Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: 02/05/2009

Contact person(s):

Media Coordinator, Theresa Menshek (707) 565-3099 Media Spokesperson, Assistant District Attorney Christine M. Cook

Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California

SELF-PROCLAIMED SPIRITUAL ADVISOR CONVICTED OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

District Attorney Stephan Passalacqua announced that Benjamin Anthony Horn, age 39, of Santa Rosa, was convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence on Wednesday, February 4, 2009.  The jury deliberated for just over two hours before returning a guilty verdict on the lone count.  Today, the Honorable Rene Chouteau sentenced Horn to serve one year in county jail with credit for time served, placed him on 3 years of formal supervised probation and referred him to Domestic Violence Court for monitoring and reviews. 
                                   
The charges in this case arose out of an investigation which began when the victim arrived at the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Roseland substation on December 23, 2008.  The victim told deputies that she previously had a romantic relationship with Horn, who was living in a barn on her property, and that he was currently acting as her spiritual advisor.  She explained that on December 21, 2008, Horn used a pitchfork to “beat the evil” out of her.  Horn repeatedly struck her with the pitchfork about the shoulders, hips and buttocks while she kneeled on the floor.  He said she had been using her negative energies to attack him and he had to “correct” her.  Before she came into the Sheriff’s substation, the defendant had threatened to beat her again.  The victim had several large bruises on her shoulders, hips and buttocks.

On January 6, 2009, after the evidence was presented at a preliminary hearing, Sonoma County Court Judge Lawrence Antolini reduced the felony charge to a misdemeanor. 

Deputy District Attorney Mark Urioste was the prosecutor assigned to the case.