Archived News

Bond was denied for a man accused of assaulting a Stone Mountain church worker last month.

John Russell Carver, 50, of 157 Mill Court in Atlanta, appeared before a magistrate judge on March 18 to formally hear the charges against him. He was charged with rape, armed robbery and aggravated assault in connection with the Feb. 26 sexual and physical assault of a woman at St. Timothy United Methodist Church, at 5365 Memorial Drive.

The charges against Carver were made on March 16 after DNA evidence in the case was processed by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and detectives were able to identify Carver as a suspect, according to a press release.

Carver had been in custody at the Fulton County Jail after an arrest on March 7 for violating his parole. He was transferred to the DeKalb County Jail on March 17.

According to police, the 53-year-old female victim was working in a church office around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, when she answered an exterior office door. After the door was opened, the suspect forced his way into the building, where he sexually assaulted the woman.

Carver is also accused of robbing the victim of a cell phone. Police recovered the phone, which was sold to a person near Underground Atlanta after the assault.

According to a source close to the victim, she was released from the hospital approximately two weeks after the assault.

Carver is scheduled to appear back in court on April 6 and will be assigned a public defender.