Teens charged in rape case released on bond
Two teen boys accused of raping a young girl last November have been released from jail on bond.
According to the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department, 18year-old Destin Noble and 19-year-old Brett Hardy were arrested May 16 and 19, respectively, after being indicted by a grand jury on May 4.
The indictment alleged both teens sexually assaulted a girl under 16 years of age following a party on Nov. 8.
Both men were charged with rape, aggravated child molestation, and furnishing alcohol to a minor, while Hardy was also charged with enticing a minor for indecent purposes.
Both men were initially denied bond.
According to Catoosa County Superior Court records, Noble’s attorney, public defender Sean Lowe, filed a motion for reconsideration of bond on June 9.
Rossville attorney Chris Townley filed the same motion on Hardy’s behalf on June 24, and both men subsequently had their motions granted by Judge Ralph Van Pelt Jr. on June 28.
Jail records show Noble was released from custody on a $50,000 property bond on June 29 after spending 45 days in jail, while Hardy was released on a $50,000 the next day.
Noble’s release includes bond conditions that he has no contact, direct or indirect, with the alleged victim, that he is to reside with his sister, and that he’s not to consume alcoholic beverages.
Background
On Nov. 19, the Sheriff’s Department received a complaint from the Catoosa Department of Family and Children Services and T.C. Thompson’s Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn., that a female under 16 years of age claimed she’d been raped.
The victim stated she’d been at a friend’s residence late at night on Nov. 7, and then left with Hardy after being provided alcohol, reports show.
The girl claimed that during the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 8, she was taken to Chestnut Ridge Road off Ga. Highway 151 (Alabama Highway) near Holcomb Road in Ringgold, where both Hardy and Noble were involved with sexually assaulting her.
During his investigation, child crimes detective Tim Deal described Noble as a “second suspect” whom he received information about during his investigation into the claims.
Noble was 17 years old at the time of the alleged incident and Hardy 18, but both were still under the legal drinking age.
Due to the severity of the charges, Noble was not allowed to walk at graduation with the rest of his Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe classmates.
Hours after his arrest, a number of community members began showing support for Noble by creating the public Facebook group “Justice For Destin,” which has accumulated more than 2,500 members. After the story made media headlines, the page became a closed group only allowing in certain members.