Individuals (both women and men) who are seeking a Temporary Protection Order for incidents involving domestic violence or Stalking should contact Shepherd's Rest's Legal Advocacy office (770-443-5213) for the purpose of screening to make sure that the reported incident qualifies as domestic violence under O.C.G.A. ' ' 19-13-1 et seq. Individuals referred to Shepherd's Rest must go through a lengthy screening process so that incidents not qualifying as domestic violence do not end up in the courts, tying up valuable court time and resources, only to be dismissed. Applicants applying for a temporary protective order or a stalking order must also complete a detailed application from which information is obtained to enable shelter advocates to accurately prepare correct court documents. Individuals requesting temporary protective orders or stalking orders through the court system should never go to the Magistrate Judge’s office, the Clerk’s Office, or any other office. They must first contact the shelter advocacy office for screening and further instructions regarding the process. Shepherd’s Rest’s legal advocates will then refer the client to appropriate resources as needed at the end of the initial interview. Alleged victims should be instructed to contact the shelter legal advocacy office to determine whether their particular incident meets criteria under the aforementioned statute.
Citizens are often referred to Shepherd’s Rest for TPO’s who do not meet criteria. It is in the best interest of the citizen to simply instruct them to call the advocacy office to discuss their incident with an advocate to see if it qualifies for the protective order.
The TPO forms can be picked up at the Paulding County Sheriff's Office. The Paulding County Sheriff's Office will fax your completed form to Shepards Rest Ministries for you. You may contact Shepards Rest Ministries at any time for support at 770-443-5213.
Shepards Rest Ministries can provide you with additional information and resources that are available to you as a victim of domestic violence. They also hold weekly meetings on Tuesday evenings to support victims of domestic violence. Contact Shepards Rest Ministries for more information or to register for their Tuesday evening meetings.
Criteria:
You must fear for the safety/life of yourself or your children, the batterer must be a Paulding County resident, you must have lived with the batterer, you must have an address where the batterer can be served, and the act of violence must fall in to one of 7 categories:
Felony
Battery or Simple Battery
Assault or Simple Assault
Stalking
Criminal Damage to Property
Unlawful Restraint
Criminal Trespassing
If this criteria is not met, you may not qualify for a TPO.
Paulding County Sheriff's Office