Court Watch

By Vanguard Court Watch Interns

In Department 2 under Judge Fall on Monday February 4, 2013, the jury was selected for the case of Alberto Medina, charged with committing a felony by the possession and sale of methamphetamine.

Mr. Medina, represented by Frank Sage, is charged with five counts: first, possession of a controlled substance, second sale of meth; third, the transportation of meth; fourth, the offer to sell meth and armed with a firearm; and fifth, the possession of meth greater than 28.5 grams for sale and  armed with a firearm.

By Vanguard Court Watch Interns

On Wednesday, the jury finally ruled in the vehicular homicide case of Gubani Roderico Rosales Quinteros.  He was convicted of counts 4 and 5, using the personal identification of another for unlawful purpose, and false impersonation of Carlos Adrian Quinteros Hernandez.

Judge Stephen Mock then ruled a mistrial on the main charges, after the jury could not reach a verdict.  Retrial is scheduled for July 8, 2013 to resolve the remaining charges.

By Vanguard Court Watch Interns

The Quinteros trial continued this morning with witness Officer Galvez back on the stand with questions from the jury. After about three minutes, he was excused and witness Robert Luis Salaber, Jr., President of the engineering firm Salaber Associates, was brought to the stand.

According to Robert Salaber, they were hired by the City of Woodland for the management, administration and oversight of the construction of the freeway. A separate prime contractor was hired to do the actual physical work of the construction in which Salaber Associates oversaw.

by Antoinnette Borbon

(Editor’s note: Previously the Vanguard covered this trial on January 18 and January 21).

The trial of the People vs. Sonne wrapped up today, sending the jurors into deliberation by 2:45 pm. As the case continued this week, we heard from several witnesses, most of them from the Davis Police Department. Officer Ralph Piro, Officer Janell Bestpitch and Detective Ariel Pineda’s reports were in accord, almost in exact words, as Deputy Public Defender Dan Hutchinson pointed out.

By Vanguard Court Watch Iterns

On Tuesday, Mr. Purcell, finished his testimony. The highlight:  It was revealed that the construction project was not handled by Caltrans. Instead, a private construction company was hired by the City of Woodland. Closing a highway lane was not part of the plan for the morning of August 8. Around 7 AM, a vehicle ran into the sand barrels at the site.

This caused a delay in construction and the subsequent decision to close one lane. The construction company had to quickly mobilize staff to set up traffic cones and warning signs.

By Vanguard Court Watch Interns

Thursday’s trial of People v. Quinteros continued with testimonies from witnesses involved in the accident.

Witnesses included a Mr. Rivas, Guadalupe Carrere and Alfredo Ochoa. Mr. Ochoa was not involved in the accident but did film the aftermath on his cell phone. His video of the event displays smoke, fire, and emergency personnel.

David Snyder, UCD Man Suspected of Possessing Explosives, Arraigned Thursday

by Antoinnette Borbon

Just outside the courtroom of Department 9 this afternoon, the streets were lined with vans from all of the local news stations, eagerly waiting to report on the arraignment of David Scott Snyder. Snyder is accused of making explosives in his apartment with stolen chemicals from the University of California at Davis, where he worked. He was living at the Russell Park Apartments and worked as a research assistant at the university.

The courtroom was filled with video cameras to witness the arraingment. Judge Janet Beronino explained the charges to the defendant in detail. He sat in his seat with a pretty calm demeanor, his left arm wrapped from the injury sustained in the explosion inside his apartment. Deputy Public Defender Jessica Graves requested bail be set at the pre-conference hearing February 8th, in Judge Reed’s courtroom. Bail was suggested to be set at 2 million dollars but will more than likely be denied due to the defendant being a “flight risk,” prosecution stated.

In addition to the keynote speech by Sujatha Baliga on “Restorative Justice and Dr. King’s Infinite Hope,” the Davis MLK Day presentation featured a panel discussion on “New Jim Crow,” featuring introductory remarks by UC Davis Professor Tilhun Yilma and a panel comprised of Sasha Abramsky, Cruz Reynoso, Joe Schwartz and Bernita Toney.

The discussion was based on the concept of “The New Jim Crow,” as defined in the book by Michelle Alexander, dealing with the mass levels of incarceration in the US – which has 25% of the world’s prison population despite only having 5% of the world’s total population.

By Dan Oney

The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced the release of “The Impact of Probation and Parole Populations on Arrests in Four California Cities.” The study, which was funded by the Public Safety Performance Project of the Pew Center on the States, the Public Welfare Foundation, the Fund for Nonviolence and the Rosenberg Foundation, answers one question that to date has been a matter of speculation among law enforcement and corrections officials everywhere: to what extent do people on parole and probation contribute to crime, as measured by arrests?

The Chiefs of the Los Angeles, Redlands, Sacramento, and San Francisco Police Departments commissioned the analysis in 2010. The 3.5-year timeframe covered in the study, which concluded in June 2011, immediately precedes the implementation of the state’s Public Safety Realignment Act, which commenced in October 2011.

Restorative Justice Process Enabled Grieving Mother to Meet Her Daughter’s Killer – Linda White is a retired college professor, whose 26-year-old daughter was raped and murdered 25 years ago by two 14-year-olds.  Ten years ago she did what many people would think was unthinkable – through a restorative justice process, she sat face to face with one of the assailants and spoke about the ending of her daughter’s life.  She would ultimately forgive him.

How she came to do that and how the process works was the subject of an hour-long phone interview the Vanguard had with Ms. White last year.  Following the MLK Day event in Davis this week, it seemed this was the appropriate time to publish Ms. White’s remarkable story.

Man Faces 40 Counts Including Vehicular Manslaughter

By Vanguard Court Watch Interns

People v. Gubani Roderico Rosales Quinteros began Tuesday, January 22, with a heavy discussion. Before a trial can begin, the court reviews motions. Some of these motions request to omit evidence.

Mr. Quinteros is charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, among numerous other charges. His other charges include burglary, forgery and perjury.

Vanguard Court Watch of Yolo County is seeking applications from members of the community to become committee members for a newly-formed Vanguard Court Watch Council.

By Catherine McKnight and Antoinnette Borbon

On Friday, January 18, 2013, the further jury trial for People v. Sonne continued. Thaddeus Sonne is being charged on a count of rape by force, pertaining to an incident that occurred in downtown Davis on the night of August 16, 2012.

Deputy Public Defender Dan Hutchinson presented a case that raises more questions about whether a jury can reasonably come to a verdict that this was rape by force, or if this really was a consensual matter between two intoxicated young adults.

By Stephanie Yang

Day two of the Medel trial revealed several pieces of evidence that sheds light on the three different burglaries that occurred in the summer of 2011 in Davis. Witnesses who confirmed the evidence included police officers and detectives from the city of Davis, and bystanders from the time of the burglaries.

On July 14, 2011, at the time of the defendant’s arrest, the police found the defendant’s SUV filled with property. This was the same dark-colored SUV with the same license plate that was reported to be at all three burglaries.

by Antoinnette Borbon

On August 16, 2012, two 20-year-old residents of UC Davis started partying by the pool and later ended up in downtown Davis for “Thursday Night Party Night.” After drinking enough alcohol to reach more than double the legal limit for driving a motor vehicle, the two young adults decide to end their evening at the bar/restaurant called Our House near the train station.

Two Davis police officers responded to a call near Tres Hermanas in downtown Davis, also near the train depot.  While they were on the scene, a bystander told them there was a couple that appeared to be engaged in sexual intercourse near the train tracks.