A proposed early release for former Spalding County Commissioner Donald Hawbaker was halted Friday after Sheriff Darrell Dix publicly objected, reviving a case that began with gunfire aimed at deputies. Hawbaker is serving a 20-year sentence after pleading guilty to five counts of aggravated assault on peace officers.
The Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles stopped the proposed release after Dix posted his opposition, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. The sheriff argued that Hawbaker should remain behind bars for the full prison portion of his sentence.
The underlying case dates to February 4, 2020, when deputies went to the Sun City Peachtree community in Griffin to serve Hawbaker an arrest warrant for simple assault and disorderly conduct. Authorities said he fired at deputies during the ensuing standoff, though nobody was hit, and a SWAT team eventually forced its way into the home, as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Hawbaker pleaded guilty in July 2021 to five aggravated-assault counts involving law enforcement. He was sentenced to 20 years, with 10 years in prison and 10 years on probation, and then-Gov. Brian Kemp removed him from office after his indictment. Dix had warned at the time that early parole was unlikely and promised to oppose any effort to shorten the prison term.
Georgia’s Parole Board Can Revisit Release Decisions
Georgia says parole-eligible inmates are automatically considered for release, but they do not have a right to actually be paroled. The board may deny parole, set a tentative parole month or change an earlier decision before release, according to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles.
The board also says victims, prosecutors, judges and members of the public may send information about a case during the parole process. That gives local officials another formal channel to raise objections, although the board retains the final say.
What The Halt Means For Hawbaker
Friday’s action does not appear to extend Hawbaker’s sentence or permanently eliminate the possibility of a later parole review. It does keep him incarcerated for now while the board determines whether the proposed release should be denied outright or reconsidered under different conditions.
FOX 5 Atlanta reported that the parole proposal was halted after Dix’s social-media post, but the report did not identify a new hearing date or say whether the board issued a final denial. Hawbaker remains tied to the original sentence stemming from the 2020 standoff, when deputies responding to a warrant were met with gunfire.
