HARTWELL, Ga. — A Hart County man faces multiple charges after deputies say he struck a woman with a vehicle during a domestic dispute Thursday afternoon.
Deputies with the Hart County Sheriff’s Office were called to a home on Airline Store Road around 3:30 p.m. on April 23, 2026, after receiving a report that a male had hit a female with a vehicle in the yard during an argument.
When deputies arrived, they learned the suspect had fled in a tan Jeep. An investigator later spotted the vehicle on Bowersville Highway near Hartwell and followed it until additional units arrived.
Deputies conducted a felony traffic stop on East Howell Street after the vehicle turned into the Synovus Bank parking lot. Authorities said the driver exited the Jeep and refused to comply with commands. A deputy deployed a Taser, and the suspect was taken into custody without further incident.
The suspect was identified as Agustin Paz Cortes, 49, of Bowersville. He was transported to the Hart County Jail and charged with hit and run; driving under the influence of alcohol; reckless driving; driving while license suspended or revoked; aggravated assault; theft by taking (misdemeanor); third-degree cruelty to children; and aggravated battery.
The incident remains under investigation.
Sheriff Chris Carroll commended deputies and investigators for bringing the situation to a safe resolution.
