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A judge on Thursday ordered Isaiah Lee released, barely 24 hours after a three-week manhunt ended with his arrest.
Lee, 35, was one of three people who authorities said lied to investigators following an attempted murder in an apartment above a Fair Lawn craft beer bar.
Sharese Peeples, 32, was charged with attempted murder after she, Lee and a third man claimed the victim was shot during a home invasion by two others, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo said.
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ALSO SEE: Fair Lawn Shooting: Borough Woman, Not Home Invaders, Pulled Trigger, Prosecutor Says
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Sharese Peeples spent nine days in the Bergen County Jail before a judge ordered her release this past Sunday with conditions under New Jersey's 2017 bail reform law.
New Jersey's Bail Reform & Speedy Trial Act was designed to ensure that poor defendants charged with minor crimes don't stay locked up while large-scale drug dealers pay whatever amount of bail is necessary to free themselves.
Although judges often attach conditions, law enforcement authorities say the reforms have created an unending "catch and release" that allows repeat offenders to continue victimizing the public while police resources that could be used to protect it are tied up.
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ALSO SEE: NJ Bail Reform Strikes Again: Judge Frees Fair Lawn Woman Accused Of Shooting Man In Face
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The third man -- 31-year-old bus cleaner Steven Mitchell, who lives with Peeples -- has remained free since his arrest.
Lee, a self-employed construction worker from East Orange, remained a fugitive for 19 days. He was also wanted on warrants out of Newark, records show.
Bergen County prosecutors charged Lee with making a false report to law enforcement and hindering an investigation/prosecution by concealing or destroying evidence.
Peeples, Mitchell and Lee told borough police who responded to the Oct. 26 shooting call that one of two home invaders who entered their apartment at 18-15 Maple Avenue -- above Stosh's -- shot the victim in the face, said Calo, the prosecutor.
It was really Peeples, he said.
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