A superior court judge denied bond for a man charged with a handful of offenses stemming from a road rage incident in Effingham County earlier this month.
The incident is the second road rage incident involving a firearm in Effingham County in nine months.
35-year-old Samuel Joseph Dillard appeared in court Wednesday with his attorney, Brian Fussell, to ask the court to consider setting a bond. Dillard has been in the Effingham County Jail since he was arrested by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office on August 4, 2025. He’s facing four charges: Aggravated Assault, Pointing/Aiming a Gun at Another, Aggressive Driving, and Failure to Maintain Lane.
According to testimony from two responding deputies, the incident happened between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. on August 4. The vehicles were traveling on Highway 21 near Ralph Rahn Road. Dillard, they said, ‘brake checked’ another driver, C.Z., who then went around Dillard to do the same. This resulted in a crash. C.Z. reportedly heard what he believed to be a gunshot and left the scene for his own safety. He went to the church across the road and waited for law enforcement to arrive on scene before returning.
The deputy who responded to the crash took statements from the parties and determined that Dillard attempted to avoid hitting C.Z., lost control, and collided with the driver’s side of C.Z.’s vehicle. It was unclear to the deputy when the gun was fired and, due to lighting at the scene, he did not initially notice a bullet hole on C.Z.’s vehicle. He did, however, testify that Dillard told him he raised the gun and pointed it, but did not intend for it to go off.
A second deputy testified that he inspected C.Z.’s vehicle and located a bullet hole near the back of the driver side door close to where the seatbelt is located. It was later determined that the bullet went into the driver’s seat. The deputy testified that abrasions and redness were noted on C.Z.’s back when he was interviewed by CID, but that the bullet did not penetrate the skin.
Ultimately, Dillard was arrested on the following charges:
- Aggravated Assault (F) – Dillard discharged a firearm without legal justification from within a motor vehicle toward C.Z., striking the victim’s vehicle.
- Pointing/Aiming Gun/Pistol at Another (M) – Dillard pointed a gun a another individual for the purpose of intimidation
- Aggressive Driving (M) – Dillard operated a motor vehicle “with the intent to annoy, harass, molest, intimidate, injure, or obstruct another person.” This is a high and aggravated misdemeanor.
- Failure to Maintain Lane (M)
During the bond hearing Wednesday, Fussell argued that Dillard had strong ties to the community, would be gainfully employed upon release, and did not pose a risk of witness/victim intimidation because this was a random incident between parties who did not know each other. He said Dillard did not have a criminal record.
ADA Brian Roy opposed bond, saying that Dillard ‘shot at someone he didn’t know’ and that it was ‘dumb luck’ that it didn’t end with the victim having a bullet in his back.
Ultimately, Judge Michael Muldrew denied Dillard’s request for bond, citing his ‘significant threat to the community.’ He said he would reconsider the matter at a later date if arrangements were made for house arrest or for placement outside of Effingham County.
