TranslatePress Release Index
ManSentenced for 2018 Crash Resulting in Death of UC Davis Biologist
Defendant JavierRodriguez-Lopez, 21 years old of Pittsburg, CA, was sentenced earliertoday by Sonoma County Court Commissioner Troye Shaffer to serve one month injail and spend three years on probation after having pled no contest inFebruary to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter and misdemeanor driving withouta license. Read full story
District Attorney Ravitch Warns Against Price Gouging During Coronavirus State of Emergency
District Attorney Jill Ravitch today issued a consumeralert warning that price gouging on consumer goods or medical supplies isprohibited under Penal Code Section 396 while under a State of Emergency due tothe novel Coronavirus. Read full story
Sex Offender Sentenced To Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
Defendant Franklin Rodriguez,28 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced today by the Honorable Dana Simondsto serve 12 years in state prison after pleading guilty in January to thecharge of possessing child pornography after having previously been convictedfor the sexual assault of a child. Read full story
Man whoStrangled Wife Denied Medical Parole
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 Read full story
Drug Impaired DriverSentenced to Year in Jail
Defendant Eric Vangelder, 56 years old of Geyserville, was sentenced on February 14thto 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. Read full story
Two Year Jail Sentence in Two-Victim Vehicular Manslaughter
Defendant Christopher Shuman, 32 years old of Napa, wassentenced yesterday to serve two years in county jail by the Honorable NancyShaffer after a jury found him guilty in January of two counts of misdemeanorvehicular manslaughter for causing the deaths of Richard and Fay Steinhart.Shuman’s sentence also reflected his subsequent no contest pleas for drivingduring the incident with a suspended license (which had been suspended for twoprior DUI offenses.) Read full story
Grading in Santa Rosa Creek Tributary Results in $50,000 Penalty and Prohibits Sale of Property
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. Read full story
Press Statement Regarding Ice Arrest at SonomaCounty Court House
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. Read full story
Santa Rosa Man Sentenced for Murder and Attempted Murder
Defendant Ricardo Puentes II was sentenced on February 10,2020, by the Honorable Patrick Broderick to serve 74 years-to-life in stateprison for the murder of Semere Girmai, and the attempted murder of RafaelChavez after having been found guilty by a jury in June of 2018. Read full story
Man Found Guilty of Indecent Exposure in Santa Rosa
On January 31,a Sonoma County jury found defendant Malik Rashaad Turner, 21 years old ofSanta Rosa, guilty of indecent exposure stemming from an incident on June 1,2019, where the defendant was witnessed by multiple people masterbating atOlive Park while standing on playground equipment. Read full story