You might remember the story from New Year’s Day, when a traffic stop resulted in felony charges for a couple. Tyrese Bullard and Sharice Ingram are both still in jail, following that incident, as bond was denied. 

To recap: Bullard and Ingram and their baby were pulled over on Highway 74 in Peachtree City because of suspicious tags on their vehicle. The officer noted a strong scent of marijuana when they stopped, so he searched their vehicle. The couple was acting dodgy about a bag that the woman had. When the officer went to search it, he spotted a gun. Bullard grabbed it and made a run for it, later throwing it into the median of the highway as he ran away. 

Upon later checks by the police, the gun had been reported stolen in Henry County. Since Bullard was still running, police sent K9 units, drones and officers after him, finally cornering him with a drone later that evening. 

Tyrese Bullard was booked into the Fayette County Jail on the following charges: Failure to Display License, Expired/No Registration/Title, Brake Light/Turn Signal Violation, Child Restraint Violation, Pedestrian Walking on Roadway, Criminal Trespass. For those charges he would have gotten bonded out, but he was also charged with Obstruction of Officer, Theft by Receiving Stolen Property and Cruelty to Children 3rd. For those three charges, he was denied bond. 

Sharice Ingram’s charges included: Cruelty to Children 3rd, Obstruction of Officer and Theft by Receiving Stolen Property. The latter two charges had her also denied bond.

How long will Tyrese and Sharice be in jail? That remains to be seen. They have not yet been arraigned, which means charges have not yet been levied by the District Attorney. According to the clerk we spoke to at Superior Court, it can take six months to a year for an arraignment. So they’ll be in the Fayette County Jail for a while. Tyrese has been assigned a Public Defender, Chris Ramig. No public defender has yet been determined for Sharice. 

After their arrest, there were many comments on social media that they would be out soon, calling the justice system a revolving door. That may be true in other jurisdictions, but not in Fayette County. 

Public Information Officer Lt. Chris Hyatt with the Peachtree City Police Department explained, “On the police department side, we are blessed to have a good working relationship with our courts and judicial system, who backs us up with appropriate sentencing. They don’t have a problem handing out sentences for felonies and violent crimes.”

Hyatt referenced that the social media slogan for the PTCPD is #notinPTC. “It has to be a partnership. If you have an agency feeding into a judicial system with a revolving door, the effects are futile.” 

Hyatt contrasts that and says that the Peachtree City Police Department is an “agency doing everything it can to put away violent offenders. Fayette County prides itself on an effective and efficient partnership to deter criminal acts on the front end and back end.”