Windsor Man Sentenced For Firing Shots Into A Home, Selling Drugs

Press release from the Sonoma County Government:

March 21, 2022

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Defendant Hector Barragan 22 years old of Windsor, was sentenced Monday by the Honorable Shelly Averill to serve 8 years, 4 months in state prison after being convicted of assault with a firearm; sales of Xanax; sales of Cocaine, and possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, all felony convictions.

District Attorney Ravitch stated, “Unfortunately, this defendant repeatedly tossed aside the opportunities given to him to reform his criminal behavior, and instead chose to commit multiple additional felonies.”

The charges resulted from 2 separate incidences that occurred within a matter of weeks of each other.

On January 23, 2020 Barragan, who at the time was on misdemeanor probation for a previous conviction for selling Xanax, was contacted in his vehicle. Petaluma Police Officers conducted a probation search of his vehicle in which they found 180 pills of Xanax, cocaine, suspected LSD, and fentanyl, along with multiple cell phones and over $1,000 in cash. Officers further located a 9mm “ghost gun” between the passenger seat and the center console. Barragan was cited and released. Subsequently, incriminating evidence was located on one of the many phones further indicating Defendant was engaged in the sales of narcotics.

Approximately 3 weeks later, on February 15, 2021, Barragan was in an argument over money someone owed to him and became angry. As a result, he retrieved a firearm and fired between 3 to 5 shots into the victim’s residence. At the time, the victim was looking into a mirror that was shattered by one of the bullets, causing injury to the victim’s face. The defendant then fled the scene.

A subsequent search of the defendant’s residence by Santa Rosa Police Officers revealed over 310 Xanax pills and almost 16 grams of cocaine. Officers further located multiple rounds of ammunition. Through an investigation with Santa Rosa Police Department and Marin County Detectives, officers again located multiple incriminating statements on Barragan’s phone indicating he was not only engaged in the sales of various narcotics, but also in the sale of illegal firearms.

Barragan’s maximum term of confinement was 17 years, 4 months in state prison. Previous law indicated that when a judgment of imprisonment was handed down the court could specify one of three possible terms, mitigated, mid, or aggravated, depending on the facts of the case. However, due to a law passed last year by the California Legislature, courts are now required to impose the lowest of the three terms on anyone under the age of 26.

At sentencing, Barragan placed blame for his actions on his girlfriend and his addiction to narcotics. However, the court pointed-out that the volume of narcotics found in the defendant’s possession, along with the social media posts showing the sales of firearms and narcotics demonstrated a level of sophistication beyond that of someone struggling with addiction. The court also noted the dangerousness of the defendant’s conduct and her responsibility to consider public safety in imposing the sentence.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Matthew Hobson, assisted by District Attorney Investigator Stephen Bussell. The investigation was conducted byAnthony Turner and Hubbel Richmond of the Santa Rosa Police Department.

This press release was produced by the Sonoma County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.