A La Crosse area man found himself back in jail hours after La Crosse County Circuit Judge Ramona Gonzalez lowered his bond from $10,000 cash to $2,500 cash.
It only took Jesse Turnmire four hours after bonding out of jail to be back in his cell. Jesse Turnmire, 29, who has a criminal record dating back to 2006, was originally held on a $10,000 cash bond on charges of felon in possession of firearm, and a host of other charges from a shooting case on La Crosse’s south side from December 16th. He was able to afford his lowered bond, which allowed him to walk out of jail and straight back to his continued pattern of victimizing our community.
While La Crosse police investigators were still putting together details on Turnmire’s December 16th shooting case, his bond was posted on Decemeber 19th around 6:30pm and he returned to the streets. Investigators were conducting surveillance after obtaining information of a possible drug deal. They observed Turnmire and Matthew Symitczek, 32, a felon with a criminal record going back to 2007, together in the parking lot of a local hotel around 10:30pm, about four hours after Turnmire had bonded out of jail on his lowered cash bond.
Approximately 15 grams of meth was located on Turnmire, in addition to a large amount of cash and a realistic looking pellet handgun in the vehicle. Investigators later served a search warrant at a hotel where both men were suspected of staying.
Investigators located a box of handgun ammunition on a table with Turnmire’s court paperwork. Police also found more meth and suspected heroin in the hotel room.
Turnmire is jailed again (for now) on charges of possession with intent to deliver meth and two counts of felony bail jumping. Symitczek was charged with carrying a concealed knife, felony bail jumping, possession with intent to deliver meth and a probation hold.
“We understand the bond system and that its main objective is securing future court appearances, however judges are also allowed to consider protection of the community and its safety along with the criminal history of the defendants. Firing bullets into a house is a serious community safety issue. In this incident I don’t believe that community safety was considered by lowering the bond. I don’t understand why our judges keep letting felons with guns consistently back onto the streets,” said Asst. Chief Rob Abraham.
Court notes from December 19th at 12:30pm indicate that Turnmire stated his family could afford $2,500 to bond him out, which Judge Gonzalez graciously granted following on his arrest from December 16th. Ironically, Matthew Symitczek actually posted Turnmire’s bond.
Both men are considered innocent until proven guilty.
La Crosse PD Newsroom 
Where would La Crosse be if all police went on strike? Seems like the citizens should band together and get rid of the insufficient court system that’s allowing La Crosse to be the scarry place it has become.
Judge Ramona Gonzalez does it again. Doesn’t surprise me.
I would love to see a law passed that basically states that if they are caught red handed they forego their right to court and are sentenced to the max penalty for their crimes. It would save the courts time, the police time, and lives of potential future victims. Granted it’s costly to jail them, but lives are priceless and the money saved by excluding them from court would compensate for some of that. Perhaps they’d think a little harder before choosing to make those choices.
Just like the diversion agreement program, continuious loophole. Give a meth addict a breathlyzer. No drug test no consequences. We have real drug problems, the courts feel sorry for them and don’t hold them accountable for their actions. They just let them back into the community to victimize the rest of us.
Maybe its time to get new judges that can make us safe!!
No one ever runs against incumbents.
Both men are considered innocent until proven guilty.
Really with all those offenses. Put them away for Good
Thanks for this Article.
Is there anyone at the state level that can help?? Can we sue the judges and county for waste of tax dollars & resources???
What is the process to recall a judge?
Don’t think any judge in this county has ever reached anything close to being recalled. In fact, we have good judges in the sense they know the laws and procedures plus how to implement them. The problem is all of them are of the same liberal mindset. It would be good to have a mix of professional styles. That would give them some good debates at judges’ meetings, maybe get them thinking about their practices. When they are of like minds, they tend to all ‘rubberstamp’ each other’s decisions. Not much to debate. YET no one runs until a judge retires. Voters seem to vote in the most liberal so that is what we have.