Ronald Martin held numerous store employees hostage at the Davis Co-op
(Woodland, CA) – July 16, 2020- On July 16, 2020, a two-commissioner panel of the Board of Parole Hearings denied parole to 49-year-old Ronald Martin who was sentenced to prison for 33 years and 4 months in 1997. The hearing commissioners were Deborah San Juan and Teresa Meighan. The hearing took place at California State Prison at Solano in Vacaville, CA.
On February 22, 1996, Martin entered the Davis Food Co-op armed with handguns and forced employees into the cooler. He and his accomplice demanded that the manager open the store safe. Martin discovered that officers had arrived and attempted to leave the business through the rear door. He began firing at officers when he was confronted at the rear of the store. In an attempt to avoid the police, then Martin used the store employees as human shields, herding them outside a rear exit attempting to protect himself from officers. He threatened to kill the employees if not allowed to pass. Martin subsequently released the employees and fled into an adjacent residential neighborhood. An extensive search was conducted, and the Martin was found hiding in a backyard by the Davis Police Department Swat Team at 2:30 a.m. He entered into a negotiated plea of no contest to seven felony counts and admitted personal use of a firearm in connection with each offense. Martin, based on his plea bargain was sentenced to the California Department of Corrections for a term of 33 years, 4 months. His accomplice has never been apprehended.
The hearing took three hours and after the commissioners deliberated Commissioner San Juan stated that Martin would still pose a continued risk to public safety should he be released from prison. Commissioner San Juan told Martin that his insight was cursory, his conduct in prison evidenced lingering problems with anti-social activity, he lacked self-control and he hadn’t developed the tools to avoid returning to prison, if released.
Yolo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven represented the Yolo District Attorney’s Office at the hearing by Skype conference, due to the COVID-19 crisis.
District Attorney Jeff Reisig commented on the parole denial: “This was an atrocious crime that has no doubt caused severe emotional damage to these victims. Our office is committed to representing the interests of victims’ families and public safety at these parole hearings, and when it’s appropriate we argue against the release of inmates who are a danger to the public.” Martin will be eligible for parole again in 2027.
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