CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A Clay County woman remains behind bars after it appears that an extra zero was accidentally added to her bond amount, temporarily hiking the cost to get her out of jail.
On Monday, Action News Jax received a call from a viewer who asked to remain anonymous. They claimed that an inmate had been unable to get out on bond due to a potential clerical error made by either someone in the jail or with the sheriff’s office.
Danielle McKinley was arrested by Clay County Sheriff’s office on August 1st on drug and theft charges.
On August 2, a judge set McKinley’s bond at just over $1500 for theft, and just over $3500 for the drugs, bringing the total to a little over $5,000.
Usually, you pay 10 percent to get out on bond. In this case, it should have been about $500.
However, a viewer noted that the jail log listed McKinley’s bond for theft at $15,000, bringing the total bond amount to over $18,000 – ten percent of which is $1800.
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Chris Carson is a defense attorney. We asked him how this sort of issue could impact someone who is behind bars.
“If the bond is not accurately reflected within the system, it potentially could restrict someone’s ability to actually post it. meaning they have to sit in jail until the issue is rectified,” said Carson.
The viewer said this is exactly the situation McKinley’s loved ones found themselves in.
After reaching out to CCSO about the discrepancy, we were given this response Monday:
“[We] reviewed the information and Ms. McKinley’s bond has been corrected in the system to reflect the amount according to the judge’s order.”
CCSO said it is now looking into the circumstances that may have led to the error, and would get back to us with more information when possible.
As of Tuesday evening, McKinley remains in the Clay County Jail.
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