BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor
Last month, a jury convicted a 20-year-old salesman of sexual battery. Last week, the young man was sentenced to life in prison for the crime.
However, his parents feel that there were extenuating circumstances that should have been taken into consideration.
Rashad Hales was arrested December 30, 2011, and charged with two counts of attempted murder, three counts of sexual battery, two counts of armed burglary, and tampering with a witness. The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office dropped one count of armed burglary and the tampering with a witness charge. Hillsborough County Judge Chet Thorpe dismissed the attempted murder charges during the trial.
According to police, Hales, who was an authorized salesman of ADT Security, was working as a door-to-door salesman at the time of the offense. He reportedly went to the woman’s home to solicit business for the company.
The woman reportedly told him that her fiancée handled those types of affairs and he was not at home at the time.
Hales was convicted of returning to the home within 10 minutes. When the victim opened the door, he alleged told the victim he talked to her fiancée about signing up.
The victim attempted to close the door and Hales pushed his way inside the home and locked the door, she told police. He then allegedly beat and strangled and raped her. Hales was arrested at a Shell Gas Station, 11203 Sheldon Road a short time later. Police said Hales admitted to the offense after his arrest.
His parents, Bobby and Regina Hall, said they have several problems with the case.
Mrs. Hall said she feels others should take responsibility for the crime. “My son has had problems such as getting suspended and getting kicked out of school. But, he was about 6 years old when he started taking Ritalin, and he took it until he was 17.
“He had anger problems and I tried to get help for him at MHC (the Mental Health Center). They failed my son. When he turned 18, they just took him off his medication and just let him be.”
She said it didn’t seem right when they (doctors) took him off of the medication, but Rashad tried to live a normal life. “He hoped he could manage on his own. He had gone back to school trying to get his GED, he started working, and he had signed up to go into the Job Corps. He was supposed to leave in March 2012,” his mother said.
She said an ADT salesman came to her home during winter break and told her son the company was hiring. He passed the background check and had been working 10 or 11 days when the incident happened.
Bobby Hall said, “We have a lot of young Black kids they put on medication and then they say the kids don’t need it anymore. Then when the kids go off and do something they wonder why.”
Mrs. Hall said, “He is a good boy and didn’t just wake up and decide that he was going to do this. He was also in training and he was supposed to be working with someone at all times, but he was left alone.”
She further stated that her son had called his supervisor to pick him up, but did not get an answer. “When he finally did reach the supervisor, they got into an argument. He was frustrated and just snapped.”
After his arrest, Mrs. Hall said since her son didn’t have a criminal record, he didn’t know not to talk to police and to answer their questions.
Bobby Hall also said that Rashad scored out to 271/2 years in prison. But Judge Thorpe sentenced him to life in prison and an additional 3-30 year sentenced to run consecutively. “The fact that he had mental issues was never taken into consideration.”
Mrs. Hall said, “I felt the judge’s mind was already made up. They were out to get her son because of the race of the young lady.”
A spokesman for the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said Judge Thorpe had the discretion of sentencing Hales to the lower end of the guidelines or up to life. He further said the victim had requested Hales be sentenced to life.
