COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — The husband of a Carmel woman who's been missing since February was found not guilty Thursday on an aggravated stalking charge not related to her disappearance.
The charge came from a case involving the mother of two of the man's children.
ABC affiliate WSB-TV spoke to the man's defense lawyer, Bryan Howard, after the verdict. He says his client is innocent in Ciera Locklair Breland's disappearance.
"He’s cooperated with the police. He’s made statements to the police and tried to help them in any way possible," Howard said.
Ciera was last seen Feb. 24 in Georgia. She was first reported missing on Feb. 26 by her husband, who told police she disappeared in Carmel on Feb. 25 after walking out on him and their 5-month-old son.
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Johns Creek police Chief Mark Mitchell said that despite the verdict in the stalking case, the man remains a person of interest in the disappearance of his wife. Ciera's husband does not face any charges in connection to her disappearance.
Mitchell says the department still needs the public's help as they continue to run down leads in the case.
Howard says he requested that the missing person case be kept out of the Coweta County trial because it might have prejudiced a jury. The District Attorney's office did not oppose that request, according to Howard.
“It’s important that everyone keeps an open mind when allegations are made,” Howard said.
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Ciera's dad told WSB earlier this year he prays "all the time, 24/7" that they'll find out what happened to Ciera.
"I don't believe she'll be coming back to us," Ciera's mom told WSB.
Anyone with information related to the disappearance of Ciera Breland is asked to contact the Johns Creek Police Tip line at 678-474-1610 or the Carmel Police Dept. at 317-571-2500. You can also call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit tips.fbi.gov.
