We know bonds are not punishment. We know they are only to assure a person will show up for court on their date.

Still, this morning, we are scratching our heads and wondering what good a $2,000 bond does for someone who has already spit in the face of the law.

Calvin, left, and Robert Champion

We refer to Calvin Champion, who in October had some 30 dogs on his property when police came looking for drugs. These were dogs who had the battle scars from fighting. Horror stories, a mother trying to chew through a chain link fence to reach her children.

When he was arrested on dogfighting charges he got a $25,000 bond and guess what? He got out and this morning he and his brother, Robert, are popped with drug charges resulting from the October investigation.

We're sorry. That Champion was allegedly dealing drugs, perhaps trafficking amounts, sitting in his Maria Avenue home with $1,600 in cash laying around the house, 70 grams of crack cocaine big enough to look like a softball and two guns, apparently doesn't make any difference at the magistrate's office. That he thumbed his nose at the judicial system the first time he was busted on the dogfighting counts doesn't make any difference.

What will make a difference? Yes, we know bonds are not punishment and apparently Calvin Champion knows they're not punishment, either, because it certainly didn't keep him from allegedly getting back to business, selling the highly addictive crack cocaine, whose abuse probably accounts for 95 percent of the crimes in the Roanoke Valley.

What's it going to take to make sure criminals don't return to their criminal ways after they get out? Is it going to take someone getting shot? Is it going to take someone getting killed?

We believe the Roanoke Rapids Police Department should consider having the feds adopt this case and bypass the state judicial system. Criminals don't laugh quite as boldly when they're looking at fed adoption, strict pretrial release policies and time that sticks to their criminal record like the strongest glue on the market. There is enough evidence we believe the feds would like to have a shot at the Champion brothers: Guns, drugs and dogfighting.

As it stands now, Champion could easily and allegedly go back to dealing when he gets out of jail and a $2,000 bond is nothing. A $25,000 bond was nothing for him in October and continued investigation by the police department and its narcotics investigators showed it didn't matter he was already facing other charges as evidenced by this morning's pop.

No, bonds are not punishment and should not be punishment, but neither should they give a criminal license to do whatever they want to once they are released — Editor.