Child's warning at school leads to conviction in Carroll case
Justin Farris (Credit: Carroll County Sheriff's Office)
CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. - A Carroll County jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts against a man facing charges related to domestic violence, threats with a firearm and drug distribution, officials announced.
What we know:
The case began on March 4 after a child told school staff about concerning activity, prompting a referral to the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services.
Sergeant Repetto with the Carroll County Sheriff's Office coordinated forensic interviews for the children living in the home, which revealed allegations of ongoing domestic violence, firearm threats and illegal drug activity.
The victim temporarily moved to a local hotel for safety, but Justin D. Farris confronted her at the location before law enforcement de-escalated the situation and ordered him to leave.
Investigators worked with the West Georgia Children's Advocacy Center and a domestic violence shelter to move the victim to a safe, secure location.
The backstory:
Deputies located and arrested Farris without incident following coordinated patrol operations.
On March 12, investigators executed a search warrant at the home and recovered multiple firearms, cocaine, marijuana and narcotics packaging equipment.
Deputies Anna Garmon and Jaynie Cole with the Crime Scene Unit helped collect and secure the evidence.
Investigators confirmed one of the recovered firearms matched the description given by a child witness as the weapon used to threaten the victim.
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By the numbers:
Farris was charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of felony terroristic threats, one count of cruelty to children in the third degree, one count of possession of cocaine, one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and 34 counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
A jury found Farris guilty on all 39 counts on Oct. 2. He is currently awaiting sentencing, which officials expect to take place before the end of the year.
The sheriff's office emphasized that teachers and school staff serve as a primary line of defense for children experiencing abuse and encouraged anyone aware of domestic violence to contact law enforcement or call 911 in emergencies.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not disclosed the exact length of the prison sentence Farris faces at his upcoming court hearing.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, which detailed the trial result, search warrant execution and collaborative investigative efforts with local law enforcement, school staff and child advocacy organizations.