Wife of ex-SRJC cop headed to trial in parking meter case

Trial is expected to begin today for the wife of a former Santa Rosa Junior College police officer charged with helping him steal $286,000 in campus parking meter money.

Karen Holzworth, 50, is accused of making bank deposits for her husband, Jeffrey Holzworth, 53, who is serving a four-year prison sentence. She could receive several years in jail if convicted of felony accessory and two misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property.

Efforts to avoid trial by settling the case have so far been unsuccessful. Both sides met privately Monday with Judge Gary Medvigy, who said the case was “ripe” for a settlement, but were unable to reach agreement.

“We’re not going to be able to resolve it,” Holzworth’s lawyer, George Boisseau, announced in court after speaking with his client.

The terms of any settlement offer were not disclosed.

After ruling on several pre-trial motions, including an unsuccessful bid by the defense to exclude jail phone calls in which Karen Holzworth is alleged to have made some admissions, the judge was expected to start a one-day jury selection process.

Opening statements were expected some time today.

The theft came to light in 2012 with the surprising arrest of Jeffrey Holzworth, a 28-year law enforcement veteran who oversaw the campus parking meter program.

An investigation began after fellow police officers reported seeing hundreds of dollars in bills and coin in his car. Detectives later determined he had been stealing the money from the automated machines over a 7-year period. He spent the money on things he could not afford with his salary, including gambling trips and gifts for his family, prosecutors said.

His wife was arrested in 2013.

Last year, he pleaded guilty to a count of grand theft and 11 counts of receiving stolen property in a deal with the judge to limit his prison term to four years.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.