Today, Tuolumne County District Attorney Cassandra Jenecke announced that juvenile delinquency petitions were filed against two minor co-offenders related to the assault of a 24-year-old man in Jamestown, CA, on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. The 13-year-old minor was arrested on February 1, 2025, while the 17-year-old minor was arrested on January 31, 2025, by the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office. The names of the minors remain confidential unless or until ordered otherwise by the Court.
An adult co-offender Christopher Jacobs, age 44 of Jamestown, CA, was also arrested on January 31, 2025, but he posted bond and was released with a date to appear of February 24, 2025.
Both minors are charged with felony violations of Penal Code section 245(a)(4), assault with force likely to commit great bodily injury. It is further alleged that the 17-year-old minor personally inflicted great bodily injury to the victim in violation of Penal Code section 12022.7.
Prosecutors are bound by an ethical obligation to file only those charges and enhancements that we believe we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt at the time of filing. Investigation into the motive behind the assault is on-going.
The Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office has filed a petition seeking to transfer the case of the 17-year-old minor to adult court. California prosecutors are prohibited from direct filing juvenile cases as adults and must seek transfer through the delinquency court system first. Moreover, prosecutors are only able to seek transfer to adult court for juvenile offenders who are age 16 and 17 at the time of the offense.
The Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office recognizes the community’s concerns about this case as it relates to safety of our LGBTQIA+ community. However, the District Attorney’s Office is ethically obligated to protect the integrity of the investigation and prosecution by minimizing the release of information prior to final adjudication of the charges filed. Therefore, we cannot discuss the particular facts of this case except to share general information related to charging decisions, information revealed during non-confidential in-court hearings, information or documents in the publicly available court files, or until after the cases are completed.
District Attorney Jenecke further stated, “Separate from the case at issue, it is clear from the past week’s discourse that members of Tuolumne County’s LGBTQIA+ community do not feel safe in Tuolumne County. This is unacceptable. This is a public safety issue. Hate in any form will not be tolerated. My primary duty in protecting our community is to ethically hold offenders accountable to the fullest extent of the law. I am committed to cultivating an environment of safety for all in Tuolumne County. We are in contact with the United States Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service (CRS) who we hope can help us promote public safety by facilitating anti-hate dialogue within our community."
