Alabama assistant principal faces charges related to 2013 triple homicide in Georgia
Published 11:36 am Wednesday, May 15, 2024
An Alabama middle school assistant principal has been arrested in connection with a triple homicide that occurred in Georgia more than a decade ago.
Keante Harris, 45, an assistant principal at McAdory Middle School in Jefferson County, was arrested on May 8 on a fugitive from justice charge.
Harris was one of four men arrested in connection with the deaths of Quinones King, Rodney Cottrell and Cheryl Colquitt-Thompson who were found dead in January 2013.
The victims were found in a silver 2010 Dodge Charge that had been abandoned on an Interstate 85 exit ramp in Union City, Georgia.
King and Cottrell were found dead from asphyxiation in the back seat of the car, and Colquitt-Thompson was found strangled in the trunk of the vehicle.
Officials believe the victims were lured to a home in Jonesboro, Georgia, and then held at gunpoint. They were tortured and then killed, then put into the vehicle and taken to Fulton County.
According to WBMA news in Birmingham, Harris first appeared in a Jefferson County courtroom Tuesday.
Harris reportedly signed extradition papers that would put him into the custody of the state of Georgia. That move is scheduled to take place before May 28th. The ‘fugitive from justice’ case will be dismissed in Alabama and Harris will only have to address the murder warrant in Georgia.
Last week, officials with the Jefferson County School district put out a statement Friday saying Harris was put on administrative leave and that the district would act accordingly as more facts became available.
“We have been made aware that Mr. Keante Harris was arrested Wednesday afternoon. At this time we still are gathering facts about the specifics of this situation. However, early indications are that the charges are not related to this individual’s employment with Jefferson County Schools. Per standard procedure, Mr. Harris has been placed on paid administrative leave. As more facts become available, we will act according to our district’s policy.”