An Unsolved Mystery Right Here in Virginia
A 21-year-old man who was convicted of aggravated malicious wounding, grand larceny, and hit and run is still on the run a month after he escaped from custody.
The Greensville Correctional Center inmate escaped while he was getting medical care in St. Mary’s Hospital in Henrico County. He escaped when two officers watching him reportedly fell asleep after having worked more than 24 hours, according to Crime Insider sources. Virginia Department of Corrections officials said the pair “did not work 24 hours.” However, they did not specify how long the officers had worked. Neither did they deny that the two officers fell asleep.
Eerily, a Richmond man found what is believed to be the inmate’s abandoned hospital gown in his house.
Bail Jumping
People convicted of criminal offenses rarely escape from custody. People who are out on bail awaiting trial commonly escape from custody. At least, they commonly try to escape.
Pretrial release comes with strings attached. General conditions, which apply to all violent and nonviolent offenders, include:
- Appearing at all required hearings,
- Remaining in the county,
- Meeting with a supervision officer,
- Regularly updating contact information, and
- Avoiding further trouble with the law.
The first and last bullet points are the most common grounds for bond forfeiture and deserve further explanation.
Almost all judges require defendants to appear at the first setting and trial setting. The judge may or may not require the defendant to appear at procedural hearings.
If an unrepresented defendant misses a hearing date, even accidentally or even if the defendant has a good excuse, the judge automatically forfeits the defendant’s bail. If the defendant has a Leesburg criminal defense lawyer, the judge usually gives the defendant a second chance.
Sometimes, authorities issue subsequent warrants. For example, if Paul is arrested for domestic battery and authorities find a protective order from another jurisdiction, they might issue a warrant for that court order violation.
In these situations, voluntary surrender with the help of a Leesburg criminal defense lawyer is the best option.
Arrest warrants have no statute of limitations. Once authorities issue a warrant, it’s active until served, even if the service takes place eight or ten years after the issuance.
Modifying Bail Conditions
We mentioned some general bail conditions above. Judges also often impose offense-specific conditions, such as a keep-away order in a domestic battery case.
These orders are often quite burdensome. For example, most keep-away orders include no-contact order which make child visitation very difficult. Additionally, these orders often include kick-out provisions that exclude a defendant from a shared residence, even if the defendant is financially responsible for the rent or mortgage,
The pretrial process could easily last for more than a year. So, attorneys often ask judges to modify bail conditions. If the defendant has toed the line so far, judges often grant these requests.
Attorneys do the same thing when judges place defendants on probation. Usually, the judge has almost unlimited discretion to modify the conditions of probation at any time. That modification could include a change to unsupervised probation.
The same thing is true in reverse. At the drop of the hat, the judge could add additional conditions or make the existing conditions tougher. Attorneys stand up for defendants in these situations.
Work With a Tough-Minded Loudoun County Lawyer
There’s a big difference between an arrest and a conviction in criminal law. For a free consultation with an experienced criminal defense attorney in Leesburg, contact Simms Showers, LLP, Attorneys at Law. Virtual, home, and jail visits are available.
Source:
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