On April 28, 2009, Tulare County Superior Court Judge James Hollman imposed a prison sentence of five years on 46-year-old Tom Cotta of Goshen for transportation of methamphetamine with a special allegation for a prior transportation of methamphetamine, possession of a deadly weapon, and a special allegation for committing a crime while released on bail. Cotta’s sentence also included a probation violation for a 2006 attempted false imprisonment conviction.

On October 3, 2008, Visalia Police stopped the defendant for a routine traffic stop. A usable amount of methamphetamine was discovered concealed within the defendant’s wallet. On January 13, 2009, Visalia police again stopped the defendant while riding his bicycle. The defendant was seen throwing an illegal weapon (a leather sap) and a hypodermic needle to the ground.

These cases were prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Matt Darby and investigated by Officers Jason Feierbach and Josh Pena of the Visalia Police Department.

Contact Person: Assistant District Attorney, Shani Jenkins (559) 733-6411