James Saunders

Name of Accused:
Saunders, James Edward

Date of Arrest:
09/18/2024


Charges For Arrest:
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT – F
CRUELTY TO CHILDREN-3RD DEGREE – M
CRUELTY TO CHILDREN-3RD DEGREE – M
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On 05-16-2024
while on uniformed patrol in the City of Savannah, I responded to the above apartment regarding the report of a domestic situation with a strangulation. The female caller stated that the black male suspect was collecting items and about to leave the residence.
Upon arrival, Cpl. Diggs was positioned at the rear of the residence and Cpl. Sheller and I went to the front door where I knocked. The door was answered by a black female later identified as [VICTIM ] answered the door. I observed small abbrasions on her neck around the trachea and asked if the suspect was still onscene. She stated he was not, and does not have a vehicle and left on foot. I observed two small children ([JUVENILE ] and [JUVENILE ]) on the livingroom floor just inside the front door playing with toys. I asked to come in to conduct a protective sweep, and she invited us in. She stated the only other person currently in the was her teenage daughter ([REDACTED]) who was upstairs possibly sleeping. I entered and announced police presence. [REDACTED] quickly moved from the bathroom to her bedroom as I walked the stairs and attempted to move purses out of the way to close the door; before she could fully close the door, I asked if she was okay. She peeked her head around the door and stated she was fine and had just gotten out of the shower (towel wrapped around her body and wet, unclothed shoulders confirmed this) and I advised her to get some clothes on. I then conducted a protective sweep of the apartment, and nothing appeared amiss.
I then met back up with [VICTIM ] at the front door, and given the public nature of the front door, asked her if I could interview her on the back patio. We walked through the kitchen to the back room which had been turned into a makeshift master bedroom. It was on the back patio and doorway of the back room that I interviewed her.
I asked [VICTIM ] if she needed EMS attention or to go to the hospital, and she stated she did not. I asked if her children were injured in any way, and she stated they were not (they also appeared to be the picture of health to me). I asked [VICTIM ] what happened. She stated that she works nights, and today around 1600hrs, she apparently got a phone call from her boyfriend who also lives in the apartment (and is also father to [JUVENILE ] and [JUVENILE ]). Due to sleeping, she missed the call. This evening, with the children playing in the livingroom, she was in the kitchen preparing dinner. She stated as she was at the sink, James Saunders (the aforementioned boyfriend/childrens father) approached her from the livingroom and “got in my face” about some prior argument or disagreement from 2017. Evidently, Saunders didn’t like the way the conversation went, and grasped [VICTIM ] by the throat with a single right hand. She stated that he the pushed her backwards into the makeshift bedroom and down onto the bed.
Once on the bed, his grasp with his hand holding her to the bed shifted from her throat to more along her jawline where he had her pinned there. [VICTIM ] said that [JUVENILE ] and [JUVENILE ] then entered the room and [JUVENILE ] began throwing toys at Saunders, at which point she decided to stop this violence so that her children wouldn’t have to see it, and [VICTIM ] grabbed at Saunders long dreadlocks and pulled them. Simultaneously she kicked him to get him off of her, and thereby accomplished getting out of his grasp. Once out of his grasp, she said that she got up off the bed, went to the kitchen to retrieve her phone, called 911 for assistance, and Saunders collected a few things and left the residence on foot. It is noteworthy that there was a single long dreadlock on the concrete back patio that [VICTIM ] said belonged to Saunders and must have falled out or come loose when she grabbed at his hair.
EMS responded to the scene and offered assistance, which [VICTIM ] declined.
I inspected [VICTIM ]s neck for injuries, and observed small horizontal abbrasions on her neck, one almost in the center of the throat and one towards the left of center. I also noticed small scratch marks at the end of her jawline and just underneath her ears, particularly on her left side, which appeared consistent with fingernails scratching this portion of her face. [VICTIM ] stated that she did not urinate or deficate herself, and did not loose consciousness. She did not speak with a raspy voice, and stated that while Saunders hand was around her throat, she was able to speak the whole time, and even said something to him while his hand was around her throat.
She stated that after she got free of him, she had some difficulty breathing, but stated that this was due to her asthema and the stressful situation. She stated she didn’t recall Saunders saying anything to her while his hand was on her throat or while she was pinned to the bed. She stated that she didn’t feel in danger for her life when Saunders had her pinned by her neck/throat, but felt that he had crossed a line particularly with disrespect. I photographed the injuries that I saw and the lack of petechiae that I observed in her eyes, and uploaded these photos to Evidence.com via Axon Capture.
I asked [REDACTED] if she had seen anything, and she stated she was upstair and showering when anything transpired.
I ed the on-duty supervisor, who responded to the scene and summoned a SPD FVU detective. I stood by during his interview with [VICTIM ].
[End of Narrative]