Felony charges dropped against couple accused of housing kids in shed, now charged with misdemeanors
Two Joshua Tree parents accused of housing their children in a plywood shed for four years now face misdemeanors instead of felony charges.
The District Attorney dropped the felony charged against Mona Kirk and Daniel Panico and refiled new misdemeanor charges ahead of their pre-preliminary hearing in Joshua Tree Court today.
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The parents now face six charged of child endangerment, all misdemeanor charges. Each charge corresponds with each one of their three children.
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Kirk and Panico plead not guilty to all new misdemeanor charges.
“As the investigation continued these charges in our opinion more accurately reflect the conduct,” Ron Webster, a supervising deputy district attorney for San Bernardino County, said.
Elizabeth Crabtree, Kirk’s attorney said the charge reduction gave the defense team insight on how prosecutor’s saw their case.
“For it to be a felony, they have to prove that there’s substantial likelihood of great bodily injury or death,” she said. “Because they reduced it to a misdemeanor, it tells me they can’t prove that.”
A new child protective order was also discussed following the filing of new charges and not guilty plea. Language was added to the order which allows “peaceful contact including telephonic,” which clears up prior confusion which was caused by the initial order.
Last week, Kirk and Panico’s hearing was delayed to allow the prosecution more time for discovery and to give more time to coordinate witnesses for court appearances. Kirk and Panico’s next court appearance is set for June 29th.
Jackie Klear, a family friend, was pleased with the development as she said, she expected just another delay in the case.
“To actually see some progress today is amazing news for them,” she said. Klear and a group of community members got together to assist Kirk and Panico by setting up a Gofundme page for a new home.
In late February, the couple was arrested after San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputies discovered a seemingly abandoned property on the 7000 block of Sun Fair Road in Joshua Tree which turned out to be the couple’s residence. The trailer on the property had no running water or electricity and was occupied by 30-40 cats.
A further property sweep revealed “several large holes and mounds of trash and human feces” throughout the property according to the Sheriff’s Department news release. They then found the three juvenille victims, aged 11, 13, and 14, as well as their parents, 51-year-old Mona Kirk and 73-year-old Daniel Panico.
A KESQ & CBS Local 2 news team is in Joshua Tree court today. Stay with us for the latest developments.
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