Jena 6 Defendant Mychael Bell Released from Jail

On September 27, 2007, LaSalle Parish D.A. Reed Walters, held a press conference in the LaSalle Parish courthouse, stating the he would not appeal the decision to try Mychael Bell as an adult in the December 2006 assault on Justin Barker. After becoming the object of much scrutiny, and a very large rally on September 20, 2007, this prosecutor decided to bow out gracefully, even though Mychael Bell was already on probation in juvenile courts, and had repeatedly violated that probation, therefore showing his lack of respect for the judicial system.

Because of this decision, Mychael Bell's trial will now be held in juvenile court. Once this decision was made and entered into court records, Mychael Bell had his bond reduced from 90,000.00 to 45,000.00. The reduced bond was posted by an unnamed source, and Mychael Bell was released, with Al Sharpton at his side. Before his release he was ordered under house arrest by his probation officer.

Less than one week after being released Mychael Bell was arrested yet again, this time for a probation violation. Mychael Bell was arrested at the Super Walmart center in Jena, La for failing to obtain permission to leave his house by his probation officer. He was later released the same day for his violation.

Perhaps Reed Walters should have continued his appeal to keep this case in adult courts due to the constant probation violation by Mychael Bell. This young man has been given many chances to turn his life around, and he repeatedly continues to show the courts, his probation officer, the town of Jena, even the world that he, Mychael Bell, will do as he chooses.

With all that has happened revolving around this particular case, maybe Mychael thinks that no matter what he does now that he will have support by the NAACP, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Martin Luther King III. My opinion on this is that they have now become his "enablers" and he thinks that no matter what he does, he will not be sufficiently prosecuted for it.

I can only hope that these major influences he has can tell him otherwise. He has to learn the consequences of his actions, and if he is never made to pay those consequences, how is he ever going to stop committing the offenses?