NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — An accused person appeared in custody at the Harbor Justice Center on Monday after failing to report for a court-ordered jail sentence, telling the court that the failure resulted from a misunderstanding of instructions provided by their former public defender.
Judge Gregg L. Prickett said the accused had previously appeared before Judge Carlton P. Biggs on Oct. 26, when the court ordered the accused to serve 10 days in county jail for a probation violation.
Following that hearing, the accused was instructed to return to the Harbor Justice Center to be taken into custody but failed to appear as directed.
During Monday’s hearing, the accused explained that their public defender at the previous hearing had instructed them to report directly to the Orange County jail rather than return to the courthouse.
The accused said they attempted to surrender at the jail after traveling from San Diego but arrived at approximately 7:20 p.m., after the facility reportedly stopped accepting individuals at 7 p.m.
Prickett questioned the explanation, expressing skepticism that a public defender would have provided incorrect instructions about where to report for a jail sentence.
The accused repeatedly maintained that they were telling the truth and had attempted to follow the directions they believed they had received.
To clarify the conflicting accounts, Prickett paused the proceeding and requested that the public defender who represented the accused at the previous hearing appear in court.
As the morning continued, the accused maintained that the failure to report resulted from the instructions they had received.
Prickett continued to question the explanation and warned that the failure to report could result in an additional 60 days in jail.
Later that morning, the public defender entered the courtroom and was informed of the disagreement.
The public defender stated that the accused had been instructed to return to Superior Court rather than report directly to the county jail.
The attorney said they were uncertain how the misunderstanding had occurred.
During the discussion, the court was informed that a Spanish-language interpreter had been present at the previous hearing.
Prickett questioned whether interpretation had contributed to the confusion, noting that the accused had declined an interpreter during the current proceeding.
The hearing did not establish whether a language barrier played a role in the misunderstanding.
Following the discussion, the public defender requested that the court impose only the original 10-day jail sentence rather than additional incarceration for the failure to report.
Prickett denied the request.
Although the judge had warned that the accused could face an additional 60 days in jail, the reporting did not establish the final sentence imposed following the denial.
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