A judge denied bond Friday for a Waynesboro, Ga., man accused of stabbing a Marine who was collecting toy donations outside Best Buy on Nov. 26.
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Tracey Antonio Attaway's criminal history, which was read in court by Assistant District Attorney Natalie Paine, seemed to influence Senior Judge Bernard J. Mulherin Sr., who said Attaway was a threat to flee the area and to commit more crimes while out on bond.
"He has a history of criminal activity that is rather lengthy," Mulherin said.
Attaway, 39, was released from jail recently and had started serving a four-year probation sentence when he stabbed Cpl. Phillip Duggan, 24, who stood outside the store on Black Friday, authorities said.
Duggan's fellow Marines and store employees held Attaway until deputies arrived to arrest him on charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime.
Attaway had tried to flee the store after he was seen on surveillance videos cutting a Dell laptop computer from its packaging and stuffing it down his pants, according to Paine. Duggan tried to stop Attaway as he ran from the building and was stabbed in the back. His injuries were not life-threatening.
Attaway listened as Paine read a list of crimes he had committed in Burke and Richmond counties, including numerous traffic violations, fleeing from deputies, thefts and obstruction of an officer.
He was convicted of gun and obstruction charges in Burke County on Sept. 8. He had been in jail since May 29 and was given credit for time served by Judge Sheryl Jolly. She sentenced him to four years, eight months of probation plus 100 hours of community service, Paine said.
Attaway's court-appointed attorney said he has lived most of his life in Waynesboro and had attended Middle Georgia College in Cochran before going to Augusta Technical College for a welding degree. He was unemployed when deputies arrested him at Best Buy.
Duggan did not attend the bond hearing but Paine said her office had spoken with him beforehand.
"He indicated to our victims' advocate that he opposes bond," she said.
thank goodness, that is the best news I have read since Deputy Corey Carlyle shot the man who was threatening to shoot the 8 month old. Thank you to the Jusge on this case. Let us keep this common sense going.
That is a very nice Christmas gift for the victim!! Have a nice holiday season in jail Mr backstabber criminal!!
To the Marine there is a line that says "the streets are guarded by' You know the rest.......SEMEPER FI..........USMC RET
There is no reason this career thug should have ever been walking the streets................................lock him up and lose the key.
Along with the other charges, let's see if the DA is gutsy enough to add the hate crime to his list of pending charges. Have to agree with you bentman: he is human debris
Agreed Betty, If habitual offender laws were better enforced this guy would still be locked up. Not pointing fingers, but how many judges (including Judge Jolly) let this guy off with probation before this incident.
I say, after a certain number of crimes,you lose your right to live in civilized society. This guy fits the bill.
stabbing a marine after stealing from someone else .....gee how much would society have gained if the marines used lethal force to subdue this savage?
But the REAL QUESTION is what if we could have stopped his mindset progression years ago? Changed this attitude that society owes him something...that others have "exploited him or stolen from him"..he would have most likely NEVER THOUGHT OF COMMITTING A CRIME...He would be a productive citizen helping his country instead of degenerating into a savage with no sense of human life much less common decency....Another victim of the socialist mentality "You owe me because you have more than i do"....
Mable -
Georgia doesn't have a hate crime law. It was ruled unconstitutional
aw geez....now he won't have time to finish steali...errr, buying the stuff on his Crimmus list before the holidays!
Lucky for the marine playing hero didnt get him killed. A guy runs outta Best Buy (cameras everywhere) for stealing you let him run. The police will catch him. People stop playing hero when a hero isnt needed. A kidnapping or rape in progress i can understand. But dont risk your life so a big corparation like best buy doesnt have to report a measly $700 claim. Its just not worth it to you and the others around you.
darren2little,
As a police officer, I understand where you are coming from, but as a human being, I have to disagree with you. The problem with crime and society today is exactly the mindset you are displaying in your comments. In general, no one wants to get involved in today's society. I can't tell you how often I respond to a crime in a neighborhood where no one saw anything, no one knows their neighbors, and really no one cares because it did not effect them. This type of attitude is why criminals ultimately win in the fight between ensuring peace and justice, and a lawless society. It assures that criminals will spend little time in jail or prison, that the recidivisim rates will remain high, and the crime stats will continue to get worse in certain areas.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
-Edmund Burke
You would do well to remember this, darren2little. As would a large majority of people in this God-forsaken country!
I agree with staind620. We've had our fill of letting someone else handle problems and things have only gotten worse.
To darren2little, Marines are trained to be heros - that's what they do.
I happened to be in Best Buy when this occurred. It's bad enough stealing during Christmas, and pulling out a knife in a crowded area on the busiest shopping day of the year, but stabbing someone that puts their life on the line so we can enjoy the freedoms this country affords is sickening (while he is working for a charity event for children). This punk is a waste of space and deserves the deepest, darkest hole we can find.
Can we get a judge that actually enforces repeat offender laws? What happened to 3 strikes?!
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