Andre Byik

Chico Enterprise-Record

Patrick Feaster, the former Paradise police officer convicted of involuntary manslaughter for an on-duty shooting, was sentenced Friday to 180 days in jail and three years of probation.

Butte County Superior Court Judge James Reilley handed down the sentence following a jury’s guilty verdict in Feaster’s involuntary manslaughter trial in October.

Following Reilley’s ruling, Feaster was escorted into custody by bailiffs to serve his jail term at Butte County Jail in Oroville.

The former officer had faced up to five years in jail. He did not address the court during sentencing.

In granting Feaster’s application for probation, the judge said Feaster had no prior criminal record, his crime was committed in unusual and “bizarre” circumstances that are unlikely to occur again, and he appears willing to abide by the terms of probation.

Further, Reilley said it was his judgment that Feaster has shown remorse for his actions.

A jury found Feaster guilty Oct. 18 of felony involuntary manslaughter stemming from the death last year of 26-year-old Andrew Thomas.

Feaster shot Thomas in the neck just after midnight Nov. 26, 2015, after Thomas attempted to climb out of a Toyota 4Runner that struck a median and overturned on Pearson Road in Paradise. Feaster told a commanding officer at the scene he had an accidental discharge, about 11 minutes after the commanding officer arrived.

An occupant in the SUV, Darien Ehorn, 23, was killed after being thrown from the overturned vehicle. Thomas died from complications stemming from his gunshot wound Dec. 19, 2015, at Enloe Medical Center in Chico.

Outside of court Friday, Thomas’ mother, Victoria Rose Woodward, said while she would have preferred a maximum sentence, the outcome was a victory for holding police officers accountable for their crimes.

Woodward said she will continue to remember her son and the good times she shared with him.

“My life is forever changed,” Woodward said. “The grieving will continue. That doesn’t stop. That empty spot will always be there.”

Feaster’s defense attorney, Paul Goyette, who argued at trial that the shooting was a tragic accident and not a crime, said he wasn’t surprised by the judge’s ruling because it was what was recommended by probation officials.

Goyette added, however, that he did not believe holding Feaster in custody for any amount of time was warranted, considering the circumstances of the case.

He said Feaster intends to appeal the jury’s guilty verdict.

District Attorney Mike Ramsey, who prosecuted the case, said he was disappointed that Feaster was placed on probation.

Ramsey argued for Feaster to be sentenced to four years in jail, saying the shooting was not an accidental tragedy but an incident where a trained police officer shot and killed an unarmed man who posed no threat.

Ramsey said at trial that Feaster had completed multiple sessions of firearms training as a police officer, and he violated that training when he unjustifiably shot and killed Thomas.

Prosecutors never argued that Feaster intended to shoot Thomas. Instead, it was argued the former officer was criminally negligent and reckless when he drew his Glock .45-caliber handgun and pulled the trigger.