The suspect in the attack on GOP NY gubernatorial candidate Rep. Lee Zeldin was released on his own recognizance (ROR) despite being charged with second-degree attempted assault, a non-violent E-felony.
ROR is “a written promise signed by the defendant promising that they will show up for future court appearances and not engage in illegal activity while out on an ROR.”
New York is a blue state. So is California. People who don’t believe in harsh punishments for anyone, especially regarding bail, rule these states.
On January 24, California Highway Patrol officers pulled over a car with Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19.
Both men are from Washington state. This is an important detail.
The officers asked the Tulare County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Unit (HIDTA) to help them search the car.
They found 150 packages. Each one had 1,000 fentanyl pills. They also found two kilograms of cocaine.
The drugs are valued at $750,000.
The officials set bail at $1 million due to the number of drugs. But then, the county probation department’s risk assessment classified the men as “low risk.”
Remember, these men are from Washington state.
After the classification, the suspects were released on their own recognizance.
You will never guess what happened!
The suspects did not show up for their court dates at the Tulare County Courthouse in central California. From Fox News:
Defendants Jose Zendejas, 25, and Benito Madrigal, 19 — released on their own recognizance less than 24 hours after their arrests with the large stash of illicit drugs — were scheduled to appear for their arraignments at the Tulare County Courthouse in central California on Thursday morning, but both men failed to show.The judge called for Zendejas and Madrigal — both from Washington state — who were not in court, and the warrant for their arrest continues.The judge withdrew the prior $2 million bond and directed each be held without bond if they pop up.
The sheriff and DA said no one consulted them on the decision:
Before Thursday, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said he did not expect the defendants to show up. He placed blame on the state’s soft-on-crime attitude and so-called criminal justice reform for a policy that allowed the two alleged drug traffickers to go free with nothing but a promise to come to court.”I didn’t learn about the order until it was far too late,” Boudreaux previously told Fox News. “I couldn’t believe we had 150,00 fentanyl pills — one of the most dangerous epidemics facing our nation today — with people in custody that we may potentially be able to impact the future of this type of drug trafficking organization… and we let them go.””Although there is a need for a pre-trial release program, to do it covertly in the middle of the night in a very nontransparent matter is extremely dangerous,” Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward told Fox News on Thursday outside the courthouse, referring to the court’s initial decision to release the defendants. “What we discovered here was that it was occurring based on a decision without any foundation of the facts of the case. And I think going forward, I think everyone is realizing that’s a mistake and should not continue.””The problem is once again the legislature and the state of California are trying to go down some social experiment born on the back of law-abiding citizens,” Ward said. “I go out on a limb and say that had these defendants been subject to the million bail that was in place when they were arrested, and they made bail based on that amount, they would have some skin in the game, some financial obligation and motivation to return to court.”
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