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Update: Prosecutors Seek To Revoke Bail For Inmate Accused Of Conspiracy With Sheriff's Employees

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REDWOOD CITY (BCN)

Prosecutors will seek to revoke bail Thursday morning for a Hells Angels member accused of conspiring with sheriff's employees to smuggle cellphones and drugs into a Redwood City jail, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

Dionicio Lopez Jr., 26, was out on $1 million bail and awaiting trial for allegedly shooting at a Daly City home in 2011 when he was re-arrested for the alleged conspiracy and his bail was increased to $2 million. He remains in custody, but prosecutors now hope to have bail revoked altogether.

His new charges include three counts of conspiracy, smuggling drugs into jail and possession of drugs while in jail.

Prosecutors announced Friday the arrest of three sheriff's employees in connection with the conspiracy to smuggle cellphones and drugs into the Maguire Correctional Facility -- Deputy Juan Pablo Lopez and corrections officers George Ismael and Michael Del Carlo.

Each has more than a decade of experience with the sheriff's office and Juan Lopez unsuccessfully ran to unseat Sheriff Greg Munks in June, receiving 1.4 percent of the vote.

Prosecutors allege they assisted Dionicio Lopez in smuggling cellphones into the jail while he was in custody between April and December 2013.

Dionicio Lopez was placed in custody after he was charged with shooting into a home where he mistakenly thought a rival gang member was living in Daly City on July 24, 2011, narrowly missing two young children who were watching TV inside. The bullet ricocheted off of the television and lodged in a wall, prosecutors said.

While Dionicio Lopez was in custody for those charges in 2013, Ismael allegedly delivered at least two cellphones to him after communicating with his sister, Amanda Lopez, 25, and girlfriend, Roxanne Ingebretsen, 28, outside of the jail, Wagstaffe said.

Dionicio Lopez's mother, Leticia Lopez, 55, allegedly bought a cellphone and handed it off to Ingebretsen, who gave it to Ismael.

At one point, Dionicio Lopez sold a cellphone to another inmate and Ismael allegedly brought him another one. Last November, Dionicio Lopez asked Del Carlo to take a cellphone out of his cell and two days later Del Carlo allegedly brought it back, according to the complaint.

At one point, Deputy Juan Lopez took a photo of two other inmates with one of the contraband phones, according to the complaint. Wagstaffe said that prosecutors have found no family relationship between Juan Lopez and Dionicio Lopez.

The cellphones allegedly allowed Dionicio Lopez to communicate while in jail with his mother, sister and girlfriend as well as fellow Hells Angels members. That way, he arranged to smuggle oxycodone, alprazolam and ibuprofen into the jail, prosecutors said.

The cellphone and pills were found hidden in a light fixture in Dionicio Lopez's jail cell in December, according to the complaint.

All seven defendants are facing conspiracy charges and Amanda Lopez, Ingebretsen and Ismael are also charged with providing Dionicio Lopez with drugs.

While all the defendants have been charged, they were arrested at different times and in different jurisdictions. Only Ismael, who was arraigned Monday, and Dionicio Lopez have appeared in court on the charges while the other defendants have bailed out and are expected to appear over the coming weeks, Wagstaffe said.

Juan Lopez will be arraigned on Dec. 31, Amanda Lopez, her mother and Ingebretsen will appear on Dec. 19, and Del Carlo will appear Dec. 31, Wagstaffe said.
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