By Joe Johnson
An Athens man this week was released from prison only to be immediately arrested to face domestic violence charges.
Tyrell Denard Gordon, 21, of Oak Hill Drive was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon at the Georgia Classification & Diagnostic Prison where he served a little over a year for a burglary conviction, according to the state Department of Corrections.
The reason for the arrest, Athens-Clarke County police said, was because on May 24 of this year Gordon allegedly violently assaulted his 22-year-old girlfriend.
The alleged assault occurred just four months after Gordon was released from prison for prior convictions on a firearm and motor vehicle offenses, according to the DOC.
Police said they learned about the allged assault on April 25 when officers responded to St. Mary’s Hospital on a report that security guards were preventing Gordon from entering a room occupied by a woman who had been admitted due to a “sickle cell crisis.” Hospital staff told police they believed that the woman made up her supposed symptoms in order to get checked into the hospital.
The woman reportedly told police that Gordon was her boyfriend and that he had beat and choked her earlier in the day.
Police said they obtained warrants charging Gordon with aggravated assault, battery, terroristic threats and acts, moytor vehicle theft and theft by taking.
Those were the warrants that were served on him Tuesday afternoon.
Gordon was released from the Clarke County Jail Tuesday night upon posting a $31,700 bond, according to the jail’s website.
Anyone who is in an abusive relationship can seek advice and services by calling Project Safe’s 24-hour hotline at (706) 543-3331, or by visiting http://www.project-safe.org.