Point Reyes Light - November 24, 2004
Life-sentence for kidnapper who led chase through West Marin
By Jacob Resneck
A former racecar driver who abducted a 15-year-old Kentfield girl, leading sheriff’s deputies on a high-speed chase through West Marin, was sentenced to life in prison last Friday. John Robert Barossi, 38, of Penngrove, pled guilty to sex crimes, kidnapping, evading arrest, and endangering a minor during a hearing last July. In an emotionally-charged courtroom, Marin Superior Court Judge Terence Boren handed down the sentence, which will keep Barossi locked up for more than 20 years.
Barossi initially pled innocent by reason of insanity, but reversed his decision in consideration of the victim so that she would not have to take the stand in a jury trial, his attorney Chris Andrian told The Light in a past interview.
A self-described cocaine addict, Barossi told investigators that after staying awake all night snorting cocaine and reading pornography, he was "too high" to go to work at an auto garage in San Rafael. The following morning, Nov. 6, 2003, he spotted a 15-year-old girl at a bus stop near the College of Marin Campus in Kentfield. Under the pretense of giving her a ride, Barossi lured the girl into his car and began driving west.
According to testimony, the girl realized that she was being abducted when he drove past the San Anselmo Hub. Police began receiving 911 calls reporting a white pickup truck speeding past with a young girl trying to leap out of the cab.
Barossi, unarmed, forced the girl to undress and began molesting her. Deputies erected a roadblock on Highway 1, north of Olema, but Barossi used his skills as a racecar driver to veer off the highway, slipping past the barrier.
After speeding through Point Reyes Station with deputies closing in behind him, Barossi passed a car on a blind curve at more than 80 mph, deputies reported.
Near Marshall, realizing that he could not escape, Barossi told the girl to put her clothes back on so that she would not be naked in front of officers. He also slowed down but did not stop.
At Tomales, he headed east on Tomales-Petaluma Road and then turned onto Bodega Highway. Lawmen laid spikes across the highway, puncturing his tires and ending the chase.
Upon arrest, Barossi reportedly told police in a videotaped confession: "I deserve whatever I get. It was wrong. I need help." Deputies noted that Barossi’s confession matched the victim’s description of events. He has been in custody since his arrest. The year spent in the Marin county jail will count towards his sentence, Assistant District Attorney Ed Berberian said.