Judge Places Conditions On Randy Blythe's Release
Band Photo: Lamb of God (?)
Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe, who was arrested at the Prague, Czech Republic airport last week and charged with manslaughter stemming from an onstage incident with a fan at a show in 2010 after which the fan died of a head injury, posted 4 million Czech Karuna bail (approximately $200,000) today. However, he won't be able to return home yet; considered a flight risk, Blythe will have to remain in the Czech Republic pending further court action.
According to a report by Blesk.cz, Blythe must remain in the Pankrác Prison in Prague for at least the next ten days. According to Judge Petr Fassati of Prague 8 district court, "There may well be certain conditions placed upon [Blythe's] release, such as staying in the Czech Republic, or the availability of a specific address. If the conditions are violated, it could lead to an international arrest warrant being issued." If convicted he faces up to ten years in jail.
The rest of the band flew back home to Virginia yesterday, and upon their arrival guitarist Mark Morton posted the following message on Twitter: "Finally HOME! 4/5 of us anyway. I can't wait to give Randy a big bear hug and kiss his pointy, stubbly face! Thanx for all the support y'all! Flooded with questions about Randy. I truly understand and appreciate [your] concern. But it would be irresponsible for me to comment on any of it. Again….thank y'all SOOOO much for your love and support during these difficult times. It means the world to us."
Read the full article here.
Source: MSN
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35 Comments on "Randy Blythe Remains In Jail Despite Posting Bail"
Former Contributor
2. writes:
I sincerely doubt it. If the roles were reversed we would hold a Czech performer here if there was evidence to suggest his being involved in the death of an American fan, it's standard operating procedure. You would -want- our authorities to arrest a foreigner if he had killed an American. People do time for accidentally killing other people all the time.
Posting bail will get him out of jail but the judge considering him a flight risk is just common sense. I'm sure he and all concerned parties were notified of the terms before the 200k was plunked down.
All that said, Morton sounds optimistic, which I take to be a good thing.
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Member
4. writes:
im saying political move because after 2 years of nothing they all of the sudden want to make him pay for it?!!??! cmon, this is a political move, IMO, by some political fkhead(s) trying to get his people behind him for votes...if they trully wanted to make this matter complete, they would have contacted our state dept. and requested this have started loooooong ago.....they are just using this as a catalyst for votes, IMO....
Member
5. writes:
These people have no idea who this guy is. He is the singer for an American death metal band. Do you really think that Czech politicians give a sh!t about that? Catalyst for votes? Do you think that American citizens would give a sh!t about an American politician boasting because they arrested a Czech death metal band's lead singer? I trust that it wouldn't sway your vote much.
There are US citizens held in jails all over the world over what most people would consider ridiculous crimes. But they broke the law in some other country. And now they're sitting in a jail in some strange country with no way home. Look at those American tourists who spent 2 1/2 years in an Iranian jail because the police there were "convinced" they were spies. All they were doing was hiking in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The fact is there is very little that your government can do about it. Aside from connecting you with the local attorneys and providing a small amount of liaison between you and your family and other local services. No SEAL teams busting you out, no big scary american consular demanding your release or else. It just doesn't work that way.
Randy is lucky that this happened in the Czech Republic and not 100 other countries where he'd probably already be hanging with a noose around his neck.
Member
6. writes:
Looks like the czech government jacked randy for $200K...if he posted bail why couldn't they let him go....slap an electronic ankle bracelet on his leg and have him stay at a hotel in the country.....also if randy was such a dangerous murderer why didn't they lock him up two years ago? glad the rest of the band made it home ok
Member
7. writes:
Looks like the czech government jacked randy for $200K...if he posted bail why couldn't they let him go....slap an electronic ankle bracelet on his leg and have him stay at a hotel in the country.....also if randy was such a dangerous murderer why didn't they lock him up two years ago? glad the rest of the band made it home ok
Member
8. writes:
this is political, imo....you can say w/e and i will still think the same thing. these fknuts waited 2 years to bring this to light....it's the same as our political fkheads waiting till vote time to bring out things the voters "didnt already know" and how they will TCB about it.
Member
9. writes:
"I sincerely doubt it. If the roles were reversed we would hold a Czech performer here if there was evidence to suggest his being involved in the death of an American fan, it's standard operating procedure."
tell that to the parents of murdered americans by non americans who this govt has harbored and then sent back to their countries of origin with just a slap on the wrist......tell that to the father of the american girl killed by a foreign soldier in louisiana many many years ago. our govt didnt do sh!t to try and get that murderer sent back here to face justice, because it was just a nobody american citizen killed by a foriegn trooper so no biggie there.....funny how our govt has "abandoned us" and you people still try to defend them as if they trully care about how americans get treated by foriegners here or abroad....
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Former Contributor
15. writes:
Branded: "tell that to the parents of murdered americans by non americans who this govt has harbored and then sent back to their countries of origin with just a slap on the wrist......tell that to the father of the american girl killed by a foreign soldier in louisiana many many years ago. our govt didnt do sh!t to try and get that murderer sent back here to face justice, because it was just a nobody american citizen killed by a foriegn trooper so no biggie there.....funny how our govt has "abandoned us" and you people still try to defend them as if they trully care about how americans get treated by foriegners here or abroad...."
Why are Americans victims in your eyes? You act like the world is out to get us. And on what post do see anyone here defending the American government? The Czechs are behaving like most countries would in this situation, the only hiccup being the delay of bail release. Our law enforcement pounces both our own citizens and foreigners daily for this kind of thing. You sympathy lies exclusively with Americans or you wouldn't make blanket statements like "typical non americans". I want Randy to come home too but I assure you there is no Dr. Evil laughing like he has some priceless American treasure and that the Czechs are chanting his "Praise Dr. Evil" in parades in the street.
You've made it clear to other people that your opinion is immune to outside logic and reason so but it seems to me that you are very reactionary and don't spend much time looking at things objectively.
Due process is a b**** but at least this didn't go down in an even harsher country.
Member
17. writes:
i said what i said because you said: "it's standard operating procedure". so i pointed out how its not S.O.P. im saying that americans are being murdered, attacked, raped, robbed by foreigners in THIS country who hate us, and our govt doesnt want to do anything about it. They are more concerned with how to continue to destroy this country and the citizens in it. As for americans in other countries, there is nothing that really can be done when our govt doesnt care enough to step in and provide the same legal assistance it is giving the foreigners in this country who have done nothing but walk all over our laws. Randy is just another victim of a foreign political move for monetary gain, IMO, by a political force that waited and ambushed him. if they were so upset about this "tragedy", they would have been doing everything they could for the last 2 years to get Randy back in the czech republic to get this handled....politics and nothing else!!!!!
Member
18. writes:
"As for americans in other countries, there is nothing that really can be done when our govt doesnt care enough to step in"
Go to the State Department's website and read their pages on what they will do to help someone who is in legal difficulty in another country. I suspect you will find it enlightening.
Your government can't send over lawyers, they can't demand his release, they can't strong-arm the Czechs into releasing him. All they can do is point him toward attorneys in the Czech Republic and send over money that is his or from someone who has donated. It is illegal for them to use government funds to help him in any way.
You are seriously not helping your cause here. And by the way, there is also no such thing as a "typical non-American". The fact that you even use the term is part of the problem that you are fighting so hard against. The sooner you stop seeing the world as "Us vs. Them", the sooner you will realize why people view Americans they way they do.
Member
19. writes:
well, if the rest of the world wouldnt come over here and rape our country and laugh the whole time while claiming how much they love america, then i wouldnt think that....as always, when an american speaks up for americans, its an automatic bad thing....typical....
Supporter
20. writes:
footage has been poted elsewhere showing the fan being tackled by a security guard..
Then getting back on the stage, muppeting about a bit then stage diving into the crowd, and it looks like he gets dropped straight to the deck.
lastly is the one everyone is seeing, randy touching the guys hair and a security guard launching the guy into the ground
Member
21. writes:
To everyone who says that Randy broke the law: He didn't! You guys are ignorant. If you have seen the video that the Gauntlet found, which I saw via Metal Injection, then you'd see that he did not do anything. That fan was an idiot, and in fact it was the security guard who really threw him off the stage.
So my message to you people defending the Czech Republic: Go do your research or else go back to your dunce corner. That is all.
Member
22. writes:
I fail to see how this is even remotely politically motivated...however, my suspicions of systematic extortion seem to be bearing out
I find assertions of "the world againt Americans" to be quite ludicrous in general, and more particularly in this instance....as I pointed out before, sh!t like this happens EVERYWHERE; and as others have alluded, there are many other locales where the consequences of even being ACCUSED of a crime are far more sinister
I find the most tragic aspect of this situation to be the fact that the poor dude is locked up in some of the finest Pilsner country on the planet, unable to imbibe...now thats a real shame
Member
23. writes:
I'm not complaining about Americans defending Americans. The problem is that you're oozing at the seams with the "We're great, everyone else sucks" attitude while simultaneously complaining about your own government. Also, you're complaining about the "evil foreigners" in your own country, while simultaneously complaining about Americans being treated badly when they are foreigners in another country. Can you see the issue now? You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Anyway, all I'm saying is that it doesn't hurt to wander over to the other side of the fence once in a while and see things from another angle.
"So my message to you people defending the Czech Republic: Go do your research or else go back to your dunce corner. That is all."
And your research is, what, a choppy video you saw online? Did you go to the Czech Republic and conduct your own independent research? Interview Randy, as well as other concert goers, to get to the bottom of what happened? Do you really believe that videos you see online or in the news are painting the whole picture? Or just the part of the picture that they want you to see?
First of all, in the video you can clearly see Randy help shove the fan off the stage. Second of all, it's also been stated that the video might not be of the actual incident that killed the fan. The fan had apparently gone up on stage multiple times during the show and this video shows only one of them.
Either way, I don't think anyone is outright defending the Czechs here. Personally, I think this is a case of an accident being blown way out of proportion. And that opinion is just as baseless as anyone who saw a video online and "knows the truth", which is why I'm not going around calling people stupid for not seeing things the way I do. If these videos clearly absolved him from any guilt whatsoever, without a shadow of a doubt, then he wouldn't still be sitting in a prison over there, would he?
Member
24. writes:
even if the videos absolve him of any guilt, he is still out $200K because the czech authorites didnt do their homework beforehand. in 2 years they could have asked for any video of the night in question, but apparently they prefered to arrest and deplete randy of $200K. money grab by a corrupt system, IMO............
im not trying to have any cake, im pointing out how americans are becoming the bottom of the chain because of the way the rest of the world has chosen to do everything they can to demonize us, rob us, destroy our laws (buying politcians off), always claiming americans are this and that. i personally would love to travel the world and see other parts of the world but even if i could afford it i probably wouldnt due to the way americans are viewed by non americans (mostly 3rd world countries). they think every american is rich and lives in mansions. that we all have great jobs and can afford anything we want, so they show us disdain, hatred, rip us off by over charging for things so they can get extra $ in their pockets (numerous people i know who have traveled to to other countries told me the horror stories of being ripped off, overcharged, etc.. in other countries). because our govt has done things to other countries, the american people are facing the backdraft of anger from other countries citizens. instead of going after the ones who are guilty of crimes around the world, just take it out on the american citizen.....makes perfect sense!!!
Member
25. writes:
Aw, come on man, the victim card again? You've gotta be toying with me :P Yeah, sure there's a lot of misconceptions about the general US citizen out there, but don't you think that you may have been led to believe certain things about other countries and their citizens that aren't necessarily true? I sincerely doubt that all of the Irish are drunks, but that's the stereotype, isn't it?
Also, do you believe that rip-off artists are exclusive to countries other than the US, and that they only rip off American tourists? The rip-off artists you speak of will rip off any and all of the people they can, and they target tourists because they are easy prey and stick out like a sore thumb. Simple as that. Do you not think that the US isn't full of the same kind of people?
Point is, what you're describing is not the victimization of the US, it's the victimization of people from "not here". It's not exclusive to Americans. People from countries other than the US get treated just as badly in the US, I'm sure. For that matter, try being an English-speaking Canadian and go to Quebec. A lot of people will straight up ignore you or listen to what you have to say and respond in French just to be a d*** because they know that you probably can't understand them. You don't even have to leave the country to get ostracized! Also, there is a reason that people stay out of certain areas or the "bad parts" of cities at night. It's the exact same kind of victimization, just on a smaller scale.
My point is that this sh!t happens all over the world to citizens of all countries. Stop trying to turn it into a heavy-weight match-up of The USA Vs. The World. If you really believe it then maybe you need to hit the bong a few times less a day, the paranoia's gettin' to ya! :P LOL. J/k man...
As far as the 2-year wait thing, it's probably as simple as waiting for him to return to their country. Arresting people internationally is not an easy task. To my knowledge we don't have any information to suggest that they haven't at least tried to contact him or US authorities over this matter. I doubt very much it would be something he'd want to just bring up in an interview. Looks like he doesn't have much choice now...
And yeah, the bail situation really sucks but unfortunately it's just the way their system works. It's not like they made a special exception to make way for their evil master plan to execute revenge on their enemies in the US.
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28. writes:
What I do find amazing in this whole episode is that it took them 2 years to get on with their case and also how they went on about doing it.
"Welcome to Prague, Mr. Blythe, nice to have you here.
By the way, now that you are here... "
In any case, as far as I know Czech Republic has the most American visitors of any of the eastern European countries, for example lots of American movies are filmed over there, so honestly Blythe being an American really has nothing to do with the whole thing. I just can't see how it could.
Branded, this "the world against the USA" is simply not true.
I lived abroad for close to ten years and I never came across with a situation where Americans would have been treated differently simply cos they were from America. The ones who did have issues with Americans were the ones who had issues with all foreigners.
When it comes to traveling or issues related to immigration, all people from the western world are essentially on the same boat.
It's true, we're being used and abused to a certain extend, we're an easy target. So it goes, for now at least.
Member
Member
30. writes:
Seriously?? The stupid fvck jumped on the stage and charged a performer...Randy's supposed to just take the attack if security fails him? He had every right to kick that idiot off the stage. Even if all he did was make eye contact once on stage I would've taken that as a hostile act and acted in self defense. Why are the security there if it's OK to run up on the stage uninvited and charge at a performer? Correct me if I'm misunderstanding this here, but from what I gather the fan didn't hop on the stage and turn his back to the band and rock out only to be kicked in the back and fly off the stage head first and die.
If you charge a lion, hell if you even make EYE CONTACT, he'll fvcking kill you. And he won't go to prison. IMO this is no different at all.
I'm reminded of when Maynard choked a fan out during his performance. I guess in today's world it pays to know jiu jitsu instead of striking of any kind.
Hope Randy gets home safe soon.
31. writes:
Morton does seem in good spirits, but im more impressed with his clear head and sound explanation of lack of response to other questions.
I understand the need for an investigation. However, if there is video evidence of the gig of said incident, how long does it take to clear or make judgement? It makes no difference of his being an american. It has been two years, im thinking, if they really needed more investigating, we should all start making dumb chec jokes. This whole incident is a joke and I want the band to be back at work doing what they've been doing so well for so long.
Member
32. writes:
Although Branded went off topic (which is to be expected) I would say that he is - kind of - right.
After watching the video of his alleged manslaughter on Youtube it becomes clear he is not responsible for any crime.
That being said, I don't really see what they have gained from this situation other than $200 000 and a whole lot of media buzz. They have drawn more attention to the Czech Republic than there has been since the country split with Slovakia.
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1. brandedcfh420 writes:
yep, a political move is all this is.....