WOODLAND, Calif. — A Yolo County judge on Tuesday declined to waive a mandatory $150 restitution fund fine, even after a woman explicitly stated in court that she could not afford to pay it.
On Sept. 30, 2025, at the Yolo County Courthouse, the woman was charged with a misdemeanor for petty theft at a Marshall’s retail store in Woodland. Deputy Public Defender Danielle Craig told the court that her client wished to plead no contest to the charges.
The judge asked the accused if she understood the maximum punishment for petty theft could be six months in county jail. He explained that her no contest plea would be treated the same as a guilty plea in criminal court.
The woman was sentenced to one year of summary probation, an eight-day jail term, and ordered to stay away from the Marshall’s store where the theft occurred. Her property will also be subject to search for stolen items.
Craig told the court her client lives in Alameda County and requested that the Minute Order reflect no objection to alternative sentencing, preferably through the county’s work program.
Probation Officer Flores said that if the accused sought a reciprocal agreement to serve the sentence through an alternative program, approval would have to come from the sheriff’s department in coordination with Alameda County.
Flores also confirmed that the accused had already completed four days of custody credit. The judge ruled that she must serve the remaining time either in county jail or by enrolling in an alternative program within eight to 10 weeks. He granted a “turn-in date” at the Yolo County Jail if she fails to enroll in an alternative sentence program.
The judge imposed a $150 restitution fund fine and a $150 probation fee. Combined with other fines and fees, the woman’s total financial obligation reached $917.
Craig emphasized that her client could not afford to pay. Although employed, she said the accused had other financial obligations that made the payments impossible.
“I will waive all other fines and fees, but the restitution fund fine of $150 is mandatory,” the judge said. He added that an inability to pay did not amount to a compelling circumstance.
The woman remains responsible for paying the $150 restitution fund fine and must comply with the stay-away order from the Marshall’s store in Woodland.
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