No work furlough for Griesa
• A jury convicted former Marysville towing company manager Joseph Griesa of sending sexual text messages to a teenager.
• On Aug. 27, Griesa was sentenced to 270 days in jail.
• A Yuba County Sherrif's spokeswoman said Griesa is not eligible for work furlough, which would have required him to spend his nights in jail, but keep his job.
Former Marysville towing company manager Joseph Griesa will not be allowed to participate in a work furlough program when he reports to jail today, a Yuba County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman said.
The program would have allowed Griesa to keep his job and spend nights in jail.
A jury last year convicted Griesa of sending sexual text messages to a 17-year-old female employee but deadlocked on more serious felony charges.
On Aug. 27, visiting Judge Ersel L. Edwards sentenced Griesa to 270 days in jail, ordering him to report today. The judge also imposed five years probation and ordered Griesa to register as a sex offender.
"Although the sheriff (Steve Durfor) has the authority to make an exception and grant work furlough, he chose not to do so in this case. Mr. Griesa will be housed in the jail for the duration of his sentence," said spokeswoman Melanie Oakes.
"My understanding is that work furlough is not available to inmates who are PC 290 registrants," said District Attorney Pat McGrath, referring to the sex offender registry.
Griesa's Sacramento attorney, Kenneth Rosenfeld, said he has not heard of registrants being excluded. Durfor's decision "reeks of politics," he said.
"I'm sure 100 inmates get it every month," he said about work furlough.
Rosenfeld said he learned of the decision early Monday afternoon and was trying to contact Durfor.
Exclusion from the program would be a financial hardship on Griesa's family, he said.
Rosenfeld said earlier he plans to appeal the sex registry part of Griesa's sentence. The registry "net" is being "cast so wide" that it puts Griesa in the same position as a child rapist, he said.
Edwards reduced charges that Griesa concealed two teenage runaway girls from their parents from felonies to misdemeanors.
Jurors deadlocked on charges that Griesa physically and sexually assaulted the 17-year-old in his office but convicted him on felony charges of not paying unemployment insurance taxes for girls who worked at the towing company. Griesa paid the girls in cash, according to trial testimony.
CONTACT Rob Young at 749-4710 or at ryoung@appealdemocrat.com.
