Latest news with #Ghianuly
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
DA secures Kern's first Prop. 36 conviction
Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer announced Friday her office has secured its first jury-trial felony convictions under Proposition 36, the new state law that increases penalties for people found guilty of crimes that otherwise would have been misdemeanors. Dennis Ghianuly, 36, was convicted Thursday of possession of a hard drug with two or more priors and petty theft with two or more priors. Both crimes became felonies after state voters passed Proposition 36 in November. The DA's Office said in a news release Ghianuly walked out of the Oswell Street PetSmart store without paying for the 44-pound bag of dog food he was carrying. Bakersfield Police Department officers who arrested him found multiple knives and more than 3 grams of fentanyl in his pocket. The release said Ghianuly asked repeatedly about receiving a "cite-and-release." Instead, he was taken to Kern County Jail, but not before allegedly faking a drug overdose on the way there, requiring a diversion to a hospital. Ghianuly had previously been convicted of a felony "strike" offense for attempted robbery in 2020 and other drug and theft crimes. If not for Proposition 36, his conviction of the more recent charges would have resulted in a sentence of no more than a year. But because of his criminal history, he faces up to seven years and four months in prison at his sentencing June 27 by Kern County Superior Court Judge Kenneth C. Twisselman II.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
PetSmart thief found guilty in first prop 36 trial conviction in Kern County
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man was found guilty by jury after a Proposition 36 trial in Kern County on Friday. The proposition passed in November's election increased penalties for retail theft and possession. Dennis Ghianuly was found guilty by a jury. He's convicted of possession of narcotics with priors and petty theft with priors. On Jan. 8, Bakersfield police were called to a PetSmart on Oswell Street. A manager told officers Dennis Ghianuly walked out with a 44-pound bag of dog food without paying. When officers searched him, they found three grams of fentanyl in his pockets. Before Proposition 36, he would have been charged with a misdemeanor and released, facing up to only one year in prison. Now with the proposition — and because of his history with drug offenses and robbery, he faces up to seven years and four months in prison. He has drug convictions in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2020, and in one of them he was charged with attempted robbery. Honor Flight 51 returns to Kern County California voters passed Proposition 36 in November with a resounding 68% voting yes on the proposition. The big changes include a third possession or retail theft charge, no matter the value of the stolen goods, and a thief could be charged with a felony. That's what happened in Ghianuly's case. We reached out to District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer for an interview about the verdict, but she declined to be interviewed. Ghianuly's sentencing is scheduled for June 27. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
Kern County DA announces 1st Prop 36 conviction by jury trial
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Previously, Dennis Ghianuly would have been cited and released after stealing a bag of dog food and being found with fentanyl in his pocket. At most he would have faced a year in jail. But his arrest took place in January, after the passage of Proposition 36, which enhanced penalties for some shoplifting and drug offenses. And Ghianuly is a repeat offender. Now he faces more than seven years in prison. Ghianuly, 33, this week became the first person in Kern County convicted by jury trial on new felony charges — possession of a hard drug with two or more priors and petty theft with two or more priors — resulting from the passage of Prop 36, prosecutors said. He's scheduled to be sentenced June 27. 'Californians made clear by overwhelming margins that the lack of accountability for drug crimes and theft offenses has been fueling a homelessness, addiction and retail theft crisis,' District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said in a release. 'The passage of Proposition 36 is intended to bring balance back to the criminal justice system by providing systems of treatment and appropriate accountability for repeat offenders.' On Jan. 8, police contacted Ghianuly in the parking lot of the PetSmart on Oswell Street after a manager reported he stole a 44-pound bag of dog food. Surveillance footage captured the theft. A search of Ghianuly turned up a few knives and lighters — and more than 3 grams of fentanyl, prosecutors said. Ghianuly repeatedly asked if he could be given a citation and released with a promise to appear in court. That's what would have happened before the change in the law. Instead, he was arrested and booked into jail after police learned he had multiple prior convictions for drug- and theft-related crimes. He faked a drug overdose while being taken to jail, saying he'd swallowed a bag containing methamphetamine — but an evaluation at a hospital determined that was a lie, prosecutors said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
