By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com
A court hearing in Auburn is under way on whether a gag order should be issued in the Roseville Galleria case, but no decision has been made yet.
Placer Superior Court Judge Larry Gaddis met privately for a time with the prosecutors and defense attorney for arson suspect Alexander Piggee, 23, and court resumed again at about 3 p.m.
Piggee is accused of setting the Oct. 21 blaze at the region's largest mall, but criminal proceedings have been suspended while his mental competency is evaluated.
A doctor's report on Piggee is expected to be completed by Jan. 21, with a hearing on it set for Feb. 8.
Prosecutors are seeking a gag order in the case, a move that has stopped Roseville city officials from releasing a report on how authorities responded to the fire.
That report was expected to shed light on why the sprinkler system inside the mall was turned off during the blaze and who ordered it, but the request for the gag order has so far prevented its release.
Defense attorney Johnny Griffin III has opposed the gag order and said today that "even if the media reported all of the discovery I received I would still oppose the restraining order."
The Bee and the First Amendment Coalition also have opposed a gag order being issued. Prosecutors say they want it to avoid more publicity that could make it harder to find an unbiased jury.
Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.









About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.