Steven Carter Strawn will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after a Sonoma County judge handed down a 50 years to life sentence yesterday for a 2024 shooting in a busy Santa Rosa plaza parking lot that ended with two men in handcuffs at the scene.
Strawn, 43, was convicted by a jury on November 10, 2025, of two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with an assault weapon, possession of an assault weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon, prosecutors said. A judge ordered him to serve 50 years to life yesterday, according to The Mercury News.
How the Dutton Plaza shooting unfolded
The gunfire broke out on September 28, 2024, at Dutton Plaza near Dutton Avenue and Sebastopol Road after what investigators say started as a dispute in the parking lot. Witnesses told officers that a car pulled away as shots were fired and that nearby buildings were struck. The rifle allegedly jammed after several rounds, and officers later found the weapon in an open trunk.
Police and local media first reported the arrests in October 2024, when officers announced that two Santa Rosa men had been detained in connection with the shooting, as reported by KSRO.
Conviction and co-defendant's sentence
Jurors found Strawn guilty on all counts at the end of his trial, which concluded with the November 2025 verdict. On the stand, Strawn testified that an unidentified third person was actually responsible, according to prosecutors. Authorities say no victims were struck by the gunfire.
His co-defendant, Jared Ambrose, was previously convicted on related weapons charges and received a four year, eight month prison term, court records show, per The Mercury News.
Three strikes and what it means
Prosecutors said Strawn had multiple prior convictions that counted as "strikes," which significantly raised the stakes at sentencing. Under California law, defendants with two or more prior serious or violent felony convictions can face an indeterminate 25 years to life term on a new felony, a structure that helped drive the decades-long punishment in this case. For background on how the rules work, see California Courts.
The lengthy sentence brings legal closure to the Dutton Plaza shooting in Sonoma County, wrapping up a case that moved from late 2024 arrests to a jury conviction in November 2025 and, finally, sentencing in March 2026. It also underscores how weapons enhancements and prior strikes can quickly turn a single incident in a parking lot into a lifetime in prison.
