Citing an incident that occurred in Athens recently, Lumpkin County Sheriff Stacy Jarrard says he’s reluctant to endorse a homeless shelter for the county.
Jarrard was referring to the assault, allegedly by a homeless man, of a supervisor at an Athens homeless center after being confronted about bringing alcohol into the facility.
Reports show the victim, identified as Christopher Sullens, suffered extensive injuries and remained in the intensive care unit at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta as of Wednesday.
Classic City News reports surveillance footage shows the alleged attacker, Cedric Courtes Smith, striking Sullens multiple times with a machete before fleeing the scene.
Smith, who has a history of violent offenses, is being held without bond on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated battery.
“This is the reason I DO NOT think a homeless shelter should be in Lumpkin County,” Jarrard posted on Facebook recently. “Please pray for Christopher Sulllens as he recovers from being attacked…I am currently gathering information from other law enforcement (agencies) that have homeless shelters to present to our county commissioners so we can inform our community about the negative impacts of a homeless shelter.”
(Georgia News Network contributed to this story.)