>> MILLEDGEVILLE PD
A Putnam County man was found dead in Milledgeville Saturday morning, and the alleged killer was arrested Monday afternoon, according to authorities.
The victim was identified as Joshua Corey Jones, 43, of Thomas Drive, which is on the shores of Lake Sinclair in southern Putnam County.
Charged in his death is Tabish Nigel Goddard, 30, of Highland Avenue, Milledgeville, according to Milledgeville Police Department’s Maj. Link Boyer.
The police department received a call around 8:30 a.m. Saturday about a man lying unresponsive on the ground between two houses that were being remodeled in Graham Homes, Boyer explained. Responding officers discovered the man, later identified as Jones, a self-employed handyman, had died from at least one gunshot wound. An autopsy will be performed at the GBI Crime Laboratory to determine the cause of death.
Goddard was arrested at his home early Monday morning. He was taken to Baldwin County jail and charged with malice murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
“This was just old-fashioned, boots-on-theground, good police work,” Boyer said of the arrest, noting he did not wish to disclose the motive or what led to the arrest while the case is still under investigation.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said he received a call from the Milledgeville Police Department detectives early Saturday asking him about the victim.
“Truth be told, we had worked a matter of an accident he was involved in a couple of years ago, but that’s all we had on him,” Sills said. “But through that, I had his parents’ contact information and was able to provide that to the detectives so they could notify them of his death.”
MPD is still actively investigating the case and searching for the gun, Boyer said Monday.
Anyone with information on it should call Milledgeville Police Department at 478-414-4090.