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Press Release

(Woodland, CA) – May 8, 2015 – Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced today that a Yolo County Jury convicted Guillermo Bonilla 40, his wife Sandra Bonilla 34, and brother Juan Carlos Bonilla 36, of West Sacramento of Felony Vandalism on May 6, 2015.

This case originated in May of 2013 when Sandra Bonilla was delinquent on her payment on a leased Range Rover. The credit union that legally owned the truck issued a repossession order to a local repossession agent.

The repossession agent went to the Bonilla’s home around 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning, secured the Range Rover on the back of his truck and knocked at the Bonilla’s door to allow her to remove her personal belongings prior to leaving with the Range Rover. Video taken by a camera in the truck of the repossession agent showed that after the Bonilla’s initial attempt to have the repossession agent release the Range Rover was unsuccessful, Sandra Bonilla, her husband and brother took matters into their own hands.

The three Bonilla’s worked together to cut the straps off the Range Rover that held it onto the repossession truck, and forcibly removed the Range Rover from the repossession truck causing thousands of dollars of damage to the repossession truck and the Range Rover. The video also showed Juan Carlos Bonilla placing the repossession agent in a head lock and tossing him away from the truck.

During trial, the jury heard a key piece of evidence provided by a witness who spoke to Sandra Bonilla after the incident. The witness told the jury how Bonilla described the actions of the repossession agent. However, video the jury watched in court directly contradicted how she claimed the incident occurred.

The jury was undecided on a count of grand theft and acquitted on a misdemeanor battery charge. District Attorney Jeff Reisig emphasized the great work done by the West Sacramento Police Department, including lead Detective Ken Fellows.

Yolo County Judge David Reed will schedule a sentencing hearing on May 11, 2015, at 9 a.m. in Dept. 6 of the Yolo County Superior court. The Bonillas face a range of potential sentencing from probation to three years in local prison.

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