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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
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SDNY COURTHOUSE, Sept 20 – In federal Magistrates Court, arguments over whether or not to release a defendant on bail are miniature trials and sentencings all rolled into one, with a verdict reached usually in less than half an hour. So it was on September 20 for Tyler Sykes.    

   Skyes had previously been sentenced to a year in prison and two years of supervised release for menacing, by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of York Judge Lorna G. Schofield. After being released, Skyes was arrested earlier this month on gun charges.

   But it wasn't so simple.

    Since the burden was on the defense, to show that Skyes is not a danger to the community and not a risk to flee, his Federal Defender Robert Baum began. He said it might be a case of mistaken identity, that the government was basing its detention argument on Skyes have gone into his girlfriend's apartment after another woman was shot and changed his closes.

    Assistant US Attorney Sagar Ravi said there was more to it than this. He said that a search of Sykes drawer in his girlfriend's apartment has found ammunition for a nine millimeter firearm, and an airplane ticket with Sykes name on it.

    Baum asked for the floor in the otherwise nearly entirely empty Magistrates Court and noted that the airplane ticket had been from July, to Denver, and therefore had no bearing on risk of flight.

    Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang reminded Baum that she had already established that in her questioning of AUSA Ravi.

    Before Judge Wang took her usual recess before rendering a decision, Ravi added that Sykes had been arrested on September 14 somehow in connection with a pizza box - and a nine millimeter pistol that matched the ammunition found in his drawer at his girlfriend's apartment.

    That may have been the coup de grace. Judge Wang retired to the Magistrate Judge's temporary chambers or robing room. Sykes was taken back into the holding cell and on his way said loudly, "This is B.S. they should release all of us."   

  Judge Wang returned ten minutes later with a decision. She said the burden was high on Sykes and despite the advocacy skills of Federal Defender Baum, the burden had not been met.    

  She ordered Sykes remanded, adding "if you don't like my opinion you can appeal it." Skyes will appear next back in front of District Judge Schofield; no date has yet been set. Inner City Press intends to be there. For now more on Patreon, here. The case is US v. Sykes, 16-cr-00043 (Schofield).