REPEAT OFFENDER GETS 40 YEAR SENTENCE

 

 

For Immediate Release:

Visiting Superior Court Judge William A. Foster sentenced a Cobb county man to 40 years, with 20 years to serve in prison, without the possibility of parole. Rebel Keith Lee was prosecuted by the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office and was convicted by jury on July 16, 2008, of 2 counts of Aggravated Assault, Theft by Receiving Motor Vehicle, Fleeing From Law Enforcement, Obstruction, Leaving the Scene of an Accident, and Reckless Driving. Mr. Lee has 4 prior felony convictions and 10 misdemeanor convictions, and, as a result, will be treated as Repeat Offender and will not be eligible for early release from prison.

During the trial, Assistant District Attorney Eddie Barker presented evidence that a resident of Austell had his 2000 Chrysler Town & Country van stolen from his driveway about 11:30pm on the night of March 1, 2008. While on patrol the next morning, Sgt. Rodney Houston of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department spotted the van on Lee Road and gave pursuit. The van failed to stop and accelerated to over 85mph. During the pursuit the van passed and struck a vehicle occupied by a father and son on their way to go bowling. Their vehicle was knocked off the roadway but they were uninjured.

The pursuit continued through the parking lot of a gas station and onto Hwy. 92 South. The suspect then drove at over 100 mph on Hwy. 92. The van then tried to turn into School Shoals Road, at which time it came to a stop and Lee then fled on foot. He was pursued by Sheriff’s deputies who located Lee hiding in a tube slide at a children’s playground near Factory Shoals Elementary school. He was then taken into custody.

Prosecutor Eddie Barker also presented evidence of five other incidents where Lee had previously fled from law enforcement officers. In 1995, Lee fled from a Smyrna police officer after being stopped for a traffic violation. In 2001, Lee fled from Douglas County deputies when they tried to stop him on I-20 for speeding. After leading officers through the city streets of Douglasville, officers used the PITT maneuver to end the chase. Lee then fled on foot. In 2002, again Lee was stopped by an Austell police officer for a traffic violation when he took off. A high-speed chase ensued down Thornton Road, Skyview Road and ended when Lee struck a Douglas County deputies vehicle at Mr. Vernon Road. Lee again fled on foot and was captured. In 2004, Lee was confronted at a business near Six Flags by Cobb county officers during the night when he drove away. Lee nearly struck one officers vehicle while driving recklessly. Lee eventually stopped and ran into some woods where a K-9 unit later apprehended him. Then in 2006, Cobb officers again tried to stop Lee for a traffic violation and lead them on a chase going over 85mph through a heavy residential area. He was apprehended fleeing on foot near his home.

During this trial, the jurors were shown video of the chase as well as videos of some of the previous chases.

Assistant District Attorney Eddie Barker praised the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for apprehending Mr. Lee without anyone being seriously injured. “The Sheriff’s deputies did a professional job in capturing Lee before he could do more damage. The Court saw this defendant as a habitual offender who had earned such a lengthy sentence through his actions.”