Rockwell pleads not guilty to grand theft, identity theft charges
A Sonora man accused of stealing approximately $30,000 from his 68-year-old uncle through a veterans nonprofit group pleaded not guilty to all the charges Friday in Tuolumne County Superior Court.
It was the first court appearance for Allan Thomas Rockwell,
54, who had a warrant issued against him because he did not appear for his initial arraignment two weeks ago after calling the court to say he was in quarantine.
Rockwell is charged with 21 felonies that include 12 counts of grand theft from an elder or dependent adult and nine counts of identity theft for the alleged crimes against his uncle.
Rockwell appeared on Friday afternoon in a black suit with a blue tie and black mask and provided a document denoting his financial eligibility to be assigned a public defender, which was reviewed by Tuolumne County
Superior Court Presiding Judge Kevin Seibert.
“I don’t own a home,” Rockwell said.
Seibert assigned the public defender. For many minutes following, Deputy Tuolumne County Public Defender Mark Smith conferred with Rockwell over documents at the defendant’s table before entering the plea.
Rockwell has been out on bail since he turned himself into law enforcement on Jan. 19. His bail was reinstated by the court at the conclusion of the hearing, effectively nullifying the warrant.
The grand theft charges against Rockwell are in large part related to check donations
to Pilots of Wishes, a veterans nonprofit organization that Rockwell was affiliated with, while the identity theft charges are related to allegedly fraudulent bank transactions where he’s accused of using his uncle’s identity to pull out money.
Rockwell was given power of attorney over his uncle’s finances due to the alleged victim’s medical issues and used access to the accounts to enrich himself personally, the District Attorney’s Office has alleged.
The allegations against Rockwell span from Aug. 19, 2019, to April 1 last year.
Acting District Attorney Eric Hovatter also asked for a “stay away order” that enforces a 100-yard separation between Rockwell and the alleged victim and disallows any other form of communication. Rockwell was also required to checkin his firearms to a licensed gun dealer within 24 hours.
“The victim is elderly and in very poor health,” Hovatter said.
Seibert granted the request.
Rockwell spoke into the microphone, noting he had not “been able to go home for 10 months” because he believed “squatters” — which he described as agents with “APS” (commonly referring to adult protective services) — were sometimes living in the home, even though his father was in an assisted care facility.
“I don’t know anything about this whatsoever, but if his uncle is there, he has to stay away,” Hovatter said.
Smith also requested the preliminary hearing be set “within time,” or 10 court days from the arraignment.
An emergency order granted to the court due to the ongoing pandemic currently extends that constitutional right to 30 days.
Seibert set the preliminary hearing for 1:30 p.m. March 17.
The victim in the case was previously described by the District Attorney’s Office as a 68-year-old disabled Sonora resident and a veteran.
Rockwell is the former owner of the now-defunct Oildale country-music honky-tonk, Trout’s Nightclub.
In total, the District Attorney’s Office alleges $20,874 in check contributions to Pilots of Wishes and a $4,010.86 charge at Hilmar Lumber in Merced County related to the grand theft charges. The amounts of the checks appear to increase in value toward the conclusion of the alleged scheme. They range from $800 to $2,900, though most are between $1,000 and $1,400.
The identity theft charges represent $6,800 total in cash withdrawals, mostly in the form of $600 ATM withdrawals at a Bank of America in Tuolumne County (the exact location is not specified). The final charge is a $2,000 bank teller withdrawal at an unspecified location in Tuolumne County.