Tifton man found guilty

By Angie Thompson/senior reporter

TIFTON July 23, 2008 06:32 pm

— A Tift County jury found a Tifton man guilty of burglary and two other charges Tuesday and the judge presiding in the case sentenced him to serve 12 years of a 20-year sentence in prison.
Michael Leonard Davis, 34, who listed 3103 Hillcrest Circle as his address when he was arrested in September, was charged with burglary, aggravated assault and obstruction of police after a man who lived on Alder Street kicked his own door down and chased Davis out of his house.
According to the Tifton Police Dept. incident report, Ricky Hill, 31, came home to find a cardboard box he had placed in front of his door had been moved to another location. He also noticed that his screen door on his front porch was open and the inside front door was locked.
Hill kicked in his front door and heard a noise in a back room of the house. He then ran to the room and saw a black male trying to crawl out of a bedroom window. Hill ran down an alley after the man, who he said swung a screw driver in the direction of his abdomen. Hill then called E-911 and continued to follow the man at a distance until police officers arrived.
Officers arrested Davis and charged him with aggravated assault, burglary and obstruction of police without force.
Jurors serving in the Tift Superior Court trial of Davis delivered the guilty verdict late Tuesday afternoon after deliberating for approximately two hours. Judge Bill Reinhardt sentenced Davis to serve 12 of the 20-year sentence on the burglary charge and 12 of the 20-year sentence on the aggravated assault charge, which is a misdemeanor charge. He also sentenced Davis to serve 12 months on the obstruction charge. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Kevin Hutto, an assistant district attorney, prosecuted the case.

To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.