Trial for S.F. alleged stalker set to begin January 13
Hobbs was arraigned in S.F. Superior Court on 12 misdemeanors and one felony and requested a speedy trial.
Bill Gene Hobbs, the 34-yearold man accused of stalking and harassing dozens of women in San Francisco, pleaded not guilty to 13 charges in a court appearance Tuesday.
Hobbs was arraigned in San Francisco Superior Court on 12 misdemeanors and one felony and requested a speedy trial, according to his lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Max Breecker.
The trial is set to begin Jan. 13.
Tuesday’s arraignment follows a preliminary hearing that began in early November and stretched on for weeks.
Hobbs was originally facing more than 20 misdemeanor public nuisance, battery and assault charges, as well as one felony count of false imprisonment for an encounter where he allegedly bear-hugged a woman on a street in San Francisco and carried her for 15 feet while she screamed for him to let her go.
After the preliminary hearing, which involved San Francisco police officers taking the stand to recount their encounters with Hobbs and his alleged victims — all females — a judge dismissed nearly half of the misdemeanor charges against him.
The judge, Stephen Murphy, explained in his ruling that the prosecution — led by Deputy District Attorney Colin Alexander — did not provide sufficient evidence.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told The Chronicle that her office respected the court’s decision and would prepare a “vigorous prosecution” on the remaining charges.
Hobbs’ encounters with women came to light after a series of Chronicle columns in which women alleged that he grabbed, chased, followed or attempted to kiss them.
In 2020, Hobbs was charged with misdemeanor child molestation and battery, but Superior Court Russell Roeca dismissed the case “in the interest of justice.”