ATLANTA — Prosecutors want a former Atlanta police officer charged in the death of Rayshard Brooks to be sent back to jail for something he did while out on bond.
The Fulton County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion Tuesday to revoke Garrett Rolfe’s bond, saying violated his bond by traveling to Florida without permission.
Channel 2′s Lauren Pozen and Channel 2 Action News reached out to Rolfe’s defense attorneys and are waiting for their statements.
Attorneys for the family of Rayshard Brook’s said this is a first in their years of practicing law.
“It is disrespectful No. 1 to the judge. No. 2 to the judicial system. And No. 3 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.”
Stewart, his law firm and Brooks’ widow Tomika Miller all spoke at a news conference Wednesday to address the motion. Miller said she felt hurt when she found out Rolfe took a vacation and supports the motion to have his bond revoked.
“I was baffled when I heard about this. It let me know Rolfe didn’t care what the judge laid down or what other people would feel,” she said. “I’m hurt and again I’m just wondering when will justice be served. When will things change?”
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Pozen went through the 5-page motion to revoke Rolfe’s bond after he went to Daytona Beach, Florida last week.
Rolfe, who was granted a $500,000 bond June 30, had specific restrictions placed on release including a curfew from 6 p.m. - 6 a.m.
The bond order “expressly states that the Defendant is only allowed to leave home for medical, legal, or work related obligations,” according to the motion.
The motion said on Aug. 3 the state got an email from Rolfe’s attorney saying he traveled to Florida for vacation. The state said it was not made aware of any special permission given by the court.
Stewart questions what type of standard this could set in the future.
“So now when people get out on bond are they just free to leisurely travel and go out of state and go on vacation?”
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RAYSHARD BROOKS CASE
Police body cameras showed Rolfe and another officer, Devin Brosnan, having a calm and respectful conversation with Brooks for more than 40 minutes after complaints that the 27-year-old Black man had fallen asleep in his car in a Wendy’s drive-thru lane on June 12.
But when officers told him he’d had too much to drink to be driving and tried to handcuff him, Brooks resisted. A struggle was caught on dash camera video. Brooks grabbed one of their Tasers and fled, firing the Taser at Rolfe as he ran away.
[RELATED: 911 call details moments that led up to killing of Rayshard Brooks']
An autopsy found Brooks was shot twice in the back.
Rolfe now faces 11 charges in all, including felony murder, and was granted bond June 30. Brosnan is charged with aggravated assault and violating his oath and is also free on bond.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report
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