Ringgold, GA — October 27, 2025 — A local jury has found 25-year-old Kaleb Cooks of Chatsworth guilty on all counts of trafficking in fentanyl, possession of drug-related objects, and driving under the influence (DUI), the Office of the District Attorney for the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit announced. The verdict was delivered on October 2, 2025.
The case stems from a December 7, 2023, incident when Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a suspicious vehicle with an occupant potentially in need of assistance. Deputies observed Cooks appearing impaired and noticed a large quantity of suspected fentanyl and cocaine in his lap, which he attempted to conceal. Further investigation, including field sobriety testing, led to his arrest for DUI. Authorities later recovered fentanyl, cocaine, and drug-related objects.
At sentencing, Cooks received a total of 30 years, with five years to be served in the Department of Corrections. The District Attorney’s Office had requested a significantly longer sentence, citing the deadly impact of fentanyl trafficking and CDC overdose statistics.
“Fentanyl is a killer and those who traffic it will face the full weight of justice,” said Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller. “We asked the court for a far longer sentence because Georgia is losing too many lives — 2,183 overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending July 2024 — and we will use every lawful tool to stop the traffickers who profit from that devastation. Under my leadership, this Circuit will be the toughest in Georgia on fentanyl trafficking. I need the media to highlight this to our community—if you traffic poison here: we are coming after you, we will find you, and we won’t stop until you’re in prison.”
During the trial, presided over by Superior Court Judge Brian House, Assistant District Attorney Melissa Pittman presented evidence including testimony from the 911 caller, body-camera footage from deputies, forensic analysis confirming the presence of fentanyl exceeding trafficking thresholds, and testimony regarding Cooks’ impaired driving.
This conviction adds to a series of recent successes in the Circuit under Fuller’s leadership, including a February 2025 guilty plea of a Ringgold fentanyl trafficker who admitted sourcing the drug from nearby Chattanooga. Authorities continue to urge residents to report suspicious activity as the opioid epidemic persists in Georgia.