February 20, 2025
Prominent Michigan defense attorney Arthur J. Weiss was quoted in a Detroit Free Press article reporting on the record $250 million cash bond set for Pontiac mother Kelli Bryant, who police say abandoned her three children for four years, leaving them to survive amid squalid living conditions.
The cash bond is among the highest recorded in the country, causing many in the legal field to take notice. According to Weiss, the setting and determination of bond relates to two reasons: to compel defendants to appear in court, and to prevent the occurrence of additional crimes.
“There are very few guidelines and virtually no rigid rules in setting an amount for bond,” Weiss said, adding: “It’s generally left to the sound discretion of the judge or magistrate.”
For this case here, Weiss surmises the high bond corresponds with the gravity of the case–the charges against Bryant for child abuse and neglect have astounded and horrified officials and the surrounding community alike, while 50th District Court judge Ronda Fowkles Gross may have set a bond amount, according to Weiss, “designed to send a message… The conduct alleged is outrageous and will not be tolerated… at least by that judge.”
