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Teen robbery suspect to remain in jail
Newton County Judicial Center

COVINGTON, Ga. – One of the four teenagers charged in last year’s armed robbery of a student in a boy’s restroom at Newton High will remain behind bars until his case is disposed of after his bond was revoked Tuesday afternoon.

All of the suspects were granted bond last summer following the May 2017 incident and allowed limited computer and internet access for school work with their computer time monitored by parents.

The 16-year-old’s bond was temporarily revoked last month by Superior Court Judge John Ott after Newton County Assistant District Attorney Tabitha Rogers told the court social media posts uncovered during the course of the robbery investigation indicated the teen had discussed acquiring a handgun.

At Tuesday’s hearing, an investigator with the district attorney's office testified three different firearms were talked about in messages on Instagram, a photo-sharing social media platform.

The teen’s attorney, Ashlee Boykin, told the judge multiple people had access to the suspect's account. The teen’s mother testified she had monitored his internet activity. She said as many as seven people had access to the account and it has since been deleted.

Ott permanently revoked the bond saying the teen was a “danger to continue activity to violate conditions of his bond.”

The four face multiple charges stemming from the robbery May 5, 2017 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.