An investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation led to the recent sentencing of a Toccoa man for gang-related offenses in Stephens County.
A press release from the GBI said Demetrius Sanchez Smith, 34 was convicted of three counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon following a guilty plea in the Superior Court of Stephens County.
The trial was related to a Jan. 2, 2022 shooting in Toccoa and was planned to begin on Jan. 22, 2024, but Smith entered a guilty plea before the jury was enlisted.
The plea was taken before Senior Judge Albert B. Collier.
The case was handled by the GBI Region Eight Field Office, the GBI Gang Task Force and the Toccoa Police Department with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation North Georgia Major Offenders Task Force.
Smith was sentenced to 40 years, with the first eight years to be served in custody.
“Mr. Smith is also banished from the Mountain Judicial Circuit,” the press release read.
The guilty plea follows Smith’s Sept. 18, 2023 conviction for trafficking methamphetamine, trafficking cocaine and violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act.
