Armed man threatened to shoot deputies, kill family members, sheriff’s office says

HARALSON COUNTY, Ga. — A Haralson County man is facing multiple charges after being arrested during a domestic dispute Tuesday.

Deputies responded to a report of a domestic dispute in the 5900 block of Highway 120.

When they arrived at the address, deputies tried to approach a man behind a home but he would not let them get close.

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Deputies say the man, identified as James Thad Cheatwood, 54, was armed with a gun and was threatening to shoot deputies, but never raised his weapon to point it in their direction.

According to the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office, Cheatwood went into a building behind that home and would not come out.

Deputies spoke to family members, who said Cheatwood had made threats to kill them and that he was having issues and needed help.

Sheriff Stacy Williams and members of the Criminal Investigative and Special Operations Division arrived at the scene and set up a perimeter around the building.

Williams obtained Cheatwood’s cell phone number and called him to try to get him out of the building, then walked up to the building and talked to him through an open window.

Williams was able to get Cheatwood to set down the weapon and come to the door to talk to him.

While Cheatwood was at the door, Williams motioned for deputies to get into position closer to the door.

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When Cheatwood turned back towards the inside of the building, Williams and deputies were able to take him down and arrest him without any further incident.

During a search of the building that Cheatwood was in, officers found two rifles, a shotgun, and a small amount of marijuana.

“This was a bad situation that could have gotten so much worse,” Williams said. “When someone is in that bad of a headspace, the situation could have turned deadly, not only for the one in mental crisis, but for the deputies as well. Our goal was for no one to get injured or for this incident to turn into a deadly force situation. This situation shows how important all training is, but especially Crisis Intervention Training (CIT). Unfortunately, in this case, Mr. Cheatwood did violate multiple laws, so he will face charges in this incident. My hope is that he will get the help he needs.”

Cheatwood was booked into the Haralson County Detention Center for aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, exploitation and intimidation of an elder person, possession of marijuana - less than an ounce, and seven counts of terroristic threats and acts with two of these acts being family violence-related.

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