Gregory Dowdy

Name:
Dowdy, Gregory Bernard

Date of Booking:
09/03/2025

Reason(s) For Booking:
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT

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.]

On 04 September 2025 at 1842 hours, Deputy Blake Varnado, with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) Patrol Division, received initial information regarding a domestic disturbance at [1700 BLOCK] Cold Tree Lane in Watkinsville, Georgia.

Prior to arrival, the OCSO Dispatch stated the complainant was a neighbor, who was not involved, but was approached by a woman who said her boyfriend took her phone and broke into her home.

When Deputy Varnado arrived, Corporal Jonathan Sturm was interviewing a white female in the front yard of the aforementioned residence. The Victim stated her estranged husband, who she identified as Gregory Dowdy, came uninvited to her home the previous evening on 02 September 2025 with two other individuals who were unknown to The Victim.

The Victim said one of the two men who arrived with Gregory agreed to stay with them in The Victim’s home after she said she did not feel safe with Gregory, and asked to leave with the other two men. When asked who those men were, The Victim said she could not recall their names, and said they were Gregory’s friends or family.

The Victim allowed both men to stay the evening, but the following morning, on 03 September, Gregory hit The Victim in the face while she was asleep in bed and began verbally harassing her; The Victim did not know if Gregory hit her with an open or closed hand. When The Victim left the room to use the toilet, she said Gregory followed her into the bathroom where he continued to harass her, spat on her twice, then poured a beer on her- all while she was attempting to use the toilet.

Later that afternoon, the harassment continued and escalated when The Victim said Gregory pushed her against a wall in the kitchen and grabbed her by the throat, squeezed, and told her he knew how to pull her throat out of her neck. Gregory eventually released The Victim and started to walk away, but quickly turned and walked toward her in an aggressive manner, at which point The Victim said she hit Gregory in the head with a glass hot-sauce bottle. The Victim said she then moved into the living room and found herself between the back of her couch and Gregory, who shoved her in the chest causing her to flip over the couch and fall on her neck.

Afterward, The Victim said Gregory calmed down for a time, and a few hours later took her and the unknown third person to a Wendy’s in Clarke County where he hit her in the chest while they were seated in the car. After dropping off the unknown third person at an unknown location, Gregory and The Victim returned home. The Victim said she then ran to a neighbor and asked them to call 9-1-1, since Gregory broke her cellphone approximately one month prior and she lacked the means to acquire a new one.

The Victim possessed multiple bruises, which she said were from the two fistic encounters with Gregory earlier that day: 1) two areas of suspected petechiae on the left side of the neck; 2) one area of suspected petechiae on the right side of the neck; 3) a prominent bruise and a scab in a stage of healing on the posterior of the left forearm; 4) bruising and swelling to the middle finger on the left hand; 5) a bruise on the anterior of the right forearm; 5) a distinct bruise on the anterior of the left shin.

The Victim said all of these injuries were sustained during the two fights that day with Gregory, but she could not recall exactly which bruises were from which fistic encounter. Similarly, The Victim could not say whether Gregory hit her with open or closed hands, nor could she provide any further details.

While interviewing The Victim, Gregory exited the residence through the front door. Deputy Varnado asked him to walk to other side of the house, where he would be removed from The Victim by both sight and sound, but he refused. Deputy Varnado explained he was there to conduct a criminal investigation and needed to speak with Gregory, but he again refused to walk to a separated location.

Gregory made multiple statements about going back inside the house, even after Deputy Varnado told him he was detained as part of a criminal investigation. Gregory ignored Deputy Varnado’s instructions, attempted to walk into the house again, at which point Deputy Varnado put his hand on Gregory’s chest. Gregory’s facial expression implied he was irritated and his tone was aggressive as he told Deputy Varnado to remove his hand. Deputy Varnado then placed Gregory in handcuffs, which were checked for tightness and double-locked.

Deputy Varnado then walked Gregory to the back of his marked patrol unit where he advised Gregory of his rights per Miranda, which Gregory verbally acknowledged understanding. Post Miranda, Gregory continued to ignore questions, ramble, and say nothing happened. He also made multiple statements about not wanting to talk, but did not invoke his right to legal counsel.

Deputy Varnado tried multiple times to deescalate the situation and explain the significance of a detailed interview to refute The Victim’s account if it were inaccurate, but to no avail. Deputy Varnado decided to leave Gregory in the patrol unit and allow him time to hopefully calm down while he completed his interview with The Victim.

Deputy Daniel Rainwater later spoke with Gregory, who told Deputy Rainwater how The Victim looked through his phone and discovered his infidelity with a nonspecific number of women. Gregory said The Victim became enraged and hit him in the head with a glass bottle, causing a small laceration to the left, superior area of his forehead.

Deputies Varnado and Rainwater could see a small amount of blood on Gregory’s person and offered emergency medical services multiple times during the investigation, but each time Gregory refused. Gregory went on to say he never hit or touched The Victim, not even after she attacked him with the bottle. When Deputies Varnado and Rainwater asked for more details about the altercation, Gregory resumed his antics. Throughout the investigation, Gregory was not forthcoming with information, and generally uncooperative. Deputy Varnado asked if he could photograph Gregory’s injury and his person, but he refused.

Deputy Varnado determined probable cause existed to arrest Gregory for violating one count of Aggravated Assault, for the events that occurred in the living room and kitchen that afternoon, and Simple Battery Domestic Violence, for the events that occurred in the bedroom and bathroom that morning.

Deputy Varnado placed Deputy Rainwater’s handcuffs on Gregory before removing his own, and checked again for tightness before engaging the double-lock. Deputy Rainwater then transported Gregory to the Oconee County Jail where he was booked accordingly.

[End of Narrative]