On Sunday, George Zimmerman returned to jail after his bond was revoked and ordered that he return to custody. Zimmerman is the neighborhood watchman who killed Trayvon Martin in a shooting that Zimmerman has called self-defense. Zimmerman was free on $150,000 bond and was holed up in an unknown location. He arrived at the Sanford County Jail in a police van close to the 48-hour deadline that was given by Circuit Court Judge Kenneth Lester Jr.
Zimmerman was led into the jail by Seminole County Sheriff’s deputies and his attorney, Mark O’Mara. Zimmerman did not speak to the media upon exiting the van. O’Mara did say that Zimmerman is ‘frustrated’ to be back in jail and “he has a real concern for his safety any time he has to come out of hiding.”
Zimmerman’s bond, which was revoked on Friday by Judge Lester, was originally posted back in April. The bail was revoked because prosecutors told the court that Zimmerman hid one of two valid passports he has and his wife did not disclose to the court money raised for Zimmerman’s legal defense in the case. The sheriff’s office said that Zimmerman will be held in administrative confinement, away from the general population of the prison, “due to the high profile nature of the case.”
O’Mara is planning to seek out a new hearing for bond and is hoping that the surrender by his client “will help demonstrate to the court that he is not a flight risk. He (Zimmerman) understands the court’s concern now we’ve had a chance to look at it.” When asked if he would allow Zimmerman to testify in a bond hearing, O’Mara said he was undecided on the issue.
“It’s a question of credibility with Mr Zimmerman and that credibility has been attacked or tarnished and, now that has to be rehabilitated,” O’Mara said.
O’Mara also would not guess as to whether or not Zimmerman’s wife would be charged with perjury for not disclosing the money raised for the legal defense. “I believe she’ll have counsel,” he said. “He (Zimmerman) was very worried about Shelly, about a lot of issues,” he added.
“It is anticipated, though not certain, that the case will not be ready for trial until some time into 2013,” O’Mara said in a statement last week. In the weeks after his release, the whereabouts of Zimmerman were unknown and his lawyer did not talk about his location because of death threats and fear for Zimmerman’s safety.