Man accused in assault of four women, teen, out of jail

A North Carolina man accused of kidnapping and assaulting four women and a teenage girl was released from jail on Monday after a judge changed his bond status.

Michael Dean Myers, 33, of High Point, had been in the Guilford County jail since 2018 on a $5.5 million secured bond, the

But Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Todd Burke recently changed the conditions of the bond. When a bond is secured, a criminal defendant has to either pay cash, put up property as collateral or go through a bails bondsman in order to be released. With an unsecured bond, Myers was able to walk out of a jail Monday morning with a promise that he will appear in court. If he doesn't appear in court, he could be financially liable for the $5.5 million bond.

Burke did not immediately respond to a message from the newspaper seeking comment.

Myers is charged with four counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of second-degree kidnapping, one count of attempted first-degree rape and several other sexual offenses, authorities said. He is also charged with three misdemeanor counts of assault on a female, felony assault by strangulation and armed robbery, according to officials. The incidents all occurred in February or March 2018.

Myers is accused of grabbing a 14-year-old girl who was walking down the street, dragging her to his car, choking her and forcing her to perform a sex act on him.

In another incident, Myers is accused of trying to hit a woman with a car after she tried to escape from an assault.

Myers has denied the allegations during an interview with investigators, a search warrant said. A trial date is set for Sept. 14.

Guilford County Assistant District Attorney Lori Wickline said that if Myers fails to appear at a court hearing in his case, a judge could issue an arrest warrant and set a secured bond.

“I’ve been speaking with the High Point Police and the detectives about going door to door to warn women in the areas where these crimes (were committed) to be on the lookout and just to let them know he’s been released from prison because it is a public-safety concern,” Wickline said.

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