CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga.,None — A man convicted of beating an Army reservist in front of her daughter was released from jail months before his sentence was scheduled to end.
In October, Troy West was convicted of beating Army reservist Tasha Hill at a Morrow Cracker Barrel restaurant. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges and was supposed to sit in jail for six months, but he ended up serving less than half of his sentence.
"Someone that abuses a dog gets more time than West got," Hill's lawyer, Mawuli Mel Davis, told Channel 2's Mike Petchenik.
After West's conviction, officials moved him from Clayton County to the Worth County Jail, where he was closer to his family. On Dec. 3, West was released from jail, more than three months ahead of schedule, Worth County Sheriff Freddie Tompkins said.
Tompkins said he gave West two days of credit for every day he painted trailers for the county's Public Works Department. He said West also cleaned up debris after a recent storm.
Tompkins said he treated West as he would every inmate in his jail. He said he was receiving pressure from West's friends to release him even earlier, but he declined.
But Davis said the decision was hardly fair to Hill, who is now suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
"That's just unfathomable to think that a woman can be beaten and for someone to walk away with such a short sentence. He should have served more time," Davis said.
WSBTV
