Sacramento Superior Court Judge Allison Zuvela has extended a Deferred Entry of Judgement (DEJ) to Elijah Edwards, a man charged with multiple counts of sexual battery after a series of incidents that took place between September 10 and October 1 of last year, in various Natomas area parking lots. The Sacramento District Attorney's Office strongly opposed the decision, which allows Edwards to potentially evade sex offender registration after completing a program, the specifics of which remain undisclosed.
Edwards, whose actions were reported by victims at locations including Safeway, Walmart, PetSmart, and HomeGoods, was arrested on October 1 of last year, after being identified by two victims on the same day of his last offense when he admitted to the acts and described being sexually aroused by them. He was subsequently charged on October 9, with five counts of sexual battery, but now with Judge Zuvela's recent ruling, concerns have been voiced not just about the legality of the plea deal, but also about the voices of the victims being set aside and the potential risk it poses to the community by a decision some see as excessively lenient given the circumstances and the nature of the offenses, Edwards may end up without the label of 'sex offender' that would typically accompany such convictions.
The plea arrangement put forth is illegal under penal code section 290 according to the District Attorney's Office, which outlines regulations for sex offense cases. Notably, the plea incidentally precludes the five victims from providing their crucial testimonies before the agreement is settled and stands to shield Edwards from consequences that would ordinarily follow such criminal conduct. District Attorney Thien Ho expressed disapproval in a statement following the judge's decision, saying, "The judge's decision to move forward with her illegal offer denied the victims their ability to have a voice before the plea was made, does not hold the defendant accountable and places our community at risk of a serial sexual batterer."
Despite the strong opposition articulated by the District Attorney's Office and the tension such a plea deal injects into notions of justice and community safety, Judge Zuvela moved forward with the DEJ; the next court date is set for August 19, at 9:00 a.m. in Department 16 of the Sacramento Superior Court.
