Ghost Ship fire: New trial date set for Almena, Harris

OAKLAND — Two Ghost Ship warehouse tenants facing 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter are headed to trial in April, a month after a judge pulled the plug on a plea deal.

Alameda Superior Court Judge James Cramer set a trial date of April 2 on Friday for defendants Derick Almena and Max Harris.

Prosecutors allege Almena and Harris created a fire danger at the cluttered Fruitvale district warehouse where 36 people died in a fire Dec. 2, 2016 while attending an electronic music concert. Under a plea bargain arranged by Judge Morris Jacobson, Almena would have served nine years in jail and Harris six years. With time served and good behavior, each could have been released within three years.

But Cramer, who was filling in for Jacobson at a sentencing hearing in August, rejected the deal after listening to statements from family and friends of the victims. The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has now said it will not offer another plea bargain. On Friday, Almena and Harris each re-entered pleas of not guilty.

Read more: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/09/07/ghost-ship-fire-new-trial-date-set-for-almena-harris/