ATLANTA — The former Atlanta police officer accused of killing Rayshard Brooks won’t have his bond revoked after making a trip to Florida.
A Fulton County judge made the ruling on Wednesday, but the wording in Garrett Rolfe’s bond order was changed to require him to stay at his home.
Rolfe is charged with murder in the June shooting death of Brooks outside a southwest Atlanta Wendy's.
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion last week to revoke Rolfe’s bond, saying he violated the order by traveling to Florida without permission.
“It is disrespectful, number one, to the judge. Number two, to the judicial system. And, number three, to the family of Rayshard Brooks,” attorney Chris Stewart said. “He is an officer. He understands this process better than anyone else. It doesn’t list vacation as one of those things.”
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Brooks’ widow, Tomika Miller, said she felt hurt when she found out Rolfe took a vacation. She supports the motion to have his bond revoked.
“I was baffled when I heard about this,” Miller said. “It let me know Rolfe didn’t care what the judge laid down or what other people would feel. I’m hurt, and again, I’m just wondering, when will justice be served? When will things change?”
“The State never requested that Garrett Rolfe be placed on house arrest/home confinement; nor did the state request that Mr. Rolfe be prohibited from traveling out of state,” Rolfe’s attorneys said in a response filed last week in Fulton Superior Court. “Instead, when asking this court to impose conditions of bond, the state asked that Mr. Rolfe be subject to a curfew, which the court ordered and which Mr. Rolfe has not violated.”
In her ruling Wednesday, Judge Jane Barwick gave a stern warning to Rolfe about following the terms of his release on $500,000 bond.
“Defendant faces charges related to the killing of another human being, and whether he believes these charges are warranted, he was given the privilege of limited freedom while these charges pend,” Barwick wrote. “Should he and his attorneys have any question as to the meaning of the conditions of his bond, they should seek clarification from the court before acting rather than hoping for continued release after acting. These are strict conditions that shall be adhered to strictly.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this article.
Cox Media Group
