Revolving door justice isn’t just a phenomenon in big blue states like New York, Illinois, or California. Law enforcement and the administration of justice in urban areas — even those in solidly red states — generally fall under the purview of Democrats and so-called progressives, many of whom are devoted advocates of “bail reform” and “criminal justice reform.”
In practice, those terms mean lighter sentences and keeping those charged with crimes — many of them violent offenses involving firearms — out of jail pending trial.
Everyone is, of course, innocent until proven guilty. That said, the benefit of the doubt begins to tip against some of those accused when they’re repeatedly arrested and charged with serial violent firearm-related crimes.
Take, for instance, Davyon Roberts of Little Rock, Arkansas. In February he was arrested and charged in connection with the shooting of a 17-year-old. He was released on bail. Roberts, however, couldn’t manage stay out of trouble (or away from gunplay).
According to arkansasonline.com . . .
In July, Roberts and Alvictor Denton, 36, were arrested after an altercation at Lark Place where two men fired shots at one another, according to witnesses. Vehicles and a residence were hit, but no one was injured in the shooting, according to reports.
Roberts and Denton were charged with five counts of committing a terroristic act in the incident, and Roberts was released on a $25,000 bond.
That’s two firearms-related charges and two times he was released on bond. You might think a third serious infraction would be enough to hold Roberts until trial. Bless your heart. That’s just an example of wildly optimistic thinking on your part.
Davyon Roberts, 18, was arrested on Dec. 20 after police in Bryant found him in possession of a conversion device, also known as a Glock switch, which is used to convert a semi-automatic handgun into an automatic weapon, according to reports.
The vehicle Roberts was in when Bryant police pulled it over, a blue Ford Crown Victoria, matched a description of a vehicle connected to a double homicide investigation in Little Rock.
When police searched Roberts, the Glock switch fell out of his pants and police found a .40-caliber Glock Model 23 pistol under the driver’s seat, reports said.
The handgun that police found had a missing rear plate, indicating that someone had, or was intending to modify the gun to make it automatic, according to a special agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Roberts is charged with possession of a machine gun.
If you’re keeping score at home, that’s three firearms-related felony charges in eleven months for Mr. Roberts (not to mention whatever charges may result from the investigation into the double murder the evening before his car was stopped on the 20th).
Clearly Davyon Roberts doesn’t have much time for laws governing the legal carriage and use of firearms. There’s also a total disregard for other statutes covering infractions like assault with a deadly weapon, reckless endangerment, and attempted murder. And then there’s his obvious contempt for the provisions of both the National Firearms Act and the Firearms Owner Protection Act.
When these latest charges involving the GLOCK and the full-auto switch came before U.S. Magistrate Judge Edie Ervin, the prosecutor argued — reasonably enough — that Roberts should be held for trial as he represents an obvious danger to the community.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Eldridge argued for Roberts’ detention saying a long string of cases for which Roberts is either currently facing charges or was named in police reports points to a violent pattern of behavior.
“Your honor, there’s no sub-conditions that will reasonably assure the safety of the community from this defendant,” Eldridge said.
Judge Ervin, however, is apparently one of those half-full people. She was able to look at Davyon Roberts and see beyond the repeated violations, the multiple violent felony charges, and the circumstantial involvement with a double murder.
While the vehicle Roberts was driving matched a description of one connected to the homicide investigation in Little Rock, U.S. Magistrate Judge Edie Ervin said there was no evidence connecting him to the Little Rock shooting on Dec. 19. …
Ervin agreed to release Roberts from detention under certain conditions, requiring electronic monitoring, drug testing and for him to continue to attend high school. …
“I’m giving you one chance, and if there is any mess up at all I will not hesitate to revoke your bond,” Ervin told Roberts.
While Judge Ervin impressively graduated first in her law class at the University of Arkansas, math doesn’t seem to be one of her core competencies. Davyon Roberts had already been given two prior chances prior to coming before her in connection with this latest incident.
The indulgence you just handed him makes a total of three chances, Your Honor.
The next time you see someone wringing their hands about the uptick in violence over the last two years and decrying the number of guns Americans have purchased in response to defunded police departments, permissive prosecutors, and, uh, bail reform, keep the case of Davyon Roberts in mind. He is exactly the reason so many individuals have decided to take responsibility for their own protection and that of their loved ones.
As for Judge Ervin, here’s hoping Roberts’ next violation doesn’t result in dead bodies. That might be difficult to live with given all of the flaming red flags she willfully disregarded in letting him go this time. Again.
