Media
Press Releases
YOLO COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY COMFORT DOG ALOHA INDUCTED INTO CALIFORNIA ANIMAL HALL OF FAME
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – July 19, 2024 – Courtroom comfort dog Aloha was inducted into the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Animal Hall of Fame last week during an awards ceremony at the Pacific Veterinary Conference in San Francisco. Aloha has...
Parole Denied for Winters Man Convicted of Murder in “No Body Homicide”
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – July 18, 2024 – Last week, a two-commission panel of the Board of Parole Hearings denied the parole of 54-year-old, Felipe Cruz Hernandez. Cruz Hernandez is serving a 15 year to life prison. This was the first hearing requesting parole....
Yolo County DA and Early Outreach Academic Program Sponsor “DA for a Day” Event
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – June 26, 2024 – Last week the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, in collaboration with the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) held their “District Attorney for a Day” event for local high school students. The EAOP is a nonprofit...
Participants Graduate Mental Health Diversion Court
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – June 14, 2024 – On Wednesday, June 12th, the Mental Health Diversion Court celebrated the graduation of several participants including Christopher Duzenski , Zachary Tuscher. This brings the total to 23 graduates since the beginning of...
FAIRFIELD MAN, A THREE STRIKE OFFENDER, SENTENCED TO LIFE AFTER COMMITING SEXUAL ASSAULT
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – May 31, 2024 – Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced that on May 30, 2024, Fairfield resident, Azel Maynard, was sentenced for a sexual assault that occurred in West Sacramento in 2021. The Honorable Samuel T. McAdam...
West Sacramento Attorney Sentenced After Convictions of Sexual Battery of Two Minors
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – May 29, 2024 – On May 29, 2024, 59-year-old attorney Matthew Bert Smith was sentenced following his April 15, 2024, conviction by a Yolo County jury of two counts of sexual battery and one count of battery. The offenses occurred at the...
Felony Charges Filed After Vandalism Incident on UC Davis Campus
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – May 29, 2024 – On May 24, 2024, Lysandra Dasilva, 31, of Davis, Nathan Orr, 30, of Davis, and Cheyenne Xiong, 20, of Hayfork, were arrested on suspicion of vandalism, after an act of vandalism occurred on UC Davis campus. The Yolo County...
Yolo County District Attorney Restorative Justice Partnership Seeks Volunteers
Multiple Training Sessions Offered Press Release (Woodland, CA) – May 17, 2024 – The Yolo County District Attorney’s Restorative Justice Partnership (RJP) Program is seeking community volunteers to participate in a Spring Community Panelist Training course with...
Four Participants Graduate Mental Health Diversion Court
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – May 15, 2024 – Today the Mental Health Diversion Court celebrated the graduation of four participants including Daniel Pedro, Carlos Bonilla, Jordon Carson, and one who asked to remain anonymous. Mental Health Diversion Court is one of...
National Police Week Starts May 12th
A ceremony to honor officers killed in the line of duty and a memorial walk to remember are scheduled for May 16th Press Release (Woodland, CA) – May 10, 2024 - The week beginning May 12th is National Police Week, which honors officers who have been killed in the line...
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.