Valdosta High School Student Arrested on Kidnapping, Strangulation Charges After Off-Campus Assault

VALDOSTA, Ga. – A 17-year-old Valdosta High School student was arrested at school Thursday after police obtained felony warrants accusing him of kidnapping and strangling his girlfriend during an off-campus assault.

Christen Tremayne Turner, 17, was taken into custody without incident on August 27, 2026, after Valdosta Police officers coordinated with Valdosta City Schools administrators to remove him from class.

Police released details about the arrest after learning that a video showing officers taking Turner into custody at Valdosta High School was circulating. Authorities emphasized that the arrest involved an off-campus incident and that there was no threat to students or staff at the school.

The investigation began at approximately 8:30 a.m. on August 26, 2026, when a woman called 911 and reported that her 17-year-old daughter had been assaulted by her boyfriend.

Officers responded and interviewed the teenager. Investigators determined that Turner had allegedly physically assaulted the girl and pulled her against her will into a wooded area, where police say the assault continued.

Officers attempted to locate Turner at an address they had been provided, but a family member told police that Turner did not live there. Investigators were unable to obtain another current address for him.

On August 27, officers obtained arrest warrants charging Turner with Aggravated Assault by Strangulation, Kidnapping and False Imprisonment. The aggravated assault and kidnapping charges are felonies.

After learning Turner was a student at Valdosta High School, police contacted school officials. Administrators removed Turner from his classroom, allowing officers to take him into custody without incident.

Turner was transported to the Lowndes County Jail on the active warrants.

The Valdosta Police Department thanked school administrators for assisting officers in making the arrest safely and reiterated that the allegations did not involve an incident at the high school.

The charges against Turner are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The investigation remains ongoing.