Editorial: Bail was too low for murder suspect

Monday, May 13, 2002 | 8:45 a.m.

Aman is brought into Clark County Justice Court and charged with 13 felonies, including murder and attempted murder. Among the evidence is a videotape that prosecutors say shows the suspect -- Calvin Schaefer -- firing a gun in a crowded Laughlin casino multiple times.

Three people died during this internationally publicized melee on April 27, two of them from gunshot wounds. We were stunned that during Schaefer's May 1 court appearance bail was set by Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Deborah Lippis at just $250,000. Last week Schaefer was able to make bail after two men, one with known ties to the motorcycle gang, posted $25,000, which was the requisite 10 percent of the bail. Schaefer is now out of jail.

Suspects are innocent until proven guilty. But given the seriousness of the charges, the videotape evidence and the lack of any known ties to the community other than the Hells Angels, Schaefer's bail should not have been so easy to meet. The seriousness of the charges, the evidence pointing to the suspect's potential to be a danger to society, and the degree of likelihood of the suspect fleeing custody are all legitimate reasons to set bail much higher.