A homeless man who allegedly posed as a federal employee to steal a possible COVID-19 specimen from Sutter Davis Hospital is back in custody, accused of committing new crimes just days after being let go from jail on a supervised release program.
Shaun Lamar Moore is due for arraignment Thursday on charges of sexual battery and petty theft in connection with separate incidents that occurred on April 18 and 20 while he was wearing a GPS tracking device, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.
Moore, 40, also appeared via video in Yolo Superior Court briefly on Wednesday to address his supervision violation, during which Judge David Rosenberg ordered his bail set at $10,000.
“Mr. Moore has more (mental health) issues that I hope the public defender will explore,” including his competence to undergo criminal proceedings, Rosenberg said.
Richard Van Zandt, Moore’s public defender, said Moore will be assigned to a mental health specialist in his office as soon as possible.
“During this pandemic, one of the many challenges we have faced for our clients is getting the services for their particular needs, such as housing, drug and mental health treatment, and medication,” he told The Enterprise on Wednesday.
The DA’s Office said Moore’s new alleged offenses occurred in West Sacramento (petty theft) and Woodland (sexual battery). The latter incident involved an “institutionalized person,” according to Wednesday’s court discussion.
Moore already faces felony charges including second-degree burglary and attempted possession of a restricted biological agent related to the alleged hospital theft on April 11, during which Moore allegedly identified himself as an employee of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was given the specimen despite having no identification or other credentials.
Sutter Davis employees alerted police after seeing Moore leave the property on a bicycle, followed several minutes later by the arrival of a state Department of Health courier who was supposed to pick up the specimen. The incident triggered “a rather large and disruptive public health emergency,” Yolo County prosecutors said in court documents.
Officers found the undisturbed specimen several hours later at a CVS Pharmacy store in The Marketplace shopping center and returned it to the hospital. Sutter Health officials later released a statement pledging to conduct an internal investigation into the matter.
Although prosecutors sought to keep Moore in custody on a no-bail hold as a public safety and flight risk, Rosenberg, noting Moore’s apparent mental-health issues, granted his zero-bail release from jail under a California Judicial Council emergency bail schedule for misdemeanors and low-level felonies, one of several measures taken to reduce the state’s jail populations during the coronavirus pandemic.
Moore’s release required him to wear the GPS tracking device and stay at least 100 yards away from Sutter Davis Hospital.
Read the complete story in Friday’s Enterprise.