Former Vail police officer charged with harassment moves to Florida, receives an easing of bond restrictions
Former Vail police officer Adam Bloom made his first court appearance on harassment and solicitation of prostitution charges Tuesday in Eagle County.
Bloom called in by phone to Tuesday’s hearing. As part of a request that Bloom be allowed to continue to make his court appearances remotely, his attorney told Judge Ed Casias that Bloom now lives in Florida, and the defense needs another 4-6 weeks to prepare its case. The judge obliged the request and scheduled another court date for July 11.
Bloom was arrested on March 29 and posted a $2,000 bond on March 30; his bond conditions stipulate that he is not allowed to possess firearms or use the internet.
Bloom’s attorney on Tuesday said Bloom had to call in over the phone, rather than appear over the court’s internet-based video conferencing application, due to the fact that Bloom is not allowed to use the internet. Bloom’s attorney requested an alteration of his bond conditions to allow him to use the internet and possess firearms.
The prosecuting attorney said the circumstances surrounding Bloom’s arrest warrant the bond conditions.
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“The defendant was at a bar and was talking to a young woman, the young woman left, she was uncomfortable with his advances toward her — this was after 12 at night — he followed her home when she was leaving, he had told her that he was a Vail police officer,” the prosecuting attorney said on Tuesday. “He repeated something along the lines of he wanted to have sex with her. She reported that she was fearful for her safety, and she didn’t know what he was going to do. She thought he might have a firearm, because he was a police officer.”
Bloom’s attorney said the prohibition of internet use and firearms has made it difficult for him to find work.
“(Bloom) hasn’t been able to seek other employment using the internet, but he does have a friend, where he lives down in Florida, who runs a gun shop, and Mr. Bloom would be working as a gunsmith for him,” Bloom’s attorney said on Tuesday.
Courtesy image/Town of Vail
The prosecutor said Bloom, as a Vail police officer, was in a position of trust with the community when he committed this offense. Bloom was terminated from the position as a result of his arrest.
“Yes, it is a misdemeanor, but we are greatly concerned with the defendant’s actions in this case, and believe that these bond conditions are appropriate,” the prosecuting attorney said in reference to the prohibition of firearms.
Bloom’s accuser is fearful of retaliation, the prosecutor argued, and wants to know where his next job will be and if he will have access to guns.
“That is telling, your honor, of the fear that this — just a misdemeanor — has placed on the victim in this case,” the prosecuting attorney said.
The prohibition of the internet was related to the second charge, solicitation of prostitution, which came up as a result of the first case being made public. The prosecutor said when the details of the harassment case were published in the Vail Daily, another woman came forward with accusations that led to the solicitation charge.
“The defendant met a woman on, I believe it was Bumble, and proceeded to offer to pay her for sex,” the prosecuting attorney said. “As to the internet, it was in part because of the solicitation, we specifically added the section about not using dating websites.”
The prosecution objected to any modification of the bond conditions but said if any modifications were to occur, they should be mindful of the allegations made in the case.
“For instance, if this court is inclined to allow internet access — allow internet access but not allow access to stimulating material or to dating websites given the solicitation,” the prosecutor said. “If this court is inclined to modify the gun prohibition, we would ask that it modify to allow the defendant only to access guns for purposes of employment and not for personal use.
“However we would object to any modification at this time as we do believe the bond conditions are appropriate in this case,” the prosecutor added.
The defense said it was important to point out that the allegations reference something that is alleged to have occurred while Bloom was off duty.
“This wasn’t a situation where he was on duty,” the defense said. “And there is no evidence that Mr. Bloom possessed a firearm.”
Bloom must also take regular sobriety tests as a condition of the bond, and the defense requested that he be relieved of that requirement, saying the cost of the tests is adding up.
“When he was living in Colorado, those tests were costing about $30 a pop, now that he is in Florida, he is still compliant with that, however, those tests are still costing him, I think he had mentioned that they cost $100 for him to take the test down in Florida,” the defense said.
The prosecution argued that because the accusations are coming as a result of an incident that occurred at a bar, the sobriety tests should continue.
“Multiple witnesses stated that it seemed like the defendant was on something at the time of this incident, thus the people believe this incident was likely fueled by drugs and/or alcohol,” the prosecutor said.
After hearing the testimony from the prosecuting and defense attorneys, Judge Casias agreed to modify some of the bond conditions.
“Mr. Bloom may work on firearms while he is at the gunsmith shop, he may not take any out of that shop, he may not have any in his personal possession when he is outside of work, he can only work on them within the gunsmith’s building, and they must stay there, he may not bring them out,” Casias said. “He may access the internet to seek employment, he may not use it to visit any dating sites, or any social media.”
The judge said Bloom must continue to take the sobriety tests, as well, and may access the internet to confer with his attorney and appear in court using videoconferencing technology.
“Those are the amendments the court is comfortable making at this time, any further ones may be visited at the next court date,” Casias said.
