Court rerun judges oders warrant for Royal man's arrest

Matthew F. Brandt, 34, of Royal again failed to appear in the Antelope County Court for sentencing Dec. 15. His attorney, public defender Melissa Figueroa, requested continuance, while Antelope County prosecutor Joe Abler objected, asking for a bench warrant.

The Honorable Donna Taylor again ordered a warrant for his arrest, less than a month after his arrest for failing to appear Oct. 20. Brandt bonded out of the Antelope County Jail after his Nov. 16 arrest, agreeing to appear for sentencing Dec. 15. Taylor set a new bond at $10,000, 10% cash.

Brandt was convicted in June of leaving the scene of a property-damage accident, a Class 2 misdemeanor committed Jan 28 in Orchard. Sentencing had been continued several times. Taylor reviewed results of a substance abuse evaluation with Brandt in August, which she said indicated he was a regular user of marijuana and warned he would be tested prior to sentencing.