NEWS RELEASE
September 17, 2021
District Attorney Maggie Fleming announced that yesterday a Humboldt County jury found Todd William Gonsalves of Eureka guilty of attempted criminal threats (Penal Code Section [PC] 664/422), possession of a firearm by a felon (PC 29800) and violation of a protective order (PC 273.6).
The case arose from events on May 20, 2021, when Gonsalves encountered his girlfriend in a Eureka parking lot. According to Jane Doe’s initial statement to the Eureka Police Department (EPD), recorded on a body-worn camera by an EPD Officer and shared with the jury, the defendant approached her vehicle and threatened to harm her with a firearm.
Mr. Gonsalves will be sentenced on October 28, 2021. His two prior “strike” convictions - lewd acts with a minor (PC 288.5(a)) in 2007 and criminal threats in 2016 (PC 422) - increase his maximum possible sentence.
Deputy District Attorney Jessica Acosta prosecuted the case with assistance from District Attorney Investigator Lynne Soderberg. Deputy Public Defender Ben McLaughlin represented Mr. Gonsalves.