3-Time Felon Made Death Threats Against Douglas County Deputy

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — A Douglas County man has been convicted of making death threats against a sheriff's deputy that forced the officer to move his family to a new home.

A jury on Tuesday convicted Lee Charles Harrison of terroristic threats against the deputy. It was Harrison's third felony conviction.

On Jan. 8, 2016, the deputy pulled Harrison over in a routine traffic stop. Harrison didn't have a driver's license and quickly became combative with the deputy, making confusing claims that he was legally allowed to drive despite not having a license.

Ultimately, Harrison was charged with driving without a license and possession of marijuana.

About a year later, Harrison got copies of his police report and other documents and used them to search for the current and former addresses of the deputy who charged him. He further searched for the names of the deputy's family members, their dates of birth and email addresses, including the deputy's personal email. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Harrison then began sending emails threatening to kill the deputy. He said he knew where the deputy lived and told him law enforcement officers are "tyrants" and that people like himself are justified in shooting and killing them.

At trial, the deputy testified that Harrison's actions had a significant impact on him, but ultimately furthered his resolve to be the best officer he could be. He reported the death threats, but eventually moved because he was concerned about his family's safety.

After moving, he installed home security systems at both his new address and his old one, where another family had moved in, to make everyone safer.

Assistant District Attorney Joe Cusack, who prosecuted the case, called the victim "a hard working officer who was professional and polite during a routine traffic stop of someone blatantly ignoring the law and, as a result, had to endure serious and frightening threats against himself and his family."

Sentencing in the case is set for Oct. 24. Superior Court Judge William H. "Beau" McClain presided over the case.

District Attorney Brian Fortner said the case "highlights some of the many dangers law enforcement officers face for simply doing their jobs on a daily basis," and that, "the jury’s verdict showed that the people of Douglas County will stand behind our officers who are threatened simply for serving their community."

Photo courtesy Douglas County District Attorney's Office