Judge Rules in Favor of East Dublin Officer, No Arrest Warrant for Officer Deal

Tonight, a Laurens County Magistrate Judge rules in favor of East Dublin Officer Jeffrey Deal, accused of false imprisonment.

There was a lot of back and forth in the Laurens County Courthouse earlier this evening, but around 6:45 Judge Donald Gillis said he would not approve a warrant for Officer Deal's arrest.

This left the Williams family feeling like justice still isn't served.

Tonya Daniels requested East Dublin Police Officer Jeffrey Deal be arrested after he shot and killed her brother Melvin Williams in mid-May of last year. Officer Deal was attempting to arrest Williams when an altercation ensued between the two men.

A GBI report Confirms that on January 1, 2010 Deal lost his power of arrest after failing to complete the state required training.

After more than 5 hours of evidence and testimony, Judge Gillis justified Deal's actions, saying he arrested Williams under a citizens arrest, which is an arrest made by a person who is not acting as a sworn law-enforcement official.

"They say it was justified or whatever but it wasn't, not in God's eyes. You don't take something from somebody that you can't get back. Deal didn't take candy from a candy store, Deal took a life," says Daniels.

She says her and her family will reach out to the DA to seek justice. District attorney, Craig Frazier, and attorneys for both Deal and Williams declined to comment at the end of today's hearing.

The DA can still pursue a grand jury investigation regarding this incident.