COVINGTON, Ga. – Bond was temporarily revoked Tuesday afternoon for one of the teens charged in last year’s armed robbery of a student at Newton High School.
Judge John M. Ott made the ruling during a hearing at the Newton County Judicial Center.
“He’s disobeyed conditions of his bond,” Ott said.
Assistant District Attorney Tabitha Rogers told the court the 16-year-old discussed obtaining a handgun in a social media post. The post was discovered during a review of Instagram messages obtained by the DA’s office as part of its investigation.
In a separate case, another of the teens charged in the robbery had his bond modified after a review of his social media showed that he had tried to contact a co-defendant using the internet. The bond modification forbids the 15-year-old to use any electronic device capable of accessing the internet.
The teens are two of four accused of the armed robbery of a student in a boy’s restroom at the school May 5, 2017. They were granted bond and allowed use of computers for school work only, monitored by their parents, as a condition.
Rogers told The Covington News in an email the 16-year-old’s bond is revoked until an April 17 hearing on the issues raised Tuesday.
He and his co-defendants face multiple charges including armed robbery, aggravated assault, carrying a weapon within certain school areas, violation of street gang terrorism and prevention act and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.