COURT ROUNDUP
The Humboldt County Superior Court has recently seen several continuances in high-profile alleged murder, child molestation and drug trafficking cases.
Competency report delays homicide case
On Tuesday, the court was supposed to hear the status of a psychologist’s report about the mental status of Austin Medeiros, accused of killing Emily Lobba, 28, at her home earlier this year, but the report had not been completed yet.
After his arrest and entry into the Humboldt County jail, he was quickly declared not mentally fit for criminal proceedings, but on Oct. 13, his competency was restored.
Criminal proceedings against Medeiros were suspended for the second time Oct. 25 because Medeiros’ defense, Deputy Conflict Counsel Owen Tipps, insisted that his client continued to suffer from specific delusions that cast doubt on his mental capacity to undergo a trial, causing a judge to suspend criminal proceedings until a new psychologist’s report was completed.
“I don’t think that (doctor’s report) has been completed yet,” Tipps said in court Tuesday morning.
The new date for the court to hear about the report was scheduled for Dec. 12.
Medeiros remains in the county jail.
Case against Fortuna teacher delayed
Also Tuesday, a resolved trial caused the rescheduling of the preliminary hearing against a former Fortuna teacher and coach accused of groping his underaged students.
Gary Landergen’s defense, Conflict Counsel Meagan O’Connell, was in a trial Monday, spurring Deputy District Attorney Whitney Timm to call off the witnesses who will testify during Landergen’s preliminary hearing. However, the trial unexpectedly resolved, freeing O’Connell’s schedule but with too short of a notice to recall the witnesses.
Landergen’s new preliminary hearing date is set for Dec. 7.
Landergen is out of custody and faces four felony accusations of lewd acts with children and four misdemeanor counts: two regarding unlawfully touching an intimate part of another person and two regarding child molestation. All three minors in the case were 15 at the time the crimes allegedly occurred.
Drug trafficking trial of Arcata man postponed
Conflict Counsel Meagan O’Connell’s trial also caused the continuance Monday of the preliminary hearing for Jose Lomeli-Osuna, an Arcata man accused of running a drug trafficking organization that, when disrupted, was the source of the biggest drug bust in Humboldt County Drug Task Force history.
“We’re not asking for a lot of time here, just enough for Ms. O’Connell to complete her trial, which should be brief,” Tipps, filling in for O’Connell during the hearing, said.
O’Connell also needed time to speak with her client about the judicial intervention hearing held last week, which could include a potential plea deal.
Scheduling this particular case comes with extra issues because the court’s Spanish-language interpreters, who must be present to translate for Lomeli-Osuna, are only available Mondays and Tuesdays.
Deputy District Attorney Trent Timm opposed the continuance, telling the court that O’Connell had not informed his office of her trial, meaning the police officers who will testify during the preliminary hearing were present, as Timm did not have time to notify them of the delay.
“There is not good cause for her not to have put my office on notice,” Timm said.
The hearing was rescheduled for Nov. 29. Lomeli-Osuna is in custody.
The drug bust operation shortly after Osuna’s arrest in September confiscated more meth in a single day than the entirety of 2021. In total, the Humboldt County Drug Task Force seized 30 pounds of meth, 5.5 pounds of cocaine, three pounds of heroin, two pounds of fentanyl, 150 marijuana plants, 50 pounds of processed marijuana, $115,500 and two revolvers.