I-TEAM UPDATE: 911 calls give new details around the arrest of Burke County man
KEYSVILLE, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - After a Facebook Live seemingly went viral, 35-year-old Jeremy Huffman was arrested and charged with eavesdropping, a felony in Georgia.
Huffman climbed a tree on his property and filmed a large gathering next door, with tents, lights and loud music.
This dispute between landowners has been well documented by the Burke County Sheriff’s Office for more than two years.
The first incident was in Oct. 2022, when Huffman called deputies to his house for bullets ricocheting off trees in his backyard, according to one incident report.
That property next to Huffman is owned by the Father’s Heart of GA, Inc. The group using the property is Rebirth Ministries — or Rebirth of a Nation.
EARLIER COVERAGE OF THE CASE:
- Facebook video lands Burke County man in jail for ‘eavesdropping’
- Unrest between Burke County property owners has gone on for years
According to a letter sent to the sheriff’s office from the Father’s Heart of GA, Inc., this was all for a private religious event where the group is celebrating their annual Feast Days from Oct. 17 through Oct 26.
In that letter, the organization says they are taking “well-intended precautions to not disturb neighbors during these events.”
“We acknowledge the quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.,” the letter stated.
Our I-TEAM found Huffman was live on Facebook after 10 p.m. when quiet hours started for this group. You could hear the music and singing coming from next door in the Facebook live.
Huffman and his family weren’t the only ones complaining about this group.
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We found several 911 calls came into Burke County’s dispatch, from different neighbors.
“I’ve got a lot of loud music playing out here and it’s so loud out here and we’re about a half a mile, and it’s extremely loud,” one 911 caller said.
Another said, “All I hear is thumping and our actual windows are shaking a little bit. Is there anything you all can do to calm this down?”
Dispatch then tells the caller they already had a deputy check out the area.
“They shoot all day and then they get on the PA system until late at night, and we’re just trying to live in peace out here,” said a 911 caller.
Other 911 calls came into dispatch earlier that evening at around 6:30 p.m. from the Huffmans and several other neighbors complaining about gunfire and loud noises.
Dispatch and the Huffmans say deputies were called to the their house several times the day before Jeremy was arrested. This was in response to the Huffman’s and neighbors making noise complaints about the group next door.
“I know there was something that happened back there and there was some kind of altercation but it sounds like these folks have automatic weapons back there. You hear a single shot every now and again but then you hear a bunch of them go off all at one time,” said one 911 caller.
MORE I-TEAM INVESTIGATIONS:
- Amid jail arrest, cop already faced DUI charge
- 3 more Richmond County lawmen arrested over use of force
- Video sheds light on jail incident that led to deputes’ arrests
- Richmond County jail incident lawsuit moves to federal court
- 2 ex-deputies plead guilty in assault on inmate
The I-TEAM was able to get a petition from Oct. 2023, typed up and signed by 14 homeowners.
The petition is addressed to the Burke County Board of Commissioners and lays out their concern, including the excessive shooting of guns, unreasonably loud and unnecessary noises, and militant activity coming from the group next to Huffman’s property.
The Petition is also to address violations of Section 28-41 in the county ordinance:
Sec. 28-41. Disorderly house prohibited.
It shall be unlawful for any person to permit disorderly assemblages, or assemblages of persons for illegal purposes in his house to the disturbance of citizens residing in the neighborhood or area.
(Ord. No. 17-05 , § 1, 3-14-2017)
Residents say, “The group have been incessantly engaging in activates that disrupt the peace and tranquility of our neighborhood.”
This large event happens yearly in October, but the sound of gunfire happens on nearly a dozen weekends, one neighbor told our I-TEAM. They say the sound of gunfire can be heard for about eight hours straight.
It seems, no action has been taken related to the neighbor’s concerns.
The I-TEAM obtained warrants from the Magistrate Court of Burke County. Those warrants say Huffman was Eavesdropping between the hours of 10:36 p.m. and 11:03 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2024.
The warrants state the offense is described as, “Jeremy Huffman to go about the premises of Rebirth Ministries at 5800 West Quaker Rd, for the purposes of invading the privacy of others by climbing a tree near the property line and cell phone recording their conversations/secretly observing their activities and live streaming the video to Facebook Live.”
The I-TEAM did find on Huffman‘s Facebook Live he stated he had the flash of his camera on. Huffman’s family tells us he wore bright orange clothing while filming in the tree.
The I-TEAM has requested body camera video of the nearly dozen calls to both properties involved in this case.
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