Paso Robles police catch DUI suspect with stolen gun

$20,000? Is that what the lives of the innocent public are worth today? Driving drunk, with no headlights, carrying a loaded(!) stolen gun? Clearly a menace to society, whose concern for the law and the safety of others sounds just about nil. I was stoked to hear he had been caught. But to set him loose on us any time he or one of his pals could pony up 20 grand?

It is not as if he was “suspected” of doing these things. He was apprehended in the act. And sounds, from the details, like a real flight risk, IMHO. How can it be OK to undo the good work of the officers who took this individual into custody at risk to themselves, only to allow him to slip back into the underworld “for a price”, and a very low one at that. There is a lot of incentive among criminals to raise bail for one of their own before he is maneuvered into rolling over on them to get a “deal”. Even someone with few personal resources could be freed in that manner.

I consider the whole bail system to be unfair and ineffective, since it clearly favors the wealthy and organized criminal element and does nothing to protect the public in a situation like this. Persons should be held or released on their own recognizance based on the nature of their suspected offenses and connection and standing within the community.