Well, more information is leaking out and it looks very dire for our pal Ron. At first it was reported that he had an outstanding warrant out for his arrest for a robbery charge from the late 1990s. Thanks to a reporter from Arizona, Caitlin Schmidt, we now know that he was arrested last week on a probation revocation that occurred in 2001 for an armed robbery conviction in Cobb County from 2000. That changes everything and here's why.
Proving a 20 year old case is really difficult. The detectives have retired, witnesses die or move away, memories fade etc. But a probation revocation is the easiest thing in the world. If he was on probation in 2001 he obviously pleaded guilty in 2000 to armed robbery. And if his probation was revoked in 2001 and he wasn't immediately jailed, it means he quit reporting and fled the jurisdiction. So, here's what happened next in 2001. Before they do the pleas calendar in Cobb Superior Court, they usually do probation revocations. Ron's undoubtedly took less than a minute. The probation officer stated under oath that he quit reporting and fled the jurisdiction. He/she asked that the probation be revoked and a bench warrant issue for his arrest. The Judge granted it and moved on to the next revocation.
When Ron is extradited and gets back to Georgia he literally has no credible legal argument to make to fight his probation revocation. All he can do is throw himself on the mercy of the court. I've represented plenty of criminals at revocations and if they quit reporting all you can do is argue that your client has been a good boy or girl since they violated their probation. Given Ron's subsequent conduct, he is not going to be finding a very sympathetic judge, especially for an armed robbery conviction. The judge can sentence him to serve in prison up to whatever time he had left on probation (or, if he somehow was on a First Offender plea, basically sentence him up to 19 years in prison or more).
Ron Bell is in a world of hurt. It couldn't happen to a more deserving person.
Here's the link to the Caitlin Schmidt interview
https://player.fm/series/zach-clark-instant-replay/ep-3-19-caitlin-schmidt-interview