Demand Independent Investigation into Wilkinson County/GBI Misconduct:
Assault, Charge-Stacking, Withheld Discovery, and Civil-Rights Violations
I was arrested in Wilkinson County, GA, assaulted during custody, denied counsel, and hit with fabricated, shifting charges while evidence and records were withheld. This petition demands an independent investigation, full discovery release, and disciplinary action for the officials named below.
In Wilkinson County, Georgia, my arrest and detention violated core constitutional protections. I was denied legal counsel, interrogated without representation, sexually violated during search procedures, and kept from phone access and medical results while charges were stacked and timelines altered.
This isn’t just my story — it’s a pattern of abuse. I am calling for an independent investigation and immediate public release of all discovery.
I sign this as KD (my legal identity is being updated; agencies have failed to properly notify or record my change of name), and I am asserting my rights.
Officials Involved:
• Reporting Officer: Justin Shane Couey
• Approving Officer: Rodriquez D. Chatman
• LT Steven McDade / written statement lists LT Kyle McDade
• Shawn Ring
• Derrick Smith
• Jailer: A. Goddard and others
• Bondsman: Don Johnson (accepted payment, did not ensure release)
• Magistrate/Probate Judges: Sarah “Amanda” Holder, Lisa V. Dykes, Walter C. Holloway
• “Victims Advocate/Admin Assistant”: Merilyn Chatman
• Front Desk/Jail: Gail Richards
• GBI: Russel Freel
• DA/Offices: Baldwin County DA, Brent Cochran (Senior Assistant DA), Frederic D. Bright (Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit)
Pattern of Violations :
Due Process Denial: No timely arraignment info; charges altered post-bond; contradictory dates/locations (two vehicles listed); “he-said/she-said” assault claims used while withholding exculpatory evidence.
Right to Counsel Violated: Questioned without representation; repeated refusal to appoint/allow access to public defenders after many requests.
Evidence Withheld: No reports, footage, or medical results provided despite written and verbal requests; GBI/County coordination not disclosed. Unlawful Searches/Degrading Treatment: Clothes cut and genitals inspected; personal documents and wallet displayed & played aloud while unconscious; slurs/assumptions (“druggie,” “must have been to jail”).
Excessive Force & Medical Neglect: When I first approached an officer, I was attempting to seek help and document my self-defense. Instead, I was slammed against a car multiple times before I could explain myself. While screaming “I have heart problems,” “You’re hurting my arms,” and “I can’t breathe,” I passed out in the heat while still in the patrol car waiting on transport. With one AirPod still in, a witness could hear my cries outside. When finally pulled from the car, I was searched aggressively again in front of officers, including invasive touching that pulled my pants down. When I resisted the mistreatment and begged them to stop, I was threatened with a taser. I was forced back into the overheated vehicle with the air left off as punishment.
Property/Records Mismanagement: Missing money, trans accessories and spiritual items; bond paid yet held for hours; altered narratives added after initial custody. It shows clear disrespect for my gender identity and human dignity.
Conditions of Confinement / Gender Harassment: After ER staff bagged my wet clothes and STP device, jail staff left them sitting for days in plain sight. My boots were “lost” my first night. When an officer finally listened, they had another inmate wash my items — that was the last time my STP was seen. No search or recovery was done, and staff later asked the same inmate what happened. I was left without basic hygiene (no toothbrush, broken sink, only tiny hygiene packets), housed in a camera cell with 24/7 surveillance that “missed” bathroom use, exposed to extreme heat under a skylight after I had already passed out once from heat. Two officers admitted they were told to keep the air low in that unit. Jail staff repeatedly outed me as transgender in front of inmates and staff, asked if I “wanted to be housed with women,” and made my gender identity a source of harassment every day.
Conflict/Collusion: Ex-partner and her family tied to county officers; ex appears to receive information about my case I was denied.
What’s Being Demanded:
Immediate independent investigation (outside Wilkinson County/GBI). Full discovery release within 10 business days. Public accounting of property logs, intake logs, video (body/dash/jail), medical records. Ethics review of all named officials; interim suspension where warranted. Return of seized property/funds and audit of bond handling. Referral to DOJ Civil Rights Division if county/GBI noncompliant.
Rights (Georgia + Federal):
Right to Counsel & Due Process: U.S. Const. Amends. VI & XIV; Georgia Const. Art. I, Sec. I, Pars. I, XII, XIV. Discovery Obligations: Georgia Criminal Discovery Statutes (O.C.G.A. § 17-16-1 et seq.). Timely Presentment / Arraignment: Georgia criminal procedure + Gerstein v. Pugh (probable cause standards). Search & Seizure / Bodily Privacy: U.S. Const. Amend. IV; Georgia Const. Art. I, Sec. I, Par. XIII. Equal Protection / Civil Action: U.S. Const. Amend. XIV; 42 U.S.C. §1983. Brady/Giglio Disclosure: Exculpatory & impeachment evidence must be produced.
Poetic Words for my People
I stand as KD. I stand as Kaiden DuBois. I am not alone. I call for truth, repair, and justice. We refuse to be erased. I stand for my ancestors. I stand for reparations. I call for those before me and after me to get justice. I wear my wisdom. I proudly wear my trauma. And I proudly wear my right to freedom. Sign in support- because when one of us is violated, all of us are.
© 2025 KD [Kaiden DuBois]. Poem included here is the original work of the author and may not be sold, reproduced for profit, or used without permission.
Sign PetitionSign PetitionI was arrested in Wilkinson County, GA, assaulted during custody, denied counsel, and hit with fabricated, shifting charges while evidence and records were withheld. This petition demands an independent investigation, full discovery release, and disciplinary action for the officials named below.
In Wilkinson County, Georgia, my arrest and detention violated core constitutional protections. I was denied legal counsel, interrogated without representation, sexually violated during search procedures, and kept from phone access and medical results while charges were stacked and timelines altered.
This isn’t just my story — it’s a pattern of abuse. I am calling for an independent investigation and immediate public release of all discovery.
I sign this as KD (my legal identity is being updated; agencies have failed to properly notify or record my change of name), and I am asserting my rights.
Officials Involved:
• Reporting Officer: Justin Shane Couey
• Approving Officer: Rodriquez D. Chatman
• LT Steven McDade / written statement lists LT Kyle McDade
• Shawn Ring
• Derrick Smith
• Jailer: A. Goddard and others
• Bondsman: Don Johnson (accepted payment, did not ensure release)
• Magistrate/Probate Judges: Sarah “Amanda” Holder, Lisa V. Dykes, Walter C. Holloway
• “Victims Advocate/Admin Assistant”: Merilyn Chatman
• Front Desk/Jail: Gail Richards
• GBI: Russel Freel
• DA/Offices: Baldwin County DA, Brent Cochran (Senior Assistant DA), Frederic D. Bright (Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit)
Pattern of Violations :
Due Process Denial: No timely arraignment info; charges altered post-bond; contradictory dates/locations (two vehicles listed); “he-said/she-said” assault claims used while withholding exculpatory evidence.
Right to Counsel Violated: Questioned without representation; repeated refusal to appoint/allow access to public defenders after many requests.
Evidence Withheld: No reports, footage, or medical results provided despite written and verbal requests; GBI/County coordination not disclosed. Unlawful Searches/Degrading Treatment: Clothes cut and genitals inspected; personal documents and wallet displayed & played aloud while unconscious; slurs/assumptions (“druggie,” “must have been to jail”).
Excessive Force & Medical Neglect: When I first approached an officer, I was attempting to seek help and document my self-defense. Instead, I was slammed against a car multiple times before I could explain myself. While screaming “I have heart problems,” “You’re hurting my arms,” and “I can’t breathe,” I passed out in the heat while still in the patrol car waiting on transport. With one AirPod still in, a witness could hear my cries outside. When finally pulled from the car, I was searched aggressively again in front of officers, including invasive touching that pulled my pants down. When I resisted the mistreatment and begged them to stop, I was threatened with a taser. I was forced back into the overheated vehicle with the air left off as punishment.
Property/Records Mismanagement: Missing money, trans accessories and spiritual items; bond paid yet held for hours; altered narratives added after initial custody. It shows clear disrespect for my gender identity and human dignity.
Conditions of Confinement / Gender Harassment: After ER staff bagged my wet clothes and STP device, jail staff left them sitting for days in plain sight. My boots were “lost” my first night. When an officer finally listened, they had another inmate wash my items — that was the last time my STP was seen. No search or recovery was done, and staff later asked the same inmate what happened. I was left without basic hygiene (no toothbrush, broken sink, only tiny hygiene packets), housed in a camera cell with 24/7 surveillance that “missed” bathroom use, exposed to extreme heat under a skylight after I had already passed out once from heat. Two officers admitted they were told to keep the air low in that unit. Jail staff repeatedly outed me as transgender in front of inmates and staff, asked if I “wanted to be housed with women,” and made my gender identity a source of harassment every day.
Conflict/Collusion: Ex-partner and her family tied to county officers; ex appears to receive information about my case I was denied.
What’s Being Demanded:
Immediate independent investigation (outside Wilkinson County/GBI). Full discovery release within 10 business days. Public accounting of property logs, intake logs, video (body/dash/jail), medical records. Ethics review of all named officials; interim suspension where warranted. Return of seized property/funds and audit of bond handling. Referral to DOJ Civil Rights Division if county/GBI noncompliant.
Rights (Georgia + Federal):
Right to Counsel & Due Process: U.S. Const. Amends. VI & XIV; Georgia Const. Art. I, Sec. I, Pars. I, XII, XIV. Discovery Obligations: Georgia Criminal Discovery Statutes (O.C.G.A. § 17-16-1 et seq.). Timely Presentment / Arraignment: Georgia criminal procedure + Gerstein v. Pugh (probable cause standards). Search & Seizure / Bodily Privacy: U.S. Const. Amend. IV; Georgia Const. Art. I, Sec. I, Par. XIII. Equal Protection / Civil Action: U.S. Const. Amend. XIV; 42 U.S.C. §1983. Brady/Giglio Disclosure: Exculpatory & impeachment evidence must be produced.
Poetic Words for my People
I stand as KD. I stand as Kaiden DuBois. I am not alone. I call for truth, repair, and justice. We refuse to be erased. I stand for my ancestors. I stand for reparations. I call for those before me and after me to get justice. I wear my wisdom. I proudly wear my trauma. And I proudly wear my right to freedom. Sign in support- because when one of us is violated, all of us are.
© 2025 KD [Kaiden DuBois]. Poem included here is the original work of the author and may not be sold, reproduced for profit, or used without permission.
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