No bail for Journey drummer Deen Castronovo on rape charge
Jun 30, 2015, 6:06 PM
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Journey drummer Deen Castronovo will remain in an Oregon jail on rape and other felony charges after prosecutors said he repeatedly violated a court order by calling and texting the victim with messages that included suicide threats and apologies.
Prosecutors told a Marion County judge Tuesday that the 50-year-old musician contacted the woman after his arrest in Salem on June 14, when he was accused of misdemeanor assault and menacing. He was released on bail in that case and ordered to stay away from the victim.
He now faces felony charges after a grand jury returned the indictment Monday.
Marion County Judge Audrey Broyles declined to set bail after prosecutors said Castronovo texted the woman 122 times and called her 35 times and presents a threat to the woman if he’s released.
Marion County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Gardiner said Castronovo acknowledged his abuse in the texts and even told the woman to get a restraining order. Castronovo, “quite frankly, is unstable,” Gardiner said.
“In some of those messages he was screaming at her that he hated her, that she was ruining his life,” she said.
Castronovo has not entered a plea to the charges, which include assault, sexual abuse and unlawful use of a dangerous weapon. The drummer appeared in court wearing a padded vest and looked downward as prosecutors detailed the allegations against him.
Castronovo’s attorney, Jeffrey Jones, asked the court to consider the minimum bail, telling Broyles to “look at the past history of whom Mr. Castronovo has been for 50 years.”
Jones said two weeks ago that his client was deeply saddened by the accusations of domestic violence and was confident that no criminal conduct occurred.
In 2012, Castronovo was sentenced to 80 hours of community service and ordered to attend anger-management classes after a domestic violence episode.
Castronovo has been with Journey since 1998, when he replaced Steve Smith — the drummer on the group’s best-known songs, including “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
Journey’s Facebook page still lists Castronovo as its drummer, though his legal woes have him sitting out of their shows. The band is scheduled to play in Provo, Utah, on July 4.
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