THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512210404
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Long : 121 lines
Less than 36 hours after their arrest on drug-related charges, 10 of the 31 suspects whom police put behind bars during Operation Season's Greetings were back on the streets Wednesday afternoon.
The 10 posted bail after a District Court judge reduced some of their bonds. One suspect's bond dropped from $50,000 to $5,000.
The judge said he was following court guidelines for bonds on various criminal offenses. But law enforcement and county officials were irate, contending that some of the people they spent four months working to arrest were set free before they had to eat a second supper in jail.
``Our officers laid their lives on the line to rid these streets of serious drug dealers who create, through their actions, property crimes or violent crimes throughout the community,'' said Bill Williams, Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency Supervisor.
``The criminal histories on some of these suspects reflect records of violence - felony stuff, robberies, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill - for more than 20 years. Some of them have records of drug dealing and violence in New York, New Jersey, Alaska and Virginia.
``It's frustrating to see them revolve through the system,'' Williams said. ``It's frustrating to spend months and months working on an investigation like this and then have the suspects beat you out the door to go home.''
Dare County Sheriff's Deputy Jasper Williams agreed. ``There is a great concern among the law enforcement community that some of these people are pretty dangerous, given both what they did during this operation and in the past,'' Jasper Williams said. ``There's good reason for concern about the officers' safety given these people's propensities for violence.
``Some of these suspects are out on bond committing the same crimes they were on bond for in the first place,'' said the sheriff's deputy. ``We continually get the same people over and over and over.''
Of the 52 initial suspects involved in Operation Season's Greetings, only two had clean criminal records, Bill Williams said. Computer print-outs of some people's police records are a quarter-inch thick. Several of the suspects already had been in Dare County's jail three or four times.
Magistrates set the original bonds on the drug-raid suspects. The judge reviewed the amounts during the suspects' first court appearances.
Generally, judges have copies of the defendants' criminal histories when they set the bond. But Tuesday's raid happened so quickly - and so many people were involved - that the judge probably didn't have an opportunity to study these people's backgrounds before he had to set their bond amounts, said Jasper Williams.
``We're not hammering the judges. They do a good job with what they have to work with. But Tuesday was District Court day, too. So a lot of people were taken right from the jail to court. And there wasn't time to run all their histories,'' Jasper Williams said. ``Once bond has been set, the only thing that can change it is if the person is arrested again while out on bond and the Superior Court judge sets a higher amount.''
District Court Judge Christopher Bean presided over court on Tuesday. He said Wednesday night that some of the bonds set by magistrates ``were four or five times higher than called for in the guidelines. What I did was try to bring them back closer to the guidelines.
``We always must remember that people are innocent until proven guilty,'' Bean said. ``And bonds are not meant to be punitive, but to assure the appearance in court of the accused.''
Bail bondsmen will post the total amount if inmates can provide 15 percent of the price.
``Many of the people we arrested Tuesday are looking at doing some serious amounts of time,'' said Bill Williams. ``At the same time, there's nothing to prevent these people from leaving the state once they've been let out on bond.
``People in the drug business have an uncanny ability to make high bonds and get out of jail.''
Dare County Commission Chairman R.V. ``Bobby'' Owens said he was dismayed that the bonds were lowered.
``We had hoped the bonds would be high enough to keep them in jail over the holidays so people who have to live around them could have a safe and happy Christmas,'' Owens said Wednesday.
Dare County spokesman Charles Hartig said, ``to reduce the bonds on these individuals eliminates everything we were trying to accomplish: Getting these people off the streets. This is ludicrous. It's a joke.''
According to computer records at the Dare County jail, suspects released Wednesday include:
Paul L. Daniels, 35, Wanchese; charged with possession with intent to sell and distribute cocaine, and sale and delivery of a controlled substance. Bond reduced from $50,000 to $5,000.
Norman Anthony Gibbs, a.k.a. Tony Montague, 27, Wanchese; charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and two counts of conspiracy to sell and distribute cocaine. Bond $6,000, not reduced.
Michael John Gratz, 31, Manteo; charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest and obstructing a public official. Bond $300, not reduced.
Joseph Michael McCarthy Jr., 47, Kill Devil Hills; charged with possession and intent to distribute marijuana, sale and delivery of a controlled substance, and maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for the purpose of keeping controlled substances. Bond reduced from $30,000 to $6,000.
Byron Keith Shaw, 19, Kill Devil Hills; charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, sale and delivery of marijuana and maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of keeping controlled substances. Bond reduced from $35,000 to $10,000.
Steven Douglas Gray, 33, Avon; charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and sale and delivery of cocaine. Bond reduced from $25,000 to $5,000.
Debra Gail Brill, 42, Avon; charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Bond reduced from $17,000 to $700.
Christopher Todd Rollinson, 27, Nags Head; charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond $300, not reduced.
Aimee Suzanne Howarth, 26, Nags Head; charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond $300, not reduced.
One of two 16-year-olds who were arrested Tuesday during Operation Seasons Greetings also was released on bond Wednesday afternoon.
Officers arrested the 32nd person involved with Operation Season's Greetings after a district attorney spotted the suspect in Currituck County District Court on Wednesday. No further information was available about the suspect Wednesday night. But a guard at the Dare County jail said the suspect was still behind bars as of 6:30 p.m.
Including that person and six other suspects who already were in jail on other charges, 38 of the 52 initial suspects sought had been arrested by late Wednesday.
Law enforcement officers said other arrests are expected.
KEYWORDS: DRUG ARRESTS BOND by CNB