An Oro Valley man locked in litigation with former Arizona Wildcats player and assistant coach Josh Pastner has been extradited to Georgia to face a probation violation charge.
Ron Bell, 51, was arrested March 14 on the felony warrant for the 2000 violation.
Bell was no longer listed on Pima County jail's inmate roster as of Wednesday afternoon.
On Tuesday, a Pima County judge denied Bell's request for bail, after his attorney said new information had come to light that suggested Bell should not have been arrested in the first place.
Bell waived extradition two weeks ago and agreed to be transported back to Georgia while in custody to face the probation violation.
Paul Gattone questioned the validity of the arrest warrant, referring to a motion filed by Bell’s Georgia attorney which suggests that a change in state law in 2010 should have been applied to Bell’s case, but never was.
Gattone asked that Bell be released on bail, promising that his client would return to Georgia on his own to deal with the situation.
Bell was supposed to return to Georgia late last week, but staff refused to transport him via bus, due to Bell’s medical issues. Bell will now be paying $3,500 to fly back to Georgia with authorities, Gattone said in court.
Deputy Pima County Attorney Heather Mosher said that the only question before the court is if there was a valid arrest warrant from Georgia.
Mosher had a copy of the warrant with her, saying it was issued in connection with Bell committing what “appears to be battery” while on probation for a drug offense. She asked Judge Lee Ann Roads to continue to hold Bell in jail until Georgia authorities came to pick him up.
Roads denied the motion for Bell’s release, saying that she has no authority to enforce or monitor Georgia laws. She also reminded Gattone that Bell already agreed to waive extradition and that she has no authority with an out-of-state probation violation other than to hold him without bond.
Bell and his fiancée, Jennifer Pendley, are defending themselves in a civil suit filed by Pastner in January, which says the couple unsuccessfully tried to blackmail the Georgia Tech coach.
In February, Bell and Pendley filed a countersuit, alleging that Pastner sexually assaulted Pendley in 2016 in a Houston hotel room. Pastner has denied the couple’s allegation.
