Houston County gang member pleads guilty to firing gun at neighbor over trash, prosecutors say

A member of the Gangster Disciples was convicted of assault, gang, and methamphetamine charges on Monday and was sentenced to decades in prison as a result, according to a news release from Houston County District Attorney Eric Edwards.

Airrick Jamaal Middlebrooks, 30, was set to go to trial this week and jurors were expected to be selected Monday. But he instead pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, Edwards said.

He will serve 12 years in prison, followed by eight years of probation, according to the news release.

Middlebrooks’ conviction of his assault and gang charges stemmed from an incident with a neighbor last year regarding trash. During the confrontation, he fired his gun toward the neighbor multiple times, telling the victim, “That’s on GD,” according to the news release. His social media uncovered evidence that he was affiliated with the Gangster Disciples.

His methamphetamine conviction stemmed from a drug-selling operation in a residence in Warner Robins. When the Houston County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on the house in 2022, deputies uncovered methamphetamine, drug distribution paraphernalia and firearms, according to Edwards. Middlebrooks and others were in the house during the raid.

“This case is a textbook example of the danger that gang activity poses to a community. Middlebrooks was not just involved in drugs— he was willing to fire a gun at a neighbor during a dispute and openly invoke a gang affiliation while doing so,” Edwards said. “That combination of firearms, narcotics, and gang allegiance is precisely what fuels some of the most dangerous violence we see.”

“Let me be clear: gang activity will not be tolerated in Houston County. If you choose a gang lifestyle, you are choosing prison,” Edwards said in the news release.