DA: Prop 57 may intervene for Tulare County man

John Houghton
·2 min read

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The Tulare County District Attorney says Proposition 57 may reduce a sentence significantly for a 38-year-old man.

The DA says Luis Nuno was sentenced to 56 years to life in prison for the third strike offense of threatening to kill people while armed with a knife.

Proposition 57 may reduce that sentence significantly., according to the DA.

“This case is a classic example of the fraud Proposition 57 created by eliminating truth in sentencing,” said Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward. “To categorize crimes such as criminal threats and domestic violence as “nonviolent” is an affront to crime victims across the state. Every day, my prosecutors fight for justice in our courtrooms, yet their hard work which resulted in this “life” sentence is utterly undermined by Proposition 57. Victims and their families deserve to have truth in sentencing in California.”

The Tulare County District Attorney says on March 6, 2023, Tulare County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a store in Pixley. Upon contacting the two victims, deputies learned that Nuno approached them as they were walking in and asked why they were following him. The victims told him they were not. Nuno pulled out a knife and profanely threatened to stab them. The victims took safety in the store and contacted law enforcement. Nuno was arrested soon after with the knife in his pocket.

At trial in early November 2023, officials say Nuno was found guilty in a court trial of two counts of felony criminal threats with the special allegations that he used a weapon, threatened great bodily harm with a deadly weapon, possessed prior serious convictions, and possessed prior strikes. In addition, Nuno was also found guilty of theft in a separate case for stealing apparel and an Apple tablet from a Tulare gym in August of 2021. In addition to a lengthy criminal record throughout California, Utah, and Arizona, the DA says Nuno possesses prior strikes for burglary in 2013 and 2014 in Tulare County. Under existing California law, criminal threats (PC 422) are not considered a “violent” felony, thus, Proposition 57 will classify the defendant as a “non-violent” inmate.

Upon completion of his incarceration on count 1 (3 years), the defendant may be eligible for early release.

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