Crime & Safety

Winery Owner Charged; Fight Club: North Bay Police Logs

Tragedy at Coddingtown Mall; teacher accused in "fight club"; vape shop arrests; and other North Bay police, fire and court news.

Yellow crime-scene tape cordons off part of the Coddingtown Mall parking lot Monday, March 11, 2019.
Yellow crime-scene tape cordons off part of the Coddingtown Mall parking lot Monday, March 11, 2019. (Photo: Santa Rosa Police Department)

ROHNERT PARK-COTATI, CA — The following is a week's collection of police, courtroom and fire stories from Sonoma County and around the North Bay.

2 Dead In Murder-Suicide Shooting At Coddingtown Mall: SRPD

  • Santa Rosa police said a shooting Monday at Coddingtown Mall that left a man and woman dead was a murder-suicide.

GoFundMe Page Set Up In Memory Of Santa Rosa Mother Of 4

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  • Paula Zamora was fatally shot by her husband in a murder-suicide Monday, police said. A donation page has been set up for her children.

Vacaville 1991 Jane Doe ID'd; Had Ties To Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz

  • COLD CASE: Cynthia Merkley Bilardi's body was found in 1991. Her death remains unsolved; police ask anyone who knew her to come forward.

Napa Valley Winery Owner Charged In College Admissions Cheating

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  • A Napa Valley businessman paid someone to take his daughter's admissions test and bribed a coach to boost her profile, prosecutors allege.

Authorities ID Driver Killed In Crash Near Yountville

  • The fatal head-on collision happened just south of Yountville, a CHP Napa spokesperson said.

Arrest Made In Rape At SRJC Petaluma Campus: Police

  • A female student reported being raped in the library of Santa Rosa Junior College's Petaluma campus. On Thursday, police arrested a suspect.

High School Teacher Accused Of Refereeing 'Fight Club'

  • The Cloverdale High School teacher was arrested Saturday on allegations that he arranged and refereed fights in his classroom, police said.

Napa Vape Shop Shut Down Following Lengthy Investigation: NSIB

  • NSIB: Cash, cannabis and butane honey oil wax were seized, and two arrests were made for suspected sales to customers under the age of 18.

Sonoma County Man Convicted Of Hate Crime Against Gay Barista

  • The Guerneville man was previously convicted of stealing a gay pride flag from a veterans memorial.

Fatal Hwy 12 Hit-And-Run: Police Seek Mitsubishi Pickup Driver

Benicia Fire Dept. Still Monitoring Valero Refinery Coke Fines

  • A maintenance issue was resolved earlier this week, but the coke fines in the system will continue to be released.

Man Found Dead In Healdsburg Creek Identified

  • A passerby found the man's body Feb. 18 in Foss Creek and called the police department.

Sonoma, Napa Counties Won't Prosecute PG&E For 2017 Wildfires

  • The DAs said criminal negligence requires proof of actions that are reckless and incompatible with a proper regard for human life.

1 Critically Injured In Larkfield Bar Fight: Cops

  • The brief fight involved five or six people and the injured man appeared to be fine—but he later collapsed on the floor of a friend's home.

Cop Babysits An 8-Month-Old During A Family's Medical Emergency

  • The Suisun City police officer recently had an emotional reunion with the family and offered to babysit for them again — anytime.

Windsor Subway Robbed At Gunpoint: Sheriff's Office

  • The armed robbery is actively being investigated, with the suspect described as a white man in his 30s wearing a hoodie and dark sunglasses.

Man Stabbed In Attempted Jewelry Robbery

  • The victim said he was walking when a person attempted to steal his jewelry, police said.

DUI Patrols Planned St. Patrick's Day Weekend In Fairfield: PD

  • "If you are going out to celebrate, be sure to have a designated driver with you or use a commercial service to get home safely."

St. Patrick's Day DUI Patrol Planned In Petaluma, Police Say

  • "Don’t even put yourself in a position where you need to ask whether you are OK to drive," said Petaluma police Lt. Brian Miller.

Napa Police To Crack Down St. Patrick's Day On DUI Drivers

  • The Napa Police Department announced additional officers will be on patrol this March 17 in the city.

DUI Checkpoint Announced In Rohnert Park

  • A DUI/driver's license checkpoint is planned this week in the city, according to the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.

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