Media
Press Releases
Yolo DA Announces 12th Annual Senior Resource & Crime Prevention Fair
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – September 26, 2019 – The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office is hosting the 12th Annual Yolo County Senior Resource & Crime Prevention Fair on Wednesday, October 16, 2019, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at University Covenant Church...
Davis Killer Granted Parole
Timothy Wilson killed John O’Friel thinking he was gay Press Release (Woodland, CA) –September 20, 2019 – On September 19, 2019, a Board of Parole Hearings panel granted parole to convicted murderer Timothy Wilson. At the hearing, which took place at California State...
District Attorney and Chief of Police Partner with Glide to Increase Empathy in Addressing Homelessness Issues
Members of Law Enforcement spent two days at the Glide Church in the SF Tenderloin District Press Release (Woodland, CA) – September 16, 2019 – During the dates of September 10-12, 2019, police officers, prosecutors, an investigator, a victim advocate, and other...
Woodland Man Sentenced to Life Without Parole
Rohail Sarwar was Convicted of Murder with Special Circumstances and Sexual Assault Press Release (Woodland, CA) – September 13, 2019 - On September 12, 2019, the Honorable Judge Paul Richardson sentenced 28-year-old Woodland man, Rohail Sarwar, to life without the...
DA’s Multi-Cultural Community Council Honors Citizens
Press Release Woodland, CA - September 12, 2019 District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced that the Yolo County District Attorney’s Multi-Cultural Community Council (MCCC) honored a dozen Yolo County citizens in five different categories at the 6th annual MCCC Justice...
DA Erases Over 700 Marijuana Convictions
Code for America, a nonprofit that develops technology to improve government service delivery, has developed a free Community Resource Guide that provides resources and information to help spread the word about AB 1793, a new California law that requires the...
Collaborative Program – Steps to Success – Holds Graduation Ceremony
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – September 5, 2019 -- Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced that four Yolo County residents graduated from the Steps to Success (S2S) diversion program on August 28, 2019. The well-attended ceremony, honoring Jose Maldanado,...
Knights Landing Man Convicted of Attempted Murderer is Denied Parole
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – August 23, 2019- On August 22, 2019, a two-commissioner panel of the Board of Parole Hearings denied parole to convicted 60-year-old Javiad Akhtar who was convicted of attempted murder by a jury in 2002. In 2001, Akhtar went to the home...
Yolo County Criminal Justice Grant Writing Team Obtains $2.73 Million in Three New Grants to Expand Diversion Programming
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – August 12, 2019 – Yolo County recently received three new grants, totaling $2.73 million, focusing on expanding opportunities for diversion within the criminal justice system. These three grants will support the use of restorative...
Yolo DA and 42 Elected Prosecutors Ask DOJ to Respect Prosecutorial Discretion that Affect Immigration Determinations
Press Release (Woodland, CA) – August 9, 2019 – District Attorney Jeff Reisig, along with 42 other elected District Attorneys and Attorneys General from across the country, filed an amicus curiae brief on August 2, 2019, in federal court urging the United States...
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.