How did a jury in Mendo decide on the man accused of three carjackings in one day?

(1) Attempted carjacking by a woman and her two children in the McDonald's parking lot in downtown Ukiah on the morning of June 24 through the personal use of a knife;

(2) Attempted carjacking against the same woman and children in the Pear Tree Shopping Center parking lot, again by personal use of a knife the same day after she escaped his first attempt across the street; And

(3) a completed carjacking by the driver of a patient transport vehicle waiting to pick up a client at the dialysis clinic in South Orchard, with the defendant personally using the same knife on the same day (after his first two attempts to grab the other car). up the road had failed).

All three convictions were recorded as felonies.

The law enforcement agencies that examined and evaluated the evidence presented at trial were the Ukiah Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the State Attorney's Office Bureau of Investigations, and the California Department of Justice's Latent Fingerprint Unit.

Special thanks go to the two adult victims for their cooperation with the law enforcement investigation, their appearance before the jury, and their compelling testimony at trial.

The prosecutor who presented the People's evidence in court was District Attorney David Eyster.

Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Keith Faulder presided over the three-day trial.

After the jury was excused, another hearing was scheduled for October 11, 2024 at 10 a.m. in Division A of the Ukiah Courthouse to allow the prosecutor to present additional evidence not heard by the jury to be heard by the prosecutor to substantiate the accusations made by the defendant. Three crimes in one are a serious case.

The defendant's case will be referred to the Mendocino County Adult Probation Department for a background study and sentencing recommendation. Additionally, a sentencing hearing date will be set after the evidentiary hearing on October 11.

Defendant Hietala remains incarcerated at the Low Gap Jail Facility. His release on bail was converted to a suspension of bail after the verdicts were announced and entered into the record.