Man sentenced for assaulting officer, hotel guests in Cobb County

WSBTV.com News Staff
·2 min read
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A man who police say assaulted an Acworth officer and multiple people has been sentenced.

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Last year on Dec. 17, Acworth Ofc. Taneisha Palarche was called to do a welfare check.

Police received reports of a naked man running around attacking people at the Deerfield Lodge in Cobb County.

When officers arrived, they tried to calm the man, later identified as Kelly Michael Holcomb, 37, of Dallas, Georgia, but he quickly began fighting with another person.

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Acworth officials said Holcomb, then attacked Palarche. He knocked out one of the officer’s front teeth, strangled her and attempted to gouge her eyes out with his thumbs, according to police.

Residents reportedly tried distracting Holcomb while Palarche continued to do her job of protecting the residents.

One of the residents helped Palarche and she was able to get away. Holcomb was arrested.

The investigation revealed that Holcomb broke into another room and attacked another woman causing serious injury to her and minor injuries to another man in that room.

During the trial, Holcomb admitted to having smoked methamphetamine before the assault.

“Your bad decisions have led us here,” Judge Jason D. Marbutt said. Marbutt ordered Holcomb to have no contact with the victims.

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A Cobb County jury found Holcomb guilty of one count of aggravated battery on a peace officer, one count of aggravated assault on a peace officer, two counts of aggravated battery, one count of aggravated assault, two counts of obstruction of an officer, one count of burglary in the first degree and one count of misdemeanor battery.

He was sentenced to 20 years with the first 15 years to be served in prison.

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