Nearly a month after his initial arrest for manslaughter in Prague, Czech Republic, Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe should be released on Monday, July 23, 2012. This news follows Blythe’s legal team offering an additional $200,000 to the original $200,000 bail. The prosecution denied the first bail attempt, so we’ll see if any roadblocks get set up for the total $400,000 bail.
We erroneously reported in a previous article that Blythe had had an altercation with a fan, which resulted in the fan dying in the hospital a month later. In the last month, new charges have been put forth that Randy pushed the fan off the stage, which resulted in the fan hitting his head on the floor, leading to a traumatic brain injury. There is video “evidence” (below) that would appear to refute the prosecution’s claim that Randy actually pushed the fan.
Video footage of the kid jumping onstage three times
However, Blythe’s Czech attorney, Martin Radvan, has stated:
“We are now waiting for his release because the band has already collected the additional 200,000 dollars, and only due to long travel time between the Prague Municipal Court and the court for Prague 8, we are still waiting. Otherwise, he should have already been released.”
Upon his release, Randy Blythe should be permitted to travel home, but he will likely have to return to the Czech Republic for the trial and/or additional investigations. This shouldn’t be a problem, as Radvan has stated that his client is an international figure who wants to continue his career, meaning that running isn’t an option.
Randy Blythe maintains his innocence, and in the last month there has been mounting evidence to support him. The Gauntlet has staunchly following this story and has provided a number of videos that reveal that the fan’s (Daniel Nosek) fall was the result of the security guard pushing him off the stage. This final push came after Daniel had repeatedly rushed and mounted the stage, probably to the chagrin of the band and security.
Nonetheless, this has been a very frustrating situation for Randy Blythe and Lamb of God. Randy has been sitting in jail for nearly a month with no official charges laid, bail has been paid and refused by the prosecution, and now additional bail has been posted.
For the poor Czech metal fans, this is going to have a ripple effect on the future of heavy metal shows in their country. It’s already begun:
”One booking agent related to The Gauntlet, ‘was lining up a European tour and now the Czech dates are questionable. Bands see that what is happening to Randy could happen to any of them at any time. Now I have to re-route the tour around the Czech Republic. What can you do? I can’t blame the bands for feeling this way either, it is a bad situation for everyone.’”
Band managers have also expressed concerns about playing in the Czech Republic, and they’re either going to avoid it or demand greater security. The increase in security will add to the expenses of the venue, which will translate to higher ticket prices. Ultimately, this won’t bode well for Czech metal fans, as not many metal acts don’t go through their country as it is. With this debacle, even less are likely and fans will have to travel.
Let’s hope Randy is freed tomorrow.
Rock Hard \m/
