And she was standing right here. And I was standing right here. I didn't hit her both in the kitchen. You throw it to this wall over here. Yes, sir. And I did. I'm I'm But it wasn't that. It wasn't. No. No. Yeah. That that that doesn't look like that kind of damage. I'm letting y'all know what that's I I got angry. That's what I did. I'm sorry. That's all right. Where is it in? Yeah. Where is it now? In the trash. You threw out th Okay. Come on. [Applause] This one right here. No, this one right here. We got so much trash, you know. I got you. You can leave it in there. You don't got to grab it. It was a little glass and I I got a little baby. So, I immediately got the glass up cuz I got a little one-year-old that's crawling around. Oh, so it shattered. Yeah, it shattered. So, I throw it in there. I'm I'm just being honest with you. That's fine. We can head back inside. We'll close this up so it doesn't fill up the water 95. Thank you. No sir, you go upstairs. I'm the only one here. She took the kids and left. She said she f to call the police. How long? I said it's fine. We've been together for 15 years, sir. 15 freaking years. Y'all been arrested for for I mean I've been arrested, but not for domestic violence or anything, but I've been arrested. Yes, sir. I'm not going to lie. Yeah, I've been arrested. said, "I don't been to jail two or three times, but it's been been for mediocre things." Yeah. Whose uh whose candle was it? Or glass was it? Um it might have been hers. It might have been mine. I mean, I don't you know, but y'all aren't married. No, sir. We're not. Okay. Did she get any like glass hit? No. No. No. She didn't have any injuries. I wouldn't do that. You know, I understand. I I told myself I know not to hit her or or do, you know, I'm not especially in front of my kids. I'm not. And that's why when I did my kid I'm like log and I throw that and I'm like okay whatever you know and I'm I'm just being the kids were in the room. I had my little girl. She was sitting right there. She was 10 10 years old. The oldest one when I threw the Yeah. 10 nine and is there a third one? Um yes. She's one they were upstairs. Okay. The other two were upstairs. Yes. I gotcha. So based on what you told us um that that is a domestic violence offense what just occurred. Okay. So you will be going to jail with us today. Just place your hand behind back for me. All right. You got some slides or anything? Look, look, look. Can look before y'all look. I'm I'm willing to go to jail. Can I call my brother, please? Please. My phone My phone is upstairs, my man. What's it look like upstairs? It's upstairs. It's on my dresser. It's about 4 up there on my dresser. Phone? What's What kind of phone is it? What kind What kind of phone is it? [Music] It's upstairs on the drugs or something. It's they food stop phone. They in my room up there. It's the the room in the back. Okay. Room in the back. Yeah. What kind of phone? Just black, white. Yeah. But all of them black. I can't tell you which one to get. It's four phones. It's just all four of them are mine. Okay. And you're good with me going up? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. [Music] Let me make sure uh make sure your kids aren't out there as well as you. Yeah, we don't we don't like marching people out in front of their kids. So, just here for a second, boss. I can't believe she So, this isn't her decision necessarily. Whenever there's a domestic violence offense, the state of Georgia is required to make an arrest if probable cause exists. So based up what you told us and what she told us then we believe that a crime occurred and then it's self to prosecute. So this has nothing to do with whether or not she wants wrong cuz I throw the glass that domestic. It's a trespass to property and also simple assault. Trespass when I stay here, right? Oh, it's someone else's property, right? Whose? Hers. What? What? What? What he did? Where man? Okay. What? For which one? Got sit here. All right. For throwing the candle against the wall. What? What? What? Toward you in your direction. I didn't throw it in her direction. But okay. All right. Well, you just told us that. So, I said I throwed it at the wall. She was right there. If I want to hit her, I could have hit her. That's what I'm trying to tell y'all. John, you need to go. Don't worry about it. We done. Okay. We done. We done. You want to call the police for what? Yeah, cuz you all you scared me. I scared you. We We all got to argue right now. We just got to walk outside. Which Which phone do you need? I need my jacket. Damn, man. Look, all of them. I just Look, hit the hit the power button so I can call my brother. Please. They get you change. No, I want to cuz these phones don't work. One of them I got to make sure I had the right phone. That's why I said before you hit that one right there. Ride around block hit that. Yeah, if you will. It's not on. No. Okay. But yeah, it it is on. Okay. Take that one with me. Okay. And And take this one with me. Okay. Leave these two. Thank you. Yeah. You want to take those two? N. You're just You're taking any of them? He He got the two that I want to take. Okay. He's got them. He's got my sit here. Big dog. Can't go over there yet. Can I smoke a cigarette? Uh, no. I don't allow people to smoke when they before they go in my car. And we're walking to 184 across the street there. You good? And we're going to go to the far side where the sidewalk is. You got your ID with you and everything? No, sir. It's in the house. I need it. Um I mean I broke that. No, I'm I'm in the system. Yeah, they they won't need it. All right. Stand face the car for me for a second. Any weapons on you? Anything that we need to know about? All right. No pockets. No, sir. board shorts take it in front of the waistband [Applause] um watch your knee there. It's going to be a little bit tight. Squeeze. It's Yeah, it's a little easier if you put your back towards the other door. Shift your butt that way back. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's going to be real uncomfortable if you do that. Yeah. So, uh, back first and then scoot in. There you go. It's going be way better. You can keep your feet put in the seat, too. Yeah. If you want to put your feet up here. I don't mind it getting dirty. All right. Let me do that. I'm sorry. Yeah. [ __ ] Yeah. It's tight. It's a tight speed. That's all right. Yeah. You good there? Yes, sir. All right. Watch your foot. Who was the woman that walked in just now? What do you mean? Uh, there's a woman that's down here. Red pants and I guess walked in with shield. Maybe red pants and that's the victim. Okay, that is her. Gotcha. Yeah, but I try so hard. I I I don't even be here, you know, my kids don't listen to that bull that he tell them because he's here with them all the damn time. I don't get to see them. They go to school in the morning time, then in evening time I work, right? Y you know, I get it. I mean, I was a kid in your situation. So, um with a mother of three and they worked all the time, you know. Um so when he threw it, like were you close to that? Like did you think that you're going to get hit? Hell yeah. I don't even know where it went till I just did it like that. Yeah. I was standing like right here. I think I was standing right here. And then he said, "Okay, I tell I'll take this." Then he said, "Okay, I tell your ass what he picked up this." It had little stuff on here. All of my little bull stuff. I got [ __ ] when he I tell you what. I said, "John, if you hit me with that, you going to tell he like this." I like I said, you hit me with Huh? Yeah. Yeah. We just woke up in the morning. Why you so mad early in the morning? you mad every day? Like what what is you know like why are you so angry? Yeah, you can bring your kids back in. He's he's going to have conditions. He's going to at least have to stay at the jail till the morning. Okay. So he talks to the judge. Okay. Um family violence and he'll probably have conditions of his bond not to stay not to come around here. So he to stay away from you. Okay. I got to find and see then he know that and see he knew the main thing because I'm from Morgan County so I don't have a lot of people up here. He knew the main thing. He was the baby, quote unquote, you know, yeah, we yeah, we do together, but the way you treat me, you not really a boyfriend. You really like the babysitter. And he kind of knew that. He kind of felt that because she's so mean to me. How can how can somebody love somebody that is so mean to them? He's so mean to me all the goddamn time, you know. And I'm sitting up there talking at you because I need my job, because I have to go to work, you know, because I need somebody here with the kids. And you can't trust, you know, who can you trust besides their own parents? You know, we've never had a babysitter. It's just me and him. Me and him. So, he watched the kids, but now I got to find a babysitter. But, but at least, you know, I I hope I can be, you know, be comfortable. I used to hate to come home from work because I be so scared of me have to worry about where he going, what kind of attitude he got. Yeah. You don't need to be living in fear. You know what I'm saying, man? You up, man. Nobody know, man. And I hate for this to happen to you. I really did. But it's so scary for me. No, I understand. It is so scary for me. It is. Um I just need to get a little more information from you. I just need a good phone number for you. Okay. My phone number and then your children's information, just their names, date of birth, and that kind of thing. One of them witnessed it. Correct. One of them was uh they have to be identified. We have to identify who they were because it affects kids. You know, seeing parents fight, seeing violence, seeing that kind of stuff happen, it affects them. Oh my truth to be involved in this. But they already are. They are, man. This is This is to protect them. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Oh, Lord Jesus. While you're thinking on that and catching your breath, let me let me go over this with you. Okay. Have you ever received this before? No. Okay. So, this victim crime bill of rights, find out what resources are available to to get y'all in a better situation, everything like that. Um, there's project safe. Now, if there ever becomes a situation where you and your kids need to get somewhere now, uh, you need to say, "Hey, I need to drop everything. We need to go somewhere." Anywhere is better than it's going to be here for whatever reason. You can give them a call and they will work with you to the best of their ability. Is is this is this bad that I called the police on him? No. Uh, no, it's not. It's and the the thing is is it's a very difficult situation to make that first step to because you're in a relationship of some kind or another. Um it is in a sense familiar and it's hard to step out of the familiar into something unknown even if the unknown is better. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, we we often run to people that are in similar situations that it's been years and before they finally called about it because it was just I know what this is. I don't know what comes after. Yeah. And I don't know what's I don't know what after is better. And I know I'm tired of being scared to come home, man. And you know, it's one of those things. Um that's some that's some up [ __ ] Yeah. You can't expect to keep beating nobody, keep threatening nobody and don't expect for them to react in some kind of way, you know, like it's not okay what you're doing, John. Right. It's not okay. And he may have his own issues that he needs to work out. But Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But don't take it out on me. Yeah. Um, you know, you both may be trying to protect kids to to one degree or another from what's going on between you and him, but they're still affected by it. You know what I mean? See, I never thought that I would be the person to have to call these. You know, you never know what you're going to go through in life. Yeah. I never knew that I would have to get this assistance, you know. Yeah, I understand. Sounds like it may have been going on longer than just today, obviously. Yeah, sir. I don't want no defects coming over here. I I don't know about that. Yeah, I've talked to other officer. I don't I I don't know about the whole situation, so I can't say about that. Now, defects, even if they were to come over here, um it would be to evaluate. Okay, so kids are here, you're here. What can we do to make the situation good for the kids cuz that's all they're worried about. Okay. Uh and that may be working with you to find you a better spot with those kids. Yeah. I want to get out the damn project. So, we have to make reports sometimes that are mandatory. We hear things that involve children because children don't get a choice. That's right. They don't have a choice of being in this house. They don't have a choice of going to school or going with you or going this. They are. Yeah. You know, you're the guardian. You're the parent. You're the one responsible for their well-being. And so that's where some of the uh oversight comes from from state officials, defaxs, us, that kind of thing to make those mandatory reports just so that those kids don't get left behind so the kids don't get lost in the system and get uh harmed when they didn't need to be harmed. That's right. Obviously, we don't want any kid harmed, but sometimes it doesn't happen. That's why we try to prevent it. Okay. He's a young one. You know, I just had a baby. Yeah. Well, congratulations. That's a lot. Yeah. The officer was able to speak to the children and get their side of things. Can I ask you what what you saw and what happened? Cuz you were down here, correct? Yes. Okay. So So what went on? No. Oh, you're fine. So it all started when I asked my mom when she's if is she going to do my hair today and I was waiting for a response. So I looked at my dad and he looked at me. So then a few moments later, she said, "Yes, I'm going to do your hair today. That's why we didn't go to church." Gotcha. So I was like, "Okay." But a few moments later, I just heard arguing. Mhm. My dad I saw my dad throwing stuff. Okay. Do you see what was thrown or you just h saw things being thrown, heard the arguing? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. What happened after that? We just got out of the house. Mom got you up and got other other two and y'all left. Okay. No. Is that not what happened? Did you see what he threw? Yes. He threw like a candles over there. Okay. And he um throw like a mirror, a glass mirror at her. Okay. So, it was a couple things. Okay. Did you get hurt or anything? Were you scared at all? Yeah. Was it scary? Has it ever happened before? Sometimes. Sometimes. Okay. Was it just the the arguing that's happened before or is it kind of thing been thrown around too? Both. Both. Okay. But you are okay from from all that kind of stuff. Okay. Do you have any questions for me? Okay. anything about the process you have questions about. Okay. I can't give you my pen. Well, if y'all need anything, give us a call. Okay. Those resources also for your kids if you need get them to talk to somebody or anything like that. It can be helpful cuz you know, you never know. Uh kids are pretty pretty resilient. They bounce back, but things also stick with them sometimes, too. And that can be a thing that can later down the road affect them more than they think it will. Yeah. So if if it's something that you feel comfortable with and you can uh if you want to give them talk to somebody just to have them talk it can help or you know there's also mentorship programs YMCA Boys and Girls Clubs all that kind of stuff can just be a diversion and can be that kind of good positive interaction to to help counter some of the other stuff. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. All right. Well, if y'all any more questions um do you have a question? You have any questions for me? No. Okay. You doing okay? Did you hear or see anything? No. Okay, I got you. That's fine. All right, guys. Well, I hope you all have a merry Christmas. I'm going to get out of your hair. Thank you so much. You have a better day. Okay. You're welcome. Thank you. Thank you so much. Is he in your car? No, ma'am. He's already gone. Okay. Yep. I'm sorry that I had to call you. Don't be sorry. Do it again if you have to. Okay. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Oh, I know. I know. They don't want to. Yeah, I understand. You're welcome. As always, don't forget to check out the pin comment for updates.