Spalding County commissioner sentenced to prison for SWAT standoff

SPALDING COUNTY, Ga. - A suspended Spalding County commissioner accused of shooting at deputies has been sentenced to a decade in jail after pleading guilty.

Friday, a superior court judge sentenced don Hawbaker to 20 years: 10 to be served in prison and 10 years on probation afterward.

The charges stem from an encounter on Feb. 3 where investigators say Hawbaker fired upon dozens of SWAT officers surrounded his home. The standoff started when deputies tried to serve a warrant from a domestic dispute between Hawbaker and his wife. He was eventually taken into custody after three hours.

(Spalding County Sheriff's Office)

Hawbaker's charges include aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.

"When he entered his plea Hawbaker admitted to the accusations and accepted responsibility for his actions. He apologized to my deputies that he fired shots at that day," Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix said in a statement. "I think Judge Ballard said it best when he addressed Hawbaker and told him that he was elected by the people of this county to represent them and work to make Spalding County better. You failed them and endangered the lives of those who protect us every day." 

Hawbaker has been in custody at the Spalding County Jail without bond since the standoff.

This wasn’t Hawbaker’s first run-in with the law. In October of 2019, he was arrested for DUI.

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