By Samara Yarnes and Ankita Joshi
SACRAMENTO, CA – Sacramento County Superior Court Dept. 60 was very slow Monday afternoon—the majority of cases heard resulted in the matters being scheduled for further proceedings.
But Jordan Lee’s case did stand out.
Lee, a repeat offender, was present for three different charges: two misdemeanors and one felony. He was charged with a felony complaint for discharging a firearm in a negligent manner, as well as a misdemeanor for false imprisonment and for carrying a concealed firearm.
After Lee was appointed Assistant Public Defender Alicia Hartley, the first course of action taken was to discuss the viability of the probation previously set for the two misdemeanors.
The most recent of these misdemeanors was committed in 2018, and thus the two-year probation sentence would not have been viable.
Under the premise of a new law, as well as the fact that these two misdemeanors did not fall under domestic violence, probation for Lee’s two misdemeanors was terminated
Once matters were turned toward setting bail for the felony charge, Deputy District Attorney Jenna Saavedro took a moment to look over the facts of the case that included a testimony by the father of the victim, which outlined the abuse inflicted upon his daughter by the defendant.
The testimony included the claim that, on Feb. 5 about 2 a.m., Lee was with the victim outside of her home when the victim’s father heard a scream. The father walked out to “see his daughter being held by the defendant” who was refusing to allow the victim to go home.
The father then put himself between Lee and his daughter and told Lee that the victim was coming home. They began walking back to their home, when Lee began grabbing the victim and her father, causing them to fall.
As the victim and her father tried to get up, they heard a gunshot to the left of the father’s ear. The father recalled seeing “a black semiautomatic handgun” that he believed was a 9 millimeter.
He stated, “I don’t know if the defendant was shooting at me or shooting at [the victim]. It was dark so maybe he couldn’t see where he was aiming. And the bullet struck the ground in front of us.” After the gunshot, the victim and her father were able to safely make it into their home.
DDA Saavedro further stated officers noted that the victim had a black eye. She also addressed Lee’s previous criminal history before asking that Lee’s bail be set higher than scheduled, in order to ensure protection for the victim and her father.
PD Hartley rebutted these claims by pointing out that this testimony originated from the father of the victim, and not the victim, herself. As a result, there was no statement present from the alleged victim that indicated she was a victim.
Due to the apparent hearsay of the father’s testimony, Hartley contended that bail should be set at the presumptive bail amount of $25,000.
Saavedro discussed the escalating nature of Lee’s crimes, including his felony wardship from 2007 for a second degree robbery, his 2015 conviction for carrying a loaded firearm in a public space, and multiple probation violations.
Judge Scott L Tedmon ordered that Lee’s bail be tripled from $25,000 to $75,000, noting that the presumptive bail was not adequate because Lee’s criminal history had escalated throughout the years, and the higher bail was necessary to protect the victim and her father.
Samara Yarnes is a senior at the University of California – Davis, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Psychology and Sociology. She is originally from La Crescenta, California.
Ankita Joshi is a second-year student at the University of San Francisco, pursuing a major in International Studies and a minor in Political Science. She is originally from Sacramento, CA.
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