YouTuber BZWatchDog brought word on his Monday night livestream that fellow YouTuber Carolyn “Carolina in Ft. Worth” Rodriguez was set to be released Monday night as she was granted a personal recognizance bond while she appealed her sentencing.
Again, according to BZWatchDog’s reporting, Rodriguez was initially given a choice between probation and jail time at her sentencing hearing and chose jail time as it would be over faster. She spent the weekend in jail and then was summoned to see the Judge on Monday morning.
The decision may sound unusual to those outside of Texas, but in the state misdemeanor offenders are given the option of doing jail time instead of taking probation. They literally have the choice to control their fate, and most choose jailtime as it’s often shorter and without the hassles or conditions of probation.
In Rodriguez’s case, she chose jail and her 30-day sentence was reduced to 27 days for time served, then would be reduced further due to remodeling and overcrowding at the jail facility. She would have been released after a little over a week in jail and would not have to face the limits of probation.
At Monday morning’s hearing, the Judge gave Rodriguez a PR bond, and it appeared that she would be free by midnight. BZ was unclear as to if her $700.00 fine was revoked when he spoke to Rodriguez but assured her that her 15-month probation sentence would not start until after her appeal of the case was over.
As part of the conditions of Rodriguez’s bond, she reportedly cannot be within 25 feet of a crime scene or traffic accident. This would tend to interfere with her auditing, which is her full-time job, as her videos are essentially filmed at traffic accidents and crime scenes.
BZWatchDog featured a second voice recording of Rodriguez, who was a little easier to understand this time around. She seemed more concerned with telling her cellmate the updates and making sure her cellmate would be okay now that Rodriguez was leaving jail.
Rodriguez agreed to give BZWatchDog a ride to the hearing for Manuel Mata, which is scheduled to be held this morning in the same court that convicted Rodriguez.
