September 5, 2018 Page 7A
MONROE COUNTY COURTS
l orter
Shot herself, then blamed a black male
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr net
A Monroe County jury
returned a verdict of
guilty Thursday evening
on all 10 felony counts
against Sherry Hall, the
former Jackson city police
officer who fabricated
the story of being shot by
a large
black
man
while she
patrolled
a neigh-
borhood
on Sept.
13, 2016.
Towaliga
District
Judge
Tommy
Wilson sentenced Hall
to 15 year in prison and
23 years on probation. In
April Hall rejected a plea
deal for a five year sen-
tence, which would prob-
ably have meant serving
about 18 months.
The trial was moved
from Butts County to
Monroe County after
Hall's attorney, Kimberly
Berry of Atlanta, request-
ed a change of venue April
18, citing the difficulty of
finding an impartial jury
in Butts County. Berry
also motioned for the
Towaliga Judicial Circuit
District Attorney's Office
to be be removed from
the case since Hall's work
in law enforcement had
brought her into contact
with District Attorney
employees. However, that
motion was denied.
Assistant DA James
Moss said he felt the case
was tried cleanly and
well and that 12 diverse
and very smart jurors did
their job. They listened to
four days of evidence and :
testimony, which included
150 exhibits. He credited
"extremely competent
GBI investigators" for
giving the D. s office the roe County jury of four video from her patrol car,
evidence it needed to women and eight men which she did notknow
prosecute the case. He about 50 minutes to find was recording, failed to
said that over 600 hours Hall guilty on all counts, match her story. He said
of investigative work went About a dozen fam- she led law enforcement
into the case from the dif- ily members and friends away from crime
ferent agencies involved, who were present for the scene with an account
"I appreciate the hos- verdict and sentencingof an active shooter who
pitality and hard work of seemed visibly distressed was posing an immedi-
the folks in the Monroe as they left the Monroe ate threat, tried to hide
County court system who County Courthouse. the gun and disabled its
were involved in doing In her dosing argu- firing pin. Her descrip-
what they were supposed ments, Berry said that the tion of the shooter varied
to do" said Moss. "They jury should acquit Hall from 6'4" to 5'8". She said
were gracious and profes- because there was reason- he was wearing a brightly
sional? able doubt, colored shirt, but exten-
Hall faced 10 charges, "We just don't know sive and immediate search
four for making false what happened" said found neither a shooter
statements, two for tam- Berry "Was there a cam- or a shirt. Moss said Hall
pering and interference era in the sky?" called law enforcement
with evidence and four for Berry defended Hall and news media to tell her
violations of her oath of against the false statement story, which was shared
office as a public officer, charges by saying there nationally.
Hall had stated that she was not evidence that Hall "What is reasonable
was shot while on patrol made false statements doubt?" said Moss. "How
late on a Tuesday evening knowingly and will- much of that jigsaw
when she approached a fully about the disabled puzzle do we have to put
black man sitting on a Glock gun found in hertogether to know this is
curb. She was protected nightstand that matched what it is?"
from serious injury by shell casings found at the In spite of saying that
her bulletproof vest. A scene. She said the gun she had a relatively long
manhunt ensued, but no was bought by the Jack- conversation with the
perpetrator was found, son Police Department shooter and that she dic-
In the days that followed in 2006 and could havetated a lengthy text mes-
two men who fit Hall's been "messed up" before sage after she was shot,
description were arrested it was assigned to Hall; so none of it is heard on the
and released. Both of she should not be found patrol car tape. Moss not-
them claimed trauma guilty of interference with ed that other things are
because of the arrests, government property orheard on the tape, like the
By the next week with evidence. Berry said shots and a train whistle;
enough inconsistencies that although Hall comes so the audio was work-
in Hall's story were found from a family that hasing. He noted that motive
that its truth came into guns and has shot guns, was not an element in the
question. She was fired, she does not know all case; jurors didn't have
and eventually she was about how to reassemble to know why she acted as
charged, them. she did to find her guilty
Hall only started work- "If she is guilty of any- of the actions.
ing for the Jackson Police thing, it is lesser offenses "She lied about every-
Department on July 3 and not multiple offenses," thing except the shell at
before the Sept. 13 inci- said Berry in closing. "It the edge of the woods;
dent, coming to Jackson is very difficult to prove said Moss.
from the Griffin Police innocence, but that is not In his charge to jurors,
Department. Before that the way our system is set Judge Wilson also said
she worked with Butts up" that the state was not
County Sheriff's Office In his dosing arguments
and reportedly had at Moss cited the maxim,
least four years experience "Oh, what a tangled web
in law enforcement. It we weave when first we
was reported that she has practice to deceive." He
three children, traced how Hall's story
It only took the Mon- seemed good until the
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required to present any
motive. He told them the
defendant is presumed in-
nocent until proven guilty
and the burden of proof
rests on the state. He told
them to decide the case
on evidence, testimony
and exhibits.
"Reasonable doubt
means just what it says"
said Wilson. "It's based on
common sense"
After the verdict Moss
said he has no idea
why Hall lied about the
shooting or exactly what
happened, but he knows
her statements were false.
He said when she took
the stand and the jury saw
that she could not explain
the inconsistencies, it was
a deciding factor in the
verdict.
"If people take responsi-
bility, that's the first step"
said Moss. "She took the
stand and lied in front of
the jury."
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