The GBI is investigating the death of a man who died Wednesday while in the custody of the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office. 39-year old Christopher Watts of Tiger, Georgia died within hours of being picked up by police on a parole violation.
Baldwin Police Chief Chad Nichols says Watts was arrested after he was spotted in the Dollar General store on Willingham Avenue by someone who recognized him from the website Habersham’s Most Wanted. Nichols says Baldwin Police were dispatched to the store and met up with Watts as he was leaving.
In a press release issued Thursday, Chief Nichols described his officers’ encounter with Watts:
“The suspect turned and ran back through the store where he was caught after a short foot chase. The suspect continued to actively resist with officers inside the store and a taser was deployed to subdue the suspect. Officers were then able to handcuff the suspect and escort him from the store. During the struggle an officer was injured and an ambulance was requested to the scene to check the officer and the suspect.”
The officer was transported to Habersham Medical Center with an injured ankle. Nichols says Watts “was cleared by medical personnel on scene.” He was then turned over to the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office for transport to the jail.
According to a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office on Thursday:
“While at the jail, Watts appeared to be having a medical emergency and was evaluated by jail medical staff. Medical staff requested an ambulance to transport Watts to the Habersham County Medical Center where he later died.”
Could take 90 days before cause of death determined
Jessica Watts says her brother-in-law was dead by the time the family arrived at the hospital.
She says investigators told them he was still being booked into the jail when the trouble began. “They said they tried to restrain him to the chair and when they did he started flipping out.” Her husband, Stewart, says they were told his brother died of “cardiac arrest.”
“He had a history of grand mal seizures,” Stewart says. Jessica adds, “Something like that (being tased and restrained) would send him into a seizure.” She describes it as “a fish out of water type seizure.” They say Chris Watts had a history of drug use. “We tried and tried but we couldn’t get him away from it,” Jessica says. “It consumed him, but that’s all he knew.”
Watts’ body was taken to the state crime lab for an autopsy. Habersham County Coroner Kasey McEntire says the official cause of death has not yet been determined. “We’re waiting on the State Medical Examiner’s report,” he says, and that could take up to three months.
In the meantime, Chris Watts’ family is trying to piece together the events leading up to his death based on what they’ve been told by local law enforcement, the hospital and Coroner’s office. They caution against speculation.
“What’s done is done,” Jessica Watts says. “It’s a bad situation that went even worse and it took a person’s life.”
A Moment. A Memory.
Watts was the father of five children. His oldest is seventeen. His youngest turns two next month.
There’s a photo on his Facebook page of him with his teenaged sons Preston and Cody. Stewart Watts says it was one of the happiest days of his brother’s life because he got to share something special with his sons. “He was at my shop, that was my car and he got to show his boys my car and stand next to my car,” Stewart recalls. “That was one of the happiest days that he had.”
“He was a good guy, a good person, a good brother,” Jessica adds. “He was a good father. He didn’t get the opportunity to be around his kids as much as he wanted to, but he was a good father.”
Funeral services will be held at Rocky Grove Baptist Church in Tiger. Arrangements are incomplete at this time.
