RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif.—The pre-preliminary hearing for the multiple-felony case against adult performer Mercedes Carrera and husband Daemon Cins was pushed back a second time to May 2 in a Thursday morning review at the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino.
According to the court minutes, the proceeding before Judge Stephan G. Saleson saw the scheduled pre-preliminary hearing reset, with both defendants ordered to appear again at 8:30 a.m. May 2 in the same courtroom for said hearing. Both parties waived time for a preliminary hearing—originally scheduled to take place February 20, then pushed to June 4—until July 1.
Carrera and Sins first appeared before Judge Saleson February 14 for the purpose of a pre-preliminary hearing, at which point it was rescheduled for yesterday, April 4. According to the San Bernardino County District Attorney website, a pre-preliminary is intended to determine "if both sides are ready to proceed on the Preliminary Hearing Date." At a preliminary hearing, the site says, "the prosecution presents evidence and testimony in an attempt to persuade a judge that there is sufficient evidence against the defendant for the case to be set for trial," and "[t]he defense has the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses and to challenge prosecution evidence. ... If, at the conclusion of the Preliminary Hearing, the Judge determines there is sufficient cause for the defendant's case to be set for trial, the defendant is ordered 'held to answer' on some or all of the charges."
Carrera and Sins remain in custody without bail at the West Valley Detention Center in San Bernardino County. Both have been represented thus far by public defenders and have pleaded not guilty to the respecitve nine felony charges they each face.
