Mother and son sentenced for making false statements about Houston County Sheriff deputies 

HOUSTON COUNTY — Juana Shantail Ash, 42, and her son Omar Knite Wright, 22, of Atlanta, were sentenced on Wednesday to three years’ probation and to serve 48 hours in Houston County jail for making false statements at a felony-grade level. Wright was also found guilty of obstruction of officers, according to the Houston County District Attorney’s Office. 

These charges stem from a March 8, 2025, traffic stop on I-75 involving a Chevy truck in which Wright was the passenger. 

A media release said Wright was refusing to follow the Sheriff deputies’ demands, including exiting the vehicle. 

“A taser had to be deployed on Wright to force his compliance due to safety concerns because of Wright initiating the struggle from the passenger’s seat closest to moving interstate traffic,” the release said. “Wright was speaking with Ash, his mother, on his cell phone via FaceTime during the struggle.”

Wright was then put into custody and taken to the Houston County Jail.  

The release said Ash met with Major Clay Chambers of the Sheriff’s Office a few days later to file a complaint. Their statement claimed the deputies “violently beat on the vehicle’s window with a weapon, shouted profanity and that deputies had their weapons drawn ready to fire”. 

They also claimed Wright was tased repeatedly while handcuffed and that the deputies refused to give him medical assistance. 

“Each of these allegations proved to be wholly false and fabricated upon review of the body camera and dash camera footage of the stop and interaction, the entirety of which was captured and recorded,” the release said. “After filing the false report, Ash went on to engage in a widespread media campaign promulgating her false allegations, including referring to the deputies as being ‘bloodthirsty’ multiple times in interviews .” 

Both also misled the local NAACP chapter about these circumstances. 

A thorough investigation was conducted into the matter, and Major Chambers determined that there was no truth to their allegations. Charges of making a false statement were then filed with the Houston County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecution was led by Chief Assistant District Attorney Greg Winters, who provided a few comments on the case: 

“False allegations of misconduct harm everyone. It harms the officers who serve honorably, the community that depends on them, and the trust we’ve all worked to build. False allegations will face consequences as well,” he said. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to the Houston County Sheriff’s Office and all law enforcement officers serving Houston County. Their hard work, dedication, and professionalism make a difference every day. These officers accept the risks that come with protecting our community. They put their lives on the line so we can be safer. They have my respect, and they should have the respect of everyone in Houston County.”

District Attorney Eric Edwards also provided comments: 

“False accusations of police brutality do real harm. They endanger officers who serve honorably, as every deputy involved in this case did. They inflame community tensions without basis and erode confidence in legitimate claims that would deserve to be taken seriously. Weaponizing false narratives for attention or leverage is reckless and unacceptable,” he said. “The verdict in this case sends a clear message: Houston County will not tolerate dishonest attempts to vilify our law enforcement officers who are doing their jobs lawfully, and we will hold people accountable when they knowingly lie to advance a false story. Justice in this case was decided by a jury of the defendants’ peers—and the jury got it right.”