LOS ANGELES, CA- A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge rejected a request by the accused to be released from jail without bail, pending the bail review, despite the lack of evidence from the prosecution.
Last September, the accused was charged with misdemeanor counts of child stealing and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. These charges resulted from the police allegedly finding children in the home of the accused, who had been reported missing by their parents.
Deputy Public Defender Gabriel Durkin-White told the court the minors had reported they had gone to the accused’s house willingly. Defense counsel also emphasized that all of the minors denied any abuse from the accused.
Counsel also pointed out that in a previous case from 2018, the accused was issued a protective order which he had obeyed. This led counsel to request OR release for the accused pending the bail review date.
The defense insisted that considering past compliance with the protective order, the accused did not pose as a flight risk and there was no evidence to suggest he would not appear in court for the bail review.
Deputy City Attorney Jennifer Waxler disagreed that OR release was appropriate, and added the only option was to remand the accused to jail.
Judge Liliana Gonzalez set bail at $100,000 and the accused was remanded to custody.
Judge Gonzalez stated the accused could not be eligible for least restrictive alternatives because the charges originated in his home, which made GPS tracking not an option.
A Jan. 24 court date was set for bail review and pretrial date for Jan. 29.
