Troubleshooters: Judge did not set Jamarcus Glover’s bond before he went on the run

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A “trial commissioner,” not a judge, set the bond for known drug dealer Jamarcus Glover before he went on the run, WAVE Troubleshooters have learned.

Glover, who was the target of the narcotics investigation that resulted in the death of Breonna Taylor, was given a $20,000 full cash bond early Sunday morning hours after his most recent arrest.

Glover bonded out. He then failed to appear at his arraignment Wednesday morning.

Glover’s latest charges included trafficking fentanyl, guns and allegedly having minors sell the fentanyl for him. He was charged with a total of five felonies. The amount of fentanyl he was charged with was greater than 10 grams. According to a former narcotics detective, just one gram of fentanyl is enough to kill several people.

WAVE News Troubleshooters uncovered Glover was given the $20,000 bond by the trial commissioner around 5:30 a.m. Three people put up the money and Glover was out of jail.

Trial Commissioners are used in Jefferson County to set bond amounts overnight while the district court judges sleep. It’s a practice that’s been used in the county for years.

According to Kentucky State Law, trial commissioners are entitled to set bond amounts, and to act as a district judge if needed in counties where only one district court judge exists. The state laws applicable to trial commissioners were established, and mostly haven’t been revised in nearly 30 years.

The law also says they should hold a law degree, but it’s unclear if that’s a requirement in Jefferson County. The trial commissioner in this case works in family court as a staff attorney, WAVE Troubleshooters learned.

Trial commissioners are appointed by the Chief Judge of the district and approved by the state’s Chief Justice.

There are also many questions about what the trial commissioner in this case knew, or didn’t know, about Glover at the time of the bond hearing.

A judicial source explained trial commissioners normally are not presented with a suspect’s Courtnet information which lists their criminal history. The source added the trial commissioners mostly operate within the confines of the charges presented, the information the pre-trial officer provides, and the score the defendant gets based on a risk assessment. Risk assessments are not subject to open record requests.

Glover was on probation for a previous trafficking conviction, but it’s also unclear if the trial commissioner was made aware of that fact by the pre-trial officer.

WAVE News Troubleshooters are investigating what it takes to become a trial commissioner, what requirements must be met and how much they are even paid.

The trial commissioner in this case works in family court as a staff attorney. WAVE News Troubleshooters reached out to her for her side of the story. She responded saying she was appreciative of the opportunity but did not comment further.

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