Coweta County (February 15, 2023) – Officers responded to a suicide attempt call at a Newnan residence and found a woman covered in light gray dust, saying she had taken a bottle of Xanax and wanted to die. Her husband explained that they had argued, and she had poured her father’s ashes all over herself in the living room before moving into the bedroom.
He said his wife, Teressa Sue Kelley, had attacked him, scratched the back of his neck while trying to grab her phone, and “hit him over the head with the butt of a pistol,” which her son confiscated for safety. He stated that she had a history of domestic violence and had been arrested several times.
They observed scratches on his neck, a bump on his forehead, and a broken potted plant with dirt leading into the bedroom. They also saw an empty Alprazolam bottle and bible pages on the floor by his wife.
She told the officers she and her husband had argued because they were separating, and he started drinking again and lied to her. She admitted to physically fighting with him and said that her finger hurt and might be broken.
From the back of the ambulance, Kelley explained that she had grabbed the gun because she intended to hurt her husband because he lied. Then she said that she had accidentally hit him with the weapon and scratched him while trying to retrieve her cell phone.
When asked again, the victim insisted she hit him purposely, grabbing the gun by the muzzle and hitting him in the head with the butt.
Kelley’s daughter, the 911 caller, said her brother had called her, saying his parents were attacking each other. She corroborated the victim’s account of Kelley’s violent history.
Coweta County Fire Rescue transported Kelley to Piedmont Newnan Hospital for a psychological evaluation. Officers arrested her on March 6, and she was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm. This case is currently pending in court.
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at approximately 2213 hours, I responded to [100 BLOCK] Frances Shirey Way in reference to a suicide attempt. The dispatcher told me that a the callers mother had poured her father’s ashes all over her in the living room and said she wanted to die.
Upon arrival, I met with the female’s husband, now known to me as [REDACTED BY AGENCY]. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] told me that his wife, Teressa Kelley, was in their bedroom and that they had gotten into an argument. The living room had a potter plant broken on the ground with the dirt spread all over the ground and tracking back to the bedroom. I went back to the bedroom and found Teressa covered in a light gray dust, which I believe to be human remains. There was also an empty prescription pill bottle on the ground for Alprzolam. There were pages out of a bible that were ripped on the ground amidst more gray dust.
Teressa told me that she had taken a bottle of Xanax as well as the bottle of Alprazolam. I asked Teressa what was going on and she told me that she and [REDACTED BY AGENCY] got into an argument because they are getting separated, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] started drinking again, and lied to her. Teressa told me that she and [REDACTED BY AGENCY] did physically fight. She told me her finger hurt and she thought it may be broken. She also told me that she wanted to die.
Once Fire-Rescue arrived, I went outside and spoke to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] again. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] told me that Teressa attacked him, scratched the back of his neck, and hit him over the head with the butt of a pistol. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] was able to show me the scratches on the back of his neck and some redness and a bump on the top of his forehead by his hairline, where he says Teressa hit him. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] also told me that Teressa has a history of domestic violence and has been arrested several times. I asked [REDACTED BY AGENCY] where the gun was and he told me that [WITNESS #1], Teressa’s son, took the gun with him to keep it away from her.
Once Teressa was in the back of the ambulance, I spoke with her again. I asked Teressa why she grabbed the gun and she told me that she got it because she intended to hurt [REDACTED BY AGENCY] because he lied to her. Teressa also told me that she did not mean to hit [REDACTED BY AGENCY] with the gun but hit him when trying to pass it to her son. Teressa said that she scratched the back of [REDACTED BY AGENCY]’s neck when she was trying to get her phone from him. I asked Teressa if she was trying to call 911 with her phone and she said she was not.
I spoke with [REDACTED BY AGENCY] again and asked him how Teressa hit him with the gun and he said she grabbed it by the muzzle and hit him in the head with the butt of the gun. He also said that the scratches were because Teressa was trying to get her phone from him.
I called the phone number for the 911 caller and was able to speak with [WITNESS #2], Teressa’s daughter. [WITNESS #2] told me that her brother, [WITNESS #1], called her and told her what was happening. [WITNESS #2] told me that [WITNESS #1] said his parents were attacking each other. [WITNESS #2] also told me that Teressa has a history of domestic violence and has been arrested several times. [WITNESS #2] also told me that [WITNESS #1] had taken the gun with him so that his mother could not have access to it.
Teressa was transported by Coweta County Fire Rescue to Piedmont Newnan Hospital for a psychological evaluation. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] was given a case card. An arrest was not immediately made due to the condition she was in when she was transported to the hospital. I will attempt to obtain an arrest warrant.
[End of Narrative]
