Ensures county remains solvent; DA can prosecute Wyatt case
SACRAMENTO – Efforts by Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) during the state budget process paid off for Del Norte County, which will receive up to $700,000 to help prosecute several high-profile murder cases.
“This will allow the district attorney to do his job without putting the county at risk of bankruptcy,” Chesbro said. “The public will be safer and the county will be able to pay its bills.”
Typically Del Norte County prosecutes on average less than one homicide trial per year. But in the past few years there has been a rash of homicide and manslaughter cases, which threaten to bankrupt the county when they go to trial.
“Assemblymember Chesbro has been a persistent advocate for the unique needs of rural counties,” said Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez. “In the midst of a huge state budget crisis he was able to make the case that Del Norte County faced its own budget disaster if we didn’t cover the cost of trying these homicide cases.”
Del Norte County District Attorney Jon Alexander has one of the smallest staffs in California, consisting of one assistant DA, one deputy DA and two investigators.
“We are overwhelmed trying to keep this county safe and we need this help,” Alexander said.
The most notorious and expensive of the homicides is the capital case against a former cage fighter, Jarrod Wyatt, accused of beating to death his 21-year-old training partner in March 2010 then removing his heart while still alive.
Alexander re-filed the Wyatt case in May to include special circumstances to ensure the minimum penalty, if convicted, would be life in prison without possibility of parole. That means the case will cost more to prosecute and defend. The county must also cover costs of Wyatt’s defense because he is represented by the Del Norte County Public Defender’s Office.
Without this funding, Del Norte County, already facing a budget deficit, was in jeopardy of having to lay off more county employees, said County Supervisor Martha McClure.
“This assistance from the state via Assemblymember Chesbro’s efforts will literally save jobs in Del Norte County,” McClure said. “Without help, the county’s general fund would have suffered dramatically.”
The budget package the Legislature passed and the governor signed last week authorizes up to $700,000 to Del Norte County in the next fiscal year. The state will reimburse the county as costs are incurred.
Contact: Andrew Bird, Chesbro communications director, (916) 319-2001
