ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man accused of attacking a woman while she was running on the Little Econ Greenway trail was released from jail this weekend after he was granted bond.
Nuri Quin said, “It’s scary,” while talking to News 6 Tuesday. Court records show Quin told deputies she was grabbed by the same suspect, 23-year-old Jacoby Tillman, in 2022 while running on Goldenrod Road.
“I was jogging to my house when I passed the fire department. I was feeling a presence behind me,” said Quin. “I’m 18 at this time, like I thought nothing’s going to happen to me. So I started to feel a presence behind me and something rub against me. So as soon as I turned my head, I collided heads with Jacoby.”
Quin described how she was grabbed from behind. She said the suspect ended up running away, but was later arrested.
“The only way I got him off me is because he let go, and then I’m like, ”What’s wrong with you? You can get in trouble for that,’” Quin recounted. “He looks at me like I’m crazy, and then, he just runs off, and then I stay in the same spot, and I call 911.”
Quin said she found out this week that Tillman had been arrested again after a woman was attacked on a trail nearby in July.
Deputies said Tillman attempted to rape the woman while she was running near Yates Road. He has been charged with attempted sexual battery, battery by strangulation, and false imprisonment.
“I think he’s a danger,” Quin said.
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At a first appearance hearing this weekend, prosecutors tell News 6 they argued to the judge that Tillman “presents a danger to our community” and felt that his release was “not appropriate.”
A lawyer representing Tillman argued that he is entitled to a bond, and she asked for a reasonable bond to be set.
Ultimately, the judge denied the prosecutor’s request and granted Tillman a bond totaling $9,500 for the following counts:
- Count 1, attempted sexual battery - $5,000 bond
- Count 2, battery by strangulation - $1,500 bond
- Count 3, false imprisonment - $3,000 bond
The judge said the charges are third-degree felonies. She also brought up Tillman’s criminal record during the hearing.
“What bothers the Court setting bond in this case is, you know, he’s got some violent offenses and a violent history, and these are violent offenses. But nonetheless, I think the bond is set,” the judge said.
Tillman was also given a stern warning.
“Sir, I want you to listen up,” said the judge.
“Yes, ma’am,” Tillman replied.
“You’ve got an atrocious record,” she told Tillman. “These charges are violent in nature. You will not, and I repeat not, have any contact directly or indirectly with the named victim. You will not return to the scene of the offense. Tampering with a witness is a felony, and it will cause a violation of your pre-trial release conditions.”
The judge also said, “If I get any inkling that you have violated conditions of pre-trial release, you will be arrested on a no-bond warrant, you will be put right back in jail, and you will not get out. Do you understand that?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Tillman answered.
An arrest affidavit for Tillman that details the attack on the trail in July states the woman told investigators she was grabbed around her neck, blacked out, and woke up with her shorts and underwear gone.
Tillman is quoted in the affidavit later saying, “I didn’t rape the lady, I was trying to kill the lady” and “I wanted to know what it was like to choke someone out.”
Quin told News 6 she “wouldn’t want anyone to go through that ever.”
After she was grabbed in 2022, she said she never testified in the case.
“I never went to court to testify. I just wanted to erase it from my head,” said Quin. “I was very uncomfortable being touched like that.”
Court records show Tillman pleaded no contest and was adjudicated guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge.
News 6 also looked into the rest of Tillman’s record, which shows he’s been arrested in both Orange and Volusia counties. He most recently served time in prison for an aggravated battery in Orange County.
Attorney James Phillips, who is not affiliated with the case, said the bond decision was surprising given the charges.
“Him getting a bond on three serious felonies at only $9,500 and no pretrial release conditions, such as GPS monitoring — I’m a little surprised by that," he said.
Phillips added that the legal principle of presumed innocence remains central to the justice system.
“It’s a concept everyone hears: innocent until proven guilty. But most people really have a hard time with that,” he said. “There’s often a presumption that if someone’s arrested, they must have done something wrong.”
Trail users who spoke with News 6 said they were alarmed to learn Tillman had been released.
“I hate that he’s out again. He shouldn’t have gotten out in the first place,” one woman said.
“It’s scary to me. I love being outside, but this makes me nervous,” another told News 6.
Some residents said they’d like to see warning signs posted along the trail to alert others about the attack.
The state attorney’s office shared the following statement with News 6 about Tillman’s most recent case, which is ongoing:
“After reviewing the facts of this case, our office felt that the release of the defendant was not appropriate, and he presents a danger to our community. We argued this point to the Judge and requested pretrial detention. Ultimately the Judge, in her authority, made the decision to issue a bond in the case. Our office is not the final decision maker in matters such as these and it is important to note that multiple entities are involved in the pursuit of justice including law enforcement and the judicial branch.”
Meanwhile, News 6 has reached out to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier for comment on Tillman’s release and is awaiting a response.