Willie King

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Name:
King, Willie Henry

Date of Booking:
08/08/2026

Reason(s) For Booking:
Robbery

Aggravated Assault

Possession Marijuana less than 1 ounce

Obstruction of Officers-(M)

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 08/08/26 at 1351 hours, I, Ofc. Opitz, was dispatched to [100 BLOCK] Ignico Dr., Apt. [REDACTED], in reference to a physical domestic in progress, with one party reportedly armed with a knife.

Upon my arrival, I observed a black male wearing no shirt and long red pants standing in the roadway in front of the [REDACTED] building. I observed an object in his hand, which I recognized as a knife. The male had his back turned toward me. As he turned around and observed me, he threw the knife into the nearby woods. I approached the male and was able to gain positive control of his hands. Due to being the only officer on scene at the time, I detained the male with handcuffs secured in front of his body.

I attempted to identify the male. He provided the last name of Rumph and the first name of Rum, with a date of birth of [REDACTED BY AGENCY]/1953. I observed the name “Willie” tattooed on his right arm. I asked the male if that was his name, but he did not respond. Dispatch was unable to locate a person matching the information provided. The male was later positively identified as Mr. Willie King, DOB [REDACTED BY AGENCY]/1970.

While waiting for additional officers to arrive, both the victim, Mr. [VICTIM #1], and Mr. King continued to verbally argue with each other. I instructed Mr. [VICTIM #1] several times to back away from Mr. King. During the argument, Mr. [VICTIM #1] stated that Mr. King had stabbed him. Mr. King responded to Mr. [VICTIM #1] that he did stab him, but only because Mr. [VICTIM #1] had struck him first. I asked Mr. King where he had been struck, and he pointed to his face. I did not observe any visible injuries to Mr. King’s face.

Mr. [VICTIM #1] reported that Mr. King had been living with him for approximately the past couple of months. Mr. [VICTIM #1] stated that both he and Mr. King had been consuming alcohol, including beer and liquor, since approximately 0900 hours. Mr. [VICTIM #1] stated that the two began verbally arguing over money. Mr. [VICTIM #1] reported that Mr. King obtained a knife and cut him on the right side of his chest, but he disarmed him.

Mr. [VICTIM #1] stated that Mr. King then obtained another knife and stabbed him in the area of his armpit. During the incident, Mr. King took Mr. [VICTIM #1]’s Galaxy 16 cellular telephone, which Mr. [VICTIM #1] had been holding in his hand. Mr. King then exited the residence.

I photographed Mr. [VICTIM #1]’s injuries. Mr. [VICTIM #1] had visible cuts to his arm and back, which he was aware of. He also had superficial cuts to his chest and back that he was initially unaware of. Mr. [VICTIM #1] was turned over to EMS for evaluation and treatment. By all accounts the injuries were non-life threatening.

Mr. [WITNESS #1] was also on scene and stated he had witnessed part of the incident. Mr. [WITNESS #1] stated he observed both parties striking each other but did not provide any further details. I asked Mr. [WITNESS #1] if he witnessed the stabbing, to which he stated he had not.

Mr. King was placed under arrest. Prior to placing Mr. King in the rear of the patrol vehicle, Mr. [VICTIM #1] stated that his cellular telephone was still in Mr. King’s pocket. The cellular telephone was subsequently recovered from Mr. King.

Ofc. Gross also located a bag containing suspected marijuana in the pocket of Mr. King. I conducted a field test of the suspected marijuana, which produceda positive result. The suspected marijuana and other evidence were submitted into property.

Ofc. Slater was able to climb over the fence into the wooded area where Mr. King had thrown the knife. Ofc. Slater located the knife and recovered it as evidence.

Mr. King was transported to Headquarters. Upon arrival, Mr. King refused to complete the processing procedure. While in the holding area, Mr. King began experiencing a medical episode. EMS was requested to Headquarters, and Mr. King was transported to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] Hospital. Mr. King was later medically cleared for transported to the Houston County Jail.

Warrants will be sought on the next available date.

Audio and video recordings are available. Photographs will be uploaded at a later time.

Sgt. Del Giorno was advised of this call.

Due to Mr. [VICTIM #1] being treated by EMS, and the other resident, Mr. King, being arrested and transported, I initially did not enter the residence or the area where the incident occurred. I later returned to the residence, where Mr. [VICTIM #1] allowed me inside. I photographed the area in the living room where the stabbing reportedly occurred. I did not observe any visible blood in the area. Photographs of the scene were taken and will be uploaded.

[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:

8/14/26

MOTION FOR BOND FILED ON BEHALF OF WILLIE HENRY KING

What this means: Willie Henry King’s attorney, Stephen T. Smith of the Houston County Public Defender’s Office, filed a motion asking the court to set a bond in this case. King was being held in the Houston County jail at the time. The motion argues that King would not flee the jurisdiction, poses no danger to the community, and presents no significant risk of re-offending or intimidating witnesses. The filing also formally opts King into reciprocal discovery — a process where both the defense and the prosecution agree to share evidence with each other. The court was asked to schedule a bond hearing at the next available calendar date.

9/15/26

GRAND JURY RETURNS INDICTMENT — 2 COUNTS FILED AGAINST WILLIE HENRY KING

What this means: A Houston County grand jury formally indicted Willie Henry King on September 15, 2026, under Indictment No. 2026-C-0065320. The grand jury returned a “True Bill,” meaning they found enough evidence to move the case forward to trial. The indictment was filed in the Superior Court of Houston County. District Attorney Eric Z. Edwards is prosecuting, with Senior Assistant District Attorney Mike D. Smith listed as prosecutor of record.

Count 1 — Armed Robbery: Willie Henry King is accused of taking a cell phone from the victim by use of a knife on or about August 8, 2026, in Houston County. Armed robbery in Georgia involves taking property from another person using an offensive weapon.

Count 2 — Aggravated Assault: Willie Henry King is accused of assaulting the victim with a knife — a deadly weapon — by stabbing the victim on or about August 8, 2026, in Houston County. Aggravated assault means an assault carried out with a weapon or in a manner likely to cause serious bodily injury.

9/22/26

DEFENSE FILES NOTICES AND DISCOVERY MOTIONS IN WILLIE HENRY KING CASE

What this means: Attorney Stephen Smith filed a package of defense motions and notices on behalf of Willie Henry King in the Superior Court of Houston County, case number 2026 C 0065320. These filings are standard pretrial moves that put the prosecution on notice of the defense’s legal positions and formally request certain evidence and protections before trial.

The filings include: a formal opt-in to reciprocal discovery, requiring both sides to share evidence; a motion for complete recording of all court proceedings; a Brady/Giglio motion requesting any evidence favorable to the defense that the prosecution may have, including information that could be used to challenge the credibility of witnesses; a Jackson-Denno motion asking the court to review whether any statements made by King were given voluntarily; a motion to preserve and independently test all physical evidence; a notice objecting to the waiver of crime lab personnel at trial, meaning the defense wants any crime lab analysts to appear in person rather than submitting reports without testimony; a notice to produce requiring the State to bring specific items to trial, including contraband, warrants, Miranda forms, photographs, recordings, diagrams, chain of custody records, and lineup information; and a notice objecting to any search of seized electronic devices, asserting that King does not consent to the search of any electronics taken during or after his arrest.