A Bulloch County man walked free last week after a jury of his peers found him not guilty on all charges.
Terence Antoine Webster stood trial in Bulloch County on charges of Aggravated Sexual Battery, Child Molestation, and Cruelty to Children after he was arrested by the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office in November 2021.
According to warrants and an indictment filed in the Clerk’s Office in April 2021, Webster was accused of acts against a female under the age of sixteen on a date that was not known in March 2021.
Though both public defenders and retained legal counsel sought bond for Webster a number of times prior to his case being adjudicated, they were not successful. Webster spent eighteen months behind bars before he was granted bond in June 2023, three months ahead of his trial. In an emergency request for bond in June 2023, Webster’s attorney, Louise Dietzen, cited the death of Webster’s brother and the need to care for his mother as reasons for the need for immediate bond. The request was accompanied by a host of letters of support from the community. Judge Ronald Thompson ordered bond shortly thereafter.
The trial lasted approximately two-and-a-half days. It was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Barclay Black.
The District Attorney’s Office has been less than successful in prosecuting a host of sex crimes cases over the last several years under District Attorney Daphne Totten. In addition, her office has routinely advocated against bond for all individuals charged with sex crimes, irrespective of circumstances, which has led to considerable time behind bars for individuals who are ultimately acquitted of charges. You can read more about that here.
