Stephen Jones

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Name:
Jones, Stephen Robert

Date of Booking:
07/27/2026

Reason(s) For Booking:
AGGRAVATED CRUELTY TO ANIMALS

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 7/24/2026, I received a call from [WITNESS #1] in reference to a potential animal abuse/neglect case. [WITNESS #1] advised me that there has been a goat tied up at his neighbor’s house, [3100 BLOCK] Maple Rd. [WITNESS #1] advised that the home had been vacant for years. [WITNESS #1] advised that a male, Stephen R. Jones, who works at Ace Hardware in Lindale, is the owner of the goat and has had him tied up at the property on a runner for at least a couple of months. [WITNESS #1] advised that he had checked on the goat several times, taking it five gallon buckets of water when needed.

[WITNESS #1] advised that on June 20, 2026 he checked on it and found the goat tangled up and hanging from the runner and the chain around it’s neck. The runner appeared to have stretched too far, wrapped around a tree and the goat was hung by it, next to a small concrete retaining wall in the yard. [WITNESS #1] advised that there had been several employees of Ace Hardware who had tended to the goat on numerous occasions during the time it was there due to lack of doing so by the owner.

On 7/24/2026, I received photos of the current condition of the goat, provided by [WITNESS #1]. [WITNESS #1] and his wife, a retired nurse, took possession of the animal to provide emergency care. There was a deep, gruesome wound on the back of the goat’s neck from where the chain collar had become embedded as well as what appeared to be necrosis. [WITNESS #1] and his wife provided wound care by carefully removing the chain, which still had the goat’s fur and meat attached, then rinsed with antiseptic cleaner and betadine solution as well as bandaging the area.

I made a visit to the home to lay eyes on the goat. The wound’s condition has been improving significantly thanks to the immediate care. [WITNESS #1] and his wife continue to care the animal.

I went to Ace Hardware to speak to Jones. Jones advised he had purchased the billy goat in February of this year and took it home, however, due to him living inside the city limits, couldn’t keep it there. Jones advised that he briefly took it to a friend’s property to stay, but the friend advised he would have to take it somewhere else. Jones advised he got permission from the owners of the vacant house at [3100 BLOCK] Maple Rd to keep the goat there. Jones advised he took some measures to keep up with the animal, fencing it in, feeding it and building a small covering for it. The goat was found several times to have gotten loose and had to be taken back to the property.

Jones advised it was because of this that he decided to put the large chain around his neck and attach him to the runner. Jones advised that he had been over to check on the goat on the 19th of this month and didn’t notice any injuries. According to [WITNESS #1], as of Thursday, 7/23/2026, he went to check on him and discovered the injury, which is when he took possession of the animal. Jones advised me that he had been told that the goat was injured and that [WITNESS #1] has been caring for it, but Jones never went to check on his animal.

I secured a warrant for Aggravated Cruelty to Animals on 7/27/2026, my next working day, and executed the warrant in the parking lot of Ace Hardware. Jones cooperated fully. Jones was handcuffed, patted down and placed in the backseat of my patrol car. Jones was transported to the Floyd County Jail without incident.

While en route to the jail, I explained to Jones that there is an ordinance in place for not leaving animals tied up or left on runners while no one is at home because incidents like this can happen when there is no one there to check on them and when situations like this occur due to neglect, it becomes criminal. He advised he understood.

Handcuffs checked for fit and double locked for safety
Backseat check prior to and after transport

[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:

8/6/26

MOTION TO MODIFY BOND CONDITIONS FILED FOR STEPHEN ROBERT JONES

What this means: Defense attorney Alicia Lanier of Lanier Law, P.C. filed a formal request asking the Floyd County Superior Court to change the conditions of Stephen Robert Jones’s bond. The motion explains that Jones was arrested on July 27, 2026, on charges of aggravated cruelty to animals, and was granted bond on or about July 28, 2026, with a condition that he not own, keep, or possess any animals. The motion argues that Jones is a responsible pet owner with domesticated animals already living in his home, and asks the court to modify the bond to allow him nonviolent contact with those animals. The motion was filed under case number 26PI00321-2, OTN 88445091372, in the Floyd County Superior Court.

8/7/26

RULE NISI ISSUED — BOND MODIFICATION HEARING SCHEDULED FOR 8/13/26

What this means: After the motion to modify bond conditions was filed, Judge William F. Sparks of the Floyd County Superior Court, Rome Judicial Circuit, issued a Rule Nisi — a formal court order directing the State of Georgia to appear and show cause why the bond modification requested by Stephen Robert Jones should not be granted. The hearing was scheduled for August 13, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Superior Court Room B, located at 3 Government Plaza, Rome, Floyd County. The Rule Nisi was served on Assistant District Attorney Ashley Cox and defense attorney Alicia Lanier.

8/13/26

JUDGE WILLIAM F. SPARKS VOLUNTARILY RECUSES HIMSELF FROM STEPHEN ROBERT JONES CASE

What this means: On August 13, 2026, Judge William F. Sparks of the Floyd County Superior Court, Rome Judicial Circuit, signed an order voluntarily removing himself from the case against Stephen Robert Jones, case number 26PI00321. The order directed the court clerk to reassign the case to another judge using the court’s standard reassignment procedure. The case was reassigned to Judge Kay Ann King, and the updated case number to be used going forward is 26PI00321-4. Assistant District Attorney Ashley Cox was copied on the order. A recusal means the judge has stepped away from the case — typically for personal, professional, or conflict-related reasons — and will have no further involvement. All future proceedings will be handled by Judge King.

8/17/26

SECOND RULE NISI ISSUED — BOND MODIFICATION HEARING SCHEDULED FOR 8/20/26

What this means: Judge Kay Ann King of the Floyd County Superior Court, Rome Judicial Circuit, issued a second Rule Nisi in case number 26PI00321-4, filed in office on August 17, 2026. This order directed both the State of Georgia and Stephen Robert Jones to appear on August 20, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Courtroom C at the Floyd County Courthouse for a hearing on the motion to modify bond conditions. Defense attorney Alicia B. Lanier prepared the order.

8/20/26

CONSENT ORDER MODIFYING BOND CONDITIONS ENTERED FOR STEPHEN ROBERT JONES

What this means: Judge Kay Ann King of the Floyd County Superior Court signed a Consent Order on August 20, 2026, modifying the bond conditions for Stephen Robert Jones in case number 26PI00321. Both defense attorney Alicia B. Lanier and Assistant District Attorney Emily Hansen agreed to the modification. Under the new order, Jones is permitted to have nonviolent contact with and continued control over six specific animals already residing in his home: Maggie, a brown bloodhound approximately one year old; Leo, a brown and white ragdoll cat approximately 10 years old; Chia, a grey tabby cat approximately five years old; Gypsy, a grey and orange cat of unknown age; Piper, a blonde lab approximately eight years old (owned by his mother); and Charlie, a black and tan three-legged mixed breed animal approximately six years old (also owned by his mother). The order further prohibits Jones from purchasing or adopting additional animals or intentionally breeding any of the listed animals while they are in his possession. All other previously ordered bond conditions remain in effect.