NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — An accused person failed to appear for a scheduled preliminary hearing Tuesday morning at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, prompting Judge Derek G. Johnson to maintain a $20,000 warrant and discuss the possibility of an additional $50,000 warrant.
The accused was scheduled to appear Nov. 3 for a preliminary hearing on a felony charge of selling or transporting a controlled substance stemming from an alleged offense in June 2026.
The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charge but was absent when the case was called.
Public Defender Erin Christoff informed the court that she had been unable to contact the accused and did not know why the accused had failed to appear.
Deputy District Attorney Ashley Fan also had no information about the accused’s whereabouts or the reason for the absence.
According to Harbor Justice Center court records, the accused had no previously documented failures to appear in the case.
Following the absence, Judge Johnson maintained the $20,000 warrant.
The judge also discussed the possibility of issuing an additional $50,000 warrant, which would bring the combined warrant amounts to $70,000.
However, the hearing account does not establish that the additional $50,000 warrant was issued.
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