Cortland Voice

The Briefing

The Cortland Voice originally published an article in which a man charged with second-degree rape and other alleged offenses is said to have been “arraigned and released without bail in accordance with the bail reform laws enacted Jan 1.” However, rape charges and all sex offenses, including misdemeanor sex offenses, remain eligible for money bail and pre-trial jailing under the new laws. The judge exercised judicial discretion in releasing the accused man based on available information and was in no way prevented from setting bail by the new law. The information in this article appeared to have been sourced entirely from the Cortland County Sheriff’s office, which has made clear its opposition to the new bail laws.

Update: Correction

We thank the Cortland Voice for issuing a correction. Shortly after the Daily Debunk pointed out the false premise of the article, sourced near entirely from Cortland County Sheriff's Office, the Cortland Voice issued this correction: "Wagner was released to alternatives to incarceration. The bail reform laws enacted Jan. 1 did not affect the purview of the Judge regarding his bail status."