Post by aleamon98 on Jul 25, 2007 18:45:27 GMT -5
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Chaffin granted $10,000 bond; Parker family calls it “a disgrace”
07/25/07
Tim Carlfeldt
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Harbin
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In an appearance before Judge Jerry Day in Walker County Magistrate Court Wednesday afternoon, Harbin “Ben” Chaffin was granted bond totaling $10,000 on two charges.
Chaffin was booked at the Walker County jail around midday after an eight-hour drive from Mobile, Ala., where he was arrested last Tuesday, July 17.
He voluntarily agreed to extradition from Alabama at a hearing there last Thursday.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation obtained warrants on three charges related to the investigation of 911 dispatcher Theresa Parker’s disappearance.
In addition to an April 2 charge of making false statements to investigators, Chaffin was charged last week with computer invasion of privacy, tampering with evidence and violation of oath by public officer.
Judge Day set bond at $5,000 each for the charges
District Attorney Leigh Patterson is accompanied by GBI Special Agent James Harris to the bond hearing. (Messenger photo/Matt Ledger)
of computer invasion of privacy and tampering with evidence.
The judge waived bond on the charge of violating the oath of a public officer, saying he felt it was something Chaffin had been charged with from day one and can be considered part of his bond from the April 2 charges of making false statements.
Rome Judicial Circuit District Attorney Leigh Patterson requested the denial of bond, saying the criteria under state code has been met.
“The computer invasion of privacy and tampering with evidence charges go absolutely to the heart of the criteria that allows this court to deny bond,” she said.
Still,
Christina Hall, left, and her sister Hilda Wilson voice their objections to bond being set Wednesday for Ben Chaffin. (Messenger photo/Matt Ledger)
Day set bond for Chaffin saying, “Had Mr. Chaffin made bond (last time) and gotten out and started doing things to try to cover up and obstruct I might feel different, but I don’t think some inconsistent statements is enough to keep him incarcerated.”
Back and forth
Patterson laid out such statements in reference to the hours of investigative interviews of Chaffin.
She pointed out that on March 27 Chaffin told a GBI agent that he accessed Theresa Parker’s MSN e-mail account with a password “that was written down.”
“He admitted to this agent that he had gone into Theresa Parker’s computer and discovered details about this trip to Gatlinburg, Tenn.,” Patterson said, adding that Chaffin did not mention to the agent that he had e-mailed the information to his own account, printed it, and cut off the top to conceal his act before giving it to Theresa’s estranged husband, and his LaFayette police superior, Sam Parker.
Patterson said that on March 31 Chaffin told investigators that they should search the pond near the Parker marital home on Cordell Road. “He took them to that location, walked directly to an area of that pond and pointed out where they needed to look.”
According to Patterson, in an April 3 interview at the Whitfield County jail after his first arrest, Chaffin was asked by investigators why they were searching ponds.
Patterson said Chaffin’s response to them was, “I don’t know what I’m doing. That’s my stupid way of policing. I’m trying to picture in my mind… I’m trying to think like Sam. It’s like where would he put her? I guess that’s stupid.”
The DA said if that is not obstruction of justice she doesn’t know what is.
Chaffin’s attorney David Cunningham said that offering up bits and pieces of statements from more than 25 hours of interviews with Chaffin presents no valid reason to deny bond.
He said his client is no flight risk and that he’s entitled to the same applicable bond as he was granted in April, which was $5,000.
“There’s no obstruction of justice in this case,” Cunningham said. “She (Patterson) says he cut off the top of an e-mail. Well who was working there? Who is his superior officer? Why hasn’t Sam Parker been charged, if he’s the one who directed my client to go into a computer?”
He said the basis for the prosecution’s request to deny bond is simply that they don’t believe Chaffin. “I’ve never met a prosecuting attorney who believed anything a defendant has to say.”
Patterson told Judge Day that she would not be willing to offer up every statement that Chaffin has made because then it would be public record and could jeopardize the investigation.
Family reaction
Theresa Parker’s sisters and mother were present at the hearing, and said afterward that they feel Judge Day’s decision to grant bond, and the amount, is a disgrace.
“I feel that Jerry Day should recuse himself from this case for the same reasons as Buzz Franklin and his staff did,” said sister Hilda Wilson, adding that since it’s likely Day has had dealings in the courts with Ben Chaffin, he should not preside over his legal fate.
Wilson said she did not know about Chaffin’s misdirection to the Cordell pond or about the computer invasion until the charges came out last week. “I’m sickened to my stomach that he went in my sister’s information and got her e-mails. He accesses this and apparently helps whoever it is that did whatever they did to my sister. He knows, and he needs to be in jail permanently.”
Theresa’s sister Christina Hall said the defense’s characterization of Chaffin’s arrest in Mobile as a media stunt and statements that investigators have no new information is absurd. “These men have been searching and working every day for hours by themselves. There’s no publicity stunt.”
Theresa’s mother Claire Careathers said she is angry at David Cunningham’s complaint that his client was held as one of four people in a two-person jail cell and had to sleep on the floor. “My daughter may be sleeping in the dirt or in the water somewhere.”
Chaffin granted $10,000 bond; Parker family calls it “a disgrace”
07/25/07
Tim Carlfeldt
Respond to this story
Email this story to a friend
Harbin
SOUNDOFF: Post your comments and read comments by others
In an appearance before Judge Jerry Day in Walker County Magistrate Court Wednesday afternoon, Harbin “Ben” Chaffin was granted bond totaling $10,000 on two charges.
Chaffin was booked at the Walker County jail around midday after an eight-hour drive from Mobile, Ala., where he was arrested last Tuesday, July 17.
He voluntarily agreed to extradition from Alabama at a hearing there last Thursday.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation obtained warrants on three charges related to the investigation of 911 dispatcher Theresa Parker’s disappearance.
In addition to an April 2 charge of making false statements to investigators, Chaffin was charged last week with computer invasion of privacy, tampering with evidence and violation of oath by public officer.
Judge Day set bond at $5,000 each for the charges
District Attorney Leigh Patterson is accompanied by GBI Special Agent James Harris to the bond hearing. (Messenger photo/Matt Ledger)
of computer invasion of privacy and tampering with evidence.
The judge waived bond on the charge of violating the oath of a public officer, saying he felt it was something Chaffin had been charged with from day one and can be considered part of his bond from the April 2 charges of making false statements.
Rome Judicial Circuit District Attorney Leigh Patterson requested the denial of bond, saying the criteria under state code has been met.
“The computer invasion of privacy and tampering with evidence charges go absolutely to the heart of the criteria that allows this court to deny bond,” she said.
Still,
Christina Hall, left, and her sister Hilda Wilson voice their objections to bond being set Wednesday for Ben Chaffin. (Messenger photo/Matt Ledger)
Day set bond for Chaffin saying, “Had Mr. Chaffin made bond (last time) and gotten out and started doing things to try to cover up and obstruct I might feel different, but I don’t think some inconsistent statements is enough to keep him incarcerated.”
Back and forth
Patterson laid out such statements in reference to the hours of investigative interviews of Chaffin.
She pointed out that on March 27 Chaffin told a GBI agent that he accessed Theresa Parker’s MSN e-mail account with a password “that was written down.”
“He admitted to this agent that he had gone into Theresa Parker’s computer and discovered details about this trip to Gatlinburg, Tenn.,” Patterson said, adding that Chaffin did not mention to the agent that he had e-mailed the information to his own account, printed it, and cut off the top to conceal his act before giving it to Theresa’s estranged husband, and his LaFayette police superior, Sam Parker.
Patterson said that on March 31 Chaffin told investigators that they should search the pond near the Parker marital home on Cordell Road. “He took them to that location, walked directly to an area of that pond and pointed out where they needed to look.”
According to Patterson, in an April 3 interview at the Whitfield County jail after his first arrest, Chaffin was asked by investigators why they were searching ponds.
Patterson said Chaffin’s response to them was, “I don’t know what I’m doing. That’s my stupid way of policing. I’m trying to picture in my mind… I’m trying to think like Sam. It’s like where would he put her? I guess that’s stupid.”
The DA said if that is not obstruction of justice she doesn’t know what is.
Chaffin’s attorney David Cunningham said that offering up bits and pieces of statements from more than 25 hours of interviews with Chaffin presents no valid reason to deny bond.
He said his client is no flight risk and that he’s entitled to the same applicable bond as he was granted in April, which was $5,000.
“There’s no obstruction of justice in this case,” Cunningham said. “She (Patterson) says he cut off the top of an e-mail. Well who was working there? Who is his superior officer? Why hasn’t Sam Parker been charged, if he’s the one who directed my client to go into a computer?”
He said the basis for the prosecution’s request to deny bond is simply that they don’t believe Chaffin. “I’ve never met a prosecuting attorney who believed anything a defendant has to say.”
Patterson told Judge Day that she would not be willing to offer up every statement that Chaffin has made because then it would be public record and could jeopardize the investigation.
Family reaction
Theresa Parker’s sisters and mother were present at the hearing, and said afterward that they feel Judge Day’s decision to grant bond, and the amount, is a disgrace.
“I feel that Jerry Day should recuse himself from this case for the same reasons as Buzz Franklin and his staff did,” said sister Hilda Wilson, adding that since it’s likely Day has had dealings in the courts with Ben Chaffin, he should not preside over his legal fate.
Wilson said she did not know about Chaffin’s misdirection to the Cordell pond or about the computer invasion until the charges came out last week. “I’m sickened to my stomach that he went in my sister’s information and got her e-mails. He accesses this and apparently helps whoever it is that did whatever they did to my sister. He knows, and he needs to be in jail permanently.”
Theresa’s sister Christina Hall said the defense’s characterization of Chaffin’s arrest in Mobile as a media stunt and statements that investigators have no new information is absurd. “These men have been searching and working every day for hours by themselves. There’s no publicity stunt.”
Theresa’s mother Claire Careathers said she is angry at David Cunningham’s complaint that his client was held as one of four people in a two-person jail cell and had to sleep on the floor. “My daughter may be sleeping in the dirt or in the water somewhere.”