Judge oversees docket with multiple pleas, deferred adjudications and continued sentencing in Bear County

The court convened its docket call and moved through a long list of criminal matters, accepting pleas, setting deadlines and continuing several sentencing hearings.

The judge began by calling the docket and instructing parties to stand when their names were read; the court warned that a noon recess would be observed because of a later jury trial. Among the early docket matters, defense counsel Patrick Gonzalez said his client Randy Isaac Oay would accept a motion to withdraw; the court granted the withdrawal and arranged to ensure Mr. Oay has counsel appointed if he cannot afford one.

Several cases resulted in deferred adjudication pleas with detailed supervision conditions. Miss Mia Herertado entered an application for deferred adjudication on a felony evading-arrest charge; the court accepted stipulations, deferred a finding of guilt and imposed conditions including a $1,000 fine probated, 100 hours of community-service restitution (with credits for parenting classes and sober-support meetings), monthly field visits for three months, proof of employment within a set period, restrictions on driving without valid license and insurance, and referral to felony drug court if the program will accept her.

In another matter, Abigail Barza pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated with a child under 15. The court accepted the stipulation and set terms consistent with the plea: the agreement included a two-year assessed sentence in the state jail (with recommendations for community supervision), a $2,000 fine, DWI interventions and an ignition-interlock condition. The judge outlined alternatives for custodial time and GPS-based monitoring and described how parenting-class completion could reduce required community service hours.

Miss Heather Lee Gonzalez pleaded to the lesser-included offense of DWI (first offense). The court deferred a finding of guilt under a plea agreement that calls for an 18-month deferred-adjudication term, a $500 fine probated, 60 hours of community service (credit for parenting-class completion), DWI education, and ignition interlock for half the term; the court noted she could seek transfer of supervision if she relocates for employment.

The court found that Ronnie Wayne Simmons Jr. had pleaded true to multiple probation violations (drug-testing and reporting failures spanning many months). The state agreed to waive other outstanding violations; the court found the admitted violations true and continued the matter for sentencing while the parties pursue recommended treatment placements (the record reflected discussion of program waitlists).

A sentencing matter for Robert Edward Odum Jr. was partially heard. The court admitted a jail-call exhibit after the state laid foundation through a vendor representative, who explained how calls are sequenced, how calls are matched to inmate account identifiers and provided call counts and dates. The defense called family witnesses for mitigation; Sarah Johnson testified about the defendant's history of childhood trauma, behavioral and mental-health issues, medication history, and instability. The court anticipated additional CPS records and recalled the matter for continued sentencing.

For Veronica Valenuela, who did not appear for her 9:00 a.m. setting, deputies reported negative contact and the court issued a judge's warrant and remanded the matter without bond after hearing that she had been homeless after obtaining PR bond.

Throughout the morning the court handled many discovery resets and set plea deadlines and jury-trial dates: multiple attorneys requested 30- to 45-day settings to review voluminous discovery or pursue global offers, and the clerk set several follow-up dates (noted on the record) for plea deadlines, trial settings and sentencing hearings.

The docket concluded after the court scheduled additional settings, recalled certain warrants and instructed counsel to file requested records (including CPS records for an upcoming sentencing).