LAMB OF GOD's Manager Says Czech Prosecutor Is Challenging RANDY BLYTHE's Increased Bail
July 25, 2012LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe was arrested in the Czech Republic on June 27 and is facing manslaughter charges in connection with a 2010 Prague concert at which he allegedly shoved a local fan off the stage. The man, who is said to have stormed the stage three times during the show, reportedly suffered a brain hemorrhage that resulted in his death nearly a month later.
Last week, the court doubled Blythe's bail from about $200,000 to about $400,000.
"[On Tuesday, July 24] the court published that they were upholding the $400,000 bail and Randy's release," LAMB OF GOD's manager, Larry Mazer, told WTVR-TV — the CBS television affiliate based in Richmond, Virginia — in an email. "The prosecutor appealed the $200,000. That appeal was turned down but the bail was raised to $400,000, which, as you know, we paid. But by Czech law, the prosecutor can challenge one more time, which he is doing and that starts the clock all over again."
Mazer did not give an expected time frame for Blythe's release, but he did say he doesn't think it will be within six days. The LAMB OF GOD tour is scheduled to start in Seattle, Washington on August 1.
An official announcement about the tour is expected tomorrow.
Blythe's Czech attorney Martin Radvan told Radio Prague that he expected Blythe to be able to travel home, but that the singer will have to return to the Czech Republic to face trial. "That's what he wants to do," Radvan said. "As a world-renowned artist, in a specific genre of music, of course, he cannot afford to simply disappear."
Radvan added that Randy's stature as a public figure makes it highly unlikely that he would vanish before the trial, saying, "There would be posters with his picture all around the world, and if he wants to continue performing, he will have to return. And he wants to return because he believes he is not guilty of anything he has been charged with."
Radvan said Blythe has been coping with his time in jail, continuing to write music and working on a book.
Martin Holub, a lawyer at Šafra & Partners, told The Prague Post if bail is revoked, Blythe could be kept in prison for up to six months.
"The authorities will be concerned about him leaving the country and then having to begin extradition proceedings," Holub said. "If, however, the appeal court confirms the decision of the previous court, Randy Blythe should be released on the day that decision is made."
Jonathan Crane, a reporter from the Prague Post, told WTVR-TV that a legal expert believes the Blythe's defense team should have quite a strong case. "Even if Randy was responsible for the alleged attack, the expert said that who is to say that he wasn't accidentally kicked or trodden on or left without help by fans below the stage," Crane said.
The U.S. Embassy in Prague on July 11 released a very brief statement regarding Blythe: "The U.S. Embassy provides standard consular services to American citizens in need of assistance. We cannot discuss specific cases due to privacy concerns."
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