Lori Vallow confirms she has waived extradition during bail reduction hearing
KAUAI, Hawaii - Lori Vallow, the mother of two missing children with Arizona ties, waived her rights to an extradition hearing during a bail reduction hearing in Kauai, Hawaii.
Lori's children, Joshua "JJ" Vallow and Tylee Ryan, were last seen in September 2019. Their disappearances have uncovered a complicated sequence of events related to Lori and her new husband, Chad Daybell, including details surrounding the death of Vallow's former husband, Charles Vallow, details surrounding the death and subsequent burial of Daybell's former wife, Tammy, and allegations of cult membership. The disappearances have also garnered national and global media attention.
Vallow was arrested on February 20 for a warrant issued out of Idaho. She is accused of multiple offenses, including desertion and nonsupport of dependent children, resisting or obstructing officers, criminal solicitation to commit a crime, and contempt of court.
During the hearing, an attorney for Vallow says she wants to get back to Idaho to defend herself. Vallow made her decision quickly, once presiding judge Kathleen Watanabe kept Vallow's bail amount at its original $5 million.
In a court motion seeking a bail reduction, Vallow's attorney, Craig De Costa, stated that bail for the equivalent felonies in Hawaii usually range from $2,000 to $20,000.
The motion also asserts that Vallow is not a flight risk, and had offered to turn herself in to authorities before her arrest. In court, De Costa also stated that Vallow and Daybell had always planned to move to Kauai.
"Of all the states that [Vallow] has lived in over the past six years, her longest residency has actually been on Kauai," said De Costa.
Meanwhile, prosecutor state in a court filing opposing Vallow’s request for a lower bail that the judge has discretion to set bail.
“Given the extensive media attention, she is clearly aware that the authorities have prioritized her case,” prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors also claim Vallow is a flight risk, telling the presiding judge that she has lived in multiple states besides Hawaii, including Texas and Arizona.
"We haven't seen a case like this before," said Justin Kollar.
Chad Daybell was noticeably absent from the hearing on Wednesday, but Hawaiian authorities confirm he visited Vallow in jail for about an hour on Tuesday.
RELATED: Click here for an interactive timeline of events surrounding the case
This story was reported on from Phoenix. The Associated Press (AP) contributed to this report.