COLEMAN, AARON
The man charged with the murder of John Tomason in the Normantown area of Toombs County Thursday morning had his first appearance in court Friday morning before Superior Court Judge Robert Reeves.
Handcuffed and shackled, 20-year-old Aaron Coleman was led into the courtroom with a heavy presence of Toombs County deputies. Coleman implicated his understanding of the charges read by the Judge but sat nonverbal to questions directed toward him.
Coleman was arrested Thursday night and charged with felony murder. An investigation led to other charges against Coleman including two counts of aggravated assault, and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Those charges may be added to or changed by the District Attorney’s Office as the case progresses.
Coleman has petitioned the courts to be represented by the Public Defender’s Office and was represented at his first appearance Friday morning by attorney Lew Tippett.
Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tripp Fitzner said the State did not want to entertain the consideration of bond in the case, but Coleman does have the option to have his attorney request it later.
Fitzner said, “I appreciate the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for their work on this case. There’s not much I can say at this point about the investigation and evidence, but I will bring this case before the grand jury as expeditiously as I can.”