PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94
THE COAST NEWS
MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
VOL. 24, NO. 9
THISWEEK BEACHIN’ PLANS
A group has ideas to help the area’s beaches sustain themselves A7
MLK’S WORDS COME TO LIFE Oceanside’s Civic Center Library celebrates Black History Month with a special performance blending songs and speeches by Martin B9 Luther King Jr.
.com MARCH 5, 2010
O’side braces for $8M in cuts
SHOW TIME
Cirque du Soleil’s “Kooza” is now at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The world-famous circus will be under the big top at the fairgrounds through March 21. Visit www.cirquedusoleil.com for more information.
By Promise Yee
Right, the unicycle duo of Yuri Shavro and Diana Aleshchenko dazzle the crowd with a combination of acrobatics and dance.
OCEANSIDE — An update on the city budget, presented at the council meeting Feb. 24, warned that a drop in revenues means $8 million in budget cuts is on the way. “We need to put together a plan that addresses that shortfall and provides services that are absolutely necessary,” City Manager Peter Weiss said. City departments are asked to come up with 20 percent cuts to their budgets, and public safety departments are asked to cut their costs by 5 percent. In addition to department cuts, the city is looking into suspending low-priority city projects, adding revenue enhancements and reducing employee costs, which will likely mean layoffs for city employees. Several low-priority projects have already been put on hold until the budget bounces back. A decision was made to put off improving the beach restrooms, building the harbor
Below, Mike Tyus, aka The Trickster, performsduring the opening act. Photos by Daniel Knighton
INSIDE
TWO SECTIONS, 44 PAGES
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A7 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B17 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . B19 Consumer Reports . . . . B11 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Crossword Puzzle . . . . B19 Doorman Diaries . . . . . . B3 Eye on the Coast . . . . . . A5 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . A15 Hot Off the Block . . . . . . A6 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . A21 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . B16 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Outside Perspective . . . . A4 Pet of the Week . . . . . . A17 Place To Call Home . . . A14 Sea Notes . . . . . . . . . . A17 Second Opinion . . . . . . A17 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . A10 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A8
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TURN TO CUTS ON A18
Man to stand trial Convicted sex offender charged in teen murder for jewel heist By Randy Kalp
RANCHO BERNARDO — A registered sex offender pleaded not guilty March 3 to the fatal sexual attack on 17year-old Chelsea King as she jogged near Lake Hodges in a case that the district attorney said has “rocked” San Diego. John Albert Gardner III, 30, is charged with the firstdegree murder of King and the special circumstance charge of committing the crime during the rape or attempted rape of the Poway High School senior. With the addition of the special circumstance allegation, prosecutors now have the option of seeking the death penalty. A decision on the matter will be made at a later date by District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis after extensive meetings with the victim’s family, prosecutors and the defendant’s attorney. King vanished Feb. 25 while running near Lake Hodges in Rancho Bernardo. Police arrested the Lake Elsinore man two days later in Escondido after linking physical evidence on an article of King’s clothing found at the
crime scene to him. Gardner is also charged with an additional count of assault with the intent to commit rape in connection to a Dec. 27 attack. While authorities have linked Gardner to an assault that day on a 22-year-old Colorado wom-an who fended off her attacker in a Rancho Bernardo park, prosec u t o r s JOHN ALBERT GARDNER III declined to specify whether the charge applied to that alleged assault. Less than 24 hours before Gardner’s arraignment Wednesday in a downtown San Diego Superior courtroom, authorities recovered a body believed to be King’s from a shallow grave near the shore on the south side of the lake, just a half-mile from her vehicle. Dressed in county jail blues, Gardner stood emotionless with his eyes fixed on the courtroom floor only look-
ing up occasionally throughout the brief hearing. Because his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Michael Popkins, did not challenge the court’s no-bail hold, evidence wasn’t presented; therefore, details about the case remain scant and will likely remain so until Gardner’s preliminary hearing, which is set for March 18. Following the hearing, Dumanis reaffirmed her office’s commitment to trying cases in the court and not in the media, adding that the press will receive answers as evidence is presented in the courtroom. “We want to make sure justice is done for Chelsea and we want to make sure that we do everything we can to preserve the case, and to make sure the person responsible is held accountable,” Dumanis said at a press conference. In 2000, Gardner pleaded guilty to molesting a 13-yearold female in his parents’ Rancho Bernardo home where he had been living at that time. The teenage girl escaped
but not before being beaten and sexually assaulted. In accordance with his plea agreement, Gardner received six years in prison of which he served five. Following his release in 2005, the defendant remained on parole for three years, until September 2008. Despite being listed as a Lake Elsinore resident, Gardner had been living at his parents’ residence at the time of King’s disappearance. Escondido police said Gardner resided in Escondido when Amber Dubois went missing in February 2009. Dubois, who was 14 at the time, disappeared on her way to Escondido High School. While speculation is spreading that Gardner may have ties to Dubois’ disappearance, authorities say the matter is still under investigation. Amber’s father, Maurice “Moe” Dubois, said Escondido police and the sheriff’s department are working in conjunction on Amber’s case as well as searching for clues TURN TO MURDER ON A17
By Randy Kalp
CARLSBAD — Ten days before last Halloween, Gaylene Taylor believes she came face to face with Satan. While performing her opening duties at Mulloys Fine Jewelry store on State Street in Carlsbad, a masked man appeared and forced her to the ground at gunpoint. Taylor’s testimony came during the preliminary hearing on Feb. 24 for 52-year-old John Leslie Davis, who is charged with committing the robbery. “He was there out of nowhere,” testified Taylor, a manager for the jewelry store. “He was like the devil to me.” As she laid face down on the ground,Taylor testified she could hear the masked man, who was dressed from head to toe in dark clothing, going through the safe. Quivering as she spoke from the witness stand, Taylor said she kept repeating aloud the Lords Prayer, over and over. “I don’t know what you like, I TURN TO HEIST ON A18