Judge under fire as bonded felon faces murder charges

A local judge is under fire after he let a criminal go free after he admitted to armed robbery. Police say that same man committed a murder just days later.

Washtenaw County sheriff's have seen 21-year-old Avantis Parker before he was locked up and linked to a murder. The first time was last April when Parker was accused of armed robbery, pulling a gun on a Cottage Inn Pizza delivery guy. Nobody was hurt because the driver got fled the scene, called police and his manager who says he was there when the police found the pistol. "Police officers were looking around the apartment and noticed there was a gun," said Cottage Inn manager Ben Broumand. "They tackled (Parker) and took him outside."

Broumand says the delivery guy was called back to the scene and positively ID'd Parker. "He could've been killed," said Broumand.

It was two weeks ago, according to court documents, when Parker plead guilty to a felony involving a firearm and plead no contest to a couple of other violent crimes all connected to this Cottage Inn incident. A Washtenaw Co. assistant prosecutor asked that Judge Archie Brown remand Parker, meaning keep him behind bars until he is sentenced. Judge Brown denied that motion and Parker was free to go, allowing his bail to continue until his next day in court.

Police say four days after Parker entered those pleas, 28-year-old Brandon Charlies of Ypsilanti Township was found dead in the driver's seat of a Ford sedan. Detectives tell us it was parked in a driveway on Calder St. Investigators say they have probable cause, reason to believe that Park committed this crime and he has been charged with murder.

"Everyone wants to be a Monday morning quarterback," said Parker's attorney Todd Perkins. "Should he have stayed in jail? I mean, you can ask that. I think it's an unfair comment or people casting aspersions upon the decision of the court to allow him to remain on bond. It denies (Parker) the right to be presumed innocent. So he's presumed innocent. These are allegations. Nothing more at this point."

When we asked the prosecutor's office about how they felt about Brown's ruling. They issued this statement: "Brown is a good judge, a fair judge and a man of conscience. Although we disagree with the ruling he made, we have no doubt it was made in good faith. But we know that this will affect him."

Perkins calls the decision "reasonable" considering the circumstances.

We tried to reach out to Brown for comment, but his office says he does not comment on cases.

The family of Brandon Charles declined comment as well.