DA says rape evidence thin against
Hegwood
Prosecutors said this week that "insufficient evidence exists" to pursue rape allegations made against Atascadero Police Chief Dennis Hegwood.
San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Gerald Shea said his office on May 10 completed "additional independent investigation" after receiving the sheriff department's case.
As of Wednesday, Hegwood remained on administrative leave, receiving full pay. Hegwood's annual salary is $109,836. He was not on duty Wednesday and did not respond to messages from New Times.
Also on Wednesday, the Tribune editorially called for Hegwood's resignation.
An Atascadero woman said Hegwood, 52, raped her on Feb. 20. Hegwood admitted having sexual relations with the woman, but maintained the work-hours encounter was consensual.
The woman, whose law enforcement husband was a friend of Hegwood's, said she had been drinking when Hegwood showed up at the home of an acquaintance. She was depressed, she told investigators, because her husband had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. The woman said she was dozing in a bedroom when Hegwood entered and forced himself on her.
Sheriff's investigators began a probe into the woman's allegations shortly after being notified of the incident by the woman's husband.
Sheriff Pat Hedges said a rape test had been conducted
on the alleged
victim.
"Nobody is contesting that there was sexual intercourse," said Hedges at the time. "The question is whether it was consensual."
While the sheriff's probe was concluding, Hedges announced that he had gotten "a verbal" from District Attorney Deputy Matt Kraut that there would be no prosecution.
Shea's office had the case for 40 days before deciding not to pursue action against Hegwood.
Hegwood told New Times on March 29 that the sexual allegations were "very awkward" for him.
He announced his "retirement" the following day, but three weeks later, after failing to submit paperwork required to process the retirement, he announced his return to duty.
The very next day, City Manager Wade McKinney placed Hegwood on leave pending the outcome of the district attorney's investigation.
Supervisors ponder taking of private road
Supervisors will decide Tuesday if they will take
over a private road dissecting Lake Nacimeinto's Oak Shores development
via eminent domain
proceedings.
A public hearing on the matter is slated, but county planners already have proposed to supervisors that the road be taken.
Residents of the area promise a fight, suggesting that a better, cheaper, and shorter alternative exists.
County planners contend the condemnation is necessary to acquire emergency access easements to the road because a large residential and commercial development with 325 homes is being planned for the shoreline area at "Tract 2162."
If supervisors decide not to take the road, they will be forced by state law to waive requirements to developers to provide an alternative exit route for future new residents.
Janice Meyer, whose family owns one of 25 small cabins in the Oaks Shores conclave, said members of the Nacimiento Shores Road Association (NSRA) have been involved in negotiations with county planners.
Meyer said that in the midst of the talks, she and her fellow homeowners received a notice from a law firm retained by the county regarding the eminent domain proceedings.
Cliff Smith, administrative assistant to Supervisor Harry Ovitt, said the only purpose of the condemnation is to provide access for CDF/County Fire crews in the event of an emergency.
"Supervisors decided 10 years ago that the [NRSA's private road] would be the emergency route," said Smith.
Meyer, in a May 3 letter to supervisors, said her group has asked the county "many times in the past two years why you seem determined to take our road when you have a public road [County Road 22] that runs directly into the newly proposed [housing] tracts."
She said that traffic and other environmental problems will occur if the private road is used, with 3,000 more vehicles using the narrow road on a regular basis.
"But the reason they shouldn't take our road is that the other alternative [County Road 22] is simply better," she said.
Meyer suggested that developers stand to gain financially if the eminent domain proceedings are successful and the county takes access to the road. And she pointed out that County Road 22 "was the original preference of CDF/County fire."
SBC offers $10K reward for vandal info
Following a series of attacks on its Central Coast phone junction boxes, SBC California is offering $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest and the conviction of the vandals.
"We take it real seriously when someone attacks our network and knocks our customers out of service," said SBC spokesman John Britton.
The first attack occurred on May 6 in San Luis Obispo and left more than 700 residential and business customers without phone service. The following weekend, vandals hit more boxes in San Luis and up north in Watsonville.
After the first attack, some local media outlets speculated that the vandalism might be related to ongoing negotiations between the Communications Workers of America Union and SBC.
According to SBC, the union's 100,000 nationwide SBC employees are seeking to resolve health care and job security issues.
But Britton said his company's security force and the San Luis and Watsonville police departments have absolutely no idea who is involved.
"We have very little information on what happened. So we just don't know. We don't know who attacked these facilities or why," he said. "Which is part of the reason that we're offering a $10,000 reward - we want to get some leads."
The vandals face serious penalties if convicted. According to Britton, the federal government now considers any sabotage of the telecommunications network as an act of terrorism. Those convicted under that law face large fines and prison time up to 20 years.
SBC asks that anyone with information to please call police in San Luis Obispo at 549-7867 or the police in Watsonville. They can be reached at (831) 728-3544 or (831) 471-1151. Police are accepting anonymous calls.
Arts Council honors New Times
At the Arts Honors Day on June 6, The San Luis Obispo Arts Council will hand out its awards for 2004.
New Times will receive the Media Award for comprehensive coverage of the arts. Steve Kalar of San Miguel will receive the Patron of the Arts award for his contribution of resources to the arts.
Gary Lamprecht of Los Osos, Mildred Pitt of San Luis Obispo (age 101), and Al Musso of Cayucos will be given Community Arts Honors awards for contributing their time and resources to benefit the literary, performing, and visual arts in the county.
San Luis Obispo County Office of Education Assistant Superintendent John Barnhart will present Julian Crocker Medals to three local high school students who have been selected by the California Arts Council to attend the prestigious California Summer School for the Arts: Rachel Carpentier, from Harmony; Melissa Roberti, from Arroyo Grande; Anastasia Trevino, from San Luis Obispo.
Arts Honors Day will take place at the Morro Bay Community Center, 1001 Kennedy Way, Morro Bay, from 2-4 p.m. For more information, contact Kate Stulberg 544 9251.
Missing Rooney was dumped by computer
Station officials at KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, the local CBS affiliate, said this week that a portion of "60 Minutes" was inadvertently dropped May 9 because of an inexperienced weekend technician's error.
Some callers to New Times suggested the Andy Rooney commentary had been purposely dropped because it was critical of President George W. Bush.
Local radio personality Dave Congalton of KVEC said on his show this week that he was initially upset by the reports, but that he believes the station's explanation, "because we have trouble with our new computers here, too." ³
News Editor Daniel Blackburn and Staff Writer Abraham Hyatt compile News from local and other news sources.
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