A 33-year-old Elberta man arrested in early June 2014 on drug trafficking charges asked a Baldwin County judge to dramatically reduce his bond, arguing that the $1 million figure set after his arrest was unreasonable given the circumstances of the case.
Justin Goldman, who lived in the 10000 block of Baldwin County Road 83, was taken into custody on June 3 after the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at his residence. Deputies reported finding roughly twenty marijuana plants growing on the property along with marijuana-infused butter, a product commonly used to prepare edible foods containing the drug.
Following the search, Goldman was booked on a drug trafficking charge carrying a $1 million bond, along with a separate drug paraphernalia charge carrying a $1,000 bond. He remained in custody at the Baldwin County Corrections Center while his case moved through the courts.
Family and Friends Rally in Support
A defense motion filed with the court requested that the bond be lowered to $25,000, a figure attorneys argued would still ensure Goldman’s appearance at future hearings without keeping him detained indefinitely on a bond many considered excessive for the alleged offense. The motion was accompanied by thirteen letters of support written by family members, friends, and others in the community who vouched for Goldman’s character.
Among those who wrote on his behalf was Frances Henson of Mobile, who described the toll the arrest had taken on Goldman and his family. According to her letter, Goldman had accepted responsibility for his actions and expressed deep remorse for the pain the situation caused his parents and son, noting that phone calls between Goldman and his mother routinely ended in tears for both of them.
Case Still Pending
As of the filing, a Baldwin County judge had not yet ruled on the request to lower the bond. Goldman remained held at the county corrections facility while the trafficking and paraphernalia charges awaited further proceedings.
Cases like Goldman’s were a reminder of how aggressively Baldwin County law enforcement pursued marijuana cultivation operations in the mid-2010s, well before any statewide conversations about decriminalization gained traction. Rural pockets of the county, including the area around Elberta, saw periodic drug trafficking investigations tied to small-scale grow operations during that period.