“You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents on the tree
Christmas Eve will find me
Where the lovelight gleams
I’ll be home for Christmas”
Bing Crosby sang it best, but Montoya Shaffer recently had a flurry of motions and applications for clients to have their bail lowered so they could be home for the holidays. D.C. and two of her relatives were arrested for a vicious home invasion burglary. D.C.’s bail was initially at $250,000, but Mr. Shaffer had her bail was drastically decreased to $25,000. Her family was only able to bail out two of the three co-defendants even after the initial bail reductions. Not satisfied to have half the family home for the holidays, Mr. Shaffer filed a motion for an additional hearing. At the hearing, Mr. Shaffer convinced the judge to allow D.C. to sign on bail, essentially meaning she could come home without having to put up a penny.
Commonwealth v. L.H. Mr. Shaffer was able to keep L.H. out of jail by convincing the magistrate to agree to sign on bail for her two gun charges. Despite an officer being shot in one of the gun cases, Mr. Shaffer wove a compelling argument including her lack of criminal convictions. The Commonwealth typically asks for $250,000 per gun charge, but in this case L.H. was able to walk out from processing without paying anything.