2 Cal Poly students plead not guilty to firing guns on campus charges
Two Cal Poly students accused of shooting guns on campus plead not guilty Thursday morning to multiple charges related to the November incident.
Charles Hojaboom and Brandon Pham were arrested by Cal Poly police Nov. 11 after officers found the two students along Poly Canyon Road in possession of a shotgun; a loaded, concealed pistol; and a knife, Cal Poly spokesperson Matt Lazier told The Tribune at the time.
The officers also found a nearby campus sign with bullet holes, he said. Both Hojaboom and Pham originally posted bail Nov. 12, the day after they were arrested.
But Hojaboom was taken back into custody after a Dec. 14 court hearing in which San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Timothy Covello found Hojaboom was a danger to the public and increased his bail to no bail.
Texts and videos show the two students shot guns on campus at least four times, court records showed, including into the ceiling of Hojaboom’s dorm room.
At Thursday’s hearing, Federman additionally found that because Pham showed compliance with the terms of his bond, does not have a criminal history, demonstrated good conduct and was forthcoming with authorities, he constituted a low danger to the public.
Because of that, Federman did not to make any changes to Pham’s $20,000 bond, denying a bail increase request by the prosecution.
Restraining orders prohibiting Pham from entering Cal Poly’s campus and from being able to legally buy a gun remain in place, as both defendants waived their rights to speedy trials as part of their not guilty plea.
Pham’s bail conditions were also modified in December, meaning violating the restraining order would send him back to jail.
Federman set Pham and Hojaboom’s pre-preliminary hearing meeting dates for Jan. 18 at 8:30 a.m.
This story was originally published January 4, 2024 at 10:42 AM.
