West Sac Man Convicted Of Criminal Threats, Domestic Violence: DA

WOODLAND, CA -- Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announced that on Tuesday, after a three-day jury trial, a Yolo County jury convicted a 45-year-old West Sacramento man, Dellawar Saidwal, of domestic violence and criminal threats charges. In a separate court trial, a judge found that Saidwal had previously been convicted of domestic violence and inflicting great bodily injury.

According to a news release Wednesday from the district attorney's office, Saidwal and his wife of 17 years have had a long history of domestic violence. Prosecutors say that in 2011, the couple were in an argument that began when the victim was seen wearing fingernail polish. During that argument, prosecutors say, Saidwal hit his wife in the head and ruptured her eardrum. On the way to the hospital he reportedly told her not to tell the doctors what happened. Saidwal was convicted in that incident.

Saidwal and his wife are both from Afghanistan and both have family members that still reside in Afghanistan as well as family members that are intermarried.

"Saidwal made many threats to his wife including that if she went to the authorities that he would arrange to have her family members in Afghanistan hurt," authorities with the district attorney's office stated. "He has also threatened to take the couple’s minor children and flee to Afghanistan."

The current charges stemmed from two incidents that occurred last year. Between Aug. 25, 2016 and Sept. 1, 2016, the couple reportedly had an argument about papers that they were submitting to the County Housing Authority.

"Saidwal wanted his wife to lie on the paperwork and she refused," authorities said. "During that argument Saidwal grabbed her and struck her. She deflected his blows with her arm which resulted in bruising to her arm."

On Nov. 14, 2016, the couple had the same argument they had been having since September. Prosecutors say Saidwal "spit on her and threatened to break every bone in her body if she continued talking back to him. He also threatened to slit her throat. He told her that no one could help her, no one would protect her and that no one would believe her."

A Homeland Security Agent is said to have convinced her that she needed to tell the police everything that had happened. She wrote a full statement and gave it to the West Sacramento Police Department, which initiated criminal proceedings.

Saidwal will be back before a judge on June 30 for sentencing. He is facing 16 years and four months in state prison, prosecutors say.

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