Sex Offenders Out on Bond

sexual solicitation of a minor in worcester county — are out on bond — and behind the closed doors of where the alleged crimes first happened. the latest information comes after detectives unveiled a year-long operation in the county — that worked to track these individuals down. 47 abc’s kelly rule gave us the details of that operation yesterday — and has the latest. david — what’s just as surprising and alarming about how many of these men are on the streets — is the amount of bond they were required to post — despite the severity of the charges. track 1 of the 21 men arrested by worcester county deputies on child sex crime charges throughout 20-14 — just two — jose cano-lopez — and darrell richardson are behind bars. another — 42-year-old laiton witkowski — was sentenced — but was given 30 days at home beforehand. the rest — free to walk the streets until trial — and most of them — in worcester county. 06;17;27 it is frustrating and it is concerning 06;17;29 butt sot 06;17;31 i’ve had conversations with these individuals i know what’s in their mind and i know what they’re looking to do 06;17;36 track 2 the issue — their bond amounts. 06;16;56 you’re seeing bond amounts from anywhere from 3,000 to 50,000 to 25 to 5 17;02 it’s kind of all over the place for the same charge 06;17;04 track 3 district court commissioners reportedly take a number of other factors into consideration… but detectives feel the arrest time — can play a big role. if a suspect is arrested at night — a state prosecutor cannot come in to argue a higher bond — and the court brings in an on-call commissioner. it’s after those arrests — detectives say they often see the suspects post bond. 06;24;45 people i feel are at risk and need to be held until trial that are being let loose 06;24;53 track 4 sources close to the investigation into david weatherholtz tell 47 abc — after the o-c jamboree owner was arrested for the third time — a district court commissioner — by law — was supposed to order him to be held without bond — until he could see a judge. instead — a bond was set at 250-thousand… and at bond review — a judge lowered it to 50-thousand — and weatherholtz paid — putting him back on the streets. jail cell slam or police noise track 5 detectives biggest concern — child pornography offenders will turn to hands-on offenders — and those arrested for attempting to meet for sex — will follow through with their plans — while they’re still free to do so. 06;19;26 so whatever their bond amount is 06;19;27 butt sot 06;19;30 they’ve made it up in their mind that they are willing to do that, so it’s not a fantasy that they are not acting on 06;19;37 47 abc reached out to the district court commissioners office more than once today — and we are still waiting to hear back. david. alright thanks so much kelly. and for part one of kelly’s story about how these 21 sex offenders were arrested — just logon to our website — 47 abc dot-com. a maryland man is behind bars in delaware tonight — after