[FoxNews] The California Supreme Court eliminated cash bail earlier this year for defendants who can’t afford to pay itA 21-year-old homeless man was arrested in Los Angeles County this week on charges of kidnapping and having sex with a minor, according to police.
Simon Lopez was arrested Monday afternoon in a residential neighborhood of Canoga Park, Glendale police said in a press release.
Lopez’s arrest stemmed from a reported confrontation between a minor and an adult male earlier this month in Glendale, police said. Investigators learned that the male was seen physically assaulting the minor before fleeing the area in a vehicle.
Investigators also learned that Lopez had been having a romantic relationship with a minor under the age of 15 and had a non-local warrant out for his arrest, according to police.
Police tracked down Lopez in the 21000 block of Roscoe Blvd. in Canoga Park on Monday around 2:30 p.m. and arrested him.
He was charged with kidnapping, domestic violence, engaging in intercourse with a minor, and for his outstanding warrant. Jail records show he is in custody at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles.
Glendale police said District Attorney George Gascón’s office recommended that Lopez’s bail be set at $0 because of the county’s emergency "Zero-Dollar" bail order. When reached for comment, a spokesman for Gascón’s office appeared to contest the Glendale police, telling Fox News its prosecutor did not recommend $0 bail and that a judge ultimately set bail at $100,000.
The "Zero-Dollar" policy was implemented to reduce crowding in county jails during the COVID-19 pandemic and applies to misdemeanors and lower-level felonies.
Justice reform advocates have long argued that low-income and minority communities are disproportionately affected by cash bail. Earlier this year, the California Supreme Court eliminated cash bail for defendants who can’t afford to pay it – essentially requiring that poor defendants be freed unless they are deemed too dangerous to be released awaiting trial.
The court’s decision came despite California voters’ November 2020 rejection of a proposed end to the state’s cash bail system.
The "zero bail" policy has since come under scrutiny amid an increase in crime, most notably with a series of brazen smash-and-grab robberies at high-end retail stores. Gascón's progressive policies, too, have made him the target of multiple recall attempts.