Public Safety
Courts and District Attorney on Riverside County Criminal Case Dismissals
“There have been mass dismissals, and the courts have chosen to dismiss over 200 felony and misdemeanor criminal matters,” Riverside County District Attorney, Mike Hestrin, said.
COVID-19 emergency orders, a generational deficit of judges and an overall lack of courtrooms.
All this contributed to a massive backlog, around 2,800 unresolved criminal cases.
With the thick dockets that grew after the lockdowns, cases are now being dismissed.
“There was an order that suspended the rights of speedy trials and that was a waiver that was done across Riverside County,” Hestrin explained. “Those waivers lasted many, many months. When those waivers ended, the courts are now looking at each particular case and deciding how best to get the case out to trial.”
According to state laws, a court is allowed to continue a case beyond the deadline for “good cause.”
The problem is, backlogs due to a lack of judges is not considered a “good cause” to continue a case.
Knowing this, Hestrin says they are determined to work through these cases, but mass dismissals are not the answer.
Hestrin continued, “It’s going to cause not only great distress to the victims of crime that are finding that their case was dismissed, but it’s going to also result in potentially more of a backlog because defendants that are charged with crimes are not going to have any incentive to engage in plea bargain negotiations or any kind of resolution to cases prior to trial.”
The courts say they are taking every step necessary to prevent these dismissals by requesting help from retired judges, when available, deploying civil judges to hear criminal trials and more.
But this will all take time.
“The case dismissals are putting the public safety at risk,” Hestrin said. “We are doing everything we can at the District Attorney’s Office to push back on this and make sure that the cases are not being dismissed. We’re showing up to court. We’re filing a motion in opposition. We’re going to make our case that these decisions are unjustified. We’ve got to get back to where we’re trying cases and where defendants know that a speedy trial is going to be assured in this county.”
The cases most dismissed involve domestic violence charges.
Because of this, Hestrin says he will alert the public on a weekly basis on what’s happening in our courts.
By: Carmela Karcher
October 26, 2022
Latest Instagram Posts
It’s time for Season 5!! Fuego stopped by the studio today with a message! Coachella Valley Firebirds season opener this Friday, October 2 at 7 p.m. — tickets at CVFIREBIRDS.COM
Guess we are not the only ones asking about money in the Desert Recreation District! #therogginreport #coachellavalley #localnews #nbcpalmsprings
8 years lated and $30 MILLION higher … Should the state order an independent audit? Drop a 💬 if you want answers! #cvusd #coachellavalley #audit #therogginreport #nbcpalmsprings
Data centers on pause. ✋ Palm Springs City Council unanimously extended it’s moratorium through August 25, 2028, giving the city time to set zoning rules. What do you think of the decision? 🌴
☕️ Social Time with Thalia & Jerry
About 650,000 ballots and election materials are back with Riverside County election officials after the California Supreme Court ruled their seizure violated state election law. The materials remain under the registrar’s control as officials determine next steps.
Social Time with Thalia & Jerry. Do you get excited or stressed about the upcoming holiday season (or both) ?
BREAKING: Human remains believed to be those of 17-year-old T’neya Tovar have been discovered at a second site in the Salton City area, according to the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office. A skull and rib cage were found during a search involving Imperial County investigators and the FBI. Testing is still needed to confirm the remains belong to Tovar. The discovery comes one day after suspect Finebloom pleaded guilty to torture and voluntary manslaughter as part of a plea agreement that could result in a sentence of 13 years to life. More details on NBCPalmSprings.com
NBC Palm Springs went back to Indio Hills today after Dillon Road flooded last night, forcing many residents to leave. One resident told us he is back today, working on repairs—after his home faced extensive damage in the flood. be sure to visit nbcpalmsprings.com for a live look at the area today. #coachellavalley #weather #flood #indiohills #weather
This afternoon in Salton City, the FBI and Imperial County Sheriff’s Department were in the neighborhood of Abraham Feinbloom. Searching just after a plea deal was made to where Feinbloom agreed to show investigators where the remains of T’Neya Tovar are. Feinbloom pled guilty to one count of torture and voluntary manslaughter. Tonight you’ll hear from neighbors who have been following the case from the very beginning, that story will be on nbcpalmsprings.com #nbcpalmsprings #abrahamfeinbloom #fyp #murdercase #missingteenager