Alan Mauldin
MOULTRIE — A Moultrie man on trial in a fatal 2007 shooting abruptly entered a guilty plea Tuesday after court proceedings had ended for the day.
Aldridge pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the New Year’s Eve 2007 shooting, which fatally wounded 21-year-old Jakira Strong. The shooting occurred outside Aldridge Grocery, 400 Third Ave. N.W.
Upon accepting the guilty plea, Judge Jim Hardy sentenced Curtis Anthony Aldridge, 46, to a seven-year prison sentence.
Aldridge also pleaded guilty to a second count, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In exchange for the guilty plea charges of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and pointing a gun or pistol at another were dismissed.
Aldridge’s plea came after the prosecutor had completed presenting witnesses.
The first defense witness, originally a prosecution witness but who was not called by prosecutors to testify, initially told jurors that Aldridge was inside the building at the time she heard a single gunshot.
The witness, Renata Haynes, was jailed on charges related to trying to clean up the shooting scene, and under questioning from Assistant District Attorney Brian McDaniel, she said that she spoke with Aldridge’s wife while she was in jail. Haynes said she did not discuss receiving help on her bond or have a three-way conversation with family members during those calls.
At that time Haynes was taken into the judge’s chambers where she was played audio recordings of her phone conversations while at the jail, which contradicted her testimony.
When Haynes took the witness stand following the break she changed her story, saying that Aldridge was outside at the time the gunshot was fired.
At that time Hardy agreed to end the day’s proceedings to allow Assistant Public Defender Jon McClure the opportunity to locate a witness to give testimony the following day, and Aldridge was taken outside by deputies. McClure followed Aldridge outside and a few minutes later returned and said that Aldridge was ready to plead guilty.
On the night of the shooting Aldridge drove Strong, nephew of Colquitt County Commissioner Luke Strong, to Colquitt Regional Medical Center, where he later died.
Witnesses from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation testified that Strong was killed by a single gunshot wound to the back of the head, and that he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the shooting.
In addition to the seven-year sentence on the involuntary manslaughter charge, Hardy sentenced Aldridge to five years probation on the weapons charge.
In another case disposed of Tuesday, Hardy sentenced Donald Wayne Coleman, 34, to serve eight years on a burglary charge in a February 2009 home invasion.
Coleman was accused of entering the residence of Ernest Baird on Feb. 27 armed with a BB pistol and wearing a ski mask. Once inside Coleman demanded money.
Coleman pleaded guilty to the burglary. Two additional counts of attempt to commit a felony and aggravated assault were dismissed.
