SANTA ANA, Calif. — A judge on July 29 refused a prosecutor’s request to immediately issue a warrant for a woman accused of robbery after the defense argued that doing so could derail her access to mental health treatment, underscoring the tension between routine criminal court procedures and efforts to connect accused individuals with behavioral health care.
Deputy Public Defender Vu Tran asked the court to continue holding any warrant for the woman so she could move forward with obtaining mental health treatment in Los Angeles County without interruption. Deputy District Attorney Bree Piper nevertheless requested that the warrant be issued, arguing against the defense request.
The woman seeking mental health treatment had been accused of robbery after her grandmother reported that items were missing from her home. The woman was detained and found with the items that had been reported missing…