SAN ANGELO, TX -- Accused capital murderer Nicholas Abel Rodriguez was not in the courtroom Monday at 3 p.m. when he was scheduled to appear before District Judge Jay Weatherby.
It turns out Rodriguez was in the courthouse, just not the courtroom. Sources inside the courthouse on Tuesday said Rodriguez’s appearances in court cause such a disruption that they no longer place him in a courtroom while other defendants are present.
The source said Rodriguez was in the courthouse with his attorney and appeared before the judge, so he didn’t fail to appear. He just wasn’t in the courtroom at from 3:00 p.m. to about 3:45 p.m. I know. I was there.
To clarify what happened in Judge Weatherby’s courtroom Monday afternoon, there were four other defendants and their attorneys for plea hearings set for 3 p.m. in courtroom D on the first floor of the Tom Green County Courthouse, Judge Weatherby’s courtroom.
Three plea hearings were held and disposed of. A reporter from another local news outlet was in the courtroom sitting near me. After the three plea hearings, the judge had a short conversation with his bailiff, who then went outside the courtroom. He returned shortly and had another short conversation with the judge. I interpreted that to mean the judge had the bailiff look for Rodriguez and his attorney. They were not there.
Judge Weatherby then did something he’s never done before. He pointed at me and said, “Mr. Green, why are you here?” I said I was there to cover the capital murder pretrial. Judge Weatherby told me that it wasn’t happening today and he didn’t want me wasting anymore of my time.
I've known the judge for decades and I appreciate his actions taking the time to ask why I was there and then informing me that hearing wasn't going to take place.
So, I left the courtroom and the courthouse under the impression that Rodriguez’s pretrial hearing had not taken place and would be rescheduled. That is the story I wrote Monday.
As it turns out, according to the source, Rodriguez appeared before the judge for his hearing after all the other inmates were removed from the courtroom and after I left.
Rodriguez did not skip out on his bond and that is not what I reported Monday. Rodriguez did not appear in the courtroom between 3:00 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. when I left the courtroom after the judge told me the hearing was not going to happen.
Comments
Accused Capital Murderer Out on Bond Skips Monday Court Hearing. I'll always assume that if the accused is "out on bond" and he/she "skips" a court hearing, they've skipped bond. Can you clarify....is he indeed out on bond? If so, what was the amount?
Did you find it odd that the Judge "didn't want you to waste your time"? Kind of sounds like he wanted you to not be present for this thugs' hearing. Hmmmm.........
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PermalinkCajun...
I, too, remain curious about the bond questions because of my own experience with that process.
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PermalinkIs "Why is this guy NOT in jail ?"
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PermalinkBond is $250,000 and been out since sometime in 2016. It is public record, easily accessible by any one. That information should have been included for context in the story.
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PermalinkHard to believe he came up with the 25K, or some family member did.
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PermalinkMr. Chinn... thank you.
So it cost somebody 25K to get him out on bond. I hope they consider the expenditure worthwhile, since 25K is not chump change to anybody I know.
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PermalinkYou and I will never agree on many things religious (the notion of a 6,000 year old Earth is beyond ludicrous even to most Christians), but I must admit that the rescue of those kids and their coach from that flooded cave can make one reassess thoughts of a merciful God. I never would have thought they all would be brought out unharmed. Let us all be thankful at that outcome and grateful to those who made it happen.
Peace.
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PermalinkLike I've said, I don't watch T.V., so I didn't even know they were successfully rescued yet, that's awesome! Been busy with family as of late. With all the bad news, it's good to hear about some good thing's happening as well.
Night all.
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