Sonoma City Councilmember David Cook arrested

Sonoma City Councilman David Cook was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Sonoma County Jail on a felony count of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, Sonoma Police Chief Orlando Rodriguez said.

Cook posted bail of $250,000 and was released from Sonoma County jail Wednesday morning. Reached by phone, Cook said he had “no comment” to make about the arrest and that “2020 has just been an awful year.”

Sonoma police received a report of a sexual assault of a minor from an address on the west side of town at 12:25 p.m. Monday. After officers questioned Cook on Monday and took an initial report, the investigation was turned over to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault unit, Rodriguez said.

On Tuesday, that team concluded that there was enough evidence to arrest Cook, 53, on suspicion of sexual assault of a minor, a felony, Rodriguez said. Cook was arrested around 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Detectives are still investigating the case, but believe it was an isolated incident involving one victim, according to Sgt. Juan Valencia, of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Cook is not considered a threat to public safety, said Valencia.

Further details about the crime Cook is suspected of, such as the age of the victim, their relationship to Cook or when the incident happened, were not available Tuesday night.

“David is innocent until proven guilty,” said Rodriguez. “But we need to treat everyone the same, regardless of their stature in the community.”

Cook has served as a City Council member in Sonoma since 2012 and was the city’s mayor in 2015. He considered resigning from the council in 2018 and in March unsuccessfully challenged Susan Gorin for the 1st District seat on the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.

He did not run for a third term on the City Council and is slated to be replaced in December by Sonoma resident Jack Ding.

City Manager Cathy Capriola on Wednesday morning issued a statement on behalf of the city of Sonoma, saying, “The city is aware of the arrest of Councilmember Cook.” But given that an active investigation is underway, the statement continued, “it is important to all parties that the integrity of the investigation be maintained,” and further inquiries should be directed to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Following his arrest, two of Cook’s council colleagues called for his resignation.

On her Vice Mayor Facebook page, City Councilwoman Rachel Hundley acknowledged Cook’s “right to due process,” but said, “the citizens of Sonoma deserve certainty in who is leading their city.”

“Councilmember Cook, who had already shown a concerning level of disinterest in his official duties over the past two years, should resign from the City Council immediately,” Hundley wrote.

On Thursday, Sonoma Mayor Logan Harvey echoed Hundley’s call for Cook to step down.

“Given the severity of the charges, I do believe that Councilmember Cook should resign,” Harvey told the Index-Tribune. “Everyone is entitled to due process, but no one should continue to hold a position of public trust while facing criminal charges of this nature. Stepping down would be the honorable thing to do.”

Harvey said that his preference would be for the seat to remain empty for the three Council meetings that remain until Jack Ding takes Cook’s seat, as scheduled, on Dec. 14, 2020.

Councilwoman Madolyn Agrimonti described herself as “disappointed” that her council colleagues would raise the issue of resigning at this point.

“(I’m) thinking about the victim,” Agrimonti wrote in an email to the Index-Tribune. “Resignation is without a doubt the last thing on the family’s mind.”

Councilmember Amy Harrington sent a statement saying, “My heart goes out to the victim. I'm glad that Jack Ding will be elected on Tuesday and take over the seat currently held by David Cook.”

When reached by phone Thursday morning regarding the prospects of resigning, Cook had “no comment.”

The next meeting of the Sonoma City Council is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. It can be attended via Zoom at sonomacity.org.

Cook is scheduled to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 6 in Department 9.

Press Democrat Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez contributed to this report.