Man arrested for attempted rape at Daffin Park has 22 arrests since 2020, records show

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A homeless man arrested for attempted rape at Daffin Park has been arrested 22 times since 2020, including eight times in 2026 alone, according to new details uncovered Thursday night.

Lashawa Doyle, 30, was arrested Thursday afternoon 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 rape on a woman at the park’s bathrooms.

City staff spotted a commotion, alerted an off-duty officer nearby, who intervened and stopped the assault.

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 or on time already served.

Bystanders, officer credited with stopping assault

Savannah Alderman Nick Palumbo, whose district covers Daffin Park, credited city staff and bystanders who reported the incident, as well as the officer who responded.

“Credit to a bystander who reported this, who spotted a commotion and called it to the Savannah Police — and a credit to the Savannah Police Department and an officer that was off duty and nearby, who was able to run down and bring this person to justice and apprehend them,” Palumbo said. “We’re grateful. We’re thankful. We’re lucky, but we can’t be lucky forever. We need to demand accountability to see what’s happening in our community.”

Palumbo said the response illustrated the importance of community involvement.

“City staff were there, saw something, heard something and did something,” Palumbo said. “You always worry about the bystander effect — that people don’t want to get involved. This is a credit to the people who did get involved, who saw something unusual and alerted them. And it worked.”

Judge, DA’s office face scrutiny

Nearly all of Doyle’s prior arrests resulted in misdemeanor or city ordinance charges.

In most cases, Judge Claire Williams sentenced Doyle to 12 months suspended — a non-reporting probation — or gave him credit for time already served, meaning he served no additional jail time.

Each suspended sentence carried conditions: Doyle was banned from locations where he had trespassed, prohibited from contacting any victims involved, and ordered to have no new arrests, which he clearly did not comply with.

Despite those conditions, Doyle was arrested repeatedly in the months that followed each sentencing by Judge Williams.

A judge cannot revoke a suspended sentence on their own — a motion to revoke must be brought before her by prosecutors. It is unclear why lower-level prosecutors in those courts never filed a motion to revoke Doyle’s suspended sentences following his subsequent arrests.

Had such a motion been filed and granted, a judge could have imposed jail time or placed Doyle on supervised probation.

The inaction of prosecuting attorneys in addressing those violations contributed to Doyle’s recurring pattern of release and re-arrest.

Palumbo said he is bringing his concerns to the District Attorney’s office in a letter and is reaching out to Judge Williams’ office directly.

“This is somebody that has time and time again violated the trust of our community,” Palumbo said. “And I would love to hear accountability from the Judge and I’ve asked from the district attorney’s office, their accountability mechanism to what is happening here.”

“Housed or unhoused, mentally ill or no, this is a violent sex offender in our community and people have a right to feel safe and not be terrorized in this manner,” Palumbo said. “This could have gone — if it had not been for the Savannah Police Department, the park employees and the innocent bystanders that called this in — an entirely very different story.”

Doyle’s arrest history in 2026

Doyle’s eight arrests this year alone reflect a pattern of short jail stays followed by quick releases. Most but not all of his charges were misdemeanors or city ordinance violations. His record in 2026 includes:

• Aug. 7, 2026 — Arrested on charges of criminal attempt to commit a felony, aggravated sexual battery, false imprisonment and public indecency at Daffin Park. Currently still in custody.
• July 20, 2026 — Arrested on criminal trespass. Released on own recognizance 3 days later.
• June 20, 2026 — Arrested on criminal trespass. Released on own recognizance 4 days later.
• June 4, 2026 — Arrested on public indecency and criminal trespass outside SCAD housing, after being caught by a SCAD student pleasuring himself in the middle of the road outside. This was his second incident at that location, performing those actions, according to the witness. Released after 12 days- credit for time served.
• April 30, 2026 — Arrested on criminal trespass and 2 counts of simple battery. Spent 20 days in jail; released on credit for time served.
• April 21, 2026 — Arrested on criminal trespass. Released on own recognizance 2 days later.
• April 5, 2026 — Arrested on criminal trespass. Released after 11 days on time served.
• Feb. 27, 2026 — Arrested in connection with an attack on a woman at a bus stop, leaving her with facial injuries. Held for nearly 1 month; He pled guilty and the judge ordered time served and he was released.

Doyle’s longest recent jail stay began with an arrest in August 2025 on two counts of criminal trespass and public indecency. He was held until Feb. 13, 2026. The bus stop incident occurred two weeks later.

Doyle is homeless and is banned from all Dollar General stores. It is not yet known whether he is banned from local homeless shelter facilities.

A former Savannah Police officer said he arrested Doyle multiple times and described a pattern of trespassing at a church near White Bluff Road and Randolph Street and at a nearby Family Dollar.

The former officer said Doyle appears to have significant cognitive limitations.

“He suffers from mental illness, possibly schizophrenic — talks to himself,” the former officer said. “I would say he’s probably like an eight- or ten-year-old, cognizant-wise. Maybe a teenager.”

The former officer said Doyle needs a different kind of intervention.

“He needs to go to a mental institution like Georgia Regional or something like that, where he could actually seek the help that he needs,” the former officer said.

‘Something broken in the system’

Georgia State Representative Jesse Petrea said he has been following our coverage of the case.

“Maddy, I’ll tell you I was appalled again to discover yet another recidivist criminal who has been repeatedly in and out of our judicial system and repeatedly returned to the streets,” Rep. Petrea said. “This is the same old story over and over again. And sadly, the people of Chatham County have again been failed by the system.”

Representative Petrea said the state has given the judicial system the tools needed to act.

“As a legislator, we have in Georgia provided every opportunity for the judicial system to hold anyone like this individual accountable for his crimes and to keep him away from the people — in the protection of the innocent and the frail and the vulnerable and the weak,” Petrea said. “All of that is there. It all hinges on one thing. And that is that the judicial system, our judges, our district attorneys and our sheriffs must do their job to hold these people accountable.”

Petrea said releasing repeat offenders has consequences.

“When you are bonding people out or releasing them on their own recognizance when they have repeatedly broken the law — this is just absolutely unacceptable,” Petrea said. “Several of these were violent and or sexual in nature. And then you have an occurrence like this. It’s what you can expect.”

“If you continue to elect weak on crime, soft on crime judges, soft on crime DAs and soft on crime sheriffs, you’re going to continue to have crime,” Petrea said. “I will promise you that is a recipe for crime, period.”

Palumbo vows to follow case, calls Daffin Park ‘crown jewel’ of Savannah

Palumbo said he intends to monitor the case through the judicial process and called on the community to demand more from elected officials.

“Now that I’ve got eyes on it — I’ll make sure that we’re going to follow this every step of the way,” Palumbo said. “Daffin Park is the people’s park, the crown jewel of our public recreation system here in Chatham County, and we won’t stand for it.”

Alderman Palumbo said the park should be a safe destination for families.

“This time or anytime, it deserves to be a place where every family can come and enjoy their summer — enjoy the pool, volleyball courts, Grayson Stadium to see the Savannah Bananas or just relax and have a good time,” Palumbo said. “We’re not here to tolerate any of this behavior.”

Palumbo also said officials are aware of additional incidents in the area.

“We’re aware that there have been other sexual assault behaviors taking place in the community,” Palumbo said. “We’re demanding more accountability. You deserve to have a wonderful time and be safe here in the city of Savannah and we’re going to keep pushing until it happens.”

Palumbo said the pattern of repeat releases demands a systemic response.

“22 times in six years — there’s something broken in the system that’s not working,” Palumbo said. “We need to find out what that is and fix it. We don’t deserve to have another victim in our community like this.”

We will continue to follow Lashawa Doyle’s case as it makes it’s way through the system.