Jonathon Bailey Panter, a 26-year-old man from Acworth, was convicted on multiple domestic violence charges following a four-day trial in Cherokee County. On March 13, 2024, a jury found Panter guilty of family violence aggravated battery and two counts of family violence aggravated assault, related to a series of assaults that occurred between February 13 and February 18, 2024, at a residence where he lived with the victim.
The case came to light when a friend of the victim took her to the hospital after she sustained extensive injuries. Medical staff and law enforcement noted that the victim had bruises, abrasions, and petechial hemorrhaging in her eye, which is a sign of strangulation. The victim described the violence as being so severe that Panter had beaten her “half to death.”
Investigators from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office gathered significant evidence, including photographs of the victim’s injuries taken by both law enforcement and the victim herself. During the trial, prosecutors presented nearly 90 exhibits and called nine witnesses to testify. In contrast, the defense called five witnesses.
After deliberating for about four hours, the jury convicted Panter on three out of six charges. Superior Court Judge Tony Baker will set a sentencing date in the near future.
Assistant District Attorney Macelyne A. Williams of the Domestic Violence Unit, under the Office of the District Attorney, Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, prosecuted the case.
