Cotati Accordion Festival producer sent to jail on drug charges

A longtime producer of the Cotati Accordion Festival was sentenced Tuesday to one year in county jail for dealing cocaine, over the objections of prosecutors who argued he deserved prison for the 4 pounds of the drug he had ready for sale.|

A longtime producer of the Cotati Accordion Festival was sentenced Tuesday to one year in county jail for dealing cocaine, over the objections of prosecutors who argued he deserved prison for the 4 pounds of the drug he had ready for sale.

Scott Paul Goree, 66, was sentenced to a year in jail and five years supervised probation by Sonoma County Judge Jamie Thistlethwaite, who took into account his age and lack of a substantial criminal history.

Prosecutors argued for at least four years in prison, saying that Goree was a large-scale distributor who preyed on the community for profit and was arrested with a stash amounting to $300,000 retail value.

“It’s the biggest cocaine case I’ve seen in Sonoma County by far,” Deputy District Attorney Robert Maddock said after the sentencing. “It’s been years since anything like this has come through.”

Thistlethwaite originally indicated she would give Goree probation, after he pleaded guilty to all charges, including possession of cocaine for sale, possessing more than a kilo, and possession of Hydrocodone.

But after reviewing the case further, including photos of the cocaine in 80 packages divided up for sale, and the fact he admitted selling cocaine since 2006, she decided to impose the jail time and “mandatory supervision.” That includes the potential for Goree to serve more time in custody if he violates his probation.

The judge on Tuesday gave Goree the option to withdraw his plea and go to trial, but he agreed to go ahead with the sentencing instead.

Maddock complained that the sentence was too lenient, saying Goree has provided cocaine to “the upper crust,” or leaders of Sonoma County, including lawyers and real estate agents.

He said Goree was leading a double life, working at the Cotati Accordion Festival while at the same time he was “a major distributor of controlled substances in Sonoma County.”

“This kind of conduct is what is feeding and paying for the cartels in Mexico, the gangs in El Salvador and insurgents in Colombia. A lot of people are dying because of people like Scott Goree and people buying the cocaine,” he said.

Goree was arrested at his Petaluma home in 2013 as the result of an investigation by a local Drug Enforcement Administration task force. Authorities also confiscated almost $7,700 in cash.

But defense attorney Andy Martinez said Goree was an alcoholic who could no longer provide for his family, so he turned to drugs after a medical condition wiped out his savings and he was unable to work.

For about a decade, until 1997, Goree owned Magnolia’s, a long-gone venue for live music in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square. For a couple years after that he operated the Inn of the Beginning in Cotati, toward the end of the life of the legendary nightclub that at one time featured acts such as Van Morrison, Huey Lewis and Jerry Garcia.

Goree was credited with saving the faltering Cotati Accordion Festival 10 years ago. The event, which raises money for youth and school groups, celebrates its 25th anniversary in August and attracts about 5,000 people over two days.

“Scott came in 2005, when the festival was on its knees, not going to happen anymore,” co-producer Linda Conner testified Tuesday. “He was responsible for reviving the festival.”

Her testimony was solicited to establish that almost $900 of the small bills seized in an envelope at his home marked “Cotati Accordion Festival” should not be forfeited and instead will be returned to festival organizers.

On Tuesday, Martinez asked the judge to allow Goree to stay out on bail for another 30 days to make arrangements for care for his ailing mother. But the request was denied, and the defendant was immediately taken into custody.

Thistlethwaite told Goree he could be out of jail in six months “and life goes on. I have absolute confidence upon release you will be a contributing member of society.”

She told the defendant “I believe you have turned your life around,” and noted the more than 420 self-help meetings he has attended since his arrest.

You can reach Staff Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@clarkmas

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.