On Thursday evening, Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader announced that the investigation into an alleged altercation between Chattooga County Commissioner Andy Allen and a Kentucky truck driver will be transferred to an outside agency. Lookout Mountain District Attorney Clay Fuller met with Sheriff Schrader and Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson, and they agreed that the case should be handled by an agency outside of the local judicial circuit.
The incident under investigation involves Commissioner Andy Allen and William Wilson, a cattle hauler from Kentucky, who alleges that Allen physically assaulted and threatened him during a confrontation on March 3rd. Wilson and his wife were in Chattooga County to pick up a load of cattle from William Mitchell’s farm. Due to the narrow conditions of Little Sand Mountain Road, Wilson said he had to temporarily block the road in order to back his truck into the farm.
As Wilson was maneuvering his truck, Commissioner Allen, who was also traveling on the road, reportedly became upset about the road blockage. According to Wilson’s account, Allen grabbed his shirt, threatened him, and nearly pulled him from the truck. However, Commissioner Allen’s version of events claims that Wilson’s actions created a dangerous situation on the road.
Initially, Sheriff Schrader recused his office from investigating the matter and asked Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson to take over the case. Following a recent discussion, the decision was made to have the investigation handled by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Field Office in Calhoun. The GBI will now oversee the inquiry into the incident.
