Hartwell Man Indicted by Franklin County Grand Jury on 17 Counts

A Hartwell man has been indicted by the Franklin County Grand Jury on 17 felony counts stemming from an incident at a Royston convenience store last month.

32-year-old Carlos Tyrone Wilson was indicted on three counts of felony Aggravated Assault Family Violence, six counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, three counts of Felony Aggravated Assault, two counts of felony Cruelty to Children in the First Degree, one count of Discharge of a Gun Near a Highway or Street, one count of Discharge of a Firearm on the Property of Another, and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.

According to the indictment on June 16, Wilson allegedly fired a gun multiple times at people inside the Smile-Mart convenience store on Franklin Springs St. In Royston causing two children to run for cover to avoid being hit.

Wilson then fled the store and a BOLO was put out for his brown 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass.

Franklin County Sheriff Steve Thomas tells WLHR News that Law Enforcement Officers with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the Royston Police Department, the United States Marshal’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol had been searching for Wilson and his missing vehicle throughout Northeast Georgia since the incident in Royston last month.

Thomas said authorities were eventually able to confirm Wilson’s whereabouts through his associates.

On July 2, Officers secured a premises on Paul Vandiver Road in Carnesville and through communications, Wilson surrendered to law enforcement without further incident.

The Sheriff added that during the execution of the search warrant, evidence was located that is believed to be associated with the June 16, 2024 crimes in Royston.

Wilson remains in the Franklin County Detention Center.