By Emma Kantor
WOODLAND, CA – After the passing of his father last week, the accused appeared in Yolo County Superior Court Tuesday out of custody in front of Judge Dave Rosenberg for a review on his case—he faces several felony and misdemeanor charges.
Conflict Defense Attorney Ava Landers represented the accused, and noted the progress that the accused has made as well as shedding some light on several issues that remained.
Landers indicated that there had been several issues where he had been staying at his mom’s house in Woodland and, as a result, he has since relocated to his cousin’s house in Davis.
One of the issues she noted was that the accused’s father passed away last week on Feb. 20.
The accused, she said, has also contacted Day Reporting Center to get into one of its programs. He is now just awaiting his AIC assessment. He will also be getting a full evaluation by the Health and Human Services Agency.
Landers gave him credit for his progress, saying “he is doing all the things that we want him to” and then asked for his matter to go over for six weeks as she awaits the results of the AIC assessment.
Deputy District Attorney Preston Schaub said he has been receiving a lot of communications from the neighborhood in Woodland in which the accused was residing, arguing residents were concerned about some of the activities that were happening there and some of the interactions they were having with the accused.
DDA Schaub said when Landers re-referred the accused, he had suggested that “in order for us to take this seriously” he needs to remove himself from that environment because it was becoming quite hostile and either get himself back into treatment or return himself to custody.
Schaub agreed that it was a good first step to relocate to Davis and engaging with the right departments and agencies will be another good step.
While he acknowledged the accused is taking steps in the right direction, DDA Schaub clarified that, even though the accused has relocated, the conditions of his bail still remain, including he is prohibited from driving a car because he does not have a valid license, and he must abide by the court-imposed curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Ultimately DDA Schaub told the accused that it is up to him to put in the effort at this point.
He said that if things are quiet and the accused is taking things seriously, and engaging with the mental health court when it does interview by being honest and forthcoming, there may be an opportunity for the District Attorney’s office to work with him.
After hearing from both attorneys, Judge Dave Rosenberg gave his own input on the matter.
The first thing that he did was tell the accused, “Good for you, I’m proud of you for stepping up, you look good by the way.”
After receiving thanks from the accused, Judge Rosenberg gave his condolences to the accused regarding the passing of his father and asked if they were close.
The accused revealed that they were close and this passing is especially difficult on his mother.
Rosenberg told the accused, “In memory of your father and on behalf of your mother, do your best. Now is the time to really dig deep and be completely honest with the team. You don’t have to be a tough guy.”
The matter will return in six weeks on April 12 for further review.
