You have in the past several weeks been reporting on the July
4th accident in Hollister, between the motorcyclist and van that
resulted in the death of Joseph Judnick.
Dear Editor:
You have in the past several weeks been reporting on the July 4th accident in Hollister, between the motorcyclist and van that resulted in the death of Joseph Judnick.
Our family has many concerns about the way this case is being handled. We live next door to Robert (Orabuena, the man charged in the accident), his wife Yvette and their children. Robert built his house here in Gilroy and then helped to complete the other homes on the street. He helped put in our garden and patio free of charge and is always available to help when needed.
He is a respected member of our community, attends church regularly, is a loving father and husband. One must ask why he is in jail for what was clearly a tragic accident, but not murder.
The recent article claimed the “Police have said Orabuena has a prior conviction for a similar driving offense…” This in fact proved to be incorrect. He did not have a prior conviction.
The CHP arrested Robert with the probable cause being that they thought he was driving under the influence. Well, it seems that after such an accident anyone would surely be suffering some sort of shock. These officers are supposed to be trained to know the difference.
All blood tests have shown Robert to have had no alcohol or any other drug in his system. The driver behind Robert claims that he was within the speed limit, using his signals, complying with all the laws and in no way driving erratic. Why then is he still in jail with a bail? Where is there probable cause?
There has been a noticeable lack of information about the motorcyclist. How fast had he been going? A witness claims that he was going so fast that as he hit the side of the van, the van tipped up on two wheels then fell back down. Did he have a license to ride a motorcycle? What were the results of his toxicology report, if in fact one was made? After all, it was the Fourth of July, a day for celebration.
And why does the name of his sister crop up in every article? What did she have to do with the accident and how does her being a high school district trustee bear on the case? Are we to assume she is pulling strings?
One must ask why Robert is in jail, for what was clearly a result of misjudgment, most likely on both sides? Was this murder or merely an accident?
And one can’t help but wonder, would Robert be in jail if he were Caucasian? I think not. Innocent until proven guilty seems to apply to only certain privileged people.
Serena Potter,
Gilroy
