Man Who Shot At Deputy Indicted On Charges

CANTON, GA — A Canton man who fired upon a Cherokee sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop in August has been indicted on charges in connection to the incident.

A Cherokee County grand jury last week indicted Joseph Leon Donaldson on three counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer, two counts of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer and one count each of failure to dim headlights and driving without a license.

Donaldson was arrested and charged following two attempted traffic stops, during one of which he allegedly fired a handgun at a sheriff's deputy who tried to pull him over. The deputy tried to conduct the traffic stop around 4 a.m. Aug. 23 on a Chevrolet Blazer on Salacoa Road in northwest Cherokee County.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Donaldson, refused to stop and as he drove away, fired about a dozen rounds out of the window towards the patrol vehicle, said Cherokee Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jay Baker. The deputy was not injured, and the vehicle did not suffer any damage.

The deputy lost sight of the vehicle, but identified the car's tag numbers. Deputies made their way to the home of the Blazer's registered owner, and learned the vehicle had been sold to Donaldson, who was identified as the person deputies believe was driving the SUV.

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Later in the morning deputies received at tip that Donaldson had been seen in the vicinity of Ga. 515 and Philadelphia Road in Pickens County. A Cherokee sheriff's deputy arrived near the location and while waiting for backup, the deputy saw a Dodge pickup truck run a stop sign. The deputy tried to conduct a traffic stop but the SUV, driven by Donaldson, did not pull over, the sheriff's office previously said.

A chase ensued on 515 northbound and continued west on Ga. 136 where Donaldson was seen throwing a box out of the window, according to the sheriff's office. Donaldson lost control over the truck, left the roadway and was ejected from the vehicle in the collision. Donaldson, who was alert and conscious at the scene, was transported to Piedmont Mountainside Hospital and later to WellStar Kennestone Hospital for treatment for injuries he received in the crash.

The box thrown from the vehicle was found by investigators, and they determined it contained a small amount of meth and marijuana. The original Chevrolet Blazer was found at a location along Scarecorn Road in Pickens County.

Along with the charges Donaldson was indicted on in Cherokee, he faces charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana less than an ounce, and fleeing and attempting to elude in Pickens County. Donaldson is scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Dec. 13 in Courtroom 2C at the Cherokee County Justice Center.

Photo: Joseph Leon Donaldson. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office