A wave of community outrage is building following the release of a Guatemalan national without bail after being charged with providing cannabis-laced gummies that hospitalized 12 William Floyd Middle School students.
Wilmer Castillo Garcia, 22, faces four felony counts—including two for criminal sale of a controlled substance and two for possession—as well as two misdemeanors for endangering the welfare of a child. He also allegedly sold cocaine and marijuana to an undercover officer, resulting in further felony drug charges.
District Attorney Raymond Tierney called the release “yet another example of how New York’s bail laws are broken,” lamenting that existing statute renders even serious charges—combined with a foreign national’s flight risk—non-bail-eligible.
State Senator Dean Murray sharply criticized Garcia’s release: “I’m happy with Suffolk law enforcement—they did a great job. DA Ray Tierney secured an indictment—but then they had to release the guy because of the ridiculous bail-reform laws. He is a foreign national from Guatemala. He is a definite flight risk. And yet they release him back out onto the streets.”
“This case tragically demonstrates what’s wrong with the absurd criminal justice system inflicted on us by the Socialist Democrats,” noted Assemblyman Joseph DeStefano. “Twelve middle schoolers hospitalized—children—and the suspect immediately walks free. This shatters any public confidence left in the system that Gov. Hochul and Zohran Mandani support,” the Assemblyman said of the Democrat candidate for New York mayor.
DeStefano is pushing to repeal the cashless bail laws signed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo after they were approved by a Democrat-only vote in the middle of the night. “We need amendments that prioritize public safety over ideology. Judges must be empowered to consider flight risk, especially when children are endangered. Enough is enough,” he stressed.
“If endangering our children isn’t reason enough to keep this guy off the streets, what is?” Senator Murray wondered. “We are in a fight—people are dying every single day from overdoses, fentanyl, and other dangerous drugs. If we can’t set bail and hold the pushers, we can’t cut off the supply. And yet, there’s no logic behind letting dealers back on the streets. It’s twisted.”
“Bail reform was meant to deliver fairness, but cases like this show they swung way too far,” said Civic Activist Rosalie Hanson. “We need reforms that don’t strip courts of the tools to protect communities—especially our kids.”