Email  Print

Failure to appear brings deputies

Some human behaviors are painfully easy to predict, particularly if drugs are involved. When a Springs woman failed to appear in court following her Jan. 3 arrest on charges of felony possession of narcotics for sale, felony possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, Sheriff’s deputies did what Sheriff’s deputies do – they went to her home in the 18000 block of River Road.

When they arrived at about 10 p.m. on the night of Jan. 31, 38-year-old Jenny Benzon was at home. So was a 28-year-old Springs man who chose to exit the residence through a bathroom window but leaped, almost literally, into the arms of a waiting deputy.

Once inside Benzon’s home, deputies found numerous drugs, including more than 100 assorted prescription pills, 3 grams of methamphetamine in small plastic bags, 3 grams of heroin also in small plastic bags, a needle and $3,000 in cash.

Benzon was once again arrested, the charges being felony possession of a controlled narcotic substance, felony possession of a controlled substance, felony possession of a controlled substance for sale, felony possession of narcotics for sale, felony committing a felony while out on bail and the felony bench warrant for her failure to appear in court following the previous arrest. When Benzon was booked into jail, she received a bail enhancement pushing the price of freedom over the $100,000 mark, making it more difficult for her to make bail and more likely that she would make it to court for her next scheduled appearance. Her house guest was arrested on charges of obstruction and an outstanding bench warrant. He too went to jail.

In other incidents reported recently to Valley law enforcement:

Sunday, Jan. 27:

12:09 a.m. – F-bombs galore. Responding to the report of a bar fight at a saloon in the 13000 block of Arnold Drive, Sheriff’s deputies interviewed patrons while a man in the back was yelling at other patrons and dropping f-bomb after f-bomb. He was using the word as a noun, a verb, an adverb and as various other parts of speech.

The deputies told the foul-mouthed sot to knock it off, but that only seemed to encourage him. After deciding the man couldn’t care for himself, the deputies tried to arrest him for public intoxication but he, in turn, tried to fight with the deputies. He didn’t win. The 49-year-old Glen Ellen resident was charged with public intoxication, obstructing or resisting a peace officer and using offensive words in public. Deputies found a bunk for him in the county jail.

3:30 p.m. – Cat burglar takes jewels, cash. A resident in the 18000 block of Riverside Drive reported that sometime between noon and 2:40 p.m., someone broke into their house and stole jewelry valued at $900 and approximately $1,300 in cash.

Thursday, Jan. 31:

12:50 p.m. – Laptop thief steals away before noon. A resident in the 19000 block of Bay Street reported that while she was away from her residence between 9 a.m. and noon, someone broke into her residence. She found her usually locked bedroom door open, and a bag that had been in the closet was now on the bedroom floor. Missing was a laptop computer and jewelry along with other items.

3:48 p.m. – 100-pound goddess missing. A business in the 23000 block of Arnold Drive reported that sometime in the previous week, someone had absconded with a white marble goddess statue that was approximately 23-inches tall and weighed about 100 pounds. The statue was valued at $4,000.

Friday, Feb. 1:

10:41 p.m. – Telltale headlight. A deputy on patrol noticed a vehicle without a headlight that subsequently turned onto 1st Avenue. During a traffic stop for the missing light, the deputy noticed that the driver appeared to be under the influence of something. After some field sobriety tests, the deputy decided the something was a controlled substance and arrested the man for driving under the influence of a controlled substance. The deputy then searched the man’s vehicle and, after finding approximately 1.3 grams of methamphetamine, he subsequently arrested Christopher Ottoboni, 51, of San Bruno on charges of felony possession of a controlled substance, being under the influence of a controlled substance and driving under the influence.

Saturday, Feb. 2:

8:12 p.m. – Tough-guys taken down. Deputies were sent to Flowery Elementary School in the 17600 block of Highway 12 on a report of vandalism taking place. When deputies arrived, they heard the sound of glass breaking and found several individuals in the rear of the school who immediately took flight. The deputies ran down one man who turned around and assumed a fighting stance. After a struggle, the intoxicated would-be pugilist was taken to the ground and cuffed. A second man also resisted, but he too was taken down and cuffed. The deputies then found that the broken glass was a bottle and there was no damage to the school. The two men, ages 21 and 23, were both arrested and received identical charges of resisting arrest, public intoxication and a probation violation.

Sunday, Feb. 3:

9 p.m. – Post-Super Bowl assault. A 27-year-old Sonoma Valley man was walking along the 800 block of First Street West following the Super Bowl when he was confronted by what he described as 10 to 15 Hispanic males. The man, who was wearing a blue Golden State Warriors shirt and baseball hat, was asked by one of the men, “Are you scrap?” a derogatory name for a criminal street gang.

The lone man replied, “I don’t mess with that,” and continued walking by when he heard someone run up behind him and was then clubbed on the head and thrown to the ground. A witness who heard and saw the encounter told police she saw six to eight young men rush up and hit and kick the victim as he lay on the ground. Someone shouted, “mess him up,” and one of the attackers reached down and took the victim’s wallet as well.

The assailants then left the scene, some of them in a newer, black, four-door sedan. The victim walked back to a friend’s house, but did not seek medical attention because he did not have health insurance. He did not call police until the next morning when friends insisted he should.

When police interviewed the victim, they found him to have extreme bruises on his head and face, a broken nose, black eyes and a severely bruised forehead. At the scene of the attack, officers found blood spatter on the sidewalk, the victim’s Warriors hat on the roof of a car and an empty can of Budweiser beer.

Police reported that the attackers were members of a criminal street gang, and that the attack is still under investigation.