A former Spalding County commissioner who opened fire on deputies during a SWAT standoff at his senior living community was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, officials said.
Donald Hawbaker, who represented District 5 on the County Commission, pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer in connection with the February 2020 incident.
He was arrested Feb. 4, 2020, after deputies went to the Sun City Peachtree community in Griffin to serve an arrest warrant for simple assault and disorderly conduct, Sheriff Darrell Dix said previously. Hawbaker, now 66, was initially accused of pointing a gun at his wife and telling her to leave their home.
Dix called Hawbaker’s phone and asked him to surrender, but said the commissioner seemed intoxicated at the time.
“He refused to meet me,” Dix said from the scene. “He cussed me out on the phone, so we came here.”
When deputies arrived at the 55-and-older community about 2:30 p.m., they were met with gunfire from the home, authorities said. No one was hit.
Concerned that Hawbaker may have been struck, Dix called in the SWAT team and ordered his department’s armored personnel carrier to drive through the front of the house.
“It was the fastest way to get in,” the sheriff said at the time.
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Hawbaker was indicted last October on eight counts related to the standoff and shooting, including one count of aggravated assault against his wife, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and five counts of aggravated assault on law enforcement officers, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
In late January, Gov. Brian Kemp issued an executive order removing Hawbaker from office after a commission determined his indictment adversely affected “the rights and interests of the public.”
Kemp appointed retired U.S. Army veteran Clay Davis III to fill the remainder of Hawbaker’s second term, which expires at the end of 2022.
In a statement, Dix said Hawbaker has since apologized for shooting at his deputies. After pleading guilty Friday morning, the former commissioner was sentenced to 20 years, with 10 years to serve in prison and another decade on probation. He will get credit for time served in the Spalding jail since his arrest early last year.
“It is my understanding that early release via parole is highly unlikely based on the severity of the crimes he admitted to in court,” Dix said in a Facebook post. “If we are notified about the possibility of an early release or hearing, we will fight to ensure that it is not granted until his full term is served.”
Hawbaker, an attorney who specialized in estate planning, elder law, trusts and wills, was also charged with driving under the influence in October 2019 after Peachtree City officers pulled him over on his way to a government meeting.
Officers came across his car on the side of Ga. 74 with a blown-out tire about 4:15 p.m. Oct. 8, Peachtree City police spokesman Sgt. Chris Hyatt said at the time. The Griffin attorney identified himself as a county commissioner and told police he had a meeting scheduled that evening.
