The following is a message to the community composed by Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster and published on his agency’s Facebook page:
On Thursday, August 1st, a Marin County Superior Court jury found the man arrested and accused of starting the 2021 Hopkins Fire guilty of arson.
The current state of California law allows for a state prison sentence in his case of up to 21 years.
DA Eyster and his team are now reaching out to and issuing a call to action from the many Calpella area fire victims and all others affected by the devastating Hopkins Fire.
FIRST, defendant Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on September 16th at 9:15 o’clock in the morning in Marin County Superior Court Department J in the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael.
Anyone with an interest in this case may “zoom” in to watch that sentencing hearing in real time without the need to travel to Marin County.
If you are interested in remote access to the hearing but don’t know the steps necessary to connect, please contact the DA’s Ukiah V/W advocates for access information. The contact information to speak with a V/W advocate is included above.
Any folks with the interest, inclination, and willingness to travel to San Rafael (~100 miles) on September 16th are, of course, welcome to attend the sentencing hearing in person.
SECOND, the defendant’s case has been referred to the Marin County Adult Probation Department for preparation of a background study and a written sentencing recommendation. Part of the Probation Department report and recommendation includes the inclusion and consideration of impact letters/statements from victims.
Victims of the fire may timely submit written and respectful impact letters (through the Ukiah V/W office) so such letters may be considered by the Marin County Probation Department in formulating their sentencing recommendation.
Those letters will also be included with Probation’s final report so the Court can also consider all such letters.
If you are a Hopkins Fire victim and you are interested in submitting a written impact statement, we will need your written letters in hand at the Ukiah V/W office no later than noon on September 2nd, if not before.
If you were lucky not to be an actual victim of the fire but still want to express your thoughts to the trial judge on an appropriate sentence, you may also timely submit a written and respectful letter to Judge Simmons, again through the DA’s Ukiah V/W office.
THIRD, while cautiously reminding all those who suffered a financial loss of the old idiom that “it is impossible to get blood out of a turnip,” California victims nevertheless have a right under the current state of the law to submit claims and seek the issuance of a restitution order, where appropriate. Once issued, an ordered amount of restitution carries with it the legal rate of interest (non-compounded) of 10 percent per year.
Section 28(b)(13)(A) of Article 1 of the California Constitution mandates that,“All persons who suffer losses as a result of criminal activity shall have the right to seek and secure restitution from the persons convicted of the crimes causing the losses they suffer.”
Section 28(b)(13)(B) goes on to say, “Restitution shall be ordered from the convicted wrongdoer in every case, regardless of the sentence or disposition imposed, in which a crime victim suffers a loss.”
If you are a 2021 Hopkins Fire victim who suffered financial losses that were not fully covered by insurance or fully reimbursed by other victim assistance programs, please contact the V/W Office right away.
The advocates will explain what documentation is needed and the procedure for having your restitution claim considered and a restitution order issued in your favor by the Marin County judge.
Because time flies fast and September 16th is truly right around the corner, please do not procrastinate until it is too late. Time is of the essence. Make the call to V/W this week to learn what you need to do in order get what is needed timely accomplished.
Again, in regards to restitution claims, we will need loss documentation submitted and accompanying restitution declarations signed no later than noon on September 2nd so all can be compiled and timely submitted to Marin County.
In conclusion, after you are finished reading this post, please share and re-post to your Facebook page and/or other social media. We are trying to reach as many affected individuals and families as possible.
You may also print this post in hard copy and pass copies on to your Calpella friends, neighbors, and all others who were adversely affected.
Thank you for your cooperation! Mendo DA David Eyster
I am considering sending in a statement even though I was not directly affected by this arsonist. Hopefully he is hit with the maximum sentence and held accountable for full restitution even if he is a filthy turnip.
I only wish they could slap homey with a one-way ticket to detroit to serve out his sentence.
Now now there Todd lets not get too hasty here.
With all due respect perhaps we should temper our expectations.
If Mr.domestic terrorist can fend off sentenceing until after the November election and if he gets lucky and things go his way…
Then surely the Marxist Harris-Vance Regime in conjunction with BLM will surely find a place of prominence for him in their brigade of mostly peaceful protesters.
WOOPS wrong VP sorry about that JD!
The young man who started the fire did so unintentionally. He may have used poor judgement, but he had no malice towards those whose properties were ultimately harmed by the fire. The young man deserves some pity from society as both his mother and father had died. Although he should be punished for his carelessness and the terrible results of the fire, we must also remember that he is a human being and deserves our respect and compassion. I am truly sorry for the terrible losses of the victims of the fire.
I get what you’re saying. But just because he lost his parents doesn’t mean he has a right to start a fire if any kind. I lost my daughter and that didn’t give me a right to cause/inflict and thing on anyone. So he needs to be punished to the fullest. Sorry he lost his parents and sorry for the victims of the fire.
I agree, Pg should be hated as much as this kid since they were found guilty in court of actually causing several very deadly fires but I digress
Once again this young man’s story points towards a lack of mental health services.
Counseling should be part of health care as a prescription.
Good riddance to bad garbage.
As a direct victim of the Bidentard prezdentsee i say fry anyone who wreaks havoc like this dnc wanna be evil doer.
Guilty of arson doesn’t differentiate between intentional arson or accidental arson. So this young man will be older by the time he’s out of prison. He wasn’t found to be mentally incapable so there it is.