Jailed Ga. Man Released Early From Racist Beating Sentence

Tashawnea Hill, Army reservist who was attacked and beaten by Troy Dale West in September at a Cracker Barrel Restaurant just outside Atlanta

ONESBORO, Ga. – A white man who was sentenced to six months in a Georgia jail for beating a black Army Reservist in front of her daughter and yelling racial slurs has been released early.

Worth County Sheriff Freddie Tompkins said Troy Dale West was released Dec. 3, 43 days after he began serving his sentence. He had roughly 4-1/2 months remaining on his sentence when he was turned over to deputies in October.

West could have faced more than 44 years in prison if convicted on felony charges in the beating of Tasha Hill in September 2009 outside a metro Atlanta Cracker Barrel. The charges were reduced to misdemeanors in a plea deal.