A Rohnert Park man has been sentenced to eight years in state prison for a domestic violence attack that left his girlfriend with a broken right femur that required surgery. Prosecutors say 49-year-old John Steven Lombardo assaulted the woman on April 24, 2025, after an argument in his apartment, and that it was apartment staff, not Lombardo, who contacted emergency services. The case was pushed to felony-level charges because of the severity of the injury.
According to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office and reporting by SFGATE, Lombardo pleaded no contest to two felony counts: domestic violence causing great bodily injury and violation of an order of protection, and was handed an eight-year state prison term. Prosecutors said Lombardo had a 2023 misdemeanor domestic violence conviction; while on probation in that case he was later convicted of methamphetamine possession and repeatedly violated restraining orders. Those prior offenses, officials said, were key factors in the decision to seek state prison time rather than probation.
Prosecutors also pointed to Lombardo’s conduct after his arrest. “While in custody, Lombardo sent the victim a letter, addressed to her dog, in violation of a protective order,” prosecutors said, according to SFGATE. The letter, they added, asked the victim to contact the judge and falsely describe the incident as an accident. The District Attorney’s Office said that pattern of violations, combined with the seriousness of the injury, justified the eight-year sentence.
How the charges add up to eight years
California law treats corporal injury that causes a traumatic condition as a serious felony, and a finding of great bodily injury can bring additional prison time. Penal Code 273.5 sets penalties for corporal injury to a spouse or cohabitant, and 12022.7 outlines the great bodily injury enhancement that can add three to five years. When those enhancements are combined with prior convictions, a single violent episode that breaks a femur can result in a multi-year state prison term.
Where victims can turn locally
County agencies and advocates direct survivors to the Family Justice Center Sonoma County in Santa Rosa and other local programs that offer counseling, legal help and safety planning; the Family Justice Center coordinates multiple partner agencies for wraparound services (Family Justice Center Sonoma County). The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office maintains a Family Violence page with hotline numbers and links to shelters (Sonoma County Sheriff), and the District Attorney’s Victim Services Division provides support to people navigating criminal cases (Sonoma County DA). Anyone in immediate danger should call 911, and non-emergency victim resources are available through these local hotlines and centers.
