-
Mary Bond
After the alleged con woman’s own father told the court Aug. 25 he “can’t answer” whether he would like her to be released on bond while awaiting trial for seven charges, a local criminal judge concluded a hearing that spanned 11 days by sending the defendant back to jail.
Mary Genevive Bond, 37, appeared before Jefferson County Criminal District Court Judge John Stevens on Thursday, Aug. 25, alongside her fourth attorney on the matter, in an effort to bond out of jail ahead of her Oct. 10 trial for prior-indicted charges. Among the charges she now faces, two added since her most recent arrest, are unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, securing the execution of a document by deception, credit/debit card abuse, stealing/receiving a stolen check, two counts of theft and fraudulent use of identifying information.
Bond’s current attorney, Ryan Matuska, called his client’s father to the stand, where Dennis Bond revealed he “wasn’t up to speed on the charges” facing Mary. When asked whether he would like her to have a bond – and, therefore, be released from jail – Dennis offered, “I can’t answer that.”
Matuska then called the defendant’s daughter to testify, however, changed his mind before she could reach the stand. The attorney ended his arguments just moments before Judge Stevens read aloud Bond’s most recent criminal charge, a story detailed in the Aug. 25 edition of The Examiner.
An Aug. 24 probable cause affidavit attributed to Bond says she stole $3,834.19 from Texas District 22 candidate Christian “Manuel” Hayes.
“My banker literally said, ‘The dummy put her name on it,’” Hayes explained of confronting his banking institution regarding a series of suspicious charges noted as campaign workers began filling out required campaign finance reporting for the month of May. “She stole money up until Election Day… and now the bank account has been closed.”
From the bank reports detailing Hayes’ campaign finances for April – two months after he first filed theft charges against his former campaign worker – a trail can be traced from Hayes’ $3,834 to bills attributed directly to Bond. Those include her child’s Catholic school tuition payment, a loan payment to Neches FCU, and a loan payment to Westlake Financial.
During the Aug. 25 bond hearing, which resumed at about 1 p.m. after myriad delays since Aug. 15, Judge Stevens recounted Bond’s various misdeeds.
“How many times did she commit crimes while out on bond?” Stevens asked rhetorically before counting four. “How many mistakes can you make on bond?”
Ultimately, the defense’s arguments didn’t sway Judge Stevens to allow Bond a bond – forcing her to return to the Jefferson County Jail until her Oct. 10 trial date. Due to two prior convictions for possession of cocaine and methamphetamine, Bond is not eligible for probation and could face up to a decade behind bars.