Judge revokes Bischoff's bail

By Perry Backus of The Montana Standard - 04/05/2005

James Bischoff, a former Ennis doctor, is shown during a hearing in Virginia City on Monday in which his bail was raised to $750,000 after testimony linked him to a bank robbery in Rexburg, Idaho, last month. Perry Backus / The Montana Standard

VIRGINIA CITY — Bank teller Justin Martinsons won't likely ever forget looking down the business end of the barrel of a 9mm Barretta during a recent armed robbery at a bank in Rexburg, Idaho.

Nor will he forget the pair of eyes staring into his from under a pair of amber colored ski goggles.

On Monday, Martinsons said he thought he saw those eyes again.

They belonged to the former Ennis doctor James Bischoff — the man charged with robbing the U.S. Bank in Rexburg on March 16. Bischoff was sitting just a few yards away during a court hearing in the Madison County Courtroom.

"They appear similar to me, yes," Martinsons told Madison County Attorney Robert Zenker.

Martinsons was one of three Rexburg residents who traveled to Virginia City Monday to testify during a bail revocation hearing.

"I was deathly afraid," Martinsons testified. "I mean he had a gun pointed at me." Martinsons and another bank employee, Debbie Plomaritis, said the robber told them not to do anything stupid.

Plomaritis said the robber stated "This is a desperate situation. I don't want to hurt anyone, but I will." After listening to a couple hours of testimony, District Judge Loren Tucker chose to increase Bischoff's bail to $750,000. An Idaho judge has also set bail for Bischoff at the same amount.

In order for Bischoff to get out of jail, he would have to come up with $1.5 million to meet both demands.

At the time of the robbery, Bischoff had been out of jail on a $150,000 bond after being charged with deliberate homicide in the 2000 death of an 85-year-old woman. She had suffered a stroke and was under Bischoff's care when she died. He was charged with giving her the shots that ended her life.

Bischoff also faces a number of drug charges, including allegations he'd obtained thousands of doses of narcotics that have never been accounted for.

His trial on those charges has been set for May.

Bischoff had already failed once to meet the conditions of his bail after failing a drug test in February.

On Monday, Zenker presented evidence of Bischoff's alleged participation in the Idaho robbery. Zenker said Bischoff had violated the conditions of his bond by leaving the state and possessing firearms.

The man who robbed the bank walked in wearing a royal blue ski jacket, a camouflage ski mask and a pair of amber ski goggles, said Chuck Kunsaitis of the Rexburg Police.

He brandished a silver semi-automatic pistol, showed another revolver in a holster strapped to his hip, and pulled a vinyl bag from a larger duffel bag to carry the stolen cash, Kunsaitis said.

Some luggage discovered under some trees near the bank was later turned into the police department.

Amongst the luggage were business cards of Bischoff's wife, who had died two weeks before in an automobile accident. That discovery led authorities to Bischoff.

Kunsaitis was among the officers who served a search warrant later on Bischoff's home.

He said the officers discovered clothing that matched the description of the robber's in Bischoff's closet. Inside the jacket, officers found an ammunition clip filled with 9mm bullets. They also discovered a 9mm Barretta and a revolver in a tool box in a rental car parked in Bischoff's garage, said Kunsaitis.

Inside Bischoff's master bedroom, the officers discovered a vinyl type bag with cash inside, including "bait bills" taken from the bank, he said. Banks often record the serial number of some bills in order to be able to track them following a robbery. The bills discovered at Bischoff's home matched the serial numbers recorded at the Rexburg bank, Kunsaitis said.

Martinsons said the bag's zipper stuck when he tried to close it during the robbery. When he tried the zipper on the bag taken from Bischoff's home, it stuck in the same place, he said.

Kevin Barnes, the Madison County detention officer, testified about a 23-page handwritten letter that Bischoff had given to his uncle following a visit. The letter, which was signed in Bischoff's name, said he'd gone to Idaho and done something desperate.

"I did something (that) truly was insane," the letter stated.