Sebastopol police arrest former Sebastopol Mayor Robert Jacob on suspicion of sex with a child
On March 30, 2021, Sebastopol police officers received information of possible sexual assaults that occurred in the City of Sebastopol between December 2019 and March 2021.Upon further investigation, the suspect was identified as Robert Jacob, the former mayor of Sebastopol (2014) and the co-founder of Peace in Medicine, Sebastopol’s first cannabis dispensary.On April 10, 2021 at 7 a.m., Sebastopol police officers contacted Robert Jacob in the 7400 block of Woodland Avenue and took him into custody for an arrest warrant related to five felony and one misdemeanor sexual assault crimes against a minor, including 266j PC, 288(c)(1) PC, 288.2(a)(1) PC, 288.2(a)(2) PC, 288.4(a)(1) PC, and 289(i) PC. (According the California Penal Code, these involve, among other things, transportation of a child under 16 for lewd and lascivious acts, distribution of child pornography, arranging a meeting for sexual purposes with a person believed to be underage and sexual penetration with a person under 16 years of age.)Jacob was transported to the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility and is being held without bail.This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sebastopol Police Department at 707-829-4400 and refer to Report #21-0220.Townsy Sebastopol is a recently-launched community web app, offering local news, online shopping at local stores, a local event guide, local volunteer and job boards and more. Find it at https://townsyapp.com.Sonoma West Publishers is partnering with Townsy to make our news more accessible to the Sebastopol community.
Sebastopol council discussing 10-unit townhome project, housing strategy
The Sebastopol City Council is slated to hold two public hearings and a workshop at its meeting on March 1. The council will hold a public hearing for an ordinance about mandatory organic waste disposal and a hearing to consider a zoning amendment, conditional use permit and tentative map for the Huntley Square Townhomes, located at 7950 Bodega Avenue. Additionally, the council will be holding a workshop on the city’s draft housing strategy, considering an amendment that would create an ad hoc committee for a citywide staffing assessment study and considering a budget amendment to the city’s Relaunch Sebastopol contract.
PG&E working to make power shutoffs shorter and smaller
PG&E is unrolling a plan to try and make its Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) shorter in duration and smaller in size this wildfire season. The utility said that it’s also aiming to provide more timely and accurate communications to its customers about PSPS’ by bolstering the website capacity and improving customer alerts. The PSPS plans were discussed during a special webinar on May 6 for Sonoma and Napa county customers.
Final DEI ‘encuentro’ tonight on AAPI
The fifth and final “encuentro” takes place at 6:30 tonight, Thursday, April 27, on the subject of “Is the Dream Alive and Well in Healdsburg?” It will provide a venue for panelists and community members to discuss the contemporary and historical experiences of the...
Judge’s decision could halt river gravel mining
A decision last week by the Sonoma County Superior Court could
