ROCKFORD — Judge Joseph McGraw reduced Patrick Pursley's bond on Monday on a charge that Pursley tried to use a bag of urine that was not his own for a Dec. 14 drug test.
McGraw cut the $50,000 bond that was set on Dec. 15 by another judge to $10,000. Pursley represented himself in court on Monday.
Now, Pursley needs to post a total of $1,000 to bail out of Winnebago County Jail on that charge as well as for a bond McGraw increased on Wednesday in a murder case.
Pursley spent 23 years in prison for the 1993 fatal shooting of Andy Ascher in Rockford and is waiting to hear if he will get a new trial in that case. Pursley maintains his innocence. Prosecutors have appealed McGraw's April ruling that Pursley should get a new trail based on new ballistics tests.
Pursley was initially released from jail after friends and family posted $5,000 in bail money on the $50,000 bond McGraw set in April in the murder case. He was taken back into custody after the Dec. 14 drug test.
Court records also show that Pursley will have to meet with the court's pretrial services program every week, submit to weekly drug testing, and comply with all other conditions of bond in his pending cases.
Pursley will be back in court again on Feb. 23. On Tuesday, Pursley remained in Winnebago County Jail.
Georgette Braun: 815-987-1331; gbraun@rrstar.com; @GeorgetteBraun