Clashing Bills Threaten to Revamp Washington Bail Rules

OLYMPIA — After the slaying of four Lakewood police officers in November, state lawmakers from both parties promised changes aimed at stopping dangerous felons like Maurice Clemmons before they turn deadly.

But now a centerpiece of that effort — a constitutional amendment that would give judges more power to deny bail to potentially dangerous criminal defendants — is hung up in a political fight as the Legislature enters the final weeks of its 60-day session.

Senate leaders unveiled a bail proposal Thursday they touted as a careful balance between public safety and civil liberties.

But that plan was immediately trashed by House lawmakers, who prefer a version that would keep more defendants behind bars pending trial.

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Nancy Kerrigan's Brother Freed on Bail in Dad's Death

The brother of skater Nancy Kerrigan, charged with assault and battery in an incident involving his father, was released on bond, authorities said Wednesday.

Mark Kerrigan posted the previously set $10,000 bail and was released from custody, according to the Woburn District Court Clerk's office in Massachusetts.

Kerrigan, 45, was fitted with a tracking device and under conditions of his release is not allowed to leave his home other than to visit his attorney, the clerk's office said. He also is forbidden to use any drugs or alcohol other than prescription medication, can have no access to weapons and must have mental health counseling.

"The Kerrigan family is delighted to have Mark back with them," family spokeswoman Nancy Sterling said in a statement. "They ask that you respect their privacy as they welcome Mark home."

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Friction Between Lawmakers Over Bail Limit Bill

Bills: House, Senate at odds over what other crimes incur bail denial

Lawmakers have kept partisan politics to a minimum as they work to limit the constitutional right to bail.

Now unity is fraying over the issue, but the seams are between not Republicans and Democrats, but House and the Senate.

Both chambers of the Legislature have voted overwhelmingly to change the state constitution to allow judges to deny bail in certain cases. Both of the proposals they want to send to voters would apply only to criminal suspects staring down life in prison.

And both changes, if they had been in effect last year, would have allowed a judge to detain Maurice Clemmons before he killed four Lakewood police officers.

But House members argue that only their version would lock up enough dangerous criminals.

“It definitely will protect more people,” said Rep. Mike Hope, a Seattle police officer who sponsored the House version. The Senate measure “doesn’t even cover half of 1 percent, when you’re looking at crimes.”

Judges can already deny bail to suspects facing the death penalty. The Senate would let them do the same to people accused of a crime that could land them in prison for life with no early release, including a third strike for certain serious crimes and a second strike for sex crimes.

The House would allow denial of bail for any potential life sentence, regardless of whether there is a possibility of early release. That would add first offenses on many of the most serious crimes – including murder, rape, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and first-degree arson.

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Bail Set for a Man Caught Up in His Son’s Terrorism Case

Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that they had agreed on bail provisions for a Colorado man who has been charged with obstructing an investigation into a terrorist bombing plot.

The man, Mohammed Wali Zazi, 55, the father of a Denver airport shuttle-bus driver arrested last year on terrorism charges, will be released on a $50,000 bond secured by $20,000 cash, prosecutors said.

Mr. Zazi had been held without bail since Feb. 1, after being indicted in New York on the obstruction charges. He had been charged earlier in Colorado on charges of lying to an investigator. After the latest indictment was unsealed, he was brought to New York and has been held here since then.

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Pakistani Court Rejects Americans' Bail Request

A Pakistani court dismissed on Wednesday a request for the release on bail of five Americans accused of contacting militants over the Internet and plotting terrorist attacks.

The students, in their 20s and from the U.S. state of Virginia, were detained in December in the central Pakistani town of Sargodha, 190 km (120 miles) southeast of the capital.

They have not been formally charged but could face lengthy prison terms if found guilty.

The case of the Americans, who were arrested days after arriving in Pakistan, has raised alarm over the danger posed by militants using the Internet to evade tighter international security measures and plan attacks.

A defense lawyer for the five men, Hassan Katchela, told Reuters by telephone that an anti-terrorist judge in Sargodha turned down the plea for their release on bail.

"We were not expecting the dismissal, as despite our repeated demands for evidence and charges, the prosecutors failed to provide anything substantial against them," he said. "Now we will approach a higher court."

A panel of defense lawyers for the men said the charges brought against their clients were "vague" and requested an anti-terrorist court on Tuesday to order their release on bail.

Police have said emails showed they contacted Pakistani militants who had planned to use them for attacks in Pakistan, a front-line state in the U.S.-led war against militancy.

The men -- two of them of Pakistani origin, one of Egyptian, one of Yemeni and one of Eritrean origin -- told the court earlier they only wanted to provide fellow Muslims in Afghanistan with medical and financial help.

They have accused the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pakistani police of torturing them and trying to frame them. Pakistani authorities have denied the accusations of mistreatment.

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Bills About Parole and Bail Pass State Senate in Washington State

OLYMPIA -- The state Senate passed a package of bills last week in response to the murder of four Lakewood police officers last year.

Several were sponsored by Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, who is one of the North Olympic Peninsula's three representatives in the state Legislature.

The seven bills must be passed by the state House of Representatives and signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire to become law.Bills about parole, bail pass state Senate

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Bounty Hunter Faces Murder Charge

Plainview police revealed this afternoon that the bounty hunter accused of murder did not have the proper licenses needed to take a bond jumper into custody.

Jarrod Neal Flaming, 41, of Carlsbad, N.M., remained in custody at the Hale County jail this morning on a $75,000 bond.

Flaming was charged with murder after shooting 31-year-old Derek Graves in the 1100 block of West 29th Street on Tuesday night.

Capt. Manuel Balderas of the Plainview Police Department said Flaming and another man were attempting to serve a Potter County warrant of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance to Graves at Central Apartments, 910 W. 28th.

Flaming reportedly is president and CEO of BadDog BailBonds Inc. in Carlsbad.

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Suspect in Auschwitz Sign Theft Arrested in Sweden

Swedish police on Thursday arrested a former neo-Nazi leader that Polish investigators suspect of being involved in the theft of the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign at Auschwitz.

Swedish Prosecutor Agneta Hilding Qvarnstrom said 34-year-old Anders Hogstrom was detained in Stockholm on a European arrest warrant.

Hilding Qvarnstrom said Hogstrom will be appointed a defense lawyer and questioned by Swedish investigators before authorities can decide on extraditing him to Poland.

Polish officials have said Hogstrom is suspected of incitement to commit theft of a cultural treasure.

The infamous sign - which means "Work Sets You Free" in German - was stolen in December from the site of the Nazis' former Auschwitz death camp in Poland. Polish police found it in the woods three days later cut up into three pieces and charged five Polish men with its theft.

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Man Out on Bail After Bribing and Threatening Officers' Families

Daniel Escalante is accused of trying to bribe a Dallas cop to let him go free and then threatening two officers' families when his offer was rejected.

Escalante talked his way into two felony charges after initially being arrested for a misdemeanor. His attempted bribe was an offer of $50,000 (or "Fifty G's dog").

Yet Magistrate Candace Carlsen set his bail at $4,500, and the 23-year-old Dallas man walked out of the Dallas County Jail less than 24 hours after his arrest.

The judge said the bail she set was the standard, recommended amount for the charges Escalante faced: bribery, retaliation and interference with public duties.

"Quite frankly, when a lot of people are arrested, they are mouthing off to the officer," Carlsen said. "That's a very typical bond for that type of case."

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Michael Jackson’s Doctor Freed on Bail

Doctor Conrad Murray the personal physician of the great pop singer, musician and dancer Michael Jackson. Jackson hired the doctor Conrad for his physical improvement, because he wanted to comeback with great strength in his performance. He was starting preparation for program in London’s o2 Arena. As Michael was struggling with insomnia, his doctor started to give him the doses of Propofol.

But because of over dose of the medicine which was given by the doctor Conrad was the reason of the death of the Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson died on 25 June 2009 at Lose Angeles and the Doctor Conrad was there.

Because of this the claim of death of Jackson is on Doctor Conrad Murray. Jackson’s family said that it was a murder. Doctor Conrad has not malice about Jackson’s death. He killed him by giving him over doses of Propofol medicine. He accepted that he was not given Jackson proper treatment as required.

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Super Bowl XLIV Bust: Warren Sapp Arrested at His Hotel

Former NFL Star Warren Sapp is out on $1,500 bail after being arrested for domestic violence on Saturday at his hotel in Miami, according to local media reports.

Sapp, who was supposed to be featured on the NFL Network's pregame coverage, has been suspended by the network and did not appear on any programs on Sunday.

The accuser stated in the police report that Sapp tried to choke her and threw her down twice, injuring her leg on the second throw.

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New York City Girl Handcuffed and Arrested for Doodling on Her Desk

A 12-year-old Queens girl was hauled out of school in handcuffs for doodling her name on her desk with a lime-green erasable marker, the Daily News reports.

Alexa Gonzalez's transgression at Junior High School 190 in Forest Hills included scribbling "I love my friends Abby and Faith" and "Lex was here. 2/1/10" (plus a smiley face) while waiting for her Spanish teacher to pass out homework.

The News says she was taken in handcuffs to the police precinct across the street from the school and detained for several hours.

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Fort Myers Bondsman Accused of Extortion, Theft

A Fort Myers bail bond agent and another man allegedly acting as an agent without a license are accused of stealing from a woman and not returning a mortgage she used as collateral.

Onil Martinez, 39, who runs 2nd Chance Bail Bonds, was booked into the Lee County Jail on Thursday and released the next day after posting $11,000 bail. He is charged with one count each of extortion, grand theft and criminal mischief and two counts of allowing an unlicensed bond agent to act as a bond agent. The maximum penalty for all charges is 35 years.

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Child Star Leif Garrett Arrested on Drug Charges

What's going on with former child stars these days? A week after Gary Coleman spent a weekend in jail, fellow ex-child star Leif Garrett found himself locked up for two days this week on drug charges.

The singer-actor, who reached teen idol status in the 1970s, was arrested Monday morning at a downtown Los Angeles Metrolink station for possession of a controlled substance, TMZ reports. He was booked but was unable to make bail until early Wednesday morning.

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Florida Bail Bondsmen Arrested on Multiple Felony Charges

TALLAHASSEE — Florida CFO Alex Sink today announced the arrests of Fort Myers bail bond agent and business owner Onil Martinez and unlicensed bail bond agent Wilfredo Gonzalez, who allegedly committed multiple crimes including stealing $90,000 in bond collateral.

Onil Martinez, owner of "A 2nd Chance Bail Bond Agency," has been charged with Extortion, Felony Criminal Mischief, Employing an Unlicensed Bail Bond Agent, Grand Theft, and Employing a Convicted Felon; if convicted, he faces up to 35 years in prison and permanent revocation of his license. Wilfredo Gonzalez has been charged with working as an Unlicensed Bail Bond Agent, Felony Criminal Mischief, and Grand Theft; if convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison. Martinez and Gonzalez were arrested late last week following an investigation by both CFO Sink's Division of Insurance Fraud and Division of Agent and Agency Services. Both were booked in the Lee County Sheriff's Office and are currently out on bail.

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Rip Torn Fully Loaded: "Men in Black" Star Broke Into Bank Drunk with Loaded Gun, Say Conn. Cops

Actor Elmore "Rip" Torn has a date with a Connecticut judge Monday as he faces allegations that he broke into a bank with a loaded gun while drunk.

State police say the 78-year-old "Men in Black" star was arrested Friday night after authorities found him inside the Litchfield Bancorp in Salisbury with a loaded revolver.

Torn was held in lieu of $100,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on burglary and firearm charges in Bantam Superior Court, about an hour northwest of Hartford.

This is not Torn's first tangle with the law. Last year, Torn was given probation in a Connecticut drunken driving case and granted permission to enter an alcohol education program. He also has two previous drunken driving arrests in New York.

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