By Özge Terzioğlu
SACRAMENTO – In these COVID-19 days, little things—like family birthdays—mean just a bit more to people, and two legal adversaries teamed up here in Sacramento County Superior Court Wednesday to help out one defendant.
Assistant Public Defender Michael Mullan and Deputy District Attorney Frederick Gotha—opposing counsel—this time cooperated to make sure defendant Yevgeniy Onopko could be released in time for his brother’s birthday.
Before the defendant’s hearing started, the Russian interpreter was waiting on standby in the Zoom call. But when Onopko arrived, he said, “I actually don’t need Russian interpreter because I can understand better without it, thank you.” The Russian interpreter silently sat during the rest of the hearing.
Defendant Onopko said he understood that his offer was to serve 60 days, but his brother’s birthday is on the 7th (the month was unclear) and he would get out on the 12th.
He rambled to the court: “I’ve been on and off. I’ve already told myself I have to stop and be a better father to my kids.”
PD Mullan asked the DDA if he would consider allowing his client to have a 45-day sentence. DDA Gotha seemed reluctant because defendant Onopko already entered a waiver and it’s going to be entered again for this to happen.
He also said the defendant keeps “coming back for the same thing, if he comes back again, it’s going to be hard to be lenient with him as we are now. So, make a mental note that it’s not going to be as easy next time, if there is a next time.”
Defendant Onopko was in court for a violation of his probation, which he’s been on since May 2019. Judge Michael Sweet said the defendant will be reinstated on the same terms of probation after he serves 45 days.
Onopko explained that he couldn’t make his probation appointments this past summer because he didn’t have a car, so he was relying on his boss to get to places.
Judge Sweet sternly told the defendant that “you need to rely on yourself and not your boss, this is about you on probation so you need to keep track of yourself.”
The judge also told the defendant that he “served the maximum days you can locally without going to prison. So you’ll have to waive 45 days of time you’ve already served if you want to serve it in the jail.” Defendant Onopko will serve several more days in the Sacramento County Jail before being released in time for his brother’s birthday.
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