A Catoosa County jury found a Chatsworth man guilty of bringing fentanyl into the community after deputies found him impaired in his vehicle with drugs in his lap.
What’s Happening: 25-year-old Kaleb Cooks was convicted of trafficking fentanyl, possessing drug-related objects, and driving under the influence on October 2. He will serve five years in prison as part of a 30-year sentence.
What’s Important: Deputies found Cooks impaired in his vehicle on December 7, 2023, after someone called 911 about a suspicious car. When officers arrived, they saw a large amount of suspected fentanyl and cocaine in his lap, which he tried to hide.
Between the Lines: The District Attorney’s Office wanted a much longer prison sentence. Georgia recorded 2,183 drug overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending July 2024.
What They’re Saying: “Fentanyl is a killer and those who traffic it will face the full weight of justice,” said District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller. “Under my leadership, this Circuit will be the toughest in Georgia on fentanyl trafficking.”
The Big Picture: This marks another fentanyl trafficking conviction in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. In February 2025, a Ringgold trafficker pleaded guilty and admitted to getting fentanyl from Chattanooga.
The Sources: Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
