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Compiled by Özge Terzioğlu
The Davis Vanguard is an online news forum that provides coverage of criminal justice reform and courts throughout California and the nation. In 2006, the Davis Vanguard began to cover Davis and Yolo County groundbreaking, local news concerning government and policy issues affecting the city, schools, and county. In the past few years, the online news source has been able to expand to Sacramento and the surrounding regions.
Today, the team has grown, encompassing about 40 to 50 interns who monitor and report on live court proceedings in more than six different counties throughout California, from the State Capitol of Sacramento to the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley and Southern California.
Stories this week range from a smoking pipe found in a defendant’s rectum to a defendant countering an offer to serve 180 days in jail with 60 days. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, fewer Departments were hearing cases on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (Nov. 23 to Nov. 25) of this week. Court was not in session on Thanksgiving Day or on Friday, Nov 27. If cases were being heard, they seemed to mostly be continuances and failures to appear. Interns covered courthouses in Sacramento and Yolo counties. They monitored about eight courtrooms, and dozens of cases in each court shift.
SACRAMENTO COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT:
Reporter Evie Sun: On Nov. 23 in Sacramento Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette resided over Dept. 63. Defense attorney David Foos and prosecutor Nick Karp collaborated on a plea bargain for a violation of defendant Justın Johnigan’s probation in 2016 and unlawful possession of a firearm.
In Dept. 84, Judge Phillip Stanger handed out DUI cases with the public defender and Deputy District Attorney Brown. Each of the defendants were offered a work release program as an alternative to paying fines to cover their DUI charges. The majority of the defendants chose the program over the fine, with the exception of one defendant, who chose to pay the fine instead.
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Reporter Dalia Bautista Rodriguez: On Nov. 23 in Sacramento Superior Court Dept. 60, there was a domestic violence case and a vehicle theft case. The defendant’s bail was set at $50,000 and he had a similar strike from 2004. He had no prior domestic violence cases and is a registered sex offender. In the next case, the defendant was charged with battery against a person in a previous relationship, and his bond was set at $5,000. The rest of the defendants failed to show, so bench warrants were issued.
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In Dept. 84, all the cases involved DUI’s. The defendants in each case were given the choice of either going to jail or paying the fine. Most of the defendants chose the option of doing a work project and only one defendant decided on the fine. The work project would be 4 days long, and if they stood with good credit, they were able to reduce the time to 2 days. One of the requirements was to complete an alcohol education class. The class would last 3, 6, or 9 months, depending on their charges. After they complete the work project, they would have to get their license fully restored by the DMV. Only two of the cases consisted of DUI’s relating to drugs, which was THC.
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Reporter Julian Navarro: On Nov. 24, in Sacramento Superior Court Dept. 63 most of the cases were short ones, and court finished around 10:35 a.m. Both Judge Patrick Marlette and Deputy District Attorney Spencer Rajabzadeh were notably relieved that the court docket finished so early. Defendant Chang Vang stood out in court today due to the number of cases against him. There were seven active cases prior to this date of Nov 24, 2020, involving this defendant. For one of Vang’s cases, it was alleged the defendant committed 5 penal code violations: PC 10851, unlawful taking or driving of a vehicle, PC 496(a), receiving stolen property, PC 23152 (f) DUI of drugs in California, PC 11377 (a) possession of the controlled substance, and PC 11364 possession of drug paraphernalia.
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Reporter Koda Slingluff: On Nov. 24, the livestream for Dept. 61 ended midway through the first case and never came back on.
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Defendant Joaquin Johnson, who had 5 charges on the docket, and defendant Jassier Guzman, who had 7, both appeared without having an attorney assigned to them yet. Attorney Meredith Schaff from the defenders’ panel appeared on their behalf to explain to the judge and DA Sanchez the mistake and was able to push back both their hearings to the morning of Dec. 1st. Defendant Johnson was particularly disgruntled by the delay because he mistakenly believed that today was his release day. The judge then reminded him of his five charges on the docket. When he attempted to voice his opinion, the judge advised him against it on the account that anything he says on the record can be used against him. Upon hearing that, he stopped talking.
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YOLO COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT:
Reporter Koda Slinguff: On Nov. 24 in Dept. 1 of Yolo County Superior Court, there was an in-custody arraignment followed by several out-of-custody arraignments. A representative from the probation Dept. was there as well to speak on several cases. The primary DA and public defender present both had the last name Johnson. Defendant Rodney Edmonson pleaded not guilty to a felony domestic violence charge.
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Reporter Dylan Ferguson: On Nov. 25 in Dept. 1 of Yolo Superior Court, Judge Peter Williams stated, “A lot of no shows today.” Following this, he issued 8 bench warrants ranging from $5,000-$25,000.
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