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Federal officer urges Port Royal to keep bond hearings local after shooting near 16th Street
Summary
A Port Royal resident and federal law enforcement officer described a May 24 shooting and chase near his home and criticized an outside municipal judge who set a $100,000 bond for the attempted-murder suspect; he asked council to require Port Royal judges and to have prosecutors present for serious bond hearings.
During public comment at the June 10 Port Royal council meeting, resident and federal law enforcement officer Dannon (Dan) James described a May 24 incident in which a vehicle chase and gunfire occurred near his home on 16th Street and said his wife narrowly escaped harm while jogging in the area.
"My wife could have been killed," James said. He thanked Port Royal officers — naming Officer Shaw and Officer Roberts — for a quick investigative response that led to warrants and an arrest. James said the suspect was initially held on warrants but was later released after a municipal court judge from another jurisdiction set a $100,000 bond.
In James’s view the bond was "unreasonably low given the seriousness of the charge," and he urged the council to take three steps: ensure Port Royal municipal judges, rather than outside judges, set bond in Port Royal cases; hire an additional municipal judge so the town can handle bond hearings more regularly; and require that an assistant solicitor or law-enforcement representative be present at bond hearings for serious violent charges so someone can argue for public-safety conditions of release.
Council and the mayor acknowledged the terrifying nature of the incident and thanked James for bringing the concern to their attention; the council did not take formal action during the meeting but the officer asked council to consider procedural changes to how municipal bond hearings are handled for serious violent cases.
