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WEST CHESTER — The reality television star and former professional skateboarder and reality show actor Brandon “Bam” Margera is expected to appear before a Common Pleas Court judge on Thursday to argue that his bail conditions should be eased, even as the prosecution says it has concerns about his continued drug and alcohol use.
Judge Patrick Carmody said Wednesday that he would hear Margera’s motion to remove the SCRAM bracelet from Margera’s leg that he had ordered Margera wear at a bail hearing last month, at which the Chester County District Attorney’s Office contended that he had violated his bail by using alcohol. He is awaiting trial on assault charges.
Carmody had ordered that the “Jackass” star wear the bracelet, which monitors if there’s alcohol in his system by sampling sweat and alerts authorities if alcohol is detected, for 30 days. He said that if Margera is compliant, he can ask that it be removed.
But Assistant District Attorney Sam Bonsall, filling in for case prosecutor Zachary Yurick, said that his office had concerns about Margera’s behavior in the past month, and wanted the skateboarder to undergo a drug test Thursday morning. Carmody indicated that he would order one, and defense attorney Anthony Godshall said he would bring Margera in for a status check Thursday morning.
The hearing will come as national media are trumpeting what they call Margera’s 30 days of sobriety as he awaits trial on charges that he assaulted his brother at the Pocopson home they shared, known as “Castle Bam.”
According to an article posted on Yahoo News, Margera recently reached the milestone and had resumed his favorite hobby, skateboarding. Margera had seemingly retired from skating as he struggled with alcohol and substance abuse. However, he is now willing to be a better person and continue his sobriety, the article stated.
“A source close to the star disclosed to the news outlet that he now goes to the gym with his girlfriend and walks their dogs on a local farm,” it stated. “Margera has also lost some weight and revealed how much he missed skating. Despite years of on-and-off sobriety, Margera’s friends are still very supportive and hope for the best for him.”
At his bail hearing in August, defense attorney Michael van der Veer of West Whiteland said Margera would continue to work on his recovery and is looking forward to putting the case behind him.
The bail motion last month was spurred by an encounter with police in Delaware County, where he was cited for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct after an incident at the parking lot of the Radnor Hotel around 3:30 a.m. Aug. 9
Upon arrival, officers made contact with Margera, who appeared intoxicated and was acting disorderly, police said.
Margera was taken into custody and briefly detained but later released to a friend.
In his motion to modify bail at the time, Yurick also cited an incident that had occurred on Aug. 7, when West Goshen police made contact with Margera outside a Wawa convenience store in the township.
Although he was not cited or taken into custody by officers, Yurick said that they believed he was intoxicated and saw him appear to be drinking alcohol. They assisted him back to a hotel where he was staying at the time, the motion said.
The legal troubles in Chester County began in April, when state police were called to the Pocopson property for the report of a domestic disturbance. There, a trooper spoke with Jessie Margera, his brother, who said he had been in a physical confrontation with Bam, who had threatened to shoot him, and that Bam Margera had taken off into the woods.
In ordering Margera held for court on criminal charges, Magisterial District Judge Albert Iacocca of Kennett Square revamped the bail conditions for Margera after he expressed concerns that the actor had been abusing drugs. At that time, Margera assured the judge that he had been attending rehab programs to help him stay sober.
“You don’t have an excuse for this,” Iacocca said. “This is not a joke. This is not a movie. This is life.”
To contact staff writer Michael P. Rellahan call 610-696-1544.
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