Bond Lowered For Accused Child Shooter
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The bond has been lowered for the man accused of shooting an eight-year-old boy in the face. However, if Brian Cloninger is able to bond out a jail, a judge has ordered several conditions on his release.
Prosecutors say they're concerned Cloninger may be a flight risk and they want to make sure the victim, eight-year-old D.J. Maiden, is safe. Maiden was shot while playing with other children outside his apartment and spent more than a month in the hospital recovering from his injuries.
At a previous bond hearing, Maiden's family said that he will require numerous surgeries to his face and jaw. His grandmother, Sharon Locklin, said, "He keeps asking us, 'Is that man getting out? Is he coming here?' Because he stays kind of close to us, and he's afraid, and he says, 'Granny, I want to move. I don't want to stay here.'"
Cloninger's bond has now been reduced to $500,000 in cash or a $2.5 million surety bond. This is the latest in a series of changes to Cloninger's bond. His bond was initially set at $2.2 million and then reduced to $1 million after Cloninger's attorneys successfully argued to have it lowered. Prosecutors then filed a motion to reconsider and clarify bond conditions, saying Cloninger's wife was not candid about the family's finances in the first bond hearing.
If Cloninger's family is able to raise the money to get him out of jail, the judge has ordered that Cloninger must wear an electronic leg monitor and a sober link monitor, which measures alcohol content. He must also surrender his passport and have no contact with any child under the age of 17.
No trial date has been set for this case. Prosecutors say when the case goes to trial, Maiden will testify.
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