43
Judge revokes Moreland’s bond, jails him
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
YOUNGSTOWN
Judge Maureen A. Sweeney has revoked the bond of Joseph Moreland, who faces multiple criminal charges before her, and ordered him held in county jail until further notice, after a bail bondsman said he feared Moreland would flee to Mexico.
The Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judge acted Thursday after Moreland, for whom the judge had issued a bench warrant, was arrested last Saturday in Youngstown by the Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force.
Moreland’s arrest was noted in a letter to Judge Sweeney, dated Tuesday, from All American Big Bob’s Bail Bonding Inc. of Girard.
In the letter, Robert Cregar, company president, said the company had been searching for Moreland since it posted a $5,000 bond for him and that Moreland never came to the company’s offices to complete his paperwork.
“We feel he had no intentions of appearing in your court, therefore we are asking to be relieved of all liability,” Cregar wrote.
“We also feel he is a flight risk due to the fact that almost all numbers for him were Spanish-speaking numbers, and we feel he would flee to Mexico,” Cregar added.
In her bond-revocation order, the judge relieved All American of any liability in this case.
Judge Sweeney had issued a bench warrant for Moreland’s arrest after he failed to appear for arraignment July 7 in her court on cocaine- and heroin- possession charges filed this year. Shortly after Moreland’s apprehension, Judge Sweeney arraigned Moreland on those charges Tuesday.
Moreland’s lawyer, Lou DeFabio, said he believes Judge Sweeney made the right decision in revoking the bond because of Moreland’s failure to appear in court.
However, he disputed the bondsman’s assertion that Moreland would flee south of the border. “That’s about the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard of — that he’s going to flee to Mexico. ... He’d never flee to Mexico,” DeFabio said.
DeFabio said all his conversations with Moreland are in English, and every phone contact number he’s had for Moreland has been answered by someone whose principal language is English.
DeFabio said he had advised Moreland to turn himself in to authorities. He added, “Joe did intend to turn himself in.”
Moreland, 28, of Idlewood Avenue, also has charges pending before Judge Sweeney from cases filed last year, including drug possession, marijuana and heroin trafficking, illegal- gun possession, felonious assault, obstructing official business and receiving stolen property.
A hearing on all of these matters is set for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 12.
Moreland made news Sept. 10, 2009, when police arrested him in a raid at a Leighton Avenue residence in Boardman on charges of felonious assault and obstructing justice, which stemmed from an earlier scuffle with Youngstown police.
In that raid, township police and the U.S. Marshal Special Task Force said they confiscated marijuana, heroin, OxyContin, a loaded assault rifle and pistol and about $10,000 in cash.