The man arrested for abducting the dog of his ex-girlfriend before killing him will remain behind bars for the foreseeable future.
Kelly Williams appeared in Bulloch County Superior Court Friday before Judge Ronald Thompson to ask for a bond and to hear preliminary details about the pending case against him.
65-year-old Williams was arrested almost two weeks ago after allegedly breaking into a home, taking the dog of a woman he dated several years ago, and later killing the dog before he disposed of the dog’s remains on another person’s property. Deputies with the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office charged him with Burglary (1st degree), Aggravated Cruelty to Animals, and Abandonment of Dead Animals. He was denied bond at his first appearance hearing and has been in the Bulloch County Jail ever since.
Notably, Williams was out on bond from an arrest earlier this year. In that case, it is alleged that he fired shots into his home with a .357 magnum firearm and then told deputies that he shot and killed two people who were in his home for no reason. The claims by Williams prompted deputies to search his home and the surrounding neighborhood multiple times and ultimately hindered their investigation. That case is still ongoing.
Preliminary Hearing
NOTE: Some details may be disturbing for readers.
On Friday, Williams again appeared in court, represented by Que Campbell from the Public Defender’s Office.
The victim in the case was also present with a number of supporters, as was District Attorney Robert Busbee. Assistant District Attorney Donna Black presented the case by calling Deputy Isaiah Rehl to testify.
According to testimony, the Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a woman about a welfare check on a dog because of concerning incidents that had occurred earlier in the week. The woman who called, who was out of town at the time, told Rehl that Williams had been on her property earlier in the week, planted a cross in the yard, and dug a hole in the yard. Williams, she told deputies, mentioned something about fighting off evil, but was instructed to remove the cross and leave the property, which he did. She did not make a report with the Sheriff’s Office.
Rehl reported that he would check Williams’ property for the dog, but before he was able to do so, deputies received a call about a deceased dog located on another property. The property owner reported that he had seen Williams, with whom he was familiar, on his property earlier in the day and located a deceased dog in a box cooler. He did not initially think anything of it, other than that he planned to bury the dog.
The property owner’s son later located Williams on the property again, burning the contents of the cooler. When Williams left, the property owner located the burned remains of the dog, with a missing head. Near the remains was a dog diaper and a red collar, like the ones donned by Brodie, the brown Boykin Spaniel.
Rehl testified that they also located a fuel can, a lighter, and a saw, which was taken into possession by Animal Control.
Deputies eventually made contact with Williams and, according to Rehl, Williams said he knew the dog and loved the dog, but did not know the whereabouts of the dog. He admitted to placing the cross on the property in the days prior, but offered no other information before or after his arrest.
On cross examination, Campbell pressed Rehl on how the dog died, when exactly he was killed, and why there was a lapse between the time WIlliams was first seen on the other property and when law enforcement was called. Campbell then argued that the felony charges should not be bound over to superior court for indictment because the state did not present any evidence that the dog was taken from the home or was killed by Williams.
The state rebutted that there was no evidence that the dog was dead due to some other act and that Williams was the only person seen with the deceased dog. Black said that simply because there was no witness to the events, it does not mean that he did not commit the acts.
Judge Thompson asked for a five minute recess and returned to his chambers.
Decision on Preliminary Hearing
Thompson returned with grand jury standards for charges and said that the felony charges did not come with enough evidence presented Friday. He said additional evidence could be presented to the grand jury when the time comes and that felony charges could be added to an indictment. The defense conceded that Abandonment of a Dead Animal could be bound over for further adjudication. As a result, only the misdemeanor charge was bound over for further consideration at this time.
Bond
While Williams is entitled to a bond for the misdemeanor offense of Abandonment of a Dead Animal, Thompson weighed whether or not Williams should have his bond revoked on his other pending felony case.
On the issue of bond, and to the fact that bond on the other case from earlier this year should be revoked, Black argued that the state’s biggest concern was reoffending and committing other crimes, as well as intimidating witnesses. She also argued that Williams poses a risk to the community.
Black told the court that another woman contacted law enforcement in April regarding harassing contact by Williams and the belief that he was having a mental break. The bond conditions were amended in May to include a mental health evaluation and an order for mental health treatment. Williams did not complete the evaluation or enroll in subsequent treatment.
Ultimately, Thompson revoked Williams bond based on the mental health issues, his risk to reoffend, his risk to himself, and his risk to others.
Thompson said he would reconsider if the defense presented a mental health treatment facility at a later date, he would reconsider.
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