Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 02/06/04

Contact person(s):

Media Coordinator, Donna Edwards - 565-3099 Media Spokesperson, Chief Deputy Larry Scoufos Deputy District Attorney: Barry McBride

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

WRESTLING COACH SENTENCED TO PRISON

This afternoon Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Robert Boyd sentenced convicted child molester Jonathan William Alan Johnson to state prison for the term of 30 years to life for two counts of lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under the age of fourteen years. A superior court jury convicted Johnson of multiple counts of child molestation and sexual abuse in December of last year. The maximum sentence Johnson faced was 255 years to life, plus 12 years in state prison. Johnson was sentenced to concurrent prison terms for the remaining counts.

Mr. Johnson will have to serve 85% of the minimum sentence of 30 years before he is eligible for parole. Johnson, who turns 22 years old on February 19th, will have to serve 25 ½ years before the parole board can consider whether or not he is suitable for parole. Defendant Johnson was a wrestling coach at Adele Harrison Middle School in Sonoma.

District Attorney Stephan R. Passalacqua commented, “This type of predatory conduct involving young girls warranted a lengthy sentence. This sentence sends a strong message that the Office of the District Attorney will not tolerate the abuse of children in our community.”

The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Barry McBride, stated, “The judge imposed a fair sentence in this case, given the defendant’s age and lack of criminal record.”