SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — No other reporters were in the courtroom Friday besides the ABC7 I-Team, when the first man arrested under San Francisco’s latest bait car program received a plea deal. His car burglary victims are not pleased that 27-year-old Robert Sonza is being released Friday – time served, after 11 months in jail. Sonza has a record of car break-ins, running from police, domestic violence and more.

Dan and Linda Oldiges had their rental car broken into on September 1 of last year. They came from Indiana for a wedding, and parked in this lot so they could tour Alcatraz Prison.

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Dan Oldiges: “You’re in a busy parking lot with, you know, thousands of people all over. Usually, that’s not where crime happens. It happens at late, late at night and-“
Linda Oldiges: “Not in broad daylight.”
Dan Oldiges: “Not in good areas of the town, but this is a tour site.”

They lost cash, a $1,200 iPad, a $3,500 laptop. Police arrested 27-year-old Robert Sonza that same day, after he broke into another rental car and an SFPD bait car. In San Francisco Superior Court Friday morning, Judge Harry Jacobs approved a plea deal – two years in county jail for each of three burglary counts, but the sentences run concurrently. That means, with the 11 months he’s been in jail and with good time credits, Sonza is getting out today.

The ABC7 I-Team’s Dan Noyes broke the news to the couple, Dan Oldiges saying, “Well, I can’t say it surprises me, I mean, the people of San Francisco elect these people. They support them. Yeah, I don’t know what else to say. I- to me, that’s a joke.”

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San Francisco Public Defender Anita Nabha emailed us that Sonza has completed “over 300 hours of programming in custody… working toward college credits”, and that social workers have helped him “identify further opportunities for him to access upon his release.”

A probation violation was also part of this case. In April of 2022, police spotted Sonza driving a stolen SUV used in multiple car break-ins that day.

“The police sort of trapped him,” witness Patrick Rylee said. “This is a one-way street. They trapped him down there.”

Police had Sonza in a dead-end on Union Street past Montgomery, but he sped away, took out this garage on Alta Street, sideswiped cars, and returned to the intersection where Officer Riley Bandy had just pulled up. The I-Team obtained Bandy’s body camera video from that night.

“He just headed right straight for my car and tried to run me over,” SFPD Office Riley Bandy said. “So I had to jump back into my car to avoid getting killed.”

Then, you can see Sonza back up and drive down the sidewalk to avoid police, hit this staircase, take out this Vespa. He made it to Columbus and Broadway where he slammed into a civilian’s car injuring him. Sonza ran from that scene, officers finally catching him a few blocks away in Chinatown.

SFPD officer: “He was in the driver’s seat of our car when the car rammed our car. So, he’s got–“
Riley Bandy: “I can feel it. I’m starting to feel my back kind of lock up.”

Sonza injured two officers and that civilian. At first, prosecutors charged Sonza with several counts of “Assault Upon a Peace Officer with a Deadly Weapon”, “Hit and Run”, “Evading an Officer with Willful Disregard”, “Leaving the Scene of an Accident”, “Resisting Arrest” and a misdemeanor “Possession of Burglar Tools.” In a plea deal, all the charges got dismissed except a single count of “Evading an Officer”.

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Bandy told the I-Team, “I was really surprised to know that they, that they really dropped, you know, to know that they dropped almost everything.”

That court proceeding also included an incident from February 2 of last year. Police responded to the Japantown garage for a report of an auto burglary. Officers tried to detain Sonza as the suspect, but he fled — got in his car, ran over an officer’s foot, and hit a parked car. That case brought nine more charges, including “Assault Upon a Peace Officer”, “Burglary of a Vehicle”, “Hit and Run”, and “Resisting Arrest.”

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said, “”I, too, am disappointed,” about Sonza’s release after 11 months in jail.

Dan Noyes: “So the bottom line is, you were pushing for more, but you didn’t get it.”
Brooke Jenkins: “That’s correct, we believe, based on his prior criminal history, as well as the conduct in the new case, that this should be stacked time, so that the old case and the time that he was facing for that should be stacked on top of what we agreed to in the new case, and the judge again, having reviewed his criminal history and heard our arguments, disagreed.”

Robert Sonza was also ordered to pay restitution: $10,000 to the Oldigeses, $4,000 to his other victim that night. But his public defender told the court he is indigent, so he won’t have to pay court fees but is still on the hook for what he stole from those two victims.

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Here is the full statement from San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Anita Nabha:

Today, Mr. Sonza was sentenced to a two-year county jail sentence as the result of a negotiated agreement with the District Attorney’s Office.

Since his arrest in 2023, Mr. Sonza has served nearly a year of jail time where he has earned other time credits for taking advantage of every programming opportunity at his disposal to get his life back on track. Social workers from the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office have also worked closely with Mr. Sonza to identify further opportunities for him to access upon his release.

Mr. Sonza is a dedicated son, brother, and father who intends to go back to school to earn more certificates needed to make him an appealing candidate for a union job. As a testament to his dedication, Mr. Sonza completed over 300 hours of programming in custody, which included working toward college credits. Before his arrest last year, he was in the process of completing an apprenticeship program to which he hopes to reapply.

Take a look at more stories by the ABC7 News I-Team.

The San Francisco Giants have spent the bulk of the last month trying to claw their way back into the Wild Card race. They have gotten big contributions from young players like Heliot Ramos and Tyler Fitzgerald this season, but most of their roster is made up of veterans. Although Ramos was no longer a prospect, Fitzgerald, Kyle Harrison and Marco Luciano all graduated this year, leaving the farm system in a rough place.

In the past, both Harrison and Luciano were considered top 30 prospects, but without them, things got worse. In fact, MLB Pipeline moved them back from 17 in this preseason to 23 in their new ranks.

Bryce Eldridge has become their number one prospect. The first baseman has an exciting amount of power, but his position will hold him back in the rankings. The 19-year-old is the number 54 prospect on the top 100 and made the Future’s Game. He has posted an .859 OPS this season, but is still a few years away.

As for their other top 100 prospects, one might not even be considered that anymore. He hasn’t officially graduated, but Hayden Birdsong has become a staple in the San Francisco rotation. Soon, he won’t be prospect eligible, meaning they will have a new number two.

James Tibbs III was their first round pick in 2024, and ranks 99 on the top 100. While he is expected to be a fast moving college bat, it will still take time. Dakota Jordan, another draft selection, has some elite tools but there is a lot of concern about his swing and miss.

Their top players graduating isn’t the only reason the system has fallen in the rankings, though. Carson Whisenhunt was a top 100 prospect, but has since fallen off that list. The lefty has a great changeup and a 12.6 K/9 in the minors, but has struggled with walks this season. He is currently on the IL.

There are a lot of dart throws for the Giants. Rayner Arias is an 18-year-old outfielder with exciting tools, but hasn’t had the time to develop. Former first round pick Reggie Crawford has a great fastball and plus slider, but looks like a reliever at this point.

Then, there are players such as Wade Meckler and Carson Seymour who have lost some of their prospect shine.

Over the past few seasons, the Giants have relied on short term, high priced contracts for veterans. Even though they have graduated multiple players this season, the system still leaves a lot to be desired.

Perhaps it’s all the Mediterranean dining around town but the last few summers have been filled with tinned fish and Aperol spritzes. So, naturally, San Franciscans are primed for dessert — do you want to get gelato? There are several fresh options for gelato around town right now, with a few new shops, windows, and even jaunty custom carts rolling in from Italy.

But what exactly is the difference between ice cream and gelato? A quick refresher: Technically, ice cream has more fat and more air, explains Roy Shvartzapel of From Roy. Ice cream is often made with cream and eggs, and it spins fast to incorporate air; Shvartzapel estimates ice cream at more than 50 percent overrun or added air, while his gelato maxes out at 20 to 25 percent. Gelato relies more on milk, so it’s lighter in fat — between 4 and 9 percent, many sources agree — and it spins slowly so it’s dense in texture and feels more intense in flavor. Pick up a pint at the market and it’s definitely more solid. Take a spoonful and, “You get all of the flavor on your tongue,” says Jennifer Felton, pastry chef at Cotogna. “You’re not working through the air. You don’t have a lot of fat. That flavor melts on your tongue immediately.”

No offense to anyone who loves soft serve, but it’s a treat to see talented pastry chefs crafting gelato programs from scratch, many inspired by their travels and memories of Milan, Bologna, and Sicily. So grab a mini spoon and let’s dig into it — the gelato is thick this summer in San Francisco.

Che Fico Mercato in Menlo Park threw open a Gelateria window at the beginning of the summer, which has already been a hit with the warm weather on the Peninsula. They’re also rolling out a new custom cart, so the gelato can hit the road and roam around the Bay Area, likely starting with a few farmers markets. It’s a super cute TeknéItalia model that just arrived from Italy, featuring snappy red paint with a pattern of purple figs and a scalloped awning. “The more people enjoying gelato, the better,” says co-owner Matt Brewer. “And what better way to bring gelato to the people?” They tapped a star pastry chef to develop their recipes — Shvartzapel, of panettone fame, has been consulting on the menu.

Shvartzapel says it was refreshing to take a break from crafting one of the most notoriously difficult breads in the world, and instead develop a few fresh gelato recipes for summer. He’s spent the most time in and around Milan, visiting his panettone mentor nearby in Brescia. “I definitely have gelato once a day when I’m there,” Shvartzapel says. He considers himself kind of a classicist when it comes to intense flavors. The team imports pistachio, hazelnut, and almonds from Italy, and folds in the same local and seasonal produce on display in the market. Shvartzapel still dreams about Silicilan pistachio gelato, which they’re now pairing with tart cherries. The cookies and cream flavor folds hazelnut brutti ma buoni cookies into a hazelnut base. And there’s a hazelnut brownie situation with salted caramel.

Cotogna, too, embracing frozen dessert by bringing back its gelato cart on summer Fridays in anticipation of its upcoming gelato shop, Gelateria di Cotogna, opening in early 2025 just a block away at 596 Pacific Avenue. Back in March, Cotogna’s fan-favorite gelato went viral thanks to a visit from Kim Kardashian, who enjoyed the vanilla and honeycomb. Originally, a gelato cart rolled around the dining room with a huge mound of fresh vanilla to be scooped tableside. During the pandemic they switched to selling pints out the door, and eventually built four custom wooden carts for private events. This summer, they’re parking one in front of the restaurant on Fridays to serve scoops and cones, along with selling veggies from their farm and wines from the cellar. They’ll soon upgrade to a TeknéItalia, which should arrive in mid-August.

Longtime pastry chef Felton has geeked out for years developing these recipes. “I love the science and possibilities of gelato,” Felton says. “You have one single product, but endless flavors and options.” In 2019, when she was trying to take a vacation, chef Michael Tusk convinced her to spend a week at the Carpigiani Gelato University near Bologna. She says gelato — such as the crema di gelato that includes egg yolk — runs a touch richer in that region. Felton relies on local and organic dairy, strawberries from Cotogna’s own farm, and pistachios from Sicily. She refuses to use any fruit purees or nut pastes, doing all of her own grinding. Don’t underestimate the original vanilla flecked with quality vanilla bean: “It’s not cheap to make,” she says. Everyone asks for the honeycomb, which folds in a crush of honeycomb candy, coated in a little coconut oil to keep it crunchy (although Felton’s personal favorite is espresso).

Hila Gelato is a new spot on Valencia Street owned by an actual Sicilian. Chef and owner Ilary Biondo took over this storefront from Xanath Ice Cream in 2023, and Hila Gelato just celebrated its one-year anniversary. Biondo owned a gelato shop in Palermo for 10 years, before moving to San Francisco last year. “You can find some gelato here in San Francisco,” says Biondo, as translated by her wife Cecilia Casarini. “But coming from my experience making artisanal gelato in Italy, I couldn’t find anything like that.” She’s been shocked to realize how many ice cream shops in the Bay Area rely on premade bases, syrups, and mix-ins. She just got back from visiting her mother in the countryside, where they like to make olive oil on the family farm. She grew up chasing after the gelato truck, which in Sicily apparently meant a Vespacar mini truck trundling around on three wheels.

Biondo’s style is emphatically fresh and light, and she would even say healthy, although that’s a whole other conversation between you and your dietitian. She makes many of her bases with only three ingredients — organic milk, local fruit, and scant sugar. Some of the bases aren’t even cooked, she simply purees and lets the flavors bloom. When people stroll into the shop, they’re greeted by a mechanical chorus: she had a custom gelato case made in Texas, which continuously spins small batches of each flavor while on display. The fans especially love the strawberry, pistachio, olive oil, gianduia (chocolate and hazelnut), and croccante amarena (cherry, chocolate chip, and biscuit crumbles). Oh, and you can get any flavor loaded into a cannoli.