Yolo DA drops life sentence bid for cheese thiefFebruary 12, 2010
Yolo County prosecutors are dropping their bid for a life sentence for a man who put cheese down his pants at a Woodland market. A recent psychological evaluation convinced prosecutors that Robert Preston Ferguson's most recent convictions for petty theft did not warrant a life sentence under California's "three-strikes" law, said Jonathan Raven, assistant chief deputy district attorney. Jurors convicted Ferguson of two counts of petty theft Jan. 6. In one incident in December 2008, Ferguson snatched a woman's wallet from the counter of a 7-Eleven store in Woodland. Ten days later, he stuffed a package of shredded cheese, worth $3.99, down his trousers and walked out of Woodland's Nugget Market. He was apprehended in the parking lot. Because of Ferguson's 35-year criminal history, including six convictions for first-degree burglary, prosecutors charged the theft counts as felonies and initially sought a life sentence. After more than 22 years in prison, Ferguson had not learned to...
Yolo DA drops life sentence bid for cheese thiefFebruary 12, 2010
Yolo County prosecutors are dropping their bid for a life sentence for a man who put cheese down his pants at a Woodland market. A recent psychological evaluation convinced prosecutors that Robert Preston Ferguson's most recent convictions for petty theft did not warrant a life sentence under California's "three-strikes" law, said Jonathan Raven, assistant chief deputy district attorney. Jurors convicted Ferguson of two counts of petty theft Jan. 6. In one incident in December 2008, Ferguson snatched a woman's wallet from the counter of a 7-Eleven store in Woodland. Ten days later, he stuffed a package of shredded cheese, worth $3.99, down his trousers and walked out of Woodland's Nugget Market. He was apprehended in the parking lot. Because of Ferguson's 35-year criminal history, including six convictions for first-degree burglary, prosecutors charged the theft counts as felonies and initially sought a life sentence. After more than 22 years in prison, Ferguson had not learned to...
Yolo DA drops life sentence bid for cheese thiefFebruary 12, 2010
Yolo County prosecutors are dropping their bid for a life sentence for a man who put cheese down his pants at a Woodland market. A recent psychological evaluation convinced prosecutors that Robert Preston Ferguson's most recent convictions for petty theft did not warrant a life sentence under California's "three-strikes" law, said Jonathan Raven, assistant chief deputy district attorney. Jurors convicted Ferguson of two counts of petty theft Jan. 6. In one incident in December 2008, Ferguson snatched a woman's wallet from the counter of a 7-Eleven store in Woodland. Ten days later, he stuffed a package of shredded cheese, worth $3.99, down his trousers and walked out of Woodland's Nugget Market. He was apprehended in the parking lot. Because of Ferguson's 35-year criminal history, including six convictions for first-degree burglary, prosecutors charged the theft counts as felonies and initially sought a life sentence. After more than 22 years in prison, Ferguson had not learned to...
Sacto 9-1-1: Yolo DA won't seek life term for man who stole $3.99 worth of cheeseFebruary 11, 2010
Yolo County prosecutors are dropping their bid for a life sentence for a man who put cheese down his pants at a Woodland market. A new psychological evaluation convinced prosecutors that Robert Preston Ferguson's most recent convictions for petty theft did not warrant a life sentence under the state's three-strikes law, said Jonathan Raven, Yolo County's assistant chief deputy district attorney. Raven said the district attorney's office had recently received a psychological report, requested by the public defender's office, that "shed some light on Ferguson." "The district attorney's office is no longer looking at this as a life case," Raven said. Jurors convicted Ferguson of two counts of petty theft on Jan. 6. In one incident in December 2008, Ferguson snatched a woman's wallet from the counter of a 7-11 store in Woodland while the woman's son was vomiting on the floor. Ten days later he put a package of shredded cheese, worth $3.99, down his trousers and walked out of Woodland's...
Sacto 9-1-1: Yolo DA won't seek life term for man who stole $3.99 worth of cheeseFebruary 11, 2010
Yolo County prosecutors are dropping their bid for a life sentence for a man who put cheese down his pants at a Woodland market. A new psychological evaluation convinced prosecutors that Robert Preston Ferguson's most recent convictions for petty theft did not warrant a life sentence under the state's three-strikes law, said Jonathan Raven, Yolo County's assistant chief deputy district attorney. Raven said the district attorney's office had recently received a psychological report, requested by the public defender's office, that "shed some light on Ferguson." "The district attorney's office is no longer looking at this as a life case," Raven said. Jurors convicted Ferguson of two counts of petty theft on Jan. 6. In one incident in December 2008, Ferguson snatched a woman's wallet from the counter of a 7-11 store in Woodland while the woman's son was vomiting on the floor. Ten days later he put a package of shredded cheese, worth $3.99, down his trousers and walked out of Woodland's...
Sacto 9-1-1: Yolo DA won't seek life term for man who stole $3.99 worth of cheeseFebruary 11, 2010
Yolo County prosecutors are dropping their bid for a life sentence for a man who put cheese down his pants at a Woodland market. A new psychological evaluation convinced prosecutors that Robert Preston Ferguson's most recent convictions for petty theft did not warrant a life sentence under the state's three-strikes law, said Jonathan Raven, Yolo County's assistant chief deputy district attorney. Raven said the district attorney's office had recently received a psychological report, requested by the public defender's office, that "shed some light on Ferguson." "The district attorney's office is no longer looking at this as a life case," Raven said. Jurors convicted Ferguson of two counts of petty theft on Jan. 6. In one incident in December 2008, Ferguson snatched a woman's wallet from the counter of a 7-11 store in Woodland while the woman's son was vomiting on the floor. Ten days later he put a package of shredded cheese, worth $3.99, down his trousers and walked out of Woodland's...
DA won't charge teaching assistant in UCD 'bomb' caseJanuary 22, 2010
The Yolo County District Attorney's Office has decided not to file charges against the UC Davis teaching assistant who told his drama students that he had a bomb when presenting end-of-course evaluations for them to fill out. "We don't feel that we are able to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt at trial," said Jonathan Raven, assistant chief deputy district attorney. "We just don't have the evidence." James Marchbanks, 35, was arrested in early December by UC Davis police after three students complained he had made threatening statements in the drama class he teaches when he pulled out an envelope of forms and said, "I have a bomb." Thirteen other students in the class wrote a letter to university administrators saying that Marchbanks was clearly using a figure of speech to present the documents that might "bomb" his teaching career. Marchbanks spent four days in the Yolo County jail, held on $150,000 bail, on suspicion of threatening with the intent to terrorize and making a...
State says Yolo deputies justified in shooting man to deathNovember 25, 2009
The state attorney general's office has concluded that Yolo County sheriff's deputies were justified when they shot and killed a man who pulled a knife on them earlier this year. Yolo County prosecutors had reached the same conclusion in a report they made public Tuesday stating that no criminal charges would be filed against the three deputies. "After a complete review of all available information, we have concluded that your decision was not unreasonable and thus did not constitute an abuse of discretion," states the Nov. 16 letter from Deputy Attorney General Maggy Krell to Yolo County Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven. Yolo County prosecutors released the letter Tuesday along with the 37-page report they prepared into the April 30 shooting death of Luis Gutierrez Navarro in Woodland. The 26-year-old Gutierrez was shot after he ran from plainclothes deputies who tried to stop him on the street and then swung a knife at one of them, according to the pursuing...
State says Yolo deputies justified in shooting man to deathNovember 24, 2009
The state attorney general's office has concluded that Yolo County sheriff's deputies were justified when they shot and killed a man who pulled a knife on them earlier this year. Yolo County prosecutors had reached the same conclusion in a report they made public Tuesday stating that no criminal charges would be filed against the three deputies. "After a complete review of all available information, we have concluded that your decision was not unreasonable and thus did not constitute an abuse of discretion," states the Nov. 16 letter from Deputy Attorney General Maggy Krell to Yolo County Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Raven. Yolo County prosecutors released the letter Tuesday along with the 37-page report they prepared into the April 30 shooting death of Luis Gutierrez Navarro in Woodland. The 26-year-old Gutierrez was shot after he ran from plainclothes deputies who tried to stop him on the street and then swung a knife at one of them, according to the pursuing...
West Sacramento woman faces nine years in prison in fatal Halloween hit-and-run incidentAugust 20, 2009
A West Sacramento woman pleaded guilty today to vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving after running into two teenage girls last Halloween with her truck, leaving one dead and the other badly injured, according to Yolo County prosecutors. Jennifer Michelle Moran, 35, entered her plea after prosecutors agreed to a 9-year prison sentence, said Jonathan Raven, assistant chief deputy district attorney. Moran has remained free on bail since she turned herself in to police the morning after her pickup truck allegedly plowed into Jessica Fraire, 17, and friend Rosa Zaragoza, 19. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 25, at which time Fraire's relatives and Zaragoza are expected to make statements, Raven said. Police said Moran admitted she had been drinking. The young women were struck about 9:40 p.m. as they walked home along Sacramento Avenue in West Sacramento. Fraire died of massive head trauma four days later in UC Davis Medical Center. Zaragoza suffered a broken pelvis and head...
West Sacramento woman faces nine years in prison in fatal Halloween hit-and-run incidentAugust 20, 2009
A West Sacramento woman pleaded guilty today to vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving after running into two teenage girls last Halloween with her truck, leaving one dead and the other badly injured, according to Yolo County prosecutors. Jennifer Michelle Moran, 35, entered her plea after prosecutors agreed to a 9-year prison sentence, said Jonathan Raven, assistant chief deputy district attorney. Moran has remained free on bail since she turned herself in to police the morning after her pickup truck allegedly plowed into Jessica Fraire, 17, and friend Rosa Zaragoza, 19. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 25, at which time Fraire's relatives and Zaragoza are expected to make statements, Raven said. Police said Moran admitted she had been drinking. The young women were struck about 9:40 p.m. as they walked home along Sacramento Avenue in West Sacramento. Fraire died of massive head trauma four days later in UC Davis Medical Center. Zaragoza suffered a broken pelvis and head...