XPost: alt.politics.radical-left, alt.politics.democrats, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh XPost: sac.politics

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A San Francisco Superior Court judge went through
with his plea offer Thursday for a serial car burglar, ordering him
released from jail after less than four months. San Francisco DA Brooke
Jenkins took this case very seriously. Instead of the General Felonies
Unit, she assigned this to a major crimes prosecutor and pushed for a two-
year state prison sentence. It didn't work.

Unlike judges in past hearings for repeat car burglar Robert Sonza, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Bruce E. Chan denied our request for a
camera in the courtroom at Thursday's hearing - for video or still
pictures. And he went through with his offer. In exchange for guilty pleas
to five felonies -- Receiving Stolen Property, Accessory After the Fact, Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Concealed Firearm in a Vehicle,
Possession of Ammunition - Sonza will be released after less than four
months in county jail.

RELATED: Serial car burglar to receive plea deal despite San Francisco prosecutors' objections

Dan Noyes: "Sylvia, with Sonza's history of reoffending, how is this
proper?"
Sylvia Nguyen: "I said what I had to say on the record."

The I-Team's Dan Noyes tried to discuss the case with Sonza's public
defender, Sylvia Nguyen. He's been on probation several times and
reoffended. I wanted to ask what will be different this time.

Noyes: "People are kind of upset what's happening here. How is this proper given his history of reoffending?"
Nguyen: "I think the court made a very clear record."
Noyes: "Which was what?"
Nguyen: "The court made a very clear record. You were in there. We made a
clear record as well, so, thank you."
Noyes: "Is that all you have to say?"
Nguyen: "That's all I have to say. Thank you."

EXCLUSIVE: Repeat SF car burglar rearrested month after being released
from jail by judge

As part of the plea offer, Robert Sonza had to admit a string of felonies
over the years - starting with domestic violence in 2019, several burglary convictions, evading an officer, and resisting arrest. Sonza also had to
admit he "was on probation... when the crime was committed" and that his
"prior performance on probation... was unsatisfactory."

But during Thursday's hearing, Judge Chan said, "It's important to be
smart on crime, not just tough on crime."

He went against the Adult Probation Department presentence report that
called for state prison time and ordered Sonza to be released on
probation. As part of the judge's plan, he promised to personally monitor Sonza's progress and if he reoffends, Sonza will face a maximum sentence
of three years, eight months in state prison.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told us, "That's this case,
and I made my commitment after his earlier cases that we would make sure
that we held him accountable."

Jenkins is growing more vocal about what she sees as failures in the
criminal justice system, saying, "I think we have a culture at the Hall of Justice here in San Francisco of judges viewing property crime as less significant, finding opportunities to not hear trials and to send people
back out to sadly use the courthouse as a revolving door."

The judge on this case is Bruce E. Chan.

He's 68 years old, did his undergrad at Stanford, law school at UC Davis, worked as a San Francisco Public Defender for 18 years, before Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed him to the bench in 2009. He's been re-
elected twice; his current term expires in 2029.

https://abc7news.com/post/san-francisco-judge-lets-serial-car-burglar- jail-after-less-4-months/15743359/

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