Bond denied for woman facing felony fleeing charges

Mar. 6—Conasauga Judicial Circuit Judge Jim Wilbanks denied a motion to set bond for a 36-year-old woman charged with several felony offenses in Whitfield Superior Court on Friday, March 1.

Conasauga Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Christina Antalis said defendant Rachael Kathleen Walsh is facing three counts of felony fleeing and a host of misdemeanors running the gamut from speeding and failure to maintain lane to driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license.

The charges, Antalis said, stem from incidents alleged to have occurred on Jan. 22.

Public defender Gregory Washington said the defendant is receiving mental health treatment.

"She isn't on probation or parole," he told the court. "We're asking the court to set a $10,000 bond."

Washington said the defendant resided in Atlanta.

Antalis told Wilbanks the State was opposed to Walsh receiving bond.

"She is on bond for three different felony offenses in two different counties," she told the court.

Antalis said the defendant had a 2023 arrest for robbery and cocaine possession in Gwinnett County and a 2021 arrest for armed robbery and possession of a controlled substance out of DeKalb County.

"She does have a prior felony methamphetamine conviction from 2015, she has no ties, to our knowledge, to this community," Antalis continued. "The addresses she provided previously are either in Stone Mountain or Atlanta."

On top of that, Antalis said the defendant had four prior arrests for failure to appear.

"The State considers her a flight risk and risk to reoffend," she said. "Given that she's charged with committing new flight-related felonies while on bond for multiple felony offenses."