By Jordyn Gleaton
DUBLIN, CA – The judge here in Dept 702 of Alameda County Superior Court really didn’t want defendant Tammy Hodges, who was charged with causing a serious collision on the wrong side of the freeway, to drive before her upcoming trial.
Defense Attorney Gregory Humphreville began the preliminary hearing by stating Hodges was pleading not guilty to all charges and he denied the allegations against his client, while prosecutor Ashley Carvolth requested bail be set at $380,000.
The court, instead, decided to require non-financial conditions in release due to the severity of the collision.
The court considered SCRAM or some other device that would monitor the defendant while on release. SCRAM is an alcohol monitoring bracelet that uses perspiration to monitor the alcohol intake of the person who is wearing the bracelet.
Judge Colin Bowen explained, “The reason I would consider SCRAM is because I want something. This is horrible. The blood alcohol is too high. . . the wrong way on the freeway. This is a bad collision, bad injury. So, the only way I will leave her [Hodges] out is if she has a SCRAM monitor.”
The deputy district attorney again asked the court to require Hodges to attend AA (Alcohol Anonymous) meetings several times a week or to reconsider her original request of bail set at $380,000.
However, the court was reluctant to make AA meetings a condition because the accident occurred one year ago, and the court was not sure that AA meetings would be effective now.
Because neither Carvolth nor Humphreville had any knowledge of recent alcohol-related transgressions by defendant Hodges, the court decided not to require AA meetings as a condition for her release.
Ultimately, the court ruled the terms of Hodges’ continued release are that she must wear a SCRAM monitor and cannot drive any vehicle while on trial. This was decided because Hodges continued driving with a suspended license, resulting in two vehicle code violations even after the collision.
The judge suggested he wanted to make sure Hodge did not drive.
Jordyn Gleaton is a court watch reporter for The Vanguard at Berkeley. She is a first year student at UC Berkeley studying Political Science and Legal Studies. She is from Tracy, CA.
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