Quick Take
A Santa Cruz judge moved Clarice Owens’ jury trial to April 6 so her attorneys can review newly subpoenaed documents. Hearings later this month will address a motion to drop several charges against the seafood entrepreneur and lower her bail.
The jury trial for Pescavore founder Clarice Owens has been delayed two weeks while her defense attorney reviews new evidence and the judge considers setting bail.
The Santa Cruz-based entrepreneur has been held in jail since mid-December on one charge of felony stalking and 34 misdemeanors for violating four separate restraining orders granted to Owens’ upstairs neighbor, her homeowner’s association, a former investor in her company and a seafood industry colleague.
Public defender Kristyn Skelly, Owens’ defense attorney, told Judge Stephen Siegel on Wednesday that she had received subpoenaed documents, which contain a “significant amount of information” that would take time to review. The trial, originally scheduled for March 23, is now set for April 6 at Santa Cruz County Superior Court.
Last week, Skelly filed a motion to drop 14 counts, including the charge of felony stalking, for lack of evidence. She argued certain circumstances, such as Owens following someone with a restraining order to their car, deserve further consideration before a charge can be brought. A hearing to determine if these charges will be dropped will be held next Tuesday, March 17.
Skelly also asked Siegel if he would schedule a bail hearing “as soon as possible.” Owens, who has a 7-year-old son, has been held without bail for almost 12 weeks at Blaine Street Facility, a jail for women. He agreed to set a hearing for Monday.
In January, Siegel denied Skelly’s request for Owens to await her trial out of custody. In the past, Owens has disregarded court orders by contacting protected parties when she had previously been released on bail and her own recognizance after three separate arrests in 2025.
Owens started a tuna jerky company in Santa Cruz in 2018. In 2024, as she was preparing to expand the brand to several national retailers, she began harassing dozens of people online through Pescavore’s social media accounts, LinkedIn, email and text messages. Between 2024 to 2026, the court granted six restraining orders against Owens, protecting over 100 people.
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