NOT GUILTY: Dr. Jason Nolan Cox was found not guilty of the charges he faced, as reported by the Valdosta Daily Times Feb. 28, 2008. 

VALDOSTA — A physician released on bond in Adel for a charge of cruelty to children was arrested at his parents’ home in Valdosta Friday.

Dr. Jason Cox was supposed to turn himself in to Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office investigators Friday to face additional charges, said Detective Sgt. Wanda Edwards.

Investigators issued an alert when he did not appear, and Dr. Jason Cox was located at 9:40 p.m. in the 1000 block of Cherry Creek Drive, Edwards said.

He is being held in the Lowndes County Jail.

Cox was wanted on a warrant for aggravated battery for allegedly assaulting his wife in a June 20 incident at what was Cox’s residence at 737 Lake Laurie Road in Valdosta, Edwards said.

“The wife decided to come forward because of what happened to the daughter,” Edwards said.

The doctor and his family have reportedly relocated to Adel since that time.

Adel police charged Cox Dec. 8 with cruelty to children in a felony warrant, according to a written statement released Thursday from the Adel Police Department.

The charge resulted from a call made to Adel police from South Georgia Medical Center, where Cox’s 2-year-old daughter was being examined. The examination revealed severe bruising from just above the kidney area to the knee area on the front and back of the child’s legs, according to the statement.

A witness interview revealed that Cox had inflicted the injury on his daughter, the statement said. The interview also revealed the beating occurred from 9:30 p.m. Dec. 7 to 12:30 a.m. Dec. 8, the statement said.

A witness said the child was beaten because she would not say “yes, sir” to her father, according to the statement.

Edwards said investigators hold strong photographic evidence against Cox.

Cox had been incarcerated in the Adel City Jail on the warrant. Magistrate Judge Ellen Graham denied Cox’s bond at a Dec. 8 hearing, and Cox was remanded to the Adel City Jail.

Cox was transported to Memorial Hospital of Adel Dec. 9 when he complained of suffering a heart attack, the statement said. He had been confined to the hospital under guard, the statement said.

Cox, who retained attorney Jim Tunison, bonded out Friday and was released from the hospital, Edwards said. “He got better as soon as he got bond,” the detective said.

A spokesman with Adel Police Department said Friday afternoon they could offer no comment on the case.

Cox’s current practice is in Adel. His family practice includes newborn care through nursing home care, as well as sports medicine, obstetrics, workmen’s compensation, male and female hormone replacement and multiple office procedures.