Man charged in college freshman’s murder seen in clinic without handcuffs
By Zac Summers
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ATLANTA (WGCL) — Patients at a Carrollton clinic are outraged an accused killer was walked into a packed waiting room unrestrained this week.
Paige Wessinger couldn’t believe her eyes while waiting to see her doctor on Wednesday. She was with her 2-year-old granddaughter when a Carroll County Sheriff’s deputy walked in with Richard Sigman, a former University of West Georgia lecturer charged with the murder of 18-year-old Anna Jones. Wessinger said Sigman was not in handcuffs.
“I immediately recognized him,” she said. “He had nothing on his hands and was sitting beside a deputy with a gun. He has nothing to lose. Very reckless, extremely reckless.”
Sigman is accused of killing Jones in July as she sat in a parked car with friends. Investigators have said the shooting was random.
“This was a girl who was a member of our community,” Wessinger said. “The likelihood of her having a family member or close friend in that waiting room was very, very likely.”
Wessinger said the deputy and Sigman sat 10 feet from her after checking in. She grabbed her granddaughter and canceled her appointment. Before they left, Wessinger told everyone in the waiting who Sigman was.
“A judge refused to give him bond because a judge knew he was not safe to be in the community, but a deputy brings him into a crowded waiting room, unrestrained,” she added.
Wessinger called the county jail to report the incident. She said it wasn’t until after she posted her experience on social media that she later heard from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, informing her the “deputy transporting the Sigman violated protocol and is being disciplined.”
The sheriff’s office sent the following statement to CBS46:
“We are conducting an internal investigation to determine any policy violations at this time. As always, the safety of the citizens of Carroll County is and has always been our top priority and once the complaint was brought to our attention, we immediately took action and began to investigate the series of events from [Wednesday’s] transport.”
“I don’t want to see anyone fired, but a mistake is like spilling something,” Wessinger said. “This is common sense. Am I wrong? Nothing about this makes sense.”
It turns out the front desk attendant at the clinic went to school with Jones, according to Wessinger. She said the young woman was shaking during their brief exchange but remained professional.
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