Our 167th Year
UCSB baseball evens series
‘Taste of Santa Barbara’
Big seventh inning leads to Gaucho victory in Riverside - A3
Week-long event a celebration of everything culinary - B1
Alleged SM courtroom arsonist found not competent to stand trial
Westmont bids fond farewell to Class of 2023
By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
A Nipomo man charged with arson for allegedly setting a fire inside a Santa Maria courtroom that caused an estimated $750,000 in damage has been declared mentally incompetent to stand trial, prosecutors said. The attorney for defendant Eric Wolfgang Spies, 31, declared his doubt as to Mr. Spies’ legal competency on March 2, and criminal proceedings against him were suspended. The court appointed two doctors to evaluate him, but one of them had not completed his mental competency evaluation by Mr. Spies’ next court date on March 30, when the judge was expected to set a date for his competency determination hearing. So the case was continued to April 20. On that date, “the judge ruled that the defendant was not currently legally competent to stand trial,” Deputy District Attorney Austin Ingalls told the News-Press. This means the defendant is unable to assist in his or her own defense. Both sides are due back in court on Thursday. “On that date it is expected that the court will make a ruling on where the defendant is to receive restoration services,” the prosecutor said. Mr. Spies had pleaded not guilty to felony charges of arson and second-degree commercial burglary in connection with the Feb. 18 incident, in which he allegedly broke into the Santa Maria courtroom and set a fire, triggering the sprinkler system. Court officials said the combination of flames and water caused extensive damage to furniture, wall paneling, cabinetry, carpeting and court records. They estimated the cost to be about $750,000. Mr. Spies allegedly went to the Santa Maria court complex, ignored a security guard’s order to leave and broke two glass doors to gain entry into the criminal court building. Once inside, he allegedly forced his way into a courtroom, pulling the doors so hard that he broke the wood frames on the top of the doors. Court officials allege he then started a fire on the defense counsel’s chair, which spread to the table and carpet. The fire was so hot that it melted the lights in the ceiling and caused the sprinklers to come on, court officials said. The defendant reportedly told the security guard he had received a notice about an upcoming hearing on a misdemeanor vandalism case and went to the court complex to see where he had to show up. Mr. Spies remains in custody at the Main Jail in Santa Barbara. He is being held on no bail. His case is being heard in San Luis Obispo County because a Santa Barbara County judge, without specifying why, declared it would be a conflict of interest for a local judge to preside over his criminal case. email: nhartsteinnewspress@ gmail.com
By NEIL HARTSTEIN The Carpinteria City Council is expected today to pick a new recruitment firm to aid the city in its search for a new city manager. The council already picked one at its last meeting on April 24, voting 4-1 to authorize executive search services to be conducted by Regional Government Services to find a successor city manager to Dave Durflinger, according to City Clerk Brian C. Barrett. RGS is a management consulting firm that the city has an existing contract with for Human Resources support. However, since then, “RGS Please see CARP on A4
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
Westmont College graduating seniors turn their tassles during the Class of 2023’s commencement ceremony at the school’s Thorrington Field on Saturday.
By KIRA LOGAN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
Members of Westmont College’s Class of 2023 gathered under the warm Montecito sun Saturday to celebrate their commencement. Surrounded by loved ones, esteemed faculty, and most importantly the graduates, Saturday’s ceremony was filled with leis, laughs and love. Westmont College, a private Christian university in Montecito, held its graduation ceremony on Thorrington Field from 9 a.m. to noon. This year, Westmont is celebrating 85 years of becoming a university and providing a collegiate education. There were about 320 seniors in the graduating class, ranging from majors of theater arts to data analytics, with a total of 30 different graduating majors. Russell Howell, a professor of mathematics at the college, gave the introductory remarks before the graduates entered the field. “Today’s celebration is a culmination of their (the graduates’) achievements,” he said. “This event helps us cherish the oldest traditions and biggest accomplishments of academia.” The graduates then entered with a bagpipe fanfare, performed by Mike Reynolds, Andrew Reynolds and Jim Mulligan. The graduates entered, separated by major, and were greeted with cheers, chants, noisemakers and most overwhelmingly: love. Families caught their first glimpse of their graduates as they walked into the stadium to begin the ceremony. The processional began with a performance of “Festival March,” presented by the Westmont Orchestra, as graduates walked into the stadium. The love and celebration in the air was felt, heard and seen. The ceremony began with welcoming remarks from Gayle
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Prince Harry back in U.S. after quick trip for coronation By MATT SMOLENSKY NEWS-PRESS ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Westmont graduate Tobi Oyebade reflects on his experiences as a student during the ceremony.
Beebe, the president of Westmont College. Charlie Farhadian, a professor of world religions and Christian mission, then led the crowd in a prayer. A hymn was then performed, titled: “Be Thou My Vision,” which was led by Blake LaBrie, a graduating senior from Westmont. Attendees were invited to stand up and sing along, as lyrics were printed in their programs. Dr. Beebe then led the litany of gratitude for the Westmont community: “With joy and expectation, I express our commitment, on behalf of the full Westmont community, to pray for you as you continue to discern God’s calling throughout your lives.” Joel and Lori Ann Banez addressed the faculty and staff in their litany of gratitude, Tim and Holly Anderson gave remarks for parents and families, and Nathanael Nims addressed his
Students added personalized decorations to their mortarboards.
fellow graduates. Spencer Harris, a member of the Class of 2023, then read scripture to the audience: “Colossians 1:15-20 frame Westmont’s story and motto,” he
said. Mercy Milliken then joined the stage for her student reflection, to which she reminisces on her time at Westmont and connects Please see GRADUATION on A2
Prince Harry, a Montecito resident, traveled to London for the Saturday coronation of his father, King Charles III, but he didn’t stick around long, leaving on a commercial flight shortly after the end of the coronation service. The Duke of Sussex landed in Los Angeles at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, just over a day after leaving. His quick departure from London was ostensibly so that the Prince could celebrate the birthday of his son, Prince Archie. Harry was not accompanied on his travels by Meghan or his children, who remained in Montecito. Harry was one of the first members of the royal family to arrive at Westminster Abbey for the coronation, entering alongside his uncles, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew, and two of his cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. While his appearance at the event was his first public appearance with his family since the release of “Spare,” the prince’s controversial memoir, many noted that he was relegated to the third row for the coronation, seated next to the even more controversial Andrew. Prince Harry was also not invited to join the “working royals” that appeared with the King and Queen on the Buckingham Palace balcony following the ceremony. He also did not join other members of his family on their precession back to the palace, instead departing the abbey separately. email: news@newspress.com
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