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Saturday, Jun. 13, 2009

Twiggs man found not guilty of holding deputy at gunpoint

A Twiggs County man has been acquitted of charges that he held a deputy at gunpoint for 30 minutes at his Donnan Road house in 2007.

The jury deliberated for about two and a half hours Wednesday and Thursday before finding Harold Lee Hartel not guilty of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and terroristic threats, defense attorney Laura Hogue said.

Authorities alleged that Hartel pulled a pistol on Twiggs County sheriff’s deputy Tony Watson and forced him inside Hartel’s house on July 11, 2007.

Inside, Hartel was alleged to have threatened to kill Watson, who was able to talk his way out of the situation and call for backup.

After an hourlong standoff with officers, Hartel surrendered.

At trial, Hogue said two women who also were inside the house on the night of the incident were called to testify.

“The women deny it ever happened,” she said of the allegation that Hartel held the deputy at gunpoint. Hogue said deputies didn’t interview the women following the incident.

Testimony at the trial indicated that Watson was at Hartel’s home after a neighbor complained that he dumped watermelon rinds in a county ditch.

The defense argued that Hartel displayed a weapon that was on a coffee table and said he didn’t want any trouble after Watson put his hand on his gun and appeared to be unholstering it, Hogue said.

Hartel then asked one of the women to take his gun to a back room and he talked with the deputy, she said.

Sheriff Darren Mitchum said Watson is still employed as a deputy and maintains that Hartel held him at gunpoint.

“I still stand behind my deputy,” Mitchum said.

Information from The Telegraph’s archives was included in this report. To reach writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398.