Mercury News: Exclusive: Los Gatos ‘party mom’ indicted by grand jury, clearing way for trial

A Santa Clara County criminal grand jury has indicted the so-called Los Gatos “party mom” on more than five dozen felony and misdemeanor charges, clearing the path to trial for Shannon O’Connor, who is alleged to have endangered teens with liquor-fueled gatherings where she goaded them into sex.

The indictment filed on Monday charges O’Connor, 49, with 20 felony counts mostly covering child endangerment and aiding and abetting sexual assault — several more than she faced under the initial filing two years ago. The indictment also includes 43 misdemeanor counts based on accusations she furnished alcohol to minors. It follows multiple delays of a preliminary hearing in O’Connor’s case, in which a judge would have decided whether there was sufficient evidence to go to trial.

With the indictment, the case now bypasses the preliminary examination and moves more rapidly to trial. O’Connor, who has been held in Santa Clara County Jail since October 2021, was scheduled to appear in court Monday for the latest preliminary hearing. That court appearance will now be an arraignment on the indictment charges.