A Logan County judge has reduced the bail for a man accused of brutally beating Democratic state Senate candidate Richard Ojeda during a political cookout last month.
Jonathan Porter, 41, was still at the Southwestern Regional Jail late Friday afternoon, according to the jail website.
On Thursday, Logan Circuit Judge Eric O'Briant reduced Porter's bail from $75,000 cash-only to a $25,000 surety bond, which can be met by using property as collateral. A Logan magistrate had set the higher bail after Porter was arrested and charged with the May 8 attack on Ojeda.
Logan County Prosecuting Attorney John Bennett objected to the lower bail, which Porter's lawyer requested at a hearing earlier this week.
"I opposed the reduction because of the violence of the crime, the problems Mr. Ojeda has gone through with his surgeries and the fact that he's not finished with his medical treatment yet," Bennett said Friday.
Ojeda's face was fractured in eight places. The sneak attack knocked Ojeda unconscious. He believes the attack was politically motivated.
During the campaign, Ojeda railed against Logan officials, including his opponent in the Senate race, Art Kirkendoll, and former Circuit Clerk Alvis Porter, who is Jonathan Porter's uncle.
On May 10, Ojeda defeated Kirkendoll in the Senate's 7th District primary, one of the biggest political upsets in Logan County history.
Kirkendoll, who was a Logan County commissioner for 30 years before joining the Senate, has denied any involvement in the attack.
Ojeda has said Porter hit him from behind with a pipe and brass knuckles, and then tried to run him over with a pickup.
After the attack, Ojeda spent days in a Charleston hospital trauma unit while undergoing multiple surgeries.
Ojeda, a former U.S. Army officer, will face Republican Jordan Bridges in November's general election. Ojeda could not be reached for comment Friday.
Reach Eric Eyre at ericeyre@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4869 or follow @ericeyre on Twitter.