I disagree. Arbery got off on the shoplifting charge. After 30 years as an LE, McMichael wasn't about to let him get off again. They had the police on the phone as did the neighbor that filmed Arbery sprinting from the construction site.
If Arbery got off on the shoplifting charge then a former police officer involved in his case should never be considered an objective party when it comes to a subsequent allegation of a similar crime.