DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., May 29 (UPI) -- A Florida judge cut bail by more than 90 percent Thursday for a woman who drove her children into the ocean, after she said she knows she has to stay on medication.
At a hearing in Daytona Beach, Circuit Judge Leah Case ordered Ebony Wilkerson to have no contact with her children. The judge also said Wilkerson must either get medication through long-acting injections, or agree to regular blood tests and see a therapist if she is released.
Wilkerson's bail was cut from $1.2 million to $90,000. Her lawyer, James Purdy, a public defender, said her family is unsure if they can put together the $9,000 needed for a bondsman.
Wilkerson was arrested in early March on charges of attempted murder and child abuse. Her three children survived the incident and she gave birth to a son this month.
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Her husband, Lutful Ronjon, who is in South Carolina, is taking care of the newborn, while the three older children are in foster care. Wilkerson said she has relatives in Volusia and Flagler counties in Florida, and was ordered to remain in Volusia County if she makes bail.
During the hearing she said she feels like she used to now that she is taking medication regularly.
Case said she was concerned about the relationship between Wilkerson and her husband. She said that if Wilkerson does win the right to have visits with her children, Ronjon cannot supervise them.
"They clearly love each other," Case said. "It seems like they want to be together although she does stand by her allegations of abuse, sexual abuse, sexual abuse on one of the children, so there is a chance of intimidation and danger to the children."
