Man gets 17 years for deputy’s death

Published 2:37 pm Wednesday, May 8, 2019

VALDOSTA — Robbie Javon Register was sentenced to 17 years in prison Wednesday for the 2017 death of Lowndes County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Butler.

In March, a Lowndes County jury found Register guilty of one count of vehicular homicide due to DUI, one count of vehicular homicide due to driving in a reckless manner, DUI, improper turn at an intersection and failing to yield to emergency vehicle.

Butler had been responding to a domestic violence call on Cat Creek Road. Register was driving a semi-truck and made a right turn into the lane of Butler’s oncoming patrol car, according to reports.

During his trial in Lowndes County Superior Court, Register contended on the witness stand he could not see the deputy coming due to trees blocking his line of sight and also claimed the deputy did not have his flashing lights on or his siren.

Southern District Attorney Brad Shealy had called a witness who said she saw the deputy’s lights from her house and heard the siren just before the crash.

An expert who tested blood taken from Register the night of the wreck testified to the presence of cocaine and marijuana in his system and that the truck driver would have still been feeling the effects of those drugs.

Register testified he had not had cocaine for two years prior to the wreck and he had not had marijuana for a couple of months. He said the expert must be lying.

Jurors were shown footage from a camera mounted in Register’s semi-truck. The video showed a view of Register in the cabin and the view the driver would have seen at the front of the vehicle.

The video showed Register making the right-hand turn onto Cat Creek Road directly into the oncoming deputy’s vehicle. The video also shows the flashing blue lights of the deputy’s car.

During cross examination of Register in March, Shealy played a recording of Register’s initial interview where he had told officers, “I saw him but I knew I could beat him.” The defendant said he should have been more patient.

At sentencing Wednesday, Southern Circuit Judge James Tunison heard from Elizabeth Butler, the deputy’s mother who said, “a mother should never outlive a child.”

Register’s mother also spoke to the judge and asked for “great mercy.”

Shealy argued that Register had shown no remorse for his actions and had lied at his trial.

Tunison sentenced Register to 17 years of which he is required to serve at least 10 in prison. Register will be required to pay restitution and remain on probation for a period of time.