‘It’s worrisome:’ WPD says suspect who cut ankle bracelet paid fraction of million-dollar bond
By Nick Nelson
Click here for updates on this story
WICHITA, Kansas (KAKE) — The man arrested for first-degree murder in connection to a Father’s Day barbecue shooting that left one person dead is now wanted by police.
Police arrested Eric Gonzalez-Guittierez following a deadly shooting on Father’s Day in north Riverside and he soon bonded out. Investigators say he then cut off his ankle monitor and ran away, sparking a search and outrage in the law enforcement community.
The Wichita Police Department tells KAKE that although the industry standard for payment to a bail bond company is 10%, Gonzalez only paid 2% of his million-dollar bond.
Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter was in strong support of a coming change to state law that would have forced Gonzalez to pay more.
“The minimum percentage that you could bond somebody out for would be 10%,” Easter said. “So in this case, Mr. Guttierez’s case, he had a million dollar bond 10% would mean he’d have to put up 100,000, or a friend or family member or something like that. Beings that were only 2% His family or friends put up 20,000.”
KAKE reached out to Dante Duncan, an employee with Second Chance Bail Bond Company, who says the bond minimum was paid in full.
“We charge the state minimum, which is 10%,” Duncan said.
KAKE double-checked with WPD on Sunday afternoon, and a spokesman told us that the latest information they have shows only 2% was paid.
The department also said Second Chance was the company that posted the bond.
In a phone call with Duncan, he says he signed the paperwork on behalf of another company that shares a building with Second Chance.
“I do work for A Second Chance, and I’m the one that signed it,” Duncan said. “However, there’s multiple companies inside the building that I work at. And we all work with each other. So it was not A Second Chance that did that bond.”
Easter says he hopes officers are able to locate Gonzalez.
“They are getting calls from individuals that were at that scene that were witnesses or gave information and they’re afraid of this gentleman being out and coming after them,” Easter said.” That’s why the bonds are usually high in these kinds of cases. So, it is worrisome.”
WPD said they are planning on discussing the issue further at a news conference next week.
Anyone with any information on Gonzalez’s whereabouts is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
