(MOBILE, Ala.) - The argument continues over whether or not Citronelle murder suspect Mike Crocker will run if the judge sets a bond he can afford.
On Friday morning, the judge delayed setting bond for a second day in a row.
Prosecutors say law enforcement agencies across four states had to hunt Crocker down in Texas for tax fraud charges while he was out on bond for allegedly stealing money from his company.
“It is intenable to suggest he was in hiding or on the run,” Skip Brutkiewicz, Crocker’s defense attorney said. “I was in constant contact with him [while he was in Texas].”
Brutkiewicz said Crocker sent him letters to keep him notified of his location and phone number, but no one ever let him know his client was indicted. It’s unclear if there were any restrictions set on Crocker’s embezzlement bond that would have kept him from moving to Texas.
The prosecution told Local 15 News they fear Crocker, if given the opportunity, could very well skip town to Texas where he’s in close proximity to Mexico and could take advantage of numerous highways leading in different directions.
The prosecution also told Local 15 News that Crocker raised $100,000 cash and $900,000 corporate surety to bond himself and his wife out on tax fraud charges, and has the means to post bond on his murder charges if it’s set too low.
Crocker is accused of shooting Stephen Perret, a former friend and work colleague, in the back of the head twice with a shotgun in 2007. Perret was found in Crocker’s truck. Investigators say Crocker mutilated his own tongue, claiming the real killers did not want him to talk.
