A man shot allegedly in the act of burglarizing a woman’s home in the middle of the night was denied bond Friday, Jan. 28.
Marquise T. Staten, 25, was arrested several days after a Dec. 11, 2021 burglary on Crosscreek Road that occurred when the homeowner’s adult son was asleep in the house alone.
At the time, Staten, a convicted felon, was on probation for theft, and although he had been arrested for an additional theft that occurred in October, he was freed from jail on a consent bond just two days before the Dec. 11 burglary.
That night, the homeowner’s son heard a noise that woke him up, Assistant District Attorney Roslyn Norman said during Staten’s Richmond County Superior Court bond hearing.
The son got out of bed and saw a man in the house. The man ran out of the house, and the son called 911 and also his mother, who was working a late shift. She arrived home before the sheriff’s office, and as she and her son waited for a deputy to arrive, they heard a noise coming from the upstairs, Norman said.
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The homeowner went to investigate, armed, and found a man standing in her bedroom. She fired multiple shots at the man who jumped through a window and escaped, Norman said.
Staten was hospitalized with several gunshot wounds before his arrest. He was booked into the jail Dec. 20.
Staten has prior convictions for theft and criminal attempt to commit a crime, which was reduced from burglary, in 2015, theft in 2017 and theft in 2021.
According to court records, Staten was sentenced Feb. 23, 2021, to a 10-year probation term for that last crime. He was arrested again Oct. 15 for theft. In that case, the prosecutor told the judge Friday, the district attorney’s office consented to bond and Staten was released from jail Dec. 9. By then, a probation violation warrant had already been filed, according to court records.
Defense attorney Jennifer Cross asked the judge to consider bond for Staten who has been hospitalized again since his arrest and still needs medical treatment, which county taxpayers will have to pay for. Staten could live with his mother, who has some medical training and who would assume responsibility for the cost of his medical care, Cross said.
Chief Judge Daniel J. Craig denied bond, finding Staten could pose a danger to the community and to commit further crimes.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
