Judge cuts bond by nearly $1.9 million for man accused of car crash that injured Sen. Manchin's wife

An Alabama judge cut bond by nearly $1.9 million on Tuesday for a man accused of fleeing from police during a car chase and causing a crash last January that injured Gayle Manchin, the wife of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, and a work colleague.

Tradarryl Rishad Boykins, 31, of Birmingham, is charged with two counts of second-degree assault, felony attempting to elude, and certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm – also a felony – in connection with the Jan. 29 crash.

District Judge William Bell cut Boykins’ bond — originally set at more than $2 million — to a total of $135,000, al.com reported. Bond is typically set to ensure a defendant’s return to court and to protect the community at large.

Boykins' attorneys — Juandalynn Givan and Reginald McDaniel — sought the reduction, telling the judge at a hearing Tuesday that the previous bond amounts were excessive and only set that high because Manchin is the wife of West Virginia's Democratic U.S. senator.

Four of the bonds for the charges of assault, attempting to elude and persons forbidden to possess a firearm initially were set at $500,000 each but were cut to a total of $75,000.

“Clearly, bail was excessive in this matter,’’ Bell said.

Gayle Manchin, 76, is the federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission and was in Birmingham with commission colleague Guy Land for an event involving that economic development partnership of the federal government and 13 state governments.

Just before the crash, Homewood Police Sgt. John Carr said, officers had tried to stop a car in connection with a felony warrant and a traffic offense. He said a seven-minute police chase wound through that Birmingham suburb and surrounding areas and ended when the fleeing car struck the SUV