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Pre-sentencing

Interview with Jeffery, Serena and Gary

JM: Tell us about the pre-sentencing process:
Jeffery: It all felt like a dream. I didn't bother calling too many people to get bailed. I was guilty and saw no point in delaying the inevitable jail or prison sentence before me. So after booking, the C.O.'s suited me in orange and processed me into general population. I knew the maximum sentence for residential burglary was up 5 years so naturally i was sweating my court date. My first day in el do county jail was coincidentally the last day of hot meals for dinner. The food was surprisingly well prepared and generously portioned. Definitely not what i would expect from what i had seen in jail movies or heard from friends who had spent time in jail. The guards were professional and courteous enough. Some even seemed to converse with the more routine inmates in a familiar and friendly way. Using nicknames and cracking jokes. I think most of the staff i encountered during processing and my first few weeks could plainly see that this was my first time in custody and that i was no criminal. At least not a career one.
Serena: I was put in jail and arraigned two days later. The food was very good for jail and we got to go out to the yard. el dorado county is a country club compared to san francisco and all the girls seemed in good moods, better than you would expect.
Gary: I actually had continuances for almost an entire year. It was pretty lame. I bailed myself out of jail when I was arrested, and because I decided to move up to Humboldt county, they wanted to give me continuances.

JM: Did you have police stop by your house for questioning? If not please give us details on how you came to be arrested.
Jeffery: My residence, which i shared with two other room mates, was approached by 2 swat vehicles and about a dozen city pd and sheriffs.The nature of the crime myself and my co-defendants committed required extra attention, i suppose. A neighbor called me at work and explained the scene at my doorstep. I didn't know what else there was for me to do besides drive home and turn myself in.
Serena: I was stopped in a parking lot because i looked suspicious and there were charges on file against me so the officers took me to jail. i became suicidal because i could not bear going to jail again as the other inmates harass me, also i did not know there were charges against me.
Gary: I was arrested at work. Because I was embezzling money from work, they were the one that had the case against me.

JM: What was court like? Please give as many details as you recall.
Jeffery: The courtroom at Dept. 7 in the el dorado superior court sees civil and criminal cases for civilians and inmates simultaneously in the same court, so I was more than a little embarrassed to be wearing orange and shackles in front of a hundred or more townsfolk. I basically just followed the lead of my public defender, eric schlueter. I took a strike and a very lenient sentence.
Serena: The judge was very kind. I had been in jail before so the process was not uncomfortable. I had no lawyer. I was wearing the orange suit and felt like a monkey. It was very degrading but i suppose i deserved it. they woke me up very early to go to court.
Gary: It was pretty quick. I had Judge Kingsbury, on a GOOD day (I head you get her on her bad days and she can be a total nut job). But court went quickly because I was never in custody.

JM: What were your original charges? What did you end up being convicted of?
Jeffery: My initial charges read: Possession of paraphernalia with attempt to distribute Conspiracy Weapons distribution First degree Burglary My only conviction was the burglary charge
Serena: The charge was cruelty to animals. After I was in jail for a while the charges were dismissed.
Gary: Grand Theft Felony.

Read about sentencing in the El Dorado County Jail