Police keep beefed-up presence at fair

A strong police and security presence remained at the Sonoma County Fair on Friday night, a day after two young men suspected in Tuesday's stabbing of a 13-year-old boy in the fair's carnival area were arrested there Thursday evening.

Fabian and Damian Rosales, 19-year-old twins from Geyserville, seemed to be avid fairgoers, officials said, noting that they were seen at the fair at least twice after the stabbing.

On their visit Thursday, the Rosales brothers were arrested and were being held at Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and participating in a gang.

The youth who suffered a knife wound in the leg has since been released from the hospital.

Police Sgt. Craig Schwartz, who is in charge of Santa Rosa's gang task force, said officers knew the two teenagers, quickly identified them as suspects and had been looking for them since Tuesday night.

"By my way of logic, I would not go back to the fair, having committed a crime there, but it was not out of the ordinary for gang members who didn't think they had been identified to go back," Schwartz said.

Gang task force members and 16 Santa Rosa police officers were stationed at the fair Friday evening, the first weekend night of the event.

But even though the fair's rodeo drew a solid, though not sold-out, crowd, total attendance appeared light throughout the evening.

"It's a very good, calm crowd," said Santa Rosa Police Sgt Andrew Romero.

Schwartz said there are as many as two dozen uniformed and plainclothes officers at the fair most nights, including officers from the city and Sonoma County gang task forces who know the gang members.

"We have always had a lot of officers out there, and from time to time you get gang fights, even with that many people at the fair," Schwartz said. "An actual stabbing and things like that are not too frequent. More typically, we see the posturing and people ready to fight, and we get in and break it up."

Sonoma County Fair officials praised the quick response by police in the aftermath of the opening-night fight, allegedly between rival gang members.

"There is zero tolerance for gang signs, for gang paraphernalia," Tawny Tesconi, fair manager, said Friday.

"They did eject a few people (Thursday) night. They are on top of it."

The number of uniformed and undercover police and security officers was increased after the stabbing, Tesconi said.

"I think we have it under control, we reacted quickly to what happened Tuesday night, we are as safe a place as any other in our community," Tesconi said.

You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@pressdeocrat. com., and Staff Writer Laura Norton at 521-5220 or laura.norton

@pressdemocrat.com.