Trenton Man With Felony Warrants Found Dead In New Home Pond

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

The body that was recovered last Thursday, July 3, from a pond in New Home on Sand Mountain has been identified as John Richard Sweatt, a 46-year-old Trenton man. Due to felony warrants, the Dade County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) had been pursuing Sweatt for two weeks leading up to the discovery of his body.

Active felony warrants for Sweatt included a bench warrant for Failure to Appear and Cruelty to Animals. The original charges were for Aggravated Sexual Battery, Aggravated Child Molestation, three counts of Child Molestation, and two counts of Cruelty to Children. The DCSO had requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service which arrived to assist the day Sweatt’s body was found.

Of last Thursday’s events, Chad Payne (DCSO public information officer) reported that deputies were dispatched at approximately 2:40 p.m. to a residence in the 2800 block of New Home Road in reference to a possible mannequin floating in the pond. Upon arrival, the deputies found a clearly deceased male subject in the water.

They secured the scene and notified DCSO’s criminal investigations division, which arrived at approximately 2:55 p.m. The investigators requested assistance from the regional Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) office. New Home Fire Department and Dade County rescue teams recovered the body, reported GBI.

DCSO investigators and deputies and GBI agents manually processed the area and used the DCSO drones to map the crime scene and take aerial photographs.

Sweatt was identified through his tattoos, a driver’s license found in his pocket, and confirmation from family members. No obvious external signs of injury were noted. The autopsy will be performed at the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office.

The investigation into the cause of death is ongoing, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the “See Something, Send Something” app.

The case file will be given to the Lookout Mountain District Attorney’s Office for review after the investigation is complete.

The DCSO extends condolences to Sweatt’s family.