An 81-year-old man has been kept in prison by the Missouri Department of Corrections, leading a judge in southwest Missouri to hold them in contempt.
Greene County Circuit Judge David Jones has granted the release of Howard Roberts, who was convicted of defrauding an elderly woman and sentenced to 20 years in 2018. This decision comes after Roberts argued that he did not receive proper legal representation during his trial. According to state law, Judge Jones has ordered Roberts to be released from South Central Correctional Center until his retrial takes place.
Jones issued a deadline of August 7th, giving the department only eight days to release Roberts. If they failed to comply, they would face fines of $1,000 per day. The Department of Corrections has confirmed that Roberts is still in custody as of Monday afternoon.
The Missouri Attorney General’s office has objected to the release of a prisoner whose conviction has been overturned multiple times this year.
The office prevented the release of Christopher Dunn, who had been sentenced to life in prison without parole for a murder and assault conviction in 1991. On July 22, a St. Louis Circuit judge ordered Dunn’s release. However, Dunn was not released from South Central Correctional Center until July 30, as a result of Bailey’s intervention.
Bailey prevented the release of Sandra Hemme, who was eventually set free from prison in mid-July following a court order for her release in June.
