Only time before charges are dropped!

George Zimmerman was released around midnight Sunday from a Florida county jail on $150,000 bail as he awaits his second-degree murder trial for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin.

The neighborhood watch volunteer was wearing a brown jacket and blue jeans and carrying a paper bag. He walked out following another man and didn't look over at photographers gathered outside. He then followed the man into a white BMW vehicle and drove away.

Moments before, two Seminole County sheriff's vehicles blocked access to the intake building parking lot where Zimmerman was being released. Zimmerman emerged after two public information officers confirmed the credentials of the photographers outside.

No questions were shouted at Zimmerman, and he gave no statement.

His ultimate destination is being kept secret for his safety and it could be outside Florida.

Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester said at a hearing Friday he cannot have any guns and must observe a 7 p.m.-to-6 a.m. curfew. Zimmerman also surrendered his passport.

Zimmerman had to put up 10 percent, or $15,000, to make bail. His father had indicated he might take out a second mortgage.

Zimmerman worked at a mortgage risk-management company at the time of the shooting and his wife is in nursing school. A website was set up to collect donations for Zimmerman's defense fund. It is unclear how much has been raised.

Bail is not unheard of in second-degree murder cases, and legal experts had predicted it would be granted for Zimmerman because of his ties to the community, because he turned himself in after he was charged last week, and because he has never been convicted of a serious crime.

Prosecutors had asked for $1 million bail, citing two previous scrapes Zimmerman had with the law, neither of which resulted in charges. In 2005, he had to take anger management courses after he was accused of attacking an undercover officer who was trying to arrest Zimmerman's friend. In another incident, a girlfriend accused him of attacking her.

Zimmerman, 28, fatally shot Martin, 17, Feb. 26 inside the gated community where Zimmerman lived during an altercation. Martin was unarmed and was walking back to the home of his father's fiancDee when Zimmerman saw him, called 911 and began following him. A fight broke out -- investigators say it is unknown who started it.

Zimmerman says Martin, who was visiting from Miami, attacked him. Zimmerman says he Martin in self-defense, citing Florida's "stand your ground" law, which gives broad legal protection to anyone who says they used deadly force because they feared death or great bodily harm.

Zimmerman was not charged for over six weeks, sparking national protests led by Martin's parents, civil rights groups and the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Martin was black; Zimmerman's father is white and his mother is from Peru.

Earlier Sunday, Zimmerman's attorney was working to secure the money for bail and a safe place for Zimmerman to stay. But residents in Sanford, where Martin was killed, didn't expect a ruckus once Zimmerman was released.

City commissioners said they hadn't received calls from nervous residents. Protesters didn't show up outside the jail. And talk at one local coffee shop seldom focused on the case.

"It's just kind of a non-issue now," said Michele Church, a server at Mel's Family Diner. "That's pretty much all anybody in Sanford wanted, was an arrest, so it could be sorted out in the court system."

On Friday, a Florida judge agreed to let Zimmerman out on $150,000 bail. Defense attorney Mark O'Mara has said there are several options for where Zimmerman should go, but would not disclose any of them. Lester on Friday indicated Zimmerman would be allowed to leave the state if arrangements with law enforcement could be made for him to be monitored. He will be fitted with an electronic device.

About a half-dozen photographers and cameramen camped outside the Sanford jail Sunday, focused on the door marked "Bonds Rooms," where other people who had been arrested and released on bail exited. Zimmerman had entered the jail about a week earlier after more than a month of nationwide protests calling for his arrest.

"The mood in Sanford has calmed down tremendously," said Sanford Commissioner Patty Mahany, whose district includes the neighborhood where Martin was killed. "I think now that people are able to see the justice system taking place, even though they understand it's going to be quite slow, people are willing to just remain calm and really we're all getting back to our daily routines."

A spokeswoman for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office declined to release any information about whether they were increasing patrols or security.

Defense attorneys for other high-profile clients who awaited trial on bail have said Zimmerman should leave Florida and refrain from going out in public. Sanford residents say they aren't expecting to see him around the neighborhood anytime soon.

"They've already said they're going to move him to a safe place," Church said. "Everyone has calmed down. That's all anyone in Sanford wanted, an arrest."

Meanwhile, Martin's parents published a "Card of Thanks" in The Miami Herald obituary page Sunday. The note says Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin express their appreciation for all the public's support since their son's death. The notice includes a photograph of Trayvon Martin dressed in a hooded sweatshirt, similar to one he was wearing the evening he was killed.

"Words will never express how your love, support and prayers lifted our spirits and continue to give us the strength to march on," the letter says.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/23/george-zimmerman-released-from-florida-jail-on-150000-bond/#ixzz1spwctFRI

After charges get dropped I hope Zimmerman gets a medal and keys to the city!

He did the public a huge service!

Perhaps more 'heros' will luck up and follow around a 'suspicious' teen who actually has committed graffiti and possibly smoked weed, ignite a physical fight, and kill them


perhaps they will likewise follow around kids who did drugs, went to rehab, committed physical aggressoin against others,, or any other host of 'crimes' worthy of being valueless as a human,,,,

The punk was a drug dealing, gang banging dirtbag who got what his rap music hero's yell into the microphone about every single day.

and you know this how?

ever a 'conviction' for his drug dealing or gang banging?

or does he have to fit a higher standard than the man who was 'booked' for aggressive actions several times but now is excused for not being 'charged',...?

Yup actually there was, he got his a$$ suspended over drugs. Right there that is just like a conviction since they had the PROOF to suspend him.

haaa @ 'like' a conviction,,,,,,

One less wanna'-be drug dealing scumbag, gang-banger in the world.

Adios, dead thug. Hope yo' Mama makes enough off yer name to get off da' welfare.

Way ta' go, my Hispanic friend!

haaa

so when are yall signing up to execute all the white weed smoking graffiti artists?

They had enough on him to boot him from school.

This whole situation so upsets me.

I see both sides of this story and know the truth lies somewher in an area that probably neither side really wanted to go.

I have lived across the USA and too many people are living in constant fear that thugs, drug dealers, gang bangers and bigots are taking over.

Kids run in cliques/teams/packs/ gangs, call it what you like, sometimes because they want to but too often because there is saftey in numbers and little respect that ANYONE is living by anything but the law of the jungle even in small towns.

Most of us have little real respect for police officers and their ability to fairly defend us when it gets right down to it. Most of us have had at least one run in with an officer that was rude at best and abusive if not full of excuses about why they can not enforce the law or what we think the laws are.

Sad part is it seems the only people that really are guaranteed protection are the criminals. Victims have to pay for their own attorneys, investigators, and in many cases protection if they survive the initial crime. Citizens can't go down and report a crime and be guaranteed that anything will be done.

I don't think there are clean hands on either side of this story.

This law that they claim allows self protection has a lot of holes in it and invites abuse and tradgedy. I think it encourages people who are already scared to think they can interpret self defense much more widley than really exists.

I think Zimmerman was already angry or he would not have been out after dark, carrying a weapon, running down a person the size of an adult and challengeing his right to be on a public area even if he felt it was "his" neighborhood and the person did not belong. There are several things that suggest he had a problem with boundries and keeping his temper in check. How he got a gun permit makes me wonder and i find it hard to believe anyone actually authorized him to be doing a neighborhood watch.

While I get the concept of neighborhood watch the operative word is to watch not try to be a wanna be cop and trying to question, harrass, detain, or arrest anyone or most especially use deadly force. While a lot of people think he is going to skate on this I think if he does not have a massive legal team researching, documenting, and argueing his side it is likely that he will end up in jail or at least being sued civally and eiter are going to trash his and his families life.

Especially from where it appears he was directly told to desist and let those who are trained handle it. For all intents and purposes he has trashed his life and even if he does not find himself charged he will will have to look over his shoulder the rest of his life. The press will never let this drop and some nut case will probably compound what is already a disaster.

Should a 17 year old, even a less than angelic teen, give up his life because someone does not like his look? Or tried to defend himself wheather verbally or physically from someone who is not clearly a police officer? No way. If someone came up on me in the dark you can bet your britches if all I have is a can of tea and a bag of skittles I am going to knock hell out of them and do my best to get away In reality I think Zimmerman bit off more than he could chew. This kid had no fear, or eveidrntly any supervision, keeping him from running the streets after dark by jimself and that misplaced bravado cost him his life. If it had not been Zimmerman it would sooner or later been someone else.

While I feel the parents pain I can not understand why they did not do exactlyu what I did with my teens which was to stand on their neck anytime they even tried to run the streets after twilight. And believe me that is not easy to do as a single parent much less as two parents who should have insisted that he be accompanied by an adult that had the self control and the common sense not to walk around dressed like a thug and not at least try to defuse the situation with a reasonable explanation of who they were and why they had a right to be doing what they were doing. My teens had jobs, an dates, and school activities of all sorts but I would not have dreamed of them going to a store for anthing at that time of night unaccompamied. And a kid who had been proved to have and attitude with authority? NO WAY.

My "kids".are in the second half of their thirties, Veterans and world tr4avelors and they still don't "stroll" around solo without and ID and a cell phone to get help. And no they don't knuckle under to every big mouth bully who trys to treat them like a second class citizwen because of the color of their skin or their age then or now but they had the common sense to defuse a situation from a distance.

To me it is a tradgedy that this teen had not been required to carry a cell phone and call 911 and report he was being followed or to go to a business or safe house if it meant that the parents had to get off their duff and go pick him up. I raised my teens and 20 somethings in the mean streets of Atlanta and I made a point of making sure that where ever they went people knew who they were and where they belonged. I had the legit neighborhood watch captains on a first name basis with my kids and they were not allowed to wear "thug" clothes no matter how much they thought they were cool. Was it fun checking behind my kids and being called a meanest Mom in the world, and worse, or have sullen teens pouting at times because I told them they would not cease to exist because they didn't go tto certain parties/hang out ect. like the other kids? Or yanking their priveleges when they "tested" the rules? Not really. At times it really felt like a forced march riding herd on them and keeping an eye on who they were friends with. It was embarrassing and aggravateing having even adults tell me how old fashioned I was when I was knocking myself out giving my kids every opportunity I could manage. Defintely was a drag staying up late making sure they were not sneaking out or stuck at home when they were gorunded. But it sure beats the alternative these parents are going through.

While they are blameing everyone else sooner or later they are going to have to face their part in this and I would not give them good odds of getting through this when the cameras go away and there are no more marches showing them sympathy. And the oportunist that are leading the marches will not bother to stand by them or help them once the headlines fade. Their pain will go on for a lifetime.

I agree with everything except the parents responsibility. EVeryone is not the same. Hoodies are wool long sleeve sweaters with hoods, not thug clothes, in the rain they are more than appropriate and have nothing to do with someones right to harass someone else. This teen did have a cell phone, but a seventeen year old male who is from the hood probably has no reason to believe that calling the police about someone 'following' them would result in any action whatsoever. I think this would have only happened 'sooner or later' if another person had profiled his appearance, gone out their way to follow him and confront him, in the dark and the rain.

I dont feel the parents have the responsibility in this. He was old enough to drive a car, and old enough to walk alone at seven pm, which is around the time he was going to and coming from the store. My teen son went out unassisted when he was seventeen, that did not make it my responsibility if someone decided to approach and kill him. HE actually was already on a college campus in another state before he was eighteen, so he had no ADULTS piggybacking his moves. I had to trust him at some point,, seventeen is as good an age as any.

and it depends upon the teen too, this teen had already saved his dad from a fire , so he was probably mature enough to handle a walk to the neighborhood store.

What the hell is "white weed"?

good question,,,,

I think that is what Ted Nugent smokes...maybe

So...how does this actually effect any of us?

How does it effect you?

It doesn't. We have to depend on the justice system and 12 jurors to hear ALL evidence and make a decision. We may or may not agree with that decision but that's the way it goes.

Ideally, that is true.

Reality...that is why I have guns.

The only thing that smokes on Ted Nugent is his music and the end of his gun.