A judge denied the request that the bond be lowered in the triple-fatal wrong-way crash on I-85 last Sunday, July 19.
Roger Smith Jr. and Wade Smith appeared on behalf of 20-year-old Chandler Michael Kania in Orange County Court, on Monday, to appeal to Judge Charles Anderson for a lower bond.
“The plan would be for him to go home to his family in Asheboro, where he has the support there,” Roger Smith says. “Any other conditions that you want to impose on him, which I know you did on last Thursday, curfew, electronic house arrest…a continuing alcohol monitoring device; any of those are just fine.
“But I certainly hope you would consider reducing the bond from where it currently sits, and I would suggest to the court – I hope it’s ok – that you would set a bond at $250,000.”
Anderson denied the request, leaving the bond as it was originally set at $1 million, as Kania’s mother cried from her seat in the courtroom.
READ MORE: Kania Charged with 3 Counts of 2nd-Degree Murder
Kania is charged with three counts of second-degree murder among a litany of other charges related to the crash. He is accused of drunkenly driving the wrong way on Interstate 85 for nearly six miles before crashing head on into another vehicle, killing three of the four passengers.
Search warrants released on Monday show investigators believe Kania used a fake ID to drink alcohol at La Residence and He’s Not Here.
In arguing for a bond reduction, Smith touted Kania’s past – including serving as Student Body President at Asheboro High School and his lack of a criminal history.
But Assistant District Attorney Jeff Nieman put forward the state still considered Kania a danger to himself and others, as well as a flight risk – even though Kania has surrendered his passport.
“I concede there’s not a history of flight,” Nieman says. “But as I said on Thursday, those who would say he has no reason to flee would have also said there’s no reason to believe that he would have been operating a motor vehicle impaired by alcohol and killing three people last Sunday morning.”
Nieman adds he considers the state’s case to be very strong and Kania could face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
READ MORE: Head-On Collision on I-85 Kills Three
Kania was not present in the courtroom Monday as he recovers from surgery on a broken right ankle, broken left foot, and broken left arm.
Nine-year-old Jahnia King is the lone survivor of the car struck by Kania’s 2005 Jeep Wrangler; she suffered two broken bones in the lower left leg and a broken right collarbone, according to Nieman’s statement last Thursday.
49-year-old Felicia Harris, 46-year-old Darlene McGee, and six-year-old Jahnice Baird were all killed in the crash.
Bakojo Oguntola is McGee’s cousin. He spoke after the hearing.
“I’m happy that the judge decided to hold the bond where it is,” he says. “It’s quite evident that the guy is guilty of the charges.”
But Oguntola adds his family doesn’t hold any malice in their hearts toward Kania or his family.
“He’s a victim as well, but like I said earlier, he’s a victim of his choices,” Oguntola says. “He’s a victim of the choices that he made. And he’s a murderer. A drunk driver.
“And we’ve seen this scenario so many times in this country. He’s a drunk driver. Whether he’s 20, 30, 40, or 50, it still comes out to be the same thing.”
Oguntola says he is at the hearing to fight for justice for those killed.
“There’s no mystery that privileged people have a way of pushing things under the rug,” he says. “And there has to be accountability.
“And we choose to be here to make sure that we have an eye on the situation; that in case family have an opportunity to speak up, then our voices can be heard – because Darlene’s voice cannot be heard. But we can speak on her behalf.”
He adds the family is still in mourning and they will keep Kania’s relatives in their thoughts.
“My heart goes out to his family, to his mother, and his father, his siblings, because they’re suffering a loss as well,” he says. “But it doesn’t negate the loss that we’re dealing with. It doesn’t negate the six-year-old. It doesn’t negate Darlene.
“Darlene doesn’t have a criminal record. Darlene worked two jobs. She was just a good person.”
READ MORE: Kania Family “Devastated” After Crash
Anderson said, during the initial appearance last Thursday, the case involved unimaginable horror. He followed up that statement, on Monday, with more questions about what we should be doing as a society to prevent these losses in the future.
“It begs the question, ‘What are we doing wrong in this world?’” he asks. “On college campuses all over the state and all over the country, we’re not better preparing our most privileged, intelligent, entitled children on how to handle alcohol.”
Anderson did say he was open to reducing the bond if the attorneys agreed for Kania to attend a rehab facility upon his release.
Kania’s next court appearance is set for August 10.
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines