Attorney files motion to suppress statements made to former Savannah detective Ashley Wood
This column is part of a weekly round-up of notable grand jury indictments and court decisions, following through on cases reported by Savannah Morning News public safety reporter Drew Favakeh. If there are cases you're curious about, email Drew at AFavakeh@savannahnow.com.
Defense attorney files motion to suppress statements made to former Savannah Police detective Ashley Wood
On Jan. 2, a defense attorney for Tazjuan Kalib Clark-Arrington filed a motion to suppress statements made by Clark-Arrington on Jan. 24, 2020, to former Savannah Police Department (SPD) detective Ashley Wood in connection with a murder investigation.
On March 16, 2021, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Clark-Arrington for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of drug-related objects tied to an offense that allegedly occurred on Feb. 12, 2020.
Wood, a former homicide detective who had been with the SPD since 2017, was fired by SPD in late July after an internal affairs investigation alleged she had falsified information in the investigation of the 2021 murder of Charles Vinson. After a series of Civil Service Board Hearings where Wood contested her termination, the City of Savannah reinstated Wood as a Code Compliance officer.
“After concluding the interview, Wood contacted Detective Benjamin Valdivieso and alleged that she could smell the 'very potent odor' of 'fresh marijuana' coming from inside the house as she approached the front door,” wrote defense attorney Jonah Pine, who is representing Clark-Arrington. “She also alleged that the home had security cameras outside.”
Based on these allegations, Pine wrote, “Valdivieso obtained a no-knock search warrant for Defendant’s home on February 11, 2020.” The next day, Pine added, officers executed the warrant, and “allegedly recovered marijuana and firearms in multiple rooms, along with cell phones, scales, and plastic baggies.”
According to the motion, Clark-Arrington was arrested after the execution of the search warrant.
“He was later questioned by Detectives, and allegedly waived his Miranda rights,” Pine wrote in the motion to suppress. “During this interview, Defendant made statements that the State may present in evidence at trial.”
Pine asserts, however, that Clark-Arrington’s statements “were made in the absence of counsel without a proper reading of his rights.”
Pine is requesting “a Jackson v. Denno hearing prior to trial to determine the voluntariness of the statements in the totality of circumstances and to determine the validity of any waiver of counsel prior to Defendant’s interrogation. Defendant further requests the suppression of any such statements.”
In a phone call, Pine declined to say which murder investigation Clark-Arrington the SPD detectives were inquiring about.
"She doesn't have any credibility," Pine said, referring to Wood. "First, we want her on the stand to testify that yes, she smelled marijuana because I don't know if anybody got that accurate or not."
A motion hearing in the case is scheduled for May 14.
More: Savannah police teams arrest man, seize over 500 grams of weed
More: Former Savannah homicide detective fired for falsifying search warrants reinstated, demoted
Chatham ADA requests court include statement from dying gunshot victim
On Jan. 5, Chatham County Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Brian DeBlasiis filed a pre-trial motion requesting the court admit a statement made by a shooting victim as he was dying.
The statement was made by Joseph Wilder, who was allegedly shot and killed by Bernard Greene.
On March 15, 2021, SPD officers responded to an apartment complex at 9400 Abercorn St. around 2:40 p.m. and located Wilder and Greene, both suffering from gunshot wounds. They were transported to a hospital for treatment where Wilder, 30, died from his injuries. Later that same day, detectives charged Greene with murder in connection with the shooting death of Wilder.
In the motion, DeBlasiis seeks to admit the statement made by Wilder to Officer Aaron Washington, recorded on body-worn camera, in which Wilder allegedly described his assailant and claimed the person who shot him tried to rob him.
"Mr. Wilder is unavailable to testify, having been shot and killed, and thus his statement would normally be inadmissible hearsay," DeBlasiis wrote in the motion.
“Where the declarant is unavailable as witness in prosecution for homicide...a statement made by the declarant while believing that declarant's death was imminent, concerning the cause or circumstances of what declarant believed to be impending death, may not be excluded by the hearsay rule."
According to the motion, Wilder was receiving emergency medical attention and told law enforcement that he was dying when he made the recorded statements.
DeBlasiis is asking the Court to rule on the motion before the trial, which is scheduled to begin Feb. 5.
More: In Session: Two men found guilty of murder in August 2022 case
Former murder suspect charged with DUI
On Jan. 8, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Lionel Cook, an acquitted murder suspect, with driving under the influence along with failure to yield right-of-way and operating a vehicle without insurance. A Savannah Police officer administered the DUI test at 2:14 a.m. on Dec. 10, 2023, at the intersection of Louisville Road and East Lathrop Avenue, according to traffic citations filed in court.
The DUI indictment comes a little more than one month after a Chatham County jury found Lionel Cook not guilty of all charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony.
According to an SPD press release, at around 2:20 p.m. on Sept. 4, 2020, SPD officers responded to the 1100 block of Hadley Street and discovered a 69-year-old homeless man suffering from wounds sustained during a cutting. He was transported to a hospital where he died. Detectives identified Cook, 57, as a suspect in the incident and booked him into Chatham County Detention Center (CCDC) on murder charges.
A misdemeanor docket in the case is scheduled for Feb. 6.
More: In Session: Former youth advocate released on bond; man pleads guilty to concealing death
Grand jury indicts two people for September 2023 Damon Street murder
On Jan. 10, a Chatham County grand jury indicted Alexis Marie Williams for two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault and criminal attempt to commit armed robbery. Also indicted in the same case is Angelo Harley for three counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
In the indictment, prosecutors charge that Harley and Williams tried to commit armed robbery at a residence on Damon Street on Sept. 4, 2023, and shot and killed a man named Jose Ramirez.
According to court records, Harley has a history with armed robbery. On March 2, 2020, Harley pled guilty to criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a first-offender probationer related to an incident on Sept. 29, 2017. According to that indictment, Harley pointed a handgun at a man and "told him to give it up." Harley received a sentence of 15 years, including two years to serve and 13 years probation.
On June 6, 2023, Harley's probation was revoked after he pled guilty to numerous charges he committed on May 16, 2022, including family violence and cruelty to children in the third degree. Court transcripts reveal Harley slammed Williams' head on the concrete, causing a knot on her head, bit her and strangled her at a hotel on Ogeechee Road. The indictment also alleges that Harley stole away a child under the age of 14 years old and held her against her will.
An arraignment in the case is scheduled for March 12.
Drew Favakeh is the public safety and courts reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at AFavakeh@savannahnow.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Attorney seeks to suppress statements made to former Savannah detective
