(Chuck Muth) – Criminal justice reform warriors continue their crusade to give get-out-of-jail-free cards to accused criminals who pose a danger to the community in Nevada.  If successful, the inevitable results will be deadly.

Consider this example from our next-door neighbor to the west, as reported by Mitch McKinley of Law Enforcement Today…

“Jamal Thomas is a two-time ex-con. He had recently created a habit of harassment and acts of violence towards a male neighbor and his family.  Now, that man, Miles Armstead, is dead, and Thomas has been arrested for shooting him to death, according to police.

“Thomas had previously been arrested on suspicion of terrorizing Armstead.  On March 28th, he allegedly threw a rock through a window, nearly hitting Armstead’s wife in the head.  She suffered cuts on her hand and had to be treated for those injuries at a local emergency room.

“She told police that she feared that Thomas wanted to hurt her unborn child. He was also charged in February for communicating a criminal threat after allegedly saying that he was going to burn down Armstead’s home.

“Armstead told police that he believed Thomas’ threat to be credible due to the constant nuisance that Thomas was, having busted out Armstead’s windows on other occasions.

“Then, on April 6th, Thomas threw a brick through another window, narrowly missing Armstead. These details were explained in the charging documents written by Oakland PD Sgt. Phong Tran.

“According to those same documents, Tran wrote that Armstead was doing yard work in front of his former home when he was shot multiple times in the early afternoon of May 1st.

“Here is the kicker. Thomas was arrested for the two earlier incidents, but a judge released him on $0 bail. Once again, judges are putting people on the streets who do not belong there, putting the greater communities at increased risk of violence. …

“Yes, gun violence is a terrible thing. Perhaps if we would learn to keep bad guys in jail, there would be less of it.”

And don’t think this sort of thing isn’t already going on right here in Nevada.  Consider this case as reported by Darcy Spears of KTNV 13 in Las Vegas…

“Leeland Rayburn (is) a career criminal who could be called the poster child for the revolving door of justice.  Police records show Rayburn has dozens of prior arrests and a number of convictions.  The charges include robbery, open and gross lewdness and battery with substantial bodily harm — just to name a few.

“He’s been released on his own recognizance multiple times and failed to appear multiple times too.  Rayburn’s latest arrest in February was for attempted kidnapping of a 10-year-old girl at Planet Hollywood.  He had an outstanding warrant out of state and another pending misdemeanor at the time.

“But less than 24 hours after arrest, he was out. Released once again by Judge (Joe) Bonaventure. …

“Two days after Rayburn’s release in February, he was arrested for battery and property destruction, and let out again. In the next two weeks, he’d be cited and arrested yet again, this time for trespassing.  Every time, he’s been released.”

This is insanity.

How many innocents are going be needlessly killed, raped, assaulted or robbed if the Nevada Legislature follows the examples of other states like California and New York in issuing even MORE get-out-of-jail-free cards to the criminal class?

Catch & Release Chronicle

* A man charged with murdering a 25-year-old woman has been released from a Michigan prison over concerns of the Chinese coronavirus spreading in detention facilities.  Orlando Whitfield, a 31-year-old high-profile murder suspect, was released from the Washtenaw County Jail as part of a statewide initiative to empty prisons to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.  Click here

* More than 100 inmates cut loose from incarceration on Rikers Island over coronavirus concerns in late March have had run-ins with the law since being released, The Post has learned.  The roughly 110 inmates have accounted for 190 arrests since the pandemic took hold of the Big Apple, according to police.  Click here

Mr. Muth is president Citizen Outreach a non-profit grassroots advocacy organization.  You can get free updates and breaking news on this issue by going to: https://stopcatchandrelease.com