Ghost Ship Fire Suspects: Another Court Delay

OAKLAND, CA — Ghost Ship warehouse master tenant Derick Almena and creative director Max Harris today once again delayed entering pleas in connection with the fire that killed 36 people at the Oakland warehouse district last December.

Defense attorneys for Almena, 47, and Harris, 27, said they don't want the two men to enter pleas until prosecutors give them all the police reports and records in the case.

Almena and Harris are each charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter for their roles in the deadly blaze at a crowded dance party at the warehouse at 1309 31st Ave. in Oakland's Fruitvale district on Dec. 2 and
could face 39 years in state prison if they're convicted.

They are scheduled to return to Alameda County Superior Court on Aug. 4 to enter pleas at that time and have their attorneys argue a motion to reduce their bails, which are $1.08 million each.

Tony Serra, Almena's lawyer, said that at the Aug. 4 hearing he will ask that Almena be released on his own recognizance or at least have his bail set at a low and affordable amount because he doesn't think that Almena is a flight risk. Serra said he believes the evidence the prosecution has produced so far doesn't contain any proof that Almena is guilty of the crimes for which he is charged.

Curtis Briggs, Harris' lawyer, said he will ask that Harris be released on his own recognizance because Harris doesn't have any money and he believes Harris isn't a flight risk. Briggs said he believes Harris isn't guilty of the three dozen involuntary manslaughter charges he faces because Harris "did exactly what a tenant should do during the fire, which is try to save lives."

Briggs said, "We're looking for the damning evidence against him and we haven't seen it so far."

Briggs said Harris is doing well in custody and "is radiating positive energy now and his skin looks good."

District Attorney Nancy O'Malley said last month that she filed charges against Almena and Harris because their actions were "reckless" and created a high risk of death for the people who attended the dance party, for
which Almena and Harris had failed to get permits from the city of Oakland.

O'Malley said the two men "knowingly created a fire trap with inadequate means of escape, filled it with human beings, and are now facing the consequences of their deadly actions." Mary Alexander, the lead attorney in lawsuits that have been filed on behalf of the families of 31 of the 36 fire victims, attended the hearing for Almena and Harris today and said afterward that the families are "very glad" that the two men have been charged because the families believe the men "should be held accountable for what they did and didn't do" in creating dangerous conditions at the warehouse.

But Alexander said she believes that criminal charges should also be filed against warehouse owner Chor Ng because she believes Ng was "very negligent" and knew about the dangerous conditions at the building.

Among the defendants named in the civil lawsuits are Almena, Ng, PG&E, the city of Oakland, Alameda County and the state of California.

— Bay City News; Image via County of Alameda