Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 1, 2008

Contact person(s):

Media Coordinator, Donna Edwards - 565-3099 Media Spokesperson, Assistant District Attorney Christine Cook

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

COURT IMPOSES PRISON FOR VIOLENT ASSAULT ON CORRECTIONS OFFICER

Defendant Obadiah Lomalynda, 27 of Santa Rosa, California was sentenced Thursday to serve seven years in state prison for assaulting a corrections officer at the Sonoma County Jail on December 20, 2007. During a court trial held on April 3rd in front of the Honorable Elliot Lee Daum the defendant was found guilty of committing an assault on Corrections Officer Jason Esquibel, and of causing great bodily injury to the officer during the assault.

At the conclusion of the trial the Court also found true the allegation that the defendant had twice previously served time in state prison.

At trial Esquibel testified that he was assaulted by Lomalynda while working in the administrative segregation unit at the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility. During the incident Lomalynda used his handcuffs to trap Esquibel’s hand against the open food port leading into Lomalynda’s cell. Despite the effort of two additional corrections officers to stop the assault, Lomalynda severely injured Esquibel’s hand causing a laceration that required eight stitches.

Because the assault caused “great bodily injury” it is designated a “violent felony” under the three strikes law, and the Court noted the defendant will be required to serve at least 85% of the seven years prior to being eligible for parole.

The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office and the Sonoma County Probation Department both argued for the maximum sentence of eight years.