|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 18, 2024 |
|
LANSING – Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed an emergency parole appeal in the 30th Circuit Court in Ingham County to reverse the parole granted to William Lamont Bonds, 56, currently incarcerated at the Carson City Correctional Facility. Bonds is scheduled to be released on parole on February 20, 2025.
In 1992, Bonds sexually assaulted two victims in separate instances. Bonds was found guilty by an Ingham County jury in 1993 of one count of First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct, one count of Receiving and Concealing Stolen Property over $100, and one count of Breaking and Entering an Occupied Building with Intent. These convictions stemmed from his rape of one victim at gunpoint. He was sentenced to 30 to 45 years’ incarceration. In 1994, in a separate case, Bonds pled guilty to one count of First-Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct after breaking into another victim’s home and raping her. He received an additional, concurrent sentence of 25 to 45 years’ incarceration for this conviction.
The Parole Board granted a 24-month term parole on November 14, 2024. Following the decision, one of his victims contacted the Department of Attorney General seeking assistance to prevent Bonds’ release. Upon review, the Department concluded, per the filed appeal, that the Parole Board’s decision to “grant Bonds parole is a clear abuse of the Board’s discretion.”
Bonds’ criminal history includes convictions of Larceny from a Motor Vehicle in 1986 and Breaking and Entering an Occupied Dwelling in 1988. A pre-sentence screening report from 1994 described Bonds as a “serious threat to women in the community” and recommended a lengthy period of incarceration “because Bonds just does not understand the seriousness of his criminal behavior.”
During his incarceration, Bonds accumulated nearly 100 misconduct tickets, including one for threatening a female nurse. He also received misconduct tickets involving other female prison staff and a female Administrative Law Judge.
In 2023, Bonds was paroled despite ongoing concerns outlined in evaluations. As a condition of his release, he was required to complete the Residential Sexual Abuse Prevention Program. However, within two weeks of his release, Bonds was unsuccessfully discharged from the program for noncompliance. The Parole Board revoked his parole shortly after sending him back into custody with the Michigan Department of Corrections.
“Mr. Bonds is not a suitable candidate for parole, and the Parole Board decision to grant him parole again is both puzzling and dangerous,” Nessel said. “Allowing his release, especially so soon after his failure to comply with prior parole conditions, is a blatant abuse of discretion given the overwhelming facts and circumstances. Records from his incarceration and his previous parole violation show that he continues to minimize the severity of his crimes. For the safety of our community, Bonds should remain in prison.”
The Attorney General argues that the Parole Board’s decision to grant Bonds parole, less than a year after he violated his previous parole conditions, warrants immediate reversal.
|
|
|
|