Woman with No Pants Who Threatened Customers Gets Short Jail Term and Ordered to Stay Away from Dollar Tree
By Alexandra Cline
SACRAMENTO- A woman accused of wearing only a shirt but no pants and who threatened employees at a Dollar Tree store dodged longer jail time here Tuesday when a Sacramento County Superior Court Commissioner opted to sentence her to a short sentence and probation.
At a preliminary hearing for defendant Telesa Ann Pearson in Department 60, via Zoom and live-streamed through the Sacramento Superior Court’s channel on YouTube, Assistant Public Defender Megan Ganan was appointed as her defense counsel, and Deputy District Attorney Rona Fillipini represented the District Attorney’s Office.
Pearson was arrested on May 3 for allegedly trespassing at the Dollar Tree, where she had a previous court restriction from entering. Inside the store, she yelled, cussed and threatened to cut employees, according to DDA Fillipini. Pearson reportedly threw lotion at someone who worked there and was only wearing a shirt without pants.
When officers arrived at the scene, she walked away and resisted them as they tried to detain her, according to the prosecution. Pearson has no recent criminal history. Her last conviction was in 2013 for a hit and run.
Although the defendant was on Monday offered referral to the sheriff’s work project, she couldn’t afford it. Defendants must pay for the work project to avoid the alternative time in jail.
Public Defender Ganan asked if, in lieu of a work project, the court could suspend Pearson’s jail time, due to her minimal criminal record. The district attorney’s office still wanted a 20-day sentence, which was reduced to 10 days by Court Commissioner Kenneth N. Brody.
Pearson then pleaded “no contest” to interfering with a business—the resisting arrest charge was dismissed—and will be released on informal probation after she spends five more days in jail. Brody explained that she could be searched at any time, even without a warrant, upon release, and she must stay away from the Dollar Tree.
Man Arraigned, Pleads “No Contest” the Same Day
By Armando Alonzo
SACRAMENTO – For in-custody defendant Jamar Anderson, charged with possession of Ecstasy, the maximum penalty would be a year in county jail and a $1,000 fine as of May 3, 2020.
Friday, he got a better deal in Sacramento County Superior Court.
Sara Bannerman from the Sacramento County Public Defender’s office accepted the appointment to defend Anderson. Adrienne McMillian, a Deputy District Attorney, had extended an offer for him to participate in the Prop. 36 drug treatment program, for which he is eligible, with an alternative sentence of 60 days in county jail should he fail the program.
Bannerman said that her defendant had indicated he may be willing to participate in the program to avoid jail time, and suggested that, should he accept, he return to the next Prop. 36 court date of June 5 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 8.
After speaking with his clerks, Judge Ernest Sawtelle determined that probation conditions would be needed in order to place Anderson on formal probation before a ruling was to be made. Judge Sawtelle suggested that Bannerman reach out to the probation office in order to file the correct paperwork so that probation could be set the same day.
The case was passed on for the time, and the court eventually reconvened no more than an hour later, in which the two parties had by then come to an agreement. The defendant had agreed to the probation conditions and was to be diverted into the Prop. 36 program.
The defendant was to plead guilty for the misdemeanor of possessing Ecstasy, and the court would put him on three years of formal probation. The court’s intended sentence would be 60 days pursuant to the offer of the District Attorney’s Office, with searchable probation, and standard terms and conditions for the narcotic offense would be imposed. If the defendant successfully completes the Prop. 36 program then the sentence would be dismissed, but, if he were to fail, the sentence of 60 days would be imposed.
The defendant then plead “no contest” to the charge. Because of his plea, Judge Sawtelle ordered a $150 restitution fine, and an identical fine under Penal Code section 1202.44, which will be imposed and suspended unless his probation is revoked, with a $30 court facility fee and $40 court security fee. All other fees were stricken in light of the defendant’s low-income and unemployment status.
The defendant was referred to the Prop. 36 drug-treatment program and ordered to appear back in court on June 5 at 8:30 in Department 8.
Judge Sawtelle also agreed with the public defender that Anderson may be released on his own recognizance. Anderson was also ordered to report to the probation office no later than May 5 by close of business, or 4 p.m.
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