Cocoa officer in hours-long standoff requests bond hearing after week behind bars

Patrick Kelly, 39, arrested following hours-long standoff at Viera home

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – After being behind bars for a week, Cocoa Police Officer Patrick Kelly is still trying to get out of jail after deputies said he shot through the roof and windows of his Viera home toward the SWAT team responding to a domestic violence incident on Dec. 28.

Following the four-hour standoff, Judge Katy Jacobus said she declined to set a bond for Kelly in order to protect the community.

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Kelly now has a new attorney since his first appearance, and the attorney is arguing his no-bond order is “unreasonable.”

A motion to set bond reads that Kelly is not charged with a capital or life offense, and Kelly is not a risk to flee prosecution.

Because he was a Cocoa officer for 15 years, his attorney writes Kelly knows many of the other inmates in the Brevard jail.

The officer was kept in a “very small cell by himself,” and to “further keep him safe,” the officer was moved to the Seminole County jail.

If he can post a bond, the motion reads Kelly will continue seeking treatment for substance abuse and mental health.

Greg Leinweber, who recorded the standoff, told News 6 he believes no bond is fair.

“Even with him being a police officer, cops know the rules,” the officer’s neighbor said. “They enforce the rules, and he obviously broke the rules.”

Calls to Kelly’s attorney Thursday were unreturned.

Stick with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for continuing coverage when the court schedules Kelly’s bond hearing.

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About the Author:

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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