strongernow
06-03-2004, 08:07 PM
Officer recovering from being shot in face
Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Ga. - A Richmond County sheriff's investigator is recovering from his injuries after being shot in the face during a drug bust earlier this week.
Investigator Greg Meagher was in critical condition Wednesday at Medical College of Georgia Hospital, said Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength.
Meanwhile, the man accused of shooting Meagher was in the same hospital recovering from being shot in the same incident. Authorities say Tory Knight, 27, of Wadley, shot Meagher on Tuesday night as officers moved in to arrest him.
Strength said Meagher's injuries were not life-threatening, but he was suffering from swelling in his face.
The incident took place during an operation involving a task force with the Drug Enforcement Administration near Gough in Burke County.
Knight also was shot during the drug bust, which involved the sale of cocaine, Strength said. The sheriff would not say who shot Knight, because the incident is still under investigation by his agency and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Mike Seigler, the special agent in charge of the GBI's Thomson office, said officials had an "indication" of who shot Knight, but would not say whom.
More than $20,000 was seized from Knight during the bust, Strength said.
But Strength said Knight has not been charged and there are several matters that must be resolved before charges can be filed. First, the incident happened in Burke County, so a question remains of which county will file charges. Second, Meagher was with federal drug investigators and the fact that he was injured during a federal investigation could have legal implications under the federal court system, Strength said.
State records show Knight was on parole at the time of the shooting for selling cocaine and had been on parole since 1999.
Heather Hedrick, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, said Knight was convicted in 1993 of cocaine possession and given probation. She said that a year later, his probation was revoked, and he was sentenced to 15 years on a charge of selling cocaine.
Knight was briefly granted parole in 1995, but it was revoked after he did not gain employment, a requirement of parole, Hedrick said.
"The parole board unfortunately doesn't have a crystal ball," Hedrick said.
Regardless of what charges are filed in this latest incident, Hedrick said officials have started the process to revoke Knight's parole.
Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Ga. - A Richmond County sheriff's investigator is recovering from his injuries after being shot in the face during a drug bust earlier this week.
Investigator Greg Meagher was in critical condition Wednesday at Medical College of Georgia Hospital, said Richmond County Sheriff Ronnie Strength.
Meanwhile, the man accused of shooting Meagher was in the same hospital recovering from being shot in the same incident. Authorities say Tory Knight, 27, of Wadley, shot Meagher on Tuesday night as officers moved in to arrest him.
Strength said Meagher's injuries were not life-threatening, but he was suffering from swelling in his face.
The incident took place during an operation involving a task force with the Drug Enforcement Administration near Gough in Burke County.
Knight also was shot during the drug bust, which involved the sale of cocaine, Strength said. The sheriff would not say who shot Knight, because the incident is still under investigation by his agency and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Mike Seigler, the special agent in charge of the GBI's Thomson office, said officials had an "indication" of who shot Knight, but would not say whom.
More than $20,000 was seized from Knight during the bust, Strength said.
But Strength said Knight has not been charged and there are several matters that must be resolved before charges can be filed. First, the incident happened in Burke County, so a question remains of which county will file charges. Second, Meagher was with federal drug investigators and the fact that he was injured during a federal investigation could have legal implications under the federal court system, Strength said.
State records show Knight was on parole at the time of the shooting for selling cocaine and had been on parole since 1999.
Heather Hedrick, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, said Knight was convicted in 1993 of cocaine possession and given probation. She said that a year later, his probation was revoked, and he was sentenced to 15 years on a charge of selling cocaine.
Knight was briefly granted parole in 1995, but it was revoked after he did not gain employment, a requirement of parole, Hedrick said.
"The parole board unfortunately doesn't have a crystal ball," Hedrick said.
Regardless of what charges are filed in this latest incident, Hedrick said officials have started the process to revoke Knight's parole.