In New Jersey, a man busted for counterfeiting was released from jail pending his trial. Less than a month later, he was caught (again) with close to $1,000 in counterfeit bills. Andrew Lochard, 29 years old, was also arrested in 2017 for forgery, money laundering, and falsely claiming to have a bomb.
So How Was He Released?
Glad you asked. The key words here are “New Jersey.” That state has implemented so-called bail reform measures that allow those accused of certain crimes to be released pending their trials. Lochard was one such individual and, despite the 2017 arrests and the new counterfeiting charge, New Jersey saw fit to release him. Clearly Lochard was sorry for his previous alleged misdeeds – so much so that he repeated the exact same actions just a few short weeks after being released.
Where is This Headed?
There are still other stories from the bail reform misdeeds of New Jersey (and other) officials that indicate those who have actually committed very minor crimes are being held without bail. So what gives? It seems that, ultimately, the algorithm the state is using has some bugs. Maybe those will get worked out in the future, but if you’re thinking of visiting New Jersey, perhaps it’s best to stay away for the moment. Reports of strange incidents have been coming out of the state ever since the new bail laws went into effect.