Windshield death suspect back in jail
Posted on 03/09/2002 2:34:29 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
Windshield death suspect back in jail
Bail raised to $250,000; FW woman taken into custody for third time
03/09/2002
FORT WORTH - A woman accused of hitting a man with her car and leaving him to die, entangled in her windshield, returned to jail Friday when a judge raised her bail from $10,000 to $250,000.
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Even if the bail is met, Ms. Mallard will spend the weekend in jail. Probation officers in charge of monitoring bond conditions cannot pick her up until Monday morning, said Lt. Mack West, jail supervisor.
Her bond conditions, which 371st District Judge James Wilson set during a hearing, include being under house arrest at her parents' Fort Worth home, wearing an electronic monitor, no driving, no alcohol use, and drug testing three times a week.
LAWRENCE JENKINS / DMN Dorothy Ballard (left) accompanies her daughter, Chante J. Mallard, to the court hearing in Fort Worth. |
Judge Wilson also placed a gag order on Ms. Mallard's lawyer and on prosecutors in the case. Her parents attended the hearing but declined to comment.
Ms. Mallard, a nurse's aide who was fired Thursday after the murder charge became public, sobbed in the courtroom and continually dabbed her eyes with a tissue before sheriff's deputies led her away.
During the hourlong hearing, defense attorney Mike Heiskell brought Ms. Mallard's parents and her brother, a lieutenant with the Fort Worth Fire Department, to testify about the former Girl Scout's willingness to attend future court proceedings.
"I guarantee you she's not going anywhere. She doesn't have anywhere to go and doesn't know where to go," Mr. Heiskell said, asking the judge to "look past the emotion and determine what is right and just."
But Assistant District Attorney Richard Alpert argued that the $10,000 bond Ms. Mallard posted Wednesday was insufficient and that she has an unstable work history and sought counseling only after she was charged in Mr. Biggs' death.
"It's no secret the community is outraged by her actions," Mr. Alpert said. "This defendant has friends who helped her cover up the crime."
Police said Ms. Mallard struck Mr. Biggs in October as he walked along U.S. Highway 287 near the Loop 820 split, and then drove home with him entangled in her windshield.
Although he was severely injured, Mr. Biggs, a former school bus driver and bricklayer who was homeless at the time of the accident, was not dead, police said. Ms. Mallard left him trapped in her car, which she hid in the garage of her home on the south side of Fort Worth, investigators said.
Police said that Ms. Mallard repeatedly apologized to the injured man, checking on him several times over a two- or three-day period, but that she never summoned help. After Mr. Biggs died, Ms. Mallard and at least one friend dumped his body in a nearby park, where he was found Oct. 27, police said.
A woman came to police in February, saying Ms. Mallard admitted to the crime at a party, police said. Investigators questioned Ms. Mallard and arrested her Feb. 26 on a felony charge of failure to stop and render aid.
Mrs. Mallard posted a $5,000 bond that day, but she was arrested a second time after police upgraded the charge to murder Wednesday. She was released that day after posting a $10,000 bond.
A trial date has not been set.
Police said Friday that they are continuing to investigate the case and are looking for anyone else who may have helped dump Mr. Biggs' body.
E-mail ncalaway@dallasnews.com
The criminals in the Matthew Shepard case left the man alive but injured restrained to a fence.
Additionally, she conspired with others to dump the body and destroy evidience of the car.
Let's see, she's black (+1), female (+1), fat (+1). She has a total of three victim status points.
Let's check the fellow she hit. He's homeless ( +1), mentally ill (+1). We're catching up. But wait - HE'S A WHITE MALE - MINUS TEN POINTS. That gives him negative eight points for a victim status.
Since she has more victim points, no crime has been committed here. It was just an accident, caused by a homless person with poor judgement. She will need many hours of therapy for post traumatic stress syndrome caused by this incident (payable in full by the taxpayers) </sarcasm off>
That's what I thought....then federal charges could be pressed against her, too, no? Isn't kidnapping a federal crime, not just a state crime? Or is it only federal if brought across state boundaries?
She could also try to claim a "temporary insanity" defense because she was under the effects of X (there is supposed to be some truth to being able to be declared "legally insane" after taking a number of hits of LSD; different drug but who knows what her lawyer may try). She won't be successful in any sort of an insanity plea because her no count boyfriend was aware of the situation and denied assistance as well. Has he been charged yet?
It seems to me she{hid}him to die.
And, SHE WANTED HIM TO DIE.
I think your probably right on that.
The perception is that ecstasty is largely a white used drug (raves, college parties, etc.).
She brought this man into her home and did not release him. If she had rolled him off of her car by the roadside, she would have dumped an injured man who might have gotten medical attention. She could have been charged with failure to stop and render assistance (hit & run) but here she did not run, she dragged the body home with her. The man's live body was in her possession, under her control.
It is not a stretch to rule this with a kidnapping charge.
I also "believe" that everything her defenders put up to make her look as though she were decent will be the rope that hangs her.
She was a Nurses Aide, Ok!
I Believe In God, the Father Almighty, as Lord and Healer of us all.
I Believe that by caring for those in need I am serving Him in a truley meaningful way.
I Believe I have a unique challenge to protect the quality of life of those who come into my care, to do all I can to aid the spirit as well as the body, and to treat each person with respect, concern and compassion.
I Believe that patience, kindness and good humor are important elements of quality care. And I promise to do my best to practice them always.
I Believe that it is my sacred duty to use my training and talents for the good of all those who need and trust in my care... and for the greater glory of God. Amen Author Unknown
And I believe in TEXAS
Windshields are made with safety glass and generally don't permit objects to pass through them (it can happen but it takes a tremendous force to break through the 2 panes of glass).
I was driving outside of Austin when something was made airborne by the pickup truck in front of me (something wood or metal, about this size and shape of an adult forearm - long and "clunky"). I was driving 60-70MPH and this item cracked my windshield and made a hole about 2 inches in diameter. I'm glad that it didn't go all the way through the window (it bounce off) and I'm glad that it did go "up (as my top was down on my convertible).
To wedge a person through the windshield deep enough that he doesn't fall out and deep enough that his body can rest on the hood... it seems to me that she must have been flying down the road.
Indeed, many if not all States have laws which *require* you to assist an animal injured in traffic.
Then there's the fact that Ms. Mallard worked as a nurse's assistant. That means she has a small scrap of medical knowledge...yet she didn't even try to do the smallest thing to help the guy. She worked around medical professionals and medical facilities and didn't even attempt First Aid.
She could've had her "friends" deliver him to the nearest emergency room parking lot while still alive... and she still chose to let him bleed to death.
The usual saviors of the protected class have a real problem in this case. If only the victim had been a successful businessman instead of a homeless guy, their task would be so much easier.
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