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Name:
Matthews, Ziad Tanner
Date of Booking:
05/05/2026
Reason(s) For Booking:
RAPE
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 April 25th, 2026, at 1636 hours, I was dispatched to 705 Dixie Street (Tanner Medical Center) regarding a 19 -year-old female reporting a sexual assault that occurred in the early morning hours of April 25th, 2026.
Upon arrival, I met with the complainant, [REDACTED BY AGENCY], in triage room [REDACTED] at Tanner Medical. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that she and some friends were out at the bar, “CHIPS” (301 Adamsom Square), hanging out, when at some point, they met a guy, Ziad Matthews, who started talking to them about tattoos. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that she believed they hung out with Zied for about an hour or so before the bar closed. According to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] LIFE 360 app, they arrived at the bar at approximately 2305 hours and left at 0105 hours.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that Zied invited them over to his apartment, The Reserve, [900 BLOCK] Lovvorn Road, Apartment [REDACTED].
Before this, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that she had never met Zied before.
According to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and her friends, they went over to Zied’s apartment to smoke weed.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] said that while they were there, they continued to drink as well. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] said that Zied told her that if she could finish the alcohol in the bottle, he would give her friend a free tattoo. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that since she was already intoxicated, she didn’t think anything of it and drank the alcohol. She estimated that the alcohol bottle had approximately three shots worth of alcohol left in it. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] believed the alcohol was Lunazul Tequila.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that after she drank that, she didn’t feel right and tried to make herself throw up in the bathroom, but couldn’t. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] said that after that, she couldn’t remember anything else that happened the rest of the night.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] said the next morning she woke up completely naked, and the lower half of her body was covered with vaseline.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that her vag*na burned and her butt was sore.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] had three of her friends present with her at the hospital; one of them, [WITNESS #1], stated that she was with [REDACTED BY AGENCY] all night while they were at CHIPS and at Zied’s apartment, until she left from his apartment at approximately 0445 hours to go home. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] did not leave with her. [WITNESS #1] stated that after [REDACTED BY AGENCY] had finished the rest of the tequila in the bottle, she started to appear really sleepy and passed out on the bed. [WITNESS #1] advised that she attempted to wake [REDACTED BY AGENCY] up, but wasn’t able to get her to wake up enough to leave. [WITNESS #1] stated that she believed [REDACTED BY AGENCY] would be ok staying at Zeid’s apartment.
[WITNESS #1] said that [REDACTED BY AGENCY] was fully dressed when they left to go home, and so was Zied. [WITNESS #1] stated she thought Zied was staying on the couch.
[WITNESS #1] and two of [REDACTED BY AGENCY]’s friends stated that they started to get worried about [REDACTED BY AGENCY] when they hadn’t heard from her since they left Zied’s apartment. [WITNESS #1] stated that they went back over to Zied’s around 1345 hours, and he answered the door in his boxers and stated, “Oh, I thought y’all were the police because I haven’t paid my rent.”
[WITNESS #1] stated that she observed [REDACTED BY AGENCY] completely naked when they got there.
[WITNESS #1] stated that, according to the Life 360 app, they left Zied’s apartment at approximately 1402 hours and went to McDonald’s to eat and talk about what they observed. [WITNESS #1] and [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that after they ate, they went back to their apartment, The Oaks, to figure out what they needed to do. [WITNESS #1] stated that they tried to call a sexual assault hotline and ultimately ended up coming to the ER to have a sexual assault test completed. According to the Life 360 app, they arrived at the ER at approximately 1612 hours.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that she did not shower or change her clothes after the incident.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that she wished to prosecute.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] friend [WITNESS #2] was able to provide pictures of Zeid. [WITNESS #2] stated that Zied had added her on Snapchat and on Instagram, and that is how she was able to get the pictures.
Photos have been added to the linked files.
The on-call investigator, Investigator Thomas, was contacted and notified of the incident. Investigator Thomas responded and the case was turned over to her.
I did not speak with Zied due to the Investigator Thomas showing up and taking over the case.
[End of Narrative]
All information is sourced directly from the official, public court database. Case history is organized and curated by The Georgia Gazette staff. The “What this means:” explanations are written by AI and reviewed by our staff before publishing.
Court records are subject to change at the court’s discretion. The Georgia Gazette is not responsible for errors or omissions. Nothing here is legal advice. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Case History:
5/7/26
DEFENSE ATTORNEY FILES ENTRY OF APPEARANCE
What this means: Attorney E. Jay Abt, Esq. of The Abt Law Firm, LLC in Atlanta formally notified the Superior Court of Carroll County that he is representing Ziad Tanner Matthews in case number SUWA2026000429. This filing, made under Uniform Superior Court Rule 4.2, puts the court and the prosecution on notice that all future communications and court notices should be directed to Attorney Abt on Matthews’s behalf.
5/7/26
DEFENSE FILES MOTION FOR BOND HEARING
What this means: Attorney E. Jay Abt filed a Motion for Bond Hearing on behalf of Ziad Tanner Matthews in the Superior Court of Carroll County. The motion argues that Matthews poses no significant flight risk, no danger to the community, and no risk of intimidating witnesses or obstructing justice. The defense asked the court to set a reasonable bond so Matthews could be released from the Carroll County Jail while his case is pending. At the time of filing, no bond had been set.
5/8/26
RULE NISI ISSUED — BOND HEARING SCHEDULED FOR 5/19/26
What this means: Judge Dustin W. Hightower of the Superior Court of Carroll County issued a Rule Nisi — a court order scheduling a hearing — in response to the defense’s Motion for Bond. The hearing was set for May 19, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom 4A of the Carroll County Superior Court. This gave both sides a date to appear and argue whether Ziad Tanner Matthews should be granted bond.
5/11/26
DEFENSE ATTORNEY FILES CONFLICT LETTER — BOND HEARING RESCHEDULING REQUESTED
What this means: Attorney E. Jay Abt filed a conflict letter with the Superior Court of Carroll County on behalf of Ziad Tanner Matthews. Attorney Abt notified the court that he has a scheduling conflict on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. — the date and time of the scheduled bond hearing — and requested that the hearing be rescheduled to a different date.
5/19/26
BOND HEARING SCHEDULED IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CARROLL COUNTY
What this means: A bond hearing for Ziad Tanner Matthews was scheduled for May 19, 2026, at 9:01 a.m. on the criminal non-jury calendar of the Superior Court of Carroll County. This hearing would allow both the defense and prosecution to present arguments to the judge about whether Matthews should be released on bond while his case is pending.
6/2/26
BOND HEARING RESCHEDULED FOR JUNE 2, 2026
What this means: Following Attorney E. Jay Abt’s conflict letter, the Superior Court of Carroll County rescheduled the bond hearing for Ziad Tanner Matthews to June 2, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. This new date replaced the original May 19, 2026 hearing that Attorney Abt could not attend.
6/2/26
BOND DENIED — ZIAD TANNER MATTHEWS ORDERED HELD WITHOUT BOND
What this means: Following a bond hearing on June 2, 2026, a judge of the Superior Court of Carroll County — West Georgia Judicial Circuit — denied bond for Ziad Tanner Matthews. The court found that Matthews is a danger to the community, a risk to commit new crimes, and a risk to influence and intimidate witnesses. As a result, Matthews remains held in the Carroll County Jail with no bond while his case proceeds. Warrant number 26EW-6242 is associated with this matter.
6/15/26
GRAND JURY RETURNS INDICTMENT — 1 COUNT FILED AGAINST ZIAD TANNER MATTHEWS
What this means: A Carroll County grand jury formally indicted Ziad Tanner Matthews on June 15, 2026, during the June Term 2026 of the Superior Court of Carroll County. District Attorney Sarah Stimac Japour of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit is prosecuting the case under docket number 26CR687. The grand jury marked the bill as a “True Bill,” meaning they found enough evidence to move the case forward to trial.
Count 1 charges Ziad Tanner Matthews with Rape under O.C.G.A. 16-6-1. An indictment is not a finding of guilt — Ziad Tanner Matthews is presumed innocent and is accused of this offense. The case will now proceed toward trial in Carroll County Superior Court.
7/1/26
DEFENSE COUNSEL FILES WAIVER OF ARRAIGNMENT, DEMAND FOR JURY TRIAL, AND GENERAL DISCOVERY MOTIONS
What this means: Attorney E. Jay Abt filed three documents on behalf of Ziad Tanner Matthews in the Superior Court of Carroll County. First, Matthews waived his right to an arraignment — a hearing where he would be formally read the charges and asked to enter a plea. Second, the defense demanded a jury trial, meaning Matthews’s case will be decided by a jury rather than a judge alone. Third, the defense filed general discovery motions requesting that the prosecution provide all evidence and information it intends to use in the case.
8/18/26
ARRAIGNMENT HEARING SCHEDULED
What this means: An arraignment hearing for Ziad Tanner Matthews was scheduled for August 18, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in the Superior Court of Carroll County. At an arraignment, the defendant is formally informed of the charges against him and asked to enter a plea. However, Ziad Tanner Matthews previously waived his right to an arraignment on July 1, 2026, so this scheduled hearing may not proceed as a traditional arraignment.