Amberley Baughcum

Name:
Baughcum, Amberley Nichole

Date of Booking:
11/03/2025

Reason(s) For Booking:
Simple Battery-Family Violence

Battery- Family Violence (1st offense) MISD

False Imprisonment

Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]

On November 2nd, 2025, at approximately 6:59 PM, I, Ofc. Pierce responded to [REDACTED BY AGENCY], Winder, GA 30680 in reference to a physical domestic. Due to CAD notes stating that a juvenile had been struck, I responded to the scene, CODE 3, in a marked patrol unit (400) to meet with the parties involved.

Upon arriving on the scene, I, ofc. Pierce opted to remain in the area due to reports of the juvenile victim having left the scene in nothing but a pair of pajama pants, while Sgt. Wolfe and Cpl. Perrin made contact with the residents at the address. A quick search of the area was conducted due to the male, later identified as [REDACTED BY AGENCY], being partially clothed, as well as the current weather conditions being in the low fifties and rainy. Unfortunately, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] was not located during my search of the surrounding area.

I then traveled to the scene at [REDACTED BY AGENCY], where I made contact with Mr. Brandon Hall, who was sitting on the front porch steps of the residence. After introducing myself, I then asked Mr. Hall what had happened. Mr. Hall stated that his fiancé’s son, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] had started a physical altercation with his mother following an argument over [REDACTED BY AGENCY] not eating dinner. Mr. Hall described [REDACTED BY AGENCY] as having come “un-glued” by kicking and punching his mother, Ms. Amberley Baughcum, after she tried to have a conversation with him about not eating.

Mr. Hall then explained that Ms. Baughcum began to “hold” [REDACTED BY AGENCY] down as a result of the incident and that his bedroom in the residence was a disaster, as this is where it had taken place. Mr. Hall then stated that this had occurred for what he estimated to have been approximately 20 minutes and that “he was punching her, and she was smacking him”. Mr. Hall noted that he had also been kicked during this incident, indicating that he was present in the room at the time of the incident. Mr. Hall then stated that the incident had escalated outside and that [REDACTED BY AGENCY] began to walk away from the scene.

During my conversation with Mr. Hall, I noted that he did not appear to be distraught about what had occurred and seemed rather annoyed and or agitated that this incident had taken place. Mr. Hall even made remarks such as “this is not the first time this has happened” and that he is getting “sick and tired of this sh*t.” When EMS arrived on the scene, Mr. Hall asked, “Who are they?” and I advised him that EMS was here to evaluate Ms. Baughcum due to her [REDACTED BY AGENCY], possibly having been injured during the altercation. Mr. Hall then stated, “Not in my house, they are not.” It is unclear why Mr. Hall did not want EMS inside the home, despite there already being multiple officers present inside the home. When Mr. Hall walked up onto the porch and with ongoing investigation, he became slightly agitated and concerned about what was not occurring inside the home without him present.

I was then able to speak with Ms. Amberley Baughcum on the front porch of the residence. Ms. Baughcum then began the conversation by explaining that she had been sitting on [REDACTED BY AGENCY] while he was in a chair inside the residence, to “calm him down.” Ms. Baughcum then stated that while she was sitting on [REDACTED BY AGENCY], [REDACTED BY AGENCY] started to punch and kick her. When asked to clarify where she had been struck, Ms. Baughcum stated that [REDACTED BY AGENCY] was attempting to “push her off of him” as she was seated on top of him in the chair. Ms. Baughcum then noted that this had initially started when she came home from work and got into a verbal altercation with [REDACTED BY AGENCY], which eventually calmed down, but later sparked back up with [REDACTED BY AGENCY] trying to punch and kick her. During this conversation, Ms. Baughcum advised me that [REDACTED BY AGENCY] was asking her to “get the Fu*k off him” as he was hitting and kicking her. When asked if Ms. Baughcum had any injuries other than the pain in her [REDACTED BY AGENCY], she stated that she did not.

At this point, Ofc. Melniciuc and Sgt. Wolfe had exited the home and detained Mr. Hall as a result of allegations of sexual abuse discovered while interviewing two other [REDACTED BY AGENCY] juveniles in the house. See Sgt. Wolfe’s supplemental report for further information on this matter. Mr. Hall was placed in properly fitted and double-locked handcuffs and led back to my patrol vehicle, where Officer Melniciuc then assisted him into the rear seat of my patrol vehicle.

After entering the home for further investigation, I was able to speak with Ms. [REDACTED], Mr. Hall’s mother, who also resides in the residence. Ms. [REDACTED] advised me that she had not seen anything happen but had observed [REDACTED BY AGENCY] exit the residence, “blood red” all over his back. During this conversation, Ms. [REDACTED] seemed somewhat concerned about [REDACTED BY AGENCY] well-being and asked multiple times if LEO had located him and if he was okay.

A short while later, Ofc. Melniciuc had located [REDACTED BY AGENCY] as he was walking down Mobile Dr, attempting to return to the residence. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] was immediately placed in the rear seat of Sgt. Wolfe’s patrol unit it an attempt to get him out of the elements until EMS could escort him back to the ambulance for evaluation.

While [REDACTED BY AGENCY] was being evaluated by EMS, I was able to observe and speak with him in the back of the ambulance. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] appeared to be very distraught over the entire situation and was not forthcoming about what had happened. When asked, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that he didn’t want anyone to get into trouble, especially his mother, and wouldn’t really answer any direct questions about the incident past this point. When asked about his injuries, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that he had fallen in the hallway of the home.

While speaking to [REDACTED BY AGENCY], I observed multiple long scrapes and abrasions on his back, consistent with those of fingernail marks. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] was also observed to have a small laceration to the bridge of the nose, as well as a large purple bruise with swelling above his left eye. When EMS was evaluating [REDACTED BY AGENCY] lips and gums for injuries, a small laceration with bleeding was noted on [REDACTED BY AGENCY] gums below the teeth on the lower jaw. Due to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] having [REDACTED BY AGENCY], further questioning was discontinued to allow [REDACTED BY AGENCY] to calm down for further evaluation by EMS during transportation. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] was then transported to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] for further evaluation/treatment.

I then returned to the residence, to speak with Ms. Baughcum on the matter. I then asked Ms. Baughcum to walk me through the incident from start to finish one last time. Ms. Baughcum then stated that she had arrived home from work to find [REDACTED BY AGENCY] in her bedroom. When asked if this is a normal occurrence, Ms. Baughcum stated that she places [REDACTED BY AGENCY] in her bedroom at nighttime so that he can be watched, as he had previously climbed out of the spare bedroom windows at night. Ms. Baughcum then stated that upon entering the bedroom. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] had begun to be verbally argumentative with her and said to her that he was [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and can do whatever I want.” Ms. Baughcum then stated that she told [REDACTED BY AGENCY] to “shut up” and then noted that “he eventually shut up.”

Ms. Baughcum then went on to explain that [REDACTED BY AGENCY] remained in the room, at which point the argument sparked back up and resulted in [REDACTED BY AGENCY] throwing “things” at her and Mr. Hall because of the argument. It was noted that Mr. Hall was again mentioned as having been in the room at the time of the incident. When asked what had happened for [REDACTED BY AGENCY] to need to be restrained, Ms. Baughcum stated that it was due to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] throwing things and her and Mr. Hall. Ms. Baughcum explained that [REDACTED BY AGENCY] had only started to kick at her when she was attempting to restrain (sit on) [REDACTED BY AGENCY]

It was additionally noted that Ms. Baughcum had initially stated to me that [REDACTED BY AGENCY] needed to be restrained due to kicking and punching her, and had now been changed to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] starting to kick and punch Ms. Baughcum when attempting to be restrained. Ms. Baughcum then further advised me that she had restrained [REDACTED BY AGENCY] in the past as a child by “bear hugging” him, but he had since then outgrown her and that form of restraint.

Ms. Baughcum then explained that [REDACTED BY AGENCY] was able to get her off his lap one time and that she was then able to get back onto his lap for a second time. Ms. Baughcum then stated that while sitting on [REDACTED BY AGENCY], [REDACTED BY AGENCY] had kicked her legs, causing them to buckle, which resulted in her hand “accidentally” striking [REDACTED BY AGENCY] in the mouth. It was noted that Ms. Baughcum would have been in a sitting position in [REDACTED BY AGENCY] lap at that point in time and would not have been in a position for her legs to have “buckled” as she had previously stated, due to the knees already having been bent and currently sitting in [REDACTED BY AGENCY] lap.

I then asked Ms. Baughcum what role Mr. Hall had played in the altercation during this time, to which she stated that Mr. Hall was trying to help her restrain [REDACTED BY AGENCY] at the time by holding his legs down. I then asked Ms. Baughcum if [REDACTED BY AGENCY] had sustained any injuries as a result of the altercation, to which she stated that he may have received a “busted lip” when his head “accidentally” hit her hand. It was again noted that Ms. Baughcum had attempted to change what had occurred by now stating that [REDACTED BY AGENCY] head had hit her hand and not her hand had hit his head as she previously stated to me. When asked further questions about Mr. Hall possibly striking [REDACTED BY AGENCY], Ms. Baughcum stated that it was “all a blur” and that she could not recall.

At this point during the investigation, I found sufficient probable cause to charge Mr. Brandon Hall with the following offenses:

OCGA 16-5-41 (false imprisonment)
OCGA 16-5-23 (simple battery (FV))

I also found sufficient probable cause to charge Ms. Amberley Baughcum with the following offenses:

OCGA 16-5-41 (false imprisonment)
OCGA 16-5-23 (Simple battery (FV))
OCGA 16-5-23.1(Battery (FV))

Ms. Baughcum was then placed into properly fitted and double locked handcuffs and searched for weapons, contraband, or means of escape, with none having been located. Ms. Baughcum was then led back to Ofc. Melniciuc’s patrol unit, where she was assisted into the rear seat and belted in for transport. See Ofc. Melniciuc’s supplemental report for the transportation of Ms. Baughcum to the BCDC. Ms. Baughcum and Mr. Hall were then transported to the Barrow County Detention Center, where they were turned over to BCDC staff without incident. The rear seat of my patrol vehicle was searched for weapons, contraband, or means of escape, with nothing having been found.

While at the BCDC, all of the required booking paperwork was completed along with an arrest booking report. A victim notification sheet was also completed for both Mr. Hall and Ms. Baughcum by Ofc. Melniciuc.

I then traveled to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] to check in on [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and ask some additional questions. Upon arriving at [REDACTED BY AGENCY], I was able to locate [REDACTED BY AGENCY] inside the ER room 7, watching cartoons on the room’s television. I observed [REDACTED BY AGENCY] to be more relaxed and more apt to have a conversation with me.

I then asked [REDACTED BY AGENCY] what had happened, to which he stated that he was trying to eat macaroni and cheese when his mother came home from work. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that she asked him if he had been eating when Mr. Hall spoke up and advised her that he had not, despite having tried to eat. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] then explained that Mr. Hall took his food and threw it into the trash in front of him, which angered him. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that he began to yell, which resulted in Mr. Hall striking him with a “spray bottle” on the left leg.

[REDACTED BY AGENCY] then pointed to his leg, where he was struck. After lifting [REDACTED BY AGENCY] pant leg, I observed a minor laceration to the skin directly on top of the shin bone on his left leg with dried blood surrounding it. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] then stated that Mr. Hall produced a handgun, dropped the magazine out of the gun, and racked an unspent bullet from the chamber. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] then explained that Mr. Hall grabbed the gun by the barrel and told him that he was going to show him what “Uncle [REDACTED] had done to someone before.” [REDACTED BY AGENCY] then stated that Mr. Hall then struck him in the left leg with the magazine well of the handgun and noted that he was struck in the back with the spray bottle.

[REDACTED BY AGENCY] then explained that he looked over at a glass bottle nearby, and Mr. Hall had seen him look in that direction. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] then stated that Mr. Hall grabbed the gun normally and told him that if he grabbed the glass, he would “put a bullet in him.”

I then found additional probable cause to charge Mr. Hall with the following additional offenses:

OCGA 16-5-23.1 (Battery (FV))
OCGA 16-5-21 (aggravated assault (FV))
OCGA 16-11-106 (possession of a firearm while in the commission of a crime)

See Sgt. Wolfe’s supplemental report for further information on the recovery of the firearm used by Mr. Hall. Also see Cpl. Perrin’s supplemental report for the discovery of Methamphetamine and various drug-related objects found within the home.

After additional investigation by Cpl. Perrin, it was discovered that [REDACTED BY AGENCY] y/o JUVENILE [REDACTED BY AGENCY] had advised LEO that she had seen Mr. Hall with the firearm in hand, pointing it at [REDACTED BY AGENCY].

JUVENILE [REDACTED BY AGENCY] also reported hearing Mr. Hall tell [REDACTED BY AGENCY] that he was going to “put a fu*king bullet in his head”.

Having discovered this information, I found additional probable cause to charge Mr. Hall with the additional offenses as follows:

OCGA 16-11-37 (terroristic threats)
OCGA 16-5- 70 (cruelty to children in the 3rd)

After returning to the WPD headquarters, I was able to procure the following warrants for Mr. Brandon Hall:

Warrant #2025-3685FW for OCGA 16-5-41 (false imprisonment)
Warrant #2025-3684MW for OCGA 16-5-23 (simple battery (FV))
Warrant #2025-3683MW for OCGA 16-5-23.1 (Battery (FV))
Warrant #2025-3682FW for OCGA 16-5-21 (aggravated assault (FV))
Warrant #2025-3676FW for OCGA 16-11-106 (possession of a firearm while in the commission of a crime)
Warrant #2025-3677MW for OCGA 16-11-37 (terroristic threats)
Warrant #2025-3678MW for OCGA 16-5- 70 (cruelty to children in the 3rd)

I was also able to procure the following warrants for Ms. Amberley Baughcum:

Warrant #2025-3679FW for OCGA 16-5-41 (false imprisonment)
Warrant #2025-3681MW for OCGA 16-5-23 (Simple battery (FV))
Warrant #2025-3680MW for OCGA 16-5-23.1(Battery (FV))

Photographs of Mr. [REDACTED]’s injuries were taken on the scene and are to be attached to this report.

[End of Narrative]