A Rohnert Park woman already facing 19 felony counts for allegedly stealing more than $18,000 in donations meant for a local dog rescue is now accused of a new crime: forging a doctor's note to avoid prison time. Jennifer Chenier is charged with one felony count of preparing false evidence, with prosecutors alleging she submitted a falsified letter while pursuing mental health diversion in her ongoing theft case.
According to The Press Democrat, Chenier is accused of submitting a fake doctor's note in an effort to seek treatment instead of incarceration in the felony case stemming from the alleged theft of donations intended for Dogwood Animal Rescue. Sonoma County Deputy District Attorney Adam McBride wrote that the letter claimed the defendant was receiving treatment and provided a diagnosis for the defendant, according to the outlet's reporting.
How the Dogwood Donations Went Missing
The case traces back to early 2025, when Dogwood Animal Rescue — a volunteer organization focused on rescuing animals, providing medical care and finding them homes — discovered that donor checks mailed to its rented mailbox at a UPS Store on Fulton Road in Santa Rosa had never arrived. Volunteers learned the checks had instead been deposited into someone else's bank account, the same outlet reported at the time.
Chenier worked at that UPS Store and had access to the nonprofit's mailbox, the paper's earlier coverage noted. Investigators said they recovered 30 stolen donation checks worth more than $18,000, along with other stolen mail, after searching Chenier's home and vehicle. Prosecutors ultimately charged her with 19 counts, including forgery and grand theft, in connection with the alleged scheme.
A Dozen Supporters Showed Up in Blue Sweatshirts
Dogwood volunteers have attended Chenier's court appearances regularly since February 2025, often wearing blue Dogwood sweatshirts, The Press Democrat's report noted. A dozen volunteers turned out again for her Nov. 5 court appearance; prosecutors filed the new false-evidence charge that week.
Chenier was remanded into custody without bail at that hearing, but was later released after the Sonoma County Public Defender's Office argued she regularly attended hearings and had not been charged with anything warranting pretrial detention. Attorney Kristin Long wrote that Chenier is not charged with any crimes of violence and that there are no allegations she made threats against anyone or would pose a risk of physical violence if released, per the same account. Judge Robert LaForge ordered Chenier to return Dec. 17 for further discussions, and proceedings remain ongoing in all of her theft cases.
Target Theft Charges Added While Out on Bail
The false-evidence charge is not Chenier's only new legal trouble. In November 2025, prosecutors filed six additional misdemeanor petty-theft counts over incidents alleged to have occurred between July and November of that year — allegedly while Chenier was on pretrial release in the felony forgery case, according to a separate Press Democrat report. Rohnert Park DPS arrested Chenier on Nov. 11 on suspicion of taking jewelry, clothing and household goods from a Target in Rohnert Park without scanning them at self-checkout. Santa Rosa police arrested her on Nov. 18 in connection with thefts at a Santa Rosa Target.
Those allegations line up with a public safety alert issued by the City of Santa Rosa, which said Rohnert Park police arrested the 37-year-old on Nov. 11, 2025, for a $201.68 theft at a Target in that city, and that investigators linked her to additional thefts at that store as well as a Santa Rosa Target.
What Mental Health Diversion Means in California
Mental health diversion is a legal path that allows qualified defendants to have their cases dismissed after completing two years of treatment for conditions that may have factored into a crime, rather than facing incarceration. The option has grown increasingly common statewide — at least 41 California counties now offer some version of adult mental health courts, and participation in statewide diversion programs increased by nearly 150% in two years, according to a CBS News investigation.
That same investigation found there is no reliable data to track the statewide success of those expanded programs, leaving open questions about how well they work even as more defendants pursue them. Whether Chenier will still seek diversion, or how the new false-evidence charge might affect her case, remains to be seen as proceedings continue toward her Dec. 17 court date.
