A Santa Rosa man who intimidated a witness while she was working at a drive-through restaurant has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Justin Holmes, 21, pulled up to a Santa Rosa McDonald's Aug. 10 and recognized the woman assaulted along with other family members in a June 16 melee at Youth Community Park.
The woman had testified at a preliminary hearing against five defendants and was scheduled to take the stand again when Smith spotted her.
Prosecutors said
Holmes told her it would be "bad" for her if she testified against his friends. He was identified by the restaurant's surveillance camera video and arrested.
Smith was initially charged with a more serious felony carrying a possible life term but made a deal with prosecutors in exchange for his plea to the lesser count of making criminal threats for the benefit of a gang.
Holmes, sentenced Monday, will be eligible for release after serving half the term, said his lawyer, Joe Stogner.
The defendants in the underlying assault case are set for trial in March.
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