RIVERSIDE, Calif.—Courts in California’s Riverside County have dismissed hundreds of criminal cases since Oct. 10 under a decision by Presiding Judge John M. Monterosso. County District Attorney Mike Hestrin has appealed the judge’s decision, saying the move is wrong and a “crisis in the courts.”
According to a November announcement from the DA’s office, over 500 criminal cases were dismissed countywide in October. Among the dismissals were about 50 felony cases, including charges such as “attempted murder, assault, stalking, arson, vandalism, and a hate crime,” the announcement stated.
Hestrin said he felt like these cases got dismissed “without any serious look at the consequences, without considering the arguments that we put forth.”…