Police: Meth was made at motel Judge sets bond at $1 million for Evansville man

southbendtribune.com ^ | 3 29 05 | south bend tribune

[freepatriot32]

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) -- A judge ordered that an Evansville man charged with making methamphetamine in a motel room be held in jail under a $1 million cash bond.

Robert E. Espy, 41, faces felony charges of possession with intent to deal methamphetamine, manufacturing methamphetamine and other drug charges.

"I've read (the charges) and I just don't agree with any of it," Espy said during a court hearing Thursday.

Madison County Magistrate Stephen Clase raised Espy's bond from $20,000 to $1 million cash after reading the probable-cause affidavit.

"You rented a room in a motel in Madison County to manufacture methamphetamine," Clase said. "My understanding is that manufacturing meth is a very dangerous activity. It can blow up and kill people, including yourself."

Espy was convicted on drug charges in Vanderburgh County and has other drug charges pending there, Clase said. He was being held Friday in the Madison County Jail.

Officers in the city about 25 miles northeast of Indianapolis went to Espy's room at the Anderson Country Inn on Wednesday after receiving a tip, city police said.

When Espy opened the door, officers reported finding him and another man inside cooking methamphetamine. The other man has not yet been charged.

"They had a whole drug lab," state police Sgt. Jeff Kastenschmidt said. "They have enough to make drugs to last for a while."

[freepatriot32]

Madison County Magistrate Stephen Clase raised Espy's bond from $20,000 to $1 million cash after reading the probable-cause affidavit.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

One more constitutional amendment completely trashed over the war on drugs thank you wod warriors I feel so much safer and secure knowing the constituion is operating on about 5 of the 27 amendments

[freepatriot32]

ping

[freepatriot32]

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here.

[AppyPappy]

Sux2bhim

[Founding Father]

Well, 5 of 27 amendments working is a higher percentage than 0 of 3 Articles. By the way, I'm having a hard time recalling the 5 amendments still being followed. Can I have a hint? Please?

[sierrahome]

I know Steve Personally...He's been a friend for over 20 years. I am surprised by his action here.

[joebuck]

Dude, the Federal Courts ruled about 10 years ago that there is no Federal constitutional right to any bail. This holding was codified such that bail can be denied to anyone who poses a risk to the community or is a strong flight risk. It is standard procedure for US Attorneys to ask that the court deny any bail for all serious charges. Most US magistrates grant this request routinely.

[freebilly]

"You rented a room in a motel in Madison County to manufacture methamphetamine," Clase said. "My understanding is that manufacturing meth is a very dangerous activity. It can blow up and kill people, including yourself."

The excessive bail was not for the manufacturing of meth...; it was for the manufacturing of meth without following OSHA guidelines....

[Who dat?]

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

I don’t find $1 million to be particularly excessive. Seriously.

I once knew a guy that had inherited two rental houses when his mom died. The tenants seemed pretty good, but as an out-of-town landlord he didn’t know everything going on.

Then the police contacted him one day because they raided one of the houses and it had been used for a meth lab.

I don’t know how it all shook out and insurance took care of some of it, but he did have to sell the other house to pay for different things related to cleanup plus had to take out equity in his previously paid off personal home.

They literally had to tear down a large portion of the house and haul it off as hazardous waste. The people had evidently had some sort of chemical spill because they tore down the garage, hauled off the slab, and took dump truck loads of dirt out of there for two weeks straight.

Then they had to haul in clean fill and install test wells and pay someone to monitor them to prove there was no more contamination.

They tied him up financially for years. Nope, $1 million isn’t “excessive” in any sense of the word to me.

[eno_]

I'd say he was had.

Is the contractor related to the local inspector?

[freebilly]

Glad this is in Breaking News-- ranks right up there with the domestic dispute that happened in my neighborhood last night....

[freepatriot32]

Well, 5 of 27 amendments working is a higher percentage than 0 of 3 Articles. By the way, I'm having a hard time recalling the 5 amendments still being followed. Can I have a hint? Please?

Well so far as of noon today Amendment XIX,Amendment XX,Amendment XXII,Amendment XXV,and Amendment XXVI have not been affected by the war on drugs YET.That could change any minute of any day though

[freepatriot32]

this wasnt put in breaking news

[Ignatz]

Glad this is in Breaking News-- ranks right up there with the domestic dispute that happened in my neighborhood last night....

It is breaking news to me, I live in Anderson!

[TKDietz]

A millions does seem excessive. Technically you are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. The punishment is not supposed to start until you are found guilty. The idea behind bail is that it's supposed to ensure that you'll come back for the trial. If bail is set so high that you cannot possibly make it, you are being punished without the benefit of a trial.

There is no way this guy will make a million in bail money. People don't tend to cook dope in motel rooms unless they are so broke that they don't have a place of their own to cook it in. It takes a pretty desperate fool to cook in a motel because people tend to smell it and call the cops.

If I were judge I might lower the bond so the cops could follow him around and gather intel on everyone he talks to. He probably would go right back to cooking because that's what most of these addicts do. Another thing the judge could do is some sort of house arrest with electronic monitoring allowing for work and/or requiring drug testing a couple of ties a week. Our judges have gotten to where they are requiring frequent drug testing as a bond condition on people released pending disposition of manufacturing charges because most do seem to go right back to it. Our public defender office has represented tons of people caught cooking and it has not been uncommon for people to get busted again for the same thing while out on bond. These are generally hardcore addicts who can't afford to buy the drugs, so they just make their own.

[freebilly]

The Mods must have had time on their hands, today....

[freebilly]

Checked again, sorry, it was put in Front Page news....

[SendShaqtoIraq]

"The other man has not yet been charged."

Why NOT?

[freepatriot32]

"The other man has not yet been charged."

Why NOT?

he is probably a cop or a fed so he will get a free pass on all criminial charges just like 99 percent of all cops and fed in america.They are the new super citizens after all they cant possibly be held accountableto peon laws.