Jailed Man Michael Priest, Accused Of Violent Crime Mistakenly Released

ATLANTA -- A metro Atlanta sheriff is explaining what he calls a ”failure in the system that allowed a suspect in a violent home invasion to go free.

Michael Antonio Priest, 22, faces aggravated assault and robbery charges stemming from a Nov. 2009 attack in Stone Mountain in which the victim was tied up and pistol-whipped.

A spokesman for the DeKalb County District Attoey’s office told GA Daily News reporter Mike Petchenik that Priest and two other men were being held in the county jail without bond.

In a statement, Erik Burton told Petchenik that in mid-October 2010, Fulton County deputies took Priest from the DeKalb County jail to Atlanta so he could face outstanding charges there. Fulton County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan told Petchenik that Priest was wanted for theft and simple battery charges.

”Fulton County Sheriff’s Department thereafter failed to retu the defendant to the Dekalb County Jail, Burton wrote in a statement.

Clayton County Sheriff Kem Kimbrough told Petchenik Fulton County deputies took Priest to Clayton County after his Fulton County case was adjudicated, so that he could answer to a minor drug charge. Kimbrough said a judge dismissed the Clayton County case, so his deputies released Priest.

”He had no holds, he had no warrants, no one had contacted us and placed a hold with us for any reason, so we released him, said Kimbrough, explaining that every inmate in his jail is checked for that information.

Kimbrough told Petchenik he believes there was a failure in the system that allowed Priest to be released.

”Somewhere there should have been something on GCIC (Georgia Crime Information Center) that placed us on notice that he needed to go somewhere else, he said.

Burton told Petchenik that prosecutors first leaed Priest wasn’t in jail during a pretrial hearing two weeks ago and that a judge immediately issued a bench warrant for his arrest.

A spokesman for the Dekalb County Police Department told Petchenik the county’s fugitive task force rearrested him last week.

Victim Jason Pope told Petchenik he is angry about the oversight.

”I don’t think it’s right, he said. ”They should do something about that.

Fulton Sheriff’s spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan told Petchenik her office also had no record that DeKalb County had put a hold on Priest.