“The Superior Court Judges of the Coweta Judicial Circuit are pleased to announce that Attorney Nathaniel Smith is appointed to be the Chief Magistrate Judge for the Carroll County Magistrate Court. Judge Nathaniel Smith has demonstrated a strong work ethic, a dedication to public service, and a commitment to the highest ethical principles. We look forward to working with Judge Smith as he continues our Magistrate Court on a continuous path of improvement,” the Honorable Chief Superior Court Judge John Simpson announced on Friday, March 17, 2023.

Nathaniel Smith is the managing attorney of the Law Offices of Nathaniel L. Smith, P.C. Since being admitted to the practice in 2000, he has worked as Special Prosecutor for Carroll, Coweta, and Meriwether Counties; Special Assistant District Attorney for Fayette County; Assistant Public Defender for the Coweta Judicial Circuit; Public Defender for the cities of Carrollton, Mount Zion, Temple, and Villa Rica. He and the firm have served the citizens of Georgia in matters of family law, civil litigation, probate, and various real estate matters and transactions, business formation, and child advocacy. He has previously served as Judge Pro Tem for the Juvenile Court of Coweta County and as Municipal Court Judge for the city of Whitesburg. He has served on the Board of Directors for Carrollton Main Street, Community Action for Improvement, Inc. (CAFI), Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Great Savior Baptist Church, Inc., and Healing Carroll County Families, Inc.

As an alumnus of West Georgia College, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice while earning his Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University School of Law. After graduating law school, he enlisted in the United States Navy initially serving as an Intelligence Specialist. He has been on assignment with the U.S. European Command Joint Analysis Center (EUCOM JAC) as an Analyst for Sub-Sahara Africa, VAW-77 as a Tactical Briefer with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and other agencies in the War on Drugs, and with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and other agencies in the War on Terrorism as an Analyst and Operations Officer. He has his wife, Shonda Smith, have three children and reside in Carrollton.

A Mother’s Love is a Program empowering mothers and families to overcome addiction and keep their families together. To be eligible, a participant must have active substance abuse while pregnant, be over the age of eighteen (18) years and have as a primary goal to maintain her family. The program is driven by the strong belief that every individual deserves a chance at recovery and a healthy, nurturing environment for themselves and their loved ones. It strives to work closely with health care providers and support systems to ensure that services create a lasting positive impact in the lives of those affected by substance abuse.

Treatment consists of various groups, family, and individual sessions, case management, and peer support. Program can also assist with expedited admission to many established Georgia Rehabilitation Centers.

Therapeutic Services include, but not limited to Cognitive Behavioral Interventions, Moral Recognition Therapy, Trauma Therapy, Strengthening Families, Family and Individual Counseling, Psychiatric Therapy, Parent Aide, Behavioral Aide, Peer Support, and Alumni Program.

Description goes heOn August 11, 2023, Chief Magistrate Judge Nathaniel Smith announced the authorization of use of Talitrix Band location tracking for pretrial release of select defendants charged in criminal cases: monitoring for house arrest, curfew notifications, and tracking of defendant movement.

Chief Magistrate Judge Nathaniel Smith provided that Talitrix will reduce costs to the county in the housing of eligible low to medium risk defendants while simultaneously allowing Defendants to potentially return to their families, work, and/or attend services for assessed needs as to rehabilitation. Judge Smith further provided that appropriate services such Talitrix Bands will not only be financially beneficial to the county but will also protect the community. Victims of crimes can feel safe and confident that their offender is not a nearby threat. Representatives of Talitrix stated that they are always attempting to improve their systems and are working on Apps that would allow victims to establish perimeters that will alert the victim anytime the assigned defendant comes within an established proximity. Talitrix is a support to case management providing real time tracking, biometric check-ins, and document management as to approved parties for purposes of protection of the public and assistance as to individuals referred for purposes of restorative justice.

On February 29, 2024, Chief Magistrate Judge Nathaniel Smith requested approval of an agreement for an electronic warrant system with Palatine Technology Group for AnywhereWARRANT from the Carroll County Board of Commissioners. Chief Magistrate Judge Smith has been meeting with local public safety agencies including, but not limited to the Carrollton Police Department, Temple Police Department, Villa Rica Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff’s Department, Fire Departments along with the Solicitor’s Office who are supportive of providing local law enforcement officials with the ability to file for e-warrants utilizing this state-of-the-art system.

Chief Magistrate Judge Nathaniel Smith advised the Commissioners the change would reduce costs to the county and local agencies in obtaining arrest and search warrants in man hours, fuel, automobile maintenance for travel to obtain warrants, and increase security and safety for the citizens. Electronic warrant technology allows law enforcement to submit warrant applications to magistrate judges for review and approval on computers and tablets via audio and video casting systems. The first Electronic Warrant System in the United States was created on Palatine’s Electronic Warrant Interchange in 1998. The original version of the system was based out of Gwinnett County, Georgia and has since generated over two million arrest and search warrants throughout the country. The warrant application process assists officers and the court in processing the issuance of a warrant from an hour to only a few minutes. The warrant can be issued remotely and conveniently via an encrypted secured link over the Internet. Data is kept on a central server and can be accessed by an authorized user. The initial cost of the system is estimated at $17,000.00 with an estimated $12,000.00 reoccurring annual fee to be shared by local law enforcement agencies using the system. The system is currently being utilized in neighboring counties of Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fulton, Paulding, and Troup Counties.

Chief Magistrate Judge Smith provided that currently warrants are being maintained in documented binders and that it takes hours to search for warrants upon request by defense lawyers or victims requesting copies as to orders of restraint and/or treatment entered by the Court. He further elaborated that electronic warrants would improve the safety of the citizens due to the speed that officers could potentially obtain a warrant and reduce loss of evidence. The Carroll County Board of Commissioners finalized the approval of the agreement for E-Warrants at the regular scheduled meeting on March 5, 2024.

Judge Dan Camp served as a local attorney, representing multiple businesses, individuals and municipalities including Carrollton City Schools and the City of Carrollton, and as Carroll County’s juvenile judge from 1996 until his passing in 2013. He strived to find resources and support for youth and their families in times of need. He was instrumental in bringing the Court Appointed Special Advocate program to Carroll County.

He was noted for being a silent warrior for those in need and fighting for the most vulnerable members of society, our children. Like Judge Camp and those who have come after him, Judge Smith has often iterated “We are going to help this family." Among other selfless services, in 2011 he offered up his time and office to become the first county guardian ad litem serving as the initial point of contact and representative for all children that were placed in the emergency temporary custody of the Department of Family and Children Services. In 2017 Judge Smith created and organized Juvenile Court Legal Services, Inc. to provide affordable competent legal services for all parties in dependency and termination proceedings pending in the Juvenile Court of Carroll County. Since that time Judge Smith has spent countless hours as a mentor and advocate for families and youth.