CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County Chief Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey reinstated a $200,000 cash bond Monday for Charleston attorney Mark Bramble.
Bramble, 49, held police at bay during a standoff on Aug. 12. Bramble was inside his house in the South Hills neighborhood of Charleston from where he allegedly fired 48 shots from a rifle and shotgun.
Kanawha County Magistrate Jack Pauley lowered the $200,000, originally set by Magistrate Mike Sisson, to $25,000 back on Friday but Kanawha County Prosecutor Mark Plants protested and filed an order with circuit court to have the original bond reinstated. Those who need assistance with their bail amount may seek bail bonds service from a bail bondsman.
“Anytime that someone is hallucinating, or the allegations are that someone is hallucinating, and firing 40 or 50 shots or one shot for that matter, public safety is a huge concern. I thought the 200-thousand cash bond was appropriate. In this case, Judge Bailey did the right thing,” Plants said.
Bramble, who remains in the South Central Regional Jail, was the only person injured in the incident. He suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound but was released from a Charleston hospital following a brief stay.
Prosecutor Plants said Monday there may be a mental illness defense but that’s not for the prosecution to decide.
“We’re here to prove what happened and that this defendant fired those shots and then at the end of the day he ends up perhaps in a mental facility locked up instead of a prison, that will come out at the end of the day,” Plants said.
Charges of attempted murder and wanton endangerment have already been forwarded to a grand jury for consideration.
In Monday’s order, Judge Bailey anticipated all of the Kanawha County circuit judges might recuse themselves from the case. Bramble has likely practiced in front of all seven judges.
Bramble’s latest job has been with the state Attorney General’s Office. He submitted his resignation the Friday before the shooting occurred.