Accused burglar to be held unless bond paid
Judge says $2.5K sum appropriate because of defendant’s history of not showing up in court
A career criminal accused of pulling off large and small heists across the country over the past several decades — and of robbing multiple homes in Southern Santa Fe County in recent years — will not be released from jail to await trial without posting bond, a district judge ruled Friday.
Recent reforms to bond laws prevent accused criminals from being held in jail simply because they can’t afford bond. But the court is still allowed to set bond in some circumstances, including when a defendant’s flight risk is in question.
State District Judge Glenn Ellington ruled that despite the assertion by Edward Laird’s lawyer that Laird cannot afford to post a $2,500 bond, the bond is appropriate because of the defendant’s history of failing to appear for court. He had been on the lam in one recent case for more than a year, the judge noted.
The judge said he was concerned by Laird’s nine residential burglary cases pending in First Judicial District Court.
The court had previously allowed Laird out of jail on his own recognizance in several cases dating back to 2016, according to court records, but he was ordered to be held or post the monetary bond in March after he picked up new charges while wanted on several warrants.
If Laird was unable to pay the bond, Ellington said in the March order setting conditions of release, he could be released on electronic monitoring to an inpatient treatment program.
Laird’s public defender, Rebecca Mnuk-Herrmann, had asked the judge on Friday to reconsider the terms of Laird’s release.
Mnuk-Herrmann said only one place in Santa Fe accepts defendants on electronic monitoring — the Santa Fe Recovery Center, a drug and alcohol treatment center. She said the facility rejected Laird because it determined he didn’t have a substance abuse problem.
Mnuk-Herrmann said that was consistent with her dealings with Laird and asked the court to consider a new plan for Laird, who court records describe as homeless and who had been discovered recently sleeping in a vacant home on Red Rock Road south of Santa Fe.
Mnuk-Herrmann said Laird could be released to Joy Junction, an Albuquerque homeless shelter she said accepts people on electronic monitoring.
But Ellington rejected those proposals. He said releasing Laird in Albuquerque “would be doing nothing more than exporting the problem to another community.”
Ellington said Friday he was “kind of befuddled” by Laird, whose criminal history dates back to the 1980s and includes a conviction and two-year-prison stint for stealing a piece of art from a Santa Fe home that was believed to be a sketch by Vincent Van Gogh.
“I don’t know all of the nature of Mr. Laird’s issues,” the judge said, noting the suspect had been found competent by the court to stand trial. “But there is something with Mr. Laird … and I’m not sure if it’s contributing to his homelessness, but it’s definitely contributing to his inability to comply with court orders.”
Ellington asked Laird if he was a veteran, musing aloud that such a status might qualify Laird for assistance of some sort, but Laird said he was not.
Laird offered that he’d “had a difficult childhood,” but that information wasn’t enough to sway the judge, who said at the conclusion of the hearing: “The court’s previous order will stay in effect.”