A week ago two men allegedly broke into an occupied house, held two elderly women at gunpoint and stole items from the home.

On Wednesday afternoon, the legal system saw to it that the two men – Rodriquez Crowell, 20, and Kelvin B. Williams, 22 – would stay behind bars for a while or pay a very large bond.

Judge Bob Armstrong set the two young men’s bond at $750,000 each, which is a very high bond comparatively.

In class-a felony cases, sometimes judges set bonds in special hearings. Sometimes the suspects walk out of the courtroom with what amounts to a joke of a bond. Low bonds not only seem like a slap on the wrist to suspects, but it also is virtually victimizing the victim all over again.

The two ladies – one was 73 years old and the other 92 years old – were no doubt terrorized Oct. 9 when the two men allegedly came into the home and pointed guns.

Why should they have to go through the suspects getting out of jail so soon?

The Selma Times-Journal commends Armstrong and other judges who make sure suspects of this caliber do not receive a virtual “Get out of jail free” card.

Suspects in serious cases should expect the treatment and high bonds.