<p>Man Sentenced to Serve Fourteen Years in State Prison for Charges of Domestic Violence and Residential Burglary</p><p><b><i></i></b></p><p> </p>

John Amaral, 60 years old of Santa Rosa, was sentenced earlier today by the Honorable Robert LaForge to serve 14 years in state prison after pleading “no contest” in November of last year to felony charges of domestic battery and residential burglary. Amaral also admitted a prior strike conviction under California’s Three Strike’s Law. In addition to the prison sentence, the court also issued a 10-year criminal protective order, which is the maximum duration permitted by law.     

District Attorney Ravitch stated, “This was a very violent encounter by a defendant with a history of committing serious criminal offenses. As such, we are in complete argreement with the court’s sentencing decision.”

The charges resulted from a March 14, 2020 incident where Amaral broke into his ex-girlfriend’s residence just past midnight, chased her out the front door, tackled her onto the ground, and punched her in the face numerous times. After the attack Amaral attempted to flee, however, officers immediately arrived and arrested him.

The incident was investigated by the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, and was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Scott Uemura.