SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A disagreement in a courtroom is spilling out into the public arena. The Sacramento County District Attorney (SCDA) is accusing a judge of creating an illegal plea deal with a man accused of grabbing five different women from behind in the Natomas area.
“After five incidents of him approaching five separate women, touching their buttocks,” said Sonia Martinez-Satchell, Deputy District Attorney with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
The District Attorney’s office says those incidents happened in parking lots in Natomas over two months beginning in September 2023.
The SCDA’s Office says Elijah Edwards admitted to the police to the crime, and he did it for sexual arousal. They are calling him a 'Serial Sexual Batterer.'
“The offenses he was charged with, five counts of penal code section 243.9, require sex offender registration,” said Martinez-Satchell.
Due to the plea deal Judge Allison Zuvela offered under the Deferred Entry of Judgement, the SCDA’s office says he would not need to register as a sex offender.
“The victims were denied an opportunity to make their voice heard in front of judge,” said Martinez-Satchell.
The Deferred Entry to Judgement allows a case to be dismissed if the person accused of a crime completes a program that includes education workshops and community service to help rehabilitate a person not to commit the crime again.
“It is completely normal to hear about Deferred Entry of Judgement resolution of a case,” said Candice Fields, who is a Criminal Defense Attorney in Sacramento and is not connected to this case.
The SCDA’s news release called the plea deal ‘illegal,’ but Fields says that is open to debate.
“Defendants who are convicted of sexual batteries are ineligible for Deferred Entry of Judgement programs, however, this defendant will be entering a plea, and the judge will be exercising her inherent authority to supervise him. That may be different than the Deferred Entry of Judgement Program where he will be ineligible,” said Fields.
The SCDA’s office says if Edwards completes the program and recommits the crime, they will be starting over.
“We are going to be denied the opportunity to use these offenses in the future,” said Martinez-Satchell.
Fields says all options should be exhausted before locking someone up.
“If the defendant is convicted and not given that opportunity. He will have to register as a sex offender and he will not be employable and this judge, I believe, felt the science backs rehabilitation rather than penalty,” said Fields.
The SCDA says Edwards accepted the judge’s deal.
The victims will be giving their impact statements on Monday, August 19th, a final decision could be made during that court appearance.
ABC10 reached out to the Sacramento Superior Court, but an official said they do not comment on active cases.
