FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ A Broward judge will reconsider the $500,000 bond set in a misdemeanor trespassing case against Zachary Cruz, brother of the Parkland school shooter, and will hear arguments from both sides next week.
Broward County Judge Melinda Brown had originally told Cruz's attorneys that she could not hear arguments on his motion to lower his bond until April 9.
In a motion filed Friday, defense lawyer Joseph Kimok said that was too late. "Mr. Cruz will have spent 20 days in custody on this second-degree misdemeanor," Kimok wrote.
Kimok had previously argued that Cruz faces a maximum sentence of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine, making his bond and the conditions set for his release "outrageous."
Broward's chief administrative judge responded to Kimok's motion with the news that he had spoken to Brown and she "will expedite the matter" and schedule a hearing next week.
A specific date and time has not been set.
Cruz, 18, is the brother of accused Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Shooter Nikolas Cruz, who faces the death penalty if convicted of 17 counts of first-degree murder.
Zachary Cruz was ordered to stay away from the school that was the scene of his brother's Feb. 14 rampage, but he was arrested while visiting the campus on his skateboard Monday. He told police it was the third time he went to the school since the shooting.
Broward County Judge Kim Theresa Mollica set the $500,000 bond on Tuesday, citing the need to protect the Stoneman Douglas community.
"Every minute that Mr. Cruz has been held in the custody of the Broward Sheriff's Office since posting his bond has been unlawful and unconstitutional," Kimok wrote.
