A 41-year-old woman who did a sit-down protest at a Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting has had a face-off with the courts, and the courts finally blinked. On November 7th of 2024 Jenny O’Connell Nowain, a frequent vocal critic of some members of the board, sat down in the Supervisors Chambers in front of the dais and refused to move while holding a sign critical of Patrick Jones. A recess was called, the chambers were cleared and she was picked up by deputies and arrested. In December a jury found nNowain guilty of a misdemeanor charge of disturbance of a public meeting. The jury was hung on the other charge, which was resisting, delaying or obstructing a peace officer. The DA’s Office declined to refile that charge and recommended probation and a requirement that Nowain not disrupt any future meetings. She said publicly that she could not comply with those terms and she could have gotten a 6 month jail sentence Wednesday. The judge sentenced her to 3 months and when she was being booked into jail she brought her bag of medications, including anti-seizure drugs. She was quickly released with an ankle monitor and an order to serve 45 days of house arrest.
-Steve Gibson