VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said he's outraged that a former Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University professor, who was convicted of sex crimes with a child, could walk out of jail.
Mark Fugler, 61, was convicted in June on charges that he was indecent with a 7-year-old girl. According to court records, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison in August.
On Thursday, Chitwood said a judge agreed to a motion made by Fugler's attorneys, granting him $200,000 bail while he appeals his case.
"I guess if you're a professor at Embry-Riddle University, the laws don’t apply to you," Chitwood said.
News 6 contacted the Volusia County Jail on Saturday, where workers said Fugler was still being held on no bail.
Chitwood told News 6 the motion granting him bond was signed Thursday and it hasn't made its way to the jail yet.
"The innocence of a child was stolen, and the judge, in his infinite wisdom, decided that we’re going to let this guy out on bond," Chitwood said.
Family members of the child joined Chitwood as he made his comments Saturday. They did not want to make any comment.
Chitwood pleaded with the judge in the case to change his mind.
"The judge should rescind the order and make sure he gets sentenced to jail, and then apologize to the family for not understanding the magnitude that this crime has done to this family," he said.
News 6 contacted Fugler's attorneys for a comment on what Chitwood said, and they have not responded.
