The following is a press release issued by the Mendocino County District Attorney:
Yesterday, Thursday, September 19th, was an in-court day of reckoning for defendant Tomas Yah Pool, age 56, of Fort Bragg.
Defendant Pool was convicted by jury in late July of six separate felony counts of Lewd and Lascivious Acts upon a Child under the age of Fourteen Years.
The evidence heard by the jury in July involved sexual misconduct occurring between the years 2004 to 2020. The age of the three victims ranged from 3 years of age to 6 years of age during the time periods of their respective victimization.
The jury also found true sentencing enhancements alleged by the DA that the defendant committed sexual crimes against more than one child victim; and that the defendant personally inflicted great bodily injury on one child victim who at the time was under the age of 5 years.
After hearing on Thursday afternoon the sentencing arguments of the trial prosecutor, Senior Deputy District Attorney Eloise Kelsey, and the defendant’s court-appointed defense counsel, the case was submitted to the Court for a final sentencing decision.
When all counts were addressed and added up, Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Victoria Shanahan sentenced defendant Pool to state prison and imposed multiple life sentences.
Without going into greater detail and individual count numbers, the court-imposed sentencing outcome equals 123 years to life in state prison, the maximum allowed by law.
The law enforcement agencies that investigated the case, interviewed the victims and witnesses, and diligently gathered the other evidence used at trial to convict the defendant were the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the DA’s own in-house Bureau of Investigations.
Additional pretrial, trial, and post-trial support was provided the victims and their families by the advocates in the District Attorney’s Victim/Witness Unit, caring individuals who worked tirelessly to support all child victims and their families.
Again, special thanks are extended to expert witness, Dr. James Crawford-Jakubiak (the Medical Director of the Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland) for his medical expertise and testimony at trial; as well as to Clinical Psychologist Mindy Mechanic, who also testified as an expert witness at trial.
While it should not happen given the math involved, if the defendant is ever released from prison on parole due to future revisionist changes in law by the Legislature, the defendant will be required to register as a sex offender for life with law enforcement wherever he is allowed to live.
However, should the Board of Parole Hearings ever deem defendant Pool eligible for release on parole, he will also become eligible for civil commitment consideration (before release is allowed) as a sexually violent predator (SVP).
California’s SVP statute is unique in that this law allows for an additional indeterminate civil psychiatric commitment of a sex offender after their state prison penal commitment has been served.
Great, now we can pay to care for this a..hole all his life. Wheres a rope?
In his home country he would have been macheted. Why cant we? Return Roy Bean.
Life in prison? Really?? This should (and will) be over turned.
Faron must be a relative why shouldn’t this man suffer the worse possible penalties what he’s done is horrific.
What he did is wrong, but life in prison is a overreaction and excessive.
Faron, what this man has done is horrendous! Life in prison is far too humane a sentence. For what he did is ruin the lives of these children. This crime is equal to the taking of lives and besides executing him life in prison is better than he deserved!!
Murder is life sentence. Not something that like this.
this is worse than murder
How is this worse than murder????? You need help!
The trauma of childhood molestation can trigger a cycle of sexual abuse that affects generations and devastates countless lives. For this reason, life sentences are often viewed as the only viable solution. Research on recidivism rates among child molesters shows a concerning pattern: many do not change their behavior. Their preference for children is ingrained and persistent. We must take this issue seriously to protect future generations.
The fact you can’t fathom why is disgusting in it’s own way. Have you even bothered to think about this or are you just spouting off? The children will have to live the rest of their lives dealing with the trauma from this event.
Heres a penalty or 2. Late at night hang him from the Noyo bridge. OR
Tie him to a tree by highway 1…put a cable round his neck…tie the other end around a tree on the other side…furst vehicle pops his head off lol…hopefully a long intermission before so he can ponder first.
Before anybody damns Yah Pool: please consider that traditionally, mayan people have a different standard for what is age appropriate. Let us be tolerant and inquisitive of our new neighbors before we cast judgement. This man is a refugee and as such he deserves our understanding and protection. Thank you.
That’s total racist bullshit. That sort of conduct is not tolerated by Mayan people. You don’t know what you’re talking about. European colonialists like Andrew Kelsey and Charles Stone were a different breed, however, inflicting these sort of crimes on indigenous womean and children
You sound very confused. Yah Pool is mayan. He committed the crime, but he likely was incapable of understanding the legality of his actions. There is no age of consent in mayan culture. I have visited southeast Mexico and Guatemala myself. This community mr Yah pool included must be treated with compassion and understanding. Our society must be tolerant and welcoming to men like Yah pool even if they make some mistakes. We can’t always ram our societal differences down newcomers’ throat. These are refugees and they need our protection. Just look at the comments demanding Yah pool get the death penalty. We don’t have that here in California…you monsters! Please check your own racism and hatred at the door before it destroys you from within.
No excuse for ignorance of any law. No excuse for trash promoting rape of small or any chikdren. You need a trunk ride like THE SOPRANOES.
He sexually abused humans between the ages of 3 and 6. In zero cultures is that legal or even remotely acceptable behavior. The year is 2024. It definitely would not be legal in Mexico nor should it be. His abusive insensitive selfish predatory behavior is not legal in California. He ended up where he should be, away from young children where he can no longer abuse and traumatize anyone else. His sick behavior caused harm to innocent children. They are not to be used & harmed for his pleasure.
So are we going to deport this guy? Or will we feed and house him until his inevitable publicly subsidized, barely supervised release back into society? Will the people of Californexico demand the reinstatement of the death penalty?
Cultural origin makes NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER BEFORE THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AND THE COUNTY OF MENDOCINO.
Any person, citizen or alien, legal or illegal, who commits a crime, ought and shall be held to account according to letter of the law.
Sentencing shall be according to statute first, and then within the discretion allowed to the judge under that statute.
Too bad the judges ignore the statutes these days. It takes an extreme case like this one for the courts to take any action. They are making an example of this guy, sure. But they’re letting off plenty of perps guilty of the same crap under the guise of amnesty.
Anybody who would commit unspeakable crimes like this deserves death. Sounds like you’re a shill for Trump or an incredibly naive and obtuse person. No, Mayans don’t do shit like this anymore than Haitians do.
I am sorry that you disagree you should get out of the house and travel more. You are right that Haiti does have a high rate of what we would call crimes against children and their age of consent is much much lower like Mayans. I am sorry that you feel the need to derail the discussion with trump nonsense. Have a little compassion…that hatred you are carrying around will only poison your soul.
You definitely put the TARD in libtard. Want my address its close?
Violence is not the answer young man. And that name calling Tard is considered offensive language by a lots of people. Please cleanse yourself of that inner hate It must be a huge burden on your soul.
It’s all over the world. Plenty a ol white grandpas doing the same shit they just know not to get caught.
Lol your a tard scumbag. Have fun diddling kids till your caught.
I wish he never is released!
This monster deserves death. Anything short of that is too lenient.