Ex-deputy asks judge to keep evidence against him secret

SONOMA (AP) — A former California sheriff’s deputy indicted by a grand jury on a charge of felony involuntary manslaughter in the death of a man after a high-speed chase asked a judge to keep secret the evidence against him.

The grand jury decided in October that former Sonoma County deputy Charles Blount should stand trial in the 2019 death of David Ward, who died in a struggle with Blount after the chase, the Press Democrat reported Thursday.

Blount’s attorney Harry Stern filed a motion asking Judge Robert LaForge to delay releasing a transcript of the proceedings until the trial concludes, arguing it could taint the views of potential jurors.

“This case, at this time, presents a recipe for such heightened news coverage and widespread emotional reaction to it, such that the Court must take unusual measures to ensure that Mr. Blount receives a fair trial,” Stern said in the motion filed in Sonoma County

Superior Court.

Rules call for the 1,500-page transcript to be made public Monday, 10 days after the defense has received the documents, court officials said. But that could be delayed, with LaForge expected to consider Blount’s motion on Tuesday.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch’s office declined to comment on the transcripts.

Authorities say Ward led deputies on the high-speed chase on Nov. 27, 2019, that ended at a dead-end road near his home in the rural Sebastopol area. The chase began when a law enforcement officer spotted Ward in his car, which had been reported as stolen then later retrieved. It’s unclear why Ward initially fled when the deputy tried to pull him over.

When the car came to a stop, Ward appeared confused and did not comply with a flurry of orders to keep his hands up and unlock the vehicle, according to body camera video provided by the Sheriff’s Office.