FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 1, 2021
On August 25, 2021, a jury in the Superior Court of Carroll County found Christopher John Couch, 38, of Temple,
guilty of Trafficking Methamphetamine, Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance, and Possession of a
Schedule IV Controlled Substance. Following the guilty verdict, Couch pleaded guilty to Possession of a Firearm by
a Convicted Felon. Coweta Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Dustin Hightower sentenced Couch to 30 years,
with the first 20 years to be served in prison. As a result of Couch’s criminal history, having more than three prior
felony convictions, Couch was sentenced as a repeat offender and will not be eligible for parole on his 20-year
sentence.
Assistant District Attorney Caley McDonald prosecuted the case. Chief Brian Sims, formerly of the Carroll County
Sheriff’s Office, currently the Chief of Police in Mt. Zion, and Sgt. Shane Spradlin, of the Carroll County Sheriff’s
Office, were the lead investigators.
The charges arose out of a November 15, 2019 incident at the Holiday Inn Express in Villa Rica. That morning,
officers with the ACE Unit were searching for a man that had been seen at the Holiday Inn Express. Members of the
ACE Unit went to the Holiday Inn Express and confirmed that the male they were looking for had been at the hotel
and determined that he was associated with a room rented under the last name Couch. Shortly after checkout,
hotel staff let officers into the room. Instead of the man they were looking for, officers found Christopher Couch
and a female in the room. In the room, officers observed drug paraphernalia and a firearm. Officers determined
that Couch had an active warrant for his arrest and obtained a search warrant for the room. The execution of the
search warrant revealed over 244 grams of methamphetamine, oxycodone pills, alprazolam pills, and a large
amount of U.S. currency.
I commend the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and members of the multiagency ACE Unit for their commitment to
holding accountable those who illegally possess and trade in guns and drugs. The DA’s Office will continue to seek
multi-year prison sentences for drug traffickers, like Mr. Couch, who seek to profit from those who suffer from
addiction.
JOHN HERBERT CRANFORD, JR.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
COWETA JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
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