Vacaville Man Pleads No Contest to Assaulting Police Officer, Faces Over Seven Years in Prison

A 31-year-old Vacaville man, Terrence Travon Mitchell, pleaded no contest on Thursday to assaulting a police officer with likely great bodily injury and resisting arrest on New Year’s Eve 2022. Mitchell, who appeared in Solano County Superior Court for a previously scheduled preliminary hearing setting, entered no-contest pleas to five felony counts. Judge William J. Pendergast dismissed seven other charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, making a terrorist threat, and threatening a public officer.

During the hearing, Mitchell withdrew his previous not-guilty plea but did not admit guilt to the single count of assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of resisting arrest, and two counts of battery on a custodial officer. However, his no-contest plea indicated that he would offer no defense. The judge immediately found him guilty and scheduled his sentencing for July 30 at the Justice Center in Fairfield.

According to official court records, Mitchell could face a maximum sentence of seven years and four months. He was represented by well-known Fairfield criminal defense attorney Denis A. Honeychurch, while Deputy District Attorney Alison Kennedy represented the DA’s Office.

The incident occurred when Vacaville Police received a call about a disturbance at an apartment on Markham Avenue around 11:30 p.m. on December 31. A woman reported that her boyfriend, Mitchell, had attempted to gain access to her home and may have been intoxicated. Upon arrival, officers found Mitchell outside the apartment. Despite instructions to get on the ground, Mitchell did not comply. As an officer approached him, an altercation ensued, resulting in the violent assault of the officer, who sustained a significant head injury and was subsequently hospitalized.

Mitchell was arrested in the 4000 block of Plumas Court and booked into Solano County Jail on January 1 at approximately 2:30 a.m. His bail has been set at $200,000. Prior to this incident, Mitchell faced charges filed in August, including assault on a custodial officer with great bodily injury, resisting arrest, a probation violation, and misdemeanor petty theft, with a total bail amount of $101,000. He is currently in custody at the Stanton Correctional Facility in Fairfield.