Man In False Imprisonment Case Convicted By Cherokee Jury

CANTON, GA — A man has been convicted of false imprisonment and other charges after an incident left a woman unconscious in a Canton apartment, Cherokee County prosecutors said Monday.

A jury on Friday found Desmond Marquis Herbin guilty of most charges against him in connection with the Nov. 20, 2023 incident, Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway's office said.

Canton Police responded to the domestic dispute at the River Ridge Drive apartment, where a woman told officers she was attempting to leave an "abusive relationship," prosecutors said.

Before she could leave with her children, prosecutors said Herbin pushed her against a wall near the front door and took her cell phone.

He then put pressure on her neck until she became unconscious, prosecutors said. The woman ran out of the home and flagged down a passing driver to call 911.

Red marks were visible on the left side of her neck, and two children were in the living room near the location of the dispute, prosecutors said.

The trial against Herbin lasted for five days, and the jury spent about 12 hours deliberating.

Prosecutors said Herbin was ultimately convicted of false imprisonment, family violence battery (as a lesser included offense of family violence aggravated assault), third-degree cruelty to children and criminal trespass. He was found not guilty of an additional third-degree count of cruelty to children.

A sentencing date was not available.