By Chris Berendt

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Williams
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_williams.jpgWilliams

A routine arrest on a Garland man served with two misdemeanor charges Wednesday resulted in a massive bond due to a bond law in effect, Sampson County Sheriff’s authorities said.

David Fitzgerald Williams, 33, of 9171 Old Mintz Hwy., Garland, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and trespassing in connection with a recent incident.

His bond was set at $200,000 secured.

The charges did not stem from a call to which Sampson sheriff’s deputies responded, but authorities served warrants taken out by a third party, Sheriff’s Lt. Marcus Smith said. The lietenant said Williams was subject to a still relatively new double bond provision in the N.C. General Statute.

“The law pertaining to bonds has changed. Now if you’re out on bond from a previous charge and get arrested, they take your previous bond and double it,” Smith noted. “The suspect was out on bond from drug trafficking charges where he stood a $100,000 bond. As a result his bond was doubled.”

The new provision took effect at the end of 2013 to address the issue of defendants who commit new crimes while on pretrial release.

The state law reads, in part, that “when conditions of pretrial release are being determined for a defendant who is charged with an offense and the defendant is currently on pretrial release for a prior offense, the judicial official shall require the execution of a secured appearance bond in an amount at least double the amount of the most recent previous secured or unsecured bond for the charges.”

Williams has a court date of Aug. 31.

Reach staff writer Chris Berendt at 910-249-4616. Follow the paper on twitter @SampsonInd and like us on Facebook.