Crime & Safety
No Sign Of Stopping: Max Sentence For Repeat Assaults
Repeat assaults, violated court orders, and escalating violence drive maximum prison sentence.
SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A Santa Rosa man who assaulted the same woman twice in a matter of months — including once while awaiting sentencing — will serve the longest prison term allowed by law, after a judge said he showed a pattern of violence with no sign of stopping.
Laura Passaglia sentenced 29-year-old Aaron Perez-Gonzalez to five years in state prison after he pleaded no contest to domestic violence with a prior conviction and admitted to committing a new attack while out of custody awaiting sentencing, the Sonoma County District Attorney's office said in a news release.
Prosecutors said Perez-Gonzalez assaulted his girlfriend on Feb. 5, 2025, slapping her repeatedly and punching her in the mouth, leaving a cut lip and visible facial injuries that deputies documented at the scene, according to the Sonoma County DA's office.
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Five days after entering his plea in that case, and while still awaiting sentencing, Perez-Gonzalez attacked the same victim again on June 11, 2025. During an argument about the pending charges, he struck her in the mouth and shoved her with enough force to send her face-first into a curb. The impact caused facial injuries and a concussion, the Sonoma County DA's office said.
At the time, he was under a criminal protective order barring contact with the victim. Prosecutors said he violated that order and attempted to pressure the woman to have it lifted.
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District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said the case reflects the dangers of repeated domestic violence and the need for intervention when court orders are ignored.
Perez-Gonzalez’s record includes a 2019 domestic violence case involving a different victim, in which he caused facial injuries and strangled her to the point of restricting her breathing, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney's office. He later pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge and failed to comply with probation, which was terminated in July 2023.
In handing down the sentence, Passaglia cited the defendant’s history, repeated violations of court orders, and increasingly severe violence. She told the court that despite multiple chances at rehabilitation and treatment, Perez-Gonzalez had “failed miserably.”
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