Opinion ID: 2682680
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Police Arrive

Text: Earlier that evening, as Crimmins and Harper’s altercation broiled, Brandon Singleton called the cops. The emergency dispatcher asked Singleton what was the matter. “Yea, I’m at 358 Loblolly Lane in Hickory Hills,” Singleton said. “I got fuckin’ a man pointin’ guns at everybody, beatin’ on his wife, I need the fuckin’ police out here now.” Then the call dropped. When they reconnected, the dispatcher asked Singleton to describe the house so police would recognize it as they approached. “It’s a trailer. It’s a big ass blue Dodge in front of my trailer,” 5 Case: 13-13190 Date Filed: 07/11/2014 Page: 6 of 19 Singleton explained. “The woman is leaving now with the kids and he is chasing them with a fuckin’, a fuckin’ [knife??].” Coffee County police officer Christopher Perkins responded to the call at 10:25 PM. While heading to Loblolly Lane, Perkins spotted Crimmins flagging him down at an intersection. Perkins stopped and spoke to Crimmins, who reported that Harper had been drinking all day and taken methadone. Perkins also noticed that Crimmins was injured. After urging Crimmins to stay put, Perkins drove on to meet Singleton and Sergeant Rodney Courson, who had arrived first, in front of Harper’s house. Singleton told the officers that he had heard screams and seen Harper atop Crimmins, holding her arms down. Singleton also relayed that Harper pointed a gun at him, fired into the ceiling, and threatened suicide before dashing into the forest. When they heard Singleton’s story, the officers elected to search for Harper in the woods. They called for canine backup, and defendants Jeremiah Davis—a Coffee County deputy—and Matthew Gourley—a canine officer from the Georgia Department of Corrections—arrived on the scene.2 Courson and Perkins briefed the new arrivals on events to that point, and the foursome donned bulletproof vests, a procedure reserved for exceptional situations. Then the officers walked to the 2 Gourley also spoke with Crimmins on his drive to Loblolly Lane. Crimmins told him “she was afraid to go back to her house because of what had happened.” 6 Case: 13-13190 Date Filed: 07/11/2014 Page: 7 of 19 back of the house with Gourley’s bloodhound. The dog picked up a scent, and the chase was on.