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Charles R. Hyde
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Detectives from the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Department joined agents from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and officers from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Department Tuesday, Jan. 13, to announce the arrest of a Pickens County man in connection with the Thanksgiving Day abduction and rape of an East Ellijay Wal-Mart employee.
According to Chief Det. Capt. Stacy Nicholson of the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Dept., Charles Roger Hyde, 55, of Tate, was officially charged with one count of kidnapping, one count of hijacking a motor vehicle, one count of armed robbery, one count of rape, one count of sexual battery, one count of aggravated sodomy, and one count of terroristic threats in Gilmer County.
Hyde had been in the Pickens County Adult Detention Center since Dec. 2, when he was arrested for a parole violation.
According to a press release from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Dept., Pickens County Sheriff Billy Wofford stated Hyde had been charged with criminal attempt to commit armed robbery and theft by taking of a motor vehicle in Pickens County.
The GBI announced it was charging Hyde with one count of armed robbery in connection with an automatic teller machine (ATM) withdrawal in Dawson County on the day of the abduction.
The press release stated that Hyde approached the female employee in the East Ellijay Wal-Mart parking lot as she was getting out of her vehicle to report to work on Thanksgiving Day around 8 a.m.
Hyde brandished a knife, blindfolded the victim, and forced her back into the car, and then drove around for several hours.
While riding around, Hyde drove the victim to a Dawson County bank where he forced her to withdraw money from an ATM. He later forced her to try to withdraw money from an ATM at a Pickens County bank.
During the day, Hyde sexually assaulted the victim.
Around 2:30 p.m., Hyde stopped at a BP service station at the intersection of Hwy. 515 and Hwy. 53 in Jasper. The victim escaped and sought help when Hyde left her unattended in the vehicle.
Hyde fled from the BP station and was soon spotted by Pickens County authorities who gave chase through Pickens County and into Cherokee County. Hyde was able to elude officers, but they did recover the victim’s stolen vehicle a short time later in Tate.
The victim was transported to Mountainside Medical Center in Jasper, where she was examined, treated, and released.
From descriptions of the suspect, and Wofford’s knowledge of people in the Tate area, Hyde was identified as a suspect. It was later determined that he had missed a visit with his parole officer and was picked up for that violation at that time.
Using DNA evidence gathered from the vehicle, and a DNA sample from Hyde that was collected when he was in prison, law enforcement officials tied the two together. They later obtained a “fresh” DNA sample from Hyde and compared it to the samples obtained from the vehicle. Those samples were a match.
GBI Special Agent in Charge John Cagle of the Gainesville GBI Office praised those at the the Georgia State Crime Lab, saying, “The lab technicians put in many hours above and beyond with this case.”
Nicholson told the Times-Courier, “After Hyde was mentioned as a possible suspect, search warrants were executed for his residence where evidence was obtained to place him as a prime suspect. The DNA testing confirmed our suspicions.”
The chief detective had high praise for the agencies involved with helping solve the case. “I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Pickens County Sheriff’s Department and the GBI for their assistance and work on this case. Everyone did an outstanding job.”
Hyde is being held in the Pickens County Adult Detention Center awaiting a parole violation hearing and arraignment on the charges stemming from the Thanksgiving Day events. If convicted, Hyde could face the death penalty due to the seriousness of the charges.