Bail Project covered bonds of at least 3 repeat offenders, including man accused of stabbing IMPD officers
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — When Deonta Williams allegedly stabbed two Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers on Wednesday, it was all part of a plan.
He told investigators he made a fake 911 call to lure police into the neighborhood, kill one of the officers, take the officer’s gun and then have the other officer shoot and kill him.
But this wasn’t his first run in with the law. Williams was arrested for burglary earlier this year and was being held in the Marion County jail with a bond set at $25,000. That is, until The Bail Project stepped in and helped get his bond reduced. The organization said it provided $750 to Williams to cover his bond.
Williams’s case marks the third time this year News 8 has reported on a person involved in a violent crime who was out on bond as part of The Bail Project.
In a statement, The Bail Project said: “The 19-year-old was released on GPS monitoring and was living in a shelter at the time. Prior to this latest incident, he was charged with a misdemeanor and released on own recognizance by the court. It is clear from the recent events that he’s struggling with his mental health and this is a cry for help.”
News 8 has reported on two other cases, both murders, where the people accused were also out on bond through the program.
Travis Lang, 23, was arrested for murder after his release from jail on bond in a case where he was facing drug charges. Court documents said his bond was paid by The Bail Project.
Lang is charged in an October shooting that killed a man and injured a woman. His list of crimes dates back to 2018, and consists of pending charges related to auto theft, burglary, resisting law enforcement and multiple drug-related charges.
Marcus Garvin, 33, was charged in a stabbing incident in December at a gas station in Indianapolis after he told a man he took too long in the bathroom. The Bail Project paid Garvin’s bond and he was released on GPS monitoring.
In July, Garvin cut off his ankle monitor and murdered his girlfriend.
In reference to city dollars being given to The Bail Project in the past, a spokesperson from the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety said:
The city has a longstanding partnership with (Central Indiana Community Foundation), an independent, nonprofit grant provider to select, monitor and confirm the distribution of the violent crime prevention grant program in order to ensure full transparency and accountability in the way these dollars are spent. Using a competitive grant process, funding was awarded to The Bail Project exclusively for operations and services such as assessing client needs, arranging transportation and connecting individuals with wrap-around services. City dollars have never gone towards paying direct cash bail for any individuals. The city is committed to identifying and correcting gaps in the criminal justice system that permit cycles of violence to continue. This fall, the City-County Council unanimously approved a plan to dedicate over $150 million in federal funding towards violence reduction programming, including re-entry services to allow formerly incarcerated individuals to live full, healthy, and productive lives. The incident is also a reminder of the dangers IMPD officers experience each day and the bravery with which officers face those challenges. We are grateful that the officers involved will recover, and we will continue to work with the department to reduce violence in our community.
Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety
