911 calls report new details in the arrest of a Burke County man

KAYSVILLE, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – After Facebook Live seemingly went viral, Jeremy Huffman, 35, was arrested and charged with wiretappinga serious crime in Georgia.

Huffman climbed a tree on his property and filmed a large gathering in the neighborhood with tents, lights and loud music.

This dispute between landowners has been well documented by the Burke County Sheriff’s Office for more than two years.

The first incident occurred in October 2022, when Huffman called deputies to his home after bullets ricocheted off trees in his yard, according to one incident report.

This property near Huffman is owned by Father’s Heart of GA, Inc. The group that uses the property is Rebirth Ministries — or Rebirth of a Nation.

PRIOR NOTIFICATION OF THE CASE:

According to a letter sent to the sheriff’s office by Father’s Heart of GA, Inc., it was all for a private religious event where the group celebrates its annual holiday from Oct. 17-26.

In that letter, the organization says it takes “precautions with good intentions to avoid disturbing neighbors during these events.”

“We recognize that the quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.,” the letter said.

Our I-TEAM discovered that Huffman was live on Facebook after 10:00 p.m., when the hour of silence began for the group. Live on Facebook, you could hear music and chants from a nearby house.

Huffman and his family weren’t the only ones complaining about the group.

We discovered that several 911 calls came into Burke County dispatch from various neighbors.

“I’ve got really loud music playing here and it’s so loud here and we’re about half a mile away and it’s extremely loud,” said one 911 caller.

Another said: “All I can hear is banging and our real windows are shaking a bit. Is there anything you all can do to calm this down?”

The dispatcher then tells the caller that he already had a deputy check the area.

“They shoot all day and then pick up late at night and we’re just trying to live in peace here,” the 911 caller said.

Other 911 calls came in earlier that evening, around 6:30 p.m., from the Huffmans and several other neighbors complaining of gunshots and loud noises.

Dispatch and the Huffmans say deputies were called several times in the day before Jeremy’s arrest. This was in response to Huffman and neighbors complaining about noise from the band next door.

“I know something happened there and there was some altercation, but it looks like these people have automatic weapons. Every now and then you hear one shot, but then you hear a bunch of them going off at the same time,” said one 911 caller.

MORE I-TEAM RESEARCH:

The I-TEAM was able to obtain a petition dated October 2023, printed and signed by 14 homeowners.

The petition is addressed to the Burke County Board of Commissioners and addresses their concerns, including excessive gunfire, unreasonably loud and unnecessary noises, and militant activity by the group near Huffman’s property.

The petition also seeks to address violations of Sections 28-41 of the County Ordinance:

section 28-41. A messy house is not allowed.

It is unlawful for any person to permit a disorderly assembly or assembly of persons for unlawful purposes in his house to disturb the citizens residing in that area or neighborhood.

(Order No. 17-05, item 1, 3-14-2017)

Residents say, “The group is incessantly involved in activities that disturb the peace and tranquility of our neighborhood.”

The big event takes place every October, but gunshots are heard on nearly a dozen weekends, one neighbor told the I-TEAM. They say that the sounds of gunfire can be heard for about eight hours in a row.

No action appears to have been taken on the neighbor’s disturbance.

The I-TEAM obtained the warrants from the Burke County Magistrate Court. Those warrants say Huffman wiretapped between 10:36 p.m. and 11:03 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2024.

The warrants state that the offense is described as follows: “Jeremy Huffman entered the premises of Rebirth Ministries at 5800 West Quaker Rd for the purpose of invading the privacy of others by climbing a tree near the property line and recording their conversations on a cell phone/ surreptitiously observing their actions and stream videos live on Facebook Live.”

The I-TEAM did find on Huffman’s Facebook Live that he claimed to have turned on the camera’s flash. Huffman’s family tells us he was wearing bright orange clothing during the tree shoot.

The I-TEAM has requested body camera video of nearly a dozen calls to both facilities involved in the case.