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Michigan Judge Blasted For Low Bond In Walmart Terror Stabbing Case

A Michigan district court judge was criticized on Monday after setting a $100,000 bond for the man charged with terrorism in a stabbing attack at a Traverse City, Michigan, Walmart over the weekend.

In a video arraignment for suspect James Bradford Gille, Magistrate Tammi Rodgers said Gille has been charged with “heinous” crimes, which include 11 counts of assault with intent to murder. Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg requested that Rodgers set a significant bond due to the seriousness of the charges and Gille’s history of mental illness and previous run-ins with law enforcement, West Michigan ABC affiliate, WZZM 13 reported.

The judge set the bond at $100,000, adding that if he’s able to post bond, he would be barred from using alcohol or any non-prescribed drugs. She also barred him from possessing any weapons or using “any object as a weapon” and said he could not visit any Walmart.

Gille is accused of going on a stabbing rampage near the checkout line at Walmart on Saturday, wounding 11 people before he was stopped by bystanders, including Marine Derrick Perry, who held him at gunpoint in the parking lot until police arrived.

“He was wild-eyed, and he did not look like he was in his right mind. And he was saying, ‘They told me to do it. They told me to do it,” Perry said during an interview with “Good Morning America.”

The $100,000 bond means that Gille only has to come up with $10,000 on his own, but it appears unlikely that he has that money or that he’ll find a bail bondsman willing to work with him, independent journalist Dave Bondy reported.

During his arraignment, Gille was asked by the judge if he had money in his bank account, seeking to determine if he could afford his own legal counsel.

“Not to give you,” the suspect replied, according to WZZM 13.

Gille was also asked how to pronounce his name and told the judge, “Yeah, I don’t want to talk to you.”

Gille pleaded not guilty and requested a court-appointed attorney. His next court appearance is scheduled for August 12.

“Eligible for bond? This individual just went on a rampage, and by the grace of God didn’t end anyone’s life,” said Michigan state Senate Minority Leader and Republican gubernatorial candidate Aric Nesbitt. “Allowing him to be released into the community spits in the face of those who protect and serve, and only puts more people at risk.”

“They just want him to promise not to go back to Wal-Mart or do drugs. What in the world are they thinking?” Nesbitt added.

Others on social media also sounded off on the low bond.

“He is facing terrorism and 11 counts of assault with intent to murder charges. Does that sound like public safety to you?” asked independent journalist Breanna Morello.

Gille lives in Afton, Michigan, around 90 miles northeast of Traverse City, and has a history of mental illness. In 2017, Gille was found not guilty by reason of insanity after he was charged with dismembering and mutilating dead bodies he had dug up from a cemetery, the Detroit Free Press reported.

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