By: Patrick Aguilar, Zachariah Perry, Benjamin Lee, Ala Abuhara
SAN FRANCISCO — On Wednesday, July 9, 2025, during a preliminary hearing in San Francisco Superior Court, a defendant failed to appear on a charge of arson of property belonging to another. Deputy Public Defender Erin Morgan requested a bench warrant to return to court, explaining that her client had not maintained contact.
Morgan told the court her client had only checked in with Assertive Case Management (ACM) once out of the six required times.
When Judge Barbara Zuniga asked whether the prosecution opposed the warrant, Deputy District Attorney Rachel Schneider said she did not.
Schneider also noted the defendant had two open misdemeanor cases. Morgan clarified that both stemmed from the defendant’s unhoused status.
Despite being informed that the defendant is unhoused, Judge Zuniga issued a $30,000 bench warrant.
The defendant has been ordered to return to court on July 17, 2025, for the bench warrant hearing.
