Case Issuance & Extradition Division
The Case Issuance and Extradition Division is managed by Division Chief Terri Wyatt, Assistant Chief Susan Gust, Legal Support Manager Debbie Lee and Paralegal Supervisor Doris Hollins. The division is comprised of five units:
Domestic and International Extraditions- Felony Issuing & Priors Unit
- Lifer Unit
- Probation Revocation Unit
- DA Liaison Unit
Domestic and International Extraditions
The Extraditions Unit is responsible for office-wide efforts to return fugitive defendants from other states and foreign countries to San Diego. It also works on cases involving fugitives located in San Diego who face extradition to other states. In 2008, the unit extradited 99 defendants from other states back to San Diego and handled 223 hearings for the extradition of fugitives from San Diego to other states. The unit also successfully extradited two offenders from Mexico, both of whom are Mexican nationals who fled after committing serious crimes in San Diego.
2008 High-Profile International Extraditions
- Omar Emanuel Maldonado-Cuevas was a fugitive in Mexico from a murder charge in San Diego for shooting a 17-year old girl in the back of the head at a party. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Extradition Unit worked with the U.S. Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Marshal Service to successfully complete the formal extradition of Maldonado-Cuevas in 2008. On October 31, 2008, a jury convicted Maldonado-Cuevas of first-degree murder. The defendant is now serving a prison sentence of 57 years-to-life.
- From 2002 to 2005, Silvio Hernandez beat and sexually assaulted his two young stepdaughters. Hernandez fled to Mexico. On March 28, 2008, a Mexican court issued a Provisional Arrest Warrant based on the sexual assault crimes committed by Hernandez. He was arrested in June 2008 and returned to San Diego in December 2008 by U.S. Marshal Service deputies. This case was only the second formal extradition return in 2008 of a Mexican National who fled to Mexico attempting to escape American justice.
Domestic Extraditions
- Eric Rodriguez fled San Diego after stabbing a fellow gang member in the chest. Rodriguez was located in Albuquerque, New Mexico and returned to San Diego in February 2008. He faces the charge of attempt murder, with gang enhancements.
- James Roberson was charged with multiple felonies in an August 2007 home invasion robbery at gun and knife-point. He was returned from Phoenix, Arizona in March 2008. Roberson was sentenced to nine years in state prison in June 2008.
- Ian Wisdom brutally beat, strangled and assaulted his girlfriend, using a knife and a fire extinguisher. She received severe injuries from the beating and sexual assault. Wisdom was located and arrested in Daytona Beach, Florida and was returned to San Diego in March 2008 to face numerous sexual assault charges.
Felony Issuing & Priors Unit
This unit has the responsibility of carefully assessing new cases that occur in the central area of San Diego to determine whether felony charges should be filed. In addition, Case Issuance staff often decides if a case should be referred to another division to be handled vertically – by just one Deputy District Attorney for the life of the case. During 2008, the attorneys in this division reviewed 6,068 felony cases for issuing. The division also handled a variety of legal issues and provided legal advice on criminal law, procedure and evidence to the various law enforcement agencies that submit cases.
The Priors Unit also obtains certified court documents for the DA's office. The prior convictions elevate a defendant's custody exposure so defendants with criminal records are given a more appropriate sentence than those defendants who have no previous criminal convictions.
Probation Revocation Unit
The division’s Probation Revocation Unit targets convicted felons who commit a new offense while they are on probation and holds them accountable at the earliest possible opportunity. When the probationer is re-arrested on a new offense, the unit files a petition alleging the new offense as a violation of probation in lieu of filing a new complaint. When it is appropriate to proceed in this manner instead of filing a new case, the division saves significant prosecutorial resources and taxpayer funds while seeking a commitment to state prison. During 2008, the Probation Revocation Unit handled approximately 369 cases with an annual average of 82 percent state prison commitment rate.
Lifer Hearing Unit
The division also contains the DA’s Lifer Hearing Unit which has two main goals: ensure that dangerous prisoners with life sentences are not released carelessly, and ensure that crime victims and their families are given a respectful opportunity to participate in the parole hearing process.
During 2008, the Lifer Hearing Unit processed a total of 467 cases for parole and suitability hearings, which represents 76 more cases than were handled in 2007. There were 221 parole hearings held, with only 19 inmates receiving parole grants from the California Board of Parole Hearings. Six of these 19 parole grants were overturned by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, another seven are still up on review by the Governor. Therefore, very few lifer inmates committed to state prison from San Diego actually got released from prison in 2008.
High-Profile Lifer Hearings
- Craig Peyer was denied parole at the end of January 2008. Peyer brutally murdered 20-year old college coed Cara Knott in 1986. Peyer was a CHP officer, on duty, when he committed this murder.
- In March 2008, Robert Mack was denied parole for a 1992 case wherein Mack shot and killed a General Dynamics employee and wounded a second employee due to a workplace grievance.
- In June 2008, Roy Woodhouse was denied parole for a 1978 multiple murder conviction. Woodhouse is serving a prison sentence for murdering his parents and two police officers.
- In December 2008, Jose Arteaga received a seven year denial of parole for the 1978 senseless murder of San Diego Police Officer Archie Buggs.
DA Liaison Unit
Three prosecutors are assigned as liaisons to local law enforcement agencies. These prosecutors are located offsite and work closely with law enforcement by assisting with investigations. The liaisons provide critical assistance in assuring evidence is collected lawfully so it can be introduced in court by the prosecutors. They also assist police with drafting legal documents such as search warrants, arrest warrants, and other court orders. The DA liaisons are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day to answer legal questions, and are frequently on hand for critical suspect and witness interviews in sensitive and serious cases.
