Kelly Puente/OC Register
State senator Janet Nguyen wants to give judges more power to deny bail after a popular Vietnamese entertainer, Minh Beo, was charged with molesting a boy in Orange County.
A news conference was held at Nguoi Viet Daily News to brief the media on a new amendment proposed to state legislature by Sen. Janet Nguyen and Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas. (Photo: Ngoc Lan/Nguoi Viet)
In a Wednesday news conference, Sen. Janet Nguyen (R-Santa Ana) and Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said they have serious concerns that Minh Quang Hong, a 38-year-old Vietnamese national, could flee the country if he is allowed to post bail.
Hong, who goes by the stage name Minh Beo, is being held in lieu of $1 million bail after being accused of molesting a young boy during auditions for a video project in Huntington Beach last month. Hong was scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on Friday, after which he could post bail.
Rackauckas said prosecutors will request that the court hold Hong’s passport if he posts bail.
In response to that case, Nguyen announced a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would allow judges to deny bail if they believe a felony suspect poses a flight risk.
Minh Beo, a popular Vietnamese entertainer, was arrested last month for allegedly molesting a young boy. (Photo: Orange County Sheriff’s Department)
Under federal law, a suspect can be held without bail if the court believes there is a flight risk. But in California, the court can only deny bail in capital cases. Hong’s case is in state court.
Nguyen said she believes Hong is a flight risk because he is reportedly well-connected individual with ties to the Vietnamese government.
Nguyen said her amendment would apply to any case in which authorities believe the person is a flight risk. Both the Assembly and the Senate would have to pass the amendment by at least two-thirds of the votes cast before the proposal would go to California voters, in 2018.
To read more, click here: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/hong-711982-bail-court.html
