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East Valley burglary case shows need for changes to bond rules, Maricopa County attorney says

Rachel Mitchell
Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell at a press conference on Jan. 24, 2023.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell is calling for reforms in the county's bond system.

Mitchell cited a recent case involving multiple home burglaries in the East Valley.

The seven burglary suspects were identified as Colombian nationals, and Mitchell says they could have been released from custody without having to post bail under current rules.

Mitchell says that’s because the suspects were not accused of violent crimes.

“One of the things that I'm going to be doing is using this case as an example to the courts of a need to update the scoring mechanism for the initial appearance court so that bonds are appropriate and take into account this type of crime," Mitchell said.

Michell claimed the individuals were at risk of fleeing the country had her office not sought out a six-figure cash bond for each suspect.

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Greg Hahne started as a news intern at KJZZ in 2020 and returned as a field correspondent in 2021. He learned his love for radio by joining Arizona State University's Blaze Radio, where he worked on the production team.