ghost ship fire

Motion to dismiss charges against Ghost Ship fire suspects denied

By by Leslie Brinkley
Friday, May 11, 2018
A judge denied the motion to drop all charges against two defendants in the Ghost Ship fire case where 36 people were killed at a warehouse in Oakland.
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The Ghost Ship fire case was back in court in Oakland with Max Harris' attorney offering to pay out of his own pocket for a "sober living arrangement" in an appeal to get him bailed out of jail.

Harris's attorney Curtis Briggs said, "It seems as though the court is leaning toward releasing Mr. Harris on bail based on new law and circumstances."


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RELATED: OPD bodycam video captures officer predicting danger 1 year before deadly Ghost Ship fire
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Harris' attorney offered to use his own money to help pay for Harris' living arrangements with an electronic ankle monitor based on a new landmark state court ruling requiring judges to consider alternatives to jail for criminal defendants who can't afford cash bail.

Harris along with Derick Almena, the founder of the arts collective known as "Ghost Ship", are each charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the fatal fire back in December 2016.

A judge turned down a motion to dismiss those charges Thursday. Almena's wife believes her husband is being scapegoated. But Almena will have a chance to speak in court. His attorney, Tony Serra said, "We intend at trial to put our client on, so Mr. Almena will be testifying and he'll be testifying on his own behalf. "



Attorneys are also pushing for an evidentiary hearing before the trial judge. Kali Mari-Bowyer, an Almena family spokesperson said, "There were spoilage issues, there was rain and mud and chain of command and that's what they're going back and forth on. If you don't have evidence how do you prosecute somebody?"
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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


Max Harris will be back in court on May 24 for a bail hearing. The Ghost Ship trial is set to begin on July 16. Thre was no comment today from prosecutors.

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