The husband of Kern County District 5 Supervisor Leticia Perez remains in custody following his arrest in July on charges stemming from what officials describe as a mental health crisis.
Fernando Jara, 49, appeared in court Friday for a hearing related to felony criminal threats charges, as well as two misdemeanor counts for child cruelty and resisting a peace officer.
"He's in an increasingly better place. He's getting really good professional care in the jail system and I'm very grateful and so is he," said Steve Meister, Jara's defense attorney.
Jara was arrested July 12 after Supervisor Perez called the Bakersfield Police Department requesting behavioral health services for her husband.
According to court documents, Perez told officers that Jara had been medically diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and was not taking medication at the time of the incident.
"No one is saying walk away from responsibility, no one is saying walk away from accountability, but everybody knows why this happened and it happened because he had a severe mental health episode," Meister said.
Court documents state that Perez told police Jara had been "acting out all day" and was threatening to "bash her head." When officers arrived, documents show Jara threatened officers and told them to shoot him, prompting police to use a taser to take him into custody.
Jara is being held on $100,000 bail and has received support from family and the community, according to his attorney.
"Everybody around him wants to make sure that this resolves in a way that keeps everybody safe. That is in a healthy way for the community and the people more closely involved and I think we're going to find a way to get there," Meister said.
Jara is scheduled to return to court Oct. 31 for a status hearing.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
