Santa Rosa Man Receives Life Sentence for Joe Rodota Trail Shooting

Defendant Steven Carter Strawn, forty-three years old, of Santa Rosa, was sentenced this morning by the Honorable Lynnette Brown to serve 50 years to life after he was convicted by a jury on November 10, 2025, for two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with an assault weapon, possession of an assault weapon, and possession of a firearm by a felon. The defendant had previously been convicted of three prior strike offenses under California’s Three Strikes Law.

District Attorney Carla Rodriguez stated, “Mr. Strawn has been a menace to our community throughout his adult life. It is nothing short of a miracle that the victims targeted by Mr. Strawn were not physically harmed. The court’s life sentence is a just conclusion to this case and will hopefully provide some relief and comfort to the victims.”

The charges resulted from an incident that occurred at the Dutton Plaza shopping center in west Santa Rosa on September 28, 2024. Strawn arrived at Dutton Plaza during the early evening hours and immediately began harassing patrons of the shopping center and passersby on the nearby Joe Rodota Trail. When confronted by one of the two victims and asked to leave, Strawn got into the passenger’s seat of his friend’s car and pulled out an illegal assault rifle. With his friend driving the Pontiac, Strawn fired multiple rounds at both the man who had interceded and a man trying to take a picture. Fortunately, the assault rifle jammed after Strawn fired several rounds and no victims were struck.

A nearby Santa Rosa Police Department officer heard the shooting and promptly responded to the scene. The officer located Strawn within minutes of the shooting in a nearby parking lot. Strawn was standing next to the open trunk of the vehicle while he was trying to clear the jammed round from the assault weapon.

The jury trial lasted several weeks, featuring testimony from both SRPD personnel and multiple eyewitnesses who were present at Dutton Plaza. Strawn testified on his own behalf, claiming that a mystery “third person” was responsible for the shooting. The jury rejected his account and found him guilty of all charges.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Sarah Orrick, assisted by District Attorney Investigator Hector de Leon. Detective Gino Rantissi of the Santa Rosa Police Department, Violent Crimes Investigations unit, headed the investigation.

Contact Information