Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Casey Bates called Whitney Hameth, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to ask about interviews she conducted with Darold Leite, a former tenant of the Ghost Ship.
Leite testified on July 8 that he had heard bottles breaking and an argument near the time the Dec. 2, 2016, fire broke out, and that he had seen seven to eight men leaving in a hurry through the side exit.
But Hameth said Monday that Leite did not tell her anything regarding those events. Hameth testified she, along with other agents, had interviewed Leite on Dec. 3, 2016, and Dec. 5, 2016.
Defense attorney Curtis Briggs, who represents Max Harris, asked Hameth if she had specifically questioned Leite about hearing an argument or bottles breaking, to which she answered no.
The defense has argued that arson was the cause of the deadly blaze, possibly involving Molotov cocktails. Prosecutors argue that master tenant Derick Almena and Max Harris, who has been referred to as creative director or second-in-command, illegally converted the warehouse into an unsafe living space crammed full of flammable materials without proper safety measures like sprinklers, fire alarms or well-lit exits.