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Sam Penrod ReportingThis man was arrested for burglary and dealing drugs, but a judge let him out of jail on his own recognizance; and to make matters worse, he has a long criminal history.
We found he's sat in the Utah County jail 28 times, including 10 arrests in just the last two years. Sam Penrod discovered Michael Pino was already back on the streets, and he told the police about it!
The police who arrested Pino Wednesday expected he would still be in the Utah County jail on what they consider to be a serious drug case. We thought he would be there too, because we've reported on Michael Pino's crimes in the past. We frequently see him in handcuffs and jail clothes when we cover stories at the courthouse.
Unidentified Neighbor: "Within a 24-hour period, a certain judge with Fourth District Court turns him loose on his own recognizance and let's him walk."
This man is one of many neighbors of Michael Pino who are not happy to hear he is out of jail. Wednesday morning a SWAT team served a warrant at Pino's apartment and arrested him. Officers found drugs and recovered a vast amount of stolen property.
Neighbors question why the judge would let him go without even requiring bail when police consider Pino so dangerous they brought the SWAT team to arrest him.
Unidentified Neighbor: "All of the other tenants are scared, they know what goes on, they are not blind to the fact he's selling drugs and running a burglary ring out of that apartment."
Eyewitness News searched court records and found Pino has 15 felony charges pending against him right now in the court system, including forgery, burglary and drug possession. How could this happen? We asked state court administrators for answers.
They say during bail hearings judges weigh if the suspect is a flight risk, a danger to society, and their ties to the community, such as a job. Judge Claudia Laycock told prosecutors the paperwork filed by police, outlining the illegal drugs, knives and stolen property found in his apartment, was not detailed enough to keep him behind bars. It's part of the legal system this man can't understand.
Unidentified Neighbor: "It's a joke. Instead of people who obey the law, people who break it are the ones with all the rights. We're the victims, not Mr. Pino."
Paperwork like this is filed by the police when they arrest someone, and from my experience this probable cause statement looks similar to other cases we've reported on before. We couldn't get an answer about exactly what the judge felt was missing.
Michael Pino is scheduled to have a court hearing later this month on the now 17 felonies against him.
