|
|
A Caroline County man accused of gunning down his neighbor Monday during a dispute involving a bull was released on bond yesterday.
John F. Ames, 59, posted a $100,000 bond a few hours after a judge granted him that option during a hearing in Caroline General District Court.
Ames, a bankruptcy attorney, is charged with first-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection with the slaying of 74-year-old farmer Perry Brooks.
Brooks, who had a long-running feud with Ames, was shot four times, according to court records, including at least once in the face.
The shooting occurred at Holly Hill, Ames' 650-acre estate on State Route 207. Brooks, who was under court order to stay off the property, had reportedly gone there to retrieve a stray bull when he had the encounter with Ames.
Brooks' body was found on a gravel road behind a storage building on Ames' property.
Judge John R. Stevens yesterday set a June 11 preliminary hearing for Ames in Caroline General District Court.
He also granted a bond, though it was twice as high as the $50,000 bond request made by defense attorney Craig S. Cooley.
Cooley--who was part of the team that won Lee Boyd Malvo life in prison instead of the death penalty in the recent sniper trial--pointed out that Ames has no criminal convictions and has been a Caroline resident since 1986.
"He is not a threat to anyone else," Cooley said.
He said the shooting was in self-defense and that Brooks had made previous threats against Ames and his family.
Cooley said Brooks was attacking a cornered Ames with what he described as a 31/2- to 4-foot long "prodding" stick when he was shot.
According to police sources, a witness has told police that Brooks was shot at least once after he fell to the ground. Cooley said after yesterday's hearing that he could not confirm that.
Commonwealth's Attorney Harvey Latney said the early evidence shows that Brooks went onto Ames' property solely to retrieve a bull, not to incite a confrontation with Ames.
Latney said that Cooley's request for a $50,000 bond was too low and that if Ames was released, he should be on court-ordered pretrial supervision.
Stevens ordered supervision and told Ames to have no contact with Brooks' family.
Benjamin Dick, a Charlottesville-based attorney who is assisting Cooley in Ames' defense, said Ames' mother put up her Virginia Beach home to secure her son's release from Pamunkey Regional Jail.
"He wasn't the cheerful John Ames that I've known for many years," said Dick. "This situation is obviously weighing heavily on him I guess it's all up to the courts now."
Police say Pamunkey is the same jail where Brooks was bonded out Friday night on an unrelated matter.
Meanwhile, state police are apparently moving swiftly in their investigation. At least five different search warrants had been filed in Caroline Circuit Court by yesterday afternoon.
Police have seized five cartridge casings, the stick Brooks was reportedly carrying and two guns, a .22-caliber rifle and a 9 mm pistol.
They have also seized the clothes Ames was wearing at the time of the incident and have done a gunshot residue test on his hands, according to court records.
Police have received permission to search Ames' property with a metal detector to search for three bullets that had not been recovered at the time the search warrant was obtained.
An autopsy showed that Brooks was shot four times; only one bullet was found.
Caroline Sheriff Tony Lippa turned the case over to state police because he knows both families.
Court records show that Lippa and his No. 2 man, Maj. Mike Hall, both arrested Ames when they were with the state police.
Hall's case involved a 1997 incident in which Ames was accused of driving a tractor toward trooper L.W. Miller.
Ames was found guilty of misdemeanor charges, but those convictions were later overturned as part of an agreement in which Ames performed community service.
The Ames case is one of two high-profile murder cases currently in the Caroline court system. The other involves Donna Blanton, who is charged with killing her husband, state police 1st Sgt. Taylor V. Blanton last year at their home.
Donna Blanton has been denied bond and remains held in Pamunkey Regional Jail pending trial.
To reach KEITH EPPS: 540/374-5404 kepps@freelancestar.com