By By Kerry Whipple Bean
publisher
More than two weeks after a hearing on a bond reduction request, Circuit Judge Bradley Byrne lowered the bond for former W.S. Neal High School teacher Larry Tindell by $100,000.
As of press time, Tindell remained in jail on $325,000 bond. Byrne’s order reduced his bond on drug charges to $25,000, but a $300,000 bond on possession of child pornography remains.
Tindell was charged Feb. 10 in a grand jury indictment with one count of illegal possession of a controlled substance and illegal distribution of a controlled substance.
A search of his home led to the child pornography charges. In a March 2 bond reduction hearing, investigators testified they found three photos — showing young males engaged in sex acts — along with other pornography in a locked box in Tindell’s bedroom.
Investigators also testified that Tindell admitted giving a Lortab to a 19-year-old man. They also testified that he admitted giving another young man $20 to perform a sex act on himself.
Byrne’s ruling said the judge considered testimony in the bond reduction hearing along with guidelines in the Alabama Rules of Criminal Procedure.
If released on bond, Tindell would be forced to turn over his passport; report weekly to Community Corrections and be subject to random drug tests; and have no contact with minors, although Tindell could live with his minor son.