For anyone who follows this accounts and still values the truth more than clicks, here are the facts. By the time the defendant appeared before Superior Court (not magistrate) Judge George Bell, he had already served 18 months in jail, almost 3x the max sentence. Defendant filed for a speedy trial, the prosecutor failed to set it for trial. This low level felony is classified as "non-violent" not subject to the presumption of no bond. Defendant is subject to electronic monitoring as condition of bond that will alert if he is near a school. The "liberal" judges in Mecklenburg could have given this defendant an unsecured bond, so Judge Bell's bond was still high compared to most other judges in the county.