Menlo Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Shooting Into Home
CHATTOOGA COUNTY, Ga. — A Menlo man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison after being found guilty of firing into a home during a domestic dispute, according to the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
On August 19, a Chattooga County jury convicted 64-year-old Thomas Nelson Tucker Jr. on multiple charges, including three counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Prosecutors said the incident occurred in December 2022, when Tucker fired several shots into a mobile home on Reece Street. Three people were inside the residence at the time, though no one was injured. Investigators reported that Tucker had argued with his former girlfriend earlier that evening before returning to the home, honking his horn, and then opening fire after a resident came outside and retreated back inside.
Bullets struck the living room where the victims were located, authorities said.
Tucker, who was sentenced as a recidivist, received a total of 25 years, with 17 years to serve in prison and the remaining eight years on probation.
From the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office:
On August 19, 2025, a Chattooga County jury found
Thomas Nelson Tucker Jr., 45, of Menlo, guilty on three counts of aggravated assault, as well as possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The conviction stems from a December 22, 2022, shooting incident in which Tucker fired multiple shots
into a mobile home occupied by three people after a domestic dispute with his former girlfriend escalated.
Deputies from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene on Reece Street. The
victims identified Tucker as the shooter. The investigation, led by Sheriff’s Investigator Wendell Flood, revealed that Tucker returned to the residence after the argument, honked his horn, and when another occupant stepped outside, he brandished a handgun. The occupant retreated indoors, and Tucker fired multiple shots into the mobile home. While no one was injured, bullets passed through the living area where three people were inside.A “be on the lookout” was issued for Tucker, and deputies later located and arrested him at his residence.
A search warrant executed by Investigator Flood led to the recovery of a black 9-millimeter handgun hidden
under a nightstand and a 9-millimeter casing lodged under the driver’s seat of Tucker’s truck. Evidence was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab for analysis.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michael E. Harty, who recently joined the District
Attorney’s Office. “ADA Harty has quickly adopted our tough-on-crime approach and is already doing great
things to protect our communities and I want to tip my cap to him and our great Chattooga team,” said DA Fuller.The prosecution team was supported by victim advocates Jordan Thomasson and Donna Howell, administrative assistants Annabelle Carter and Cara Parris, and Investigator Daniel Thacker. Three victims, two deputies, and a GBI firearms examiner testified during the two-day trial before Judge Melissa Hise. The jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts after deliberating for just over an hour.
Tucker, sentenced as a recidivist, received 25 years with 17 years to serve in prison, followed by three
years on probation.District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller commended the work of Sheriff Schrader’s team and his own office:
“In some parts of the United States, you’re lucky to see a defendant get 17 years in prison even when a
cold-blooded murder happens. Not in Northwest Georgia. You put bullets down range and put innocent lives injeopardy, you can trust you are going to prison for a looooooong time. Sheriff Mark Schrader’s team doesn’ttolerate violence in Chattooga County — and neither does mine.”https://www.chattoogacounty.gov/199/Chattooga-County-Sheriffs-Office
