Activist Jenny O’Connell-Nowain says she’ll accept jail time for disrupting a public meeting

Calling his client a sincere and honest person, defense attorney Michael Borges told a Shasta County judge today that Jenny O’Connell-Nowain was not willing to accept the terms of probation being offered to her because she doesn’t believe she can follow them. 

The Honorable Judge Thomas L. Bender responded by asking whether O’Connell-Nowain, an activist who was convicted by a jury about a month ago for disrupting a public meeting, was aware that failing to accept her probation terms means she’ll be assigned the maximum jail sentence possible, a term of six months.

“I am,” she said. 

The local woman was arrested last year in the Shasta County board chambers after she approached supervisors, briefly interrupting their conversation. When told to sit she did so, on the floor, while holding a political sign. Board Chair Kevin Crye called a recess and cleared the room, and she was arrested soon after in a darkened board chamber from which even members of the media had been ejected.

Her defense attorney told the jury that she had been silenced for her dissenting political viewpoint, explaining that the way meeting rules were enforced did not meet the demands of the law. A Shasta County prosecutor said her decision to break county rules had violated the rights of the public to hold a meeting without disruption. The jury sided with the prosecution, convicting O’Connell-Nowain of the misdemeanor crime of disrupting a public meeting. They did not reach an agreement on whether she had also delayed her arrest, another charge the county levied against her.

Today, attorney Borges told Judge Bender he was concerned about his client’s seizure condition, which could impact her health in jail, particularly if she does not receive her medications on a regular basis.  Based on his experience with other incarcerated clients, Borges indicated, her likelihood of receiving her medication in jail will be increased by having a note from a doctor, something she has not yet obtained. 

After hearing about complications related to her access to medical care, Judge Bender gave O’Connell-Nowain two weeks to find a doctor who could provide her a new prescription and a medical note to give to jail staff. She’ll return to the court on Jan. 28 at 9 a.m., at which time she’s likely to be officially sentenced and taken into custody.

Speaking to press after the hearing, O’Connell-Nowain said she’s willing to accept jail time because the terms of probation she was offered are likely to continue to restrict her First Amendment rights at board meetings, given how the county has been enforcing board room policies. 

“My word is important to me, “ O’Connell-Nowain said.“I don’t feel I can honestly say I would accept a meeting where injustice is happening and I can’t stand up, I can’t say anything and I can’t do anything about it. It feels like it gives an unfair advantage to the board to prosecute when they feel it’s necessary, and I feel my freedom of speech is important to me and should be important to everyone that’s in this county.

“Anything that happens to one person can happen to anyone,” she continued. “I feel like it’s important to take my sentence and keep going … I’d rather go to jail than be told that I do not have freedom of speech.”

O’Connell-Nowain referred to her time in custody as another form of protest against the actions of current county leaders, saying she would also choose to view it as a “vacation” from the politically intense board meetings where she usually spends her time.

Pressed on whether she feels fear about the prospect of incarceration, especially given the unusual number of deaths that have occurred in the Shasta County Jail in the last year — a total of 5 — O’Connell-Nowain said she feels some fear, especially given her seizure disorder. She said she hopes to use her time in custody to learn more about the inner workings of the jail and what might be contributing to deaths there. 

O’Connell-Nowain added that she plans to appeal her jury conviction based on some aspects of the case that her attorney believes were not adequately addressed by the judge during courtroom discussions mid-trial. She said she’s also considering filing a civil rights lawsuit against the county.

1.14.2026 12:47 pm: We’ve updated the story to correct the date of O’Connell-Nowain’s next hearing.

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