VAN NUYS, Calif. — A nearly 30-year-old Los Angeles County case resurfaced this week after a defense attorney asked a judge to recall an outstanding bench warrant for a man who was deported while serving jail time.
The case, dating back to 1994, was brought back on the court calendar with defense attorney Kim Flowers arguing that the warrant should be lifted due to circumstances that occurred while her client was in custody.
When the matter was first called, the presiding judge mistakenly believed the accused would be present and temporarily set the case aside. After most of the court calendar was completed, the case was recalled when Flowers appeared.
Flowers explained that the accused had been deported while serving his jail sentence. She added that deportation prevented him from completing probation and court requirements. For this reason, she requested that the warrant be recalled.
The judge denied the request. Although the reasoning was not fully stated on the record, the denial was most likely tied to the age of the case and procedural limits on the court’s authority to recall a warrant.
The judge refused to resolve the matter and advised the defense to approach the prosecution to attempt to negotiate case termination.
The prosecutor on record, Angie Cordova, offered no additional comment, noting only that the case is more than three decades old.
The bench warrant remains in effect until further notice.
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