Wednesday, December 23, 2009

KY3: Florida officials upset with fugitive's release on bond

KY3 reports that Florida officials are ticked off that Oscar Richardson, who has been a fugitive since his 1979 prison escape, was released on bond, and a low $25,000 at that:

Officials in Florida don't think the last 31 years erase prior errors.
"The state of Florida requested he be held on ‘no bond’ because he was an obvious flight risk,” said Taney County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Merrell, who argued to no avail for Florida’s position on Monday.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Gerald Bailey issued the following statement:
“I am shocked and extremely disappointed by the irresponsible decision of Judge Tony Williams to allow Oscar Richardson to post bond. Richardson is a violent felony offender who was serving time in Florida for an armed robbery conviction when he fled after serving only a fraction of his sentence. Allowing this fugitive to walk out of a courtroom after hiding from authorities for 30 years diminishes the seriousness of his crimes and shows a lack of sensitivity for those he victimized and a disregard for the safety of the citizens of Taney County. We are working closely with Missouri authorities to aggressively pursue Richardson ’s extradition to Florida . His debt to our state remains unpaid.”

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