Three men arrested in connection with a beating outside a Pooler gas station could see their charges dropped after Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Jones privately cautioned Sheriff Richard Coleman that his team was making high-profile arrests without enough evidence to prosecute.
Except, it's all on video. Either way, the criminals might get off because of this.
The arrests of Motreon Williams, Ronnie Scott, and Jimmie Alexander happened in February, sparked by a viral video of the alleged beating that caught Coleman’s attention. Coleman shared much of the investigation on social media. Williams and Alexander were charged with being party to a crime, while Scott faced an aggravated assault charge.
Once arrests were made, investigators handed the case to the District Attorney’s Office. Internal emails obtained by WTOC Investigates show prosecutors were alarmed by what was missing from the case file.
Assistant District Attorney Sara Moorhead reached out to lead investigator Trey Conners, listing ten missing pieces of evidence, such as warrants with the correct date of the incident, hospital records, witness IDs of the defendants, and—most importantly—an interview with the victim.
“These should have been handled before making any arrests,” Moorhead wrote. Conners responded that he was “also frustrated with the lack of cooperation” and mentioned he was set to meet with the victim, who was in prison, the following week. He added that, depending on how that meeting went, dropping the charges could be on the table. SOURCE
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