TN woman sentenced for violent home invasion in Catoosa County
Samantha Hyatte. Photo courtesy of Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit
CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga. - A Tennessee woman who terrorized two Catoosa County women during a violent home invasion has been sentenced to 30 years, with 16 years to be served in prison, following her guilty plea in Superior Court.
What we know:
Samantha Hyatte, 37, of Dayton, Tennessee, pleaded guilty on Feb. 25 to two counts of Home Invasion in the First Degree, two counts of Aggravated Assault, and Attempted Armed Robbery. The sentencing was handed down by Superior Court Judge Melissa Hise of the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit.
The charges stem from a disturbing incident on Feb. 24, 2024, when Hyatte forcibly entered the home of a 66-year-old and a 60-year-old woman in Catoosa County around 11 a.m., while the women were preparing lunch. According to prosecutors, Hyatte barged in through the front door wielding a large pair of hedge clippers, shouting threats and demanding their car keys.
Inside the home, Hyatte reportedly brandished the clippers in a menacing manner, opening and closing them as she advanced toward the women. One of the victims managed to defuse the situation by throwing the keys onto the front porch. When Hyatte turned to retrieve them, the woman shoved her out the door and locked it, while the other called law enforcement.
Hyatte, who had no known connection to the victims, was found shortly after the attack wandering through the neighborhood, this time carrying a claw hammer. She was quickly taken into custody by the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office, led by Sheriff Gary Sisk.
The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Deanna Reisman, with support provided to the victims by Victim Advocate Shelby Armstrong.
What they're saying:
"This kind of unprovoked violence has no place in our community," said District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller in a statement following the sentencing. "You cross that state line from Tennessee thinking you can bring violence into Georgia, you’re gonna find out real quick. I’m grateful to Judge Hise for laying down a hard sentence that tells folks loud and clear: you come here looking for trouble, you’ll find justice waiting."