Only serious cases tend to result in a judge locking up a criminal defendant with no bond. For example: murder, or you know, taunting a bison in the middle of the street.
But seriously, though, the man charged with taunting a friggin bison is being held without bond until his bench trial scheduled for August 23, according to Montana-based outlet Bozeman Daily Chronicle. U.S. District Judge Mark Carman determined that 55-year-old Raymond Reinke had too much of a criminal history dating back to 1981, and couldn’t be trusted to show up to court.
You may have already seen the video in which he squares off with a lil ol’ bison blocking traffic in Yellowstone. The defendant is no stranger to court in Oregon and Washington State. The judge said Reinke had a history of disrespecting bond conditions.
“I don’t want to have to bring him back from Oregon,” Carman said.
It is part of an alleged spate of misconduct by the defendant. In a span of several days, he was arrested for a drunk and disorderly conduct charge in Grand Teton National Park and was released on bond, ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt in Yellowstone National Park, and allegedly taunted the Bison just several hours later.
Reinke pleaded not guilty to alcohol, noise, intimidation, and wildlife-related charges in federal court. He described himself in court as an alcoholic, and said he and friend did the national parks trip as a “last blowout” before he sought treatment. The defendant admitted to violating his bond conditions by drinking. Defense lawyer Steve Potenberg said his client’s priors were comprised of petty offenses, and the man should therefore be released. He also voiced concern on how the publicity might affect the proceedings.
[Screengrab via ViralHog]
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