Toccoa man charged with murder, assault remains in custody
WNEG News spoke this morning with Stephens County Clerk of Superior Court Tim Quick to find out the status of Christopher Vaughn, 39, of Toccoa, who was arrested last Thursday on one count of murder and two counts of aggravated assault.
Vaughn remains in custody at the Stephens County Detention Center, and Quick explained that the normal bond hearing process, in which hearings are held in Magistrate court, do not apply to Vaughn, as bond hearings on murder charges must be held in Superior Court, and that hearing has not been scheduled as of this morning.
Georgia state law specifies that, in most cases, the magistrate court has the authority to set a bond. However, in cases involving murder, only a superior court judge can set the bond. Scheduling of a bond hearing before a superior court judge can take several weeks, depending on the court’s schedule.
The events leading to Vaughn’s arrest began early last Thursday morning around 6 a.m., when Stephens County Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to a verbal domestic call at a home on Bart Holcomb Road in Stephens County, to the south of the Highway 17 Bypass, near Nub Garland Road and Currahee Lane.
At approximately 7:40 a.m., deputies responded to the same residence in response to the report of a person stabbed at the home. When deputies arrived, they found William James Vaughn, 63, of Toccoa, dead in his home.
The deputies cleared the home and found Christopher Vaughn locked inside a room. He was taken into custody.
Another victim, Janet Lynn Vaughn, 62, of Toccoa, was located at a home nearby and airlifted for medical treatment. There is no report on the extent of her injuries or her status at this time.
The Stephen’s County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI to assist them with the stabbing investigation.
Upon completion of the investigation, the case will be provided to the Mountain Judicial Circuit for prosecution.
WNEG News will continue to monitor this story and provide updates as they become available.