Bail is a right under both Alaska and federal constitutions. A person charged with an offense is not legally guilty of it, no matter what the police say.  Curious, how some people burn incense before a constitutional right they like and ignore the ones they don't like.

Granted, the court has discretion in setting the amount of bail, provided it is not "excessive."  There are different interpretations of that word.  In some minds it means "excessive compared to the bail usually set for similar charges."  In others, it means "excessive compared to the defendant's resources."  Usually, the court considers both.

People also don't realize that there is a distinction between cash bail and "corporate" bail.  The latter means a bail bondsman puts up a bond for you (for which he will mulct you dearly).  Usually, the defendant in felony cases is required to post at least 10% of his total bail amount in cash.  The article doesn't say whether the $2,500 was the whole bail, or only the cash part.