By By Lisa Tindell – news editor
Mike Haveard is closer to being released from jail after Circuit Judge Bert Rice on Friday reduced Haveard's bond from $8 million to $700,000.
The decision came after two days of testimony and an additional day of consideration by the judge.
The decision was a blow to prosecutors, who had argued that Haveard was a flight risk.
Haveard has been held at the Escambia County Dentention Center since his arrest March 3 on indictments charging him with four counts of possession of a controlled substance, four counts of distribution of a controlled substance and four counts of first-degree criminal solicitation to commit theft.
The bond was reduced to $100,000 each on combined charges of possession and distribution of a controlled substance and $75,000 each on the four theft charges.
The previous $8 million bond was an all-cash bond recommended by the grand jury at the time indictments were handed down. With Rice's reduction in bond amount, the bond was also transferred to a property bond.
A property bond allows a defendant to use property as collateral in return for release, White said.
Billy said the judge's decision to reduce the bond did carry some conditions that must be met by the defendant before he can be released from the Escambia County Detention Center.
Haveard will be required to report in person to the Escambia County Community Corrections office weekly and be subject to random drug screens requested by the court or Community Corrections, the bond order stated. Haveard will also be subject to a 9 p.m. curfew unless he is seeking emergency medical treatment.
White told the judge Thursday during his closing statements that his client would be willing to submit to an electronic device to assure he would not leave the area. That condition was spelled out in the order handed down Friday by Rice.
Haveard will be required to wear a GPS monitoring system through the Community Corrections at his own expense. He is prohibited from having any contact with any of the witnesses for the state in any of the defendant's current cases, Rice's order stated.
The order also stated any failure to make timely payments of monitoring system fees or normal supervision fees will be sufficient grounds to revoke the bond.
Full compliance with all requirements of the new bond will have to be met by Haveard before he can be released from the Escambia County Dentention Center. Haveard's release could come as early as Monday or Tuesday, officials said.