<p>Petaluma Man Sentenced to Prison for Pimping while Armed with a Firearm</p><p> </p>

Defendant, Lane Robert Norman, 22 years old of Petaluma, was sentenced today by the Honorable Bradford DeMeo to 8 years and 4 months in prison in connection with his no-contest pleas in October to pimping while armed with a firearm as well as furnishing cocaine to a minor. 

District Attorney Ravitch stated, “sex trafficking continues in our county and the public is encouraged to speak up and contact law enforcement if they see anything suspicious.”

Norman’s case stemmed from proactive police work by the Santa Rosa Police Department following an indication in a separate investigation that Lane Norman was pimping. A detective following up on that lead discovered digital evidence, financial records, and witnesses that established that both Norman, as well as another individual Jason Lopez-Willis, were pimping and pandering in Sonoma County and elsewhere in the state. 

In October, Norman pled no-contest to two separate offenses of pimping, he admitted being armed with a firearm while pimping, and he also pled no-contest to furnishing a minor with cocaine in exchange for a sentence of 8 years and 4 months in prison at CDCR. Norman’s conviction for furnishing a minor with cocaine is considered a “strike” offense under California’s Three Strikes Law. Lopez-Willis was previously convicted and sentenced in a separate case to 4 years prison for pimping and pandering based on the same investigation leading to the case against Norman.  

This case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Andrew Lukas. Detective Tim Raymond of the Santa Rosa Police Department headed the investigation, and aspects of the investigation were also conducted by the Petaluma Police Department and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department.