By Eric J. Trochez
SACRAMENTO – The prosecution sought to retain a defendant’s “no bail” status here in Sacramento County Superior Court Wednesday, citing his criminal history, police report, and the victim and witness testimony of defendant’s alleged kidnapping.
But the defense asked the deputy district attorney if they have reviewed the security footage. The DDA stated they have not, but the evidence of victim testimony, witnesses and the weapon found with him should suffice as evidence.
The defense fact checked her “evidence” again.
Christopher Dearman was arrested on Sept. 28, 2020, for allegedly kidnapping his former dating partner and for possession of a firearm. It was alleged he pulled her into his car and threatened her with a firearm.
On Wednesday, Dearman’s bail review and probation violation hearings were held consecutively.
Larenda Delaini, the defense counsel representing Dearman, requested bail of $150,000. Considering he is not on federal probation, as the court thought he was, and considering the evidence of his alleged kidnapping and allegedly brandishing of a firearm to be missing, Delaini argued there is sufficient grounds for this bail.
Deputy District Attorney Renishta Lal objected, and in a previous hearing, the judge at the time, Judge Timothy M. Frawley, found there sufficient evidence to set Dearman’s case at no bail.
Testimony from the victim and witnesses at the scene, as well as security cam footage from where the incident took place, serve as evidence of Dearman’s kidnapping.
Lal conceded that the defendant may not be on probation or may not have been on federal probation, but he was surely on felony probation. Considering that he was charged with firearm possession earlier this year, and his repeated history of violating probation, Lal deems Dearman very dangerous.
“It’s very scary that he’s possessing firearms regardless of supervisory status,” said Lal, who described the defendant’s conduct as “very scary behavior” and his custody status should remain 
at no bail.
Delaini, however, noted that while the defendant does have a history of probation violations, none of his history is violent or involved violent crimes. In regard to the alleged kidnapping, she asked Lal to review the footage and determine if the security footage indicates any evidence of kidnapping.
Lal admitted she has not reviewed the footage, but has gone on what the police records, victim and witness testimonies have stated.
According to the testimonies, the victim was coerced and pulled into the vehicle. She screamed, “Somebody call the police! He’s trying to kidnap me!” The defendant also allegedly pulled out a firearm, threatening the victim to get into the car. Fearing for her safety and the safety of others, she complied and entered the vehicle.
Delaini maintained she reviewed the footage and noted the defendant never left his car and that the victim entered the car on her own. As for the witness testimony, the defense insists that there was no witness testimony for this incident and that it was for another incident involving the defendant.
As for the firearm, the defendant was alleged to have used, it turns out that there was no firearm at the time of the incident. When he was later found, the firearm he had did not match the description of the firearm he was said to have had.
In light of the evidence and the victim testimony of the incident, Delaini raised victim’s credibility.
Judge Scott L. Tedmon found the defense’s argument to be compelling, but because of Dearman’s repeat offenses and criminal history, said he was setting bail at $500,000 instead. As for the probation violation, the defense submitted to the People’s request and set this matter to no bail.
The defense submitted a “not guilty” plea. A preliminary hearing for Dearman is set for Dec. 8 at 8:30 a.m. in Dept. 9.
Eric J. Trochez is a recent graduate from UC Davis. He is from Los Angeles, California. He majored in Political Science and Italian. His hobbies include video games and YouTube. Subscribe to my channel @Tromanzo ND (lol).
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