Federal judge denies bail release for Castle Rock teen who’s accused of trying to join ISIS
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (KRDO) -- One week after being federally arrested on allegations of trying to fly to Turkey and join ISIS, a Castle Rock teen will now stay behind bars until a potential trial.
That decision, made by United States Magistrate Judge Reid Neureiter, effectively denies 18-year-old Davin Daniel Meyer pre-trial release on bail. In federal court, there are only two options: a defendant is released pending their trial or they are held in federal custody until that date.
In Judge Neureiter's order, filed on July 21, he says "the defendant has no criminal record to speak of, although as a juvenile, he had interactions with Douglas County law enforcement in relation to threats to his family."
He continues by saying Meyer has been diagnosed with a variety of disorders to include, "autism spectrum disorder; attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood; specific learning disorder with impairment in mathematics; and major depressive disorder, recurrent episode, moderate," federal court documents say.
When pondering whether to release Meyer, the judge says the only place Meyer would be able to stay is with his mother, whom he has threatened with death before, court records say. Meyer's mother, who testifies at his detention hearing, said Meyer “never had a friend” and said that finding a community online that appeared to be supportive of his plans is what likely caused him to act by buying the ticket to fly to Turkey.
The federal judge outlined that Meyer clearly needs "help and therapy," and putting Meyer in jail "will not address his condition nor provide the therapy that he apparently needs," the judge said.
However, he concluded that denying him bail will "ensure that he cannot do violence to anyone." The judge's order comes with a caveat, that if a "residential treatment facility" comes available and agrees to house Meyer, he will reconsider this order of detention.
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