LAKEPORT — A judge ruled Friday the prosecution presented enough evidence to hold three defendants for charges of participating in a criminal street gang and intimidating a witness in an attempted murder case.
Judge Arthur Mann said the evidence against Cheryl Ann Reese was not as strong as that against Thomas Loyd Dudney and Joseph Henri Deshetres, however he said he thinks there was sufficient evidence to hold all three on the charges and special allegations.
Special allegations the crimes were committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang accompany the intimidating a witness charge. The charges with special allegations carry a life sentence.
Dudney, 59, of Fulton, Deshetres, 62, of Santa Rosa and Reese, 56, of Lakeport allegedly conspired in November to intimidate a witness in the attempted murder case against Dudney.
Dudney and another co-defendant, Joshua Isaac Wandrey, 35, of Rohnert Park are charged with premeditated attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, torture, home invasion robbery in concert with another, first-degree burglary, assault with a firearm, assault with a blunt force object, assault likely to produce great bodily injury, serious battery, simple mayhem and participating in the criminal street gang the Misfits.
Three of the 11 charges carry life sentences. Special allegations that the crimes were committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang, that great bodily injury was inflicted and use of a firearm accompany the charges.
The charges against Deborah Ann James, 47, were dropped March 1 after Mann found there wasn”t sufficient evidence on charges of premeditated attempted murder, home invasion robbery in concert with another, first-degree burglary and participating in the criminal street gang the Misfits.
Reese”s attorney, Justin Petersen, played the audio portion of an interview between detectives and Reese before entering the DVD into evidence Friday.
Reese said in the recorded interview that Dudney called her from jail at the bail bonds office where she worked. She said he constantly asked favors.
“It”s the other guy, man,” Reese said of Dudney. “He gets everybody in trouble.”
Reese said she burned the letters he sent her and that she didn”t read the papers. The prosecution alleges that she got transcripts of an interview with a witness in the attempted murder case and passed it off to Dudney”s friends and other Misfits. Dudney said in recorded calls from jail to “get rid” of the witness. Mann said he didn”t think a no-bail hold was appropriate for Reese after he heard arguments from defense and prosecution and changed her bail to $250,000. Reese”s friends and family said Friday they would get her out of Lake County Jail that night.
Deshetres” attorney argued his client deserved bail because his connection to the case was passive at most, but Mann reinstated the no-bail hold.
Dudney is being held on a no-bail hold on both the attempted murder case and intimidating a witness case and his lawyer said he would address bail another day.
The defendants will return to court 8:15 a.m. March 29 in Department 3.
Dudney and Wandrey are scheduled to return to court 8:15 a.m. April 5 for an omnibus motion hearing, where attorneys are encouraged to file motions before the jury trial starts. The pair will also return to court April 14 for a trial readiness conference, April 30 for a trial call and May 4 for jury trial. Wandrey is also being held without bail in the attempted murder case.
