The Manhattan judge responsible for freeing felon Johnson Earle after he beat up an elderly man declined to answer questions about her ruling when The Post visited her on Saturday.
“No, you can’t come to my house,” an angry Beverly Tatham said in response to a reporter who identified herself, before quickly closing the door to her Brownsville home.
Supposedly the outgoing judge was in no mood to defend how she granted 44-year-old Earle supervised release — despite a second-degree assault charge for allegedly beating an 83-year-old man on a lower Manhattan train last month, men say. Police.
Police said the horrific attack occurred on December 20 after the senior employee accidentally tripped over Earl's foot as the southbound No. 5 train was approaching the Fulton Street station.
Earl, enraged, apparently punched the elderly man in the face, leading to an altercation that ended with the perpetrator putting the victim in a chokehold before continuing to beat him, an assistant prosecutor said during Earl's Jan. 2 arraignment.
The assault resulted in the man sustaining injuries to his face and head, and he was subsequently transported to Kings County Hospital Center for treatment, according to police.
Despite pleas from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to set Earl's bail at $75,000 cash or $100,000 bail — and a lengthy charge sheet listing 13 prior arrests — Tatham chose to be released and back on the streets.
In July, Earl was arrested for repeatedly punching a security guard at a 99 Cent store in the Bronx, according to the criminal complaint, which alleges he exclaimed “Why don't you care about me?” While hitting.
He was ordered to stay away from the victim, but the case was later postponed in hopes of dismissal, according to Bronx prosecutors.
The criminal was arrested at least four other times on assault charges dating back to 1999, according to police sources.
He has also been arrested in the past for criminal possession of a weapon and possession of marijuana, sources added.
Earl is scheduled to appear in court on February 27, records show.
