Tennessee Woman Sentenced to Prison for Home Invasion by Wielding a Pair of Hedge Clippers

CATOOSA COUNTY, Ga – On February 25, 2025, Samantha Hyatte, a 37 year-old woman from Dayton, Tennessee entered a plea of guilty to two counts of Home Invasion in the First Degree, two counts of Aggravated Assault, and Attempted Armed Robbery in the Superior Court of Catoosa County, Georgia.

On February 24, 2024, Hyatte entered the residence of a 66 year-old woman and a 60 year-old woman shortly before 11:00AM while the women were preparing lunch.

Hyatte opened the front door of the residence brandishing a large pair of hedge clippers while screaming and verbally threatening the two women.

While inside the residence, Hyatte approached the women while opening and closing the hedge clippers in a threatening manner and demanded they give Hyatte their car keys.

One woman removed her car keys from a hook on the wall and threw the keys behind Hyatte onto the front porch of the residence.

When Hyatte turned to pick up the keys, the woman shoved Hyatte out the front door and quickly locked it behind her, while the second woman immediately called law enforcement.

Hyatte was found shortly thereafter wandering through the victims’ neighborhood without the hedge clippers, but carrying a claw hammer.

Hyatte did not know the victims and had never been to their residence prior to the date of the crime.

After a sentencing hearing on February 25, 2025, Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Superior

Court Judge Melissa Hise sentenced Hyatte to 30 years with the first 16 years to be served in the Georgia Department of Corrections.

The State of Georgia was represented by Chief Assistant District Attorney Deanna Reisman,

with assistance to the two victims provided by Victim Advocate Shelby Armstrong and was exceptionally investigated by Sheriff Gary Sisk’s Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office.

Following the sentencing, District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller issued a strong statement:

“We don’t tolerate that kind of unprovoked violence in our community. You cross that state line from Tennessee thinking you can bring violence into Georgia, you’re gonna find out real quick. I’m grateful to Judge Hise for laying down a hard sentence that tells folks loud and clear: you come here looking for trouble, you’ll find justice waiting.”