Elijah Cookston

Name:
Cookston, Elijah Charles

Date of Booking:
02/12/2025

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

Simple Battery-Family Violence

False Imprisonment

Aggravated Assault (Family Violence)

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 February 12, 2025, I responded to [2100 BLOCK] Crown Park Drive for a domestic dispute. I responded emergency due to both parties being locked in the same bedroom with firearms.

When I arrived, I met with [WITNESS #1] at the front door that stated her granddaughter, [VICTIM #1], was currently locked in her room with Elijah Cookston. [WITNESS #1] stated she received a text from [VICTIM #1] that said to call 911. [WITNESS #1] left work and came to the residence to find the bedroom door locked. [WITNESS #1] asked several times for the door to be unlocked due to prior history of disputes between them. The bedroom door was not unlocked by Elijah or [VICTIM #1].

Once Deputy Sanson and I made it inside the residence, [WITNESS #1] tried the door handle again and stated it was still locked. [WITNESS #1] told both Elijah and [VICTIM #1] that the door needed to be unlocked and that the police were at the residence. [VICTIM #1] stated from the other side of the door that she was about to unlock it. [VICTIM #1] unlocked the door and proceeded down the hallway toward Deputy Sanson and me. Deputy Sanson and I cleared the bedroom and located Elijah in the bathroom washing his hands. Once it was determined that Elijah was not armed, I left the bedroom and spoke with [VICTIM #1].

[VICTIM #1] told me that she and Elijah had been arguing all day. [VICTIM #1] stated to me that Elijah has been drinking, and she hates it when he drinks. [VICTIM #1] told me that she kept trying to separate from Elijah and could not. [VICTIM #1] stated while in the bedroom, Elijah continued arguing with her and grabbed his pistol, placed it on the ground, and stated, “Shoot me”. [VICTIM #1] told me that Elijah told her to take her clothes off and she was scared due to previous domestics with Elijah, so she ultimately took her clothes off. After taking her clothes off, [VICTIM #1] stated that Elijah grabbed her around the throat with one hand. [VICTIM #1] began having a panic attack so Elijah used his other hand to cover her mouth and nose.

[VICTIM #1] stated that Elijah let go of her and proceeded to pacing around the house. Elijah went back into the bedroom to find [VICTIM #1] back in her clothes. [VICTIM #1] had her arms covering her chest and Elijah snatched her arm down. I observed a red mark on [VICTIM #1]’s right arm to correlate with her statement. Elijah kept stating, “Do you want it to get worse”. They continued arguing and [VICTIM #1] once again took her clothes off and got grabbed around the neck by Elijah. [VICTIM #1] told me at no time did she lose the ability to breathe and at no time did she lose consciousness. [VICTIM #1] proceeded to the closet to try and separate herself again. Elijah locked the bedroom door and stood in the closet doorway to prevent [VICTIM #1] from leaving the bedroom.

I spoke with Elijah to hear his side of the story. Elijah told me that he and [VICTIM #1] had been arguing all day, and nothing ever got physical between them. Elijah was not forthcoming with information regarding what happened. He continued to tell me how everything was just verbal, and it never got physical at any point.

Based on my observations and [VICTIM #1]’s statement, I told Elijah that he is under arrest for Family Violence charges. I told Elijah to stand up and place his hands behind his back. I handcuffed Elijah, checked for proper fit, and double-locked them. I searched Elijah incident to arrest and no contraband was located. Elijah was secured in the backseat of my patrol car and transported to the Barrow County Detention Center where he was turned over to the jail staff without incident. The backseat of my patrol car was searched before the beginning of the shift, before and after transport, and no contraband was located.

Warrants will be taken for, Aggravated Assault-Family Violence (OCGA 16-5-21), False Imprisonment (OCGA 16-5-41), Simple Battery-Family Violence (OCGA 16-5-23), and Simple Assault-Family Violence (OCGA 16-5-20). This is Family Violence due to [VICTIM #1] and Elijah being in a relationship for 3 years and have been living together for 2 years. [VICTIM #1] was provided with a Family Violence pamphlet.

[End of Narrative]