Defendant Thomas Jan Warren, 63 years old of Forestville, pleaded guilty yesterday in front of the Honorable Judge Dana Simmonds to Manufacturing Concentrated Cannabis using the volatile substance butane, as well as admitting an enhancement that his manufacturing site was less than 300 feet from a school, and a prior conviction for possessing cocaine base with the intent to sell. 

Defendant Michael Antwon Bennett, 38 years old, was sentenced today to five years in state prison by the Honorable Elliot Lee Daum.  Mr. Bennett pled no contest in late March of this year to several felony crimes including residential burglary, attempted theft from an elder adult in an amount exceeding $100,000, and identity theft.

Defendant Thomas Jan Warren, 63 years old of Forestville, pleaded guilty yesterday in front of the Honorable Judge Dana Simmonds to Manufacturing Concentrated Cannabis using the volatile substance butane, as well as admitting an enhancement that his manufacturing site was less than 300 feet from a school, and a prior conviction for possessing cocaine base with the intent to sell. 

California Department of Corrections inmate Robin Re Sharp, 62-years-old, was denied “elder” parole earlier today following a hearing at Solano State Prison.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation inmate William Barton, 62 years old of Santa Rosa, was denied parole after a hearing was held in front of the Board of Prison Terms at California State Prison, Sacramento on Thursday April 13. District Attorney Ravitch stated, “We believe this inmate would continue to pose a danger to the community were he not incarcerated. Therefore, we objected to his release. We are pleased that the parole board agreed with our assessment.” 

Defendant Kahlil Rahim Keith, 37-years-old of Windsor, was sentenced yesterday by the Honorable Robert M. Laforge to 9 years in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for the stabbing death of Willie Ray Smith in May, 2015. A jury convicted Keith of Voluntary Manslaughter with the Use of a Deadly Weapon during a trial conducted in May of last year.  

Defendant Alan Tapia-Ramirez, 21 years old of Petaluma, was sentenced on March 17, 2017, by the Honorable Jaime Thistlethwaite to 4 years in state prison after pleading no contest to a felony charge of driving under the influence causing injury.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch has announced that defendant Clark Sullivan, 69 years old, most recently of Santa Rosa, was denied parole related to a murder he committed in 1987 in Santa Rosa.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that the Contra Costa County Superior Court has ordered Golden Gate Petroleum Co., Bay Area/Diablo Petroleum Company and Westgate Petroleum Company, Inc. to pay three million dollars in civil penalties related to the operation of underground storage tanks and management of hazardous materials and wastes. 

District Attorney Jill Ravitch has announced that defendant Gustavo Pureco, 52years old of Santa Rosa, was denied release on parole Tuesday morning after a hearing at San Quentin state prison. Mr. Pureco was convicted on April 12, 1991 by a Sonoma County jury of second degree murder with use of a firearm, brandishing a firearm.

Defendant Jonathan Michael Hoppner, 24 years old, of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Robert M. LaForge to two years in state prison. Hoppner was convicted of two counts of felony false imprisonment, committed shortly after being released on parole for a conviction of false imprisonment and sexual battery.

Defendants Miguel Flores, Jr. and Fidencio Bocanegra-Reyes were sentenced to state prison yesterday by the Honorable Jamie Thistlethwaite after having pled no contest in late January to charges of conspiracy to commit home invasioin robbery, and residential burglary after the court dismissed murder charges. 

Defendants Sammy David Estrada, 25 years-old, and Carlos Raymond Martinez, 20 years-old, both of Fresno, were sentenced to state prison today by the Honorable Jamie Thistlethwaite for numerous felony offenses including human trafficking of a minor, pimping, and carrying a loaded firearm.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that Christopher Michael McNatt, 42, of Sonoma, was sentenced to 36 years to life, to be served in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, for brutally murdering Ronald Sauvageau on March 20, 2015. 

Defendant James William Biocca, Jr., 48 years-old of Healdsburg, was sentenced yesterday by the Honorable Peter Ottenweller to 7 years in state prison after pleading no contest on October 13, 2016 to charges of vehicle theft with a prior conviction, fleeing from a pursuing peace officer, driving under the influence of drugs, and possession of methamphetamine.

Defendant Joshua Raymond Henricksen, 27 years-old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced February 2^ndto eleven years in prison by the Honorable Jamie Thistlethwaite after having pled no contest in October to charges of residential burglary, assault with a weapon, and admitting infliction of great bodily injury. 

Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that her office, in conjunction with 22 other District Attorney’s Offices throughout California, resolved a consumer protection action against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Wal-Mart.com USA, LLC, and Jet.com, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Walmart (collectively, Walmart and Jet.com).

January is designated as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.  The annual event has been recognized since January 2010 when President Obama sought to bring attention to the epidemic of human trafficking in this country.

Kevin Morales, a 24 year-old man from Sacramento County, was sentenced earlier today to 5 years in state prison after having pled guilty in November of this year to felony human trafficking charges.

Defendant, Ronnie Paul Threadgill, 24-years-old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today to 22 years in state prison by the Honorable Jaime Thislethwaite after having pleaded no-contest in November to charges of attempted murder causing paralysis with a firearm, and attempted robbery.  

Defendant Robert Churich, age 58, was found guilty by a jury on December 9, 2016 of felony assault with a deadly weapon, abuse of an elder adult resulting in great bodily injury, witness intimidation by means of force, and auto theft.

California Department of Corrections inmate Gary Moore’s request to be paroled was denied by the Board of Parole Hearings Tuesday after a hearing at the California State Prison, Solano. 

The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office announced today that charges will not be filed at this time because the investigation regarding allegations of sexual assault committed by suspect Raymond Foakes is ongoing. 

District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Allan D. Hardcastle ordered Pacific Gas & Electric Company (“PG&E”) to pay $120,000 as part of the settlement of a civil environmental prosecution for discharging used electrical transformer oil into Paulin Creek in Santa Rosa, California.

Defendant Amante Erwin Robinson, 23-years-old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced Thursday October 27^th, 2016, to 23 years in state prison by Judge Patrick Broderick after having pled no contest to robbery and gun enhancement charges in July of this year.  

Thirty-one year old Jason Frederick Hulac of Santa Rosa was sentenced today to 10 years in state prison after having pled no contest in September to three counts of assault with intent to commit a sexual offense.

Defendant Nicholas James Perry, 37-years-old of Sebastopol, was found guilty by a jury Wednesday afternoon of two felonies, Penal Code section 288.4(b), (Arranging a Meeting with a Minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd and lascivious behavior), and Penal Code section 664/288.3, (Attempting to Send Harmful content to a Minor,) for offenses he committed during a law enforcement “sting” operation on June 20, 2014 in Santa Rosa

The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office is pleased to announce the appointment of Michelle Carstensen as Victim Services Director.  Ms. Carstensen began her career at the DA’s Office in 1995 as a Domestic Violence Counselor, and later transitioned to a Victim Advocate when the units were combined.

Daniel Craighead, a 74-year-old Healdsburg resident, has resolved a civil environmental enforcement action for damming up Mill Creek in violation of Fish and Game Code section 1602 during the summer of 2015.

Jason Frederick Hulac, 31-years-old of Santa Rosa, pled no contest earlier today to three counts of assault with intent to commit a sexual offense.  The charges stemmed from three separate daylight attacks on women in 2015.

Johnny Lee Sommerhalder, 73-years-old of Santa Rosa, was denied parole by the California Parole Board for an additional three years on September 15, 2016.  This is the fourteenth time the inmate has been denied parole since his incarceration for a murder committed in 1968.

Defendant Jose Jesus Mendoza, 27-years-old of Larkfield, plead guilty on September 14, 2016 to charges of assault with force likely to commit great bodily injury on his wife with a loaded gun, and admitted a prior “strike” conviction for lewd and lascivious conduct with a child under fourteen.

Ricky Lee Diffenderfer, 66-years-old of Reno, Nevada was sentenced on September 13, 2016 to 2 years in state prison by the Honorable Judge Conger for the crimes of defrauding individuals renting rooms in sober living homes, as well as defrauding the Human Services Department.