Putnam Commissioner Released On Home Incarceration Under Several Conditions

Putnam County Commissioner Jimmy Neal has been released on home incarceration with several conditions following a Monday hearing.

Neal will be under 24-hour lock-down with location monitoring technology as he awaits a trail. Attorney meetings, court appearances and medical necessities are excluded from the condition.

Neal shall also obtain two mental health assessments no later than 48 hours after release. Neal reported to pretrail services Tuesday morning to receive the conditions of release.

Neal was charged and arrested last month by federal agents for the possession, receipt and distribution of child pornography.

The conditions were signed by Magistrate Judge Alistair Newbern in the U.S. Court of Middle Tennessee. They go on to say Neal shall not possess any device capable of capturing videos or pictures, shall not use a computer without pretrial approval and is subject to unannounced examinations if a computer is used.

The defendant must, “avoid all contact, directly or indirectly, with any person who is or may be a victim or witness in the investigation or prosecution, including: with children who appear to be under the age of 18, nor frequent, volunteer, or work at places where children congregate (e.g., playgrounds, arks, malls, day-care centers or schools) unless approved by the Pretrial Service Office.”

Neal was granted contact with his minor son under supervision.

The conditions say, “violating any of the foregoing conditions of release may result in the immediate issuance of a warrant for your arrest, a revocation of your release, an order of detention, a forfeiture of any bond, and a prosecution for contempt of court and could result in imprisonment, a fine, or both.”

“While on release, if you commit a federal felony offense the punishment is an additional prison term of not more than ten years and for a federal misdemeanor offense the punishment is an additional prison term of not more than one year. This sentence will be consecutive (i.e., in addition to) to any other sentence you receive.”