Passalacqua gives final annual report

The Sonoma County District Attorney’s office last week released
its Report to the People, a progress report of sorts that DA
Stephan Passalacqua said gives the general public a comprehensive
look at the agency’s accomplishments and projects over the past
year.
The 32-page report highlights high profile convictions in 2009,
shows increases in settlements for victims and details partnerships
between the DA and community groups and organizations. The public
can access the full report online at www.sonoma-county.org/da.
“It’s to point out, to the public, the type of crime we deal
with and it’s reporting to the public all the kinds of projects
we’re involved with inside and outside the court room,” said
Passalacqua. “It’s important for the people to know the inner
workings of the DA’s office and what happens in the criminal
justice system.”
The convictions included in the report range from murder to
elder fraud.
Among those included was the 1st degree murder conviction of
Sean Mooney, who in 2008 told police that two men had invaded his
father’s home and killed him. Forensic experts later determined it
was Mooney who had killed his father with a stolen 12-gauge shotgun
at close range.
In another case, Honorio Pantaleon was convicted of the torture
and murder of Patricia Barrales, who was stabbed 68 times in front
of her children on mother’s day in 2008. And in another, Bradley
Blackwell was convicted of 1st degree murder for shooting and
killing Uriel Arango-Carreno in a failed robbery attempt in
2007.
Along with the murders, the report tells of recent convictions
of elder fraud and abuse in Sonoma County, including convictions of
one man who stole $1.8 million from his victim, and another who
raped an elderly woman.
While the report details some of the county’s most infamous
crimes over the past year, it also documents the District
Attorney’s efforts to serve victims through the Sonoma County
Victim Assistance Center. Among these accomplishments are $1.1
million pay out in victim compensation in the 2008-2009 fiscal
year, an increase of 81 percent from the previous year.
The Center served 1,965 new victims in that same fiscal year, a
28 percent increase from the year prior. The District Attorney
Restitution Specialist increased restitution by 92 percent from the
previous year, some $5.6 million in court ordered monies to restore
economic losses by crime victims.
The report also lists partnerships between the DA and dozens of
organizations including the YWCA of Sonoma County, United Against
Sexual Assault, the Council on Aging, Catholic Charities, numerous
county agencies and hospitals.
“This is a good snapshot of what we’re doing going after career
criminals, what we’re doing to prevent crime and what we’re doing
to help victims,” said Passalacqua.
The report is dedicated to the memory of former DA Gene Tunney,
who passed away last year. Tunney held office for 20 years before
retiring in 1995.
The 2009 Report To The People will be Passalacqua’s last in
office, with Jill Ravitch taking office on Jan. 1.
He said Friday it was premature to discuss his plans after he
leaves office, but did say he’s exploring his options.