Judge Agrees to Release Robbery Suspect on Bond If He Promises to Read Books and Write Reports
A U.S. District Judge in California has allowed a suspected armed robber to remain out of jail while he awaits trial on condition that he spend at least an hour and a half each day reading and writing book reports.
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers upheld an earlier ruling by a U.S. Magistrate Judge to release 23-year-old Otis Mobley Jr. to his grandmother on a $150,000 bond. Mobley is accused of taking part in a three-man attempted robbery of an undercover federal agent that occurred under the guise of an illegal arms deal.
The judge said Mobley could be released, but only if he agreed to spend an hour every day reading from a pre-approved list of books, as well as another half hour writing a book report.
Prosecutors opposed the decision, claiming Mobley, a "poly-substance abuser" with a criminal record, was a flight risk.
Mobley will be required to wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor at all times.
