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Defendant fund possibly linked to cyclist case

Decatur Metro ATL

Defendant fund possibly linked to cyclist case

Atlanta Police escort Shanelle Woodard, 22, to a waiting police van on July 16. Woodard is accused of helping Joseph Alan Lewis conceal evidence in the case of an aggravated assault against a cyclist. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt
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Atlanta Police escort Shanelle Woodard, 22, to a waiting police van on July 16.  Woodard is accused of helping Joseph Alan Lewis conceal evidence in the case of an aggravated assault against a cyclist. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

Atlanta Police escort Shanelle Woodard, 22, to a waiting police van on July 16. Woodard is accused of helping Joseph Alan Lewis conceal evidence in the case of an aggravated assault against a cyclist. Photo by Dan Whisenhunt

One of the defendants accused of covering up an attack on a cyclist may be seeking donations to help pay her legal bills.

Shanelle Woodard, from Pooler, Ga., is accused of helping her boyfriend, Joseph Alan Lewis, cover up an attempted murder. Atlanta Police accuse Lewis of running down cyclist Greg Germani with his red Dodge Nitro on June 9. The incident occurred on Flagler Avenue in Atlanta’s Piedmont Heights community.

Police allege that Woodard purchased a vehicle cover used to hide Lewis’ red Dodge Nitro. Germani remains hospitalized and his family has established a Go Fund Me account to help cover his medical bills. As of Aug. 6, it had raised more than $32,000 in eight days.

As it turns out, Woodard may have created a Go Fund Me account as well to cover her legal bills, though it hasn’t proved as successful. It has raised $50 since it was created on July 21.

Lewis had a probable cause hearing on Aug. 1. Woodard’s court hearing was delayed pending notice to indict.

Woodard’s attorney, Robert Williams, told Decaturish that there’s been no new court date set for his client. He declined to comment further about the case or about the Go Fund Me account.

The Go Fund Me account doesn’t give Woodard’s last name, though a Google Search shows that it was created by someone named Shanelle Woodard. The fundraising campaign is called “Justice for Shanelle.” The account itself says it was created by someone living in Pooler, Ga.

The account does not specifically mention the Germani case, but references the “tampering with evidence” charges against Woodard.

“As you may or may not know, I’ve been accused of charges in a high profile case that has sucked up a vast amount of my funds (and my family) for finishing college and personal bills,” the Go Fund Me account says. “Because of a crime someone else has done, I may be facing five years plus in jail for allegedly ‘tampering with evidence.’ With God on my side and a great lawyer, I have to come up with $3,000 after paying a $2,500 bail that I’m still paying on.”

Woodard was released from jail on July 18.

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