O.J. Simpson free after judge's scolding

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Former football pro O.J. Simpson was free on doubled bond Thursday after a dressing-down by a Las Vegas judge for trying to contact a co-defendant.

District Judge Jackie Glass upped Simpson's bail to $250,000 Wednesday and chastised him for trying to send a message to one of his co-defendants via a bail bondsman.

"I don't know, Mr. Simpson, what the heck you were thinking, or maybe that's the problem -- you weren't," Glass said. "But you've been locked up at the Clark County Detention Center since Friday because of arrogance or ignorance or both."

Simpson was arrested Friday for violating bail conditions. He is facing charges of robbing two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in Las Vegas, which he claims was only an attempt to retrieve his own property, the Los Angeles Times said.

The former star Buffalo Bills running back, television sports personality and actor goes on trial April 7, and Glass said if he commits another bail infraction before that, he'll be jailed until trial, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.