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Name:
Strong, Joedan Nehemiah La’Ethan
Date of Booking:
07/12/2026
Reason(s) For Booking:
Aggravated Assault
Possession of Firearm or Knife During Certain Crimes
Criminal Attempt to Commit a Felony
Contempt of State Court- FTA
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 June 3rd, 2026 at approximately 0209 hrs I, Ofc. Strom, was dispatched to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] Rd in Byron, GA in reference to a walk-in gunshot wound victim.
Dispatch advised us the possible incident location was near Haverhill Cir. and Feagin Mill Rd. area. Multiple units were dispatched to that area in an attempt to locate a crime scene; while myself and others responded to the hospital. When we arrived on scene at the hospital we located a gray BMW SUV in the front drive-around of the hospital. Ofc. Morell, Ofc. Domanski, and Sgt. Sims stayed with the vehicle and other occupant, Mr. [VICTIM #1]. I went inside the hospital and made contact with the victim.
The victim, [VICTIM #2], sustained a gun shot wound to his left elbow. The wound was through and through and not life-threatening. I was able to take a picture of the wound and will attach that picture to this report in RMS as evidence. Several nurses on scene advised me that [VICTIM #2] was [REDACTED BY AGENCY] Macon. When I made contact with [VICTIM #2] he advised me the shooting happened near Feagin Mill Rd and Haverhill Cir, but was unsure of the exact address. He stated he and his friend [VICTIM #1] were sitting in the BMW parked outside the house. They had come to the house to meet up with [VICTIM #2]’s friend, “Joe”.
When I asked [VICTIM #2] what Joe’s full name was he advised it was Joedan, but could not provide any other specific information about his name or date of birth. He then stated his window was rolled down on the drivers side when all of a sudden two guys randomly walked over to him and shot him through the open window. He then hit the gas to get out of the area.
When [VICTIM #2]’s family got on scene, I made contact with them to escort them to his room. I met with his older brother, Mr. [WITNESS #1]. Before even speaking with his younger brother [WITNESS #1] advised me the suspect was most likely “Lil Joe”. I asked him who “Lil Joe” was and he advised he was a football player at Houston County High School about the same age as [VICTIM #2]. He stated that he was familiar with him because they had played football together. He was able to provide me with the possible last name of “Strong” and stated the first name was spelled Joedan.
He then showed me Joedan’s Instagram page: [REDACTED BY AGENCY]. At the time of this incident there were zero posts and a few unrelevent stories on his page. He then showed me several videos of Joedan that he wanted to send me to help with identification. Those were eventually sent over to Detective Chittenden when he arrived on scene. When I escorted [WITNESS #1] back to his brother, it was more obvious that [VICTIM #2] knew exactly who had shot him. [VICTIM #2] started crying and saying “Lil Joe” repeatedly to his brother.
I then went back outside to make contact with Sgt. Sims to inform him of the suspect name. I also advised dispatch to locate Joedan Strong in locals. While dispatch was working on that I was able to visually examine the vehicle. There were no bullets holes from what I could see on the outside or the inside of the vehicle. I could see that the drivers seat was reclined almost all the way back, and there was a bullet sitting on the surface of the crease of the drivers seat. You could tell it had been shot and it had had contact with something due to being flattened out in multiple directions. I also observed a blood droplet on part of the drivers side door.
Sgt. Sims advised me that the other occupant, [VICTIM #1], told them that they had been sitting on the side of the road at a house that [VICTIM #2] knew. [VICTIM #2]’s window was rolled down when all of a sudden two guys walked up, one white male and one black male, and shot one time into the car toward [VICTIM #2]. [VICTIM #2] then hit the gas and left the area.
When [VICTIM #2] finally stopped driving they swapped seats and [VICTIM #1] drove them to the hospital. [VICTIM #1] could not provide an address, suspect names, or a reason for why this occurred. He eventually advised us that he did remember seeing a mailbox with the numbers [300 BLOCK] on it, which dispatch was able to connect to the Joedan Strong in locals due to his address being [300 BLOCK] Haverhill Cir.
Once Detective Chittenden got the Crime Scene Processing wavier signed, he collected the evidence and pictures he needed from the BMW and released it to the appropriate family members on scene. Once the vehicle was released, we all headed over to [300 BLOCK] Haverhill Cir to sit and wait for a search warrant.
Once the search warrant was signed we made entry into the house and safety escorted approximately 3 individuals from inside the house. Joedan was not found on scene. I was then released from the scene once the scene was made secure. Any further investigation will be conducted by the Warner Robins Criminal Investigation Division.
[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:
7/23/26
BOND HEARING SCHEDULED FOR 7/23/26 AT 9:00 AM
What this means: A bond hearing has been scheduled for Joedan Nehemiah Strong in Houston Superior Court on July 23, 2026, at 9:00 AM. At this hearing, the judge will consider whether Strong should be released from custody before trial and, if so, under what conditions. The judge may set a monetary bond (an amount of money that must be paid or pledged to secure release), impose non-monetary conditions (such as travel restrictions or check-in requirements), or deny bond altogether. The prosecution and defense will have the opportunity to present arguments about whether Strong poses a flight risk or a danger to the community.
9/2/26
GRAND JURY RETURNS INDICTMENT — 16 COUNTS FILED AGAINST HUNTER MATTHEW STEWART AND JOEDAN NEHEMIAH STRONG
What this means: A Houston County grand jury voted to formally charge both Hunter Matthew Stewart and Joedan Nehemiah Strong in connection with events that allegedly occurred on or about June 3, 2026. The indictment, case number 2026-C-0065072, was filed in Houston Superior Court on September 2, 2026, and accepted by Clerk Terri L. Childers. Senior Assistant District Attorney Lauren W. Fletcher is prosecuting the case. The grand jury returned a “True Bill,” meaning it found enough evidence to move the case forward to trial. All 16 counts are charged against both defendants jointly.
Count 1 — Criminal Attempt to Commit Armed Robbery: Stewart and Strong are accused of attempting to commit armed robbery by allegedly brandishing a firearm while demanding money and property from a victim, which the indictment describes as a substantial step toward completing the crime.
Count 2 — Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act: Stewart and Strong are accused of participating in criminal gang activity — specifically through the alleged attempted armed robbery described in Count 1 — while being associated with Nine Trey Gangsters, a division of the Bloods street gang.
Count 3 — Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony: Stewart and Strong are accused of unlawfully having a firearm within arm’s reach of Hunter Matthew Stewart’s person during the commission of the attempted armed robbery described in Count 1.
Count 4 — Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act: Stewart and Strong are accused of participating in criminal gang activity through the alleged firearm possession described in Count 3, again while associated with Nine Trey Gangsters.
Count 5 — Criminal Attempt to Commit Armed Robbery: Stewart and Strong are accused of a separate attempted armed robbery — allegedly brandishing a firearm while demanding money or property from a second victim — constituting another substantial step toward completing the crime.
Count 6 — Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act: Stewart and Strong are accused of participating in criminal gang activity through the alleged attempted armed robbery described in Count 5, while associated with Nine Trey Gangsters.
Count 7 — Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony: Stewart and Strong are accused of unlawfully having a firearm within arm’s reach of Hunter Matthew Stewart’s person during the commission of the attempted armed robbery described in Count 5, involving the second victim.
Count 8 — Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act: Stewart and Strong are accused of participating in criminal gang activity through the alleged firearm possession described in Count 7, while associated with Nine Trey Gangsters.
Count 9 — Aggravated Assault: Stewart and Strong are accused of assaulting the first victim by shooting them with a firearm, a deadly weapon.
Count 10 — Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act: Stewart and Strong are accused of participating in criminal gang activity through the alleged aggravated assault described in Count 9, while associated with Nine Trey Gangsters.
Count 11 — Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony: Stewart and Strong are accused of unlawfully having a firearm within arm’s reach of Hunter Matthew Stewart’s person during the commission of the aggravated assault described in Count 9.
Count 12 — Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act: Stewart and Strong are accused of participating in criminal gang activity through the alleged firearm possession described in Count 11, while associated with Nine Trey Gangsters.
Count 13 — Aggravated Assault: Stewart and Strong are accused of a separate aggravated assault — allegedly shooting at a second victim with a firearm, a deadly weapon.
Count 14 — Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act: Stewart and Strong are accused of participating in criminal gang activity through the alleged aggravated assault described in Count 13, while associated with Nine Trey Gangsters.
Count 15 — Possession of a Firearm During Commission of a Felony: Stewart and Strong are accused of unlawfully having a firearm within arm’s reach of Hunter Matthew Stewart’s person during the commission of the aggravated assault described in Count 13, involving the second victim.
Count 16 — Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act: Stewart and Strong are accused of participating in criminal gang activity through the alleged firearm possession described in Count 15, while associated with Nine Trey Gangsters.
Both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The next step in the process is typically arraignment, where each defendant enters a formal plea to the charges.