By Staff
George Hayden springs out of Onslow County Jail
By GREG KATSKI
Staff Writer
Former Belhaven Police Chief George Hayden has been released from Onslow County Jail after posting $350,000 in secured bonds.
Hayden has been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the case of Marine Corps Sgt. William “Billy” Miller.
His secured bond was set at $250,000 in the murder case by District Court Judge Jim Moore in Onslow County District Court on Oct. 2. His secured bond was set at $100,000 for the case of conspiracy to commit murder.
An Onslow County court clerk confirmed on Monday afternoon that Hayden posted bond for both cases.
Bond for the murder case was posted with a $150,000 property bond and $100,000 bail bond, while bond for the case of conspiracy to commit murder was posted with a $100,000 bail bond.
As part of Hayden’s bond condition in the murder case, Judge Moore declared that Hayden must encumber his current house near Belhaven and his son’s house in Cape Carteret, said Mike Maultsby, an Onslow County assistant district attorney. Hayden’s son lives in the Cape Carteret house with Hayden’s ex-wife, said Maultsby.
The $150,000 property bond posted by Hayden would infer that both houses were encumbered.
Hayden is due back in Onslow County District Court on Dec. 18 for a probable cause hearing.
The hearing will be held to determine whether there is probable cause to support an indictment of Hayden, said Maultsby.
An indictment cannot be handed down until several legal steps are taken.
The first step toward indictment is currently being undertaken by the case’s cooperating law-enforcement agencies.
The agencies, including the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and Naval Criminal Investigative Service, must complete their investigation into the case and submit it to the Onslow County District Attorney’s Office.
Once the case has been submitted to the district attorney’s office, the office will review the investigation and determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed, said Maultsby.
The district attorney can then request indictment to a grand jury in Onslow County, said Maultsby. The grand jury meets once a month to determine whether such indictments are warranted.
From the time of arrest, most criminal cases take 12 months to go to trial, said Maultsby.