A Napa County Superior Court judge denied Ian Rogersā request for a reduction of bail, citing āconvincing evidenceā that Rogers had threatened political enemies and the āsubstantial likelihoodā he would carry out threats if released.
Rogers, 45, is the former owner of the now-defunct British Auto Repair in Napa who was arrested Jan. 16 after a tip from a disgruntled former employee led authorities to a safe containing five pipe bombs at his business. Subsequent searches of Rogersā home, business, and storage shed resulted in the discovery of more than 50 guns, some illegal or unregistered, and 15,000 rounds of ammunition, the Register previously reported.Ā

Ian Benjamin RogersĀ
Rogersās bail was lowered from $5 million to $1.5 million in late January after a discussion in court over whether weaponry recovered in the search presented a true danger to the public.
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At Wednesdayās hearing, defense attorney Jess Raphael had requested Rogersā bail be again lowered, this time from $1.5 million to $100,000, citing Rogersā inability to make the current bail because of his ādireā financial situation and a pressing need to financially support his wife and stepson.
Rogers has accumulated almost $300,000 in business debts, his ex-wife Julie Crisci testified on Wednesday. Crisci estimated Rogers has enough liquid assets to support his wife and step-son for the next three months. His business has closed, she said.
Raphael argued Rogers posed no threat to public safety and that he would appear at all of his future court hearings. While Rogers may have been in possession of unregistered weapons and pipe bombs, he had āno intent to use them,ā Raphael argued.
āAll he wants is to get out and support his family ⦠and make preparations for what will inevitably be a considerable sentence,ā Raphael said at the hearing, which was broadcast via Zoom. āHe needs to make arrangements for his family, needs to work, needs to put together a way that his new bride and her child can survive while he does his penance for his poor decisions.ā
Napa County Deputy District Attorney Aimee McLeod contested Raphaelās portrayal of Rogers, saying he was āsomeone who actively planned out violent attacks on ātargets,ā as he called them,ā and who āactively talks about causing great bodily harm to people.ā
Rogers sent a friend a link to the address of Democratic Party Headquarters in Sacramento, she said. She voiced concern that Rogers would be able to create additional weaponry once released, and said the Napa County Sheriffās Office was still going through the contents of his cellphone.
āThe real danger and concern is quite frankly whatās in his brain,ā McLeod said of Rogers. āHis hatred for some members in our society based on their political beliefs, and the readily available things he could get to create new pipe bombs ⦠all it would take is a couple of minutes at any hardware store to buy piping, caps, fuses, and gun power. As he told friends, it took him five minutes to create those (five) pipe bombs.ā
The only purpose of the bombs like the kind that Rogers constructed is āto injure and kill,ā McLeod said, noting they had been designed to explode quickly and destructively.
A recent state supreme court ruling determined that āpre-trial detention should be reserved for those who otherwise cannot be relied upon to make court appearances or who pose a risk to public or victim safety,ā Napa County Superior Court Judge Cynthia P. Smith read aloud before announcing her decision to deny the reduction request.
āLiberty is the norm, and detention prior to trial or without trial is the carefully remitted exception,ā Smith continued. āAny condition of restraint (of a defendant) should be the least amount necessary to secure state interest or protect public safety.ā
Smith also read aloud messages sent by Rogers to his ex-wife and others, expressing his desire to āgo to warā with Democrats and with posts on Twitter, voicing his hopes that ā45 goes to warā ā referring to then-President Donald Trump, the 45th president ā and asserting that Governor Gavin Newsom āneeds to get killed.ā
āIād like to snipe his ugly a--,ā Rogers wrote about Newsom in a text message Smith read aloud. āLetās see what happens if they steal the election,ā he wrote in another, speaking about Democrats. āLetās hit Sacramento. It will be fun. Iām so ready to attack those f----s. I have the plan down pat.ā
Rogersā messages also included a roster of deeply offensive racial slurs he used casually to describe Black people, Jews and Asian Americans.
Smith said given the seriousness of the charges levied against Rogers, the ammunition and weapons discovered at Rogersā home and business ā many of which, she noted, had been made by Rogers himself ā and his communications with Crisci and others, there was clear evidence that āthe defendant has threatened another with great bodily harm, and there is substantial likelihood that he would carry out this threat if he were released.ā
Smith denied Rogersā motion āto set bail in an amount he can afford is denied,ā she said near the hearingās close. Another hearing is set for June 10, Deputy District Attorney McLeod said.
Most-read police briefs on NapaValleyRegister.com
Here is a roundup of police and fire reports in Napa County.
A traffic stop in American Canyon led to the arrests of a driver and passenger and the discovery of stolen bank cards.
A shoplifting attempt at a Napa grocery led to an attack on a security guard and the suspectās arrest on a robbery allegation.
Napa Police detectives arrested two Oakland residents on suspected fraud after investigating the theft of over $20,000 in bicycles from the Na…
Nobody was injured after a pickup truck struck another vehicle and then the side of a fast-food restaurant, according to police.
A Napa man was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping after trying to force a woman into his truck, according to police.
A domestic dispute escalated into a baseball bat attack, resulting in a Napa manās arrest on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend, according…
A 33-year-old man was arrested after threatening workers in a Napa supermarket, police reported.
A predawn traffic stop led to the arrests of two San Pablo residents and the discovery of stolen bank cards.
Napa Police arrested an Antioch man for attempting to steal a catalytic convertor.Ā
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You can reach Sarah Klearman at (707) 256-2213 or sklearman@napanews.com.