California- District Judge Reassigns Cases to Prevent Progressive Magistrate From Setting Low Bonds

 

A La Plata County judge who has garnered attention for granting low bail amounts in criminal cases has effectively been removed from setting bail in future felony-level cases.

An administrative order issued Aug. 2 by 6th Judicial District Chief Judge Jeffrey Wilson reassigns felony-level advisement hearings to other judges and omits La Plata County Judge Anne Woods from overseeing those hearings. The administrative order was not widely circulated, and the The Durango Herald did not learn of the order until several months after it was issued.

Before the order, it was common for initial advisement hearings to be heard in Woods’ courtroom.

Bail is often set during advisement hearings, in which criminal defendants are advised of the possible charges and penalties they face. By reassigning felony advisement hearings to other judges, Woods no longer has the opportunity to set bail in serious criminal cases.

Woods has not been bashful about her “progressive” jurisprudence. She tends to emphasize rehabilitation over punishment when handing down sentences. But she has also raised eyebrows for issuing what some perceive as generous bail conditions – sometimes at the risk of victims or the community at large.

In one example, Woods granted a personal recognizance bond to Amanda Lembach, who was arrested on suspicion of setting a barn on fire that caused about $125,000 in damage in October 2020 northwest of Bayfield. A personal recognizance bond allows criminal defendants to go free without paying anything, so long as they follow court orders and show up for scheduled court hearings.

Lembach had a criminal history and was known to suffer from mental health issues. The District Attorney’s Office requested a $50,000 bond.

About a week after her release, Lembach was arrested on suspicion of retaliating against a witness and leading police on a high-speed chase. A different judge set her bail at $100,000.

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