The upcoming trial of an inmate charged with killing a federal correctional officer at the U.S. penitentiary in Atwater has been moved to Southern California, in part because of a highway’s name.
Over the objections of prosecutors, a Nevada judge on Monday agreed to move the long-awaited trial of inmate Joseph Cabrera Sablan from Fresno’s federal courthouse to the Los Angeles area. The soon-to-retire U.S. District Judge Philip M. Pro cited a poll, the local population and pre-trial publicity in granting the defense request for a change of venue.
“The court also finds it reasonable to presume that some potential jurors will be influenced by the fact that a major highway running through the middle of the Fresno division has been named the ‘Correctional Officer Jose V. Rivera Memorial Highway’ in honor of the victim in this case,” Pro noted.