Joshua Berich

Name:
Berich, Joshua Andrew

Date of Booking:
07/07/2026

Reason(s) For Booking:
CRUELTY TO CHILDREN

BATTERY

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.]

[NARRATIVE #1 on June 26, 2026]

On Friday, 06/26/2026, at 1258 hours, I responded to a Domestic in progress. Central advised me that the mother and son had a verbal argument, and that an incident the day before between the two sons became physical.

Upon my arrival, I spoke with Mr. Joshua Berich. Mr. Joshua stated the verbal argument stemmed from an incident that occurred yesterday (06/25/2026). Mr. Joshua stated the incident was between him and his brother over mowing the lawn. Mr. Joshua stated he had asked his brother, Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY], to mow half of the lawn as he had mowed the other half the day prior, and Mr. Joshua stated Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] did mow the lawn at first, but stopped approximately 10 minutes in. Mr. Joshua stated he went out to confront Mr [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and asked him why he had stopped. Mr. Joshua stated that Mr [REDACTED BY AGENCY] told him the lawnmower had stopped working.

Mr. Joshua stated that all of a sudden, Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] began yelling at him and eventually began to “put hands on him”. Mr. Joshua stated he tried multiple times to calm Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and Mr. Joshua stated Mr [REDACTED BY AGENCY] had to have hit him at least 50 times before Mr. Joshua stated he blacked out and started swinging at Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY]. Mr. Joshua stated there was a witness in the room that heard him say, “stop putting your hands on me”.

I asked Mr. Joshua if he had any bruising, and he stated he was sore but didn’t have any marks. Mr. Joshua added after the fight was separated by his friend, he said nothing to Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and did not interact with him until today. While lifting his shirt, he showed me his torso. I observed no visible injuries. Mr. Joshua stated Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] had injuries due to him trying to hold Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] down.

After speaking with Mr. Joshua, I spoke with Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY]. I asked her to explain what had happened, and Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that the verbal argument was over an incident that occurred the day prior. Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that incident was due to Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] not mowing the lawn. Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] is autistic, and both parties have had issues in the past. Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated Mr. Joshua and Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] got into an argument about not mowing the lawn.

Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] went inside their residence to cool off and get something from the fridge when Mr. Joshua came up behind him, grabbed the drink from his hand, and threw it on the ground. Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that Mr. Joshua got in Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] face and yelled at him for not mowing the lawn. Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that after some time, Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] began yelling back, then got into a fight inside the residence. Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated she had to break them up.

Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] started to walk out the front door when Mr. Joshua followed Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] outside and reinitiated the fight. Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated Mr. Joshua had Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] in a choke hold and hit Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] a couple of times. Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that she was able to break up the fight, and Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] went to his room and closed the door.

Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that Mr. Joshua grabbed a drill from his room and removed Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] door from its hinges. Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that after that, both parties stayed in their separate rooms until just now. While talking with Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY]. I observed multiple surface-level scratches on Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] neck. I did not speak to the victim due to his mental state.

After speaking with Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY]. I spoke with Ms. [REDACTED]’s 10-year-old daughter, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] who was also the sister of both brothers. The juvenile stated she didn’t see the whole fight, just heard arguing at first. The juvenile stated it wasn’t until the fight was outside, where she witnessed Mr. Joshua at first sitting on top of Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] while he was punching him. The juvenile then stated Mr. Joshua choked Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] with his left hand while Mr. Joshua was on top of him.

I also spoke with Mr. Joshua’s friend, Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY]. Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated he didn’t see any fighting. Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] stated that he was asleep until he heard fighting, after which he left the residence immediately.

I asked Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] if he had any other injuries, and he took off his shirt, and I observed multiple abrasions all around his body. I took pictures of the injuries and uploaded them to this report. I also had Deputy Robert Barnes provide Ms. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] with a Victim’s Pamphlet for Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] as he returned to the residence.

With the information I had gathered, I placed Mr. Joshua in double-lock handcuffs, which were checked for fit. I informed Mr. Joshua that he was under arrest for Battery under Family Violence and Cruelty to Children in the 3rd Degree.

I escorted Mr. Joshua to the back of my patrol vehicle, where I performed a search incident to arrest of Mr. Joshua’s person and found a vape, which he requested be handed over to Mr. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] as well as his car keys. I then placed Mr. Joshua in the back of my patrol vehicle, which had previously been searched for contraband. I then transported Mr. Joshua to the Liberty County Jail, where I turned him over to the booking officers with no issues. I then searched the back of my patrol vehicle and found no contraband.

I will apply for the warrants, Battery and Cruelty to Children-3rd Degree, within the proper time.

[End of Narrative]

[NARRATIVE #2 on July 07, 2026]

On July 7, 2026, at approximately 2140 hours, I was dispatched to 180 Paul Sikes Drive (Liberty County Regional Jail) in reference to a wanted subject who was turning himself in.

At approximately 2144 hours, I arrived on scene and made contact with an individual who was identified as Mr. Joshua Berich. Mr. Berich advised that he was the wanted subject and was voluntarily turning himself in at the Liberty County Regional Jail.

I requested Mr. Berich’s driver’s license, which he provided without incident. I ran his driver’s license information through Liberty County Dispatch and was advised that Mr. Berich had an active warrant out of the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office on July 1, 2026, for Battery-(26-WM-006818C) and Cruelty to Children (26-WM-006817C).

After confirming the warrant with the jail booking staff, I placed Mr. Berich under arrest. He was placed in handcuffs, which were checked for proper fit and double locked. Mr. Berich was searched incident to arrest, and no contraband was located. He was then escorted to the rear of my patrol vehicle. Prior to placing Mr. Berich in my patrol vehicle, I confirmed that a search of the rear passenger compartment had been conducted prior to the beginning of my shift, at which time no contraband or personal property was found.

Mr. Berich was placed in the rear seat of my patrol vehicle and transported to the Liberty County Regional Jail booking intake without incident. Upon arrival, he was turned over to jail staff without incident. No contraband was found on Mr. Berich’s person during the booking process. Prior to leaving the Liberty County Regional Jail, I conducted a secondary search of the rear passenger compartment of my patrol vehicle. No contraband or personal property was located.

[End of Narrative]