A man charged with shooting his son-in-law in the back of the head has been freed from jail.
Criminal Court Judge Don Poole lowered the bond for Glen Allen Donaldson from $500,000 to $375,000.
Judge Poole wrote in a two-page opinion, "It does not appear from the evidence that has been presented at this time that this is anything other than a first-degree murder case, therefore the bond should be based upon a possible conviction of a Class "M" felony, but also the purposes of bond are still there and will be adhered to by this Court being to ensure the presence of the defendant in court and to protect the public."
He said, "It is very clear that the defendant meets the guidelines to not have an excessive bond, but also considering the facts of the case and the purposes of bond it is believed that the bond should be lowered in a certain amount."
The case involves the Dec.
29 death of Adam Levi in Ooltewah.
Attorney Jerry Summers called the bond "totally excessive," while prosecutor Cameron Williams said the facts point toward first-degree murder. He said bond is often well over $1 million in first-degree murder cases.