From the Police Blotter: I Got Nothing

 

Five adults involved in the New Mexico compound arrest have been granted a signature bond release by a New Mexico judge. This means that they do not have put any money up front to walk out of jail unless they fail to appear for trial.

Backus said that New Mexico state prosecutors were unable to show that the five defendants should have their bail denied because they posed a threat to the community. Backus said that the defendants will be required to wear GPS tracking devices through the duration of their court case.

“The state alleges there was a big plan afoot but the state has not shown to my satisfaction by clear and convincing evidence what in fact that plan was,” Backus said at Monday’s hearing, according to CNN.

“The state wants me to make a leap and it’s a large leap and that would be to hold people in jail without bond based on — again — troubling facts but I didn’t hear any choate plan that was being alleged by the state.”

They disappeared once, and a GPS bracelet is virtually worthless in preventing someone from fleeing.

The four-year-old son of the younger Siraj Wahhaj was found buried near the compound. Prosecutors say that the boy, Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj, died during an exorcism ritual conducted by his father.

Abdul-Ghanni had been reported missing from his home in George in December. Wahhaj has not been charged in his son’s death.

As far as I know a death that results from a home exorcism ritual is not protected by the First Amendment. The State also believes that they were training the surviving children to act as school shooters. It is true that the State must prove the case at trial, but we have one dead child, and a disappearing act. I would consider them a flight risk. I suppose we all have to hope that they don’t see martyrdom as an option while awaiting trial. Martyrdom would save each of them $20,000.

Published in Policing
This post was promoted to the Main Feed by a Ricochet Editor at the recommendation of Ricochet members. Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 25 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    They’re just going to walk out, cut off their tracking devices, and disappear, aren’t they?

     

    • #1
  2. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    Doug Watt: I suppose we all have to hope that they don’t see martyrdom as an option while awaiting trial. Martyrdom would save each of them $20,000.

    Seems to me that’d save us all a bunch of trouble.  

    • #2
  3. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    They’re just going to walk out, cut off their tracking devices, and disappear, aren’t they?

    They disappeared for awhile once before.

     

     

    • #3
  4. Rōnin Coolidge
    Rōnin
    @Ronin

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    They’re just going to walk out, cut off their tracking devices, and disappear, aren’t they?

     

    Yes.

    • #4
  5. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    Spin (View Comment):

    Doug Watt: I suppose we all have to hope that they don’t see martyrdom as an option while awaiting trial. Martyrdom would save each of them $20,000.

    Seems to me that’d save us all a bunch of trouble.

    Unless they rent a van and decide to drive down a sidewalk.

     

    • #5
  6. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    They’re just going to walk out, cut off their tracking devices, and disappear, aren’t they?

    That, or the cops will be able to track them right up until they decide to hold an impromptu Grand Prix on the sidewalks of Albuquerque.

    • #6
  7. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    Rōnin (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    They’re just going to walk out, cut off their tracking devices, and disappear, aren’t they?

    Yes.

    Which would all be on Judge Sarah Backus, then. Elected position, or appointed?

    • #7
  8. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    Spin (View Comment):

    Doug Watt: I suppose we all have to hope that they don’t see martyrdom as an option while awaiting trial. Martyrdom would save each of them $20,000.

    Seems to me that’d save us all a bunch of trouble.

    Depends on how many they take with them to the afterlife while trying to become a martyr superstar.

    • #8
  9. Spin Inactive
    Spin
    @Spin

    Doug Watt (View Comment):

    Spin (View Comment):

    Doug Watt: I suppose we all have to hope that they don’t see martyrdom as an option while awaiting trial. Martyrdom would save each of them $20,000.

    Seems to me that’d save us all a bunch of trouble.

    Unless they rent a van and decide to drive down a sidewalk.

    Well, yeah.  I didn’t think about that.  

    • #9
  10. Rōnin Coolidge
    Rōnin
    @Ronin

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    Rōnin (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    They’re just going to walk out, cut off their tracking devices, and disappear, aren’t they?

    Yes.

    Which would all be on Judge Sarah Backus, then. Elected position, or appointed?

    Doesn’t matter, in her world her intentions where good and she virtue signaled accordingly.

    • #10
  11. dnewlander Inactive
    dnewlander
    @dnewlander

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    Rōnin (View Comment):

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    They’re just going to walk out, cut off their tracking devices, and disappear, aren’t they?

    Yes.

    Which would all be on Judge Sarah Backus, then. Elected position, or appointed?

    District judges are appointed by the governor and then have to be relected to retain their position after their term is over. She was initially appointed in 2011 by Susana Martinez, and has apparently “grown” in office.

    No one here is happy about this. All the comments on the ABQ Journal website are universally opposed to this decision, whereas the normal comments skew very left.

    • #11
  12. cdor Member
    cdor
    @cdor

    From Wikipedia:

    Sarah Backus is a district court judge in the Eighth Judicial District of New Mexico. She was appointed to the court by Governor Susana Martinez on June 17, 2011, and elected in 2012.[2] She was retained in 2014 for a term that expires on December 31, 2020.[3]

    I once gave a statement for a longer sentence than was agreed to (plea bargain) by prosecution and defense against a defendant in a Federal Court case. In my statement I suggested that the defendant was a recalcitrant criminal. I said to the judge, as soon as they were released the defendant would resume their criminal behavior and would destroy even more lives than they had already. I said, Judge, your honor, you have a heavy burden to bear. If you allow this deal the defendant will be young enough upon their release to commit more crimes. If they do, it will be on you. It was a Federal case, so there is no parole. The judge shook his head in agreement with me and doubled the sentence. Plea bargains are not a guarantee. The judge can over rule, but your already expressed guilty plea stands.

    This judge will bear the onus of despair caused by any of these  vile individuals should they cause any further harm to society.

    • #12
  13. DrewInWisconsin Member
    DrewInWisconsin
    @DrewInWisconsin

    cdor (View Comment):
    This judge will bear the onus of despair caused by any of these vile individuals should they cause any further harm to society.

    You mean, possibly not be elected again, and will have to console herself with her excellent retirement benefits?

    So sad.

    • #13
  14. cdor Member
    cdor
    @cdor

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    cdor (View Comment):
    This judge will bear the onus of despair caused by any of these vile individuals should they cause any further harm to society.

    You mean, possibly not be elected again, and will have to console herself with her excellent retirement benefits?

    So sad.

    When you put it like that…

    • #14
  15. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    What is wrong with the Left? They are so blinded by their ideology they are stupid.

    • #15
  16. Jon1979 Inactive
    Jon1979
    @Jon1979

    DrewInWisconsin (View Comment):

    cdor (View Comment):
    This judge will bear the onus of despair caused by any of these vile individuals should they cause any further harm to society.

    You mean, possibly not be elected again, and will have to console herself with her excellent retirement benefits?

    So sad.

    New Mexico district court judicial terms are six years, so she’s got until November 2020 for people to forget about this and re-elect her. She’d be in a ton of trouble if she only had a four-year term right now.

    • #16
  17. Quietpi Member
    Quietpi
    @Quietpi

    They FTA’d or jumped bail before?  When / where was that?  In NM?

    I would like to know something about the case the State made re: the flight risk, etc.  I hope the State didn’t assume that the bail hearing would go their way.  It sure sounds to me like there was plenty basis, but I would like to have some assurance that the prosecution did their job.  (This is part of not trusting the MSM in anything.)

    • #17
  18. PHCheese Inactive
    PHCheese
    @PHCheese

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    What is wrong with the Left? They are so blinded by their ideology they are stupid.

    Blind, deaf and certainly dumb.

    • #18
  19. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    Quietpi (View Comment):

    They FTA’d or jumped bail before? When / where was that? In NM?

    I would like to know something about the case the State made re: the flight risk, etc. I hope the State didn’t assume that the bail hearing would go their way. It sure sounds to me like there was plenty basis, but I would like to have some assurance that the prosecution did their job. (This is part of not trusting the MSM in anything.)

    The father of the boy that died at the compound was not granted bail according to the latest article due to the fact that the State of Georgia issued a warrant for his arrest for taking his son out of the state. I find it hard to believe the other five weren’t aware of this fact. My concern would be they went off the grid in December, and weren’t located again until late July, or August, and would be capable of doing that again.

    • #19
  20. lowtech redneck Coolidge
    lowtech redneck
    @lowtech redneck

    And in other news, the Antifa professor who was caught on camera committing vicious assaults with a deadly weapon on multiple people peacefully protesting just received three years of probation.

    • #20
  21. Brian Watt Inactive
    Brian Watt
    @BrianWatt

    I would think that this is a national security issue and the feds should be able to pick up and hold these terrorists despite any leniency and freedom they’ve been granted by a court in New Mexico. Considering there is compelling and credible evidence (despite what the judge determined) that these children were being trained to carry out terrorist acts, it appears the adult suspects pose an immediate threat to the public and that there is an extremely high degree of a potentially lethal and catastrophic attack. A national security threat should trump any local court decision. It would be interesting to get a legal opinion on this from John Yoo (@johnyoo).

    • #21
  22. dnewlander Inactive
    dnewlander
    @dnewlander

    Brian Watt (View Comment):

    I would think that this is a national security issue and the feds should be able to pick up and hold these terrorists despite any leniency and freedom they’ve been granted by a court in New Mexico. Considering there is compelling and credible evidence (despite what the judge determined) that these children were being trained to carry out terrorist acts, it appears the adult suspects pose an immediate threat to the public and that there is an extremely high degree of a potentially lethal and catastrophic attack. A national security threat should trump any local court decision. It would be interesting to get a legal opinion on this from John Yoo (@johnyoo).

    Certainly if getting on a plane is one, then holing up and teaching your kids to shoot up schools is one.

    • #22
  23. Quietpi Member
    Quietpi
    @Quietpi

    Doug Watt (View Comment):
    The father of the boy that died at the compound was not granted bail according to the latest article due to the fact that the State of Georgia issued a warrant for his arrest for taking his son out of the state. I find it hard to believe the other five weren’t aware of this fact. My concern would be they went off the grid in December, and weren’t located again until late July, or August, and would be capable of doing that again.

    Well, that’s something.  What I’m really looking for is evidence that we’re dealing with a politically stupefied judge (not that that’s good), or a politically corrupted prosecutor’s office.  I don’t know which I fear more.

    • #23
  24. contrarian Inactive
    contrarian
    @Contrarian

    Quietpi (View Comment):
    This is part of not trusting the MSM in anything.

    After asking my best friend (who’s a lefty) about this story on Monday he said,  “I haven’t heard anything about this. It’d be a big story if true. Sounds like fake news to me.”

    • #24
  25. Rōnin Coolidge
    Rōnin
    @Ronin

    contrarian (View Comment):

    Quietpi (View Comment):
    This is part of not trusting the MSM in anything.

    After asking my best friend (who’s a lefty) about this story on Monday he said, “I haven’t heard anything about this. It’d be a big story if true. Sounds like fake news to me.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NNOrp_83RU

    Says it all.

    • #25
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.