DENVER — Bond was set at $10,000 for a man accused of making anti-Muslim remarks while armed near a Denver mosque.
Benjamin Casillas-Rocha, 24, was released from jail after a court appearance Saturday. He will be required to have GPS monitoring and was ordered to stay 100 yards away from the mosque. A protection order was also ordered that will require Casillas-Rocha to stay away from several mosque members, and he cannot possess arms or ammunition or consume alcohol or drugs.
At Casillas-Rocha's first court appearance since the incident, the defense made the case that Casillas-Rocha was not a flight risk because he has no violent history, is a student at Metropolitan State University of Denver, and has a steady job and a strong family support system. The defense also said this was an isolated incident.
But the magistrate said Casillas-Rocha has failed to appear in court 18 times in the past five years, which makes him a flight risk.
Casillas-Rocha's mother and sister told 9NEWS after his court appearance Saturday that the incident Thursday was not bias-motivated and that the family intended to pay the bond. They also said the family has been living across the alley from the mosque for 25 or 26 years and has never had any issues.
According to the Denver Sheriff Department website, Casillas-Rocha was next due in court Dec. 4.
