Judge Raises O.J.'s Bail to $250K

Jan 16, 04:18 PM

Jan. 16--O.J. Simpson will be allowed to return home to Kendall after spending the past five nights in a Las Vegas jail cell.

A judge Wednesday raised Simpson's bail to $250,000 and said he must post at least 15 percent of that before he can be released from the Clark County Detention Center. Simpson's attorney indicated Simpson may use his Kendall home as collateral.

"There is no get out of jail free card today," District Judge Jackie Glass said. "Just post your bail and go back to Florida."

Glass chastised Simpson as being "arrogant and ignorant."

"I don't know, Mr. Simpson, what the heck you were thinking, and maybe that's the problem-- you weren't," Glass said.

Simpson's bail bondsman plucked him up on Friday and escorted him from South Florida to Las Vegas. Prosecutors alleged Simpson violated the terms of his release on bond by leaving an explicit message on his bondsman's voice mail that referenced a co-defendant.

In front of a courtroom that included lawyer-turned-television personality Star Jones, bondsman Miguel Pereira testified Simpson has paid "not one cent" of what he owes Pereira.

But Simpson attorney Yale Galanter countered that Pereira never asked Simpson for money. Galanter said the bondsman tried to profit from his role in Simpson's case, even making pens with his company logo that said "O.J.'s Way Out."

Still, Glass ruled the voice mail broke the conditions of Simpson's release, which barred him from contacting any witnesses, victims or co-defendants. Simpson, 60, and two other men are awaiting trial April 7 on charges including armed robbery and kidnapping stemming from a September incident at a Las Vegas hotel.

A few days after a preliminary hearing, Simpson left a message on Pereira's cellphone that mentioned co-defendant Clarence "C.J." 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?"

Stewart and fellow co-defendant Charles Ehrlich of Sunny Isles Beach remain free on bail until the April hearing. They and Simpson have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Three other former co-defendants have pleaded guilty to lesser charges and testified against Simpson at the preliminary hearing.

Miami Herald staff writer Luisa Yanez contributed to this report.

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