The State : Drug Suspect, Bail Are Lost

Nothing seemed to work right for Contra Costa County authorities who arrested a man on charges of running the most sophisticated drug laboratory ever encountered in the county, and then lost him--and his $150,000 bail--in a series of communications foul-ups and court delays. Barry Starr of Orinda was under “house arrest,” wearing an electronic monitoring device that would alert officials if he left his home between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. The alarm went off on a Friday night but because it was the weekend, the monitoring agency in Cincinnati waited until Monday to notify authorities. By that time Starr was nowhere to be found. Later, officials learned they couldn’t even revoke his $150,000 bail. Legal maneuverings had caused court delays and the bail bond expired before Starr could be brought into court for a hearing on renewing it. Contra Costa County Dist. Atty. Gary Yancey said Starr was arrested in 1988 on state charges of manufacturing methamphetamines. He subsequently was indicted on federal charges and his case was transferred to federal court. Starr is being sought by federal marshals.