Orie Jackson: Compliance Officer
Deputy Orie Jackson, I have been a deputy with Cherokee County Sheriff’s office for over 11 years. I was assigned to the Adult Detention center from August 2003 until September 2005 when I went into the Field Training program January 2006. I was assigned to the Hickory Flat Precinct from January 2006 until July 2013 as a patrol deputy. I was then transferred to the Cherokee County DUI/(m) Drug/and the Blue Ridge Judicial circuit Felony drug courts as a compliance officer.
Alan Jordan: Presiding Judge
Judge Jordan came to Cherokee County in 1986 as an attorney in private practice. He and his wife Sharon live in the Union Hill community. He became judge of the State Court of Cherokee County August 31, 2001.
Prior to becoming a State Court Judge, Judge Jordan served as an Associate Juvenile Court Judge in Cherokee County and served as the Municipal Court Judge of the cities of Woodstock, Marietta and Acworth, Georgia. He opened his first private practice law office in Cherokee County on September 6, 1986 and practiced law in Woodstock and Canton for 15 years.
Judge Jordan is currently active in the Canton Rotary, has served as vice-president of the South Cherokee Optimist Club, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cherokee Child Advocacy Council and Co-chaired a committee to bring the first Children’s Emergency
Shelter to Cherokee County. On Saturdays in the fall, he can usually be found at a University of Georgia football game.
Grace Price: Treatment
Grace Riley Price is a licensed clinical social worker. She has been practicing since March 16, 1981. She has been working with the Cherokee County DUI/Drug Treatment Court since the beginning of the program in 2005. Grace takes great pride in her creative approach to counseling.
Angela D’Agata: Program Coordinator
Angela is the Coordinator for both the Cherokee County DUI/Drug Court and the Cherokee County Misdemeanor Drug Court. She was born and raised in Woodstock, GA and received a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Forensic Behavioral Science from Kennesaw State University. Angela’s experience in criminal justice and accountability courts comes from previous years working as a paralegal for a law firm as well as a Probation Officer for the Cherokee County DUI/Drug Treatment Court.
David McElyea: Prosecutor
I am currently the prosecutor for the Cherokee County D.U.I. Court program. As a TEAM Member, my duties include (1.) reviewing the criminal histories of all D.U.I. offenders in the State Court of Cherokee County, determining whether they are candidates for the program; (2.) attending D.U.I. Court arraignment on behalf of the State; presenting pleas and negotiating resolutions with defense attorneys; (3.) gathering evidence on and investigating open D.U.I cases; (4.) formally bringing charges against (or accusing) defendants, (5.) attending all staffing meetings of the D.U.I. Team, discussing each participant and assisting in the imposition of sanctions for participants in violation of program rules, and (6.) prosecuting probation revocations or other legal hearings on behalf of the State dealing with D.U.I. Court participants.
Jeff Williams: Defense Counsel
Jeff is a private attorney operating out of The Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Williams, LLC. Jeff has been married for thirty-eight years to his wife Diane who assists him in his office. They both have electrical engineering degrees. They have three sons who also have engineering degrees. Jeff grew up as a military dependent and pursued his engineering degree from the University of South Florida and later an MBA from Kennesaw State University. He practiced engineering for twenty-five years traveling the world to fulfill corporate objectives and commitments. He received his Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School and has been practicing for ten years. Jeff’s current focuses are criminal, juvenile, domestic, and personal injury law. He has been the defense counsel on the DUI court since 2007 and is available for consultation and questions regarding issues that concern participants.
Captain Billy Chris Sims – Cherokee Sheriff’s Office
Captain Sims began his law enforcement career in 1997 with the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office in the Adult Detention Center. Captain Sims has served in many leadership roles including Precinct Commander over two precincts, Assistant Division Commander in Criminal Investigations, Assistant Division Commander for Training Unit and Internal Affairs Supervisor. Captain Sims was assigned to the Multi-Agency SWAT team for 18 years, where he was the Sniper Team Leader. He holds a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Organizational Management-Leadership from Reinhardt University, a Master of Public Safety Administration from Columbus State University and is a graduate of the Columbus State University Professional Management Program. Captain Sims holds multiple POST certifications to include state General Instructor and Firearms Instructor.
Emili Roman – Probation
Emili Roman is the Director at Cherokee Probation Services and serves as the DUI Court Probation Officer. She is originally from Clayton, GA and earned Bachelor’s of Science degrees in Chemistry and Criminal Justice from Georgia Southern University. Emili is POST Certified in both Probation/Parole and Basic Law Enforcement and is a sworn Peace Officer. She brings more than twelve years’ experience in the probation field, and has worked in probation at state felony, private misdemeanor, and government misdemeanor levels.
Emili is a graduate of Leadership Cherokee 2018, was selected as one of Cherokee County’s Top 10 in 10 Young Professionals in 2019, serves on the Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Council in 2020, is a member of the Service League of Cherokee County, and is on the Board of Directors for both Cherokee FOCUS and Friends of Recovery.
Hunter Freeman – Case Manager
Hunter Freeman was born and raised in Canton, GA and graduated from Cherokee High School. After high school, Hunter then went on to graduate from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in Justice Studies.
He began his criminal justice career in 2017 as a probation officer at Georgia Probation Management. In 2018, Hunter became the DUI/Drug court probation officer, and later that year became the case manager for DUI and Misdemeanor Drug court.
Hunter assists and provides guidance to participants to ensure they remain in compliance with program requirements and also stay on track to progress through the phases of DUI/Drug court from orientation through graduation.
Emma Price, LCSW – Counselor
Emma has been a Licensed as a Social Worker for 4.5 years now. She has been working as the Treatment Coordinator for the DUI/Drug Court program for 2 years. Emma received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia studying Psychology and a Master’s Degree from the University of Georgia studying Social Work.