Brian Blair Update

Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian "Killer Bee" Blair was ordered released from jail by Judge Walter Heinrich. Blair was arrested on two counts on child abuse. Blair was arraigned in video court at the Orient Road jail. Judge Heinrich is famous for not offering probation or releasing the accused on their own recognizance. His attitude is much more lenient for Blair.

Blair initially was held without bail, a common procedure in domestic violence cases. Heinrich released him on his own recognizance.

Usually, those accused of such crimes can't have any contact with their victims and must move out of the home if the victims also reside there.

Heinrich initially gave Blair such an admonishment but put the decision in the hands of DCF officials once Lorenzo told him they were involved. The judge also noted the age of the alleged victims, saying they aren't infants.

The infamous Walter Heinrich sense of compassion.

Blair choked and punched both his sons. Two other boys, not related to Blair, are witnesses to the alleged attacks. Blair told the media "If they were there, I think they'd understand the situation." Meaning the voters. Blair's spin was it was a "misunderstanding."

"It's a real, I guess, unfortunate situation, that it's a misunderstanding that could have been prevented," Blair told reporters as left jail. "I have over 7,000 hours mentoring children, and the last thing that I'd ever do is hurt a kid. Sometimes the hardest kids to mentor are your own."

The police report said Blair might have been drunk. AA and anger management might have prevented the incident.

Blair is going back to his home with his two boys. He was photographed arm-in-arm with his wife outside of the Orient Road Jail. I doubt Blair will be convicted with his celebrity and the DCF's track record of screwing up child abuse cases.