DALTON, Ga. - A 15-year-old Whitfield County teen accused of killing his grandmother has been released on a $50,000 bond.
Family members put up the bond Tuesday afternoon, then took Joshua J. Johnson home.
But his time away from the county lock-up won't be restriction-free. In agreeing to allow the teen out of the Regional Youth Detention Center, prosecutors demanded restrictions to keep tabs on the young man.
Johnson can't step foot into Whitfield County unless the court requires his presence at an official proceeding, according to a bond agreement signed by the judge, his attorney and the district attorney.
He must also stay with relatives in suburban Atlanta, be home-schooled and wear an ankle-monitor that tracks his movements.
Court officials say the restrictions aren't unusual since Johnson is originally from Atlanta and was living in Whitfield County only a short while before his arrest.
PDF: Johnson bond orderPDF: Johnson police report
The living restrictions are not "an uncommon restriction on bonds when the accused is not going to be living in Whitfield County pending trial, particularly on more serious cases," said Assistant District Attorney Bert Poston.
Sheriff's deputies allege the teen strangled Frazier with a cord, but his family maintains that Johnson simply came home from school to find the grandmother lifeless on the bathroom floor.
Johnson hasn't slept in his own bed since being arrested Oct. 1 in connection with the death of his live-in grandmother, 57-year-old Lorraine Frazier. Because he is more than 14 years old and charged with murder, he will be prosecuted as an adult.
Despite the limitations, family members gathered outside the courtroom appeared relieved to have the young man out of jail.
"I feel dang good about it," said Robert Johnson Sr., the teen's grandfather. "It's been a long time since I've hugged my grandson."
After the hearing, the family gathered in prayer led by the elder Johnson.
Terms of the release were agreed to Monday night, and on Tuesday, Whitfield County Superior Court Judge Robert B. Adams signed off on the bond.