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Name:
Butler, Lawanda
Date of Booking:
03/26/2026
Reason(s) For Booking:
EXPLIOT/INFLICT PAIN TO/DEPRIVE ESSENTAIL SERVICES TO DISABLED PERSON/ELDERLY/RESIDENT
FINANCIAL TRANSACTION CARD FRAUD
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 January 30, 2026]
On 30 January 2026 I, Deputy Morris met with an individual in reference to his mother being the victim of financial transaction card fraud by a known individual. The reporting party has durable power of attorney over his mother due to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. The reporting party provided several bank statements which showed 106 highlighted transactions which occurred between 29 August 2025 and 07 January 2026 totaling $6524.70.
[End of Narrative]
[NARRATIVE #2 on January 30, 2026]
On 30 January 2026 I, Deputy Morris met with [WITNESS #1] in the lobby of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. [WITNESS #1] reported that he had recently discovered a number of fraudulent charges on his mother’s credit card statement. He pulled up several previous statements and discovered there appeared to be fraudulent charges on the account going back to August 29, 2025.
[WITNESS #1] stated that he believed the charges had been made by an employee of Visiting Angels who had helped with his father before his death in November and had continued on helping with his mother since. [WITNESS #1] identified the employee as Lawanda Butler.
[WITNESS #1] stated that he had durable power of attorney over his mother and handles her finances. He stated that he contacted Visiting Angels and instructed them not to send the caregiver and notified them of the reason why. Visiting Angels contacted him and stated that they had spoken with Butler. They advised that Butler stated that she had used the card once to purchase her daughter’s cap and gown with Mrs. [VICTIM #1] permission. [WITNESS #1] highlighted 106 transactions totaling $6524.70.
Several charges were made to Georgia Power. This was unusual due [WITNESS #1] having Walton EMC as a service provider. These charges were as follows:
- 10/29 $40.00
- 11/03 $50.00
- 11/11 $75.00
- 11/16 $75.00
- 11/26 $60.00
- 12/03 $65.00
- 12/08 $50.00
- 12/12 $60.00
- 12/16 $65.00
- 12/20 $50.00
- 12/23 $75.00
- 12/28 $70.00
- 01/03 $65.00
- 01/08 $50.00
For a total of $850.00
The following payments were made to Crickett Wireless:
- 10/30 $45.00
- 12/01 $30.00
- 01/07 $30.00
For a total of $105.00
The following payments were made to an AT&T prepaid wireless account:
- 10/27 $76.50
- 10/28 $76.50
- 11/26 $76.50
- 11/28 $46.50
- 12/04 $76.50
- 12/26 $76.50
- 12/26 $46.50
- 01/02 $76.50
- 01/25 $76.50
For a total of $628.50
The following payments were made via DoorDash, an app which [WITNESS #1] does not have on her phone:
- 09/16 $49.31
- 11/06 $39.91
- 11/21 $62.02
- 11/24 $48.91
- 12/03 $54.13
- 12/07 $54.28
- 12/15 $36.09
- 12/16 $30.83
- 12/20 $52.11
- 12/23 $70.97
- 12/24 $53.17
- 12/27 $57.38
- 12/28 $79.61
- 12/29 $55.23
- 12/31 $105.11
- 01/01 $27.70
- 01/02 $26.26
- 01/05 $77.36
- 01/07 $65.52
- 01/07 $69.18
- 01/09 $24.76
For a total of $1,139.84
The following payments were made to Assurance America Insurance:
- 08/29 $295.33
- 10/01 $287.11
- 01/05 $734.64
For a total of $1,317.08
The following payments were made to Cedar Shoals related activities (Butler has a daughter that is a senior at Cedar Shoals High School):
- 09/03 Jaguar Dugout Club $12.00
- 11/19 Double Good Popcorn 28.77
- 11/22 GoFanTix $35.60
- 11/25 GoFanTix $17.80
- 12/09 Natalies Elf Shelf $11.50
- 12/09 Natalies Elf Shelf $11.50
- 12/09 GoFanTix $9.00
- 12/09 Natalies Elf Shelf $11.50
- 01/06 GoFanTix $9.00
- 01/06 GoFanTix $9.00
For a total of $155.67
The following payments were made to Acima Lease to Own:
- 12/14 $30.00
- 01/02 $12.33
- 01/03 $40.67
For a total of $83.00
[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:
3/26/26
LAWANDA BUTLER BOOKED INTO CUSTODY — OCONEE COUNTY
What this means: Lawanda Butler was arrested and booked into custody in Oconee County on this date. Butler is accused of exploiting, inflicting pain upon, or depriving essential services to a disabled person, elderly person, or resident, and is also accused of financial transaction card fraud. These are the charges that triggered the arrest and set the case in motion under case number MGWF2026000128.
3/27/26
FIRST APPEARANCE HELD — BOND SET AT $10,000 GOOD SECURITY
What this means: Lawanda Butler appeared before Chief Magistrate Judge Richard F. Connelly Jr. of the Oconee County Magistrate Court for her first appearance hearing. This is the initial court appearance that typically happens within 72 hours of an arrest. Judge Connelly set bond at $10,000 good security, meaning Butler could be released from custody by posting that amount or securing a bondsman.
3/27/26
SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF BOND ISSUED
What this means: Along with the bond amount, Judge Connelly imposed specific conditions that Lawanda Butler must follow while out on bond. Butler is ordered to stay away from the alleged victim’s person, home, job, and school entirely. Butler is also ordered to have no harassing, threatening, intimidating, or violent contact with the alleged victim, any member of the alleged victim’s household or family, or any witnesses in the case.
3/27/26
SURETY BOND POSTED — LAWANDA BUTLER RELEASED ON $10,000 BOND
What this means: Lawanda Butler secured her release from custody through a licensed bondsman. The bond was posted through Watkinsville Bonding Company, with a bond amount of $10,000. The bond contract notifies Butler that her first court appearance in the Oconee County Magistrate Court is scheduled for May 8, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. Butler is warned that failure to appear will result in the bond being forfeited and a bench warrant being issued for her re-arrest.
4/23/26
ATTORNEY ENTERS APPEARANCE ON BEHALF OF LAWANDA BUTLER
What this means: An attorney formally filed paperwork with the court indicating they are representing Lawanda Butler in this case. The actual document was not available for review, so the attorney’s name is not confirmed. This step means Butler now has legal counsel officially on record in case number MGWF2026000128 in Oconee County Magistrate Court.
10/13/26
CASE REMOVED FROM ONLINE DOCKET — NO LONGER PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
What this means: As of October 13, 2026, case number MGWF2026000128 (State vs. Lawanda Butler) is no longer accessible through the online court docket system in Oconee County. The system displays a message stating either the case does not exist in the searchable database or the user does not have permission to view it. This typically occurs when a case has been closed, dismissed, sealed by court order, or transferred to a different court system. Without access to the docket, the current status of Lawanda Butler’s charges and the outcome of the case cannot be determined from publicly available records.