Waldrip Found Guilty on All Counts

A Covington woman has been found guilty of multiple counts of burglary, theft, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Franklin County Superior Court.

District Attorney Parks White said 38-year old Lauren Ashley Waldrip was found guilty on all counts Thursday.

Waldrip was charged with three counts of felony entering an automobile, four counts of felony theft by taking, one count of burglary in the first degree, and one count of burglary in the second degree.

The charges stem from a series of burglaries in October 2020. Items stolen included firearms, ATVs, utility trailers, and power tools.

A cache of stolen items taken stolen from multiple counties and valued at $35,000 was later found at a residence on Brays Lake Road.

Waldrip was one of three suspects arrested last fall for a string of burglaries and thefts in the Sandy Cross.

The other two, 32-year old Phillip Andrew Banks of Covington, and 37-year old Mary Elizabeth Snyder of Royston pleaded guilty earlier this month.

White said Waldrip insisted upon a jury trial even after his office filed notice of their intent to seek recidivist punishment, based upon her four prior felony convictions.

He said Waldrip now faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

On his Facebook page, White congratulated the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and Investigator David Cochran in making the case that resulted in the charges and conviction.

He also thanked the Franklin County jurors for their hard work and dedication.

White said Waldrip’s conviction should serve notice to criminals that Northern Judicial Circuit will hold them accountable if they steal from residents in the five-county district.