Santa Rosa man gets 12-year sentence in stalking case

A Santa Rosa man was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years and 4 months in prison after pleading no contest to stalking an ex-girlfriend two years ago.

Jesse Boatman, 42, was convicted of stalking and making criminal threats after entering his plea in June, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office.

He had a prior strike under California’s three-strikes law following an earlier conviction of a 2012 domestic violence assault involving the same victim.

“This was a pattern of conduct by the defendant that was very menacing and frightening. The victim in this case should be commended for reaching out to law enforcement so that the defendant could be held accountable for his actions,” District Attorney Jill Ravitch said in a statement.

Boatman was on parole when he stalked and threatened to kill the victim on Sept. 5, 2019.

The two rekindled their relationship around that time before the victim ended communication with Boatman. He sent threatening text messages before going to her home and sending pictures of its exterior and a bloody knife, according to the DA’s office.

The victim fled and was not home by that point.

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