The New Mexico judge overseeing the case against five alleged Muslim extremists essentially accused prosecutors of discriminating against Muslims in her Monday court order granting bail to the defendants.
In coming to her decision, Judge Backus wrote that the State of New Mexico “apparently expected the court to take the individuals’ faith into account” in determining whether or not the defendants were a danger to the community.
Here’s part of the judge’s order denying the prosecutors’ motion to deny bail to the #NewMexicoCompound adults.
Judge Sarah Backus essentially accuses the authorities of promoting religious discrimination against Muslims.#NewMexico pic.twitter.com/vB6yexFkBP
— Ryan Mauro (@ryanmauro) August 14, 2018
“The defendants are apparently of the Muslim faith,” read the order. “The Court was asked by the State to make a finding of dangerousness and a finding of no conditions of release could ensure the safety of the community. The State apparently expected the court to take the individuals’ faith into account in making such a determination. The Court has never been asked to take any other person’s faith into account in making a determination of dangerousness. The Court is not aware of any law that allows the Court to take a person’s faith into consideration in making a dangerousness determination.” – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]The state judge who on Monday set a $20,000 bail for five defendants arrested at a remote New Mexico compound where authorities say children were being trained to conduct school shootings has a history of issuing low bail to violent offenders.
Judge Sarah Backus, an elected Democrat, ordered the two men and three women to wear ankle monitors, have weekly contact with their attorneys and not consume alcohol or own firearms while on bail. She said although she was concerned by “troubling facts,” prosecutors failed to articulate any specific threats to the community.
Monday isn’t the first time Backus has issued low bail for suspects accused of violent crimes.
Just last month, she set a $10,000 bond for Rafael Orozco, a 24-year-old Taos man accused of battering his girlfriend, his newborn child and a health care worker at Holy Cross Hospital in September 2016.
Police said Orozco prompted a lockdown at the hospital after punching his girlfriend as she breastfed their newborn in front of a male doctor, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported. Cops said Orozco then grabbed the mother by the throat and slapped the baby.
Orozco reportedly fled the hospital and was arrested in Rio Arriba County a few months later. While in prison, Orozco was accused of other crimes, including obtaining Suboxone, an opioid medication, and pulling a fire alarm. A year later, he and his brother, Cristian Orozco, were charged with assaulting and threatening a guard.
In September, Backus approved an order to incarcerate Orozco at the Lea County Correctional Facility until his trial. His defense attorney recently filed a motion arguing for his release and last month, Backus ruled in his favor. – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]Jany Leveille, one of five suspects arrested at a New Mexico compound last week, has been transferred to the custody of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Taos County Sheriff Jerry Hogrefe said Tuesday, according to Fox News and other outlets.
Siraj Ibn Wahhaj and four other defendants accused of abusing children in a jihadi training camp in New Mexico were expected to be released Tuesday on bond, many news outlets reported, including Townhall.
As of early Tuesday morning, all five suspects were still inside the Taos Detention Center.
That’s according to reporting by Gadi Schwartz of NBC News.
All 5 suspects are still inside Taos Detention center contrary to reporting from other national networks. At least 4 of them are expected to be released today.
— Gadi Schwartz (@GadiNBC) August 14, 2018
Judge Sarah Backus on Monday ruled against the prosecutors’ request to hold the five individuals without bond pending their trial on child abuse charges.
The judge said that the prosecution failed to demonstrate that the alleged perpetrators posed “any specific threats to the community,” as Fox Newsreported.- READ MORE
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