A Supreme Judicial Court judge denied a motion to lower bail for the man accused of raping a 15-year-old girl at a Rockland hotel being used as an emergency shelter this past March.
In his ruling, Associate Justice Serge Georges Jr. wrote that he denied the petition to have Cody Alvarez’s bail lowered from $150,000 down to $500 to make sure that the defendant was not removed from the country by federal authorities and would stand trial, according to a statement by the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office.
“After hearing, I find that the judge did not abuse her discretion in determining that this high amount is necessary to assure the defendant’s appearance at trial,” the judge wrote. “The defendant is subject to an imminent deportation order, which he [has] not challenged in any way, and it appears that if he is released on bail, he will be promptly removed from this country by Federal authorities. In these circumstances, the judge properly found it necessary to detain him until trial by setting bail in a higher than affordable amount.”