Bail for Stalking Rises Fivefold After Slaying

Two weeks after Vicki Shade was fatally stabbed by her estranged boyfriend, who was free on bail at the time, county judges voted Wednesday to hike the mandatory bail for stalking to $100,000.

The fivefold increase brings Ventura more in line with neighboring counties, including Los Angeles, where a stalking charge carries a $150,000 bail.

Superior Court Judge Vincent J. O’Neill Jr. said the judges acted in response to Shade’s death, along with news reports pointing out the bail discrepancy between Ventura County and surrounding counties.

“The whole situation called attention to our bail for that offense and whether it was adequate,” said O’Neill, who chairs a committee of judges and commissioners that oversees the county’s bail schedule. “We are supposed to take into account public safety in the amount of bail. We concluded as a group that factor merits a higher bail for this particular crime.”

Shade’s former boyfriend, Roland Sheehan, left jail on $20,000 bond on a charge of stalking Shade. On Dec. 4, he broke into Shade’s house, held her hostage for nine hours and stabbed her to death as Ventura SWAT officers stormed the house. Sheehan was shot to death when he lunged at officers with the butcher knife he used on Shade.

Women’s groups hailed the bail decision and the swiftness with which it was made.

“It’s really nice to see how fast they went to work on it,” said Paige Moser, coordinator of the Conejo-Simi Chapter of the National Organization for Women. “Obviously they must have been pretty dismayed and shocked at what happened.”

The announcement of the bail increase was made at a monthly meeting of county judges. Normally, changes are made during the annual meeting of the six-member bail committee at the beginning of each year. But in light of Shade’s death, the bail committee held a special session earlier this month and recommended that the judges act now.

O’Neill said public safety demanded they do so.

Family and friends said the bail increase comes too late for Shade, but they are confident the decision will help others.

“We have millions of wives and girlfriends out there,” said Mary Frances Baker, Shade’s mother. “So maybe this will save one of them. Sometimes things have to really get bad for something good to happen. That’s too bad, but that’s how it is.”

“It’s about time they take this crime seriously,” said Grace Gaston, a friend of Shade’s. “It’s a horror this had to happen first. Look how needless all of this was. And what did this case say to other victims of domestic violence? That they can do everything right and still there is no protection for them. If there is any good to come of what happened, maybe this is it.”

More changes could be on the way.

The bail committee will review bonds for all domestic violence crimes at its meeting early next year. One charge that could result in a bail hike is making a terrorist threat, which also carries a $20,000 bail in Ventura County, but a $150,000 bail in Los Angeles. Violation of a restraining order--a misdemeanor that currently carries a $5,000 bail--could also be increased, said O’Neill.

Such steep bails would have made it nearly impossible for Sheehan--a man who used a string of aliases to hide a history of criminal charges including robbery, sexual assault and murder--to leave jail until the conclusion of his trial, prosecutors have said.

Deputy district attorneys in Los Angeles, where a special unit was created to prosecute stalking cases, said high bails are essential to keep victims safe. Often, victims of stalking are most at risk after an arrest.

“It’s really important to keep stalkers off the street then because now they’re really mad,” said Rhonda Saunders, a prosecutor on L.A.’s stalking and threat assessment team. “The stalking law is a type of intervention, a tool to use before something tragic happens. . . . I can’t emphasize enough the importance of keeping these guys in jail and away from their victims.”

To be released on bail, an inmate has to pay 10% of the bail amount and put up collateral worth the balance.

Shade’s troubled relationship with Sheehan lasted two years, during which time the couple moved in together and had a baby. But Sheehan was addicted to methamphetamine and became abusive, according to a letter Shade filed with an application for a restraining order on Sept. 3. He violated that order a dozen times and often threatened to kill her.

Police caught up with him on Sept. 13 and he was charged with stalking, making a terrorist threat and 12 restraining order violations.

From jail, he continued to harass Shade, calling her and sending letters. Still, after a preliminary hearing in November, Sheehan was released on just a $20,000 bail. Police next met up with Sheehan on Dec. 4, during the standoff at Shade’s home.

Advocates for domestic violence victims said they are pleased that the judges intend to review bail amounts for other charges besides stalking.

“I think the higher bail will make victims feel more secure,” said Angela Lawson, spokeswoman for the Ventura County Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.

“However, one still needs to be on guard. It’s important that people being stalked take all the right steps and obtain restraining orders.”

Staff writer Fred Alvarez contributed to this report.