Thomas Edwards

Name:
Edwards, Thomas Lee

Date of Booking:
07/09/2025

Reason(s) For Booking:
Terroristic Threats and Acts (Felony)

Exploitation and intimidation of disabled adults, elder persons, and residents (Felony)

Battery- Family Violence (1st offense) MISD

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 Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at 1617 hours, I responded Code 3 (emergency) to 990 Loganville Hwy (Medical Plaza 1) for an assault dispatch.

Upon arrival, I was met by medical staff that stated that an older couple with a disabled adult son were sitting in the waiting area when the couple struck the disable son.

Witness 1, Ms. [WITNESS #1], stated that she was sitting in the reception area. She observed the male suspect, later identified as Mr. Thomas Lee Edwards, the female suspect, later identified as Ms. Clemmie Edwards, and the victim, later identified as Mr. [VICTIM #1] sitting in the waiting area. Witness 1 stated that she observed the victim, who suffers from cerebral palsy, being struck and pinched on the shoulder by Mr. Edwards. She stated that the victim appeared to say stop, but Mr. Edwards continued, making the victim appear to cry out. She stated at this point, Ms. Edwards stood up and slapped the victim approximately 3 times on the face. She stated that a co-worker, Witness 2, approached the group and told them to stop.

Witness 2, Ms. [WITNESS #2], stated that she was alerted to an altercation in the waiting area by other staff members and that a patient had hit her son. She stated that she did not see physical contact when she arrived but did hear both Mr. and Ms. Edwards yelling at [VICTIM #1]. She was later told to call the police as Mr. Edwards was punching [VICTIM #1]. She stated that she went back to the waiting area where she observed Mr. Edwards punching [VICTIM #1] in the arm/chest area. She stated that she told Mr. Edwards to stop, and he replied, “then take him with you.” He then said that “I will take him down the street, kill him, and finish him off.” She stated that she told him that it was a threat. She stated that she observed [VICTIM #1] crying and asked if he was ok. She stated that he appeared afraid to talk so she informed her manager what had happened.

While I was speaking with the witnesses, the trio had been escorted to their examination room, where Mr. and Mrs. Edwards had medical appointments.

Management stated that they had video of the incident, though it was not of great quality. I observed the video. Although the video was not of great quality, I could see Mr. and Mrs. Edwards sitting in the waiting area with [VICTIM #1]. I observed [VICTIM #1] waving his hands in the air and Ms. Edwards get up from her chair and stood directly in front of [VICTIM #1]. I saw her hand come forward towards [VICTIM #1]’s face. [VICTIM #1]’s head turned to the right, but due to the quality of the video, I could not tell if Ms. Edwards struck [VICTIM #1] or pointed a finger at his face and [VICTIM #1] recoiled from it. As Ms. Edwards sat down, I observed Mr. Edwards struck [VICTIM #1] on the left shoulder 3-4 times with a black-handed, closed fist. I then observed Witness 2 approach the group. I asked for a copy of the video but was advised that I would need a warrant or subpoena to obtain a copy for my records.

I then returned to the examination room door and when the opportunity presented itself, I entered and asked Mr. Edwards to exit so that he could talk with us. I observed Mr. Edwards use the back of his hand and strike [VICTIM #1] on the left thigh, but it was not a hard strike. He also told [VICTIM #1] something to the affect of “See what you did.” I confronted Mr. Edwards immediately and advised him that [VICTIM #1] had nothing to do with why I was there. When we exited the room, I advised Mr. Edwards that I had seen the video of the waiting area and that I would give him one opportunity to explain what happened. Mr. Edwards stated that he did “bump” [VICTIM #1] a couple of times, but denied that he would have left any marks.

I then went into the examination room and asked [VICTIM #1] if I could see his left arm and shoulder. He lifted his sleeve part way and I helped exposed his shoulder. I observed red marks on his shoulder, in the same approximate area where I observed Mr. Edwards striking [VICTIM #1] in the video. I took a photo of the red marks and attached to this report.

I then advised Mr. Edwards that he was under arrest for Battery (Family Violence), Abusing a disable person, and Terroristic Threats. I then secured him in double locked handcuffs that were checked for proper fit. Prior to securing him in the back seat of my patrol car, a search of his person was conducted for weapons or contraband, and nothing was found. I then placed him in the back seat of my patrol unit and secured him with a seatbelt. I then transported him to the Barrow County Detention Center where I turned him over to the deputies on duty. Prior to exiting the Detention Center, a search of the back seat of my patrol car was conducted for weapons or contraband and nothing was found.

Based on physical and testimonial evidence, I have probable cause to obtain the following warrants for Mr. Edwards:

2025-2101MW, Battery (Family Violence), in violation of OCGA 16-5-23.1(f)(1), in that Mr. Edwards did strike with a closed fist and pinch, the left shoulder of his disabled, son, Mr. [VICTIM #1], a member of his household, causing significant redness to said shoulder,

2025-2101FW, Exploitation and intimidation of disabled adults, in violation of OCGA 16-5-102, in that Mr. Edwards did strike with a closed and pinch the left shoulder of his non-verbal son, Mr. [VICTIM #1], who suffers from cerebral palsy, causing significant redness to said shoulder,

20252103FW, Terroristic Threats, in violation of OCGA 16-11-37, in that Mr. Edwards did say to a witness, Ms. [WITNESS #2], “I will take him (Mr. [VICTIM #1]) down the street, kill him and finish him off.” Currently, I am not taking charges against Ms. Edwards. However, further investigation may yield probable cause in the future.

[End of Narrative]