TranslatePress Release Index
Prison inmate convicted of 1985 murder of Guerneville man denied parole once again
Inmate Vernon Bragg, now 70 years old of Dallas Texas, was denied parole yesterday by the California State Board of Parole Hearings following an afternoon hearing held at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville. In 1985, Bragg was convicted of murder for the shooting and killing of Ray Rasmussen of Guerneville. Following the murder, Bragg was sentenced to an indeterminate life sentence in state prison. Read full story
Man sentenced for conspiracy to trespass and trespass at Sonoma County Farms
Wayne Hsiung, a 42-year-old California state bar licensed attorney from San Francisco, was sentenced earlier today to serve 2 years on probation and 90 days in county jail after having been convicted by a Sonoma County jury in November of this year to charges of felony conspiracy to commit trespass and two counts of trespass. The convictions stem from large animal rights protests staged on Sonoma County Farms in 2018 and 2019. Read full story
Santa Rosa Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing a Teenager
Defendant Leonel Padilla Gomez, 36 years old, of Santa Rosa, California, was sentenced on November 16, 2023, by the Honorable Laura Passaglia to 14 years in state prison. This sentence follows Gomez’s convictions related to sexually abusing a teenager. Read full story
Santa Rosa Man Sentenced to 36 Years in Prison for Child Sexual Assault
Defendant Ambrosio Leiva-Moreno, 32 years old, of Santa Rosa, California, was sentenced on November 15, 2023, by the Honorable Laura Passaglia to 36 years in the state prison. This sentence follows Leiva-Moreno’s convictions related to sexually assaulting a child. Read full story
Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office Awarded Grant from the Office of Traffic Safety for Specialized DUI Prosecution Team
Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez has announced that as a result of her office receiving a $516,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), it will be able to continue to have a specialized prosecution team that handles alcohol and drug-impaired driving cases. Read full story
Criminal charges not warranted related to July 29, 2022, officer-involved shooting of David Pelaez-Chavez
On July 29, 2022, in a rural area of Sonoma County outside of Healdsburg, David Pelaez-Chavez was shot and killed by a Sonoma County Sheriff’s Deputy. Pursuant to a county-wide protocol in which outside agencies investigate incidents of officer-involved shootings, the Santa Rosa Police Department investigated this shooting. At the conclusion of their investigation, they then provided their investigation to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office to evaluate the appropriateness of any potential criminal charges. Read full story
Santa Rosa man sentenced to 18 years in prison for possession of more than 73 pounds of methamphetamine
Defendant Jose Vegasanchez, 29 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Mark Urioste to 18 years in prison. Today’s sentencing follows Vegasanchez’s September convictions related to possession of more than 73 pounds of methamphetamine, as well as for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Read full story
Woman Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Role in 2022 Shooting Near Union Hotel
Defendant Valerie Saenz, 26 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Troye Shaffer to serve 9 years in state prison after pleading “no contest” in May to charges of conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted robbery, two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, shooting at an occupied vehicle, and destroying evidence. Read full story
Domestic abuser sentenced to more than 15 years in prison
Defendant Adrian Aldama, 37 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced Wednesday by the Honorable Troye Shaffer to serve 15 years, 4 months in state prison after pleading “no contest” in August to six felonies involving domestic violence causing injury, assault with a deadly weapon, making death threats, and false imprisonment. Read full story
Organifi Settles Violations Related to False Advertising of Dietary Supplements
District Attorney Carla Rodriguez announced today that her office, as part of the California Food, Drug, and Medical Device Task Force, settled a consumer protection action against Organifi, LLC. The case was filed in Monterey County Superior Court by the District Attorney’s offices of Alameda, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Orange, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Solano, and Sonoma Counties, which together comprise the task force. The civil complaint alleges that the company made false or misleading advertising claims for its dietary supplements, including that the supplements could balance hormone and cortisol levels, regulate the parasympathetic nervous system, and replace bad bacteria with good bacteria. Read full story