Convicted Sex Offender Larry Jones Denied Parole

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation inmate Larry Jones, 65 years old of Santa Rosa, was given a seven year denial of parole by the State of California Board of Parole Hearings following a hearing on March 27, 2019 at the Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad California. 

Defendant Jones is currently serving a fifty-two year sentence for physically and sexually assaulting a woman in Sonoma County in April of 1991. Jones was also found guilty of using a weapon and inflicting great bodily injury. Following a trial Jones was convicted on all counts by a Sonoma County jury and sentenced to the maximum term allowable. Jones had previously been convicted of sexual assault against a different woman and sentenced to prison for four years in 1977.

District Attorney Ravitch stated, “This was a horrific crime and the defendant was rightfully convicted and sentenced to a lengthy prison term. The Board has the job of determining whether this inmate continues to pose a danger to society should he be released. The answer to that question is without a doubt yes. As such, his petition was denied.”

Jones was thirty seven years old at the time of the 1991 conviction and was not originally eligible for parole until 2023. However, recently passed legislation mandates early parole hearings for “elderly inmates” and in accordance with the new law Jones applied for early release.

Sonoma County Deputy District Attorney Laura Passaglia appeared on behalf of the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office and argued that Jones should remain confined. Following a lengthy hearing, the parole board determined that Jones continues to pose an unreasonable risk of danger to society if released early and denied his petition. He will become eligible to reapply in seven years.