Idaho judge denies bail reduction in pastor shooting case

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — An Idaho man accused of shooting a pastor will be held on a $500,000 bond after a judge denied a request to reduce that amount.

Kootenai County Public Defender Lisa Chesebro requested a lower bail on Thursday so that Kyle Odom, 30, would not have to be held in the maximum security wing of the jail, reported The Coeur d’Alene Press. Chesebro said the bond amount requires jail officials to keep him there.

Prosecutors say Odom shot Coeur d’Alene pastor Tim Remington six times March. He was originally charged with attempted murder, but it been amended to aggravated battery.

Lowering the bail “allows the jail to establish where is best to house Kyle,” she told Kootenai County District Judge James Stow. “Reduce it by $1 even. We are just trying to get Kyle out of maximum security.”

Chesebro also argued that the bond amount is excessive now that Odom’s charge has been reduced.

But Stow said Odom is a public safety risk and the internal policies of the jail are not relevant.

“The bond, as set, is appropriate,” Stow said.