YUMA, AZ - The man arrested after the Yuma home he lived in was condemned was in court this morning.
Paul Robert Cohn appeared at Yuma City Municipal Court via a video feed for a bond review in connection to pending charges after the city ruled his home was uninhabitable.
His attorney asked for his client to be released under the terms that the charged are not serious and he will appear in all court proceedings.
"All the proceedings here are petty offenses or misdemeanor cases," said Cohn's attorney.
He also said Cohn is unemployed and unable to post bond. But he argued the 55-year-old is not a threat to the public.
The defense attorney said Cohn can live with his father in the mean time.
"I will be asking the court to consider an OR release to the father in certain conditions," said the defense council.
However, the District's Attorney's Office did not agree with the defense council and asked the judge to keep Cohn in custody for not obeying the law.
"He knew there was a warrant for his arrest and did nothing about it," said the prosecutor.
In November of last year, a judge issued a warrant for Cohn's arrest for disorderly conduct and public nuisance.
But it wasn't until April 4, 2012 that Cohn was put in custody after the home he lived in was shut down by Yuma City Officials.
Cohn's attorney says it's important for his client to be released from jail to be able to regain possession of his property.
However, the prosecutor argued Cohn does not own the home.
"We contend that other than personal property that may be in the residence, he does not have stand to challenge the condemnation notice," said the prosecutor.
The judge denied the defense attorney's request to release Cohn from jail because of the nature of his charges.
In addition to driving with a suspended license and speeding charges, Cohn is facing two misdemeanor counts for public nuisances and disorderly conduct; for which a judge issued an arrest warrant in November 2011.
In early April of this year city health inspectors found human and animal feces all over the floor of his house, dead cats and loads of trash.
He was charged with two additional misdemeanors for endangerment and cruelty to animals.
Cohn will remain in jail under $60,000 bond as he awaits his trial to begin May 19, 2012.
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