July 24, 2008
Hearing date set for Federal Court House Bombing Suspect
SAN DIEGO FEDERAL COURT: A federal judge in San Diego scheduled an Oct. 7 hearing date yesterday for a woman arrested in the investigation of a bombing outside the downtown federal courthouse in May.
Rachelle Lynette Carlock, 31, of San Diego has pleaded not guilty to charges of using a stolen identity to buy gunpowder. She remains in federal custody without bail. A trial date is expected to be scheduled during the hearing in October.
Federal officials have said Carlock's arrest stemmed from the investigation into the May 4 bombing, although authorities have stopped short of directly linking her to the crime. No one was injured in the blast, which happened before dawn. Authorities said Carlock bought 2 pounds of Hodgdon Triple Se7en powder on April 7 and 2 more pounds May 1.
On May 13, she returned to the same gun store to purchase more, but apparently became spooked when an employee asked to photocopy her driver's license as part of a new store policy, according to court records.
Authorities lifted her fingerprints from the bottles of powder she touched in the store to eventually learn her true identity.
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July 23, 2008
Two men shot in front of apartment building
SAN DIEGO – Two men in their 20s were shot Tuesday night and one of them is not expected to survive, police said.
The victims, ages 20 and 28 were standing with a group of friends in front of an apartment building on College Avenue near Newsome Drive in Redwood Village just before 11 p.m. when several shots were fired, said acting Lt. William Stetson.
The 28-year-old was hit in the head and was gravely injured, Stetson said. The 20-year-old walked to a hospital, where he was treated for a gunshot wound and released.
Police were given conflicting reports as to what happened and are not sure if the men were approached by a group of men or were shot at by just one assailant.
Stetson said evidence at the scene indicates that more that one gun was fired and it is possible that gunfire was exchanged.
Witnesses told police they saw vehicles leaving the area and also saw people running away. Several people were taken into custody on unrelated charges but no one has been arrested in connection with the shooting, Stetson said.
The identities of the victims have not been released. Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 where they can remain anonymous.
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July 22 , 2008
Mother of beaten surfer sues Bird Rock 5, parents, bar
SAN DIEGO – The mother of a professional surfer who was fatally beaten in La Jolla last year filed a lawsuit Tuesday against five young men involved in the fight, their parents, and the bar where some members of the group had been drinking.
Cynthia Kauanui accuses the men of wrongful death for beating or assisting in the beating of 24-year-old Emery Kauanui on May 24, 2007.
In her suit, Kauanui contends that the young men's parents are also at fault because they had a “duty” to control, discipline and supervise their children. She claims the parents of all but one of the men knew about their sons' violent behavior as minors, which included getting drunk and starting fights, but failed to stop it.
“It was a way of life for them,” said Craig McClellan, an attorney representing Kauanui. “At some point, there's an obligation for a parent to take charge.”
Kauanui is seeking unspecified general and punitive damages.
The men named in the lawsuit are Seth Cravens, 22; Eric House, 21; Orlando Osuna, 23; Matthew Yanke, 22; and Henri “Hank” Hendricks, 22. They were all graduates of La Jolla High School and part of a group called the “Bird Rock Bandits.” They were arrested last year and charged with murder.
Last month, all but one of the defendants pleaded guilty to lesser felonies, leaving Cravens to be tried on charges of murder, assault and battery.
According to testimony presented in court, the men and Emery Kauanui were at the La Jolla Brew House on May 23, 2007. About 1 a.m. May 24, Kauanui spilled beer on House, and the two got into an argument.
Later, House and the others talked about retaliating and drove to the Draper Avenue home Kauanui shared with his mother.
After they arrived, Kauanui and House fought outside, and House lost a tooth in the scuffle. Cravens then stepped in and punched Kauanui, causing him to fall backward and strike his head on the pavement.
Kauanui died at a hospital four days later.
Also named in the lawsuit, which was filed in San Diego Superior Court, is Barkandbrew Inc., which does business as the La Jolla Brew House, and Claudette Mannixx, who is named as owner. The suit contends that employees at the bar sold alcohol to House and Yanke, both of whom were under 21 at the time and “obviously intoxicated.”
“The Brew House has a reputation for serving minors,” McClellan said. “It's somewhat of a hangout for La Jolla High School kids. They don't check IDs.”
Calls to Mannixx and the Brew House were not immediately returned Tuesday, nor were calls from parents of many of the defendants.
Karen Cravens, mother of Seth Cravens, said she knew about the lawsuit but declined to comment.
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Page updated for Local San Diego Court News July 24, 2008.