Sex Offender Sentenced to 9 Years Prison

Defendant Nicholas Planty, 43 years old of Santa Rosa, CA, was sentenced today to serve 9 years in state prison by the Honorable Dana Simonds after having plead “no contest” in June to multiple crimes including Attempted Sexual Battery, Attempted Trespass, Peeping Inside an inhabited Dwelling, and five felony counts of Battery on a Custodial Officer by Gassing.

The initial charges resulted from a July 9, 2016 incident in which Planty, a registered sex offender on parole, followed a 19 year old woman home from Coddingtown Mall.  As the victim entered her isolated, residential neighborhood, Planty began running at her.  The victim, fearing she didn’t have time to reach her second floor apartment, ran to a neighbor’s ground floor apartment and pounded on the door and repeatedly rang the doorbell before being let inside.  Planty unsuccessfully attempted to force his way into the apartment. On arrival, a police officer saw Planty standing behind a stairwell on the neighbor’s front porch trying to look inside the residence through the front window.

When asked why he followed her, Planty said the woman caught his eye and he wanted to ask her for a cigarette. When searched, Planty was found to have a full pack of cigarettes and lighter.

While in custody awaiting trial Planty committed multiple felony ‘batteries by gassing’ on custodial officers; repeatedly assaulting them by throwing feces on them.  Planty has a lengthy criminal history including prior prison convictions for lewd and lascivious conduct on a child, felony battery on a peace officer, and felony battery by gassing on a custodial officer.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Evanthia A Pappas, assisted by District Attorney Investigators Denise Urton and Ken Pistorio, and Victim Advocate Gladys Wheeler.  Santa Rosa Police Department headed the investigation.