Did they really expect him to show up to be tried for burglary?
He’s out on bail for the murders:
Mendoza, of Worland, Wyo., also has a pending case in Washakie County, Wyo., for burglary and drug charges and had been released from jail there on a modified bond in mid-July.
Washakie County Attorney John Worrall said on Friday that Mendoza appeared in court on July 2 on a misdemeanor drug charge and then on July 6 for felony burglary. The burglary charge stems from accusations that Mendoza broke into a vehicle and stole a number of items, including jewelry and four handguns.
A judge initially set a bond at $15,000 in that case. On July 16, after discussions with Mendoza’s attorneys and family, the judge modified that bond and Mendoza was soon released on a signature bond, which doesn’t require the initial posting of a bond based on Mendoza’s promise that he’d follow the court’s orders, appear in court as directed and would pay a penalty if he violated those orders, Worrall said.
He also was required to check in twice daily with the court, which he had been doing until the morning of the shooting, Worrall said.
“At the time, there was no reason to believe he’d do something this serious,” he said. “It was a motion made by his attorney. It’s a decision that was not taken lightly based on the information available at that time.”
Sorry that was for the burglary.
He now has been assigned two public defenders because he has been unemployed.
Mendoza’s preliminary hearing is set for 3 p.m. Aug. 5, in Ostby’s courtroom.
She ordered him held without bond in the Yellowstone County Detention Facility until the preliminary hearing.