Media
Press Releases
District Attorneys Settle Environmental Protection Lawsuit Against Sherali Gas Corp.
Press Release | Complaint | Judgment Woodland and Downieville, CA – January 14, 2026 – On January 7, 2026, Yolo County Superior Court, Judge Samuel McAdam, approved a settlement imposing $1.16 million in civil penalties and investigative costs on defendants in an...
YOLO COUNTY JURY CONVICTS FATHER OF MURDERING HIS INFANT CHILDREN
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – January 6, 2026 – Today, a Yolo County Jury convicted 63-year-old Paul Allen Perez, a transient throughout Central California, of multiple counts of Murder; and one count of Assault on a Child Under Eight with Force Likely to Produce...
Yolo County District Attorney Reports on the Success of Prop. 36 One Year In
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – December 17, 2025 –Proposition 36 passed with 60 percent of the vote in Yolo County, taking effect on December 18, 2024. One year in, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office has reported positive results. During this first year, 130...
Yolo County District Attorney’s Office Awarded Grant From the Office of Traffic Safety for Specialized DUI Prosecution Team
Press Release Woodland, CA – December 3, 2025 - The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office will continue to have a specialized prosecution team that handles alcohol and drug-impaired driving cases through a $234,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety...
OPERATION VIGILANCE: FINDS 95% OF YOLO COUNTY’S REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS IN COMPLIANCE
Press Release Woodland, CA – November 21, 2025 – On November 18th and 19th, 2025, Yolo County law enforcement conducted compliance checks and address verifications on over 300 registered sex offenders. “Operation Vigilance” is a program that started 16 years ago with...
TRANSIENT CHARGED WITH FELONY DUI CAUSING INJURY TO MULTIPLE VICTIMS WITH PRIOR DUI AND PRIOR STRIKE FOR MURDER
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – November 21, 2025 – On November 19, 2025, Edward William Pharr Jr., transient in both Davis and Woodland, was arraigned in the Yolo County Superior Court on a felony complaint alleging a felony violation of driving under the influence...
Felony Charges Filed Against Sacramento Resident after Incident at Turning Point USA Event on UC Davis Campus
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – November 13, 2025 The Yolo County District Attorney has filed charges against 22-year-old Sacramento resident, Joanna Sodke, after an incident that occurred on April 3, 2025, during Turning Point USA event being held on the UC Davis...
JUDGE DISMISSES GRAND JURY INDICTMENT AGAINST UC DAVIS EGGHEAD VANDALS OVER DISTRICT ATTORNEY OBJECTION
Press Release |Press Release Announcing Charges 5-29-24 (Woodland, CA) – October 20, 2025 – On October 14, 2025, the Honorable Sonia Cortés of the Yolo County Superior Court dismissed a grand jury indictment against defendants Nathan Orr, (32), Lysandra Dasilva (32),...
Juvenile Sex Offender Sentenced to 18 Months Ankle Monitoring
Deeply Flawed Laws Prioritizes Offenders Over Victims Press Release (Woodland, CA) – October 14, 2025 – On October 8, 2025, Judge Tom Dyer sentenced Luis R., age 19, to eighteen months of GPS monitoring and wardship probation after finding Luis R. had committed...
PROP 36 CHARGES FOR DRUGS AND THEFT IN YOLO COUNTY FROM THE FIRST 9 MONTHS CHALLENGES REMAIN IN IMPLEMENTING NEW LAW
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – October 13, 2025 – Since Proposition 36 took effect on December 18, 2024, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office has filed 97 complaints alleging the newly enacted violation of Health and Safety Code section 11395, for possession of...
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
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 23: Citizens Academy Podcast
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 22: Breast Cancer Awareness – Virginia’s Story
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 21: Domestic Violence Awareness Month – 2017
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 20: From Victim to Survivor – A Story of Hope
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 19: An Interview with Lt. Dave Marshall
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 18: Yolo County Cannabis Task Force
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 17: Empower Yolo
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 16: Campus Detection Dogs
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 15: Safety at Picnic Day
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 14: Motorist & Bicyclist Collision Prevention
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 13: Human Trafficking Awareness
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 12: Campus Sexual Assault
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 11: Operation Vigilance
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 10: Domestic Violence Awareness Month
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 9: School Attendance Matters
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 8: Yolo Day Reporting Center & Restorative Justice
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 7: LGBTQIA Pride Month & Hate Crimes
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 6: Elder Financial Abuse
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 5: Victim Tribute
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 4: Child Abduction Unit
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 3: NHC Homeless Restorative Justice Program
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 2: Human Trafficking
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The Chronicles of Justice Episode 1: Sonias Story with DUI Prevention & Awareness
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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.