Dalton, Ga., police arrest Chatsworth man for yelling, spitting and stripping

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

photo James Dockery

Dalton, Ga., police arrested a man for allegedly spitting on a child, dropping his pants in a public place and yelling about devil worshipers, Hispanics, homosexuals and "Tennessee trash."

Officers arrested 47-year-old James Ralph Dockery, of 329 Zion Hill Church Road in Chatsworth, Ga., on Sunday. Dockery is charged with nine crimes, including two counts of battery and two counts of disorderly conduct.

According to a police report, Dockery's day of disruption began at a RaceTrac convenience store around 2 p.m. As Dockery walked into the store, located at 1511 W. Walnut Ave., he yelled at Brandon Coover.

He accused Coover of loving Satan and kissing the devil's butt. When Coover walked inside, according to police, Dockery followed, yelling at him the whole time.

Inside, another shopper named Carry Hill told Dockery that he was not acting like a Christian. Dockery then turned his attention to Hill and a child. He yelled and cursed at them. At one point, he spit on the child.

He also discussed the merits of Christianity with a child, police say. Eventually, Dockery left the store. But as he did, he pulled his pants down, walking bare-bottomed into the 60-degree afternoon.

Later Saturday, Dockery showed up at a Walmart and got into more trouble. He arrived at 815 Shugart Road around 11:30 p.m. and yelled something about "Tennessee trash."

Dockery walked up to store employee George Jeunelot and told him that homosexuals need to be beat down, according to an incident report. Then, he approached employee Charles Hays and accused Hays of disrespecting somebody's mother.

Police say Hays had to jump out of the way as Dockery began to lunge toward him.

When a Hispanic family walked by, Dockery screamed something about illegal immigrants, and store manager Robin Wright told Dockery to leave. As Wright escorted Dockery out of the store, Dockery told her -- a Chatsworth resident -- that she was "Tennessee trash."

Dockery then hopped into a white Lexus. As he left, Wright would later tell police, Dockery sped through the parking lot in the wrong lane.

Another car almost got hit, but its driver pulled out of the way as Dockery drove by, according to police.

Dockery remained in the Whitfield County Jail on Monday in lieu of a $7,500 bond.

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com.