Chattooga County Jury Convicts Man in Mobile Home Shooting; Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison

PRESS RELEASE – On August 19, 2025, a Chattooga County jury found Thomas Nelson Tucker Jr., 45, of Menlo, guilty on three counts of aggravated assault, as well as possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The conviction stems from a December 22, 2022, shooting incident in which Tucker fired multiple shots into a mobile home occupied by three people after a domestic dispute with his former girlfriend escalated.

Deputies from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene on Reece Street.

The victims identified Tucker as the shooter.

The investigation, led by Sheriff’s Investigator Wendell Flood, revealed that Tucker returned to the residence after the argument, honked his horn, and when another occupant stepped outside, he brandished a handgun.

The occupant retreated indoors, and Tucker fired multiple shots into the mobile home. While no one was injured, bullets passed through the living area where three people were inside.

A “be on the lookout” was issued for Tucker, and deputies later located and arrested him at his residence.

A search warrant executed by Investigator Flood led to the recovery of a black 9-millimeter handgun hidden under a nightstand and a 9-millimeter casing lodged under the driver’s seat of Tucker’s truck. Evidence was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab for analysis.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michael E. Harty, who recently joined the District

Attorney’s Office. “ADA Harty has quickly adopted our tough-on-crime approach and is already doing great things to protect our communities and I want to tip my cap to him and our great Chattooga team,” said DA Fuller.

The prosecution team was supported by victim advocates Jordan Thomasson and Donna Howell, administrative assistants Annabelle Carter and Cara Parris, and Investigator Daniel Thacker.

Three victims, two deputies, and a GBI firearms examiner testified during the two-day trial before Judge Melissa Hise.

The jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts after deliberating for just over an hour.

Tucker, sentenced as a recidivist, received 25 years with 17 years to serve in prison, followed by three

years on probation.

District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller commended the work of Sheriff Schrader’s team and his own office:

“In some parts of the United States, you’re lucky to see a defendant get 17 years in prison even when a cold-blooded murder happens. Not in Northwest Georgia. You put bullets down range and put innocent lives in jcopardy, you can trust you are going to prison for a looooooong time. Sheriff Mark Schrader’s team doesn’t tolerate violence in Chattooga County – and neither does mine.”