Judge denies request to have $100,000 bond reduced for Hannibal attorney charged with five felonies

SHELBYVILLE, Mo. — A request to have the bond reduced for a Hannibal attorney charged with five felonies involving a traffic crash on Sept. 13 in Shelby County was denied a reduction in bond Friday afternoon.

Tyler White, 33, of Hannibal appeared in Shelby County Circuit Court by video with Kirksville attorney Mark Williams before Judge Kristen Burks. White’s bond was set at $100,000 after he was arrested last week, and he remains in the Shelby County Jail.

Williams asked for a reduction in bond, citing White’s previous compliance with court orders and his status as a member of the Missouri Bar Association.

“These charges against him obviously are concerning, but I think the court knows the purpose of bond is to ensure his appearance in any hearings or court appearances,” Williams said. “It also is to make sure he’s not a flight risk. I represented Tyler in two other matters. Tyler has always appeared when ordered by the court. He does not have any failure to appears in any of his cases.”

Williams asked for a personal recognizance bond. If Burks wouldn’t consider that, Williams asked to reduce the bond to $50,000 and allow 10 percent to be posted, or to consider 10 percent to be posted on the $100,000 bond.

“Mr. White appears before you an innocent man until proven guilty with an excessive bond like this,” Williams said. “We believe this is cruel and unusual punishment and would ask the court to consider our request to allow Mr. White to address the bonds in a different manner than $100,000 cash only, which is very high and difficult for Mr. White to post.”

Jordan Force, prosecuting attorney for Shelby County, pointed out to Burks that White had missed two appearances in court earlier in September in Monroe County, leading to a writ of bodily attachment to be filed by Judge Talley Smith. Force also said she was aware of a similar circumstance in Lewis County.

However, Force said she was more concerned about another issue.

“What’s become present to me with Mr. White is that there seems to be a real substance abuse problem, whether alcohol or otherwise,” she said.

She noted White has two pending cases in Adams County. One is a May 2023 case in which has been charged with one count of driving under the influence of alcohol and one count of driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content higher than 0.08. Both counts are Class A misdemeanors.

The other case is from September 2022. He has been charged with driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content higher than 0.08, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and failure to yield when entering a highway from a private road or driveway. 

White is set for a plea agreement on both cases on Thursday, Oct. 3. 

“Just in … getting some information around this particular incident (and speaking) with some witnesses, they would say that Mr. White was very intoxicated (at a local bar) the night that this (crash in Shelby County) occurred while he has these pending DUIs in Illinois,” Force said. “I would be really concerned that there is a substance abuse problem, and that we would need to definitely take that into consideration whenever thinking about any type of bond reduction.”

Force also said the victim injured in the crash is concerned about retribution. She said the victim is out of the hospital and “will have more medical needs that he’ll have to have met here soon.” She said the victim wants no contact with White or his mother, Karen White.

Williams offered to have White evaluated for substance abuse as part of a reduction in bond. 

“In regard to retribution/intimidation, obviously for Mr. White to consider anything like that or doing (like) that would be a violation of the conditions of bond and would jeopardize any and all defenses he would have,” Williams said. “No report has ever been made that Mr. White has had any retribution and or intimidation towards anybody.”

Again, Force disagreed with Williams. She pointed to a recent case in Marion County in which White had been accused of attempting to tamper with a victim in a felony prosecution. A bench trial was eventually canceled in May, and the case was dismissed.

Burks ruled to keep the bond in place.

“I don’t want to make any judgments about the underlying case, but I am required to take into consideration several factors,” she said. “Four of the allegations … in the complaint involve interference with the administration of justice, and one involves interference with the liberty of another person. I feel that the bond is appropriate where it is.”

White was stoic and did not speak during the hearing.

The case is being handled in Shelby County by Judge Mike Greenwell. Burks set a hearing for Wednesday to allow Greenwell, who signed the warrant, to reconsider the bond as well.

White is charged with:

• Kidnapping in the second degree, a Class D felony;
• Tampering with a witness in a felony prosecution, a Class D felony;
• Leaving the scene of an accident, a Class E felony;
• Two counts of tampering with physical evidence in a felony prosecution, a Class E felony.

If convicted by a jury, White could face up to seven years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for a Class D felony and up to four years in prison for a Class E felony. For Class D or E felonies, the court also has the option of sentencing a person to county jail for up to one year. However, any sentence for more than a year must be served in state prison.

A probable cause statement made by a sergeant with the Missouri State Highway Patrol alleges White crashed a truck on Shelby County Road 356 early in the morning of Sept. 13, injuring a male victim. The victim said he was left overnight in the truck in a cornfield. White eventually transported the victim to a cabin, and when the victim later told White five times he was injured and needed medical attention, White allegedly told him to “shut up.” White’s mother eventually came to the cabin and took the victim to Quincy, dropping him off at the front door of Blessing Hospital.

An arrest warrant was issued on Sept. 20 by Burks for Karen White, and she was arrested in Marion County later that day. She has been charged with two counts of hindering the prosecution of a felony, a Class E felony. She posted a $20,000 bond on Friday and was ordered by Burks to have no contact with her son or with the victim. She is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 23.