The long-running Rohnert Park policing scandal is back on the federal docket. Former Rohnert Park police officer Joseph Huffaker is asking a federal judge for another shot at clearing his name, filing a post-trial motion on March 18, seeking a new trial after his conviction last summer. A hearing on the motion is set for April 15, before U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney in San Francisco. A federal jury found him guilty in July 2025 on six counts tied to an alleged scheme in which officers posed as federal agents and seized cash and marijuana from motorists along Highway 101, reviving a high-profile local scandal that stretched across Sonoma County and into federal court.
Court filings and schedule
Huffaker’s motion is docketed in the Northern District of California, and the government responded by filing a memorandum opposing it on April 1, according to the online records of the U.S. District Court. The court has set a briefing schedule and the April 15 hearing for Judge Chesney to consider whether any legal or factual problems in the trial record are serious enough to justify starting over.
What jurors heard at trial
In July 2025, a jury convicted Huffaker on six counts, including conspiracy, impersonating a federal officer and obstruction of justice, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors argued that Huffaker and then-sergeant Brendan “Jacy” Tatum pretended to be agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives during roadside stops, using that supposed authority to seize marijuana and cash from drivers. Tatum pleaded guilty in December 2021 and later took the stand against Huffaker, as reported by The Press Democrat.
Local fallout
The criminal case grew out of a now-disbanded Rohnert Park interdiction team that operated along Highway 101. Critics say the unit’s tactics, and the allegations that followed, helped trigger federal civil suits and internal reviews. Coverage by KQED and other outlets notes that the city later faced lawsuits from motorists and leadership changes, and that Huffaker left the department in 2019 after an internal finding, while Tatum resigned in 2018.
Sentencing posture and next steps
Prosecutors have pushed for a multiyear prison term, requesting roughly 63 months in custody, about $23,000 in restitution and several years of supervised release, while defense filings have argued for a lighter sentence, according to local reporting on the dueling sentencing memoranda. The Anderson Valley Advertiser summarized the competing recommendations and noted that the court had already postponed sentencing so Huffaker’s new counsel could dig into the case file. Judge Chesney’s ruling on the new-trial motion will determine whether the matter finally moves to sentencing or heads back for more proceedings…