Amid the initial bouts of COVID-19 panic that sent shockwaves through federal, state, and local governments, many localities began releasing “low level” prisoners from prisons and jails, supposedly to slow the spread of the virus. One such man who was released was a habitual offender named Joseph Williams.
He was let out of jail early on March 19th under the guidelines of an “administrative order“. Many law-abiding citizens around the nation, reeling from friends and family who may have gotten sick, job loss, and other tragedies, showed concern for releasing so many people so fast under the pretense of stopping the Coronavirus while many governments simultaneously threatened arrests for people breaking “quarantine rules”.
Nevertheless, the releases took place. Unfortunately in the case of one Joseph Williams, the man in the cover image with the tattoos on his face, it didn’t work out so well. Williams allegedly shot and killed someone in Tampa, Florida just a mere seven days after Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister’s prison system turned him loose, according to ABC, although Fox 13 reports that it was actually the next day in a confusing conflict of stories.
Chronister commented that Williams was released because he actually was eligible for bond, but did not have the money. Many far-left Democrat Congressmen have pushed for abandoning cash bail altogether, as well as the former presidential candidate and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Chronister said Williams was indeed released, but there was no review on his background of criminal activity before doing so, to see if he actually did pose any potential threat or not. Fox 13 reports a day ago, however, that the Sheriff now admits this to be a major mistake. A mistake that indeed caused an innocent life to be lost.
On Thursday, Sheriff Chad Chronister said Joseph Williams was released because, at the time, he was eligible for bond, but didn’t have the money to post it. However, he has a lengthy arrest history, with a total of 35 charges.
ABC reported that Williams was arrested April 13th for second-degree murder charges, resisting an officer with violence, felon in a possession of a firearm, possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia. It remains unclear if Williams was maintaining social distancing during this time while he was allegedly committing all the other crimes. Fox 13 reported of Sheriff Chronister after the arrest:
“There is no question Joseph Williams took advantage of this health emergency to commit crimes while he was out of jail awaiting resolution of a low-level, non-violent offense,” Sheriff Chad Chronister offered while announcing the arrest. “Every murder, every violent crime, especially those involving a gun, is a sickening example of the worst in our community, especially at a time when our community is working relentlessly to fight against the spread of this deadly COVID-19.”
Now Chronister admits they have to reform their Coronavirus induced early release program by adding:
The original criteria for release was for anyone charged with a misdemeanor or a low-level offense. Williams was sitting in county jail on a drug charge.
“We didn’t go back at the time and look at people’s criminal history,” Chronister said Thursday. “That has since changed. People that we are releasing moving forward, we are checking their criminal history prior to being released.”
Chronister apparently took heat recently for arresting a local pastor for “violating” a “safer at home” order. He also backtracked on an imposed curfew after just three days when the public pushed back. It’s also unclear if either of these decisions saved any lives or kept anyone safe.
Chronister appears to be a Democrat, as he heavily courted the Democrat vote in his bid for Sheriff. It begs the question of, are left-wing politics are wreaking havoc on the already disastrous COVID-19 pandemic to use it to implement left-wing policies that actually don’t help any law-abiding citizens stay any safer?
