WOODLAND, CA – During a bail review hearing on Wednesday, Judge Clara Levers upheld a high bail amount for an unhoused individual who had failed to appear in court multiple times, despite the defense’s argument that those failures were the result of homelessness and inadequate communication.
The accused faces one felony count of conspiracy to commit a crime, one felony count of second-degree burglary with an enhancement for aggravating circumstances, and two misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance.
Deputy Public Defender Aram Davtyan requested that the accused be released on Supervised Own Recognizance (SOR). Deputy District Attorney Alvina Tzang opposed the request, citing the accused’s history of missed court appearances.
DPD Davtyan pushed back, arguing that the public defender’s office had not adequately contacted the accused, which contributed to his failure to appear.
“I did not see any record of our office contacting [him],” Davtyan told the court.
He acknowledged that the defense bears partial responsibility for the absences, stating that ensuring a client appears in court is not solely the accused’s duty, but also a professional responsibility of legal counsel. Davtyan further noted that some of the missed appearances occurred when the accused was experiencing homelessness.
“[The accused] was unhoused when [he was] first placed on SOR,” Davtyan explained.
Nevertheless, DDA Tzang maintained her opposition to release, pointing to the accused’s history of incomplete probation periods as further evidence of unreliability.
In response, DPD Davtyan proposed the accused be released with a GPS monitor, arguing it would now be feasible due to his client’s recently secured permanent address.
“[Keeping up with GPS monitoring] shouldn’t be difficult for him,” Davtyan told the court.
Judge Levers, however, rejected the proposal, citing past non-compliance. She emphasized that the accused had previously failed to charge the GPS monitor, even though he now had access to a permanent residence and a location to charge the device.
Ultimately, Judge Levers declined to grant release and maintained bail at $5,000.
