By Layla Mustafa
WOODLAND – There was more than a bit of confusion here late during Thursday afternoon arraignments in Yolo County Superior Court, Dept. 1 as defendant Rodolfo Ruiz was called for a review of the charges filed against him.
But he maintained he already done so. He was right, but the court was confused.
After Judge Peter Williams detailed the counts under Ruiz’s case, the defendant spoke up, informing the court he had already appeared in court days before and bailed out on the matters listed.
Deputy District Attorney Caryn Warren silently nodded in agreement via the Zoom livestream.
According to Ruiz, he had been present in court on Dec. 3, and had his next hearing set for Jan. 28, 2021.
DDA Warren unmuted to confirm Ruiz’s statements, but court confusion still prevented the court from immediately accepting these statements.
Ruiz’s Deputy Public Defender, Hendrick Crowell, was not on the Zoom call despite the active review taking place, but returned to the Zoom.
According to the court, there was yet more confusion.
It seemed that Ruiz had an outstanding case he had not yet been arraigned on. Confused, Crowell asked DDA Warren if this was a new matter. Warren replied that she believed the bond was reinstated on Nov. 5 for the case in question. According to Warren, the “new case” the court referred to was one Ruiz had already bonded out on.
Warren requested that they simply continue with the already set date of Jan. 28. PD Crowell interjected to inquire whether Ruiz could be released, as he had already posted two active bail bonds.
While Warren agreed to Ruiz’s release on the existing bail bonds, the court clerk interjected as another obstacle arose in the proceeding, noting that for one of the cases, the bond they claimed was active was not visibly present to the court.
At this time, the bail bondsmen stepped forward to confirm that the matter was taken care of on Nov. 5. He said he had asked Judge Timothy Fall to remove the warrant from the system at that time. Bail was then reinstated on Nov. 5 for $100,000.
The court ordered to maintain the Nov. 5 bail, rather than reinstating a new one of the same amount. For Ruiz, it was another court appearance with the same verdict as one only a couple of days prior.
Ruiz will return to court once again on Jan. 28, in Dept. 11 at 9 a.m. Exactly as he informed the court in the first place.
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