An Ignacio man suspected of running over his girlfriend as an act of domestic violence had his bail set at $6,000 Tuesday in La Plata County Court.
Deputy District Attorney Rich Schmittel asked for a $50,000 bail, saying Case Fields has a history of domestic violence, including choking the same woman in 2011. But La Plata County Magistrate Sarah Law said the scheduled bail amount for a fifth-degree felony, which Fields is being held on, is typically $3,000. She doubled it in recognition of his violent history.
Janelle Bilyeu, the woman who was run over Friday in Bayfield, cried uncontrollably Tuesday upon learning of the bail amount, saying Fields needs to post only $900 through a bail bondsman – something he should be able to do.
“I’m terrified,” she said in a telephone interview. “This is a scary situation for me. I don’t feel good. He’s very dangerous. He already told me that if I don’t watch out, he’ll kill me and massacre everyone around me. ... I don’t want to die.”
If he is released, Fields must submit to GPS monitoring, relinquish his firearms, abstain from alcohol and drugs, and cannot have contact with Bilyeu.
Fields, 31, was arrested Friday on suspicion of backing over Bilyeu while she was exiting his vehicle in the 100 block of Mill Street in downtown Bayfield. The incident occurred after a 20-mile drive from south of Ignacio to Bayfield, in which Fields and Bilyeu argued about money. Fields began driving erratically, speeding, swerving, and banging his head on the steering wheel of his 1999 Chevy Silverado, Bilyeu told the Bayfield Marshal’s Office.
She suffered several fractures to her right leg that required a metal rod for support, she said. She also needed stitches in her elbow.
Fields served about 3½ years of a six-year prison sentence for choking Bilyeu in 2011 in front of a Durango restaurant. He was recorded on a videophone inside the jail bragging to his father that he almost snapped her neck, according to statements made during his sentencing hearing.
Fields’ father, Ron Fields, called the Herald on Tuesday to say past comments have been taken out of context; his son is a “great guy.”
“He’s trustworthy as hell,” Ron Fields said. “He makes his own money, makes his own living. ... I would just like for the people who read all these negative things about him, these things are not really true.”
Fields appeared on his best behavior Tuesday, answering routine questions with “yes, your honor,” during his advisement hearing.
Formal charges are expected to be filed Nov. 14 in District Court.
shane@durangoherald.com
