Yolo County prosecutors are going all out to stop the release of Israel Ceja, a Winters man convicted in 2000 of repeatedly raping and abusing his then stepdaughter. Ceja is serving a 139-year state prison sentence, yet a two-commissioner panel of the Board of Parole Hearings has recommended him for release through California’s Elderly Parole process. The decision now sits on the governor’s desk, and the DA’s office says it intends to fight to keep him locked up.
In a Feb. 5 press release, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office said its prosecutors attended the virtual parole hearing and argued against the panel’s recommendation. The office recounted that Ceja married the victim’s mother in 1993 and began abusing the girl when she was 11. According to the release, a jury convicted him in 2000 on multiple counts including forcible rape, assault with a firearm, child endangerment and lewd acts. Commissioners Neil Schneider and Letizia Pinitore concluded he “no longer poses an unreasonable risk to society,” a finding the DA’s office says it will urge the governor to reject.
How elderly parole works in California
Under state law, an inmate who is at least 50 years old and has served a minimum of 20 years may qualify for the Elderly Parole Program, although certain sentences do not qualify, according to the Board of Parole Hearings. Panels are required to consider factors such as age, length of confinement, participation in prison programs and medical status when they assess whether someone is suitable for release. When the board grants parole, that decision still goes through administrative review and then gubernatorial review, which can delay any actual release for months while the state completes its required checks.
DA pushes back
As reported by ABC10, the Yolo County DA is challenging the panel’s call and urging the governor to deny parole in light of the severity of Ceja’s crimes. The county’s press release also stated that efforts to locate and notify the victim were unsuccessful. It further noted that Ceja would be required to register as a sex offender for life if he is released. Prosecutors argue that those facts, along with the original 139-year sentence, weigh heavily in favor of overturning the recommendation.
Local precedent and politics
Yolo County prosecutors have recently taken a hard line on early-release avenues in serious sex-offense cases. Local coverage last year highlighted the DA’s office opposing a compassionate-release decision that allowed another child molester to go free despite objections from victims, according to KCRA. That fight underscored how elder-parole and compassionate-release cases can quickly turn into high-profile flashpoints for victims’ advocates and prosecutors. The Ceja case is poised to attract similar scrutiny as it moves through the governor’s review.
What happens next
The panel’s recommendation now heads to the governor, who has the final word on whether to uphold or reject elderly-parole grants, according to the Board of Parole Hearings. Even if the governor agrees with the board, the decision still passes through set administrative review periods before any release can occur. If the governor overturns the recommendation, Ceja remains in custody. During the review process, the DA’s office, along with any victims who can be reached, may submit statements as the state weighs whether to make the panel’s decision final.
