The family of Rayshard Brooks called on a Georgia judge to revoke former Atlanta police Garrett Rolfe’s bond because of a vacation he recently took to Florida.
Tomika Miller, Brooks’s widow, endorsed a petition filed by Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard asking the court to revoke Rolfe’s $500,000 bond. Howard argued that Rolfe violated the terms of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jane Barwick’s order by leaving the state of Georgia this weekend without notifying the court.
“It just hurts and it shows me that Officer Rolfe does not care, and it makes me wonder if I will ever get justice,” Miller told reporters while explaining her support for Howard’s petition.
Chris Stewart, an attorney for Brooks’s family, echoed Miller’s outrage. He criticized Rolfe for taking a vacation “not just after having killed Rayshard Brooks — but in the middle of a pandemic.”
“I believe that a lot of us would love to be on vacation, it was mind-blowing to see that Officer Rolfe decided to ignore the court rules and regulations and standards that have been set upon him for his bond,” Stewart added.
Rolfe was hit with 11 charges, including felony murder, for his actions during Brooks’s arrest at an Atlanta Wendy’s in June. The police were called to check on Brooks, who was believed to be passed out in his vehicle. When Rolfe and officer Devin Brosnan moved to arrest him for driving under the influence, Brooks stole Brosnan’s Taser and fled while pointing the Taser back at the officers. Rolfe shot and killed Brooks.
Rolfe was released on bond. The judge noted that Rolfe was “only allowed to leave home for medical, legal, or work-related obligations.” Tracking data from Rolfe’s ankle monitor revealed that he left his home early Sunday morning and was staying in Daytona Beach. Rolfe’s attorney notified the court that he had left the state on Monday. Howard filed the petition to the court on Tuesday.
Rolfe filed a wrongful termination lawsuit on Wednesday against the city of Atlanta because he believes the city violated his constitutional rights after firing him “without an investigation, without proper notice, without a disciplinary hearing, and in direct violation of the municipal code of the City of Atlanta.”
