An East Albany community advocate and Hammond family friend says he wants the threats against the family to stop
ALBANY, GA -- Willie Ross is a community advocate for the East Albany area. He’s also friends with the family of Deanna Hammond, 20, who is in jail accused of leaving her newborn baby girl in a garbage bin at her residence on Saturday.
Ross says the family has received numerous threats over the last few days.
“You have car loads of people ride by today (Thursday) and the two sisters were sitting on the porch and they ride by cursing and making accusations,” says Ross.
He says Hammond has also received threats while in jail. Ross says he attributes part of this to Hammond not being put in a private jail cell as he was expecting.
Ross says Hammond was diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and needs a private, padded cell so she does not attempt to kill herself.
“Me and Mr. (Greg) Blackmon had worked it out so she could be put in a private cell. That didn't happen. She got threatened last night,” says Ross.
Ross says the Dougherty County Sheriff helped him move Hammond to a private cell.
He says he spent the day on Thursday waiting for Hammond to receive her second charge of Abandonment of a Deceased Body so he could bail her out of jail. He says that opportunity never came.
Ross says he and the Hammond family are putting their trust in the justice system.
“I hope she gets a fair trial, if it boils down to a trial. But I got a feeling the system will work because I believe in the system,” says Ross.
Until then, he says he will no longer tolerate any threats being made to the Hammond family.
“I'm asking everybody to stop riding by here threatening them because if I catch them they're going to jail, if I get your tag number you're going to jail and the people in jail -- I know you're all watching TV -- and are ashamed last night how she got threatened,” Ross says.
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