JONESBORO, Ga. - A white man accused of beating a black female Army reservist while yelling racial slurs at her outside a suburban Atlanta restaurant was indicted Wednesday on felony charges.
Troy Dale West Jr., 47, of Poulan, Ga., faces one count each of aggravated assault, false imprisonment and first-degree cruelty to children under the indictment filed in Clayton County Superior Court. He also faces two counts each of battery and disorderly conduct, which are misdemeanors.
West's lawyer, Larry King, declined comment.
Police allege that West screamed racial slurs as he kicked and punched Tashawnea Hill, in the presence of Hill's 7-year-old daughter, on Sept. 9 outside a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Morrow, about 15 miles south of Atlanta.
Police have said West became enraged when Hill told him to be careful after he nearly hit her daughter while opening a door. The cruelty to children charge was included because the daughter witnessed the beating.
West told police he became upset because Hill spit on him after accusing him of trying to hit her daughter, according to the police report. Several witnesses said they never saw Hill spit on West.
Jail records show West was booked into the Clayton County jail around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. He was being held without bond until he requests a bond hearing, District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson said. An arraignment hearing will likely be held in October.
Federal authorities have said they were investigating the incident as a hate crime. An FBI spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday.
Cracker Barrel issued a statement last week condemning the incident and banning West from ever visiting any of its establishments again.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Has the "video" been made public yet?
Would Christian slurs have been acceptable? Did any of witnesses see the victim NOT spit on the assailant? All of the hate crime b.s. is just stupid. The out of control Troy attacked the female Tashawnea who was walking through a parking lot with her daughter. No other "facts" need to be introduced or created for this case to come to trial.
West said that the reservist "spit" on him. What?! Even if she did spit on him, did that deserve a beatdown? However, the felony charges are in order, but there still seems to be some resistence against throwing the book at this guy. Why? He should have been charged with attempted murder. Why wasn't he? This guy was violent against a US soldier and the prosecution is not overcharging him. Again, why? This situation speaks more to that state's prosecutors and the value of public order in that state: poor.
Attempted murder? Justus, just when I think you are as dumb as a boot and can't get any dumber, you prove me wrong!!! haha
What a horrible person! Even if she did spit on him, which they haven't proved she did, he had no right to attack her physically or verbally. We're talking about a grown man here, not some school yard bully. What a piece of garbage. He has some serious issues and the public needs to be protected against people like him.
justus4 if someone spits on me they will either get a beatdown or deliver one so if she did spit on him that did deserve a beatdown
Mr. West is white trash enough said about that a-hole..
A gentleman would have been most apologetic for nearly knocking down a little girl. I don't think that the mother was being provocative by bringing this to West's attention. This 'man' was NO gentleman! Although any type of violence directed against another is abhorrent from my perspective, I'm also in agreement that this attack was particularly egregious in nature as it was witnessed by a 7 year old, made against a woman, and it was against a member of the of the Armed Services. What a shame! I hope that Cracker Barrel had a camera in the parking lot so that there will be enough evidence to make the charges stick.
This p.o.s needs to be locked up for sure, but anotherlook if you think the phrase"you need to watch yourself" was said is a polite concerned manner you are dreaming. Hehad no reason to beat her downeven if she spit on him, maybe a slap would be a shock reflex response then if she hit back, I could see a fight ensuing. He should have just called the cops on her. But do not kid yourself and think you need watch yourself wasn't said with protective mama attitude. And enough time for an arguement to contain her telling him of her former military status tells me she was in a mutual verbal fight. Not reason to get beat down for, but a possibility she was just as hot headed and spit may have been a possibility, maybe just sptting from yelling but none the less a possibility. Just because someone has a child with them, does not mean they will act appropriately either. And I do not trust most witnesses in a racial claim case as far as I can throw them, they will lie in a heartbeat. We don't know the verbal exchange, did she call him a white trash hillbilly, a cracker, we don't know, that could be why he used a slur back, but that would not be reported since those aren't considered racial
I wonder why no one has reported his criminal past? Does he have a history of domestic violence against women? Usually a p.o.s that beats a woman like this has done it many times before at the age of 47.
Most mothers would avoid conflict at all costs when they are with their children. Most mothers would make sure their children are not standing in a doorway of a crowded place. Takwandoshaneesa should have acted like most mothers
You can tell rather or not someone is going to be polite and hold the door open for you. Or if they are in a rush and don't see you to hold the door open gesture. Some of these doors at some of these businesses are very heavy and would hurt any small child or even an adult. People aren't polite and kind anymore. Don't expect anybody to hold a door open for you or return the greeting of the day to you so that you don't be disappoint when they do misbehave. We have a very rude nasty society and people just love being nasty to others. I always say that let rude and stupid in front of you and let them be on their merry way so that they won't cause any problems especially in road construction zones when they don't want to wait like everybody else. You don't want that kind of behavior behind you in a vehicle.
justus, again, you are a moron. For knowing everything about Georgia law, you sure are stupid. GA does not have an attempted murder statute. It is aggravated assault. You scream about overcharging people, then get mad when they aren't overcharged. Oh--I forgot. He's white.
Attempted murder can be charged as an offense in Georgia, however the maximum penalty is 10 years. Aggravated Assault carries a 20 year maximum, making it a more serious offense.
I agree with your 2:42pm post TakeAstand. What should have been a nonissue is not a criminal charge. I can see this jerk barreling out the door (either in a hurry or upset about something) and almost hitting this child. Then the mother says "you need to watch yourself", and I'm sure she wasn't all peaches and cream saying it. Then the jerk gets defensive and verbally responds, to which the mother informs the jerk she's a soldier, blah, blah, blah. One thing leads to another and pow! All this could have been avoided from the start. I'm not saying it's her fault but once the mother informed the jerk about his carelessness and she saw he didn't care, she should have ignored this brute, taken her daughter inside and had a nice meal. What he did wasn't right but sometimes what comes across our brains, doesn't have to come out of mouth, and verbal confrontations don't get you anywhere.
He shouldn't have hit her. Boys don't hit girls, especially in the South, and even if they cop a 'tude. If he almost hit her kid, he should have apologized immediately, even if it was completely unintentional. If she didn't give him a chance to apologize and then spit on him, though, I can see where he would have been sorely tempted to hit her. But even then, he should have just used his mouth to put her in her place, not his fists. She may have been just as inappropriate verbally as he was physically. If there's no video and the witnesses aren't reliable, it's just 'he said--she said' regarding the provocation. Either way, he's doing some time for assault, as is exactly appropriate.
I cant believe this, once they said that it was a black female,now some of you are defending this man. And you say that you are not racist, this is getting ridiculous. Please "InChristLove" you need to change your name because I really wonder are you really respresenting how christians show love In Spite Of. I cannot stand reading these comments, some of you have some real issues. Stay Bless and have a good day.
Most mothers are very protective of their children and would certainly say something if they thought someone might hurt their child. I would. I have.
Why do they keep mentioning her job? WTF does that have to do with anything. No one says Gap salesperson home robbed. As a serviceman myself I don't want my job to be interjected into everything about me. If a plumber gets a DUI, the law doesn't call his boss. If a Soldier gets in trouble downtown they call the MPs. Why involve their employer when you don't involve anyone else's?
Any other time a person in the military would be defended to the end on here. Why not now? Some of you just brush her military status off as nothing, but will defend other military no matter what they do. Now what is different? Figure it out. Sad but true.
Some women just aren't very smart when it comes to dealing with someone bigger, stronger and willing to act with force. If the guy has a hair trigger and is clearly not willing to take any crap, it's stupid to get in his face, even figuratively. The angry, entitled attitude that some women have really can get them into trouble. If she baited the man, she needed to be ready to fight him. That's just reality. Sometimes, the better part of valor, even for a soldier, is to walk away from a fight rather than tweak somebody's nose, especially if you've got your kid in tow. I don't think she deserved it, no matter what she did, but I think she may have asked for it nonetheless. If she was just innocent of doing anything but pointing out what he had almost done to her child, well, that's different. Somehow, I don't picture any man I've ever known erupting over something that small unless there was some follow up.
If she spat on him, that was a hate crime and an assault in my book, if there ever is such a thing as a hate crime, but I don't think there should be a category such as that. He was wrong if he responded to her as he did, whether she spat or not. Being a practical type, I would have walked or run to the nearest bathroom for something to sterilize wherever the spit made contact instead of bothering to break my skin while clocking her, putting us in danger of her bodily fluids making further contact with us. My children and I have been spat at; I know how angry it made me and it made my children angry, too, but we just kept on going, which made the racist woman furious, but impotent. I can't imagine what might have happened if it was my children's testosterone-loaded dad who saw the woman spit at his daughter, instead of me. We cannot read people's minds and hearts: that is the only way we could evaluate hate and then prosecute for it. Consider also that ALL crimes are hate crimes, so why bother making another legal category to confuse matters? If she spat, they are both in the wrong, but if she didn't spit, only he is in the wrong.
Why couldn't she defend herself, she's supposed to be a tough soldier in the army. I guess nowadays they let anybody in the army, wimps, fatties, and women who think they'er tough. I hope the marine corps isn't to that level, not yet anyway. I know they weren't like that in 1993 when I retired from the corps after 26 years.
I just don't get it. What does the black community expect when they don't even follow what they preach. The gas station at windsor springs and crosssreek is a prime example. I don't knoww how many times I have observed a vehicle loaded with kids and the music blaring about this MF and that MF or this N BI*** and other filth. Makes you wonder what they consider slanderous, because the other customers go about their business without a care.
disssman, I thought nearly everyone around me has gone deaf. I hate to think you're hearing this obscene assault on decent people and minor children's ears, too, but I'm kind of relieved I'm not the only adult that has noticed. Anywhere in 30906 you are likely to hear it, my old neighbors used to play it for hours next door despite repeated complaints by three different households on the block.
Ahh, Baroness.....How I do love your posts. Everyone hates you, bothers you or harasses you.....And how's that whole ex-husband/divorce thing going? You do love airing your dirty laundry
elizaw it has nothing to do with the fact of what race either was. But the other details reported such as the spitting, the you need to watch yourself comment, with protective mama attitude I'm sure. The verbal arguement that went on long enough for her to mention her prior military duites, instead of taking herchild away from anobviously rude,hateful person, according to her. There are several things her about this story that doesn't sound right, it seems to be she may have brung a lot of the confrontation on herself and may have assaulted him first. If she did spit on him,he should have called the cops. He should have never laid a hand on this woman or anyone for that matter. Sticks and stones. A lot of things just do not add up to me, he should be punished to the max for what he did, but as far as like puntive penalties, she doesn't seem totally innocent. This is just my conclusion from her interviews. Has nothing to do with race and no different then how people on here speculate how early morning robberies in a bad part of town sem a little more suspicious than just wrong place wrong time or an anonymous robber. When stories don't make sense, usually they arent the whole truth
The criminal was the only person who said she spit on him. There were plenty of witnesses, and you dingbats believe the one who beat a woman. that says a lot about you.
Get a grip, Rose, before you once again start writing stuff that outstrips your information. All you have is an opinion, just like the rest of us who weren't there at the scene. It would be nice if you used your wit rather than resorting to name-calling when you disagree with other people's comments. Even half of it.
This is only one of a few times when a seemingly innocent woman in the armed forces is viciously attacked and you have all the flotsam of the CSRA attempting to create scenarios as to why it was her fault. You know darn well if she was white, blonde, pretty, etc, that the attacker would not be getting any slack what-so-ever. Bunch of dang hypocrites in the CSRA but what else is new?