By Ryan Olson
Chico Enterprise-Record
OROVILLE, Calif. — A preliminary hearing will be set for a Butte County Jail worker charged with allegedly taking bribes from inmates.
Butte County Superior Court Judge Robert Glusman said Wednesday a preliminary hearing date for defendant Efrain Mendoza would be set on Oct. 19. During a preliminary hearing, a judge determines if there is probable cause to hold a defendant for trial on the charges.
Mendoza is charged with a total of 10 felony counts five counts of forgery, three counts of accepting a bribe and two counts of soliciting a bribe.
The Butte County District Attorney’s Office recently filed an amended complaint in the case. Mendoza’s attorney, Jesse Santana, said the new complaint specifies the allegations against his client but added no new charges.
Deputy district attorney Robert Thomas III said the new complaint includes dates of the alleged offenses and what the alleged bribes were.
Mendoza was a correctional technician at the jail, maintaining records for the Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program. At the time of Mendoza’s arrest on Aug. 19, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office alleged
Mendoza falsified the community service records of six inmates in exchange for cash and services, including tattoos.
Thomas said the inmates who allegedly benefited from the falsified records had to complete their remaining days of service. He said there is an ongoing investigation, but prosecutors are focusing on
Mendoza before deciding whether to pursue prosecutions of the inmates.
Mendoza is out of custody on bail.
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