A man currently in trial and struggling himself and he showed me more decency today than some trolls and selfish people who have emailed me, snarked on Facebook during an extremely busy and stressful week

 

I recognize the name from the frequency on the jail log. I recognize him from around town. I recognize many of the jurors.

I know his name appears frequently on the jail log. I am not condoning his behavior or his several criminal court cases but I don't know his entire story. What I can tell from seeing him around the courthouse and town that unlike some repeat offenders; here is someone shows a glimmer of hope to break the cycle with a combination of some consequences and programs designed to help available through the criminal justice system, maybe he could change his life around? 

Fortunately for him, the prosecutor and judge in his trial are both law and order but also decent men, husbands and fathers who can discern and make that judgement. This is a case that Ms. Andrea Sullivan or Deputy Public Defender Wade Orbelian's arguments would have been watching even though the cases are misdemeanors. I don't know his attorney, who is a recent hire at the Public Defender's office and is from Santa Cruz. I just met him today after the post and introduced myself.

To understand Ernest Choate and what led him to where he is today; one has to have experienced the evil and destructive side of Humboldt that tears people down. 

To understand Ernest Choate, one has to experience the stares of judgemental people who do not understand days of hunger, wearing the same clothes because one is just surviving from moment to moment fielding off attacks from people who know you don't have the basic resources and without money the justice system is stacked against you, being so exhausted that the uncomfortable wooden benches on the second floor of the courthouse and the dirty floor that hasn't been mopped for days are respite for a few seconds. To walk in Ernest Choate's shoes is to be stigmatized because no one bothers to see you beyond their tunnel vision and snap judgement. 

Here is a man who is currently in trial and while I would not judge from appearances; court citation states he is transient. He showed me more decency today than some trolls and selfish people who have emailed me and snarked on Facebook during an extremely busy and stressful week. It isn't just covering court cases. I am not going to share what else I have gone in the last few days because it is none of your business and most of you ignore when I do share. I did with some media colleagues who witnessed some of what I go through daily.

Mostly with few people at the DAs office and law enforcement who have helped me. There has been constant danger, retaliation and threats and in a small county, my safety is a daily concern.

He asked me a simple question. "How are you doing?" It may not seem like a big deal to most of you but it did to me. Here is a man ready to go into a courtroom, uncertain of his fate. Life has already worn him down and he chose to be human and think of someone else. That is because he is not self absorbed. Without a single word; he just observed me this week and decided to be kind.

Ernest Choate is currently in jury trial for CR2403034 for three misdemeanor counts, two for petty theft and one receiving stolen property. The other traffic case  TR2407877.

Judge Lawrence Killoran has been assigned the trial. Deputy District Attorney Trent Timm is the prosecutor. Newly hired Deputy Public Defender Ehvan Schectman is representing Choate.

The search results in Humboldt Superior Court for Choate show 57 results but there are duplicates. The screen is not user friendly but a manual count shows approximately 39 cases.

The consolidated complaint is not in e court or the current minutes. I have added 8/26 court minutes. Some of the motions in limine I have never seen before.