Cobb County Man Faces a Dozen Charges After Alleged Kidnapping

Jacob Burgess, a man in Cobb County, is facing a dozen charges. His charges include:

• Aggravated Assault in Georgia
• Kidnapping in Georgia
• Burglary in Georgia
• Battery in Georgia
• DUI in Georgia

Plus a handful of other traffic violations. According to reports, Burgess kidnapped a woman that he allegedly had known beforehand. As of now, he's been accused of choking her, dragging her down the street, and fleeing officers in a vehicle.

As a Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney, I will outline aggravated assault in the post below.

Aggravated Assault in Georgia

In order to provide a clearer understanding of aggravated assault, first, I will need to explain assault.

Assault in Georgia is defined by the Georgia Code in O.C.G.A. §16-5-20 as:

A person commits the offense of simple assault when he or she either (1) attempts to commit a violent injury to the person of another; or (2) commits an act which places another in reasonable apprehension of immediately receiving a violent injury.

Aggravated Assault in Georgia is defined by the Georgia Code in O.C.G.A. §16-5-21 as:

A person commits the offense of aggravated assault when he or she assaults:

• with intent to murder, to rape, or to rob;
• With a deadly weapon or with any object, device, or instrument which, when used offensively against a person, is likely to or actually does result in serious bodily injury;
• With any object, device, or instrument which, when used offensively against a person, is likely to or actually does result in strangulation; or
• A person or persons without legal justification by discharging a firearm from within a motor vehicle toward a person or persons.

Aggravated assault is classified as a felony in Georgia. The penalty for an aggravated assault conviction is a prison term between one to twenty years. Felony Punishments in Georgia are very serious.

Practice Note

The statute defining aggravated assault also outlines specific instances when the minimum penalty will be elevated.

If you or a loved one has been arrested for committing a crime in Georgia, contact a Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer today.