Why 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' told me Christie's legacy is 'stained with blood'

Dog the Bounty Hunter along with his wife and fellow bounty hunter Beth are back in the Garden State. This time, they're here to stand with a family who lost a son to gun violence.

What makes this case difficult is that the family is placing the blame on both the alleged killer and Gov. Chris Christie. Why? Bail reform. We've been debating the topic of bail reform on and off since the new law went into effect in January of this year.

The "good intentions" of the law were this — to allow judges to keep violent offenders locked up until trial, and let people accused of minor offenses with no violent background free. The money set by judges for bail would go away and no one would be kept behind bars who could be free if only they had a few hundred bucks.

That's least was how it was sold. The reality, according to many in law enforcement and certainly to one victim's family, is that is violent offenders are out and committing violent crimes.

That was the case with Jules Black, 30, of Vineland. Authorities say he shot and killed 26-year-old Christian Rodgers of Millville — after being released on a weapons charge just a few days before.

"Dog" and Beth spoke during a news conference Monday in support of Rogers' family, which is suing Gov. Christie and the state over the reform.

"This hug-a-thon campaign has got to stop," the Associated Press reported Chapman said at the press conference. "It's killing people, as you can see. What we need now is for people to stand up for your rights, for your lives, for your children and grandchildren's lives. ... Without a deterrent, this is what happens."

The AP also reports the number of defendants in jail before trial is down 20 percent over the first six months of 2017. Of the 22,000 defendants to appear in state courts so far this year, just 14 percent were sent to jail, it says.

I spoke with Beth during the show Monday. I were fortunate enough to have both Beth and Dog available to spend some time with me in the studio later, when Beth squarely laid the blame at Christie's feet for letting violent criminals free. I'm following up with both Beth and Dog on Chasing News Monday night, and I'll also be joining Beth and Dog on their podcast as well.

The controversy over NJ's bail reform supported by Christie will not go away until the public and law enforcement can be assured violent offenders will stay locked up. Period. In typical NJ fashion, the politicians in Trenton seem to have created a solution that has actually become a much worse problem. #BringBackBail

Why ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ told me Christie’s legacy is ‘stained with blood’