Alleged Killer’s Case Continued
A Morgan Hill man accused of shooting a Gilroy man who later died from his wounds was back in court last Tuesday, but only briefly, as the case was continued to Feb. 9.
Anthony J. Frausto, 18, is being held without bail in the Santa Clara County Jail. He turned himself into police after hearing they were trying to contact him after the Sept. 30 homicide.
Luis Bautista, 19, died at Regional Medical Center in San Jose after he was shot four times. Witnesses told police they saw Bautista running from a group of men in their late teens or early 20s behind the Safeway grocery store in Tennant Station shopping center.
Assistant District Attorney Stuart Scott, who is prosecuting the case, said it is likely a date for a preliminary hearing will be set at Frausto’s next court appearance.
Preliminary Hearing Moved in Pregnancy Assault Case
Two Morgan Hill residents accused of beating a pregnant woman and using racial slurs against her were in court once again last Thursday, but their preliminary hearing was moved to Feb. 9 because two police officers scheduled to testify were not able to appear.
Charles Peralta, 29, and Nicole Agriesti, 21, were arrested last July after Xochitl Calderon, 32, who was two months pregnant at the time, said she was punched and kicked repeatedly by the pair after they ran over a bag of groceries she left in the parking lot.
During the preliminary hearing, Superior Court Judge Susan Bernardini will listen to arguments from the prosecutor and defense attorneys, as well as testimony from witnesses and police officers.
She will determine if there is sufficient evidence in the case to go to trial, as well as the specific charges Peralta and Agriesti will face if the case goes to trial.
Peralta and Agriesti are free on $100,000 bail each. A special hate crime enhancement was added to charges of assault resulting in serious bodily injury because they reportedly yelled racial slurs as they allegedly beat Calderon. The enhancement would double the maximum sentence of four to eight years in state prison if they are convicted.
Feinstein Criticizes Rumsfeld for Perchlorate
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is criticizing recent efforts by the U.S. Department of Defense to evade a requirement to perform studies on the health impact of perchlorate.
“Despite the department’s claims, this critical work still remains incomplete,” Feinstein said in a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. “By shirking responsibility for performing thorough and exhaustive studies on the impact of perchlorate, the defense department is putting the health of thousands of Americans at risk.”
Perchlorate, a sodium known to interfere with thyroid activity, has been found in Morgan Hill and San Martin, and east of Gilroy.
The Olin Corp., the company that polluted South County’s groundwater is working on a plan to clean it.
See the East Side of Coe Park
For one weekend, Henry W. Coe State Park will open the gate at Bells Station on Highway 152 to the little-traveled east side of the 87,000 acre park.
Tickets for the event, scheduled for April 29 and 30, is by application only. Applications will be available by January 18 at www.coepark.org. The forms will also be available at Coe Park headquarters, and at the Morgan Hill, Gilroy, and Modesto libraries. Written requests for applications (include a self-addressed stamped business envelope) should be addressed to Application Forms, Coe Backcountry Weekend, 1410 Terri Lynn Court, Gilroy, CA 95020.
The day-use fee for the event is $20 per vehicle, for either Saturday or Sunday. The fee for camping or backpacking Saturday night is $40 per vehicle. The fee for backpacking Friday and Saturday nights is $50 per vehicle. There is no limitation on the number of people in a vehicle.
To be eligible for the drawing, applications must be postmarked between February 1 and 28. In early March, applications will be drawn until the vehicle limit is reached.
Applicants will hear from park staff, one way or the other, by mid-March.
Beall New Supervisor Chair
Santa Clara County Supervisor James T. Beall is the new chairman of the board of supervisors. Beall’s term will last one year, his last as a county representative. He will deliver his State of the County address Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006 at 6:30pm in the board chambers. Supervisor Don Gage is the 2006 vice-chairman.
