A new armed burglary arrest warrant was issued Jan. 25 by the Clerk of Court of Manatee County against Charles H. Leonard, 19, of Bradenton. Leonard was charged in multiple burglaries and stolen vehicle cases after leading three area law enforcement departments on an early morning search through Cortez in December.
The new warrant is in addition to 18 counts of unarmed burglaries to unoccupied vehicles following Leonard’s Dec. 19 arrest by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Bond is set for the new charge at $10,000.
Also on Jan. 25, 12th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Janette Dunnigan reduced Leonard’s bond on the burglary charges from $90,000 to $900, according to court records. The public defender’s office, appointed to represent Leonard, claimed the prosecution failed to formally charge the defendant on the burglaries within 30 days of his arrest, and sought his release.
Regardless of the bond reduction, Leonard is being held in jail without bond on a parole violation. According to prosecutor Pamela Buha, Leonard will not be released until the court modifies the parole violation order.
In addition, still active against the defendant is $55,000 in bond on grand theft charges stemming from the Dec. 19 charges and prior incidents involving stolen vehicles, according to the Manatee County jail website.
Buha said formal charges have been filed in some of the cases but, in others, the state is still investigating. Asked about the defense motion and bond reduction order, Buha said the defense was “doing their job.”
Leonard’s arrest involved several units of the sheriff’s office, a helicopter and K-9 unit, and Bradenton and Palmetto police departments.
According to sheriff’s office reports, a small handgun was found inside the stolen vehicle Leonard had been seen driving through Cortez. After the arrest, he admitted to stealing the car and other vehicles and confessed to numerous burglaries that day and on prior dates, the reports said.
According to court records, Leonard was on probation when he was arrested Dec. 19. The probation stemmed from a previous conviction, which also involved a stolen car and police chase in August 2010. That probation was conditioned on Leonard not violating the law.
On Jan. 5, his bond was revoked due to the Cortez incidents, as well as three other violations in November and December, all involving stolen vehicles, according to affidavits by an officer the Florida Department of Corrections.
Leonard’s arraignment date on the new armed burglary warrant is scheduled for 8:55 a.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.