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Posted: 8:54 p.m. Tuesday, July 31, 2012
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SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. —
The attorney for George Zimmerman, who is accused of killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, plans to file a motion to ask a judge to allow Zimmerman to be able to travel anywhere in the United States for his own safety.
When Zimmerman bonded out of jail earlier this month, a Seminole County judge added some tough restrictions to his $1 million bond.
Zimmerman currently has to stay in Seminole County, be monitored around the clock with a GPS bracelet, and check in every 48 hours. He’s not allowed to have a bank account, a passport, or even go to the Orlando-Sanford International Airport for any reason.
But now his attorney wants to drastically change those conditions.
When WFTV showed up at his office on Tuesday night, Zimmerman's attorney Mark O'Mara, was still finalizing the paperwork and said he could file a motion as early as Wednesday.
O'Mara said keeping Zimmerman in the county is costing thousands of dollars a week in security.
And with a dwindling defense fund, O'Mara said he can no longer afford it.
"Even though the defense fund is running very low, we have increased security costs because the closer he is, the easier he is to find, the more security he has to have," said O'Mara.
O'Mara said he plans to file a motion asking a judge to let Zimmerman leave Seminole County.
But he's not just asking to allow Zimmerman to leave the county. He wants him to be able to go anywhere in the U.S.
"Seminole County is the most dangerous county for him to be in, and there are still a lot of security concerns," said O'Mara.
Zimmerman has been charged with second-degree murder for killing an unarmed teenager, Trayvon Martin.
His lawyer said Zimmerman's fund right now only has about $50,000 in it.
And despite efforts to generate more through an interview with Fox News, the money's running out.
Meanwhile, we're still waiting to hear whether Judge Kenneth Lester plans to recuse himself from the case.
And until the judge makes that decision, WFTV was told there won't be a ruling on O'Mara's latest motion.
Meanwhile, Zimmerman's wife, Shellie, decided not to appear in court on Tuesday for a scheduled arraignment.
She is facing perjury charges for failing to disclose how much money the Zimmermans had raised in donations during her husband's first bond hearing.
She was not required to attend Tuesday's arraignment because she had already entered a plea of not guilty.
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