Bristol County DA expresses frustration after man released on bail for drug trafficking while out on bail on separate drug trafficking charges

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn, III has announced that a 37-year-old man was released on $2,500 bail by Judge Linnehan in the Taunton District Court last week after he was charged with Trafficking more than 100 grams of Cocaine and Trafficking in more than 10 grams of Fentanyl in Taunton. 

Henry Samuels of Taunton was charged with these Taunton offenses while he was out on bail and a GPS monitoring bracelet after being indicted in Norfolk Superior Court for Trafficking in Cocaine and Fentanyl. 

The Commonwealth requested that Samuels be held without bail as a danger, for the new Taunton Trafficking charges, and requested to have his bail revoked on his Norfolk Superior Court Trafficking charges.  Both requests were denied by the Court.  

“The judge’s decision not to revoke the defendants bail for committing the same serious crime makes no sense and is a clear abuse of discretion that threatens public safety.  This case once again highlights the fact that some judges release dangerous defendants back into the community where they continue to commit more crimes.  These types of “irrational” decisions continue to undermine the public’s confidence in the judicial systems,” District Attorney Tom Quinn said.