Marissa Alexander may be sent back to jail over alleged violations of her bond conditions.
Florida State Attorney Angela Corey’s office has filed a motion to see Alexander put back behind bars, alleging she “repeatedly flouted” her home detention bond conditions on by running various errands including shopping for clothes, visiting a bank, and driving family members to various destinations.
“She continues to demonstrate her utter disregard for conforming her behavior to the rules of others (including other defendants granted bond by the courts) must abide by,” the motion filed by Assistant State Attorney Richard Mantei read.
But Alexander’s attorney fired back with their own motion, insisting the Jacksonsville Sheriff’s Office, tasked with overseeing her bond, had signed off on every trip she took.
“Unfortunately, the State of Florida, knowing that [her corrections officer] had authorized and given Marissa Alexander permission for each of the trips and stops alleged by the State to be wilful violations of Marissa Alexander’s bond, failed to include those exonerative facts in its application to this Court,” attorney Bruce Zimet wrote in his motion.
“No justification supports the state’s failure to include in its motion to modify and revoke bond the fact that every activity alleged to be a violation of bond had been approved by the agency charged with the responsibility of supervising Marissa Alexander’s bond,” Zimet added. “Obviously, including those omitted facts would expose the frivolity of the state’s motion.”
Alexander was released on bond shortly before the Thanksgiving holiday while she awaits a retrial after being convicted of aggravated assault for firing what she described as a warning shot at her abusive husband.
No one was injured in the incident, but a jury found Alexander of multiple counts of aggravated assault with a firearm in 2012, which came with a mandatory minimum 20 year sentence. Her conviction was overturned in September when a judge ordered a retrial after he found that the jury instructions in her original trial were erroneous, unfairly forcing Alexander to prove that she had fired her shot in self-defense.
A bond hearing is scheduled for Friday to determine whether or not her bond will be revoked over the State’s allegations.
Morgan Whitaker