New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The following is a press release from the New Bedford police department:
A man who has failed to appear in court twice to answer charges, including assault and battery on a police officer and reckless endangerment of a child, and has a third open case, is out on the streets after a judge denied the state’s request to revoke his bail and instead allowed him to go free on $100 bail.
Frank Ortiz, 22, of 223 Irvington St., Cranston, R.I., was arrested by New Bedford Police July 17 after being found sleeping in a U-haul locker with his two-year-old child at U-Haul Truck Rentals and Storage, 415 Mt. Pleasant St. When police approached him, he became belligerent, even after police attempted to secure resources for him, the child and the child’s mother.
He was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment to a child under 18, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and interfering with a police officer.
Bail was set at $100 by the clerk magistrate at Ash Street Jail that night, with the stipulation that he appear at Third District Court Wednesday, July 18 to be arraigned. He failed to show for his arraignment and a default warrant was issued.
This was not the first arraignment he failed to show up for. He defaulted in October on charges of leaving the scene of a property damage accident and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.
He also has an open case of assault and battery, disorderly conduct and assault and battery on a police officer. That case is scheduled to be heard for Aug. 1. Defendants with open cases are warned not to reoffend or bail could be revoked.
On Friday, July 20, Ortiz finally appeared in court to face the July 17 charges. The District Attorney’s office requested that his bail be revoked on his pending cases and that $1,000 bail be set on the new case.
Judge Robert Ovoian denied the district attorney’s request that Ortiz forfeit his bail and refused to set the $1,000 bail, instead keeping the bail at the original $100 Ortiz had already posted.
Since Ortiz had already posted bail, he was free to go.
