Pig’s blood vandalism: Santa Rosa homeowner 'afraid’ of retribution

A Santa Rosa woman told a Sonoma County judge Tuesday that she was “afraid” when she learned her ex-husband would testify on behalf of a former Minneapolis police officer believed responsible for the 2020 death of George Floyd, which had triggered nationwide calls for police reform.

The woman, who was identified only as Jane Doe, testified Tuesday during a preliminary hearing in Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa for four defendants accused of vandalizing Doe’s home, as well as a public art piece in downtown Santa Rosa, in 2021.

Jane Doe told the judge she feared that a not guilty verdict in the murder trial of disgraced police officer Derek Chauvin, for whom her ex-husband was acting as an expert witness, would lead to retribution on her home on Country Manor Drive.

In the early hours of April 17, 2021, she said she woke up to a group of people spreading a substance that turned out to be pig’s blood on the outside of her home. The group also left a pig’s head on her porch.

Now, two years and $35,000 in repairs later, she said, her “rough road” to recovery still continues.

“To this day, I don’t feel safe in my home,” Jane Doe said.

She was the first witness to take the stand in the preliminary hearing of Kristen Aumoithe, Amber Lucas, Colin Metcalfe and Christina Henry. who are each charged with felony conspiracy and vandalism related to the two incidents that April morning.

Judge John Behnke is presiding over the hearing, which will determine whether the four will stand trial. Testimony is scheduled to conclude Wednesday.

Prosecutors and investigators say the four, who have each pleaded not guilty, smeared pig’s blood on the “Agraria” hand sculpture in Santa Rosa Plaza; and the former Santa Rosa home of Barry Brodd, an ex-Santa Rosa police officer who had become an expert in police procedure.

Doe testified Brodd hasn’t lived at the Country Manor home since March 2020.

Chauvin, who was later found guilty of killing Floyd, is now serving a 21-year sentence in federal prison.

Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020 sparked protests that took place locally, as well as nationally and internationally, against police brutality and increased demands for significant police reform and oversight.

Viral footage from that day showed Chauvin pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes even as Floyd gasped that he couldn’t breathe.

Metcalfe and Henry are accused of smearing pig’s blood on Brodd’s former home, while Lucas and Aumoithe are accused of drenching the “Agraria” in pig’s blood.

Investigators say Aumoithe bought the pig’s blood from Sonoma County Meat Company. The source of the pig’s head was not identified Tuesday.

According to court documents, Aumoithe sent texts detailing a plan in which the participants would wear “backpacks with the blood” and who, at some point, would “toss the containers into a mall dumpster.”

Prosecutors also accused Lucas of encouraging others in the group chat where the incident was allegedly planned by telling them they were “being amazing at locating people.”

Santa Rosa police officer Nolan Cleall investigated the vandalism to the Country Manor property and testified Tuesday that an anonymous tip from the meat company ultimately led investigators to surveillance footage and a receipt showing Aumoithe had purchased the blood.

This eventually led investigators to communications between the defendants, implicating them in the vandalisms, Cleall said.

He testified that Metcalfe wanted to target Brodd’s former home and at least Lucas wanted no part of that. There appeared to be a disconnect between the four with one or two of them upset Metcalfe tried to take charge.

“He had a plan for how he wanted to handle that,” Cleall said.

Evidence presented

The prosecution presented surveillance footage Tuesday showing three or four people as they approached Doe’s home. That was followed by photos of the damage.

Omar Figueroa and Vincent Barriento, the respective attorneys for Lucas and Aumoithe, both emphasized Tuesday that the people in the surveillance footage were masked and Doe had not positively identified them.

Also presented during the day’s proceedings were social media conversations detailing how the defendants prepared for the morning of April 17.

Authorities, according to court testimony, also uncovered an April 13 conversation between Aumoithe and Lucas, who was using the screen name, “Amber Activist.” The conversation revealed how a specific home was identified.

Shorly after, planning involved a handful of people in a Signal chat group discussing ways to verify they’d found Brodd’s home. They conducted surveillance and referenced a woman they saw taking out trash, wondering if they could confirm she was Brodd’s wife.

For much of Tuesday’s hearing Figueroa and Barriento stressed that their clients never encouraged anyone to vandalize the home.

Metcalfe’s attorney, Gabe Quinnan, countered that the April 13 conversation showed Lucas expressed interest in vandalizing a home.

According to the conversation, Lucas asked: “Whose house we (expletive) up?”

Aumoithe responded “Barry ... and ruin his whole life and career.”

Santa Rosa police Sgt. Ryan Hepp provided testimony on social media conversations between Lucas and Aumoithe in the aftermath of the vandalism.

At first the women were ecstatic that the events of April 17 had gotten so much attention, including a Nixle alert from the Police Department. Their moods changed, though, when it became clear a felony had been committed.

“It shifted to concern and trying to communicate ways they were going to protect themselves,” Hepp testified.

During cross examination, Hepp told Figueroa there was no evidence Lucas was at Jane Doe’s home on April 17. He then told Barriento Aumoithe had not participated in the group chat when the home was discussed.

Tesimony showed cleanup of the “Agraria” and its surroundings cost $6,700.

Following Tuesday’s testimony, Barriento told The Press Democrat he wants to identify the itemized cleanup costs in order to lower Ausmoithe’s charge to a misdemeanor.

This would allow her to pursue a misdemeanor diversion, which means she could avoid trial and have the charges dismissed or erased by completing a court-ordered program.

A fifth defendant, Rowan Dalbey, initially faced similar felony offenses involving the “Agraria” sculpture but, in March 2022, the charges were reduced to misdemeanors.

Prosecutors said Dalbey made a sign reading “oink oink” that was left by the sculpture after it had been vandalized.

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