A man charged with manslaughter in the Ghost Ship blaze that killed 36 partygoers at an Oakland warehouse may be released from jail because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Alameda County prosecutors say Wednesday that a judge has ruled Derick Almena should be freed from Santa Rita Jail in the Bay Area and placed in an electronic monitoring program.
Almena’s attorney Tony Serra told the San Jose Mercury News that lawyers and a judge will teleconference Friday and there is a “strong” possibility that officials will release his client.
The jail has had 11 confirmed inmate cases of the coronavirus.
Almena is facing retrial on involuntary manslaughter charges over the 2016 blaze.
Prosecutors allege Almena was criminally negligent when he illegally converted the industrial building into a residence for artists and held unpermitted events inside.
Almena's attorneys argued that city workers were to blame for not raising concerns about fire hazards in the warehouse.
Jurors previously acquitted Max Harris.
The Dec. 2, 2016, fire broke out during an electronic music party at a warehouse known as the Ghost Ship in Oakland.
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