A judge drastically upped the bail Feb. 11 for a homeless rape suspect charged with assaulting a woman who brought food to his San Martin shelter last month.
In a brief arraignment at San Jose’s Hall of Justice, Judge Cynthia Sevely raised 43-year-old Sharwian Bobian’s bail from $101,000 to $275,000 and appointed the Public Defender’s Office to represent him. The Santa Clara County Superior Court judge also assigned the case to the Morgan Hill courthouse, which makes things more convenient for the victim and her husband who live just a town over.
The South County rape case drew intense scrutiny when District Attorney Jeff Rosen on Feb. 5 reversed course after initially refusing to file charges because of the defendant’s mental illness and the victim’s lack of verbal or physical resistance during the alleged assault. By the time the DA decided to prosecute, however, police did not know where Bobian went.
The suspect was arrested Friday, Feb. 8 after a four-day manhunt. Officials said the San Jose police officer who ultimately made the arrest recognized Bobian’s face from TV reports prompted by San Jose Inside’s coverage.
Bobian, who’s being detained at San Jose’s Main Jail, is scheduled for a second hearing this week at 1:30pm Feb. 14 in the Morgan Hill courthouse.
This report initially appeared at sanjoseinside.com.
