I-TEAM UPDATE: Group involved in Burke County eavesdropping dispute speaks out

KEYSVILLE, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A viral Facebook live is what landed 35-year-old Jeremy Huffman behind bars and charged with felony eavesdropping.

Huffman is now out on bond, but questions still linger about why he was arrested, and how he ended up with felony charges.

According to reports, 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 I-TEAM sat down with Jimmy Harris and Morris Williams Jr. about the arrest of Jeremy Huffman.

Jimmy Harris is the president of the Father’s Heart of Georgia Inc. and owner of the land next to Huffman. Morris Williams Jr. is the leader of Rebirth of a Nation and uses Harris’ land for events in Burke County.

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
• 911 calls give new details around the arrest of Burke County man

“It’s our goal to be peaceful, we aren’t trying to just interrupt the neighbors,” said Williams. “Then we look in a tree and see a man recording and go on Facebook Live saying all kinds of rhetoric. Spreading all this and that went viral. Now we are just coming in as a terrorist group to take over the county, and all we were trying to do is worship and camp,” said Williams.

Both Harris and Williams say this all stemmed from the Father‘s Heart of Georgia trying to buy Huffman’s property. Police reports also mention this dispute started over purchasing Huffman’s property.

“He was thinking about selling his property. I said, okay, so we all went to look at his property. He showed us around everything,” said Harris.

Harris and Williams say the Huffman’s realtor listed the property, which they say is public record. They say the county was able to get a hold of property records showing issues during the buying process with inspections and permits.

“We were no longer interested in the property. But, because of what happened with the county, he wants to blame us for it when it really wasn’t us. It was the county looking at what was posted that whatever his realtor had posted,” said Harris. “That’s when the shift happened.”

The first documented report is from Oct. 2022, when Huffman called deputies to his house for bullets ricocheting off trees in his backyard, according to one incident report.

Williams and Harris dispute that no bullets could make it to Huffman‘s property based on the layout of the range. Harris says the group shoots in the opposite direction of where the Huffman’s property is.

“We have so many trees and we got a berm, we got trees behind it. And then there are trees still on our property before he gets to his property. Where we’re aiming is still on our property,” said Harris.

The I-TEAM did get body camera video from almost every previous incident deputies responded to either property. There have been nearly a dozen times since 2022 when deputies were called out for noise complaints.

That included Huffman playing loud music and the group making loud noises and constant shooting. In a separate video sent to us by a neighbor, you can hear noise coming from the event in the middle of the day.

The Father’s Heart of Georgia Inc. says this is for a private religious event where the group celebrates their annual feast days, for eight days in October.

They say they had roughly 200 people attend this year with a lot of people coming from out of town.

“We are out there, we gather people, we have music, we have food, and we teach them things concerning farming, things concerning the vegetation, things concerning, you know, just family protection and things of that nature,” said Williams. “You don’t hear this throughout the year. It’s nothing like that. You might have a couple of Sundays that we might come out and do that, but we have the right to do it.”

911 calls and previous incidents show neighbors repeatedly complaining about noise coming from the property next to Huffman.

Harris and Williams say they’re usually out at the property a handful of times shooting weapons and caring for the land outside of their October event.

“We‘ll come out there and work on the animals. There’s no music, no, no mics. Nothing, it’s strictly about the animals. It’s about developing the land and it’s about dealing with the vegetation. That’s what we do. But if he sees us out there, he’s cranking the music up. And he’ll be just making all types of noise,” said Williams.

According to Sheriff Alfonzo Williams, they’ve found no connection between this group and any organizations that are currently under investigation.

“Being labeled a militant group and all of this stuff is a farce,” said Harris.

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

They say they have one day of scheduled shooting during their event that’s usually followed up with practice the next day. Harris says no automatic weapons are being used on the property, despite 911 calls describing the sound of automatic weapons being fired.

Williams also says this isn’t the only time they’ve been recorded by Huffman or others in the area.

“I want anybody to tell me if it’s ok. Neighborhood, country, wherever it is, for your neighbor to constantly film your family from their property and say whatever they want to say about it,” said Williams. “If it’s a private event, if it’s your house and your family, to sit there and go live and say whatever you want. Does anybody think that that’s okay to do? I feel everybody would have a problem with that.”

The group says they’ll continue to give a heads-up to the sheriff’s office and work to reduce the impact their event has on surrounding neighbors.

“We try each year even going into next year,” said Williams. “We’re going to do some stuff to make sure that it’s no ruckus, that nothing that can be said.”

The I-TEAM asked about the connection between Rebirth of a Nation and The Father’s Heart of GA, Inc. Harris tells us he met Williams through mutual friends.

Harris is a member of Rebirth of a Nation and is an elder in the organization with Williams.

We have reached out to the Huffman family for an interview. They told the I-TEAM they’d consult with their attorney.

We have not heard back about that interview request yet.

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