A judge has denied a bond reduction for Roland Contreras, the man charged in the April 2023 shooting death of a woman at a taco stand. Contreras faces charges of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, requiring him to stay behind bars, as reported by KSAT. The bond amounts set at $200,000 for the murder charge and $100,000 for the aggravated assault charge have effectively kept him in jail since his arrest a month after the incident.
Despite efforts by Contreras' family to raise the necessary funds for his release, the bond remains out of reach. “I live on a fixed income, but I try to help out with $1,000, and its hard for me to get money because I have to pay bills,” Angie Contreras, the suspect’s mother, told KSAT. State prosecutors highlighted that even if the bond were posted, Contreras would not be released but instead transferred into federal custody due to probation violations on prior federal charges.
Senior visiting judge Lisa Jarrett heard arguments from both sides on Wednesday, ultimately choosing to deny the motion for a bond reduction. The defense's request pointed out that the state had failed to indict Contreras within the designated 90-day period, which resulted in changing the murder charge bond to a PR bond. Despite this, the combined factors including the existing federal probation violation meant Contreras would not be freed regardless of the bond status.
Prosecutor Jennifer McDaniels argued, "If he were to make bond, he is not going to be released to go get a job. He is to be released to the federal authorities to go complete that sentence," she said. "At which point he will then not be available for this case to be resolved." The judge's decision means Contreras will remain in custody while awaiting trial, the date of which is still pending. According to the severity of the charges, a conviction could potentially result in a life sentence for Contreras.
