By Tatiana Gasca
ALAMEDA, CA– Steady legal proceedings indicated a slow day for Judge Jacob Blea of Alameda County Superior Court Dept. 702 at the end of the business week—multiple defendants appeared in court to arrange plea hearings and arraignment dates.
But three cases involving assault and/or violations of stay away orders with spouses or partners—and a mother—revealed the complexity of the criminal court system.
Defendant Rico Deangelo Febo, for instance, appeared in court for a probation violation that involved an alleged assault toward his own mother. It was revealed that the defendant had some history of mental illness and a complicated family dynamic.
Deputy District Attorney Kevin Ikuma argued that the defendant had visited his mother on July 17 and Aug. 8 of this year, where Febo was arrested on site.
“He basically gets aggressive I think when he interacts with his mom. He was allowed to come home to take a shower and then once they interacted, he became very aggressive,” mentioned Ikuma.
However, Febo’s defense attorney fired back stating, “There’s no claim that he touched her, that he hit her, that he injured her at all. It’s that she anticipated something because of a look.”
Febo’s defense attorney claimed that his mother would continuously invite the defendant to her house, based on her own admission. The situation escalated when Febo’s mother did not like the way he looked at her.
The defense attorney requested Febo be released on his own recognizance so that he can receive additional health services. Judge Blea denied the defense attorney’s request and issued a stay away order. Bail is set at $5,000.
Michael Lee Manley also made an appearance in court after major speculations suggested he had violated a restraining order stemming from a domestic violence case in 2019.
The current allegations indicated that the incident took place at a convenience store, where the defendant entered the victim’s vehicle and sat in the passenger seat.
“There is clearly no danger to the alleged victim as she is inviting Mr. Manley into her vehicle and there was no physical or verbal altercation,” argued Manley’s defense attorney, Benjamin Chiang.
Judge Blea granted Manley’s pretrial release as there was no evidence indicating any sort of criminal action.
Manley’s restraining order remains in effect and he is set to appear in court on Sept. 1.
The final defendant with interesting circumstances included a felony charge for inflicting corporal injury to a relationship partner.
Alfredo Jose Martinez has been married to his spouse for 21 years and has no prior criminal history, but on Aug. 10 it’s alleged Martinez assaulted his partner.
“This may have been an unusual situation that was fueled by the fact that he was under the influence,” stated defense attorney Chiang.
It was noted that this was the first time the defendant lashed out at his spouse. Apparently, it was abnormal for Martinez to intentionally inflict pain onto his partner, said his attorney.
Deputy District Attorney David Cavanaugh Cook also revealed that the victim indicated they no longer wish to press charges against Martinez.
Chiang requested Judge Blea to consider releasing Martinez on his own recognizance. However, Judge Blea issued a restraining order along with a bail amount of $50,000. Martinez entered a plea of not guilty and is set to appear in court on Sept. 13.
