Full Notification

ROHNERT PARK, CA – On 01/26/18, Detectives and Officers from the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, with the assistance of Detectives from the Petaluma Police Department as well as the Sonoma County District Attorney’s office, conducted an undercover operation and served search warrants as part of an investigation into a prostitution ring.  The investigation started after the management of an apartment complex in the 4000 block of Snyder Lane in Rohnert had reported to Rohnert Park Public Safety that they suspected one of their apartments was possibly being used for prostitution, and a neighbor had complained about men constantly coming and going from the apartment.  The apartment was rented by 37 year old David Romesburg of Santa Rosa.  Detectives found that the Santa Rosa Police Department had also received complaints of prostitution activities occurring at David Romesburg’s home on Alvarado Ave. in Santa Rosa, where he lived with his mother Fay Romesburg (59 years old) and several women who it appeared were being used for prostitution. 
 
Ads were located on the internet offering massage services in Rohnert Park, which stated the services included nude massages and “upgrades” were available.  The ads listed a phone number that was found to have been previously associated with Fay Romesburg.  Some of the women whose photos were used in the ads offering them for the “massage” services were the women who lived at the Alvarado Ave. home with the Romesburgs.  Based on the investigation, a search warrant was obtained for the apartment in Rohnert Park, the home on Alvarado Ave., and a business called Black Cat Industries on Southwest Blvd. that the Romesburgs were about to open listing it as a gaming and karaoke studio. 
 
On 01/26/18, an undercover Rohnert Park Officer set up an appointment with one of the women listed in the ads.  The undercover officer was directed to the apartment rented by David Romesburg, were he met with the 19 year old woman depicted in the ad.  Upon entering the apartment, the woman offered the undercover officer a sex act in exchange for a specified amount of money. Officers waiting outside then went to the apartment were the woman was detained as part of the investigation, and other officers served the search warrants at the home on Alvarado Ave. and at the business.  David Romesburg, Fay Romesburg, and several of the women that had been depicted in the ads were contacted at the home on Alvarado Ave.  The business on Southwest Blvd. in Rohnert Park was still under renovation, but it appeared there were private rooms being set up in the business. 
 
While talking to some of the women contacted during the operation, Detectives were told that David and Fay Romesburg had recruited them for the prostitution business.  Detectives were told David would post the ads for them on line and respond to inquiries to the ads, then tell the women what time to meet the client.  The women stated they had to pay a portion of the proceeds from their prostitution acts to David and Fay.  One woman also stated David would not allow her to leave the business until she paid off debt he said she owed him.  Another woman said David would not allow some of them to have money for certain basic needs unless they conducted prostitution acts or had sex with him, and said David would make them tell him whenever they were leaving the house and where they were going.  Based on the investigation, David and Fay Romesburg were both arrested on charges of Pimping and Pandering, and David was also arrested for Human Trafficking.  David and Fay were both booked into the Sonoma County Jail, were David is being held on $250,000.00 bail and Fay is being held on $245,000.00 bail.  Photos of David and Fay are below.