Woman claims police held her to get husband to surrender

COVINGTON, Ga. - A Covington woman says officers detained her and held her at the police station in order for her husband to surrender to authorities.

Her attorney likened the tactic to holding the woman for ransom.

How did it start?

The first of two strange interactions took place in May 2022. A 911 call came in about shots fired in the neighborhood along Melody Court.

Eddie Ballard said he heard the commotion and walked outside where various officers and neighbors had gathered. An officer asked for his name. He responded with the first name, but objected to handing over his full identification.

Police soon placed handcuffs on him, but later a supervisor told the officer to remove the restraint.

"I went to the station and filed a complaint," Ballard said in an interview at his attorney’s office.

Four days later, several officers came back to the home looking for the husband.

Candice Ballard explained only she and three children were home.

Officers decided to detain the wife and drive her to the police station.

She says she was held, and body cam footage shows an exchange between a supervisor and Mrs. Ballard in which she was offered the opportunity to call and have her husband come in on a misdemeanor warrant.

In exchange, she could leave.

She made that call. Ballard, who was furious, surrendered to a charge of obstruction for not providing his identification.

Authorities declined to speak to FOX 5, citing pending litigation.