Media
Press Releases
Grant of Parole for West Sacramento Murderer Rescinded by Board of Parole Hearings
Crips gang member shot and killed 16-year-old Robert Castro Press Release (Woodland, CA) – September 16, 2022 – On September 16, 2022, a three-member panel of the Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) unanimously agreed that the previous grant of parole for 46-year-old...
Killer from 1989 West Sacramento Murder Denied Parole Again
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – September 15, 2022 – On September 14, 2022, a two-commissioner panel of the Board of Parole Hearings denied the parole of 64-year-old Carl Williams. Williams is serving a life sentence with the Arkansas Department of Corrections, Tucker...
West Sacramento Man Convicted of 1995 Murder Denied Resentencing
Michael Todd tortured and beat James Williams over a drug deal Press Release (Woodland, CA) – September 2, 2022 – On August 26, 2022, Yolo County Superior Court Judge Steven Mock denied a petition for resentencing for Michael Todd, that would have reversed his 1996...
District Attorney Statement on White Supremacist Hate Incidents
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – August 30, 2022 – This past weekend, four men wearing black clothing and masks displayed an antisemitic banner over the Highway 113 bicycle overpass in Davis that stated, “The Holocaust is an anti-white lie.” A similar incident occurred...
70% of Those Released on $0 Bail Commit New Crimes
Nearly 30% rearrested for Violent Crimes - including murder Press Release (Woodland, CA) – August 22, 2022 - In April of 2020, in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the California Judicial Council imposed a statewide Emergency Bail Schedule, also known as $0...
DA Restorative Justice Partnership Seeks Volunteer Panelists
Training Sessions Offered Press Release (Woodland, CA) – August 18, 2022 –The Yolo County District Attorney’s Restorative Justice Partnership (RJP) will hold a 12-hour volunteer panelist training, which will be held via Zoom over three days, beginning August 27, 2022....
Two Woodland men sentenced to State Prison for 2019 Gang-Related Shooting that Left Teenager Dead
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – August 17, 2022 – On August 15, 2022, Woodland men Francisco Ponce, age 23, and Joseph Gonzalez Jr., age 27, were sentenced for their roles in the shooting that killed Alvaro Gamera and left two others injured in the City of Woodland on...
SACRAMENTO MAN SENTENCED TO 17 YEARS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULTS AGAINST TWO WOMEN IN SANTA ROSA AND DAVIS
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – August 8, 2022 – On August 4, 2022, Yolo County Superior Court Judge Thomas Dyer sentenced 37-year-old Sacramento man, Jose Perez-Meza, to the maximum term of 17 years State Prison for the sexual assault of two women. Perez-Meza was...
Yolo County District Attorney Continues to Support Internal Conviction & Sentence Review Program
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – August 3, 2022 – The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office continues to support a Conviction & Sentencing Review Unit (https://yoloda.org/the-das-office/conviction-sentence-review-unit/). The focus of this Unit is to review...
Harm Reduction Results Released by District Attorney
Only 10% of those referred for services engaged in drug treatment Press Release (Woodland, CA) – July 25, 2022 - In January 2021, the Yolo County District Attorney’s office adopted a Harm Reduction Policy (HR-Diversion) where individuals arrested and/or cited for drug...
Why We Seek Justice
Our team at the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office is comprised of a dedicated and diverse group of professionals. In our new video series “Why We Seek Justice” you will meet some of our amazing colleagues and hear their personal stories. We hope you enjoy!
Meet Deputy District Attorney Diane Ortiz
Meet Deputy District Attorney Kyle Hasapes
Meet Deputy District Attorney Amanda Zambor
Meet Multi-Disciplinary Interview Center Admin Clerk Shobna Sharma
Meet Deputy District Attorney Jay Linden
Podcasts
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 24: Car Break-ins
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 23: Citizens Academy Podcast
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 22: Breast Cancer Awareness – Virginia’s Story
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 21: Domestic Violence Awareness Month – 2017
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 20: From Victim to Survivor – A Story of Hope
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 19: An Interview with Lt. Dave Marshall
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 18: Yolo County Cannabis Task Force
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 17: Empower Yolo
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 16: Campus Detection Dogs
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 15: Safety at Picnic Day
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 14: Motorist & Bicyclist Collision Prevention
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 13: Human Trafficking Awareness
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 12: Campus Sexual Assault
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 11: Operation Vigilance
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 10: Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 9: School Attendance Matters
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 8: Yolo Day Reporting Center & Restorative Justice
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 7: LGBTQIA Pride Month & Hate Crimes
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 6: Elder Financial Abuse
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 5: Victim Tribute
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 4: Child Abduction Unit
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 3: NHC Homeless Restorative Justice Program
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 2: Human Trafficking
Listen Here:
The Chronicles of Justice Episode 1: Sonias Story with DUI Prevention & Awareness
Listen Here:
Non-Violent Second Strikers
After a federal court ordered California to reduce prison overcrowding, a number of measures were put into place that result in early prison releases, including early parole consideration for individuals characterized as “non-violent second-strikers.” In order to qualify, inmates must not currently be serving a sentence for a crime which is legally categorized as a ‘violent felony’ and must not be required to register as sex offenders.
Starting January 1, 2015, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) began a new early parole determination process, evaluating “nonviolent second-strikers” for parole once they have served only 50 percent of their sentence or are within 12 months of having served 50 percent of their actual sentence. Upon receipt of inmate names from CDCR with a recommendation for release, the Board of Prison Hearings conducts an administrative review to determine if the inmate should be released from prison or retained for the term otherwise prescribed by law. The Board determines whether an offender would pose an unreasonable risk to public safety based on criminal history, behavior in prison, rehabilitation efforts, and written statements.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office takes an active role in evaluating these cases and writes letters to the Board with an overview of the inmate’s criminal history, an opinion regarding the public safety risk posed by the inmate, and the appropriateness, or lack thereof, of an inmate’s early release. However, because our resources are limited, we do not prepare letters in every case. Instead, we focus our opposition efforts on offenders who we believe pose the greatest risk to the community.
Many of the offenders who are granted early release from prison have violent and lengthy criminal histories. The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office feels it is important for the public to be aware of the so-called nonviolent offenders being released early from prison into our neighborhoods.
This web page was created to provide the names and criminal overview of the offenders who have been approved for early release despite our opposition. This list will be updated on a regular basis.