In New York City, another serial stabber has been released from jail, without bail. Dylan Maldonado is a member of the Bloods street gang with a long record of arrests and convictions. Maldonado allegedly stabs people at random. He was arrested for two separate stabbings last month alone. But each time, he was released, according to the New York Post:
An alleged serial stabber with dozens of busts under his belt was freed without bail — twice — because of a loophole in New York’s justice laws that leaves prosecutors with little time to secure indictments against dangerous criminals.
Dylan Maldonado, 26, a reputed member of the Bloods street gang, was busted in two separate assaults last month near his Midtown apartment and initially ordered held on bail in both cases, at the request of prosecutors.
But prosecutors in Bragg’s office weren’t able to put together their cases and present them to a grand jury to nail indictments against Maldonado in the 144 hours required under state statutes — allowing him to be released.
At least prosecutors tried to prevent Maldonado from being released. They often don’t even do that when dangerous criminals end up being released.
Criminal just “reform” has made it harder to avoid releasing criminals and harder to require bail prior to their release. Moreover, New York law does not allow suspects to be held without bail based on the fact that there is clear and convincing evidence that they are dangerous — bail is based only on whether a criminal is a flight risk.
Moreover, recent New York legislation only gives prosecutors 144 hours to flesh out their case and present it to a grand jury in order to have a suspect held on bail. After that, the suspect must be freed without bail under New York’s generous bail reform policies.
But this doesn’t absolve the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. It is damning that it couldn’t set forth the case against Maldonado in six days when it knew they had a serial stabber behind bars. Maldonado has been arrested dozens of times and is a known gang member.
This is one more illustration of why New York Mayor Eric Adams was right to describe the city’s prosecutors as the “laughingstock of the country.”
