KINGWOOD — A Morgantown man accused of murder was denied bond for the second time in Preston County Circuit Court Tuesday.
Aaron Glenn Hoard, 33, is charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 3 shooting death of Grant Felton Jr. The incident happened outside Shorthorns Saloon in Terra Alta.
First-degree murder carries a possible life without parole sentence. Hoard has been in jail since he surrendered to police in Monongalia County the day after the shooting.
Hoard’s attorney, Belinda Haynie, asked the court for bond and questioned why her client’s case wasn’t presented to the March Grand Jury.
“I don’t know why it wasn’t presented nor the reason,” she told the court. “We believe this failure to indict is reason for the court to consider bail.”
Preston Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Megan Allender said the decision to indict or not was “flat out” at her discretion.
“And I stand on my choice,” she said. “He should not be granted bail. Past conduct shows he fled the scene. He fled Terra Alta and fled in the opposite direction from the Kingwood Police Department.”
Haynie told the court Hoard didn’t know there was a warrant for his arrest until the next day. She said when he found out, he voluntarily surrendered to police.
Allender told the court she didn’t indict this term of the grand jury because the autopsy report on Felton isn’t back from the State Medical Examiners office yet.
Preston Circuit Judge Steve Shaffer said Hoard had “every opportunity” to surrender to Preston County police.
“Instead he traveled to Mon County, where he sought the assistance of his family,” Shaffer said.
He said it was the court’s discretion when to set bond. Shaffer also refused to set bond at a November hearing, saying he couldn’t rule out the possibility of the family pooling its resources to help Hoard leave the country.
“This court will not issue bond for first-degree murder, murder or kidnapping. That has been my decision since becoming judge. There is nothing to assure me he will be here for every hearing. I’m going to deny bond,” Shaffer said.
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