Who's on your list...

To replace Judge Watson?

It's not over yet - BUMPED and UPDATED

It will take a long time to fix what has gone wrong in the DA's Office, with its ripples throughout the court system and law enforcement, and you will continue to see stuff like this, which is the direct result of Paul's tenure and mismanagement. Where other departments had largely thrown up their hands, they are ALSO now going to have to buckle down and do a better job. (Probation) So basically, despite efforts to secure justice, this one was allowed to tank... Sad.

◼ Judge Watson flubbed this one; victim still feels like a winner - John Chiv/Words Worth

You let a woman who slashed the mother of her grandchild go free with less than a slap on the wrist....

The original plea deal was approved by Paul. The defense attorney is Nesl Sanders, a Paul supporter....

So Judge Watson made a decision based on probation which screwed up and as a Judge he could have made a different decision.

◼ REACTION: (UPDATE, this one won't be going away) "I believe we have a dishonest judge in our midst who does not believe in victim's rights" - John Chiv/Words Worth

Frequent public meeting commenter and community advocate Kent Sawatsky called Judge Watson out today during public comment at the afternoon session of the Humboldt Board of Supervisors.

"I believe we have a dishonest judge in our midst who does not believe in victim's rights."

Mr. Sawatsky was referring to the Elmy Workman case.

Mr. Sawatsky and the public deserve answers from Judge Watson, the Probation department for their amended probation reports and all involved.

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BACKGROUND:
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◼ Elmy Workman was found guilty of PC 245(a)(1), assault with a deadly weapon and personal infliction of great bodily injury per PC 12022.7. - John Chiv/Words Worth
◼ Lost Coast Outpost prints the DA's PRESS RELEASE
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Previously/Background:
◼ Sneaky Plea Deal fails

◼ Allison Jackson scores another win for victim; deal between Gallegos and Sanders busted - John Chiv/Words Worth

◼ Allison Jackson puts a crimp in secret plea deal - John Chiv/Words Worth Jul 30, 2014
◼ Allison Jackson, who is representing the victim in the Elmy Workman case was never notified that the same plea deal that was rejected by Judge John Feeney was presented again to Judge Dale Reinholtsen. She was not also sure if Judge Reinholtsen had been given the background of the case. - John Chiv/Words Worth Jul 30, 2014
◼ Previous plea deal rejected back on table with no victim notification; exact deal - John Chiv/Words Worth Jun 30, 2014
◼ Judge Feeney tentatively rejects Workman plea deal; final decision is the same, case to go to jury trial - John Chiv/Words Worth Apr 15, 2014
◼ Elmy Workman sentencing postponed again, this time defense requests continuance based on amended probation report - John Chiv/Words Worth Apr 3, 2014
◼ Elmy Workman sentencing postponed again. - John Chiv/Words Worth Mar 20, 2014
◼ Defense and private attorneys run the courtroom under Paul's watch? - John Chiv/Words Worth Mar 12, 2014
◼ Another case where comments sections get out of control - Real News From The North Coast June 3, 2012
◼ Suspect arrested after woman stabbed in Arcata - Times-Standard May 31, 2012
◼ Blue Laker Slashed, One Arrested - Arcata Eye May 30, 2012
◼ APD Press Release - May 29, 2012

Coen pleads out. Attempted murder charges fall by the wayside

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Feb. 14, 2011
Contact: Deputy District Attorney Arnie Klein
Phone: 707-268-2584

Coen Acknowledges Responsibility for July 2, 2010 Shooting

On Monday, Feb. 14, 1011, Michael Coen changed his plea from not guilty to guilty when he pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon.

The charges stemmed from a shooting that occurred on July 2, 2010. He has also admitted to the special allegations of use of a firearm and inflicting great bodily injury. In addition, Coen admitted to a prior “strike” as defined by the California Three Strikes Law.

Under the terms of the agreement, Coen waived his right to an appeal and will be sentenced to state prison for a minimum of ten years to a maximum of 21 years. Because Coen was convicted of a violent offence, he will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence, which will be handed down by Judge Bruce Watson on March 28, 2011.

Prosecuting Deputy District Attorney Arnie Klein said: “The successful prosecution of this case {did this case get prosecuted?) is due, in large part, to the cooperative efforts of various law enforcement agencies and the contribution made by local citizens in catching and apprehending Mr. Coen,”

Jury selection was about to begin on the July 2, 2010 incident when Coen entered his plea. “I want to, especially, acknowledge the members of the community who sacrificed their time by coming in for jury selection,” noted District Attorney Paul Gallegos. “The accused often delays the process until he or she understands that the community is there to render judgment.”
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Note that Coen was accused of attempted murder, assault with a firearm, illegal possession of a firearm by a felon and resisting arrest.
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◼ Fortuna man pleads no contest to assault with a deadly weapon

A Fortuna man pleaded no contest Monday to a host of charges stemming from a shooting last July that landed one man in the hospital.

Michael Alan Coen pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon likely to produce great bodily injury, with a special allegation of using a firearm and a second special allegation of inflicting great bodily injury against Christopher “Shane” Cooper. Coen was originally charged with attempted murder after being apprehended during a multi-agency manhunt on July 2 and faces a minimum of 10 years in prison at his sentencing next month...

”We'll be asking for the most serious sentence the court can impose, based on the evidence provided,” Klein said, adding that he was pleased with the deal, in which Coen waived his right to appeal his sentence. Coen also pleaded no contest to felony counts of grand theft auto and evading a peace officer with willful disregard for the safety of others, charges stemming from separate incidents last year, as well as no contest to damaging jail property when he kicked out the Plexiglas panel in his cell last January.

”It's an effort to reach a just resolution in the case,” Klein said, adding that the motive for the shooting remains unclear but could be the culmination of an argument over a girlfriend of Coen's.

”That's just speculation at this point,” Klein said, adding that Coen was wearing a bulletproof vest as well as a wig to conceal his identity when he entered Cooper's home.

Investigator William Honsal said the district attorney's office investigation into the case began before Coen's arrest, when the Fortuna Police Department was seeking information on the whereabouts of Coen, who was wanted for a parole violation.

Coen was arrested off Highway 36 on July 2, more than 10 hours after allegedly shooting Cooper once in the chest with a .22-caliber handgun at his home on the 3400 block of Hillras Way in Fortuna....

Coen's plea of no contest technically admits no wrongdoing but will be treated by the court as a guilty plea. With a prior felony conviction of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm resulting in great bodily injury in 2009, the length of Coen's sentence for the July assault will be doubled for a maximum of 21 years.

Lee declined to comment on specifics of how the plea deal was reached. Coen will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before being considered eligible for parole. He is due back in court for sentencing on March 28.....

Another plea deal. Klein still unclear. We can hope that the Judge will once again make sure some kind of justice is done. Let's hope Klein at least did his job correctly in that dept.

This week's Journal

The Notebook of Alternate Juror No. 4
What it's like to sit in judgment of an alleged child molester

...First up was the slightly rumpled, graying Deputy DA Arnie Klein, a recent transplant from Los Angeles, who kept peering at us over his bifocals. He told us of the victims, "Boys will be boys." We would learn that apparently the two accusers, those young rascals, may have been involved in a series of 911 prank calls that tied the county's emergency system in knots for weeks in early 2007, but they weren't on trial for that. And they were being raised by their grandmother because the mother had some major drug issues and had lost custody of her sons a couple of times, once for sharing her marijuana with them on their eighth birthday. But the mother wasn't on trial either. The defendant, we were told, is the one on trial for a number of alleged crimes, including possession of pornography involving children, and, after a long period of time befriending the boys, repeated molestation.

Road map No. 2 was presented by the defense attorney, Glenn Brown. He told us his client, the defendant, age 23, was an Eagle Scout and assistant leader of his Boy Scout Troop who, yes, befriended many neighborhood boys — and girls — in the trailer park where they all lived, teaching them computer skills, handing out keys to his shed adjacent to the trailer he lived in so they could use his computer to play games when he wasn't around. He was especially close to the two boys, twins. He was a father substitute even, taking them camping, helping with their homework and getting them involved in scouting. Why? Because he, too, had a drug-addled mother, an absent father, and was raised by his grandmother....

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