A series of laws in New York have set free a convicted bank robber who has, again, been accused of robbing a bank two days after Christmas.
Christopher Seamans, 41, was freed back into the general public just days after he allegedly robbed a bank for the fourth time in Colonie, New York. On December 27, Seamans allegedly entered Pioneer Bank and demanded money from a bank teller.
On December 28, Seamans was arrested by the Colonie Police Department. Then, on New Year’s Eve, Seamans was released from jail without bail thanks to New York’s newest bail reform laws, which set free individuals accused of:
- Second-degree manslaughter
- Aggravated vehicular assault
- Third-degree assault
- Promoting an obscene sexual performance by a child
- Possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child
- Promoting a sexual performance by a child
- Failure to register as a sex offender
- Making terroristic threats
- Criminally negligent homicide
- Aggravated vehicular homicide
Seamans has been convicted of robbing banks in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. In 2005, for example, Seamans was sentenced to four years in prison for bank robberies he committed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
In 2011, Seamans was sentenced to about five years in prison for a bank robbery he committed in 2010 in New York. In December 2017, Seamans was released from prison.
The state’s bail reform laws ensure that suspects accused of crimes deemed “non-violent” are not jailed before their trial dates and do not have to post bail. Instead, these suspects are released directly back into the public and are expected to show up for their court dates. About 125,000 accused criminals are expected to be released from prison every year in the state.
Likewise, accused criminals will actually be allowed to investigate their own crime scenes and be given a list of named witnesses testifying against them within 15 days of their arrangement. The law means that if a suspect is charged with home burglary, that suspect will be allowed to return to the victim’s home and inspect their property as part of their defense.
In Seamans’ case, he and his defense attorney may be allowed to return to the scene of the bank robbery to collect their own evidence.
Weeks ago, illegal alien Jorge Flores-Villalba was immediately released from prison after he allegedly admitted to hitting and killing mother of three Marie “Rosie” Osai on Christmas Eve, Breitbart News reported. Another case in November found illegal alien Heriberto R. Perez-Velasquez getting immediately released from prison after allegedly killing 59-year-old Mark Knapp, a father of three, in upstate New York.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.