FOX 5 Atlanta20%
Why a Georgia sheriff is fighting to keep ex-commissioner in prison 35%
By Doug Evans43%
7/31/2026, 4:37:07 PM
Keywords: Griffin, Crime And Public Safety
BS Summary: This article contains 14 faulty reasoning types, including Biased Writer Voice, Appeal to Emotion, and Availability Heuristic, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 37.8% saturation with 88 hits. Analysis detected 426 faulty-reasoning hits from 233 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 37.1% and a BS Rank of 35% (16,940 of 25,730 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 65.80% of the article peer group.
Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix sent a formal letter to the State Board of Pardons and Paroles objecting to a proposal that would grant early release to former county commissioner Don Hawbaker.
Sheriff Darrell Dix expressed outrage on social media after learning the parole board was considering releasing Don Hawbaker early for good behavior.
Hawbaker was sentenced in 2021 to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of aggravated assault on law enforcement.
The charges stemmed from a 2020 standoff where a SWAT team used an armored vehicle to break through Hawbaker's front door.
Hawbaker opened fire on deputies who were trying to serve an arrest warrant after he pointed a gun at his wife.
Sheriff Dix stated that neither his office, the targeted deputies, the district attorney, nor Hawbaker's ex-wife, Gayle Brittingham, were notified of the parole consideration.
He noted that everyone involved would have strongly objected to releasing Hawbaker early.
"He tried his best to kill my deputies," Dix wrote in his letter.
"My compassion for him was left under the tires of the armored personnel carrier that we parked in his living room."
Authorities have not revealed when the parole board will make a final determination regarding Hawbaker's prison status.
However, officials confirmed that Hawbaker will remain behind bars for now while the review process continues.
Analysis
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