A Marin County judge called off the sentencing of a former coroner’s investigator Wednesday, saying his plea deal for child molestation was “wholly unreasonable” if the allegations are true.
Darrell Alan Harris, through his lawyers, negotiated a deal for a potential six-month jail sentence in a case where the charges could carry more than 18 years in prison. The deal would resolve the case without the victim having to testify.
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Judge Kelly Simmons, after meeting with attorneys and a probation officer at the bench, said the lawyers have more work to do.
“I’m not inclined to accept it as it stands,” she said.
Simmons did not elaborate on what conditions would allow the plea bargain to go forward. Most of the key documents in the case remain under seal, and the extent to which the victim supports the plea deal is not public.
After court, the prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Yvette Martinez-Shaw, said, “The judge has not formally rejected the deal, she would like more input from the victim.”
Douglas Horngrad, a defense attorney for Harris, said the negotiated plea “would be a fair resolution.”
Harris, 47, remains free on bail. He came to court Wednesday with several family members and supporters, and supporters of the accuser were also present.
The next hearing is set for May 2.
Harris, the former head of the coroner’s division at the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, was charged last May after the 20-year-old accuser reported the allegations to one of her family members.
The case was investigated by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office and the Santa Rosa Police Department. The Santa Rosa department was asked to participate because Harris, who lives in San Rafael, has a family connection to the San Rafael Police Department and worked closely with Marin law enforcement agencies.
The prosecution charged Harris with five counts covering a period from May 2008 to May 2017. The most serious count was continuous sexual abuse, a charge that applies to a suspect who “either resides in the same home with the minor child or has recurring access to the child.”
The other counts included lewd acts on a child, oral sex with a minor and sexual battery.
As the criminal case was being prepared, Harris abruptly left work and drove up the coast with a gun in the car. Police arrested him in Eureka.
The sheriff’s department placed Harris on leave, and he resigned four months later.
In January, Harris accepted a plea deal for a felony conviction on a lewd act charge. He specified that he was entering a so-called “West” plea, meaning he does not admit committing the crime but is not contesting the charge.
The plea deal would also require him to register as a sex offender for life.
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A Marin County judge called off the sentencing of a former coroner’s investigator Wednesday, saying his plea deal for child molestation was “wholly unreasonable” if the allegations are true.
Darrell Alan Harris, through his lawyers, negotiated a deal for a potential six-month jail sentence in a case where the charges could carry more than 18 years in prison. The deal would resolve the case without the victim having to testify.
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Judge Kelly Simmons, after meeting with attorneys and a probation officer at the bench, said the lawyers have more work to do.
“I’m not inclined to accept it as it stands,” she said.
Simmons did not elaborate on what conditions would allow the plea bargain to go forward. Most of the key documents in the case remain under seal, and the extent to which the victim supports the plea deal is not public.
After court, the prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Yvette Martinez-Shaw, said, “The judge has not formally rejected the deal, she would like more input from the victim.”
Douglas Horngrad, a defense attorney for Harris, said the negotiated plea “would be a fair resolution.”
Harris, 47, remains free on bail. He came to court Wednesday with several family members and supporters, and supporters of the accuser were also present.
The next hearing is set for May 2.
Harris, the former head of the coroner’s division at the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, was charged last May after the 20-year-old accuser reported the allegations to one of her family members.
The case was investigated by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office and the Santa Rosa Police Department. The Santa Rosa department was asked to participate because Harris, who lives in San Rafael, has a family connection to the San Rafael Police Department and worked closely with Marin law enforcement agencies.
The prosecution charged Harris with five counts covering a period from May 2008 to May 2017. The most serious count was continuous sexual abuse, a charge that applies to a suspect who “either resides in the same home with the minor child or has recurring access to the child.”
The other counts included lewd acts on a child, oral sex with a minor and sexual battery.
As the criminal case was being prepared, Harris abruptly left work and drove up the coast with a gun in the car. Police arrested him in Eureka.
The sheriff’s department placed Harris on leave, and he resigned four months later.
In January, Harris accepted a plea deal for a felony conviction on a lewd act charge. He specified that he was entering a so-called “West” plea, meaning he does not admit committing the crime but is not contesting the charge.
The plea deal would also require him to register as a sex offender for life.