California DOJ crime lab assisted with evidence

“California counties are fortunate to have criminalists at California DOJ crime labs to process evidence to assist in the exoneration or conviction of suspects.  These highly skilled professionals are an asset to public safety and criminal justice.”

– CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

UKIAH – On May 8, 2024, a Mendocino County Superior Court jury found Antonio Lopez, Jr., 36, of Cloverdale, guilty of:

• Resisting an Executive Officer by Unlawful Threats of Violence, a felony;
• Unlawful Theft of a Motor Vehicle (an excavator) of a Value Greater Than $950, a felony;
• Driving a Motor Vehicle (the excavator) Under the Influence of Alcohol, a misdemeanor,
• and Hit-and-Run Driving (swinging the bucket of the excavator erratically and knocking down fencing), a misdemeanor.

The jury also found true special allegations included in the charging document alleging Lopez had a prior DUI conviction in 2019 in Mendocino County; and that he refused to submit to a chemical test on demand of the investigating CHP officer. 

Sentencing is scheduled for June 6, 2024.

The law enforcement agencies that gathered the evidence in this case were the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Justice crime laboratory.  The District Attorney’s Office also thanked the civilian witnesses who appeared and testified before the jury as to what they had observed last January in Hopland prior to the arrival of the CHP.