On Monday we learned of a brutal murder that occurred in rural Sonoma County, near Petaluma, involving a suspect who was screaming outside a home and trying to force his way inside. Hours earlier, Sonoma County deputies had contact with the man, who was being kicked out of a high-end hotel in Forestville for acting strangely.
Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies were called to the Farmhouse Inn on River Road in Forestville Saturday morning around 11:30 am, as the Press Democrat reports, after hotel staff reported an "unwanted guest" causing a disturbance.
The Farmhouse Inn is a 25-room, five-star boutique hotel with a well regarded restaurant — that previously held a Michelin star — where rooms go for upwards of $600 per night in peak season.
The man, identified as 44-year-old Adrian Yanez of Fairfield, had reportedly groped a server at the hotel's restaurant, and had been pacing and dancing around the night before, wearing a construction vest and dirty boots, according to the Sebastopol Times. Hotel staff also said that Yanez had been pantomiming a gun shooting at staffers.
Deputies say they questioned Yanez, conducted sobriety tests, and determined that he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and though he was acting "strangely," he was not acting in a violent manner.
The hotel kicked Yanez off the property at 1:24 pm, and deputies told him if he returned he would be committing the crime of trespassing.
"Ultimately, he had not committed any crime, and he wasn't under the influence of anything," said sheriff's spokesperson Rob Dillon, to the Sebastopol Times. "There's no legal authority for us to hold him or detain him."
Within two hours, deputies were called to a rural residence on Carroll Road in the Valley Ford area, on a report of a man making threats and trying to force his way into the home.
"The suspect... was reported to be screaming at the two family members [inside] and attempting to break down the door. One family member began locking doors and windows, and the other person hid in the home," the sheriff's department said in a statement.
By the time deputies arrived, Yanez had broken into the home and bludgeoned a man, identified as 70+-year-old Michael Molland, to death with a baseball bat. Deputies arrested Yanez outside the home without incident.
It's unclear if Yanez knew the occupants of the home, and the sheriff's department's violent crime detectives are trying to determine a motive.
The public has continued to ask questions about the case, and why deputies didn't detain Yanez during their first contact with him.
When asked if an internal investigation would occur, Dillon told the Press Democrat "no," and said, "the deputies did nothing wrong." He added, "In fact, they went above and beyond to determine whether or not a crime was committed and how to best deal with the situation."
Yanez has been charged with murder and burglary, and he is scheduled for arraignment on November 25, per the Press Democrat.