Incident with child’s grandmother has Det. Horne on leave, GBI involved
A Waycross Police Department detective has been placed on administrative leave, again, pending independent investigations by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and WPD of a physical altercation with the grandmother of his child.
Chief Tommy Cox said in a statement released Friday, May 30, Det. Marc Horne had been removed from field duty as a result of the investigations into the Thursday, May 29 incident.
“Detective Horne has been placed on administrative leave pending the completion of both the Waycross Police Department’s internal investigation and the concurrent investigation being conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which I called shortly after the incident,” Chief Cox said. “We will not be releasing any additional information at this time to protect the integrity of the investigation.”
The incident took place about 2:40 p.m. It involved Horne and a woman identified as Kisha Smith, the police report said. Smith is the mother of Tristen Music, who shares a daughter with Horne from a past relationship.
A physical altercation between Horne and Music this past January in Brantley County led to Horne being placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. He subsequently was restored to full duty March 12 as the investigation continued after it was determined the detective was not the “primary aggressor” in what Music had reported to Brantley County authorities, Chief Cox said in a statement on Det. Horne returning to duty.
The two share 50-50 custody of the child following a court ruling.
The most recent incident, like the first one, has created a firestorm on social media following posts of photos and videos. The controversy surrounding them were, and have been, further heightened by TV reports, some including on-camera interviews circulated on social media.
Last week’s incident occurred outside Southeast Georgia Pediatrics, 1701 Boulevard Square. Det. Horne was there with his daughter and mother, according to the report.
Officers arriving on scene found several women in nursing scrubs clustered around a woman, later identified as Smith, who sat on the concrete holding a cloth to her face for a cut she said she had suffered in the incident.
Det. Horne and his mother were standing about 20 yards away when officers arrived. In addition to interviewing those involved and witnesses, officers reviewed two cellphone videos — one recorded by Horne’s mother and a second recorded on Det. Horne’s phone.
The recordings, the report said, show Smith approaching vehicles in the clinic parking lot and attempting to open the rear door of Det. Horne’s pickup. In the footage, Horne can be heard repeatedly telling Smith to back away and not to go near his mother’s vehicle. One of the videos was posted online and circulating after the altercation.
The report said Smith slapped a phone out of Det. Horne’s hand, sending it to the pavement with the camera facing down, and then charged at him. Det. Horne told officers he struck Smith one time to stop her from attacking him, telling officers he felt threatened as the woman approached him.
In the videos and in officer interviews, Horne can be heard warning Smith she might be arrested. Smith told officers she wanted (Horne) arrested, the report said.
Shortly after the incident, WPD command staff was notified of the issue and requested the involvement of the GBI.
Jacksonville TV station News4Jax said in a report it had contacted Det. Horne’s attorney for comment, but he declined.
Waycross Attorney Adam M. Craft represented Horne in court proceedings related to the January incident with Music, records show.
Savannah TV station WSAV said in a report of the incident it had contacted Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney Marilyn Bennett for comment Friday.
“Our office is not in possession of any records on allegations of an incident that occurred yesterday (Thursday, May 29) in Waycross involving Marc Horne,” Bennett told the outlet.
WSAV also said it asked for an update on any others cases involving Det. Horne. “The case is still pending an open investigation,” the DA said.
A temporary protective order filed by Music in Brantley County in mid-January was dismissed January 28 by Superior Court Judge J. Kelly Brooks. According to court records, the dismissal order resulted from Music’s failure to prove by a preponderance of the evidence the allegations contained in the petition.
Also according to court records, Craft filed an answer to Music’s petition January 23 stating the detective denied the claims in the petition.
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