New York Post: The career criminal charged with slashing a woman on her way to work in Chelsea was on the streets because a judge ignored warnings that he’s a “high risk” defendant and sprung him without bail on an earlier assault, The Post has learned.
Kari Bazemore is also suspected in yet another attack on a Bronx woman after Manhattan Judge Laurie Peterson set him free on Dec. 31.
“She screwed up big time,” a court source said of Peterson, who has a reputation among courthouse regulars for being smart and fair. “Was her head in the sand that day or something?”
Bazemore, 41, who has more than 30 prior arrests, appeared before the Mayor de Blasio-appointed jurist on charges he slugged a woman in Greenwich Village as she walked with her husband on Dec. 30.
He was established as a “high risk” of flight — a key factor for judges in setting bail — by the New York City Criminal Justice Agency, which evaluates all defendants before their arraignments.
The nonprofit determined Bazemore was likely to skip his next court date and “not recommended for ROR [release on his own recognizance],” documents state.
Agency reps interviewed Bazemore and gave him an abysmal score of negative-6 on his CJA assessment — the lowest being negative-10, according to the report.
He lost points for not have a working phone, not knowing anyone who could appear at his arraignment and having prior warrants.
Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Ashley Foote — who asked for $1,000 bail — also said during his arraignment that he had “three misdemeanor convictions” and had failed to appear in court once before.
She told the judge that Bazemore admitted to cops that, “I pulled my hand out of my pocket and it landed on her face. She fell to the ground and I got scared.”
