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James and Jennifer Crumbley, top.
Bond for the mother and father of Oxford school shooter Ethan Crumbley was set at $500,000 at a Saturday morning arraignment held after the pair allegedly fled involuntary manslaughter charges and were found hiding in a Detroit building.
James and Jennifer Crumbley both pleaded not guilty to the four counts against them, each which carries a maximum of 15 years in prison. Jennifer, appearing via video from Oakland County Jail, wept as the charges were read.
Though lawyers for the mother and father sought a bond of $50,000 to $100,000, Judge Julie Nicholson of 52-3 District Court took the prosecutor's recommendation of $500,000.
"These are not people that we can be assured will return to court on their own," Nicholson said, adding that the court is concerned they pose a flight and public safety risk.
The bond does not include the option for a 10-percent deposit.
Crumbley attorneys Mariell Lehman and Shannon Smith, who previoulsy represented Larry Nassar, continued to insist their clients did not flee and always planned to appear for their arraignment.
Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald disputed that, noting that the couple withdrew $4,000 from an ATM in Rochester Hills before Detroit police found them in an east-side commercial building after 10:30 p.m.
The mother and father are accused of purchasing the gun used in Tuesday's attack as a gift for Ethan, leaving it unlocked and easily accessible, and failing to intervene when they were summoned to school the day of the shooting over Ethan's violent drawings.
Smith said there is "far more going on" than what the prosecutor's office has shared, including that the gun was locked.
The couple's next hearing is Dec. 14.
