IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

$30 million bail set for Calif. kidnap suspect

A judge has set bail at $30 million for a Northern California man accused of kidnapping a girl and holding her captive for 18 years.
Kidnapped Girl Found
Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, in court in Placerville, Calif., on Monday for a bail hearing on charges in the 1991 abduction of Jaycee Dugard.Rich Pedroncelli / AP
/ Source: NBC News and news services

A judge on Monday set bail at $30 million for a Northern California man accused of kidnapping a girl and holding her captive for 18 years.

In setting the high amount, El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister cited the serious nature of the charges, injuries to the girl and the fact that Phillip Garrido was on parole at the time of the alleged abduction.

Garrido, 58, and his wife, Nancy Garrido, 54, have pleaded not guilty to 29 charges of kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment charges and have been held without bail in an El Dorado County jail.

The couple are accused of kidnapping 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard from her home in 1991 then holding her captive in a backyard jumble of tents and sheds for nearly two decades. Authorities say Phillip Garrido fathered two daughters with Dugard.

Psychiatric evaluation
Nancy Garrido continues to be held without bail, something her attorney did not object to during Monday's hearing. Phillip Garrido is unlikely to be released because of his parole violations, even if he could raise the money.

He appeared in court with a bandage on his nose and a newly grown gray beard. He and his wife both appeared solemn during the 10-minute hearing, during which the judge granted a request by Phillip Garrido's attorney, Susan Gellman, for a psychiatric evaluation of her client.

Nancy Garrido's attorney, Gilbert Maines, reserved the right to request one.

Gellman told the judge several law enforcement agencies have sought to interview her client about other cases they are pursuing.

"He does not consent to be questioned for any purposes," Gellman said.

The judge said Gellman would notified of any interview efforts.

Outside court, District Attorney Vern Pierson told a throng of media from around the world that investigators were continuing to pursue other leads in the case.

"As of today there are no additional charges ... that's not to say there won't be," he said.

He said Dugard and her children were doing exceptionally well under the circumstances after being reunited with Dugard's mother shortly after the Garridos were arrested Aug. 27.

"Basic human decency mandates honoring the family's request for privacy," he said.

Next court date in October
He declined to comment on rumors that Dugard, now 29, has agreed to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

On the question of whether Jaycee Dugard will testify at any trial: "The witness will have to come in when the case goes to trial," he said.

Before Monday's hearing, deputy district attorney Trish Kelliher filed court papers that said a stun gun was used to subdue the victim when she was kidnapped from a South Lake Tahoe street in 1991.

Both defendants are due back in court for an Oct. 29 hearing.