A judge on Friday allowed indicted Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to post $50,000 bond to get out of jail but ordered new restrictions on his movements, while new charges were filed against the embattled mayor. By early afternoon it was not clear if Kilpatrick had posted bail and left jail.Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Jackson ruled that Kilpatrick, who spent the night in jail but showed up in court in a neat tan suit, should be allowed some type of bond despite breaching court rules by crossing the Canadian border without permission in July.
Kilpatrick, 38, once was seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, faces a potential 15-year prison term if convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice and official misconduct stemming from a sex scandal and his handling of a whistle-blower lawsuit. Jackson set a $50,000 cash bond for Kilpatrick, eliminated his right to travel outside the city and ordered electronic monitoring of his movements.
Under two felony assault charges announced on Friday by Michigan Attorney General Michael Cox, Kilpatrick is accused of shoving a Wayne County sheriff's deputy into an investigator from the prosecutor's office in an altercation at a friend's house. The new charges, which carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison, left unclear whether the mayor would remain in custody or be freed.
Kilpatrick's previous $75,000 bond was revoked by a Michigan District Court judge on Thursday, who ordered him jailed.
Kilpatrick's legal woes have added to the uncertainty surrounding Detroit, the 11th largest U.S. city and hub to the struggling U.S. auto industry.