NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) – A pivotal moment occurred when Nakeda Wilhoite stepped up to the microphone.
She was the focus of our NewsChannel 5 Investigates coverage of how she worked multiple jobs while also being responsible for monitoring Bricen Rivers, a man who was released on bail in Nashville and then charged a few days later in Mississippi with the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Lauren Johansen.
Wilhoite became a key figure during an evidentiary hearing Thursday, where a six-judge panel heard from two different bail companies that posted bail for Rivers. He was charged in Nashville in late 2023 with assaulting Johansen while the two were on vacation here in December. He was finally released on bail with a GPS monitoring device in late June and returned home to Mississippi. Days later, authorities found her dead.
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Two different companies – Brooke's Bail Bonding and On Time Bail Bonds – each provided $75,000 to get Rivers released. However, court documents showed that Rivers was never allowed to return to Mississippi. He was allowed to live in Davidson County, have an electronic monitoring device, and have no contact with Johansen. He was also not allowed to own any weapons.
Freedom Monitoring Services – which Wilhoite runs while she also works for Brooke's Bail Bonding – wrote that it was unaware of the court order requiring Rivers to remain in Davidson County. Rivers told the company he would live in Mississippi even after signing the court order requiring him not to leave Tennessee.
As it turned out, the judges had questions about this.
What happened at the hearing?
However, the panel had to track down Wilhoite, whose presence was not initially expected on Thursday.
Wilhoite's attorney, Jack Byrd, told NewsChannel 5 Investigates the day before that his client would not be present, although they were looking forward to the day when they could clear her name.
However, Judge Steve Dozier made it clear to the court on Thursday that Wilhoite was an essential part of the hearing and must be present.
The court was eventually able to get her to appear in court and explain her role as the GPS monitoring company responsible for Rivers. In addition to her role as the director of Freedom Monitoring Services, Wilhoite worked as a bail bondsman for Brooke's Bail Bonding. At the same time, she worked full-time as a case manager for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.
Wilhoite told the court she didn't meet Rivers until June 29, by which time one of her colleagues at Brooke's Bail Bonding had already installed a GPS device on him. She then said she didn't know Rivers was to remain in Davidson County until the day before their meeting.
Wilhoite said she told Rivers to come back to Nashville to fix his GPS device, but was unsure if she had the authority to send him to jail for violating bail conditions.
She said she had spoken to Rivers about housing and even job opportunities in Nashville, and Wilhoite said that led her to believe Rivers planned to stay in the county this time.
Wilhoite later said she had set up a no-go zone around Johansen's home using an address provided by Rivers.
Prosecutors and even the judges became frustrated by the questions because they had just heard Wilhoite admit that she knew Rivers had violated his bail conditions and there had apparently been no effort to contact law enforcement.
“I didn’t have an arrest warrant,” Wilhoite said.
“You don’t need a warrant to extradite someone, right?” she was asked.
“I think so. I'm sure I just wouldn't be able to show up in prison with him,” Wilhoite said.
“They do this all the time,” Judge Dozier said.
Judge Dozier asked Brooke Harlan, the owner of Brooke's Bail Bonding, why Wilhoite was still working for her even though he knew she let Rivers go to Mississippi.
Harlan said she had long discussions with Wilhoite and her staff to make corrections, but it was clear the judges felt there was some negligence. At one point, she asked Harlan if she thought this was negligent.
Harlan explained in detail why, among other things, the clerk's office should have communicated the bail conditions in the usual manner.
Criminal court officials have said they take responsibility for Rivers' bail conditions not being included with his release papers, but questions remain as to why those conditions were not provided at the time of signing.
The first page of the June 5 bail order stated that Rivers was not allowed to leave Davidson County or have any contact with Johansen.
One of Harlan's bail agents told the court that she signed the second page of the document without ever seeing the first.
Harlan said when her office finally learned of Rivers' bail conditions around June 27, she told her staff that Rivers would have to return to Nashville.
“I said, 'Well, he has to come here and stay here. He can stay in a hotel, at the Mission or wherever, and he has to be in court on the second day,'” Harlan said.
When the message was relayed to Wilhoite, it was still not clear.
A bail agent testified that she sent Wilhoite a picture of these conditions shortly after she learned about them.
Harlan and her company were asked multiple times if Wilhoite would serve as a guarantor for their company, and they all ultimately said “yes.” Therefore, it was difficult for the judges to understand why Wilhoite would not learn of the terms of the guarantee until a day after her colleagues.
What does Johansen's family think?
The Johansen family attended the hearing on Thursday and listened to the witness statements.
“I don't care who you say you work for,” said Dr. Lance Johansen. “If you say you work for this company one day or that company that day. If a person is out on bail and violates the bail conditions, you call 911. That's what you do.”
Her family told us they are heartbroken and frustrated over the death of their daughter. They took her from the hospital after Rivers allegedly beat her in Nashville. She was covered in blood from a cut on her forehead and her eye was swollen shut. She required treatment for multiple injuries.
When Rivers was released on bail this summer, court officials acknowledged that due to an error by one of their employees, the Davidson County Jail did not have Rivers' bail conditions in place when he was released.
“When Mr. Rivers was released, I was not notified. My daughter was not notified,” Dr. Johansen said.
This meant that Rivers walked out of jail without supervision before calling Brooke's bail department himself.
Jail records show that Rivers was released from the Davidson County Jail later than the court order, so Harlan contracted GPS services from Freedom Monitoring and Wilhoite rather than Tracking Solutions, as the court ordered.
At that point, Rivers' mother had only paid part of the agreed bail amount. There has been no clear answer from either bail bond company as to why Rivers was released before his remaining balance was paid, and judges say that's a problem.
Although partial payments were made before Rivers' release, he still owed the bail companies thousands more that were never collected.
The judges will now take note of everything and decide whether these companies should be punished for their role in Rivers' release. Punishment could come in the form of a suspension or they could be stripped of their authority to issue bonds in Davidson County.
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