Legal Question in Criminal Law in Georgia

The GA code provides as follows:

(a) A person commits the offense of kidnapping when he abducts or steals away any person without lawful authority or warrant and holds such person against his will.

(b) A person convicted of the offense of kidnapping shall be punished by:

(1) Imprisonment for not less than ten nor more than 20 years if the kidnapping involved a victim who was 14 years of age or older;

(2) Imprisonment for life or by a split sentence that is a term of imprisonment for not less than 25 years and not exceeding life imprisonment, followed by probation for life, if the kidnapping involved a victim who is less than 14 years of age;

(3) Life imprisonment or death if the kidnapping was for ransom; or

(4) Life imprisonment or death if the person kidnapped received bodily injury.

The fact that a drug deal may or may not affect the credibility of witnesses; it all depends on the individual facts of the case.