A Walker County jury has convicted Michael Forker, a 74-year-old man from LaFayette, on charges of Child Molestation, Sexual Exploitation of Children, and five counts of Invasion of Privacy. Following the verdict on December 3, 2025, Forker was sentenced by Lookout Mountain Superior Court Chief Judge Brian House to 65 years in prison, with 58 years to be served in the Georgia Department of Corrections.
A 47-year-old Chickamauga man has been convicted in two separate cases involving violent incidents inside the Catoosa County Jail. On January 9, 2026, Jeffrey Wade Anthony was found guilty after a non-jury trial of committing Unlawful Acts of Violence in a Penal Institution, with the case heard in Catoosa County before Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Melissa Hise.
Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Judge Melissa Hise released a video update on January 1 highlighting several changes she says will improve efficiency in the courts and help the circuit stay better organized in 2026.
