LAKEPORT— A Lake County man arrested for a lewd or lascivious act on a child under 14-years-old was in custody and appeared in court and a request for a release waiver was denied.
The matter came on calendar by defense counsel, Thomas G. Feimer; requesting the release of the defendant on O.R. (own recognizance) with Cruz Waiver.
An “own recognizance” release allows someone (defendant) to get out of jail after an arrest without having to post bail – allowing the defendant to be released based solely on his/her promise to appear in court.
In California, a Cruz Waiver is a promise by an out-of-custody defendant to stay out of trouble and return to court for the sentencing.
The matter was argued and submitted.
After denying the request, the sentencing hearing for May 30, 2023 remained on the calendar.
The defendant faces charges of committing a lewd act on a child under 14 years, molest child under 18 years and possess controlled substance paraphernalia (the last two charges were dismissed on May 2, 2023).
The charges stem from an incident in February when the Lake County Sheriff’s Office received a report of an unknown male inappropriately touching a 13-year-old juvenile female at a local convenience store located on Lakeshore Boulevard in Lakeport.
Detectives with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit conducted an investigation and, based on their investigation, determined the suspect to be 35-year-old Andy Hopper.
On February 7, 2023, LCSO Detectives arrested Hopper.
The defendant was booked into the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility, where he remains in custody with bail set at $1,000.
