Stephens County Grand Jury indicts man who assaulted SCSO Deputy in February

The Grand Jury handed down indictments last week in Stephens County Superior Court.

WNEG announced some of the indictments during Tuesday’s newscasts; these are some of the remaining indictments.

Joel Eugene Keller was indicted for aggravated assault, cruelty to children in the second degree, driving under the influence, and driving while license suspended.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred on February 15, 2022, when Keller assaulted Stephens County Sheriff’s Office’s Chief Deputy Andy Myers with a Glock .40 caliber handgun.

As WNEG News initially reported when the incident first occurred, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation issued an arrest warrant for Keller following a traffic stop that ended with an officer involved shooting.

At the time, Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley said during the stop there was a struggle which led to Myers being assaulted.

“Earlier this afternoon, a deputy had an encounter with a traffic violator. There was a subsequent struggle at the scene and an assault on the deputy. The driver of the vehicle struggled with the deputy and was able to retrieve his firearm and a subsequent struggle to get the gun back ended up with the driver of the vehicle being shot in the left knee area. He was life-flighted to Northeast Georgia Medical Center,” Shirley said. “The GBI was called to the scene and are investigating both the deputy involved shooting as well as the crime scene investigation. No further details will be released at this time.”

The initial press release from the GBI stated that their early investigation indicated at 1:17 p.m., a Stephens County Deputy attempted a traffic stop on Yearwood Road in Toccoa, on Keller, who was driving a Chevrolet Silverado.

Keller refused to stop, and a pursuit followed. Keller ultimately wrecked at Broad River Road in Toccoa and got out of the truck and approached the deputy, which is when the driver and deputy struggled over the deputy’s gun ending when the driver was shot.

Keller was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Jason Robert Laport was also indicted, last week, for two counts of burglary in the second degree for an incident that occurred between March 16, 2020 and March 24, 2020.

The indictment alleges that Laport unlawfully without authority and with the intent to commit a theft entered Carter’s Royal Dispose-all, located at 198 McJunkin Road, in Toccoa.