Savannah Police Department fires detective who lied in search warrants

Note: This story has been updated to correct a misattributed quote.

The Savannah Police Department has fired Ashley Wood, the detective who falsified information, including security footage and text messages, in multiple search warrant applications tied to a 2021 murder case.

The internal affairs investigation, launched on March 31, stemmed from the killing of Charles Vinson and centered on whether the man charged with killing Vinson, Marquis Parrish, is seen in security footage purchasing cleaning supplies in a Walmart store following Vinson's disappearance.

In applying for a search warrant in the case, Wood claimed Parrish is seen on the security video. But both Parrish's defense lawyer and the assistant district attorney working the case asserted in court filings that Parrish is not present in the footage.

According to records, Wood applied for five search warrants related to the investigation between early May and early June 2021. The requests included warrants to search Vinson’s residence, car, cell phone and his Facebook profile. Wood’s search warrants state that Parrish and others charged in the case purchased cleaning supplies at Walmart.

At the time of the investigation, Wood was assigned to the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) as a task force officer, according to the probe. She was hired by the Savannah Police Department in February 2017.

Through the probe, Savannah Police Lt. Zachary Burdette found that Wood violated five internal policies, including Oath of Office, Ethics, and Conduct, Organization and Direction, Search and Seizure, Criminal Investigations and Court Protocol.

“Corporal Ashley Wood’s gross violations of multiple Savannah Police Department Policies have severely impacted her ability to perform her duties as she has violated the trust of her co-workers, members of the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office, Judges in both the Chatham County Recorder’s Court and Superior Court, and most of all public trust," Burdette wrote in a report on the probe.

The results come as Chatham County assistant district attorneys allege that homicide prosecutions are falling apart at trial partly because of a recurring problem regarding the quality and timely receipt of case files from the Savannah Police Department and other law enforcement agencies.

On July 14, Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones sent an email to the defense attorneys representing the four alleged murder suspects that her office is re-evaluating their cases to determine if they can meet the burden of beyond reasonable doubt at trial.

More: Savannah Police detective under review over search warrants in Charles Vinson murder case

More: In Session: Assistant district attorney argues Leilani Simon's actions constitute murder

More: Chatham County judge delays murder trial after detective's evidence called into question

What did the probe find?

The probe went into more detail about Wood’s policy violations.

According to the probe, Wood indicated in the report that a witness, Tyesha Love, saw Javaris Roundtree shooting at her apartment. When the SPD internal affairs investigator, Kaishawn Samuell, reviewed the body-worn camera footage documenting the conversation between Wood and Love, however, he noticed that Love said she didn’t know who was shooting at her apartment.

The probe revealed that Wood never submitted a case file for the homicide of Vinson because she “transferred to the gang unit and forgot to submit a file.”

Wood typed her investigative supplemental report from memory without watching her body worn camera footage. Wood said she completed the supplemental report one month after the interview.

Wood also did not complete the search warrant returns because, she said, “it was common practice to not do a search warrant return until it was almost time for discovery in the criminal proceeding.”

“Based on this false statement and the facts known at the time, there would not have been Probable Cause established to obtain an arrest warrant for Javaris Roundtree,” Burdette wrote.

Wood did not submit “crucial evidence” to the GBI for examination. Wood also didn’t show up for a court appearance for which she was subpoenaed.

“Corporal Ashley Wood’s actions were repeated several times throughout this investigation in terms of not reporting accurate information based on what was learned during recorded interviews," Burdette wrote. "Corporal Wood claims that the offenses were inadvertent, however, it appears that they were intentional and committed for gain with the result being an arrest and case closure.”

On June 14, SPD Assistant Chief Devonn Adams sustained Woods' firing.

On June 15, Wood appealed her termination. In her reason for appeal, Wood wrote, “Disagree with decision of the termination,” although she didn’t explain why she disagreed with the decision.

On July 13, Savannah Police Chief Lenny Gunther upheld the termination.

“Of note ... Wood’s actions are not indicative of the men and women at SPD’s dedication to integrity and community trust,” Gunther wrote.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Police Department fires detective who lied in search warrants