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Within the next couple of months, residents and visitors can expect to see some of downtown Morgan Hill’s flagship, high-profile construction projects transform into more dining, nightlife, shopping and lodging choices.

A teen who was shot in the area of Tennant Avenue and Church Street Wednesday night is expected to survive, according to police. 

Major injury accidentA black Volkswagen Jetta collided with a bus bench in the area of Hale and Wright avenues, resulting in injuries to a pedestrian who was sitting on the bench. A pregnant woman who was in the back seat of the Volkswagen was also injured. The accident was reported 5:13pm Feb. 18.Auto burglarySomeone broke into a service truck in the parking lot of Holiday Inn & Suites, 17035 Condit Road. The crime was reported 6:30am Feb. 14.A thief or thieves entered an unlocked vehicle on the 1000 block of Creekside Court and stole glasses, cash and an iPod. The burglary was reported 7:54am Feb. 15.VandalismTwo boys age 15 to 16 were seen tagging a bus bench with graffiti at Llagas Road and Hale Avenue. The crime was reported 4:35pm Feb. 14.An unknown person broke a bathroom window at the Jackson Oaks HOA clubhouse and rec center, 3490 Oak Hill Court. The vandalism was reported 11:53am Feb. 15. BurglaryA resident of Easy Street arrived home to find the house broken into. A burglar or burglars stole a laptop computer, gaming equipment and garage door remote controls from the home. The burglary was reported 9:54pm Feb. 14.Stolen vehicleA thief or thieves stole a Toyota pickup with a camper shell from a parking spot on Yosemite Way. The crime was reported 6:39am Feb. 15.A white 2017 Forest River trailer was stolen from Pan Pacific RV Center, 16690 block of Condit Road. The theft was reported 9:21am Feb. 15.Someone stole a metallic gray Honda Accord from a parking spot outside Union Bank, 500 Tennant Station. The crime was reported 10:22am Feb. 17.A thief or thieves stole a blue 1999 Honda Civic from a spot on Del Monte Avenue. The theft was reported 10:04am Feb. 20.Petty theftA thief or thieves stole money, a wallet containing IDs and credit cards, and insurance documents from a location on the 16800 block of DeWitt Avenue. The theft was reported 12:20pm Feb. 18.A man and woman walked out of Wal-mart, 170 Cochrane Plaza, with a stolen electric shaver. The theft was reported 6:59am Feb. 19.A customer of Starbucks, 251 Vineyard Town Center, lost his wallet when he left it on the counter, and thinks it was stolen. The theft was reported 10:56am Feb. 19.Someone tried to leave Safeway, 235 Tennant Station, with $500 worth of groceries. A store employee stopped the theft from occurring. The incident was reported 2:11pm Feb. 19.A man and woman left CVS, 16995 Walnut Grove Drive, with two baskets full of cosmetics. The theft was reported 4:02pm Feb. 19.Someone stole baby formula from Wal-mart, 170 Cochrane Plaza. The crime was reported 12:03am Feb. 20.A bicycle was stolen from outside Safeway, 840 E. Dunne Ave. The crime was reported 10:52am Feb. 20.All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.

The pilot of a single-engine aircraft whose engine began to fail above San Jose made a “split second” decision to make an emergency landing on the median of US 101 in Morgan Hill Sunday, according to authorities.That decision by Aptos resident Wayne Wright, 62, resulted in a safe landing for the pilot and motorists on the ground.Wright departed from Davis airfield about 10:35am Feb. 18 in a Piper PA46-310P airplane. He was on his way to the Watsonville airport when, at about 11:10am, Wright reported his aircraft lost engine power for an unknown reason, according to a press release from the California Highway Patrol. The plane was at about 6,500 feet altitude and about eight miles north of the San Martin airport when the engine began to fail.Wright, the only occupant of the aircraft, activated his GPS in an effort to locate the nearest airport. He contacted San Jose Air Traffic Control on the radio, and informed them of his situation, according to the CHP. The pilot advised the air authorities that his view of the ground was obstructed by heavy cloud patches.San Jose Air Traffic Control guided Wright to the San Martin airport to make an emergency landing, according to authorities.Wright continued to attempt to restart his engine while contacting air traffic control, but was unsuccessful. His airplane was gliding with no power just below the clouds when he saw US 101 below him, according to the press release. The pilot thought he might not make it to San Martin, and advised authorities that he was going to attempt an emergency landing on the freeway.As he descended the plane, Wright noticed southbound vehicle traffic on US 101 stopping in a cascading effect toward him, according to CHP. That’s when he decided at the last second to land his aircraft in the center median divider on US 101, just south of Tennant Avenue.The plane landed about 11:17am with a wing extended into the left lane of northbound US 101, facing in a southbound direction, according to CHP.No injuries or collisions resulted from the incident, according to authorities. The plane was towed to the San Martin airport, where it will be inspected.The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, according to FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.Photos of the odd sight of an aircraft in the middle of US 101, and later being towed off the freeway onto Tennant Avenue in south Morgan Hill, spread throughout the internet in the hours after the landing.The registered owner of the aircraft is G&M Leasing LLC, based in Watsonville.

Petty theft

The Superior Court judge in Dana Stubblefield’s Morgan Hill rape case set the former San Francisco 49er’s bail at $500,000, after his attorneys argued his “very active” involvement in the community and modest financial means justified the release amount.Stubblefield, 47, has been held at Santa Clara County Jail since the conclusion of a preliminary hearing Jan. 19, when prosecutors added a gun enhancement to five felony charges he faces in connection with the alleged rape of a woman at his Morgan Hill home in April 2015.The gun enhancement could result in a prison sentence of 15 years to life if Stubblefield is convicted. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Tim McInerny had asked the court to set Stubblefield’s bail at $1 million.Allen Sawyer, attorney for Stubblefield, asked Judge Jacqueline Duong to set bail at $500,000, adding that Stubblefield is willing to wear a GPS monitor, submit to random searches of his property and obey “any stay-away order” until the conclusion of the court proceedings.After hearing these arguments, Duong agreed to set bail at $500,000 and impose the GPS and search conditions. She also is prohibiting Stubblefield from possessing any weapons.Duong said she agreed to a bail amount appropriate for Stubblefield’s financial means due to “the defendant’s willingness to add non-monetary conditions to any consideration of bail,” among other factors.“I did not find by clear and convincing evidence that (Stubblefield’s) release would result in great bodily harm,” Duong added. “The court determines that concerns for public and victim safety do not require pre-trial detention.”Stubblefield’s attorneys filed a motion earlier this month in which they claimed they unearthed a short video on a pornography website of the alleged rape victim dancing nude, suggesting she lied during the preliminary hearing when she testified she had never been paid for sexual or nude acts. However, this evidence was not presented or even mentioned during Stubblefield’s Feb. 16 bail hearing at South County Courthouse.Stubblefield’s attorneys and McInerny spent about an hour meeting with the judge behind closed doors before the bail hearing. When the attorneys and judge returned to the open courtroom for the public hearing, Stubblefield was led out of a holding cell by bailiffs. He was not handcuffed, but wore jail-issued attire.The attorneys and judge did not specify what they discussed in private before the hearing. Duong said the private discussion attempted to “refocus (the defendant’s) framework for presenting information the court will consider” in Stubblefield’s bail request.Sawyer said the former NFL player has “long ties to the community”—including four children (two who live with him) and a history of active support for the Special Olympics.“This is his home,” Sawyer said.Sawyer added that Stubblefield “voluntarily” turned over a firearm to the police during the rape investigation, and reliably attended previous court hearings when he was out on bail for nearly two years following his 2016 arrest.Furthermore, due to Stubblefield’s financial situation, he has “limited ability to post bail” at an amount higher than $500,000, according to Sawyer. Stubblefield—who earned millions of dollars as a defensive end for the 49ers, Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders—now has assets of about $169,000, which are held in a retirement account. He is currently unemployed, Sawyer added.Stubblefield previously posted 10 percent of $250,000 bail in the same case, shortly after Morgan Hill police arrested him in 2016, Sawyer said.Stubblefield faces five felony charges in relation to the alleged rape in 2015: forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, rape and oral copulation of a person incapable of consent, and false imprisonment.He was arrested by Morgan Hill Police in May 2016, after officers conducted a year-long investigation into the victim’s claim that Stubblefield raped her. The incident allegedly occurred April 9, 2015. The woman—whom investigators described as “intellectually disabled”—arrived at his home after Stubblefield contacted her through the website sittercity.com, according to police.After a brief job interview, the woman left, according to authorities. But Stubblefield called her back and offered to pay for her time. When she returned, he carried the woman to a room, raped her, forced her to perform oral sex and then gave her $80, according to police reports.The woman drove straight to the Morgan Hill police station from Stubblefield’s home to report the incident, according to authorities.Stubblefield’s next hearing is scheduled for April 12 at the Morgan Hill Courthouse.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Morgan Hill City Councilman Larry Carr pleaded not guilty to domestic battery Feb.16 at the South County Courthouse.Superior Court Judge Jacqueline Duong issued Carr, 49, a one-year “peaceful contact order” that regulates the contact he can have with the alleged victim in the misdemeanor case.Carr is charged with domestic battery in relation to a Nov. 25, 2017 incident involving his girlfriend of 11 years, with whom he shared a home in downtown Morgan Hill at the time.Morgan Hill Police responded to the couple’s residence that evening, and arrested Carr after taking statements from him and his girlfriend. The woman had told police, during a lengthy verbal argument, that Carr “ripped the glasses from her face and threw them to the ground, causing them to break,” and pulled her hair in the process, according to the police report of the investigation.Carr told police at the time that any contact he made with his girlfriend during the argument was accidental. He has continued to deny the allegations since his arrest.The victim did not exhibit any injuries or indicate a complaint of pain, according to police.Carr’s next hearing on the domestic battery charge is scheduled for a March 19 pre-trial conference.Carr declined to comment on the case after the Feb. 16 hearing.Carr’s attorney Stuart Kirchick clarified that Carr and the alleged victim do not live together now. He added that the alleged victim requested the peaceful contact order, and DA’s office prosecutors agreed it was appropriate in this case.According to the Santa Clara Superior Court website, a peaceful contact order is a type of “criminal protective order” that “permit(s) contact between a defendant and the Protected Person, but only if that contact is peaceful in every way.” The judge may modify such orders to address specific conditions or issues that pertain to an individual case.Carr—who is currently serving in his fifth term as a Morgan Hill councilmember—was convicted of a similar misdemeanor charge in 2015, in relation to an incident at the couple’s previous home March 23. Carr pleaded no contest to domestic battery and completed a 16-week counseling program. The court later dismissed the charge from his record, at Carr’s formal request. Carr has also denied acting violently in that incident, and he pleaded no contest to avoid prolonged court proceedings.If Carr is convicted of the 2017 charge, the court can consider the 2015 conviction as a prior offense in his sentencing, according to authorities.

If you have ever considered running for local office in Santa Clara County, now is your chance.Monday, Feb. 12 kicked off the nomination period for the June 5, 2018 Statewide Primary Election. The nomination period ends Friday, March 9, but can be extended to Wednesday, March 14 for contests where the eligible incumbent doesn’t file.And while local Morgan Hill offices won’t appear on the ballot until November, City Council incumbent Rich Constantine has signaled he might run for mayor, and former two-term Councilwoman Marilyn Librers has tossed her hat back into the ring.Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters Shannon Bushey urged candidates running for office in June to call the Candidate Services Division at (408) 299-8639 or come to the office in order to review forms and requirements for successful filing.“There is no leeway in the filing deadline,” Bushey said. “It is always best to file nomination papers as early as possible so that any incorrect forms may be corrected before the filing deadline, which in most cases cannot be extended.”District 1 Supervisor Mike Wasserman, who represents Morgan Hill, said he intends to run for reelection.“It’s been my privilege to represent South County on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors,” Wasserman said. “I am seeking reelection in June 2018 and have been honored to receive a strong outpouring of support from local leaders in education, public safety, business, agriculture, and community members who share my passion for improving our county.”The following federal, state, and county offices are up for election in June:GovernorLieutenant GovernorSecretary of StateControllerTreasurerAttorney GeneralInsurance CommissionerSuperintendent of Public InstructionState Board of Equalization, District 2U.S. SenatorU.S. Representative District 17 (incumbent Ro Khanna)U.S. Representative District 18 (incumbent Anna Eshoo)U.S. Representative District 19 (incumbent Zoe Lofgren)U.S. Representative District 20 (incumbent Jimmy Panetta)State Senator District 10 (incumbent Bob Wieckowski)State Assembly District 24 (incumbent Marc Berman)State Assembly District 25 (incumbent Kansen Chu)State Assembly District 27 (incumbent Ash Kalra)State Assembly District 28 (incumbent Evan Low)State Assembly District 29 (incumbent Mark Stone)State Assembly District 30 (incumbent Anna Caballero)Santa Clara County Supervisor District 1 (incumbent Mike Wasserman)Santa Clara County Supervisor District 4 (incumbent Ken Yeager)Assessor (incumbent Larry Stone)District Attorney (incumbent Jeffrey F. Rosen)Sheriff (incumbent Laurie Smith)Judge of the Superior Court, 24 officesThe City of Morgan Hill will not participate in the June primary, and instead will hold elections for local offices in November. The nomination period for the Nov. 6 election opens July 16 and closes Aug. 10.This will be the city’s first council election in the district format. Candidates will need to reside in the districts they are seeking office in. The mayor’s seat will still be elected at large.Three seats will appear on the November ballot, including Mayor Steve Tate, District B Constantine and District D Councilwoman Caitlin Robinett Jachimowicz.Jachimowicz is currently nine months pregnant and said she hasn’t decided if she’ll run to retain her seat later this year. She was appointed to her council seat in January 2017 to complete the unexpired term of former Councilmember Gordon Siebert.“I want to make sure the baby is healthy,” Jachimowicz said by phone Tuesday. “After that, I’ll be able to make some more decisions.”According to City Clerk Irma Torrez, Constantine has already filed a Form 501, candidate intention statement, to run for mayor in 2018.Constantine said that he opened a committee to explore the possibility of a mayoral run, but paperwork for a possible campaign wouldn’t be filed until June.“I think I have a lot to offer Morgan Hill in the higher capacity than just as a city councilmember,” Constantine said by phone Tuesday.Former Councilwoman Marilyn Librers also filed a Form 501 to seek an open council seat in the November 2018 election. Librers served two terms on the council from 2008 to 2016, but was defeated in the November 2016 election.Additionally, the Morgan Hill Unified School District will hold their election in November. Four trustees are up for reelection, including Donna Ruebusch, Ron Woolf, Gino Borgioli and David Gerard. Also, Claudia Rossi’s seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Trustees is also up for election in November.Candidates are encouraged to make an appointment and begin the nomination filing process as early as possible to ensure all paperwork is completed and submitted on time.For more information, contact the Registrar of Voters’ Office at (408) 299-VOTE or toll-free at (866) 430-VOTE, or visit sccvote.org.

The top floor of Morgan Hill’s downtown parking garage is expected to reopen at the end of March.The City of Morgan Hill closed the top floor of the structure in September 2017 after reports of adults and youth climbing on the roof ledges, cars speeding within the structure, skateboarding and cycling at high rates of speed, loitering, littering and vandalism.The closure affects 50 parking spaces, but not for much longer.“At the same time the closure was implemented, several other immediate improvements were completed,” Community Services Director Chris Ghione said via email.Last September, the Morgan Hill City Council approved $200,000 from the city’s public utilities fund for improvements to the downtown parking garage. Construction of improvements could end with a lower price tag than the total funds allocated, according to city staff.Surveillance cameras have been added to the structure, as well as increased signage notifying people in the garage of the cameras, and listing the prohibited activities inside the structure.Additional improvements include extra signage, improvements to prevent roof access, and temporary fencing used to block off the top floor.“The fencing has proven to be a very effective measure and people attempting to climb over the fencing has not been an issue,” Ghione said.While the top floor is closed, Ghione said the city may remove the temporary fencing during major events when high use is anticipated. The closure is intended to reduce the inappropriate use that occurred when the top floor was empty.“The security fencing, improvements, and regular patrol by Morgan Hill Police Department has resulted in a very significant reduction in issues occurring at the parking structure,” he said.While the city is still considering options for permanent improvements to prevent access to ledges, the intention is to create barriers similar to walls and to have them in place when the top floor is permanently reopened.Look forward to additional parking and rooftop views again at the end of the March.The downtown parking garage, located between East Third and Fourth streets on the east side of Monterey Road, cost about $9 million and was built with leftover Redevelopment Agency funds in 2016. The 3.5-story structure houses about 270 parking spots, as well as public art, bicycle lockers and electric vehicle charging stations.