Bulloch County prosecutors lost another Rape trial this week, the second sex crimes case to go to the way of the defense this week.
In a split verdict, a Bulloch County jury found the defendant Not Guilty on an Aggravated Assault charge and could not reach a unanimous decision on the Rape charge. On both charges, the state failed to convince jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that the two crimes were committed.
Then 23-year-old Charles Mason Parker was arrested on December 18, 2020 by the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office on four warrants: Battery, Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Sodomy, and Rape. The allegations stemmed from an incident which reportedly occurred on November 5, 2020 between 1:30 a.m. and 5:45 a.m.
Battery: That he allegedly caused bodily harm during the alleged rape
Aggravated Assault: That he allegedly strangled a female
Aggravated Sodomy: That he allegedly intentionally made contact with the intimate parts of the female during the act of rape
Rape: That he allegedly forced himself upon the female.
Both Rape and Aggravated Sodomy carry possible Life Sentences.
Parker was a given a $100,000 bond on January 8, 2021, twenty-one days after his arrest, and his case was presented to the grand jury the following month. Grand jurors, however, only returned a True Bill of Indictment on two of the charges: Rape and Aggravated Assault.
The case took another three years to make it to trial, which lasted four days. Parker was represented by attorney Sims Lanier, Harry Dixon, and Maria Justus while the case was prosecuted by ADA Casey Blount. Jurors deliberated for the better part of Tuesday afternoon.
The District Attorney’s Office will have the opportunity to try Parker again for the Rape charge, if it chooses to do so, but will not be able to try him for Aggravated Assault, as a jury decided on that charge. Subsequently, any facts around the alleged Aggravated Assault would also be barred from a future trial, should the state try again.
Parker’s bond conditions remain in place until the District Attorney’s office makes a decision about prosecution.
To read more about District Attorney Daphne Totten, click here. To read about Totten’s tenure and sex crimes cases, see below.
