Every day we hear and see news about gang and gun violence across our country and in our State. While Newton and Walton Counties are great communities to live and work in, we are not immune from these issues. Sadly, some of our own communities and community members have been greatly and negatively affected by this.
The entire Circuit has come together to address this issue. Recently, Newton County, Walton County, the City of Covington, and the City of Monroe agreed to jointly fund a position with the DA’s office that can focus on Gang and Gun violence across BOTH Counties. Senior Assistant DA Alex Stone is filling this important role. She has handled criminal matters in both counties, including gang crimes, serious violent crime, sex crimes, and murders. She is a perfect fit for this position which will include working closely with all local law enforcement agencies, as well as state and federal agencies. Alex’s abilities in and out of the courtroom will be a great benefit to Newton and Walton Counties.
We have seen a rise of violent cases in which parties have ties to both Newton and Walton and other surrounding counties. Having a prosecutor dedicated to handling these cases will ensure the best outcomes and make our communities safer. These cases will often focus on larger, longer investigations; include multiple defendants; and require expert knowledge of gangs, ballistics, social media, and other important evidence.
This is part of my office’s multi-prong approach to help combat gang and gun violence. On cases involving gun violence, we have strengthened the recommendations of probation (post confinement) conditions. We have worked together with law enforcement to prioritize gang and gun violence cases. We worked together with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Walton County Sheriff’s Office, Covington Police Department, Monroe Police Department, Social Circle Police Department, Porterdale Police Department, and Oxford Police Department to obtain State grant money over $100,000 to help combat criminal gang activity in our circuit.
Senior ADA Stone will also work with others in the office in addressing gang activity before it starts. We are reaching out to schools, community organizations, and others to meet and discuss the evils of gang culture with our youth and parents. We believe that prosecuting violent gang and gun offenders discouraging our youth from joining gangs or committing gun violence is the best approach, long term, to this issue.
I want to thank the County Commissioners of both Newton and Walton Counties and the City Council Members of Covington and Monroe for their support of my Office and their communities.
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