By Ryan Nguyen
WOODLAND, Calif. — The fate of an unhoused man was under scrutiny this week in Yolo County Superior Court as a judge considered whether to release him or continue his detention during a bail review triggered by repeated missed court dates and alleged violations of prior supervised release.
The accused appeared for a hearing on a consolidated motion for pretrial release involving two cases, with the proceeding focusing not on the underlying charges but on whether any conditions could reasonably assure his return to court.
Deputy Public Defender Lisa Lance argued for the accused’s release, contending he was not a flight risk and emphasizing his visibility in the community.
“(The accused) is homeless. He was easy to find in the community … and there are alternatives that can be tried, such as GPS, that would ensure his participation,” the public defender said, proposing supervised own recognizance with electronic monitoring.
The prosecution strongly opposed release, citing a pattern of noncompliance.
The DA pointed to the accused’s failure to appear immediately after a recent release on Jan. 6 and to multiple alleged violations while previously on supervised own recognizance in 2024, including leaving a court-directed treatment program, testing positive for drugs, departing a facility against probation directives, and failing to contact his probation officer.
“Based on his history of failures to appear and his violations of the directives of probation, the people do not believe that he should be released on SOR,” the prosecutor argued, asserting that supervision had already proven ineffective.
The court took the matter under submission without issuing an immediate ruling.
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