Latest news with #SonomaCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Bodies of Rancho Tehama father, son still no recovered
It has been six months since a Rancho Tehama family lost their father and two sons in a Bodega Bay boating accident. According to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, two of the bodies have yet to be recovered. Johnny Phommathep and his two sons, 17-year-old Johnny Jr. and Jake, 14, drowned when the boat they were crabbing on capsized in rough weather on Nov. 2, 2024. Johnny Jr.'s body was recovered on Nov. 3. It has been reported Johnny Jr. helped save his 11-year-old cousin, Juladi, who was also onboard the 21-foot Bayliner. It appears Johnny Jr. helped Juladi, who was wearing a life-vest, grab onto an ice chest. The younger boy was then able to safely make it to shore – Johnny Jr. unfortunately succumbed to the rough seas. Of the six who went out on the boat that tragic day, only Juladi survived. The other two adults on the boat were Johnny Sr.'s cousin, Prasong Khammoungkhoune, and his friend, Matthew Ong. The Bayliner belonged to Khammoungkhoune. The irony of this story is two-fold and began seven years previous to the Nov. 2 Bodega Bay catastrophe. Johnny Jr. and Jake were both victims who survived the November 2017 mass shooting in Rancho Tehama when a gunman opened fire on the truck driven by their mother, Tiffany Phommathep, as she was taking the boys to school. Both boys, 10 and 6 at the time, and Tiffany were struck by bullets and shrapnel. All recovered. Tiffany, who was hit by five rounds, continues to have both physical and emotional scars from the bloody rampage that eventually took the lives of six people, including the gunman, and injured 14. And now, Tiffany and her remaining sons are attempting to make it through the maze of grief, victims once again of untold tragedy. Johnny Jr. was a senior at Corning Union High School and member of the varsity football team, and Jake a freshman. On the Friday following the tragedy, during the varsity football game the team recognized their lost teammate and honored Tiffany and Tristan, the boys' brother, with words of encouragement and caring, hugs and tears, flowers and shared memories. Tiffany Phommathep could not be reached for comment.
San Francisco Chronicle
09-05-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Man arrested after two high-speed chases across Sonoma County
A man was arrested after leading law enforcement on high speed chases through Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park before overturning his Jeep early Wednesday morning, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said. Christian Nelson, 21, was towing a 'poorly attached trailer' with his Jeep when a deputy spotted the vehicle on Commerce Boulevard in Rohnert Park around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, the sheriff's office said. The deputy attempted to stop Nelson over the concerns that the trailer was sparking and swaying, but the trailer detached and hit a curb and Nelson fled the scene, law enforcement said. Nelson drove toward Golf Course Drive, and while on Roberts Lake Road, reached 75 miles per hour in a 40 miles per hour zone, police said. The deputy then saw the driver stop at Santa Rosa Avenue and turn the wrong way on an off-ramp onto northbound Highway 101, prompting the deputy to stop the pursuit, the sheriff's office said. A Santa Rosa police officer then spotted Nelson's Jeep near Santa Rosa and Bellevue avenues minutes later, prompting a second high-speed chase with law enforcement through Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park, the sheriff's office said. Nelson was driving between 60 and 100 miles per hour, officers said, and violated multiple traffic laws, driving recklessly. When Nelson swerved at an oncoming police car, a deputy had to serve to 'narrowly' avoid a head-on collision, authorities said. Nelson's car then hit a curb and flipped over, the sheriff's office said. Nelson left the Jeep and continued to flee on foot, with deputies and a K-9 chasing and catching him, the sheriff's office said. Nelson was taken to a local hospital for treatment before being booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, evading, trailer theft, possession of stolen property and displaying a false license plate during a felony, law enforcement said. The trailer — which prompted the initial attempt to stop Nelson — was later found to have been stolen, though the theft had not been reported, police said. Nelson's bail is set at $340,000, and he remains in custody, the sheriff's office said.
Miami Herald
27-04-2025
- Miami Herald
Body of missing 74-year-old found in truck after crash into river, CA cops say
A pickup truck found in the Russian River in Northern California contained the body of a missing 74-year-old man, authorities reported. Clifford Frances Souza was last seen leaving his Gualala home to drive about 120 miles to Martinez on Wednesday, April 23, but never arrived, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Souza, who was driving a gray 2021 Ford Ranger, was reported missing Thursday, April 24, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said. Deputies tracked his cell phone activity to Sonoma County, and the itinerary for his pickup truck also showed it somewhere in the county, SFGate reported. On Saturday, April 26, California Highway Patrol officers responded to reports of a vehicle submerged in the Russian River off Highway 1 near Highway 116, officers said. Officers found Souza's body inside the pickup truck, the CHP said. The vehicle apparently veered off the highway into the river. An investigation into the crash, including when it took place, continues. Investigators ask anyone with information to call 707-806-5600. The Russian River is about a 135-mile drive northwest of Sacramento.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
$50K reward offered for info on 1997 murder of 12-year-old Petaluma girl
PETALUMA, Calif. - Gov. Gavin Newsom is offering a reward of $50,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction for the murder of Georgia Moses, a 12-year-old girl found dead in Petaluma in 1997. Georgia's body was found badly decomposed on Aug. 22, 1997, near the Highway 101 southbound on-ramp at Petaluma Boulevard South, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. The body's identity wasn't confirmed until three days later when an anonymous tip linked her to a missing persons report. An autopsy later revealed she died of asphyxia by strangulation or smothering between Aug. 13 and 14, 1997. The backstory Sheriff officials said Georgia was last seen on Aug. 13 around 10 p.m. near Sebastopol Road and Dutton Avenue with a Black man between 25 and 30 years old. The man was around 6 foot 2 to four inches tall and was driving a small white four-door car. No other details were available about the suspect. Officials said despite their appeals to the public, a reward, and new forensic technologies, Georgia's killer remains unidentified. What you can do Anyone with information about Georgia's death or the suspect is asked to contact the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office at (707) 565-2727 or email sheriff-coldcase@ Anonymous reporting is available. The Source Office of the Governor, Sonoma County Sheriff's Office
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
Driver, 15, leads Sonoma County deputies on 100 mph chase on Highway 101
(KRON) — A 15-year-old juvenile, who is not yet old enough to earn a driver's license, led Sonoma County Sheriff's Office deputies on a 100-miles-per-hour chase in a stolen pickup truck late Thursday night. Deputies chased the young driver for 16 miles without knowing that a minor was behind the wheel, SCSO said. During the chase, one deputy's patrol car crashed into another motorist. The chase began at 10:43 p.m. when a deputy spotted a stolen black Chevrolet Silverado traveling on Highway 101 near Baker Avenue. 'A high-speed pursuit ensued, with the Silverado reaching speeds between 30 and 100 mph. Deputies did not know the driver's identity. Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety officers and Petaluma Police assisted by deploying spike strips. The strips successfully deflated the truck's tires, forcing it to slow and come to a stop in Petaluma,' Sheriff's Sgt. Juan Valencia wrote. Deputies conducted a high-risk stop and took the teenager to Sonoma County Juvenile Hall. The young driver, who has a criminal record in a previous stolen vehicle case, was booked on suspicion of felony evading, possessing a stolen vehicle, and probation violations. During the chase, a deputy had lights and sirens activated when the patrol car crashed with another vehicle on Highway 116 and Stony Point Road, the sheriff's office said. Young woman killed in East Bay CHP chase identified 'Both the deputy and the other driver were transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. The California Highway Patrol is conducting an independent investigation into the collision,' Valencia wrote. 'Vehicle pursuits are inherently dangerous. We continually evaluate the public's safety in light of our duty to apprehend suspects,' Valencia wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
