Report: Accused cop killer coached kids
The felon accused of killing a policeman and wounding another officer in an Athens shooting spree last month took time to coach a youth football team during his brief stint out of prison, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.
Jamie Hood is in jail on a murder charge in the March 22 shooting death of Athens-Clarke County Senior Police Officer Elmer "Buddy" Christian.
Christian and Senior Police Officer Tony Howard were shot after police went looking for Hood when he was accused of a kidnapping.
Hood, 33, is familiar with life behind bars. He served more than 11 years in a Georgia prison for a 1997 armed robbery of a pizza delivery man.
Yet, between his release in July 2009 and his surrender on March 25 after a multi-agency manhunt, he got access to 9- and 10-year-old children, the Athens Banner-Herald reported Saturday.
Hood coached the Classic City Chiefs, which is part of a youth football league with teams in Athens, Monroe and Winder.
An Athens-Clarke Leisure Services Department official told the Banner-Herald that background checks, usually mandatory, were not imposed on the league last year where Hood reportedly was a coach.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
