Man Convicted and Sentenced for Gang-Related Offenses following a GBI Investigation in Stephens County

A GBI investigation led to the conviction and sentencing of one man for gang-related offenses. During the investigation, GBI agents from our Gang Task Force and Cleveland Regional Investigative Office worked alongside the Toccoa Police Department and were assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Below is what the office of Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney George R. Christian released about the sentencing:

Demetrius Sanchez Smith, 34, was convicted of three counts of Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Assault, Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon following a guilty plea in the Superior Court of Stephens County. The trial, related to a January 2, 2022 shooting in Toccoa, Georgia, was set to begin on the morning of January 22, 2024, but Mr. Smith elected to enter his guilty plea before a jury was empaneled. The plea was taken before the Hon. Albert B. Collier, Senior Judge. The State of Georgia was represented by Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Payne James and Chief Assistant District Attorney Suzanne M. Boykin. The prosecution team also included Assistant District Attorney Andrew L. Smallwood and Alex Godoy.

The case was handled by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region Eight Field Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Gang Task Force, and the Toccoa Police Department. They were assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation North Georgia Major Offenders Task Force. Mr. Smith was sentenced to forty (40) years, with the first eight (8) years to be served in custody.

Mr. Smith is also banished from the Mountain Judicial Circuit. This guilty plea follows Mr. Smith’s September 18, 2023 conviction for Trafficking Methamphetamine, Trafficking Cocaine, and Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.

Multiple co-defendants’ cases were also resolved prior to the start of trial and included convictions for Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Assault, Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, as well as Hindering Apprehension or Punishment of a Criminal.