Man facing sexual abuse charges killed by SMART train north of Rohnert Park
SMART train fatal crashes
Seven people have been struck and killed by SMART trains since the rail system began operating in August 2017.
Jan. 31, 2018: Marion Harrison, 64, of Santa Rosa was standing on the tracks when she was struck and killed by a train near Hearn Avenue. Her death was ruled a suicide.
Aug. 13, 2018: Marcia Eleanor Fisher, 72, was hit by a SMART train at the Hamilton Station in Novato. Her death was ruled a suicide.
Aug. 30, 2018: Joseph De Frates, 29, was wearing headphones and looking down when he walked into the path of a northbound train on Golf Course Drive in Rohnert Park. His death was ruled an accident.
Nov. 16, 2018: Michael Rosenberg, 68, died in an early-morning crash when he was hit by a southbound train near the Hearn Avenue pedestrian crossing. Authorities said he had his back to the train and did not respond to the engineer’s horn, leading officials to rule his death a suicide.
June 27, 2019: Jimmie Joy Qualls, 30, went under lowered gates on Golf Course Drive in Rohnert Park in an apparent attempt to beat a northbound train. Although the investigation is ongoing, officials believe her death was accidental.
June 28, 2019: Gary Raymond Danning, 66, of Santa Rosa, rode his bicycle into the path of a train crossing Golf Course Drive near Commerce Boulevard. He had a hood on and his head down, and may have been wearing headphones. Although the investigation is ongoing, officials believe his death was accidental.
July 9, 2019: Keith Marcum, 68, of Rohnert Park, was lying on the tracks when he was hit by the SMART train near Scenic Drive north of Rohnert Park.
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Resources For Help
North Bay Suicide Prevention 24-hour hotline: 855-587-6373
NAMI Sonoma County warmline: 707-527-6655
Sonoma County Psychiatric Emergency Services: 707-576-8181
For information on Sonoma County support groups, call 707-527-6655 or go to namisonomacounty.org
A Rohnert Park man charged in May with sexually and physically abusing disabled children and adults at his in-home care operation was struck and killed by a SMART train Tuesday night.
Authorities think Keith Marcum, 68, took his own life, making him the third fatality on the passenger rail line in less than two weeks. Video from the train showed Marcum lying on the tracks moments before it approached him at about 9:30 p.m., Sonoma County Sheriff’s officials said in a statement Wednesday.
The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit train was traveling north when the conductor spotted the man on the tracks roughly 15 yards south of the Scenic Avenue crossing north of Rohnert Park, said Jennifer McGill, SMART chief of police. The conductor pulled the emergency brake, sounded the train horn and flashed lights before hitting Marcum, she said. Trains in that area run at speeds of up to 79 mph.
“From our perspective at this time, the man was intentionally trying to get hit,” McGill said. “This is another case of someone having a clear intention of taking their own life.”
Gabby Trejo, a Scenic Avenue resident close to the SMART tracks, said the quiet rural neighborhood was disrupted Tuesday night by a blaring train horn.
“We thought that was strange. It usually doesn’t make any noise,” Trejo said of the train. “We just let it go, and then after a little while we saw a bunch of flashlights on the side because it was super dark. Then we saw a body that was covered. It was crazy.”
For 30 years, Marcum operated an in-home care facility for mentally and physically disabled adults and children at his Brenda Way home. Two months ago, he was arrested by Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety officers after three people accused him of sexual and physical abuse spanning several years.
Rohnert Park police started an investigation in April after the first victim, a former patient at the home, came forward accusing Marcum of repeated sexual and physical abuse that began about 10 years ago. Two more people reported similar allegations to police following Marcum’s arrest.
Sonoma County prosecutors filed 14 felony charges against Marcum in May based on witness interviews, police said. Court records show they included counts of sodomy, forced lewd acts on a child, continuous sexual abuse of a child and possessing child pornography.
Marcum was released from the county jail after posting $765,000 bail. Three patients living in Marcum’s house were removed at the time of his arrest, after police searched his home and uncovered 600 images of child pornography, Astley said.
The case against Marcum will be suspended, said Aaron Johnson, deputy chief at the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety. However, he said, any additional victims that come forward will be connected to necessary services.
“There are two sides of it. You want the justice for the victims but you also want to make sure that they now get the services and support they need,” Johnson said. “It is hard because this individual (Marcum) isn’t going to go through the judicial process.”
Marcum’s Santa Rosa attorney Jane Gaskell did not return calls Wednesday for comment.
During the investigation, police determined Marcum’s certifications as a clinical psychologist were fraudulent, said Sgt. Keith Astley, lead officer on the case. Investigators also reached more witnesses that gave police additional accounts detailing the abuse that occurred in Marcum’s home, he said.
SMART train fatal crashes
Seven people have been struck and killed by SMART trains since the rail system began operating in August 2017.
Jan. 31, 2018: Marion Harrison, 64, of Santa Rosa was standing on the tracks when she was struck and killed by a train near Hearn Avenue. Her death was ruled a suicide.
Aug. 13, 2018: Marcia Eleanor Fisher, 72, was hit by a SMART train at the Hamilton Station in Novato. Her death was ruled a suicide.
Aug. 30, 2018: Joseph De Frates, 29, was wearing headphones and looking down when he walked into the path of a northbound train on Golf Course Drive in Rohnert Park. His death was ruled an accident.
Nov. 16, 2018: Michael Rosenberg, 68, died in an early-morning crash when he was hit by a southbound train near the Hearn Avenue pedestrian crossing. Authorities said he had his back to the train and did not respond to the engineer’s horn, leading officials to rule his death a suicide.
June 27, 2019: Jimmie Joy Qualls, 30, went under lowered gates on Golf Course Drive in Rohnert Park in an apparent attempt to beat a northbound train. Although the investigation is ongoing, officials believe her death was accidental.
June 28, 2019: Gary Raymond Danning, 66, of Santa Rosa, rode his bicycle into the path of a train crossing Golf Course Drive near Commerce Boulevard. He had a hood on and his head down, and may have been wearing headphones. Although the investigation is ongoing, officials believe his death was accidental.
July 9, 2019: Keith Marcum, 68, of Rohnert Park, was lying on the tracks when he was hit by the SMART train near Scenic Drive north of Rohnert Park.
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Resources For Help
North Bay Suicide Prevention 24-hour hotline: 855-587-6373
NAMI Sonoma County warmline: 707-527-6655
Sonoma County Psychiatric Emergency Services: 707-576-8181
For information on Sonoma County support groups, call 707-527-6655 or go to namisonomacounty.org