Four suspected members of the Woodpile gang in Cherokee County have pleaded guilty after they were arrested in 2021 on charges related to a confrontation with a rival gang member over a territorial dispute, officials said.
The four co-defendants, all men between the ages of 19 and 23, were seen outside a home in Canton on June 30, 2021, all waving guns while arguing with another man inside the house, Cherokee District Attorney Shannon Wallace said in a news release. The four men left the scene in a black Ford Mustang, which was pulled over by law enforcement a short time later.
Inside the car, officers found three pistols, two rifles, ammunition and “other gang-related items,” according to Wallace. The ensuing investigation linked the suspects to the Woodpile street gang, Wallace said, and officials believe they were confronting a member of the Crips street gang over territory and the display of gang colors at the home.
The co-defendants were identified by the DA’s office as Jeffrey Lee Krieger, 23; James Alton McKinzie, 21; Ethan Charles Bradley Petty, 20; and Collin Christopher Zinicola, 19. Each pleaded guilty on different dates to charges of violating Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, criminal attempt to commit a felony, terroristic threats and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
All of the co-defendants also admitted to being members of the Woodpile gang, Wallace said.
After pleading guilty, each received a 15-year sentence with at least two years to be served in state prison. Petty and Zinicola got two years behind bars, while Krieger was sentenced to three years in prison. McKinzie pleaded guilty to an additional charge of possession of a firearm by a first offender probationer, resulting in a longer sentence of five years in prison.
“Gangs often use certain colors, symbols or hand gestures to identify themselves and their territory. Here, these defendants carried weapons as they were prepared to fight and defend their use of the color blue to represent the Woodpile gang,” Assistant District Attorney Kelly Chavis, who prosecuted the case, said. “This attempt to intimidate a rival gang member had the potential to injure innocent bystanders with a gunfight on a residential street.”
After being released on probation, the co-defendants are forbidden from having contact with one another or anyone affiliated with a street gang, Wallace said.
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