By Angelina Caplanis
FRESNO – The victim in a domestic violence case, wife of defendant Diamond Ramirez, appeared before Judge Glenda Allen-Hill to ask for a modification in the protective order against her husband while he is in custody.
Ramirez has already been sentenced in this case, and will serve a term for felony domestic violence. The protective order was supposed to be reviewed at the sentencing hearing by the judge who presided over Ramirez’s trial, but because his wife wasn’t present, it was not reviewed.
However, she and Ramirez’s public defender, Blaine Sullivan, both indicated that the previous judge was inclined to allow peaceful contact while Ramirez is in custody.
“We have been married for 25 years,” she said. “I don’t understand why you are trying to keep us apart.”
She requested the judge allow for peaceful contact so that when Ramirez completes his sentence, they can “get our lives back on track.”
Judge Allen-Hill stated she was not prepared to grant the request to modify, noting that Ramirez has a prior criminal history, including domestic violence and charges from 1998 and 2000.
Ramirez’s wife argued that “even with the prior history, we never had a restraining order before. This is the first time.”
Deputy District Attorney Ashley Paulson objected to a modification in the protective order, adding that prior to this case Ramirez “has not been doing well” on probation.
Sullivan argued that Ramirez has been staying out of trouble for the last decade and has been involved in his community. Ramirez’s pastor wrote a letter of support for his sentencing hearing.
Judge Allen-Hill had not seen the support letters from Ramirez’s family or members of the community.
“I’m looking at his [criminal] history because that’s all I have before me,” Allen-Hill stated.
Ramirez’s wife spoke up again. She pointed out that Judge Allen-Hill was looking at her husband’s criminal history from when he was 18. She added Ramirez has not committed a felony in 20 years, and has not been incarcerated in 11 years.
“You guys aren’t even taking into consideration that pastors, gang intervention workers have written letters for him, [and] all the good things he has done for the community. All you guys are focused on are the bad things,” she stated. “I’m asking as his wife to have the restraining order modified.”
Unphased, Judge Allen-Hill repeated that she did not have that information before her. She denied the request, adding that Ramirez’s counsel could file a motion for reconsideration.
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