interview: Big Leaguer Jonny Gomes remembers SRJC roots

[originally printed in Oak Leaf News Dec. 8, 2013]

Hometown Boy in Big Leagues, Remembers Roots

The word “hero” gets overused so often it hardly means anything. Heroism is not just a one-time action, but a way of life. Few people walk the walk of true heroism more than Santa Rosa Junior College’s most successful baseball player, Jonny Gomes.

Before winning this year’s World Series playing for the Boston Red Sox, Petaluma native Gomes played baseball for Santa Rosa Junior College until getting drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2001. Gomes also played for the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals before returning home to play for the Oakland A’s for the 2012 season. In his very first World Series appearance, his three-run homer won Game Four against the St. Louis Cardinals and helped the Red Sox win the series.

Gomes is known for inspiring the best from his teammates, both on and off the field. He donates money and equipment to various charities, and paid to rebuild Casa Grande’s baseball field house – twice - after arsonists burned it down in 2006. Gomes demonstrates his generosity of spirit by taking time for an interview with SRJC’s Oak Leaf earlier this year, shortly after the Boston Marathon bombing:

Oak Leaf: So, can you tell me a little bit about playing at SRJC and what it was like when you were finally drafted?

Jonny Gomes: Gotcha. I tell you what, I was very grateful to have drawn two coaches, Ron Myers and Damon Niedlinger. To this day, in the Big Leagues, about ten years later, I’m doing the same drills I learned there, and I’m really, really lucky as a player to meet both those guys; true geniuses of coaching the game. And we weren’t that good, at all, to tell you the truth, but those two coaches really got the max out of everyone’s talents, and I think we played a little bit over our skills just because of those coaches.

OL: I understand you have the ‘707’ [area code] put on your gear; that’s actually done in the factory?

JG: That’s right.

OL: Can you talk a little about that?

JG: Well, it’s just a little tribute, if you will, to sticking to my roots and remembering where I’m from, and at the same time there are charities at whatnot back at home, and I’m able to donate that equipment and auction it off.

OL: That brings another question: when Casa Grande’s field house got burned down twice in 2006, did you take that personally?

JG: No. No, I didn’t take it personal by any means; probably just some jackass, you know, just trying to burn it down. I mean, if he had made it more personal, I don’t know, with some personal… something.  But it was probably just some punk looking for something to do.

OL: I understand that you’ve been batting with the names of the Boston Marathon victims on your bat.

JG: Yeah, I just did it for one game, just two at-bats. I had two bats made, and I used it my first at-bat and then used it my second at-bat and then gave them to the team and let them auction it off for The One Fund, and I think they sold yesterday.

OL: I have a couple friends, Drew and Tony, who always get season tickets with the [Oakland] A’s. So last year, when you were playing with the A’s… They both grew up in Santa Rosa, now seeing a local boy in the big leagues. So as a player, how is it having fans from your hometown watching your team?

JG: Well, I think that pretty much comes with the invite with playing in your hometown, or near your hometown. But growing up a die-hard A’s fan, obviously when they won the World Series in ’89 and then lost in ’90, really set off my love for the game of baseball, and it’s just a complete honor to be able to wear that uniform.

OL: Did you have a favorite baseball player growing up?

JG: Ah, I just had a favorite team – and that was the A’s.

OL: Oh, great! Now, when you were at SRJC, did you have any favorite teacher or classes?

JG: No. Baseball.

OL: Well, I don’t really have any other questions – I wasn’t expecting a lot of time with you. Do have anything you’d like to say to the JC students?

JG: No, just that I was very grateful to attend that college, and it holds a lot in my memories, and being able to travel the country now helps me understand it’s one of the nicest campuses around.

OL: Well, I really appreciate your time I’m going to try to see you next time you play in town, and hopefully interview you on camera if you have time.

JG: All right, chief.

OL: Have a great game.

SRJC baseball coach Damon Niedlinger also took the time to answer a few questions about Gomes:

Oak Leaf: What are your impressions of Gomes from his SRJC days?

Coach Niedlinger: Jonny Gomes improved as much as any player from his freshman to sophomore years.  He was a very hard worker that overcame a lot of challenges off the field.

OL: Is Gomes a credit to the SRJC athletics department?

CN: Absolutely, Jonny has been a strong supporter of the SRJC program as well as his hometown of Petaluma.  He is a very generous man with his time and his resources.

OL: What are your impressions of Gomes' professional career?

CN: Great teammate.  Jonny is associated with winning and the importance of having unselfish guys in the clubhouse.  He always stays ready to play and truly wants his teammates to have success.

OL: Can you comment on Gomes' charity work - like helping rebuild Bob Leslie Field at Casa Grande High School?

CN: Jonny is a very generous man that demonstrates that he remembers where he came from.  From helping rebuild Bob Leslie Field to the all the support/awareness he raised for the Petaluma Little Leagues and the support of their families to be able to see there kids play. Jonny is consistently one of the guys that is always at the top of the list when the professional team he is with recognizes charity/community outreach work.

When Jonny was with the Reds & A's he was always terrific to the kids of friends and past coaches.  I was at a game one time and he brought my son down on the field during batting practice to meet Dusty Baker and gave him a bat and some batting gloves.  What makes Jonny special is that it is very genuine and he makes the kids feel special.

The Oak Leaf would like to thank Abby DeCiccio, Red Sox Media Relations Specialist, for setting up this interview, and would also like to thank Jonny Gomes for being such an inspirational sports hero, both on and off the field.

article: Holzworth Trial Starts Next Quarter

[originally printed in Oak Leaf News Dec. 8, 2013]

Holzworth Trial Starts Next Quarter

            The criminal trial proceeded slowly with attorneys on both sides scheduling an evidentiary hearing to test the validity of search warrants served against Jeffrey Holzworth, the former Santa Rosa Junior College District Police officer accused of pilfering over $300,000 from SRJC parking machines since 2005. The 28-year veteran held sole responsibility for collecting money from parking machines at SRJC campuses in Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Windsor, and faces 11 counts of receiving stolen property and one charge of grand theft; his wife Karen faces three counts of receiving stolen property and one count of acting as an accessory.
            On Nov. 21, 2013 Judge Kenneth Gnoss heard arguments from Assistant District Attorney Amy Ariyoshi and defense attorney Joe Passalaqua regarding motions to quash and traverse the affidavits and search warrants served by Santa Rosa Police Department detectives on Nov. 28, 2012 which discovered receipts from SRJC parking machines and ATMs, casino player’s club cards, gambling records and several caches of stashed cash in quarters, $1 bills and $5 bills totaling $13,487.
            Ariyoshi explained the difference between motions to quash and motions to traverse a search warrant outside the courtroom after the hearing. A motion to quash corresponds to the “four corners of the warrant itself,” such as a lack of probable cause or if the judge reviewing the warrant got something wrong. A motion to traverse corresponds to search warrants based on misrepresentation or reckless falsehoods. In a review of either of these motions, quashing is limited to the search warrant itself without bringing in additional evidence, whereas traversing requires bringing in outside information.
            “It’s all a technicality issue,” Ariyoshi said.
            In court, Passalaqua’s motions all focused on “the fruit of the poisoned tree,” a legal doctrine excluding evidence obtained from improper search warrants. If the warrant itself is illegal, the “poisoned tree,” then any evidentiary “poisoned fruit” found is also inadmissible.
            Passalaqua described two incidents, in 2006 and in 2012, where SRJC District Police officer Steve Potter discovered evidence suggesting Holzworth’s misappropriation of the parking meter money he was entrusted to collect. Potter’s observations amounted to a warrantless search by an on-duty officer, Passalaqua said. If Potter’s original affidavit were found improper, any later search warrants based on that affidavit, or based
            In 2006, Potter saw a gym bag in the District Police locker room and unzipped it to verify the bag’s owner. Inside, Potter saw the laptop Holzworth allegedly used to erase the internal memories inside the parking machines, as well as a “large sum of U.S. currency,” and secured the gym bag in the evidence locker. Passalaqua said this constituted a warrantless search by an on-duty officer.
            Ariyoshi countered, saying it was merely an action of one co-worker securing another’s valuable property accidentally left out. “There is no indication any officer had any suspicions or any knowledge of violation of law,” she said. “The reasonable presumption was Holzworth got his bag back and proceeded to act as normal.”
            Passalaqua disagreed and said, “Potter was not acting as a private citizen, because private citizens cannot lock items into evidence.”
            On Oct. 24, 2012 Holzworth, in his personal vehicle, gave Potter a ride to a defense training session at Tauzer Gym, and Potter said he noticed the cup holders were full of quarters, and no other coins. When Holzworth stepped out of the vehicle monetarily, Potter opened the center console and looked inside, where he saw six stacks of $1 and $5 bills. Ariyoshi said this was the action of a private citizen getting a ride from a co-worker, not an active investigation by an on-duty officer, and there was no reasonable expectation of privacy in an unlocked center console.
            Passalaqua disagreed and said, “If I was a guest in Your Honor’s car, you wouldn’t want me to go through your center console – and vice versa. The Fourth Amendment has to stand for something, and if it doesn’t protect from the Fruit of the Poisonous Tree, then why have it at all?”
            Ariyoshi said California law doesn’t support the assertion that a law enforcement officer is on duty at all times, and even while on duty an officer’s actions may be those of a private citizen, not an acting agent of the government. For example, in 2012 when Holzworth gave Potter a ride to their defense training session, they wore civilian clothes and did not have their handguns with them. “There is no indication Potter was acting as law enforcement. He wasn’t investigating a crime,” Ariyoshi said.
            “It’s ludicrous to say he wasn’t on duty,” Passalaqua said. “When you are a salaried officer, part of your job is defense training.” In regard to Holzworth’s unsupervised oversight of collecting money from campus parking machines, “That supports bad policy on the part of the JC – no mechanisms in place,” Passalaqua said.
            Outside the courtroom after the hearing, Ariyoshi said law enforcement officers do not have extra Fourth Amendment rights. “It’s outrageous to take advantage of the fact a police officer is surrounded by other police officers, to use that as a technicality,” Ariyoshi said. “Can an officer shoot somebody in the head, as long as it was only observed by another officer? It’s an absurd technicality to base a case on.”
In the worst case, Ariyoshi said, if the judge dismissed the entire case by tossing out Potter’s affidavit, the District Attorney’s office would “strenuously disagree” and file an appeal, but expressed doubt the entire search warrant would be thrown out. “Everything else is a plain sight observation,” Ariyoshi said. “Just suppressing two observations, from 2006 and 2012, to just ignore everything else over a 6-year time frame, would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. The defense can’t attack basic facts, that Holzworth had control of that job. He was master of his own domain.”
            Passalaqua had no comment outside the courtroom.
            On Dec. 3, 2013 attorneys from both sides met in court briefly to schedule an evidentiary hearing at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 15, 2014 in courtroom 15, where Potter and SRPD  detectives Azzouni and Lazzarini will give testimony supporting the probable cause backing up their search warrant affidavits.

article: First Beer, Cider & Spirits conference in Sonoma County

[originally published in Oak Leaf News Nov. 18, 2013]

Conference Pans Out New Job Prospects For SRJC Students In Liquid Gold Rush

Sonoma County EDB's confernece on Beer, Cider & Spirits

Sonoma County’s first-ever Beer, Cider and Spirits Conference tapped opportunities for Santa Rosa Junior College students in the county’s $200 million home-brewed industry. Speakers and panelists included 2nd District Assembly member Wes Chesboro and brewers from 20 breweries, five cideries and four distilleries in Sonoma County, the birthplace of the modern microbrewery.

2nd Dist. Wes Chesboro addresses the EDB conference.

Chesboro said California’s 422 craft breweries, opening at a rate of about one a week, employ 48,000 people, pay $850 million in taxes and add $4 billion to the state’s economy. Chesboro described California’s craft beer industry as “guerilla capitalism” battling the “culture of sameness placing mediocrity over adventure”  and tapping into the barrels of people looking for a new favorite.

California Craft Beer Association Executive Director Tom McCormick outlined the industry’s positive impact on city and state economies, as well as Sonoma County’s world-wide fame as the cradle of the craft beer countermovement.

When Sonoma’s now-tapped-out New Albion Brewery opened in 1976, Jack McAuliffe transformed used dairy equipment to build from the ground up what became the first microbrewery in the U.S. McCormick said New Albion is known around the world, even in recently-visited Denmark where he said, “they treat you like a rock star if you say you’re a brewer from Sonoma County.”

Keynote speaker Tom Magee of Lagunitas Brewing Co.

Tom Magee, owner of Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma, delivered the keynote address, dropping only one F-bomb in the process. Lagunitas accounts for 70 percent of the county’s beer sales and half the county’s 680 craft beer employees, and their soon-to-open expansion in Chicago will quadruple their production. Magee said the decision to expand came after “running the numbers” of their shipping costs of $150,000 per week and discovering he could borrow $25 million with that kind of cash flow.

Magee also spoke about “bankers, not brewers” running multinational beer conglomerates like InBev, the world’s largest brewing company that owns Budweiser, Busch, Löwenbräu, Michelob, Natural Light and several other brands found in supermarkets. Magee said Budweiser’s release of American Ale was “full of capitulation; it gave drinkers permission to leave the reservation” by offering an option besides the standard pilsner style.

“If the tail can wag the dog that hard, it’s not the tail anymore,” Magee said. Lagunitas attracted the interest of several Dartmouth MBA students “turning their backs on the morass of soullessness of Wall Street.”

"Branding of Sonoma County" panel

Ken Weaver, author of “The Northern California Craft Beer Guide,” sat on the panel “Branding of Sonoma County.” Weaver said the county’s craft breweries benefit from the tourism industry already deeply rooted and growing for another purpose, Sonoma County wine.

Jay Brooks, a syndicated beer writer on the same panel, spoke about the built-in recognition of the Sonoma name. While wine drinkers might view Napa and Sonoma interchangeably, craft beer drinkers only know Sonoma. “Around the world, people know the Big Three,” Brooks said, referring to Lagunitas Brewing Company, Bear Republic Brewing Company and Russian River Brewing Company. “People come to visit the Big Three and find out about the other 17.”

The panel on “Liquid Assets” included Richard Norgrove, owner of Bear Republic Brewing Company in Healdsburg, who said his biggest resource was his employees, but even with great employees a company still needs to have a product. “There is no such thing as a ‘loss leader,’” Norgrove said. “Every aspect of your business must be profitable, every decision has to make sense – but your bottom line is not always key.”

On the same panel, Fred Groth described using the Kickstarter website to raise $25,000 for equipment to expand his Sonoma distillery, HelloCello & Prohibition Spirits.

Natlie Cilurzo [left] on "Brewing Solutions" panel

Natalie Cilurzo, owner of Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa spoke on the “Brewing Solutions” panel about the country’s most regulated industry. Of the nine regulatory challenges she raised, waste water topped her list as a barrier for new or expanding breweries. Cilurzo said Russian River Brewing Company, whose annual limited release of their Pliny the Younger brought Sonoma County $2 million in tourist dollars this spring, is not considering expanding their world-famous brewery partly because of regulatory barriers.

While brewery waste water is not toxic, it provides rich nutrients for organisms that overpower sewer systems. Assuming Russian River invested $1 million in a water treatment system for a brewery three times their current size that discharged only 100 percent pure water, sewage hook-up fees would be $1.2 million in addition to any monthly fees, Cilurzo said.

During the tasting session after the conference, some of Sonoma County’s world-famous home-brewed legends offered advice to SRJC students intent on tapping into the craft beer industry.

Russian River pours the world-famous Pliny the Elder

“Biochemistry knowledge is critical if you want to be a brewer,” said Lagunitas’ maketing head Ron Lindenbusch. “If you want to be in the marketing end of things, SRJC has a great culinary program to be able to take the whole ‘beer & food’ thing to a whole other place.” Students interested in restaurants and hospitality, already in place for the wine tourism industry, benefit by incorporating craft beer into those existing programs. “You learn that, and then you try to put a ‘beer’ angle to it, and you’ve got something that has a dual purpose in the consumer’s mind,” Lindenbusch said.

“There’s not currently any type of brewing science class [at SRJC],” Lindenbusch said, “but anything you know about making wine translates into beer in a lot of ways – a lot of the same chemistry, the same biochemistry. But you’ve got to make sure you’re old enough to drink before I can encourage that!”

Sebastopol's family-owned organic Devoto Orchards cider

Cilurzo advised SRJC students interested in opening a beer bar or a brewery that having enough start-up money is essential. “You need to have tons of capital, and you need a plan,” Cilurzo said. “You need money. No matter what you’re going to do, get money. If you just get to the almost-open point, but don’t have enough money to open, or once you get open and can’t get people in your door, it’s not going to work. It looks like a money-making venture, but it’s not; it’s a money-spending venture.”

Santa Rosa City Council member Gary Wysocky, former adjunct professor of accounting at Sonoma State University, advised SRJC students interested in any industry, “It’s all about personal connections. You do what you can to get in front of people, you do whatever job is offered, and you work your way up the food chain. But people skills are what matter.”

Wysocky also said desire was essential and “timing’s not the only thing – it’s everything. You can have forever-bad timing but you just have to be ready when that break comes your way – and it will. You just have to be patient for it and ready for it.”

Don Winkle, business attorney with Spaulding McCullough & Tansil LLP and moderator of the Brewing Solutions panel, advised SRJC students against sloppy texting habits to set themselves apart. “Learn how to write,” Winkle said. “Learn how to express yourself clearly and professionally and you will have a leg up on many, many people – regardless of what degree you get."

article: Holzworth's "poisoned taint"

[originally published in Oak Leaf News Oct. 28, 2013]

The criminal trial against former SRJC campus cop Jeffrey Holzworth, accused of embezzling campus parking meter money, slowed to a standstill by motions defense attorneys filed to dismiss evidence police found when acting on three search warrants due to the “poisoned taint of illegality” behind the search warrants.

Holzworth, who held sole responsibility over collecting cash from campus parking machines, is charged with 11 charges of receiving stolen property over $400 and one charge of embezzlement exceeding $150,000. Prosecutors say Holzworth pilfered $400,000 since 2005 from the SRJC campuses in Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Windsor. Holzworth’s wife Karen received three charges of receiving stolen property over $400 and one count as an accessory to a crime.

In a follow-up hearing on the morning of Oct. 10 in Courtroom 3 of Sonoma County Superior Court, Judge Kenneth Gnoss sustained the defense attorneys’ motions to unseal affidavits leading to three search warrants issued to Santa Rosa Police detectives. Assistant District Attorney Amy Ariyoshi did not oppose the motion to unseal, and Judge Gnoss issued copies of the affidavits to the defense.

In court, defense attorney Joe Passalaqua said he would like the opportunity to examine the newly unsealed documents to see if other issues arise, but was not sure if other motions would be filed later.

Two affidavits issued on Nov. 13, 2012 allowed detectives to place GPS tracking devices on Holzworth’s vehicles and to search his bank accounts and Equifax credit report. A third affidavit granted a warrant allowing SRPD detectives to search Holzworth’s police car, private truck and house on Nov. 28, 2012, where they discovered gambling records, casino players club cards, receipts from ATMs and SRJC parking machines and caches of stashed cash in 19 bags and 5 glass jars full of quarters, $1 and $5 bills totaling $13,487.

Outside the courtroom, Prosecutor Ariyoshi said the motions filed by the defense all challenge the probable cause for issuing the three search warrants. Ariyoshi said the situation now depends entirely on the judge’s ruling, but it is highly unlikely the judge would toss out all evidence obtained.

“I can’t even guess on the number of potential scenarios,” Ariyoshi said.

When asked about witnesses subpoenaed to appear, Ariyoshi said she could not release their names, but said the witness pool derived entirely from those named in the search warrants. “This is a purely legal issue, not dependent on witnesses,” Ariyoshi said.

Outside the courtroom defense attorney Passalaqua said, “I have no comment at this time.”

Judge Gnoss set another hearing for Nov. 21, 2013 to rule on the motions to suppress all three unsealed search warrant affidavits, based on their claim that SRJC Sgt. Potter’s observations of money inside Holzworth’s personal vehicle, which launched the embezzlement investigation by SRPD detectives Azzouni and Lazzarini, constituted an illegal search and invalidated the probable cause supporting the search warrants.

Passalaqua’s motions to suppress are based on the concept of the “fruit of the poisonous tree,” which restricts new warrants growing from prior illegal search warrants and rejects the “fruit” of evidence illegally obtained by them. Passalaqua’s motion said Holzworth “made incriminating statements only after he was confronted with a pile of evidence” by SRPD detectives, but the tainted “illegally acquired evidence” invalidated Holzworth’s confession and “made it appear as if the ‘cat was already out of the bag’ and therefore defendant had nothing to lose – and perhaps something to gain – by confessing his guilt and making incriminating statements.”

Holzworth’s cash collections from campus VenTek International System VI parking machines followed “procedure developed by SRJC and its police department,” the motion said. “Defendant collected money from the machines and delivered money to the SRJC accounting department. In the process, defendant ‘zeroed-out’ the machines with a computer which effectively wiped out the machines’ computer memories,” the motion said, adding there was no direct supervision, secondary checks or any other type of accountability over Holzworth’s cash collections.

The district attorney’s counter motions said enough probable cause exists for issuing the warrants, even after removing Sgt. Potter’s allegedly tainted testimony of discovering money in Holzworth’s duffle bag in 2006 and in his vehicle’s center console in 2012. “The social cost of suppressing the evidence of the embezzlement operation discovered is substantial,” the DA’s counter motion said.

Holzworth’s next court date is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2013 in Courtroom 3 of Sonoma County Superior Court.

Maximum MicroBrew - new blog

I started a new beer-specific blog focusing in my documentary video series, Maximum MicroBrew, starting in the Sonoma County starting with the world-famous Russian River Brewing Company. More details to follow, but check it out:

http://maximummicrobrew.blogspot.com/

story: The Picnic

(originally published in the 1988 Honor Journal of Utah State University)

The Picnic or Goodbye Blue Monday

Simon watched Maggie's hair fluttering in the wind as they drove through the countryside in his red convertible. While Maggie was looking out at the green rolling hills, Simon patted the small box in the pocket of his sports coat. He could easily see how it would all go. He would pull out the box that reeked of expensive perfume, get a disappointed expression on his face, say something like, "Oh, dear, it must have broken," and hand it to her. She would seem a bit regretful, and open it just to see how much of Simon's money had been wasted. She would look surprised as she pulled the velvet box out of the perfume case. She would look confused as she opened it, and her face would light up when she saw the diamond ring gleaming inside. She would gasp, and then sigh some pleasantry and lean toward him with her soft ruby lips, and...

"Simon, look at the cows!"

Simon looked out at the clumps of black and white cows grazing together, and then at Maggie, and smiled fondly at her. She smiled back through her windblown halo of brown hair. Yes, he thought pleasantly to himself, nothing could possibly go wrong.

After a luxurious while on the dusty country road, Simon found ‘the right place’ and parked the car. With Maggie on one arm and a picnic basket on the other, Simon found his way to the clump of trees on top of the gently rolling hill. A short length of an old, low wall still stood there, which Maggie found adorable, and Simon decided this was indeed the right place.

He unpacked the basket next to the wall, putting a silver tray of crackers and imported cheese on a red and white gingham cloth. He produced a set of delicately shaped crystal glasses, which he promptly filled with French wine from a bottle still covered with traces of thirty-year-old dust. After the light appetizer, Simon brought out china plated, ornate silverware, and two Peking duck dinners, still hot in their Tupperware containers.

After the meal, Simon and Maggie sat gazing into each other’s eyes under the warm afternoon sun. Almost reluctantly, Simon broke the silence, saying, “I’ve got something for you,” and pulled the box out of his pocket. He put on his best disappointed look and said, “Oh, dear, it must have broken,” and handed the box to her. She seemed a bit regretful, and opened it just to see how much of Simon’s money had been wasted. She looked surprised as she pulled the velvet box out of the perfume case.  She looked confused as she opened it, and her face lit up when she saw the diamond ring gleaming inside. She gasped, and said some nice things about Simon, and leaned her with her soft ruby lips toward Simon, who was trying very hard not to smirk, and…

Neither of them really felt the six-hundred-mile-an-hour winds ripping through them, and neither of them were around long enough to see the silhouette of the almost-kissing couple etched onto the wall by the nuclear blast. 

article: SRJC Football milks Rams in Clo’s Classic

(originally published in Oak Leaf News September 6, 2013)

Erik Jorgensen
October 6, 2013
SRJC Bear Cubs’ 30-23 battery over Fresno City College’s Rams in Saturday night’s 12th Annual Clo’s Classic dialed their season record up to 4-1. The Rams’ first kickoff return ended with an injured player followed by a third down fumble, while the Bear Cubs’ first play caught a first down pass conversion.
Bear Cubs quarterback Mike Pierson’s pass to wide receiver Andre Davis raised the voltage for a nine-play charge against the current for a touchdown pass to running back Darrian Roman.
The Rams discharged their next possession in the end zone, intercepted by linebacker Vaimaa Taito. A field goal from kicker Levi Paine ionized the Bear Cubs lead to 10-0. The Rams scored a touchdown, caught an interception and kicked a field goal to tie the game. Pierson hurled another lightning bolt into the end zone to thunder the halftime score to 17-10.
The second half got jump started when Davis zapped his kickoff return straight into the end zone for a 23-10 lead. Pierson said, “Andre was due for that. He’s a big player for us, and that really got us going.” Blake Richmond, free safety, said, “That gave us a big boost; we really needed that to get fired up, to play better with that energy.”
Rams player Justice Sarcedo’s interception for a run-in touchdown brought the score to 23-17 with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, the Rams punter dropped a bad snap at fourth-and-43. By the time he recovered the ball for a quick kick, a force-field of Bear Cubs deflected the ball back for a first down recovery on the Rams’ 5-yard line. Anderson bolted across the line, amping up the score to 30-20 with 6:21 remaining.
The kickoff return started the Rams on their 34-yard line, and their long fourth-and-3 pass converted to first down on the Bear Cubs 7-yard line. The Rams couldn’t snap the trap but a field goal butted their final score to 30-23. With two minutes remaining Taito pulled down another interception and the Bear Cubs ran the clock out to victory.
Davis said a feeling of family united and charged up the team for Saturday’s victory. Pierson agreed with the bonding chemistry of family and said, “I’ve never been part of such an awesome team of guys. We’re going to take our bye week seriously and come out strong.”
- See more at: http://www.theoakleafnews.com/sports/2013/10/06/srjc-football-team-milks-rams-in-clos-classic/#sthash.h6pWermC.dpuf

Erik Jorgensen
October 6, 2013
SRJC Bear Cubs’ 30-23 battery over Fresno City College’s Rams in Saturday night’s 12th Annual Clo’s Classic dialed their season record up to 4-1. The Rams’ first kickoff return ended with an injured player followed by a third down fumble, while the Bear Cubs’ first play caught a first down pass conversion.
Bear Cubs quarterback Mike Pierson’s pass to wide receiver Andre Davis raised the voltage for a nine-play charge against the current for a touchdown pass to running back Darrian Roman.
The Rams discharged their next possession in the end zone, intercepted by linebacker Vaimaa Taito. A field goal from kicker Levi Paine ionized the Bear Cubs lead to 10-0. The Rams scored a touchdown, caught an interception and kicked a field goal to tie the game. Pierson hurled another lightning bolt into the end zone to thunder the halftime score to 17-10.
The second half got jump started when Davis zapped his kickoff return straight into the end zone for a 23-10 lead. Pierson said, “Andre was due for that. He’s a big player for us, and that really got us going.” Blake Richmond, free safety, said, “That gave us a big boost; we really needed that to get fired up, to play better with that energy.”
Rams player Justice Sarcedo’s interception for a run-in touchdown brought the score to 23-17 with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, the Rams punter dropped a bad snap at fourth-and-43. By the time he recovered the ball for a quick kick, a force-field of Bear Cubs deflected the ball back for a first down recovery on the Rams’ 5-yard line. Anderson bolted across the line, amping up the score to 30-20 with 6:21 remaining.
The kickoff return started the Rams on their 34-yard line, and their long fourth-and-3 pass converted to first down on the Bear Cubs 7-yard line. The Rams couldn’t snap the trap but a field goal butted their final score to 30-23. With two minutes remaining Taito pulled down another interception and the Bear Cubs ran the clock out to victory.
Davis said a feeling of family united and charged up the team for Saturday’s victory. Pierson agreed with the bonding chemistry of family and said, “I’ve never been part of such an awesome team of guys. We’re going to take our bye week seriously and come out strong.”
- See more at: http://www.theoakleafnews.com/sports/2013/10/06/srjc-football-team-milks-rams-in-clos-classic/#sthash.h6pWermC.dpuf

 
SRJC Football milks Rams in Clo's Classic

SRJC Football milks Rams in Clo’s Classic

SRJC Football milks Rams in Clo’s Classic

by Erik Jorgensen
            SRJC Bear Cubs’ 30-23 battery over Fresno City College’s Rams in Saturday night’s 12^th Annual Clo’s Classic dialed their season record up to 4-1. The Rams’ first kickoff return ended with an injured player followed by a third down fumble, while the Bear Cubs’ first play caught a first down pass conversion.

            Bear Cubs quarterback Mike Pierson’s pass to wide receiver Andre Davis raised the voltage for a nine-play charge against the current for a touchdown pass to running back Darrian Roman.

            The Rams discharged their next possession in the end zone, intercepted by linebacker Vaimaa Taito. A field goal from kicker Levi Paine ionized the Bear Cubs lead to 10-0.  The Rams scored a touchdown, caught an interception and kicked a field goal to tie the game. Pierson hurled another lightning bolt into the end zone to thunder the halftime score to 17-10.

SRJC wide receiver Andre Davis returns Fresno City' kickoff. 

            The second half got jump started when Davis zapped his kickoff return straight into the end zone for a 23-10 lead. Pierson said, “Andre was due for that. He’s a big player for us, and that really got us going.” Blake Richmond, free safety, said, “That gave us a big boost; we really needed that to get fired up, to play better with that energy.”

            Rams player Justice Sarcedo’s interception for a run-in touchdown brought the score to 23-17 with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.

            In the middle of the fourth quarter, the Rams punter dropped a bad snap at fourth-and-43. By the time he recovered the ball for a quick kick, a forceifield of Bear Cubs deflected the ball back for a first down recovery on the Rams’ 5-yard line. Anderson bolted across the line, amping up the score to 30-20 with 6:21 remaining.

            The kickoff return started the Rams on their 34-yard line, and their long fourth-and-3 pass converted to first down on the Bear Cubs 7-yard line. The Rams couldn’t snap the trap but a field goal butted their final score to 30-23. With two minutes remaining Taito pulled down another interception and the Bear Cubs ran the clock out to victory.

            Davis said a feeling of family united and charged up the team for Saturday’s victory. Pierson agreed with the bonding chemistry of family and said, “I’ve never been part of such an awesome team of guys. We’re going to take our bye week seriously and come out strong.”

Erik Jorgensen
October 6, 2013
SRJC Bear Cubs’ 30-23 battery over Fresno City College’s Rams in Saturday night’s 12th Annual Clo’s Classic dialed their season record up to 4-1. The Rams’ first kickoff return ended with an injured player followed by a third down fumble, while the Bear Cubs’ first play caught a first down pass conversion.
Bear Cubs quarterback Mike Pierson’s pass to wide receiver Andre Davis raised the voltage for a nine-play charge against the current for a touchdown pass to running back Darrian Roman.
The Rams discharged their next possession in the end zone, intercepted by linebacker Vaimaa Taito. A field goal from kicker Levi Paine ionized the Bear Cubs lead to 10-0. The Rams scored a touchdown, caught an interception and kicked a field goal to tie the game. Pierson hurled another lightning bolt into the end zone to thunder the halftime score to 17-10.
The second half got jump started when Davis zapped his kickoff return straight into the end zone for a 23-10 lead. Pierson said, “Andre was due for that. He’s a big player for us, and that really got us going.” Blake Richmond, free safety, said, “That gave us a big boost; we really needed that to get fired up, to play better with that energy.”
Rams player Justice Sarcedo’s interception for a run-in touchdown brought the score to 23-17 with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, the Rams punter dropped a bad snap at fourth-and-43. By the time he recovered the ball for a quick kick, a force-field of Bear Cubs deflected the ball back for a first down recovery on the Rams’ 5-yard line. Anderson bolted across the line, amping up the score to 30-20 with 6:21 remaining.
The kickoff return started the Rams on their 34-yard line, and their long fourth-and-3 pass converted to first down on the Bear Cubs 7-yard line. The Rams couldn’t snap the trap but a field goal butted their final score to 30-23. With two minutes remaining Taito pulled down another interception and the Bear Cubs ran the clock out to victory.
Davis said a feeling of family united and charged up the team for Saturday’s victory. Pierson agreed with the bonding chemistry of family and said, “I’ve never been part of such an awesome team of guys. We’re going to take our bye week seriously and come out strong.”
- See more at: http://www.theoakleafnews.com/sports/2013/10/06/srjc-football-team-milks-rams-in-clos-classic/#sthash.h6pWermC.dpuf

Erik Jorgensen
October 6, 2013
SRJC Bear Cubs’ 30-23 battery over Fresno City College’s Rams in Saturday night’s 12th Annual Clo’s Classic dialed their season record up to 4-1. The Rams’ first kickoff return ended with an injured player followed by a third down fumble, while the Bear Cubs’ first play caught a first down pass conversion.
Bear Cubs quarterback Mike Pierson’s pass to wide receiver Andre Davis raised the voltage for a nine-play charge against the current for a touchdown pass to running back Darrian Roman.
The Rams discharged their next possession in the end zone, intercepted by linebacker Vaimaa Taito. A field goal from kicker Levi Paine ionized the Bear Cubs lead to 10-0. The Rams scored a touchdown, caught an interception and kicked a field goal to tie the game. Pierson hurled another lightning bolt into the end zone to thunder the halftime score to 17-10.
The second half got jump started when Davis zapped his kickoff return straight into the end zone for a 23-10 lead. Pierson said, “Andre was due for that. He’s a big player for us, and that really got us going.” Blake Richmond, free safety, said, “That gave us a big boost; we really needed that to get fired up, to play better with that energy.”
Rams player Justice Sarcedo’s interception for a run-in touchdown brought the score to 23-17 with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, the Rams punter dropped a bad snap at fourth-and-43. By the time he recovered the ball for a quick kick, a force-field of Bear Cubs deflected the ball back for a first down recovery on the Rams’ 5-yard line. Anderson bolted across the line, amping up the score to 30-20 with 6:21 remaining.
The kickoff return started the Rams on their 34-yard line, and their long fourth-and-3 pass converted to first down on the Bear Cubs 7-yard line. The Rams couldn’t snap the trap but a field goal butted their final score to 30-23. With two minutes remaining Taito pulled down another interception and the Bear Cubs ran the clock out to victory.
Davis said a feeling of family united and charged up the team for Saturday’s victory. Pierson agreed with the bonding chemistry of family and said, “I’ve never been part of such an awesome team of guys. We’re going to take our bye week seriously and come out strong.”
- See more at: http://www.theoakleafnews.com/sports/2013/10/06/srjc-football-team-milks-rams-in-clos-classic/#sthash.h6pWermC.dpuf

Erik Jorgensen
October 6, 2013
SRJC Bear Cubs’ 30-23 battery over Fresno City College’s Rams in Saturday night’s 12th Annual Clo’s Classic dialed their season record up to 4-1. The Rams’ first kickoff return ended with an injured player followed by a third down fumble, while the Bear Cubs’ first play caught a first down pass conversion.
Bear Cubs quarterback Mike Pierson’s pass to wide receiver Andre Davis raised the voltage for a nine-play charge against the current for a touchdown pass to running back Darrian Roman.
The Rams discharged their next possession in the end zone, intercepted by linebacker Vaimaa Taito. A field goal from kicker Levi Paine ionized the Bear Cubs lead to 10-0. The Rams scored a touchdown, caught an interception and kicked a field goal to tie the game. Pierson hurled another lightning bolt into the end zone to thunder the halftime score to 17-10.
The second half got jump started when Davis zapped his kickoff return straight into the end zone for a 23-10 lead. Pierson said, “Andre was due for that. He’s a big player for us, and that really got us going.” Blake Richmond, free safety, said, “That gave us a big boost; we really needed that to get fired up, to play better with that energy.”
Rams player Justice Sarcedo’s interception for a run-in touchdown brought the score to 23-17 with nine minutes remaining in the third quarter.
In the middle of the fourth quarter, the Rams punter dropped a bad snap at fourth-and-43. By the time he recovered the ball for a quick kick, a force-field of Bear Cubs deflected the ball back for a first down recovery on the Rams’ 5-yard line. Anderson bolted across the line, amping up the score to 30-20 with 6:21 remaining.
The kickoff return started the Rams on their 34-yard line, and their long fourth-and-3 pass converted to first down on the Bear Cubs 7-yard line. The Rams couldn’t snap the trap but a field goal butted their final score to 30-23. With two minutes remaining Taito pulled down another interception and the Bear Cubs ran the clock out to victory.
Davis said a feeling of family united and charged up the team for Saturday’s victory. Pierson agreed with the bonding chemistry of family and said, “I’ve never been part of such an awesome team of guys. We’re going to take our bye week seriously and come out strong.”
- See more at: http://www.theoakleafnews.com/sports/2013/10/06/srjc-football-team-milks-rams-in-clos-classic/#sthash.h6pWermC.dpuf

Frank Herbert: Behind the Santaroga Barrier (part 2)

                  Frank was 8 when he decided to be a writer. By 19 he got his first job with a newspaper. 10 years later, when the Tacoma Times folded, he moved to Northern California to write for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Two years later his first science-fiction story got published, and his first sci-fi novel two years after that. Today, 30 years after his death, his epic series about the mystical spice-rich desert planet Dune still ranks Frank Herbert the best-selling sci-fi writer in the world.

                  In August 2013 I started researching at the Press Democrat, collecting and compiling Frank Herbert’s early journalism writing. I knew Herbert started some time in April 1949, so I started looking there.

                  I hit paydirt on Day One. The April 1, 1949 Press Democrat issue had a page-two article about Herbert’s former newspaper shutting down: “Tacoma Times Suspended.” Then on page 14 I found an April Fool’s joke, an Easter egg hidden by some time-travelling prankster: 
Herbert Family 
Now Living 
In Eureka Home

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Herbert have moved to Eureka and are living at 2964 Summer Street. The change of residence was made when Mr. Herbert was transferred to that part of the state. He went north as soon as his orders were received, but Mrs. Herbert and their sons, Michael and Billie did not go to their new home until last week. Mrs. Herbert is the former Beverly Nielsen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. Nielsen.

                  “Eureka,” as any student of Archimedes knows, is Greek for “Holy hypotenuse! I found it!” Frank Herbert the sci-fi writer also had a wife named Beverly (Stuart) and two sons, Brian and Bruce, born in Seattle in 1947 and Santa Rosa in 1951. Since Santa Rosa had a population of only 17,000 people in 1949, it’s an odd coincidence that two people with the same name could move in and out of such a small town during such a short timespan.

Synchronicity stretches even deeper: it was in Santa Rosa where Frank Herbert met Ralph and Irene Slattery, who influenced his writing by introducing him to the philosophers Heidegger and Jaspers, Zen Buddhism, and Jungian psychology. Irene studied under Carl Jung in Zurich, and Jung wrote the book “Synchronicity,” which became the title for two songs and an album released by The Police in 1983. That same year, their lead singer Sting began production in David Lynch’s film version of Frank Herbert ‘s novel “Dune.” Coincidentally, Sting appears on the cover of their Synchronicity album reading a copy of Jung’s book.

                  Most newspaper articles in 1949 were simply attributed “by Staff Correspondent” in the byline, the line saying who wrote the article. The Press Democrat‘s first “by Frank Herbert” article appeared April 25, 1949: “14-Year-Old Bride Misses Death by Hair’s Breadth!” 

July 1949 held nine more bylines, mostly about the new telephone building and the new freeway signs. The July 1 article “Telephone Company Endeavoring to Improve Service” dialed up  “Phone Company Statements of Improvement Expenditures Difficult to Break Down” on July 5. His two-part local history feature “When Lynch Law was Invoked” appeared on July 17 and 19, subtitled “A Story of Sudden Death and Mob Violence in 1920” and “Sheriff Petray’s Slayers Are Hanged By Angry Mob.” 

It is entertaining to read these mundane articles while also looking forward into this great writer's future. There is certainly more to come.

Copyright 2013 by Erik Jorgensen

article: SRJC Board to spend $300K for new parking machines

[originally printed in Oak Leaf News September 23, 2013]

SRJC to buy 37 new parking machines, board says 
by Erik Jorgensen
September 22, 2013 

“SRJC’s Board of Trustees voted for the purchase of 37 new parking machines, costing $300,000 from VenTek International, at its Sept. 10 board meeting. Installation of the new “pay and display” machines starts after coordination with the vendor.

VenTek International, based in Petaluma, manufactured the System VI parking machines, which former SRJC District Police Officer Jeffrey Holzworth allegedly pilfered by erasing their transaction logs with his attached laptop. While the District Attorney says they can prove $400,000 in embezzled funds, Holzworth’s former co-workers suspect the total amount reaches $1 million.

“The problem was a function of the internal control system – that’s been fixed,” said Tim Bosma, SRJC’s former director of purchasing. VenTek International has not confirmed fixing the exploitable security hole in the System VI internal control systems.

Bosma said the new machines also fix other problems inherent in the old machines, from not accepting debit and credit cards, to not accepting wet bills on rainy days. SRJC District Police, Bosma said, simply didn’t enforce or issue parking citations on rainy days.

All old-fashioned parking meters will be replaced, and the sequencing of machine replacement may find new machines next to old ones, to “expedite the user experience,” Bosma said, adding students and visitors both benefit with no effect on semester parking pass holders.

When asked about the vote on new parking machines, SRJC Student Trustee Robert Edmonds said, “SRJC runs on a $6 million deficit annually, with over $2 million per year for our own private police department.” 

Money collected from parking fees makes up part of the SRJC District Police’s budget for 13 sworn police officers, 12 unsworn Community Service officers, six dispatchers and between 15 to 30 cadet trainees per semester. Parking fees also go towards training for newly-hired police cadets.

Edmonds suggested considering the Sheriff or Santa Rosa Police for contracting all services, including parking. “I don’t know if students are best served by this approach,” he said.

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority installed more than 100 VenTek System VI parking machines in 2001, and “remain satisfied with the equipment, system and service provided by VenTek Transit,” said David Sausjord, VTA Fare Programs & Systems Manager. “In about 13 years of use, VTA has not experienced any losses from our TVMs [Ticket Vending Machines] similar to those suffered by SRJC,” Sausjord said.

VenTek Transit’s website says it “purchased all assets of VenTek International, Inc. to provide continued support for our transit customer’s fare collection system.” VenTek Transits’ president Sonny Hogg said, “That sentence ‘all of VenTek International’s assets’ is a little misleading… The parking assets were sold in 2002 and that company retained the VenTek International name. We purchased the remaining transit assets in 2004 and formed VenTek Transit.” Both companies remain headquartered in Petaluma. 

Hogg said he helped develop the System VI as engineering manager, and said the separation of internal and external access and passwords becomes the responsibility of the end user. “There are lots of checks and balances but if one person has access to all the tools, all of the keys, is able to clear the memory and also runs the reports for the accounting office, the problem would be with the custom implementing the system,” Bogg said.

“The accounting office should be monitoring and comparing the revenue collected to the number of tickets sold,” Hogg said, adding that the number of tickets sold is a “non-resettable counter.” VenTek International’s website also advertises the Security feature of “Audit reports & Complete Transaction Log Histories.” 

Hogg had no explanation whether Holzworth’s alleged embezzlement involved hacking his way into the transaction logs, or simply exploited an existing security hole in the “non-resettable counter.” Hogg said there could be a flaw in the system, “but I would have a closer look at how the system works, how the security features have been implemented and more importantly how the security features are controlled.”

VenTek International, contacted immediately after the Board of Trustees vote, only said, “VenTek cannot comment directly on aspects of a pending criminal case.”

Copyright 2013 by Erik Jorgensen

article: Trial for college parking meter embezzlement, over $300K

[originally printed in Oak Leaf News April 8, 2013]
[this article earned First Place in Enterprise News Story/Series from the Journalism Association of Community Colleges]

Holzworth Goes to Trial
by Erik Jorgensen

Erik Jorgensen, Staff Writer
April 8, 2013

Jeffrey Scott Holzworth, accused of pilfering parking meters at Santa Rosa Junior College, now enters the next phase of his criminal prosecution: a trial.
At the April 3 hearing in Courtroom 9 of the Sonoma County Department of Justice, attorneys for Holzworth and his wife Karen both rejected the joint plea deal the district attorney offered. The DA’s plea deal required acceptance by both Holzworths.
Their criminal case transferred to Judge Kenneth Gnoss in Courtroom 3 on April 5. The brief hearing rescheduled a Preliminary Readiness Conference for 9 a.m. June 3.
Holzworth, a 28-year SRJC District Police veteran, held sole unsupervised responsibility over collecting money from campus parking meters and parking permit machines, and handled the chain of custody of evidence. Accused of embezzling more than $300,000 in campus parking fees since January 2005, Holzworth also had exclusive access to the laptop capable of erasing the accounting memory of the computerized parking permit machines.
Half of the budget for SRJC District Police comes from parking fees collected.
Jeffrey Holzworth faces one charge of grand theft and 11 charges of receiving stolen property, and Karen Holzworth faces one charge as an accessory and three charges of receiving stolen property.
Assistant DA Amy Ariyoshi’s plea deal offered five years and eight months in prison for Holzworth, with one year in county jail for his wife. By rejecting the joint plea deal and going to trial, Holzworth now faces a maximum prison sentence of 12 years.
“They still want a package deal, that’s not happening,” said Holzworth’s attorney Joe Passalaqua. “His wife is maintaining that she has done nothing. He has maintained that she has done nothing. The People are tying our hands with the package deal.”
- See more at: http://www.theoakleafnews.com/news/2013/04/08/holzworth-goes-totrial/#sthash.A9QKsORX.dpuf

 Jeffrey Scott Holzworth, accused of pilfering parking meters at Santa Rosa Junior College, now enters the next phase of his criminal prosecution: a trial.

At the April3 hearing in Courtroom 9 of the Sonoma County Department of Justice, attorneys for Holzworth and his wife Karen both rejected the plea deal the district attorney offered. The DA's plea deal required acceptance by both Holzworths.

Their criminal case transferred to Judge Kenneth Gnoss in Courtroom 3 on April5. The brief hearing rescheduled a Preliminary Readiness Conference for 9 a.m. June 3.

Holzworth, a 28-year SRJC District Police veteran, held sole responsibility over collecting money from campus parking meters and parking permit machines, and handled the chain of custody of evidence. Accused of embezzling more than $300,000 in campus parking fees since January 2005, Holzworth also had exclusive access to the laptop capable of erasing the accounting memory of the computerized parking permit machines.

Half of the budget for the SRJC District Police comes from parking fees collected.

Jeffrey Holzworth faces one charge of grand theft and 11 charges of receiving stolen property. and Karen Holzworth faces one charge as an accessory and three charges of receiving stolen property.


Copyright 2013 by Erik Jorgensen

Er offereik Jorgensen, Staff Writer
April 8, 2013

Jeffrey Scott Holzworth, accused of pilfering parking meters at Santa Rosa Junior College, now enters the next phase of his criminal prosecution: a trial.
At the April 3 hearing in Courtroom 9 of the Sonoma County Department of Justice, attorneys for Holzworth and his wife Karen both rejected the joint plea deal the district attorney offered. The DA’s plea deal required acceptance by both Holzworths.
Their criminal case transferred to Judge Kenneth Gnoss in Courtroom 3 on April 5. The brief hearing rescheduled a Preliminary Readiness Conference for 9 a.m. June 3.
Holzworth, a 28-year SRJC District Police veteran, held sole unsupervised responsibility over collecting money from campus parking meters and parking permit machines, and handled the chain of custody of evidence. Accused of embezzling more than $300,000 in campus parking fees since January 2005, Holzworth also had exclusive access to the laptop capable of erasing the accounting memory of the computerized parking permit machines.
Half of the budget for SRJC District Police comes from parking fees collected.
Jeffrey Holzworth faces one charge of grand theft and 11 charges of receiving stolen property, and Karen Holzworth faces one charge as an accessory and three charges of receiving stolen property.
Assistant DA Amy Ariyoshi’s plea deal offered five years and eight months in prison for Holzworth, with one year in county jail for his wife. By rejecting the joint plea deal and going to trial, Holzworth now faces a maximum prison sentence of 12 years.
“They still want a package deal, that’s not happening,” said Holzworth’s attorney Joe Passalaqua. “His wife is maintaining that she has done nothing. He has maintained that she has done nothing. The People are tying our hands with the package deal.”
- See more at: http://www.theoakleafnews.com/news/2013/04/08/holzworth-goes-totrial/#sthash.A9QKsORX.dpuf

Holzworth Goes toTrial

Related Content

Last 5 stories in Holzworth Investigation

• SRJC to buy 37 new parking machines, board says - September 22, 2013
• Former Chief Suspected Holzworth, Says He Told Vice President - March 11, 2013
• Holzworth May Have Taken $1 Million, Spent Money on Gambling, Vacations, Other Vices - February 20, 2013
• Wife of Accused SRJC Police Officer Arrested in Embezzlement Case - February 2, 2013
• Workplace Theft: To take from the hand that feeds you - December 11, 2012

Other stories that might interest you...

• Holzworths Consider Plea Deal, Court Appearance Delayed
• Holzworth Plea Delayed, Embezzlement Figures Come in
• Officer Charged with Embezzlement, Suspected by Many Before Arrest
• Wife of Accused SRJC Police Officer Arrested in Embezzlement Case
• Santa Rosa Junior College District Police officer appears before court

Erik Jorgensen, Staff Writer
April 8, 2013

Jeffrey Scott Holzworth, accused of pilfering parking meters at Santa Rosa Junior College, now enters the next phase of his criminal prosecution: a trial.
At the April 3 hearing in Courtroom 9 of the Sonoma County Department of Justice, attorneys for Holzworth and his wife Karen both rejected the joint plea deal the district attorney offered. The DA’s plea deal required acceptance by both Holzworths.
Their criminal case transferred to Judge Kenneth Gnoss in Courtroom 3 on April 5. The brief hearing rescheduled a Preliminary Readiness Conference for 9 a.m. June 3.
Holzworth, a 28-year SRJC District Police veteran, held sole unsupervised responsibility over collecting money from campus parking meters and parking permit machines, and handled the chain of custody of evidence. Accused of embezzling more than $300,000 in campus parking fees since January 2005, Holzworth also had exclusive access to the laptop capable of erasing the accounting memory of the computerized parking permit machines.
Half of the budget for SRJC District Police comes from parking fees collected.
Jeffrey Holzworth faces one charge of grand theft and 11 charges of receiving stolen property, and Karen Holzworth faces one charge as an accessory and three charges of receiving stolen property.
Assistant DA Amy Ariyoshi’s plea deal offered five years and eight months in prison for Holzworth, with one year in county jail for his wife. By rejecting the joint plea deal and going to trial, Holzworth now faces a maximum prison sentence of 12 years.
“They still want a package deal, that’s not happening,” said Holzworth’s attorney Joe Passalaqua. “His wife is maintaining that she has done nothing. He has maintained that she has done nothing. The People are tying our hands with the package deal.”
- See more at: http://www.theoakleafnews.com/news/2013/04/08/holzworth-goes-totrial/#sthash.A9QKsORX.dpuf

Holzworth Goes toTrial

Related Content

Last 5 stories in Holzworth Investigation

• SRJC to buy 37 new parking machines, board says - September 22, 2013
• Former Chief Suspected Holzworth, Says He Told Vice President - March 11, 2013
• Holzworth May Have Taken $1 Million, Spent Money on Gambling, Vacations, Other Vices - February 20, 2013
• Wife of Accused SRJC Police Officer Arrested in Embezzlement Case - February 2, 2013
• Workplace Theft: To take from the hand that feeds you - December 11, 2012

Other stories that might interest you...

• Holzworths Consider Plea Deal, Court Appearance Delayed
• Holzworth Plea Delayed, Embezzlement Figures Come in
• Officer Charged with Embezzlement, Suspected by Many Before Arrest
• Wife of Accused SRJC Police Officer Arrested in Embezzlement Case
• Santa Rosa Junior College District Police officer appears before court

Erik Jorgensen, Staff Writer
April 8, 2013

Jeffrey Scott Holzworth, accused of pilfering parking meters at Santa Rosa Junior College, now enters the next phase of his criminal prosecution: a trial.
At the April 3 hearing in Courtroom 9 of the Sonoma County Department of Justice, attorneys for Holzworth and his wife Karen both rejected the joint plea deal the district attorney offered. The DA’s plea deal required acceptance by both Holzworths.
Their criminal case transferred to Judge Kenneth Gnoss in Courtroom 3 on April 5. The brief hearing rescheduled a Preliminary Readiness Conference for 9 a.m. June 3.
Holzworth, a 28-year SRJC District Police veteran, held sole unsupervised responsibility over collecting money from campus parking meters and parking permit machines, and handled the chain of custody of evidence. Accused of embezzling more than $300,000 in campus parking fees since January 2005, Holzworth also had exclusive access to the laptop capable of erasing the accounting memory of the computerized parking permit machines.
Half of the budget for SRJC District Police comes from parking fees collected.
Jeffrey Holzworth faces one charge of grand theft and 11 charges of receiving stolen property, and Karen Holzworth faces one charge as an accessory and three charges of receiving stolen property.
Assistant DA Amy Ariyoshi’s plea deal offered five years and eight months in prison for Holzworth, with one year in county jail for his wife. By rejecting the joint plea deal and going to trial, Holzworth now faces a maximum prison sentence of 12 years.
“They still want a package deal, that’s not happening,” said Holzworth’s attorney Joe Passalaqua. “His wife is maintaining that she has done nothing. He has maintained that she has done nothing. The People are tying our hands with the package deal.”
- See more at: http://www.theoakleafnews.com/news/2013/04/08/holzworth-goes-totrial/#sthash.A9QKsORX.dpuf

Holzworth Goes toTrial

Related Content

Last 5 stories in Holzworth Investigation

• SRJC to buy 37 new parking machines, board says - September 22, 2013
• Former Chief Suspected Holzworth, Says He Told Vice President - March 11, 2013
• Holzworth May Have Taken $1 Million, Spent Money on Gambling, Vacations, Other Vices - February 20, 2013
• Wife of Accused SRJC Police Officer Arrested in Embezzlement Case - February 2, 2013
• Workplace Theft: To take from the hand that feeds you - December 11, 2012

Other stories that might interest you...

• Holzworths Consider Plea Deal, Court Appearance Delayed
• Holzworth Plea Delayed, Embezzlement Figures Come in
• Officer Charged with Embezzlement, Suspected by Many Before Arrest
• Wife of Accused SRJC Police Officer Arrested in Embezzlement Case
• Santa Rosa Junior College District Police officer appears before court

Erik Jorgensen, Staff Writer
April 8, 2013

Jeffrey Scott Holzworth, accused of pilfering parking meters at Santa Rosa Junior College, now enters the next phase of his criminal prosecution: a trial.
At the April 3 hearing in Courtroom 9 of the Sonoma County Department of Justice, attorneys for Holzworth and his wife Karen both rejected the joint plea deal the district attorney offered. The DA’s plea deal required acceptance by both Holzworths.
Their criminal case transferred to Judge Kenneth Gnoss in Courtroom 3 on April 5. The brief hearing rescheduled a Preliminary Readiness Conference for 9 a.m. June 3.
Holzworth, a 28-year SRJC District Police veteran, held sole unsupervised responsibility over collecting money from campus parking meters and parking permit machines, and handled the chain of custody of evidence. Accused of embezzling more than $300,000 in campus parking fees since January 2005, Holzworth also had exclusive access to the laptop capable of erasing the accounting memory of the computerized parking permit machines.
Half of the budget for SRJC District Police comes from parking fees collected.
Jeffrey Holzworth faces one charge of grand theft and 11 charges of receiving stolen property, and Karen Holzworth faces one charge as an accessory and three charges of receiving stolen property.
Assistant DA Amy Ariyoshi’s plea deal offered five years and eight months in prison for Holzworth, with one year in county jail for his wife. By rejecting the joint plea deal and going to trial, Holzworth now faces a maximum prison sentence of 12 years.
“They still want a package deal, that’s not happening,” said Holzworth’s attorney Joe Passalaqua. “His wife is maintaining that she has done nothing. He has maintained that she has done nothing. The People are tying our hands with the package deal.”
- See more at: http://www.theoakleafnews.com/news/2013/04/08/holzworth-goes-totrial/#sthash.A9QKsORX.dpuf