Man who taunts police with signature bond gets…signature bond, again
By Brandi Makuski
Jeffery M. Christian has been arrested twice in as many weeks for violating his bond conditions by consuming alcohol.
And both times he was released on a signature bond.
Christian appeared before Judge Thomas Eagon on June 23 for his latest bond hearing. Christian was arrested at about 6 p.m. on June 22 when he appeared at the Portage Co. Jail, 1500 Strongs Ave., intoxicated and rambling.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Zell said Christian told officers “he was extremely intoxicated and wanted to go to jail,” because he had violated his bond c conditions.
Officers administered a preliminary breathalyzer test on Christian, which returned a result of .24, and the officers then took him under arrest.
At Zell’s recommendation, Eagon issued a $1,000 signature bond. Christian was released on June 24.
Christian was previously arrested on June 7 from the west end of Mead Park when, at about 5:35 p.m, a family reported finding him “passed out drunk in a park bathroom covered in feces.”
Portage Co. District Attorney Louis Molepske, Jr., who oversaw that bond hearing, said Christian was found “lying in the doorway, passed out with his pants around his ankles.”
Officers observed a strong odor of alcohol coming from Christian. His preliminary breath test returned a result of .296, almost four times the amount of legal intoxication.
“The defendant did make a statement, he told police it didn’t matter that he was getting arrested, as he would just be getting out on a signature bond on Monday,” Molepske said during Christian’s bond hearing on June 7.
Christian is on bond in several other misdemeanor cases with conditions that he does not possess or consume alcohol and was arrested for violating a judge’s order. He was taken to a nearby hospital for a medical exam before being transported to the Portage Co. Jail.
Molepske said Christian had a record of “high violation reports” in previous cases, meaning he wasn’t cooperating with the county’s day report program.
“Clearly from his statements, he has no concern about the court’s bond,” Molepske said. “So the state would recommend a $100 cash bond.”
Maxwell Berger from the public defender’s office said Christian was not a flight risk and had not missed any recent court appearances.
Judge Robert Shannon ordered a $250 signature bond for Christian in that case. Christian is scheduled to return to court on July 13.
