Judge doubles O.J. Simpson's bail
LAS VEGAS -- A Nevada judge ordered O.J. Simpson be released on a bail twice as large as the revoked bond that the former sports star originally posted to stay out of jail while awaiting trial in his armed robbery case.
An angry District Judge Jackie Glass set bail at $250,000.
The original $125,000 bail was canceled and Simpson was returned to jail here from his home in Florida last week after the Clark County district attorney's office alleged that Simpson had violated the conditions of his bail.
Specifically, Clark County Dist. Atty. David Roger alleged that Simpson by telephone told his bail bondsman, Miguel Pereira, to tell codefendant Clarence "C.J." Stewart how upset Simpson was about his testimony during their preliminary hearing.
Simpson was barred from contacting in any way a codefendant in the case.
Glass said she couldn't understand why Simpson had made the telephone call, but warned him that she would tolerate no further violations.
"If you violate those rules and anything happens like this in the future, you'll be back and locked up in the Clark County Detention Center," Glass warned Simpson.
"I don't know Mr. Simpson what the heck you were thinking, maybe that was the problem," she said of the telephone call.
"I don't know if it was arrogance or ignorance or both," the judge said.
Simpson was expected to post the new bail, though it was unknown when. He was returned to jail.
Earlier, a shackled Simpson wearing blue jail togs was brought into the courtroom to appear before Glass.
In September, Simpson, 60, and several others were charged with entering a hotel room and taking sports memorabilia at gunpoint. Simpson has denied knowing that guns would be involved and has insisted he was just recovering items originally stolen from him by an agent.
Simpson and three others pleaded not guilty Nov. 28 to kidnapping, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, coercion and conspiracy charges in the incident. Three other former codefendants have pleaded to lesser charges and testified against Simpson at the preliminary hearing.
Justice of the Peace Joe M. Bonaventure, who set the original bail on Sept. 19, was insistent that Simpson not have any contact with anyone involved in the case.
The prosecutor alleges that Simpson detailed in a Nov. 16 telephone message what he wanted Pereira to tell Stewart: "I just want, want C.J. to know that ... I'm tired of this [expletive]. Fed up with [expletives] changing what they told me. All right?"
Pereira was the first witness in the proceeding, taking the stand just after 9 a.m.
ashley.powers@latimes.com
michael.muskal@latimes.com
Times staff writers Powers reported from Las Vegas and Muskal from Los Angeles.
