ghost ship fire

Attorney wants Oakland Ghost Ship building owner charged along with founder

By
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
The day after two arrests were made in the deadly Oakland Ghost Ship fire, the calls continue for more arrests and more charges.
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The day after two arrests were made in the deadly Oakland Ghost Ship fire, the calls continue for more arrests and more charges.

The founder of Oakland's Ghost Ship, Derick Almena and his associate Max Harris are in jail on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
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I-TEAM EXCLUSIVE: Oakland's Ghost Ship founder appears in court

Almena made his first court appearance in Lake County Monday. He's since been transferred to the Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County.

"Civil liability against the owner is not enough," Attorney Christopher Dolan said.

PHOTOS: A look inside the Oakland Ghost Ship collective warehouse
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
This photo of the Ghost Ship art collective warehouse in Oakland, Calif. was posted on its website.none
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Dolan represents four of the families of victims in the ghost ship fire, and believes Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley should've charged the owner of the warehouse, Chor Ng.
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"I've been in that building. There's no way this landlord didn't know what was going in that building," Dolan said.



The D.A.'s office indicated its six-month long investigation was over, but then wouldn't rule out the possibility of more criminal charges.


PHOTOS: 36 victims of Oakland warehouse fire identified
The full list of victims of the Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland, Calif. are listed here, and will be updated as more victim names are released.none
Jonathan Bernbaum, 34, from Berkeley was identified as one of the victims of the Oakland fire.none
Billy Dixon, 35, from Oakland, Calif. was identified as one of the victims of the Oakland fire.none
Barrett Clark, 35, from Oakland was identified as one of the victims of the Oakland fire.none
Ara Jo, 29, from Oakland, Calif. was identified as one of the victims of the Oakland fire.none
Peter Wadsworth, 38, from Oakland was identified as one of the victims of the Oakland fire.none
Nicholas Walrath, 31, from Oakland was identified as one of the victims of the Oakland fire.none
Wolfgang Renner, 61, from Oakland, Calif. was identified as one of the victims of the Oakland fire.none
Griffin Madden, 23, of Berkeley, Calif. was identified as one of the victims of the Oakland fire.none
Jason McCarty, 35, from Oakland, Calif. was one of the victims of the Oakland fire.none
Jennifer Mendiola, 35, from Oakland, Calif. was identified as one of the victims of the Oakland fire.none
Joseph Matlock, known as Joey Casio, 36, from Oakland, Calif. is one of the victims of the Oakland fire.none
Benjamin Runnels, 32, from Oakland, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Chelsea Dolan, 33, from San Francisco, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Em Bohlka, 33, from Oakland, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Alex Vega, 22, from San Bruno, Calf. was a victim of the Oakland fire. His girlfriend, Michela Gregory, also died in the fire.none
Amanda Kershaw, 34, from San Francisco, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Hanna Ruax, 32, from Helsinki, Finland was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Denalda Nicole Renae, also known as Nicole Seigrist, 29, from Oakland, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Johnny Igaz, 34, of Oakland, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Vanessa Plotkin, 21, of Oakland, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Feral Pines, 29, of Berkeley, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Jennifer Kiyomi Tanouye, 31, of Oakland, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Jennifer Morris, 21, of Foster City, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Edmond Lapine, 34, of Oakland, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Alex Ghassan, 35, of Oakland, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
Michela Gregory, 20, of South San Francisco, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire. Her boyfriend, Alex Vega (right), was also a victim of the fire.none
Micah Danemayer, 28, of Oakland, Calif. was one of the victims killed in the Oakland fire.none
David Cline, 24 of Oakland, Calif. was killed in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire.none
Brandon Chase Wittenauer, 32, of Hayward, Calif.was killed in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire.none
Cash Askew, 22, of Oakland, Calif. was killed in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire.none
Draven McGill, the youngest victim confirmed so far, attended Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisconone
Nick Gomez-Hall, 25, of Coronado, Calif. was killed in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire.none
Sara Hoda, 30, of Walnut Creek, Calif. was killed in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire.none
Travis Hough, 35, of Oakland, Calif.was killed in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire.none
Donna Kellogg, 32, Oakland, Calif. was killed in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire that broke out late at night on Dec. 2.none

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In charging Almena and Harris, O'Malley said the two men were intentionally deceptive about what was going on inside the Ghost Ship. "They allowed individuals to live in the warehouse, and deceived the police, the fire department and the owners to that fact," O'Malley said.

Almena was recorded in 2014 body camera video telling Oakland police he did not live in the warehouse when he and others reportedly did.

According to O'Malley, Almena also lied to the landlord, the owner of the building. "I think that Nancy O'Malley is a very thoughtful person, but in this case I think she got it wrong, because I think that unless this landlord is held responsible, the message will not go out to other landlords that they need to know what's going on in their buildings," Dolan said.



A spokesman for building owner Chor Ng told ABC7 she would have no comment.

Click here for full coverage on the investigation into Oakland's deadly Ghost Ship Fire.
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