Juana Ash speaks with WGXA following Omar Wright's arrest off I-75 in Houston County on March 8, 2025 (Credit: Carlos Stephens, WGXA / Houston County District Attorney's Office)
HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. (WGXA) — An Atlanta mother and son were found guilty of making false statements on Tuesday after claiming Houston County Sheriff's Office deputies brutalized the 21-year-old man during a traffic stop last year.
According to Houston County District Attorney Eric Edwards, Juana Shantail Ash, 42, and her son, Omar Wright, now 22, were sentenced to three years on probation and two days in the Houston County Jail after a jury found them guilty of "felony-grade making a false statement," with Wright also being convicted of misdemeanor obstruction of officers.
This case stems from a traffic stop on Interstate 75 on March 8, 2025, where Wright and his two cousins were pulled over for going under the speed limit in the far left lane. WGXA's Carlos Stephens spoke with Ash and Houston County Sheriff Matt Moutlon the same month of the incident. Moulton confirmed all three men were removed from the vehicle after a deputy smelled marijuana.
“It was impeding traffic, so the deputy initiated a traffic stop for that reason. When he made contact with the driver at the driver’s side door, he immediately detected marijuana coming from inside the vehicle,” Sheriff Matt Moulton stated last year.
DA Edwards states that during the stop, a struggle between Wright, a passenger and Houston County...
Juana Ash speaks with WGXA following Omar Wright's arrest off I-75 in Houston County on March 8, 2025 (Credit: Carlos Stephens, WGXA / Houston County District Attorney's Office) HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga...