SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Jones are responding to questions about how Lashawa Doyle, the man charged with attempted rape at Daffin Park, was repeatedly released from jail despite more than two dozen prior arrests. Lashawa Doyle, 30, was arrested Aug. 7, 2026, by Savannah Police and charged with criminal attempt to commit a felony, aggravated sexual battery, false imprisonment and public indecency in connection with an alleged assault on a woman at the park’s bathrooms. City staff spotted a commotion and alerted a nearby off-duty officer, who intervened and stopped the assault. Doyle remained in custody of the jail for now. Doyle had been released from jail 17 days before the alleged attack. In his last 15 arrests, he was released either on his own recognizance by the Sheriff or Judge Claire Williams… or on time already served. Johnson addressed the case at his weekly press conference, saying Savannah Police arrested Doyle each time he violated the law — but that the city has no control over what happens after an arrest. “This guy has been arrested 22 times or so since 2020, 22 times — 8 this year, and was released from custody just 17 days before,” Mayor Johnson said. “Our criminal justice system is bigger than police. If he’s been arrested 22 times, that meant that the police had done their job. We arrest someone. We turn them over to a criminal justice system we do not control.” Johnson called the…
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