Latest news with #KernCountyDA
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
DA: Convicted robber sentenced to 100 years to life under Three Strikes
A man convicted of multiple crimes for robbery incidents at a Rite Aid in July 2024 was sentenced to 100 years to life in prison Thursday, the Kern County District Attorney's Office reported Friday. Kern County Superior Court Judge David Zulfa sentenced defendant Jonathan Goodrich to 100 years to life in prison after Goodrich on April 29 was found guilty of three counts of robbery, two counts of using tear gas as a weapon, one count of attempted robbery and one count of petty theft for incidents at the store on 34th Street in Bakersfield. Goodrich has two prior "strike" convictions, a 2008 assault with a deadly weapon and a 2018 robbery, both classified as 'serious felonies," the DA's office said in a news release. That made his recent conviction a "Three Strikes" case. Goodrich was sentenced to four consecutive 25 years to life terms, resulting in a total prison sentence of 100 years to life, the DA's office said. 'The Three Strikes Law is designed to hold habitual offenders accountable by imposing harsher penalties that prioritize public safety and enforce legal consequences," District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer said in the news release. "With this latest conviction, Goodrich's criminal behavior in our community has come to an end.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Kern County continues to lead in Prop 36 cases
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The District Attorney's office has announced yet another conviction under Proposition 36. The law imposes stricter sentences for repeat theft offenders.46-year-old Juvenito Espinoza walked into a Target, near Mall View Road and came out with $281.30 worth of merchandise he didn't pay for. Espinoza took batteries and shavers. At the same time he was stealing, highway patrol officers were outside the Target to apprehend thieves. This is part of a task force with the DOJ and CHP to prevent and apprehend retail theft crime suspects. Espinoza was quickly arrested. He's had 10 prior convictions for petty theft on his record, in fact he has a criminal record going all the way back to 1999. While Espinoza was convicted of the petty theft crimes, he was sentenced to probation in all of them, and did not go to prison. 26-year-old inmate arrested after attempting to escape from loading bus: KCSO In 2023, he had strike for an assault with a deadly weapon. With Prop 36, he was sentenced to 2 years and 8 months in prison. He was also ordered to pay back all the victims the amount stolen in his prior crimes. The DA says, if it hadn't been for Prop 36, he would have faced only a misdemeanor charge. In this past November general election, 77% of Kern County voters approved Prop 36, the highest approval rate in the state. The DA has taken the brunt of the fight. Since Dec. 18, under Prop 36, the DA had filed 489 drug related offenses and 254 theft related offenses. In total, that's 743 cases. We asked District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer for an interview, but she declined to comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- The Independent
Rapper Tory Lanez's alleged prison attacker is man with previous conviction for assault on inmate
Authorities said Tuesday that a man who attacked rapper Tory Lanez in a California prison is an inmate serving a life sentence for second-degree murder who was previously convicted for an in-prison assault with a deadly weapon. Lanez was in fair condition a day after the attack in a housing unit at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, where he's serving a 10-year sentence for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet, Pedro Calderon Michel, spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said in an email. Authorities did not specify how Lanez was attacked, but a message posted on the rapper's Instagram account Monday evening said Lanez was stabbed 14 times and both his lungs collapsed. Prison officials identified the alleged attacker as Santino Casio, 42. He has been put in restricted housing pending an investigation by the prison and the Kern County District Attorney's Office. Casio has been in the facility since 2004, after he was sentenced to life, with parole possible, for convictions of second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. In 2008, he was sentenced to six more years for assault by a prisoner with a deadly weapon, and in 2018 he was sentenced to two more years for possession and manufacture of a deadly weapon by a prisoner.
Associated Press
14-05-2025
- Associated Press
Rapper Tory Lanez's alleged prison attacker is man with previous conviction for assault on inmate
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities said Tuesday that a man who attacked rapper Tory Lanez in a California prison is an inmate serving a life sentence for second-degree murder who was previously convicted for an in-prison assault with a deadly weapon. Lanez was in fair condition a day after the attack in a housing unit at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, where he's serving a 10-year sentence for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet, Pedro Calderon Michel, spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said in an email. Authorities did not specify how Lanez was attacked, but a message posted on the rapper's Instagram account Monday evening said Lanez was stabbed 14 times and both his lungs collapsed. Prison officials identified the alleged attacker as Santino Casio, 42. He has been put in restricted housing pending an investigation by the prison and the Kern County District Attorney's Office. Casio has been in the facility since 2004, after he was sentenced to life, with parole possible, for convictions of second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. In 2008, he was sentenced to six more years for assault by a prisoner with a deadly weapon, and in 2018 he was sentenced to two more years for possession and manufacture of a deadly weapon by a prisoner.
Fox News
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Rapper Tory Lanez stabbed 14 times in prison attack while serving for Megan Thee Stallion shooting
Print Close Published May 13, 2025 Rapper Tory Lanez was hospitalized after an attack Monday at a California prison where he's serving a 10-year sentence for shooting hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion in the feet, authorities said. Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, was attacked at a housing unit at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, at about 7:20 a.m., Pedro Calderon Michel, spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said in an email. Michel did not specify how Lanez was attacked, but a message posted on the rapper's Instagram account Monday evening said Lanez was stabbed 14 times and both his lungs collapsed. The post said Lanez is breathing on his own. MEGAN THEE STALLION SHOOTER TORY LANEZ SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON "Despite being in pain, he is talking normally, in good spirits, and deeply thankful to God that he is pulling through," the post said, adding Lanez was stabbed in his back, torso, head and face. Staff immediately gave Lanez medical aid and called 911, and he was taken to an outside hospital, Michel said. The prison's investigative unit and the Kern County District Attorney's Office are investigating, he said. The prison is about 100 miles north of Los Angeles in the mountains of the Mojave Desert and houses about 1,700 medium- and maximum-security inmates. In December 2022, Lanez was convicted of three felonies: assault with a semiautomatic firearm; having a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete, testified during the trial that in July 2020, after they left a party at Kylie Jenner's Hollywood Hills home, Lanez fired the gun at the back of her feet and shouted for her to dance as she walked away from an SUV in which they had been riding. KIM KARDASHIAN PARIS ROBBERY TRIAL BRINGS STAR FACE TO FACE WITH ALLEGED GUNMEN IN MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR HEIST She had bullet fragments in both feet that had to be surgically removed. It wasn't until months after the incident that she publicly identified Lanez as the person who had fired the gun. A judge rejected a motion for a new trial from Lanez's lawyers, who are appealing his conviction. They did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Megan recently alleged that Lanez was harassing her from prison through surrogates, and in January a judge issued a protective order through 2030 ordering him to stop any such harassment or any other contact. The 32-year-old Canadian Lanez began releasing mixtapes in 2009 and saw a steady rise in popularity, moving on to major label albums, two of which reached the top 10 on Billboard's charts. The case created a firestorm in the hip-hop community, churning up issues including the reluctance of Black victims to speak to police, gender politics in hip-hop, online toxicity, and the ramifications of misogynoir, a particular brand of misogyny Black women experience. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The often dramatic trial was packed with friends and family members of Lanez who felt he was a victim of both the justice system and the powerful people around Megan, who is managed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation. When the verdict was announced, Lanez's father, Sonstar Peterson, jumped up and angrily denounced prosecutors and the system before he was dragged from the chaotic courtroom where many in the audience were shouting similar things. He later apologized to the judge. Megan Thee Stallion, 30, was already a major rising star at the time of the shooting, and her music's popularity has soared since. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had No. 1 singles with "Savage," featuring Beyoncé, and as a guest on Cardi B's "WAP." Print Close URL
