The man charged with shooting Statesboro Police Officer Joey DeLoach has entered a guilty plea in Bulloch County Superior Court, a shift from the previous direction of a jury trial Kent requested earlier this summer.
On the morning of July 8, 2025, Anthony Kent entered an open-ended guilty plea to all charges stemming from the night of April 16, 2024 – including the shooting of Statesboro Police Officer Joey DeLoach. The plea was entered without a negotiated sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for July 18, 2025, before Superior Court Judge Ronald Thompson.
The charges to which Kent pled guilty are as follows:
- Count 1: Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer (Felony)
- Count 2: Entering an Automobile with Intent to Commit Theft (Felony)
- Count 3: Entering an Automobile with Intent to Commit Theft (Felony)
- Count 4: Theft by Receiving Stolen Property (Felony)
- Count 5: Obstruction of an Officer (Felony)
Kent faces up to 40 years in prison, if sentenced to the maximum.
The charges stem from a series of incidents on the night of April 16, 2024, at Copper Beech Townhomes in Statesboro, where officers responded to reports of a person breaking into vehicles. During the response, Officer DeLoach sustained serious, life-threatening injuries, which he has since recovered from.
In February, attorneys for Kent asked a judge to exclude body camera evidence due to the graphic nature of the video.
The Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office said it will refrain from making statements on the case until sentencing has concluded.
As previously reported:
