By Jannat Alam
SACRAMENTO – The tension in a Sacramento County Superior Court department became noticeably higher this Wednesday when Judge Scott L. Tedmon ruled to significantly increase a defendant’s bail from $5,000 to $50,000, in response to the severity of the defendant’s most recent parole violation.
The defendant, identified as Kenneth Blackburn, was initially arrested on a felony charge of committing corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant in May of 2020.
In September of the same year, the defendant violated the criminal protective order put in place during the initial arraignment, and visited the unnamed victim while intoxicated, where another physical altercation occurred.
According to Prosecutor Rona Filippini, “The defendant slapped the victim in the face, and pushed her in the back of her neck, and pushed the back of her neck into the ground.” The victim sustained minor injuries.
At the mention of the details of the altercation, Blackburn made an impassioned outburst, but was quickly rebuked by Judge Tedmon, who is quoted responding to the defendant, “You’re not helping yourself!”
Since his arrest in May of 2020, Blackburn has been in the Sacramento County Sheriff’s work program, and has been steadily employed. Because of the September parole violation, Blackburn’s involvement with the work project has been interrupted, and the goal of the defense was for it to be reinstated and for bail to remain the same.
Assistant Public Defender Sameera Ali cites Blackburn’s consistent employment and attendance to a batterer’s treatment program in her appeal to the court.
But, because of the defendant’s past history of arrest and the severity of the present parole violation, Judge Tedmon ruled against the defense’s appeals and set bail at $50,000, arguing “[Mr. Blackburn] should not be rewarded for something he’s supposed to do,” meaning the work project.
Blackburn, visibly agitated at the judge’s decision, made another outburst, saying, “This is crazy as hell, man. I’m trying the best I can. Come on, man!”
Judge Tedmon considered the defendant’s outbursts inappropriate, and noted that the defendant’s “disrespect for the court” convinces him that the decision to not reinstate the defendant’s involvement with the work project was an appropriate one. An option to the work project is “hard time” in jail.
The court will meet again regarding Blackburn’s case on Feb. 9 at 8:30 a.m.
Jannat Alam is a third year at UCLA, majoring in English. She is from Fontana, California.
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