How Sexual Assault was Legalized in Georgia

In November of 2018, while going to the Ga Supreme Court and Ga Court of Appeals I met the man that would fundamentally alter my life. I had been a Juvenile Probation Officer for Chatham County. Wrongfully terminated for nothing more than filing a grievance. I met Shawn, a Tow Truck driver with R. Mayer Towing. My car had died in front of the Court of Appeals in downtown Atlanta. AAA came out, wouldn’t accept my digital AAA card and so became the moment that over two years later leads to this article.

I ended up having to return to Atlanta to get the court documents. Having driven from Savannah and exhausted I called the tow truck driver who had convinced my father not to leave me in my car just weeks before. The check engine light was glowing bright orange in my 2005 Toyota Corolla Sport. I also realized my driver’s license was missing- not uncommon when I had a $1000 apartment, because my property apartment property manager Jennifer Greene was letting someone in my apartment. I can’t tell you who was coming into the apartment but I can tell you very often my car keys, credit cards, and driver’s license along with my anti-anxiety medication, lighters and cigarettes would go missing. Despite so many years in law enforcement I couldn’t explain it. When I brought it to the attention of Jennifer Greene, the property manager for MAAC, she would tell me that the only keys to my apartment were kept in a box that required some sort of code to access. I couldn’t tell you who or how, I didn’t investigate breaking and entering cases. I was a Juvenile Probation officer.

Driving back to Savannah was not an option. Following Shawn having towed my car he had started texting me. Having convinced my father in AZ not to leave me in my car because of a dead battery and alternator, I was grateful. Not grateful enough to date him, but I didn’t have any reason to fear him. When I called Shawn and told him I was going to be back in Atlanta he started trying to help me decide where to stay. I didn’t catch it at the time but I should have. I should have put together him offering to pay for a motel for a second night, the first time I met him (my father had sent him money through PayPal to pay for the first). That he had multiple phones and phone numbers but I wasn’t paying attention to that. I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. A case against my former employer pending in the Ga Supreme Court, a corrupt assistant Chatham county attorney Jennifer Davenport and her staff altering postal notifications, lying in emails about me receiving copies of documents they wouldn’t mail and host of other drama with trying to get into law school and file for financial aid.

When Shawn came to the hotel, he suggested. I was grateful. He checked my car with some type of diagnostic tool and pronounced sentence – the transmission needed to be replaced (according to him). Despite being shaken by what seemed to be an unexpected car repair bill, having my driver’s license missing and a million other things I was grateful for his help with the car and the hotel room. I remember the next 24 hours like it was my favorite movie, but not one I want to see or anyone else to.

However, if the only measure of justice is going to come from this story due to the botched investigation at least it will be that I tried to protect anyone else from it happening to them, which at least today seems to be the only thing that will ever come from this event.

Given my car “was” ( the car would run fine until the car battery died in May 2019 with no repair to the transmission, and frequent oil changes since I was trying to save my world and taking care of me in the in process) having issues and Shawn had told me I would likely only make it back to Savannah, after checking in at the Micro-tel, giving Shawn $80 to pay for the room in cash, that he put on his credit card (just as he had when the car died a few weeks earlier, and Toyota didn’t find any transmission issue) Shawn drove me in his tow truck to R. Mayer Towing. While I waited in the cab, I was scrolling Italian restaurants for the menu to one he had decided on one after asking me what kind of food I wanted. I still can’t eat calzones because that is what he had. He ate part of his Calzone and raped me, forcing me to take a shower before he left. The next morning was a blur. As I stood in the mist of falling rain on my iPhone with tears rolling out of my eyes, my brain could not comprehend what had happened. I went into mission mode, even as he texted me and in so much physical pain I could hardly walk, I went to the Ga Supreme Court, writing checks for my documents and drove home to Savannah. Despite my training as a Probation Officer, much like today I was in a fog. I made a doctor’s appointment to ensure I was physically okay, and tried to figure out what to do. Shawn texted me for weeks after.

I tried to deal with the flashbacks and nightmares on my own and didn't tell anyone what had happened, except the doctor who had made sure I was physically ok. I wasn't okay, I'm still not.

In March of 2019, I went to the only man I trusted, the son of a GBI agent and police officer with the Dalton PD. He had been the love of my life, but I didn’t want to bother him at work so I returned to Savannah and moved out of my apartment, moving in with a then friend and her son, who had been my probationer. It still haunted that if I could be raped then the two daughters of my ex could be too. I knew I had to do something. It took me two years to make the report to the Brookhaven PD. What I got for my trouble, a piece of paper with a case number on it and told to go to McDonald’s to charge my phone. For the last seven months I have tried to get Brookhaven PD to even interview me. Chief Gary Yandura has blocked me on LinkedIn, Lt Ayana was more concerned if I had a lawyer, and Detective Sarah Miller wouldn’t even return a follow up to her text message about doing a video interview. The biggest insult was Deputy Chief Brandon Gurley telling me not to contact the people who should be investigating the case and being told my case was made inactive merely for trying to get someone to let me tell my story. Everyone in law enforcement have ignored what I have to live with for the rest of my life, case managers telling me to forget I was raped. Not even the Mayor of Brookhaven, John Ernest is concerned what his police department is doing to people. If they will ignore a juvenile probation officer- they will ignore anyone. Every member of the GGIA, Georgia Gang Investigators, has turned their back on one of their own, my favorite Judge Thomas Cole with the Chatham County Juvenile Court, my former civil attorney Alan Lowe, my friends- all important people like Anthony Waller with UGA Law School where I wanted to go to law school. Steve Craft – the Chief assistant public defender who wrote a recommendation for me to go to law school. The burden of proof is never on the victim. I did rape crisis volunteer work in Arizona, I stood up for these women in their most traumatized moments...and still no one will ever listen or stand up for me. No woman showed have to publicize her own sexual assault on the internet to get anyone to pay attention- even that hasn’t even done any good. Had one person said, “This is not okay” , and stood up for me this story would not be being told. I never wanted to have to tell this story to strangers, I wanted the same rights the perpetrator- a tow truck driver had, the right to an in-person interview and justice. There will never be justice as long as this is ignored. I refuse to be the sum of the trauma they have created. The trauma will never be having been raped it will be how every law enforcement agency in Georgia has handled it- by doing nothing and revictimizing me. Long before I was raped I had a friend who had been, for her I wished rape cases were investigated with the priority that homicide cases are. I can't even get anyone to investigate it but me.

The shame is on the aggressor and those that turn a blind eye.. In this case it is on the Brookhaven PD, their Police Chief Gary Yandura, Deputy Chief – Brandon Gurley, Lt. Ayana and Detective Sarah Miller, Patrol Officer A. Massol, The Mayor of Brookhaven Ga and the officers throughout Georgia who prevented me from reporting it. These people are not the people we want running police departments and a city. These are the people who each have legalized rape in Georgia. These people could not take 30 minutes to ask a Dr's name, a phone number, a checking account number , or even let me utter a world about what has been done to me. I encourage you when you read this story not to have pity for me but question what it is that law enforcement has to hide that they are not willing to investigate this case. I warn you if it happens to your daughter, sister, wife, girlfriend or even friend in Georgia this is what you are in for. The emotional pain of being raped is nothing next to the heavy feeling in my chest, and the sincere agony of every waking moment knowing a rapist has been given more rights than an a victim. I encourage you if you think this is wrong to call the Brookhaven Police Department.

Detective Sarah Miller and tell her, to email Deputy Chief Brandon Gurley Brandon. [email protected] and ask him why in his words "100's of cases are handled this way." I encourage you to lead a revolution for change. Email John Ernest at [email protected] and ask him why he won't return an email. These email address are public information, not personal they are for a police department making victims out of victims of sexual assault. It may seem like an odd thing to do, but until these people are held accountable for their actions I am not the only the only victim, every man woman and child is- because it could happen to the woman you love, it could happen to your child. I never wanted to tell this story to anyone, I would have preferred for law enforcement to to have interviewed me privately and it be over. However, if a mayor and chief of police are willing to make a rape investigation in active because their detectives won't return a text message, email or phone call for 7 months and when I have even gone to the DA investigator's about it they are not likely to care who they hurt. This article is written for my beautiful girls, because I can't bare to think as they travel to Atlanta, that they could be next. It is written for all the women Brookhaven PD has and will traumatize for a lifetime because they won't even collect pictures of my injuries. It is written for all the men who will have to watch the women they love struggle to hold on to who they are and be afraid of police officers because not one of them is willing to do the right thing. Please feel free to contact me through LinkedIn and to connect so we can not just right this wrong but work together to keep it from happening to anyone else.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/devani-rogers-39b4051b1/