Former Sebastopol Mayor Robert Jacob sentenced in lewd acts case, must register as sex offender

A former Sebastopol mayor was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison after being convicted in January of committing lewd acts on a child.

Robert Jacob, 46, appeared before Judge John Behnke in Sonoma County Superior Court on Thursday for a hearing that lasted minutes and ended with him being placed into handcuffs by a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy.

He will be required to register as a sex offender and have no contact with the victim, who was only referenced as “John Doe” during the proceedings.

Jacob was convicted in January after pleading no contest to six counts as part of a plea bargain, which saw five other counts dismissed. The plea came days before he was supposed to begin his jury trial.

The six counts were charges of procuring a child for lewd or lascivious acts; lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 15; sexual penetration with a foreign object; distribution or showing of harmful matter; contact or communication with a minor with the intent to commit a specified offense; and unlawfully arranging to meet a minor to engage in lewd and lascivious acts.

Jacob’s attorney, Chris Andrian, said the defendant did not have a history of criminal activity and acknowledged he had “crossed a line.”

“He took complete, full responsibility and understood he hurt this boy,” Andrian said following the hearing.

In a written statement submitted to the court, Jacob wrote, “I want John Doe to know and understand he is not responsible for any of this and I hope that my admission of guilt and the time I spend in prison will help him heal.

“My life has been a series of ups and downs. I have achieved noteworthy success on more than one occasions, followed by sabotaging and destructive behavior.”

Jacob attended the hearing wearing black sweatpants and a green collared shirt. He was accompanied by friends and family members.

The victim’s parents were present Thursday but declined to speak before the court or comment to The Press Democrat after proceedings. No other parties spoke during the sentencing hearing.

“The victim should be commended for coming forward to report what Mr. Jacob did,” Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said in a statement later Thursday. “His bravery in reporting Mr. Jacob’s crimes has made the community a safer place.”

Jacob, who founded the Sebastopol medical marijuana dispensary Peace in Medicine in 2007, was elected to the City Council in 2012.

The following year he was selected mayor by the council members, making history as one of the first mayors in the nation with a background in the medical marijuana industry.

In April 2021, Sebastopol police arrested Jacob on suspicion of lewd acts and forcible penetration of a child aged 14 or 15. He was released shortly after but was required to wear a GPS device, make no contact with minors and remain in California.

The incidents occurred between March 1, 2020, and March 12, 2021, according to a criminal complaint filed by the District Attorney’s Office in April 2021.

During a preliminary hearing in March 2022, the victim testified he met Jacob on the LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr sometime in late 2019 or early 2020.

The victim was 14 years old, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

He said he told the former mayor he was under the age of 18 but they continued to correspond over text messages and send nude photos of each other.

The boy began visiting Jacob and their relationship became more sexual, he testified last year.

Their relationship ended, according to the teen, after Jacob claimed he advised his husband about their interactions and his husband disapproved.

The matter was reported to authorities sometime in 2021.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi