Follansbee Man Accused of Threatening Jury in Tree of Life Shooting Trial Denied Pretrial Release
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At the detention hearing for the Follansbee man accused of threatening jurors and witnesses in the recent Tree of Life mass shooting, U.S. Magistrate Judge James Mazzone determined that Hardy Carroll Lloyd would not be released from Northern Regional Jail prior to his Oct. 31 trial.
Lloyd was arrested on the morning of Aug. 10 on charges related to alleged obstruction and witness tampering in the recent Tree of Life shooting trial in Pittsburgh. Lloyd faces charges of obstruction of due administration of justice, transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce and witness tampering.
Mazzone found that First Assistant U.S. Attorney Randolph Bernard and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod Douglas, who are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government, were able to provide a "burden of convincing evidence" that Lloyd would be a "danger to the community" if released from jail before trial.
The "convincing evidence" Bernard and Douglas used in the detention hearing came in the form of indirect and direct threats Lloyd made to the community. Mazzone also found Lloyd's criminal history, which includes a conviction involving a firearm and probation violations, as further reasons that the Follansbee man is not eligible for pretrial release.
Lloyd was also determined a "flight risk" by Mazzone, as the Follansbee resident made multiple posts on his website and sent emails referring to his arrest as a "kidnapping."
Lloyd is accused of making threatening social media posts and owning a website containing threatening comments and emails toward jury members and witnesses in the trial of Robert Bowers. Bowers was convicted of a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that killed 11 people and wounded six, including several Holocaust survivors.
If convicted, Lloyd could receive five years in prison for the threats charge, 10 years in prison for the obstruction charge and 20 years in prison for the tampering charge.