By Max Kennedy
FRESNO – No one knows who has a firearm in a domestic violence case here in Fresno County Superior Court, and although the alleged victim said that her made her fearful, the court set bail at $20,000—doable for defendant Joshua Gremminger, who posted that bail and is now released.
Gremminger was arrested in October for domestic violence charges, including criminal threats and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime. He appeared in Judge Glenda Allen-Hill’s courtroom on Wednesday for a pre-trial hearing.
Robert Troncoso, representing the defendant, submitted a letter from the alleged victim’s doctor stated Troncoso had complied with the protective order and refrained from contacting the victim, noting, “There is evidence that he won’t harass her or otherwise not follow the court’s protective orders.”
Judge Allen-Hill, though, was quick to remind Troncoso that the letter appeared to conflict with the victim’s own testimony.
“My recollection is a little bit different,” said Judge Allen-Hill. “[The victim’s] allegations were that Mr. Gremminger was violating the protective order in a number of ways. She was very concerned about that… The letter was inconsistent with that representation, but that doesn’t change her statements to the court.”
Deputy District Attorney Kendall Reynolds also added that the victim still had “fears and concerns” related to a firearm that has been missing since Gremminger’s arrest.
“[The alleged victim] conveyed concerns to me and to probation with respect to firearms that this defendant may still have. He’s certainly not relinquishing them with regards to the protective order’s provisions,” said DDA Reynolds.
The firearm appears to be registered to the alleged victim. However, the two parties disagree on who currently possesses the weapon.
Defendant Gremminger claims that he does not have it.
“My client does not have it. He does not know where it is,” said Mr. Troncoso. “I assure you, if he did, he would have turned it over,” adding the defendant’s claim that the victim recently received a concealed carry permit for the specific type of firearm that appears to be missing.
The alleged victim disagreed with that claim. “I don’t have a CCW (carrying a concealed weapon permit) and I have not recently taken a class,” she said.
The alleged victim reported Gremminger had a firearm with him on the night of his arrest, and she is not sure where it is today.
“The night of this incident (Gremminger) had one of my firearms,” she said. “I had seen him pull (the firearm) out of the vehicle, but have no idea where he placed it. He has told me previously…he would get rid of any type of my firearms if I were to get him in trouble for the things that he was doing.”
“I don’t know have those three [firearms] that he has that are registered to me. I don’t know where they are. I am so thankful for the protective order, but at this point knowing that he has those firearms or has given them to somebody else, I still don’t feel safe,” she continued.
The bail remained set at $20,000 and the defendant was able to meet the requirement for release.
Max Kennedy graduated from Harvard in 2016 with a degree in History. He is an intern with the San Francisco Public Defender and most recently worked as a digital organizer with Joe Biden for President.
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