By Susana Jurado
SACRAMENTO – There are all sorts of weapons defendants here in Sacramento County Superior Court have been accused of using to cause mayhem, injury and death: handguns, rifles, shotguns, knives, swords.
But the weapon of choice that made the docket last week was a lowly saw.
The court last Wednesday heard details of a confrontation July 5 between two women—an ex-girlfriend and a current fiancée of the same man, which led to defendant Kristine Renae Coleman throwing the saw at the head of her ex-boyfriend’s fiancée, Clarissa Dough.
And then, a fistfight.
Apparently, according to court records, Coleman allegedly committed a felony breaking into a storage facility belonging to her ex-boyfriend Zamone Dough.
Clarissa Dough confronted Coleman about trespassing, who, she said, responded by flinging the saw at her head. The victim received a deep wound as a result of that attack, and started to bleed. Then, they both began to physically fight, throwing punches until the authorities arrived on the scene.
Coleman, after extended argument by the prosecutor and defense attorney, eventually pleaded guilty and was released that same day with five years’ probation, 180 days county jail time or sheriff’s work project, home detention and two restraining orders placed against her from the victims she attacked.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Scott L Tedmon ruled on the case in Department 60 with prosecutor Renishta Lal sitting in on behalf of the District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutor Lal described the bloody scene from the police report detailing what Coleman had done with the saw, noting, “The victim sustained a deep laceration approximately one inch in length and one centimeter deep. The laceration was red and had dried blood on the rim of the cut, she had dried blood all over her ears and down to her collarbone area.
The arraignment began with Assistant Public Defender Samantha Ting arguing that the offer—the one eventually agreed upon—should be considered by the court.
APD Ting described Coleman’s clean record, and her difficult work as a caregiver for many years. She painted a picture of a dedicated mother and selfless caretaker who specifically works with special needs patients, while still taking care of three children, one of which is also special needs.
“She has worked for the past 10 years as a caregiver in some capacity either in in-home care or she also worked at a day program for special needs adults,” Ting said, adding that Coleman has not only a 17-year-old special needs son, but also a 13-year-old and an eight-year-old. “Her rap sheet doesn’t show any arrests or convictions; it does show applications to elder care.”
The public defender said that when “Ms. Dough came at her; she was fearful for her own safety because Ms. Dough had been violent with her in the past. She threw what was in her hand, she didn’t realize that it was a saw at the time, but it was in self-defense.”
Defense counsel also argued that there were no photos of the lock that was allegedly picked by the defendant Coleman, and that, in fact, Coleman did have consent to be there.
Prosecutor Lal opposed the plea bargain and wanted to keep the bail at a set price. She disputed that Coleman in her statement at the scene did not say anything about how the victim “attacked her or did anything towards her.”
The DDA said the victim, instead, claimed, “When I confronted her (Coleman) she threw a saw at my head—as soon as she did that, I grabbed her and we began fighting.”
Moreover, Lal quoted from a statement made by Zamone Dough, as he tells about seeing his fiancée after the horrific incident, describing the scene as “blood gushing down her face and she was bleeding everywhere from being hit by the saw.”
The prosecutor also said that many of the items from the storage facility were, indeed, missing, including an X-Box game system. When the authorities arrived, Zamone Dough showed them the lock that was cut and admitted to finding Coleman already inside by the time they reached the storage unit.
Public Defender Ting fired back, explaining Coleman had every right to be afraid because she was put in a position where “she had multiple (people) coming towards her.”
Ting then said there was information that another person was at the facility and requested more time to investigate who this person is, because they could help provide a clearer picture of what went on that day.
With that, Coleman pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to five years’ probation and work project.
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