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Judge denies venue request

Suspect’s attorney wants trial moved out of Fayette

By LEE WILLIAMS
lwilliams@TheCitizenNews.com

An attorney for one of the suspects in the June robbery at hte Tinseltown movie complex asked a Superior Court judge to move the trial out of Fayette County, arguing that excessive media coverage would make it hard to ensure a fair trial.

Lloyd Walker, the attorney for Darrell Brown, asked Griffin Judicial Circuit Judge Chris Edwards to move the trial during a motions hearing Aug. 19. Edwards denied the request. Brown kept police at bay for 24 hours during the Tinseltown incident.

Griffin Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Randy Coggin agreed with the judge's decision.

"It's premature," Coggin said. "You don't know if the prospective jurors may have heard or read about the case."

Coggin indicated it's not just about whether the prospective jurors heard or read about the case. An attorney who would like to have the trial moved due to pre-trial coverage must establish that prospective jurors can't lay that opinion aside.

Coggin said the issue could come up at a later date.

Brown, 45, and his alleged co-conspirator Andre Lee, 28, both of Powder Springs, face charges of three counts of armed robbery, three counts of kidnapping and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The charges stem from allegations that Brown and Lee robbed the Tinseltown movie theater at gunpoint June 14. The men retreated in the ceiling, however, Lee was captured when his foot fell through the ceiling, as police grabbed his foot and pulled him down.

Brown continued to elude police, prompting a 24-hour manhunt with more than 100 officers. Brown later was found hiding between insulation in the theater. He was taken into custody without further incident.

Both men have criminal pasts. Brown has an armed robbery conviction out of Louisiana under his belt. If convicted, he could face a stiffer sentence because of it.

Judge Edwards put the case on the fast track. The men were indicted on the charges July 13 and are expected to be tried together during the second half of September.