DUBLIN, Calif. (KRON) – The Alameda County Sheriff announced that Ghost Ship defendant Derick Almena was released on Monday from the Santa Rita Jail on bail.
Almena was expected to appear in court earlier Monday.
Last month, officials reported that Almena would be released from jail due to the coronavirus, however, that was denied.
“COVID has had a huge impact on everything, including the courts,” Paula Canny, criminal defense attorney said. “The Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court and the judicial council made, for the first time ever, a statewide bail schedule. And that means that, to reduce jail populations since the jail is such a, basically COVID Petri dish, a cruise ship that doesn’t float so to speak, most misdemeanors and all non serious felonies now have zero bail. Derick Almena is being held pre-trial and so under the courts, under the Chief Justice’s ruling, there should be no bail, but there was an emergency thing that allowed courts, if the person is in danger to public safety, not honor the zero bail.”
Canny says Almena’s trial was originally scheduled to be in May, but due to Governor Newsom’s orders, there will be no trials through June.
Almena’s retrial will remain set for July 6.
Check back for more details.
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