Day one of jury trial for 33-year-old George W. Douglas of Osceola that began last Monday ended with a change in venue motion and a withdrawal of a previous plea of not guilty to guilty on one of his charges.
Douglas was arrested Dec. 5, 2024, on the charges of possession of a firearm by a felon, going armed with intent and the attempted murder of Tyler Sutton, 35, of New Virginia. Douglas originally filed a plea of not guilty to all charges, but court documents show that he withdrew his previous plea of not guilty for Count III - Dominion/Control of a Firearm or Offensive Weapon by a Felon - and entered a plea of guilty.
In his plea, Douglas admitted to knowingly possession a firearm despite being a convicted felon; felons are prohibited from using firearms.
Douglas has been convicted of two felonies, both in Clarke County.
One charge stems from July 2, 2015, when he was convicted of possession with intent to deliver.
The second charge is from May 12, 2021, when Douglas was convicted of possession of a controlled substance - third offense.
The plea was accepted by the courts with bond pending sentencing continuance. Douglas also filed a waiver of a speedy trial (one-year rule). The waiver gives up Douglas’ right to be tried within one year of his initial arraignment and agrees that the state may delay bringing him to trial beyond the one year deadline.
The week prior to the trial’s start, the state filed a motion in limine. According to Cornell Law School, a motion in limine is “a pretrial motion that seeks the exclusion of specific evidence or arguments from being presented during a trial.” Those items requested to be excluded in the filing were: penalty and punishment, jury nullification, impeachment of witnesses, evidence of defendant’s character, evidence of victim’s character, asserted defenses, pretrial consultation, opinion as to guilt or innocence, credibility of witnesses, inappropriate expert opinions and improper expert reports.
Douglas filed his intent to rely on the defense of intoxication in September. If convicted, attempted murder is a Class B felony and armed with intent a Class D felony. Douglas is currently in the custody of the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office.