News

Baltimore Police Officers Post Bail

by Melanie Schmitz

On Friday evening, all six of the Baltimore Police Officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray posted bail and were released from holding. According to public court records, Caesar Goodson, Alicia White, William Porter and Brian Rice paid their $350,000 bail. The other two officers, Edward Nero and Garrett Miller, also paid their bail, which CNN reported had been set at $250,000.

The six officers had been charged on Friday morning of various alleged crimes, including involuntary manslaughter and second-degree assualt, which hold a possible sentence of 10 years a piece, as well as one count of second-degree depraved heart murder in Goodson's case, which carries a possible sentence of 30 years. The officers also have been charged with various lesser counts, including misconduct and false imprisonment for allegedly arresting Gray without justification.

Friday evening, an attorney for Gray's family told reporters in a statement that a major police overhaul was needed to prevent future incidents, not only in Baltimore, but across the nation.

"If Freddie Gray is not to die in vain," said attorney William Murphy, "we must seize this opportunity to reform police departments throughout this country." Murphy indicated that while the family was upset, they hadn't passed judgment just yet. "We haven't said we believe these officers are guilty," said Murphy. " ... We said that we want justice."

Meanwhile, The Hill reported Friday that an attorney for one of the officers was concerned about what he perceived as a sudden "rush to judgment" on the part of the state. Said attorney Michael Davey in a statement:

In my 20-year career as a law enforcement officer and 16 years as an attorney, I have never seen such a rush to file criminal charges which I believe are driven by forces separate and apart from the application of law and the facts of this case as we've heard them.
Let me state in no uncertain terms that Lt. Rice and all of the officers involved at all times acted reasonably and in accordance with their training as Baltimore police officers. No officer injured Mr. Gray, caused harm to Mr. Gray, and [they] are truly saddened by his death.

Davey claimed that none of the officers had done anything wrong, despite media reports to the contrary. On Friday evening, CBS News also reported that a GoFundMe page set up for the six officers by the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police had been shut down, with the company explaining that "funds cannot be used for people accused of serious crimes."

Requests for comment to both the Gray family attorney and officer attorney Michael Davey have not yet been returned.