RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill into law Friday that will create stricter bail laws after law enforcement agencies across the state voiced concerns about low bonds for certain violent offenses.
House Bill 813, known as the Pretrial Integrity Act, takes away the responsibility of magistrates to set bail for certain offenses. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings and Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather have publicly supported the bill after suspects charged with serious crimes were given low bonds.
One instance included a Fort Mill EMS worker charged with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old in the back of an ambulance. The man was given a bond of $15,000 and bonded out less than an hour after he was arrested.
"What message are we sending when that individual gets out in 37 minutes?" Jennings asked. "I'm not saying we should lock people up and throw away the key or keep them in jail till their trial, I just think there needs to be more accountability on how that bail is set for that individual."
Opponents of the measure say jails don't have the capacity to hold many more inmates.
"I think it's denying people constitutional rights," Rep. Marcia Morey said. "Magistrates can set million-dollar bails if it's a serious offense."
This law will give judges discretion to determine if a person charged with certain crimes may be released from jail before their trial. Those charges include first-degree murder, second-degree murder, kidnapping, rape, first-degree forcible sexual offense and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster recently signed a bond reform bill into law that aims to keep repeat violent offenders off the street.
Prior to Cooper signing the bill into law, magistrates in North Carolina set bonds on how likely the defendant is to show up in court and whether they're a danger to society. Judicial guidelines do not outline permanent bond amounts for most offenses.
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