OCEANSIDE — The bail for a former Oceanside police officer accused of threatening his ex-wife on Valentine’s Day with a handgun will remain at $1 million, a judge ruled Feb. 25.
What was set to be a bail review hearing for Randy Judd instead became a brief hearing for his new attorney’s law firm to make a record that they would now be handling the case.
Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe said Judd’s new attorney, William Nimmo, will most likely revisit the bail issue at Judd’s readiness conference, which is scheduled for March 25.
Prosecutors charged Judd, 50, earlier in the week with two felony counts —making criminal threats and carrying a loaded firearm with the intent to commit a felony — relating to the Feb. 14 altercation with his ex-wife in her Valley Center home.
“We believe he’s a danger to himself, his wife and the community; therefore, the bail is high,” Watanabe said.
Judd faces more than three years in prison if convicted, Watanabe said. His preliminary hearing is set for April 7.
The victim was not injured in the altercation, the prosecutor said. Following the incident, Judd checked himself into a mental health facility.
Prior to their divorce in 2008, Judd’s wife had filed for temporary restraining orders against him, according to court records. The veteran officer made headlines in 2008 when he filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the Oceanside Police Department.
Hired in 1989 as a police officer with Oceanside Police Department, Judd worked as a peace officer with the department until April 2007, when he resigned after struggling with a physical injury that meant he could no longer perform the duties of a police officer, according to court documents. Turning down two desk jobs with the department, Judd chose to voluntarily quit.
However, Judd alleges the department denied him job accommodations and instead of entering into an interactive process about his options, he was fired on the account of his disability, court records state.
Further, the former officer said in court documents that in order for the department to safeguard itself from a lawsuit for wrongful discharge, it fabricated a settlement and release.
The Oceanside Police Department denies Judd’s allegations and has filed a countersuit against the former officer. According to court documents, the department alleges Judd voluntarily resigned his position in exchange for benefits to which he otherwise wouldn’t have been entitled.
A hearing on the matter is set for April.
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