APD on Monson evidence fumble

Albany Police Department blamed for failed Jermaine Monson mugging case

ALBANY, GA- Back in August of 2017, 71-year-old Carol Harper was allegedly attacked by Jermaine Quantz Monson while walking into a Save A Lot on South Slappey Avenue in Albany, Ga.

Harper suffered multiple fractures to her arm, leg, and shoulder in the attack.

Harper would later die months before Monson was captured.

Her alleged attacker was charged and arrested back in 2019. Monson was released earlier this month because the Dougherty County District Attorney’s office didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute him.

Monson would spend two years behind bars.

Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards points to a missing video as to why the case couldn’t move forward. Dougherty County’s top attorney says surveillance video that captured the attack was never collected by the Albany police officer who was handling the incident that day.

“There was a miscue in this situation in that either the forensic unit was not alerted to collect this evidence, or the officer didn’t alert them at all. In any event the evidence regarding this video was not collected,” said Greg Edwards, Dougherty County District Attorney.

In an exclusive interview with South Georgia Investigative Reporter Josh Rhoden, Albany Police Chief Michael Persley admits the video evidence was never collected.

“We didn’t retrieve it, but we had enough to get a warrant for him, based on our eyewitness, and that’s what we presented,” said Michael Persley, Chief of Albany Police.

Chief Persley admits that his office could have done a better job at communicating with the Dougherty County’s District Attorney’s Office.

“So just going forward, to make sure that even once we get the case and turn it over to the DA’s office that we will follow back up with them to see who is the ADA assigned to the case and investigator so can continue to work the case through until it’s ready for trial.”

Lisa Harper, the daughter of Carol Harper, just wants justice for her mother.

“At the end of this what I want is for them to be able to find the evidence so that they can apprehend this man and have him serve time for what he did to my mom,” said Harper.

The state has six months to find the video before the case can never be touched again.

“The effort is to see if we can recover any video evidence, if it’s recoverable,” said Edwards.

Only time will tell if that video will ever be found.