The police response time to a pair of shootings that left one Armuchee man dead and a Rome man wounded was delayed because a 911 operator did not follow standard operating procedure, according to an investigation released late Thursday.

Robert Timothy Spriggs Jr. is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend’s father, John Gregory Davis, at Davis’ Old Dalton Road home in unincorporated Floyd County on Nov. 17.

Police say Spriggs then traveled to the East Clinton Drive residence in Rome of Scott Sulsberger, Davis’ son-in-law, and shot him. Sulsberger is recovering from the wound.

Spriggs has been charged with felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault, burglary, theft by taking, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and cruelty to children.

Floyd County Police Capt. Mark Wallace was called in to conduct an investigation after county commissioners and the county

manager received a complaint about the length of time it took police to respond to the two shootings.

The investigative report concluded a delay in police response was caused by a 911 operator failing to notify police “in a timely manner” of the potential danger.

According to the report:

Floyd County 911 operator Renee Baldwin received the first request from Tiffany Sulsberger to send an officer to their East Clinton Drive home at 4:41 p.m., but a city officer wasn’t dispatched to the home until 5:03 p.m. by 911 dispatcher Nichole Askew.

Tiffany Sulsberger told the dispatcher that Spriggs had been calling the residence on Davis’ cell phone, and Spriggs told her he had Davis and would kill him if they did not let him talk to his ex-girlfriend Holly Davis — who was also at the East Clinton Drive residence.

At 4:50 p.m., Tiffany Sulsberger told Baldwin “we need the police here now. We need the closest person. He said he knows where we are.”

According to the investigation narrative, Baldwin said she did not think the immediate danger was at the East Clinton address, rather she decided the immediate danger was on Old Dalton Road.

However, the report also states Baldwin did not inform a Floyd County police investigator of the possible conflict on Old Dalton Road between Spriggs and Greg Davis until seven minutes after she had received the information.

When Baldwin was asked what could have been done differently, she replied, “send a city unit” to the East Clinton Drive home, according to the investigation narrative.

It’s still too early to tell what disciplinary action will be taken as a result of the findings, said 911 Director Patricia Smith.

“At this time we have not taken any action, yet. We will take disciplinary action,” Smith said.

County Manager Kevin Poe said that if a suspension or dismissal is recommended, he, the human resources director and the county attorney would review the matter before any action is finalized.

“We expect the department head to handle the matter,” Poe said.

Baldwin’s actions as a Floyd County 911 dispatcher brought her accolades in 2004.

She was commended in January of that year by the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office when she helped convince Gordon County officials to take a look at two Ranger homes that later turned out to be the scenes of a grisly quadruple murder.

Rome resident Jerry William Jones was caught and later sentenced to the death penalty in May 2008. He has not yet been executed.

Click here to read the report

Floyd County released the following information Thursday afternoon:

The internal investigation into the public safety response related to the shootings that occurred on Nov. 17, 2009 has been completed.

The findings of this investigation reveal that the E911 Operator did not follow standard operating procedure when the Operator failed to dispatch the City of Rome Police Department to the East Clinton address where one of the victims and other individuals were located.

The investigation results are being provided to the E911 Director, and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken after the Director has had an opportunity to fully review the investigative report and meet with the dispatcher involved in this situation.

Click here to read the narrative from the incident report filed by Rome police officer Lee Bowden

Timeline

4:34 p.m. — A hang-up call is received at 911 from Greg Davis’ cell phone. Operator Becky Dean attempts to call the phone back but reaches voice mail. At the time there is no connection made between this call and any other incidents.

4:37 p.m. — Tiffany Sulsberger calls 911 and speaks with Operator/Supervisor Renee Baldwin. Sulsberger says her sister’s ex-boyfriend (Robert Timothy Spriggs Jr.) was calling repeatedly from her father’s (Davis) cell phone.

4:41 p.m. — Sulsberger requests someone be dispatched to the residence on East Clinton Drive. She is placed on hold.

4:45 p.m. — Baldwin calls the Floyd County Board of Education to see if Davis is still at work, but no contact is made.

4:47 p.m. — Baldwin resumes the call with Sulsberger, who says her husband is now on the phone with Spriggs. She says Spriggs was telling her husband that he was threatening to kill Davis. Baldwin asks a county investigator to call her.

4:48 p.m. — Baldwin places Sulsberger on hold while she speaks with Investigator Donald Holbrook. She does not inform Holbrook that anyone other than Davis may be in danger.

4:50 p.m. — Baldwin resumes the conversation with Sulsberger, who said: “We need the police here now. We need the closest person. He said he knows where we are.” Baldwin tells Sulsberger she needs to hang up and an investigator is going to call her. Baldwin says: “We are going to get a patrol officer on the way to your house.”

4:51 p.m. — Floyd County officers are dispatched to the shooting on Old Dalton Road and advised that the shooter is still on the scene.

4:56 p.m. — Responding county units are advised that the suspect may have left the scene. Baldwin calls Sulsberger to ask about the vehicle driven by Spriggs. Baldwin tells city police that Spriggs was upset with his girlfriend, and threatened to go to her location on East Clinton. This is the first notification to Rome police that Spriggs may be headed to the second location.

5:01 p.m. — Baldwin resumes the conversation with Sulsberger. Scott Sulsberger gets on the phone and says: “Why is there not a police officer here now, we called 20 minutes ago?” Shortly after, contact is lost. Meanwhile, police arrive at Old Dalton Road.

5:03 p.m. — Operator Nichole Askew dispatches Rome officers to East Clinton Drive, the location of the second shooting incident. Baldwin attempts three calls to Sulsberger’s phone but reaches voice mail.

5:06 p.m. — Officers arrive on the scene at East Clinton Drive and report that someone there has been shot. SWAT is activated, and officers search for Spriggs.

5:32 p.m. — Baldwin contacts AT&T to initiate a GPS tracking of Spriggs’ phone.

5:40 p.m. — Robert Spriggs Sr. calls Floyd Investigator Jeff Jones and asks them not kill his son. Shortly after, Sheriff Tim Burkhalter tells Jones that Spriggs wants to turn himself in.

5:47 p.m. — SWAT arrives at East Clinton Drive.

6:02 p.m. — SWAT enters the home, but Spriggs is not there.

6:13 p.m. — Spriggs is arrested off Wilkerson Road.

Source: Report from Floyd County police investigation