GRIFFIN, Ga. — Bond has been denied for a Spalding County commissioner accused of pointing a gun at his wife, then firing shots at deputies when they tried to arrest him.
Donald Hawbaker made his first court appearance on Wednesday afternoon.
Hawbaker was in court on misdemeanor charges for allegedly threatening his wife over the weekend and felony charges for allegedly firing at deputies late Tuesday afternoon.
In a Spalding County courtroom, Hawbaker's attorney asked a judge to grant him bond so he could enter a rehab facility.
"This incident was spurred on by some abuse of alcohol, maybe some mental health issues pending from the deterioration of his marriage," the attorney said.
But prosecutors argued that given the allegations, Hawbaker is a risk to the community, noting that when he fired at the deputies, he missed them, shooting into their vehicle.
"Those officers are lucky to be alive," the prosecutor said.
RELATED: Spalding County commissioner taken into custody after shots fired at deputies, authorities say
The Magistrate Court judge denied Hawbaker's bond request.
Hawbaker is an attorney and has been a Spalding County commissioner since 2015. He is no stranger to arrest.
In October, he was arrested by Peachtree City Police for DUI -- just before a scheduled commissioner's meeting.
Video of the commissioner's meeting shows Hawbaker's seat empty as he sat in jail. His attorney says the DUI case is still pending.
"I think he has violated the trust of the community," said Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix. "He has violated the trust of the people that live here."
Dix said that arrest warrants show Hawbaker pointed a gun at his wife inside their home on Saturday, then called several Spalding County Sheriff's Office employees on Tuesday, repeatedly using profane language.
"I don't think he was trying to intimidate them," Dix said. "I think he was trying to vent his frustration."
Dix says he first personally reached out to Hawbaker before deputies tried to serve an arrest warrant for simple assault and disorderly conduct on Tuesday.
"When the deputy pulled up in the yard, before anything was said, as soon as they stepped out of the vehicle and a couple of other people stepped out – two shots were fired at my deputy," Dix said.
Dix says when Hawbaker refused to come out of the house, they used gas and a SWAT vehicle to capture him.
The county manager says he is reviewing whether Hawbaker could be removed from the county commission if he is convicted on the felony charges.
Under Georgia state law, it is possible that an elected official may be held accountable for such misconduct.
According to the Georgia Municipal Association's Handbook for Mayors and Councilmembers, if a local elected official is indicted by a grand jury, they can be suspended by the governor if a special commission recommends it.
The special commission is typically made up by the state attorney general and two other elected officials with similar positions from other areas.
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