On February 23, Prosecutor George E. Barnhill wrote a letter to the Glynn County police saying he thought the police should not arrest the McMichaels. He said they had been in "hot pursuit" of Arbery, that they had a good reason to believe Arbery had committed a crime, and had told him out loud to stop running. In Georgia, it is legal for ordinary people to stop and hold a suspected criminal until the police arrive.