Carr Announces New Hires for Gang Prosecution Unit’s Recent Expansion to Columbus

ATLANTA, GA - Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that veteran attorney Sheneka Terry has joined the Gang Prosecution Unit as an Assistant Attorney General in Columbus, where she will work with Criminal Investigator Amanda McKelvey to oversee the Unit's regional efforts. Terry currently serves as Senior Defense Counsel for the Army National Guard Trial Defense Services Program, and she most recently worked as a Senior Assistant Public Defender in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. She has nearly 15 years of combined experience in military and civilian criminal law. McKelvey previously served as a Military Police Officer in the U.S. Army and was most recently a Sergeant of the Columbus Police Department's Violent Crimes Unit. She is a seasoned gang investigator with more than 17 years of law enforcement experience. Terry's hire took effect on Oct. 16, 2024, and McKelvey's hire took effect on July 1, 2024. The hires are part of a recent expansion of the Attorney General's Gang Prosecution Unit, with funding provided in the state's FY 2025 budget as passed by the Georgia General Assembly and signed by Governor Brian Kemp in May. Prior to July 2024, Carr's Gang Prosecution Unit had regional, satellite prosecutors and investigators in Albany and Augusta. Now, in addition to Columbus, the Unit has also expanded to Maconand Southeast Georgia.

"Since creating Georgia's first statewide Gang Prosecution Unit in July 2022, we have worked hand-in-hand with law enforcement in Muscogee County to successfully prosecute those responsible for repeated acts of violence targeting individuals as young as 16 years old," said Carr. "By expanding our team to include a dedicated prosecutor and investigator in Columbus, we're able to strengthen our efforts to fully dismantle the growing gang networks that are terrorizing our communities and recruiting our children day in and day out. We're grateful for the support of all those in Muscogee County, and we look forward to our continued partnership as we fight to keep all Georgians safe."

In July 2022, with the support of Governor Brian Kemp and leaders in the General Assembly, Carr created Georgia's first statewide Gang Prosecution Unit. Since its inception, this Unit has secured 50 convictions and indicted nearly 140 individuals in Athens-Clarke, Barrow, Bryan, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Dougherty, Fulton, Gwinnett, Laurens, Muscogee, Richmond and Thomas counties.

Over the past year alone, the Gang Prosecution Unit has worked with the Muscogee County Sheriff's Office, the Columbus Police Department, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's (GBI) Gang Task Force to secure four murder convictions and six gang convictions in Columbus. This includes the successful prosecution of Rodderick Glanton, Homer Upshaw and Terrance Upshaw, who were each found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 17-year-old Jesse Ransom and 18-year-old Saiveon Pugh and the assault of two other teens, ages 16 and 18.

This Unit is currently prosecuting a separate case in Muscogee County involving a fatal drive-by shooting that occurred on Aug. 6, 2020.

The Gang Prosecution Unit is housed in the Attorney General's Prosecution Division, which also includes Carr's Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, his White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit, and his Organized Retail Crime Unit.

New Hires for the Attorney General's Gang Prosecution Unit

Sheneka Terry joined the Georgia Army National Guard as an Intelligence Analyst in February 2010, and she currently serves as Senior Defense Counsel for the Army National Guard Trial Defense Services Program. She previously served as a Judge Advocate in Administrative Law and a Counsel Staff Attorney and Education Officer with the National Guard Bureau. Terry was the Acting District Attorney of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit from October 2021 until June 2022. Altogether, she spent five years in the District Attorney's Office, during which she prosecuted more than 150 violent criminal cases and served as counsel for over 15 jury trials. From June 2022 until October 2024, Terry worked asa Senior Assistant Public Defender in the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit. She earned her bachelor's degree in Administration of Justice from the University of Southern Mississippi and her J.D. from the Mississippi College School of Law. Terry also earned her Judge Advocate Certification from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School in Virginia.

Amanda McKelvey previously served as a Military Police Officer in the U.S. Army. She joined the Columbus Police Department (CPD) as a Patrol Officer in 2007, and she most recently served as Sergeant of the Department's Violent Crimes Unit. In this role, McKelvey managed a squad charged with investigating a range of violent crimes, including homicides, shootings, and robberies. She held several other positions throughout her 17-year career with CPD, including Corporal in the Violent Crimes and Special Victims Units and Sergeant of the Patrol Division and Internal Affairs Unit. McKelvey was named CPD's "Officer of the Month" in 2012, 2016, and 2018, and "Supervisor of the Quarter" in 2023. She also received the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor in 2013, and she was recognized by GBI in 2017 for her undercover work in "Operation Guardian Angel," a multi-jurisdictional operation that led to the arrest of 21 child sex predators. McKelvey is a member of the Georgia Gang Investigators Association (GGIA) and has certifications in Basic Law Enforcement, Intermediate Gang Investigation, Mobile Device Investigation, and Digital Forensic Imaging, among others. She earned her bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and Corrections from Central State University.