A jury of six women and six men deliberated for three hours today before finding Jeremy Finnerty, 49 years old of Santa Rosa, guilty of felony brandishing a firearm at a motor vehicle, felony vandalism, and misdemeanor resisting a police officer following a week-plus jury trial before the Honorable Shelly J. Averill in Sonoma County Superior Court.

Defendant William Brown, 41 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Robert Laforge to serve twenty years in state prison after pleading “no contest” in February to three felony sex offenses, including the rape of a child victim, who was under the age of 14.

Defendant Daniel Novello Irving, 68 years old of Chico, was sentenced earlier today by the Honorable Christopher Honigsberg to serve one year in county jail and three years on formal probation after pleading “no contest” in March of this year to felony charges of threatening and stalking his elderly brother over a period of nine months.

Defendant Michael Sean Phillips, 52 years old of Santa Rosa, pleaded “no contest” Monday to various felony charges of sexual assault, with an enhancement for the victim being above the age of 65.

Defendant Benjamin Meza-Perez, 41 years old of Petaluma, was sentenced today to serve 18 years in state prison by the Honorable Dana Simonds following pleas of “no contest” in January of this year to three felony counts of lewd acts with a minor under 14, and one felony count of dissuading a witness.  

Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced a consumer protection False Advertising Law settlement in a civil action against Cannacraft, Inc. Cannacraft is a licensed cultivator and manufacturer of cannabis products based in Sonoma County, and does business in California's legal cannabis market. Under the terms of the stipulated judgment, Cannacraft will pay $250,000 in civil penalties $25,000 in cy pres restitution, and $25,000 in investigative costs. Cannacraft also agreed to be bound by an injunction for 10 years. The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office reached the settlement as a member of the California Food, Drug, and Medical Device Task Force ("Task Force"), which also includes Alameda, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta and Solano Counties.

Defendant Hector Cabrales-Larios, 39 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Robert LaForge to serve six years in state prison after pleading “no contest” in March of this year to felony charges of hit and run.

Defendant, Patrick Gilles Murphy, 35 years old of Sebastopol, was sentenced on May 4, 2021 by the Honorable Mark Urioste to serve 6 years in state prison after pleading “no contest” in April of this year to stalking, dissuading a witness by force or threat, and felony domestic battery against his ex-girlfriend. 

Defendant Joseph Nin, 36 years old of Windsor, was sentenced today by the Honorable Mark Urioste after pleading "no contest" in March of this year to a felony charge of Filing a False Report.  Additional felony charges of Perjury and Grand Theft were dismissed as part of a plea bargain. Nin, a former juvenile corrections counselor employed by the Sonoma County Probation Department, was sentenced to 90 days jail or work release, followed by 24 months of felony probation, the legal limit for most felonies under a new law passed last year by the California state legislature.  

Defendant Victor Torres, 31 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Mark Urioste to serve a term of 25 years to life in state prison after pleading "no contest" earlier this month to multiple charges of child sexual assault.

Defendant Paul Morrow, 60 years old of Rohnert Park, was sentenced today by the Honorable Peter Ottenweller to serve 5 years in state prison following a “no contest” plea earlier in April to one felony count of sexual penetration of an unconscious victim, and one felony count of sexual penetration of a minor under the age of 16.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (“PGE”) was arraigned earlier today in the Sonoma County Superior Court on a 33-count criminal complaint alleging that it recklessly caused the 2019 Kincade Fire, which burned approximately 78,000 acres, and destroyed 374 structures, including 174 homes. The fire that started on the night of October 23, 2019 at the Geysers Geothermal Field northeast of Geyserville resulted in the largest evacuation in the history of Sonoma County, including the entire towns of Healdsburg, Windsor and Geyserville.

Defendant Henry Palencia-Diaz, 21 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Peter K. Ottenweller to serve 180 days in county jail, pay $1,500 in restitution, and be placed on two years formal probation, after pleading “no contest” in March of this year to charges of assaulting of his 76-year-old co-worker.

Defendant Jack Lee Johnson, 38 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced on Thursday, April 1, 2021 to the maximum term of five years in state prison after having pled “no contest” in March of this year to charges of randomly assaulting two Sonoma County residents, one of whom was an elder. 

I first became aware of sexual assault allegations against the Mayor of Windsor Thursday morning by reading the article in the San Francisco Chronicle. I was deeply concerned at what I learned, and immediately assigned my Chief Investigator and Chief Deputy in charge of sexual assault prosecutions to review the article and recommend next steps. I put out a message asking any victim, named or otherwise, to contact us.  We’ve subsequently communicated with a number of individuals with information. Additionally, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office has now opened an investigation, so we are directing anyone with information to contact that agency.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch has announced that after a thorough investigation, her office today initiated criminal proceedings against Pacific Gas and Electric Company ("PG&E") for its role in causing the 2019 Kincade Fire. The criminal complaint, filed with the Sonoma County Superior Court, alleges that PG&E recklessly caused the fire that started on the night of October 23, 2019 at the Geysers Geothermal Field northeast of Geyserville. Specifically, the complaint charges PG&E with 5 felonies and 28 misdemeanors, including unlawfully causing a fire that resulted in great bodily injury, unlawfully causing a fire that resulted in the burning of inhabited structures, and unlawfully causing a fire that resulted in the burning of forest land, as well as various air pollution crimes.

Defendant Austin McClure, 22 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced earlier today by the Honorable Christopher Honigsberg to serve 7 years in state prison after pleading no contest in March to charges of felony domestic assault and forgery.

Defendant Ethan Dean Holbrook, 28 years-old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced on March 25, 2021 by the Honorable Christopher Honigsberg to 7 years and 8 months in state prison after pleading no contest to charges of felony domestic battery using a deadly weapon.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that the gunman and getaway driver in a September 2020 shooting near the Healdsburg Railroad Depot, were sentenced this morning by the Honorable Shelly J. Averill in Sonoma County Superior Court.

Defendant Alberto Ramon Martinez, 25 year old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced on March 18, 2021 by the Honorable Christopher Honigsberg to serve six years and four months in state prison after pleading no contest to charges of felony domestic battery against his girlfriend. Additionally, he admitted to having two prior domestic violence related convictions within the last seven years.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that the three adult defendants involved in a September 2020 shooting near the Healdsburg Railroad Depot in Healdsburg have pleaded “no contest” to felony offenses and were found guilty by the Honorable Shelly J. Averill in Sonoma County Superior Court.

Defendant Brandon Byron Cooper, 30 years old of Petaluma, was sentenced today by the Honorable Robert LaForge to serve 15 years to life in prison, plus an additional 9 years, after being found guilty of 3 felony sexual assault crimes in March of 2019 following a court trial. 

Defendant Betai Koffi, 33 years old of Southern California, was sentenced Thursday by the Honorable Christopher Honigsberg to serve 3 years on felony probation and spend 12 months in county jail after pleading "no contest" to multiple felony counts of assault for a string of crimes that he committed while under the influence of LSD in Bodega Bay on July 4, 2019. 

The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office has recently been awarded a federal grant in the amount of $340,000 by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a subdivision of the US Department of Justice, to assist with the investigation and prosecution of opioid-related crimes committed in Sonoma County.

On Friday, February 5, 2021 following a contested hearing, the Honorable Peter Ottenweller denied a motion for a certificate of rehabilitation and pardon brought by convicted sex offender Matthew David Phillips, 46 years old of Santa Rosa, related to his 2008 felony sex convictions.

Defendant Israel Fabian Fuentes, 34 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced earlier today  by the Honorable Shelly Averill to serve 9 years in state prison after pleading guilty in May of last year to charges of felony infliction of corporal injury on his pregnant girlfriend, the mother of his three year old child, and admitting an enhancement for causing great bodily injury. 

Diane Sandahl, 77 years-old of Sebastopol, was ordered to pay $10,103.67 to the Sonoma County CHANGE organization, on January 21, 2021 after a restitution hearing in front of the Honorable Troye Shaffer.

Defendant Nancy Jeannethe Serrano, 26 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today to 3 years in state prison by the Honorable Mark Urioste following her convictions in November of last year for leaving the scene of an accident, vehicular manslaughter, and driving on a suspended license. 

Defendant Andrew Paul Flolo, 20 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Shelly Averill to serve 20 years in prison after entering a no-contest plea last November to six felony offenses involving the human trafficking of a minor. 

Michael Silva, 37, of Cazadero pled guilty to three felony counts related to environmental violations on property where he was growing 1,450 cannabis plants without environmental permits.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch has announced that defendant Thanh Van Nguyen, 69, of Santa Rosa was sentenced yesterday by the Honorable Kenneth English for having an over limit of abalone in violation of F&G Code 5521.5(b).

District Attorneys Jill Ravitch announced that Tropical Seas, Inc. (“TS”) of Florida has agreed to resolve a civil environmental enforcement case filed by the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office in conjunction with 21 district attorney offices in California.

District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that on September 29, 2020 Prison Inmate Vinh The Phang, now 60 years old, was once again denied parole by the California Board of Parole.

District Attorney Ravitch reminds all Sonoma County residents and businesses that price gouging during a state of emergency is illegal under Penal Code Section 396, and her office will investigate and prosecute those that attempt to wrongfully profit from the destructive fires and from the pandemic.

Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch today announced a $1.43 million settlement against Kelly-Moore Paint Company (Kelly-Moore) to resolve allegations that the company violated state laws governing hazardous waste.