Former sheriff’s Lt. Sam Machado granted $1.5M bail in Esparto explosions case
By Daniel Macht, Cecil Hannibal
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WOODLAND, California (KCRA) — A former sheriff’s lieutenant facing murder and other charges in connection with the Esparto explosions is entitled to bail as he awaits trial, a judge determined on Monday.
Bail was set at $1.5 million.
Sam Machado owned the rural property in Yolo County where seven men were killed last July after a million pounds of illegal fireworks exploded.
Deputy District Attorney Deanna Hays argued in court that Machado was part of a 10-year conspiracy to profit off illegal fireworks, which led to the murder of the workers at the site.
Hays said he actively deceived the county and was a trained law enforcement official in how explosives are supposed to be managed. Family members of victims would fear retribution if he was granted bail, the prosecutor said.
Machado’s defense attorney David Fischer countered that he was “only a landlord in this situation” and “did not set off a single device.”
“This was caused by human error inside the building,” he said. “This is not something that Mr. Machado had anything to do with.”
Yolo Superior Court Judge Daniel Maguire ruled that Machado was entitled to bail because he believed there was not a substantial likelihood that he would inflict great bodily harm on others if released.
The court took a recess to show the prosecution information on Machado’s finances before deciding on the bail amount.
Five other men facing charges also appeared in the Woodland courtroom, and their arraignments were continued.
Investigators have said the “overcharged” explosives that blew up at the Esparto site belonged to Blackstar Fireworks and Devastating Pyrotechnics.
Craig Cutright, the owner of Blackstar Fireworks and a former volunteer firefighter, was among those in court, but is not currently in custody. He remains out on $400,000 bail.
Others in court included Devastating Pyrotechnics owner Kenneth Chee; Jack Lee, a longtime operations manager for Devastating Pyrotechnics; Gary Chan Jr., who held the federal license associated with Devastating Pyrotechnics; and Douglas Michael Tollefsen, who was also associated with the company.
Machado, Lee, Chan and Tollefsen are among those charged with murder.
Much of the hearing focused on the prosecution’s request for a gag order to prevent attorneys and defendants from speaking with reporters.
Defense attorneys also requested access to information collected from the defendants’ cellphones and electronic devices.
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