WOODLAND, Calif. — A Yolo County Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered the release of an accused individual on their own recognizance, rejecting the prosecution’s request for a broad stay-away order in favor of a narrower “no loitering” restriction after the defense argued the proposed condition would prevent the unhoused accused from accessing food.
On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, Judge Danette C. Brown of Yolo County Superior Court ordered the own-recognizance release of the accused, implementing the narrower “no loitering” restriction instead of the prosecution’s requested total stay-away order that the defense argued would stunt the unhoused accused’s access to food.
The accused faces nine misdemeanor charges, including trespassing on posted property, fighting or challenging another person to fight in a public place, resisting or obstructing a public officer, unlawful camping, maintaining a public nuisance, and multiple counts of possession of controlled substances and drug paraphernalia.
Deputy Public Defender Joseph Gocke entered pleas of not guilty to all charges on behalf of the accused. The defense requested the accused’s release, citing the nonviolent nature of the misdemeanor offenses and potential underlying mental health concerns.
Deputy District Attorney Carolyn Palumbo opposed the defense’s request, pointing to the accused’s prior failures to appear and arguing the accused was unlikely to comply with court orders, characterizing the accused as “very argumentative” and “not going to comply.”
Probation Officer Michael Morgan intervened in support of the prosecution’s concerns, stating that the accused would not follow the directives of the court or probation.
Adding to this, Palumbo told the court that the accused’s failures to appear had not been met with adequate consequences. “We say that if they don’t come to court there will be consequences. Then they don’t come to court and there are no consequences.”
Gocke pushed back against Palumbo’s assertion, stating, “I would argue that spending four days in jail and being ripped away from your life is a consequence.”
Despite the prosecution’s argument, Judge Brown granted the defense’s request for release under a search clause for controlled substances and drug paraphernalia and on the defendant’s promise to appear in court.
Following the court’s release ruling, the prosecution implored the court to impose a strict 100-yard stay-away order from the Pole Line Road freeway overcrossing in Davis.
The accused pleaded with the court, explaining that the restriction would leave him without a way to walk to Safeway to access food. Gocke validated the accused’s concern, asking whether the court would allow him to pass through the area to obtain groceries.
Palumbo interjected, claiming that a modified order would “not be enforceable,” to which the defense countered by highlighting the critical legal distinction between an individual “camping” at a location and simply walking past it to access basic necessities.
While the prosecution maintained that a middle-ground order would be ineffective, the defense proposed a “no loitering” directive as an alternative.
Ultimately, Judge Brown denied the prosecution’s request for a 100-yard stay-away order, ruling instead that the accused be prohibited from loitering at the Pole Line overcrossing in Davis.
While the case is ongoing, this arraignment sheds light on the broader systemic friction between prosecutorial restrictions and the survival needs of unhoused individuals. By contesting requests that affect access to basic human necessities and resources, the case depicts the judicial challenge of balancing court compliance with the practical realities faced by vulnerable accused persons.
The matter has been set for a pretrial conference on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at 9 a.m. in Department 7 of Yolo County Superior Court, with the defendant ordered to be present.
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