By Amy Fullerton, Catherine Hamilton, and Jeff Haslam
VENTURA, CA – In a pretrial release screening here in Ventura County Superior Court this past week, Judge Nancy Ayers allowed Carlos Castellanos Magallon to be released on his own recognizance after allegedly attempting to steal two retractable screens from the Oxnard Home Depot.
On Nov. 23, 2020, somebody “with the client’s date of birth” allegedly entered the store and swapped the screens’ price tags with labels for two cheaper goods costing a total of $19.86. The screens were valued at $599 each and, if the theft had been successful, the cost would have totaled $1,200.13 in stolen goods.
Immediately after the attempted theft, Magallon exited the store and was approached by an asset protection specialist. After being escorted back into the business, Magallon signed a statement agreeing to the theft.
Judge Ayers stated during the screening that Magallon scored a seven on the ORAS (Ohio Risk Assessment System) pretrial assessment when in discussion about allowing Magallon to continue to be out on his own recognizance.
The ORAS pretrial assessment is a seven-item assessment that helps identify clients who may be more or less at risk of reoffending crimes or be driven toward criminal behavior. The determining factors include employment status, criminal history, & substance abuse, among others.
Magallon was recognized by the court as someone who has heroin and methamphetamine addictions and this was taken into consideration by the court during the pretrial release screening, although Magallon claimed he has not been using the drugs for about a month now.
According to Magallon’s defense attorney, Assistant Public Defender Donna Forry, Magallon has a job at a local fruit stand, which provided another reason for why he should be released pretrial.
Because drug terms will be a part of his sentence, Judge Ayers warned Magallon that he “will occasionally have to submit to testing to remain out of custody.”
