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  • Santa Rosa Man Sentenced to 20 Years Prison for Trafficking a Minor

    Published on January 15, 2021

    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. 

  • Defendant Ordered to Pay $76,816.79 in Restitution For Expenses in Treating Neglected Horses

    Published on December 4, 2020
    Defendant Joseph Fraga Rafael, 67 years old of Cloverdale, was ordered to pay $76,816.79 in restitution to the Sonoma County Change Organization (CHANGE,) a non-profit dedicated to preventing equine abuse.

  • After Sonoma County’s first pandemic-era criminal jury trial, child molester found guilty of 158 counts and sentenced to 756 years in prison

    Published on December 4, 2020
    District Attorney Jill Ravitch has announced that defendant Nathan Christian Wandrey, 48 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Mark Urioste to serve 756 years in prison

  • Family Justice Center Appoints Marsha Lucien as its New Executive Director

    Published on December 2, 2020
    Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch today announced that Marsha Lucien has been selected as the new Executive Director for the Family Justice Center of Sonoma County, effective December 1, 2020.  

  • Parolee Sentenced for Multiple Incidents of Indecent Exposure

    Published on November 23, 2020
    Defendant Joseph Michael Simmons, 39-years-old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced on November 19, 2020 by the Honorable Dana Simonds for multiple misdemeanor indecent exposure incidents committed while Simmons was on parole.  

  • Sonoma County District Attorney Awarded DUI Prosecution Grant

    Published on November 13, 2020
    Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office received a $255,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for a special team to prosecute alcohol and drug-impaired driving cases.   

  • Former Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Indicted by Grand Jury for Use of Excessive Force

    Published on November 6, 2020
    Today an Indictment by a Sonoma County Criminal Grand Jury was unsealed charging former Sheriff’s Deputy Charlie Blount with two felony charges for his role in the death of David Glen Ward, which occurred on November 27, 2019.

  • Cazadero Cannabis Grower Pleads Guilty to Felony Environmental Violations

    Published on October 29, 2020

    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.

  • Man’s Possession of 80 Abalone Results in $40,000 Fine and Permanent Loss of Sportfishing License

    Published on October 21, 2020

    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).

  • Repeat Sex Offender Received Life Sentence

    Published on October 9, 2020
    Defendant Lonnie William Victory, 56 years old of Windsor, was sentenced today by the Honorable Mark Urioste to serve 50 years-to-life in prison after pleading no-contest in August to eight felony sex offenses.   

  • Mass Casualty Anniversary

    Published on October 9, 2020
    Last week marked the third anniversary of the Route 91 Harvest Festival mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada.

  • Man Sentenced to one Year Jail for Vehicular Manslaughter

    Published on October 7, 2020
    Defendant Wayne Thomas, 64 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced on Friday, September 25th by the Honorable Troye Shaffer to the maximum sentence of one year in county jail after pleading no contest to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for causing the death Sebastopol resident Guadalupe Martinez in 2018.

  • 36 Year Old Sentenced to 19 Years in Prison for Sexual Assault of 9 Year Old Girl

    Published on October 7, 2020
    Defendant David Jimenez, 36 years old of Sonoma, was sentenced today by the Honorable Philip Pennypacker to serve 19 years in state prison after pleading guilty in August of this year to two charges of child molestation.  

  • Unsubstantiated Coral “Reef Safe” Claims Enjoined In California

    Published on October 5, 2020

    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.

  • Prison Inmate Convicted of First Degree Murder Once Again Denied Parole

    Published on October 5, 2020

    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’s Office Reminds Community That Price Gouging Restrictions Remain in Place

    Published on October 1, 2020

    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.

  • $1.43 Million Settlement Announced to Address Illegal Dumping of Hazardous Waste Kelly-Moore Violated State Environmental Protection Laws

    Published on September 15, 2020

    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.

  • Owners and Operators of Varenna and Villa Capri Settle Law Enforcement Action Related to 2017 Tubbs Fire

    Published on September 3, 2020

    District Attorney Jill Ravitch, in conjunction with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, announced today that Varenna LLC, Oakmont Senior Living LLC, and Oakmont Management Group LLC, the owners and operators of Varenna and Villa Capri, two Residential Care Facilities For the Elderly located in Fountaingrove, settled a civil law enforcement action related to their conduct on the night of the Tubbs Fire in 2017.

  • Man Sentenced To 23 Years, 8 Months Prison

    Published on August 13, 2020
    Defendant Francisco Javier Gonzalez-Mejia, 22 years-old of Petaluma, was sentenced today by the Honorable Christopher Honigsberg to serve 23 years, 8 months in state prison after pleading no contest in January to the charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony driving with a.08% blood alcohol content causing injury, and fleeing the scene of an accident resulting in death and serious bodily injury.

  • Crip Gang Members Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder, Home Invasion Robberies

    Published on August 12, 2020
    Defendants Jonathan Jackson 21 years old, David Ealey 25 years old, and Tyrone McRae 27 years old, all from Richmond Virginia, were sentenced today by the Honorable Christopher Honigsberg to serve life sentences in state prison after having pled no contest to charges related to the 2018 home invasion robberies of two Sonoma County homes and the murder of one of the occupants Jose Torres.

  • Child Molester Receives Life Sentence

    Published on August 6, 2020
    Defendant Larry Robert Whyte, 71-year--old, was sentenced today by the Honorable Peter Ottenweller to serve 32 years, 4 months-to-life in state prison after having been convicted by a jury in January of committing 10 felony sex offenses against a child.

  • Violent Felon Sentenced to Prison for Evading, Gun

    Published on July 30, 2020
    Defendant Sean Ryan McCarthy, 37 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced Wednesday by the Honorable Dana Simonds to serve five years, four months in state prison after having pled no contest in January to charges of felony evading.

  • 22 Year Old Santa Rosa Man Sentenced to Prison for Child Molest

    Published on July 24, 2020
    Defendant Aldair Esquivel-Zarza, 22 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Shelly Averill to serve 8 years and 4 months in state prison following his plea to several sexual offenses against a minor.

  • Serial Robber Who Targeted Young Female Victims Sentenced to 33 Years, 8 Months State Prison

    Published on July 22, 2020
    Defendant William Drew Hodges, 54 years old of Rohnert Park, was sentenced earlier today by the Honorable Christopher Honigsberg to serve 33 years, 8 months in state prison after having been convicted in December last year of committing 11 separate robberies.

  • 23 Year Old Man Sentenced to 6 years in Prison for Child Molest

    Published on July 21, 2020

    Defendant Moises Flores, 23 years old, was sentenced today by the Honorable Shelly Averill to serve 6 years in state prison after pleading no contest to one charge of committing a lewd act on a child under 14 in violation of Penal Code section 288(a).

  • Rohnert Park Man Receives Life Sentence For Child Molestation

    Published on July 9, 2020
    Martin Dewitt, of Rohnert Park, CA was sentenced today by the Honorable Shelly Averill to serve 30 years-to-Life in prison. The sentence follows a guilty plea by Dewitt, in May of this year, to 15 charges of molestation, against two separate child victims.

  • Sonoma County DA Announces Dismissal of 2,735 Marijuana Convictions

    Published on June 26, 2020
    Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that 2,735 Sonoma County marijuana convictions will be dismissed as part of a program initiated by her office with the assistance of the “Clear My Record” application, a state-wide software application that allows District Attorneys to securely and accurately evaluate eligibility for Proposition 64 relief by reading and interpreting criminal history data from the California Department of Justice.

  • City Ventures Agrees to Implement Training and Pay $199,000 to Resolve Pollution Case

    Published on June 17, 2020

    District Attorney Jill Ravitch has announced that defendant City Ventures Homebuilding, LLC (“CV”) has resolved a civil environmental enforcement action for water pollution and unlawful business practices during construction of new homes in the Fox Hollow subdivision

  • Prison Inmate Convicted of Murder Once Again Denied Parole

    Published on June 2, 2020
    District Attorney Jill Ravitch has announced that defendant Bryon James Tibbals, 55 years-old of Nevada, was denied parole following a hearing earlier today in front of the California Board of Parole Hearings. In addition to denying parole, the Board determined that Tibbals must wait three additional years before his next hearing.

  • Serial Killer Denied Parole

    Published on June 2, 2020
    District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that on May 27, 2020, the California Board of Prison Terms denied parole to 69 year old Michael Carson, who, along with his wife Susan Carson, was convicted in the early 1980’s of committing three separate murders in the counties of Sonoma, San Francisco and Humboldt.

  • Sonoma County Man Convicted of Attempted Murder of Police Officer Denied Parole

    Published on May 15, 2020
    District Attorney Jill Ravitch has announced that defendant Charles Edgar Thomas, 75-year-old from Cloverdale, was found unsuitable for parole release by the Board of Parole Hearings today.

  • Convicted Gang Member Denied Early Release By Prison Board In Attempted Murder

    Published on May 1, 2020

    Prison inmate Oscar Perez, age 34, of Santa Rosa was denied early release on parole after a contested hearing held remotely via Zoom before the Board of Prison Terms on Thursday, April 30th, 2020.

  • Conviction Of Child Rapist Sentenced To Life In Prison Upheld On Appeal

    Published on April 23, 2020

    The conviction of 52-year old Timothy Marble, of Napa, CA, sentenced to serve life in prison without possibility of parole for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a 13-year old Napa County girl, was upheld on appeal yesterday in a decision by the California Court of Appeal.

  • Murderer Denied Parole

    Published on April 14, 2020

    District Attorney Jill Ravitch has announced that on April 14, 2020 the California Board of Prison Terms denied parole to Fidencio Chavez, 57 years old, who was convicted in 1992 of first degree murder for the killing of victim Frank Tassara.

  • Man Sentenced for 2018 Crash Resulting in Death of UC Davis Biologist

    Published on March 9, 2020

    Defendant Javier Rodriguez-Lopez, 21 years old of Pittsburg, CA, was sentenced earlier today by Sonoma County Court Commissioner Troye Shaffer to serve one month in jail and spend three years on probation after having pled no contest in February to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and misdemeanor driving without a license.

  • District Attorney Ravitch Warns Against Price Gouging During Coronavirus State of Emergency

    Published on March 5, 2020

    District Attorney Jill Ravitch today issued a consumer alert warning that price gouging on consumer goods or medical supplies is prohibited under Penal Code Section 396 while under a State of Emergency due to the novel Coronavirus. 

  • Sex Offender Sentenced To Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

    Published on March 4, 2020

    Defendant Franklin Rodriguez, 28 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Dana Simonds to serve 12 years in state prison after pleading guilty in January to the charge of possessing child pornography after having previously been convicted for the sexual assault of a child.

  • Two Year Jail Sentence in Two-Victim Vehicular Manslaughter

    Published on February 19, 2020

    Defendant Christopher Shuman, 32 years old of Napa, was sentenced yesterday to serve two years in county jail by the Honorable Nancy Shaffer after a jury found him guilty in January of two counts of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter for causing the deaths of Richard and Fay Steinhart. Shuman’s sentence also reflected his subsequent no contest pleas for driving during the incident with a suspended license (which had been suspended for two prior DUI offenses.) 

  • Drug Impaired Driver Sentenced to Year in Jail

    Published on February 19, 2020
    Defendant Eric Vangelder, 56 years old of Geyserville , was sentenced on February 14, 2020 to serve a year in jail by the Honorable Mark Urioste after pleading no contest in January of this year to felony reckless evading of law enforcement, and driving under the influence of drugs.

  • Grading in Santa Rosa Creek Tributary Results in $50,000 Penalty and Prohibits Sale of Property

    Published on February 19, 2020
    Salvatore Latora, who owns property located at 670 Willowside Road in Santa Rosa, was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $50,000 ($25,000 for streambed alteration and $25,000 for water pollution) for unpermitted grading activity in a tributary to Santa Rosa Creek after a court ordered a default judgement against Latora on December 20, 2019.

  • Man who Strangled Wife Denied Medical Parole

    Published on February 19, 2020
    District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that Dean Howard Eliason Jr., 72 years old of Santa Rosa, was denied medical parole last week by the California Board of Parole Hearings

  • Press Statement Regarding Ice Arrest at Sonoma County Court House

    Published on February 18, 2020
    District Attorney Jill Ravitch, Public Defender Kathleen Pozzi, and County Counsel Bruce Goldstein condemn the recent arrest of  at least three individuals in and around the Sonoma County Superior Court on Tuesday February 18, 2020 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Agents.

  • Santa Rosa Man Sentenced for Murder and Attempted Murder

    Published on February 11, 2020
    Defendant Ricardo Puentes II was sentenced on February 10, 2020, by the Honorable Patrick Broderick to serve 74 years-to-life in state prison for the murder of Semere Girmai, and the attempted murder of Rafael Chavez after having been found guilty by a jury in June of 2018.

  • Man Found Guilty of Indecent Exposure in Santa Rosa

    Published on February 7, 2020
    On January 31, a Sonoma County jury found defendant Malik Rashaad Turner, 21 years old of Santa Rosa, guilty of indecent exposure stemming from an incident on June 1, 2019.

  • Annapolis Man Sentenced for 2018 Domestic Violence Incident & 2019 Criminal Threat Against a Deputy Sheriff

    Published on February 5, 2020

    Defendant Edgar Uriel Figueroa Garcia, 35 years old of Annapolis, was sentenced today by the Honorable Bradford DeMeo to serve three years and eight months in state prison after having pled guilty in November of last year to two felony charges for assault on his then pregnant girlfriend, and threats to kill a Sonoma County Deputy Sheriff.

  • Petaluma Man Sentenced to One Hundred Years-to-Life for Molesting Two Children

    Published on January 28, 2020

    Defendant Pedro Ibanez, 46 years old of Petaluma, was sentenced earlier today to serve one hundred years-to-life in state prison by the Honorable Bradford DeMeo after having been found guilty by a jury in November of last year to four felony counts of child molestation with enhancements for having multiple victims under the age of 14. 

  • Socorro Sierra Sentenced to Life Without Possibility of Parole For Murder of Cloverdale Man

    Published on January 24, 2020
    Defendant Socorro Sierra, 35 years old of Healdsburg, was sentenced today by the Honorable Dana Simonds for the 2018 murder of Jose Evelio Martinez, a 46 year old resident of Cloverdale and longtime employee of Friedman’s Home Improvement.

  • Parole Denied for Convicted Murderer

    Published on January 17, 2020
    District Attorney Jill Ravitch has announced that following a Wednesday hearing held at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran, defendant Gregory L. Gossett, 58 years old of Santa Rosa, was denied parole by the California Department of Corrections Board of Parole Hearings.

  • Santa Rosa Man Convicted of Aggravated Sexual Assault of 8 Year Old Child Denied Parole

    Published on January 16, 2020
    District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that the California Board of Prison Terms denied parole yesterday to 38 year old Pascual Jorge Pilotzi, who was convicted in 2007 of the aggravated sexual assault of an 8 year old girl.

  • Man Sentenced To Prison For Assault With A Deadly Weapon, Resisting A Peace Officer With Force, And Brandishing A Replica Firearm

    Published on January 8, 2020
    Defendant Jaime Tapia-Vasquez, 38 years-old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced earlier today by the Honorable Dana Simonds to serve 3 years and 8 months in state prison after having pled “no contest” in September of last year to felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest with force, as well as misdemeanor charges of battery on a peace officer and brandishing a replica firearm.
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