A former Oakland police officer unexpectedly plead guilty to felony assault on a girlfriend in Sonoma last year. In exchange for his sudden plea, the Sonoma County District Attorney’s office dropped two additional felony counts and a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence against Christopher Del Rosario.His October 17 sentencing could earn him up to 19 years in jail.
But a judge has indicated Del Rosario is likely to serve only a single year in county jail, as “the charges that he pled to captured the seriousness of his actions”, according to Deputy District Attorney Christine Cook.
In addition to the assault, Del Rosario brandished a weapon at two good Samaritans who attempted to interfere when they spotted the woman in distress on Napa Street. As Del Rosario struggled to force the woman into his car, the witnesses rushed forward and quickly found themselves facing the business end of a semi-automatic firearm. Del Rosario abandoned the abduction effort and fled to a local hotel, where both he and the weapon were located in short order.
Del Rosario, an Oakland officer since 1993 and a sergeant since 2003, is no stranger to trouble. In 2001 and 2002 he was accused of making homophobic slurs while on duty, and in 1995 he was convicted of pointing a pistol at a Livermore man, discharging the weapon into the air, and leading officers on a high-speed chase. He has since retired from the Oakland Police Department.