ATLANTA — A judge has granted bond again for a repeat offender charged with a violent crime.
Police have arrested and charged D'Shawn Garrison, 17, with numerous crimes, including rape and aggravated assault.
Garrison is currently in the Fulton County Jail, but Channel 2’s Michael Seiden learned that a judge reinstated his bond in November.
The following month, Garrison wrote a letter to his attorney saying he's ready to get out because he wants to go back to school, get a job and fight the charges against him.
Now, the woman he's accused of raping is fighting back.
The mother of two, who has asked us not to identify her, told Seiden that she feels like she's being victimized again.
"It was just a vicious attack, and I think he would've killed me, eventually. I probably had a few more minutes left in me," the woman said. “I kind of feel like maybe I’ve done my part and everybody else needs to do theirs now."
The victim made those comments after Seiden sent her a court transcript from the Nov. 12 hearing in which Fulton County Superior Judge Rachel Krause set a $50,000 bond and ordered Garrsion to wear an ankle monitor while on bond.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Atlanta police begins no-chase policy effective immediately
- Virginia dad beats man found ‘nude from the waist down’ in his children’s bedroom, police say
- Father, daughter hunting duo mistaken for deer, killed
Atlanta police say Garrison, who has more than a dozen arrests as a minor, was already out on bond on a theft charge. His victim was jogging through her Carver Hills neighborhood in broad daylight in May, when Garrison allegedly accosted her, beat and raped her.
“He was wearing an ankle monitor when he attacked me. I don’t know how many crimes this kid has to commit before they actually keep him in jail,” the victim said.
Friday, Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard expressed his displeasure with the judge's decision.
In a statement, he said:
"My office repeatedly and clearly objected to the issuance of bond and release of this defendant. We have made several suggestions aimed at solving this problem with very little success. It is my belief that these questionable bond releases are a product of a flawed Fulton County Criminal Justice System and not the fault per se of individual judges. In the next two weeks, I will be making recommendations to change our entire system that will be based upon national standards. Until our system changes, the problems will continue.”
Seiden contacted the judge for comment, but her spokeswoman declined comment on this story.
Garrison's attorney has not returned Seiden’s calls.
Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields also sent Seiden a statement calling the decision to grant Garrison a bond “disappointing.”
“If there was a crime that deserved a strong message from our judicial system, this was certainly it. This was a horrific, violent attack carried out by a young man who has already shown a propensity toward violence and a blatant disregard for the justice system. We applaud the prosecution for asking that he not be granted a bond. The decision to grant him one is disappointing, to say the least - especially for the victim who was so brutally assaulted.”
© 2020 Cox Media Group
