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Morgan Hill Police arrested a 36-year-old man accused of inappropriately touching girls during a dance performance at Sobrato High School.The suspect, Kevin Cole, of Newark, was working as a production assistant contracted by the organization that produced the Dec. 1 production, according to a press release from MHPD.Police received a call just after 10pm Dec. 1 reporting an adult male subject had touched two juvenile victims on “intimate areas,” the press release states. The inappropriate contact occurred backstage, as the children were changing costumes during the dance performance.During the police investigation, officers learned Cole was an independent contractor hired by the dance company that was using the Sobrato venue for their performance, police said.Cole had been hired to work with sound and lighting support, and not to work with the children participating in the performance, police said.As soon as Cole’s backstage behavior was observed, the performance production manager and several parents told him to stop assisting with costume changes, according to police.Cole was positively identified by the victims at the scene, police said. He was arrested on suspicion of multiple counts of annoying or molesting a child younger than 18.A statement from the Morgan Hill Unified School District said the young victims were not from Morgan Hill. But the district is working with MHPD in seeking any additional information about Cole’s past interaction with groups or students in Morgan Hill.Cole has worked with several dance and ballet companies including South Valley Ballet, Hip Hop Craze, Music In Motion, South Valley Dance and Charter School of Morgan Hill, police said.Anyone who has more information or thinks they or their child might be a victim can call MHPD at (408) 779-2101 or (669) 253-4914.

Morgan Hill City Councilman Larry Carr was convicted of a misdemeanor domestic battery in 2015—a prior crime that could have an impact on the prosecution of a similar charge filed by authorities last week.

The developer of a nine-home subdivision planned on a property where the state’s bullet train could be built will proceed until the High Speed Rail Authority makes a final determination on the preferred alignment through Morgan Hill.The Morgan Hill City Council Nov. 15 approved the final map for Walnut Grove Estates, located at Diana Avenue and Walnut Grove Drive, adjacent to the west side of U.S. 101.The project developers are Newland Homes, LLC, and SiliconSage Builders, LLC, according to a city staff report.The property is located directly in the path of one of two possible HSR alignments proposed by the train’s state authority. This potential HSR path, known as the “Highway 101 West alignment,” would take the train roughly along the U.S. 101 right of way around the city’s downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. This option would “impact all of the properties adjacent to the west side of the highway,” according to City of Morgan Hill Communications Manager Maureen Tobin.The other HSR alignment alternative is an at-grade option along the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, which would take the HSR train through the city’s downtown. This alignment would also require the relocation of a section of Monterey Road north of Cochrane Road, and impact “all of the properties east of the UPRR tracks,” Tobin said.But the California High Speed Rail Authority won’t choose its preferred alignment until at least June 2018, and until then, the developer of Walnut Grove Estates plans to proceed with the nine-home project.“Until they adopt one of those alignments, it’s speculative, and the landowners are just going to go forward until the alignment becomes (finalized),” said Bill McClintock of MH Engineering, the project’s civil engineer. “Then the High Speed Rail Authority is going to have to deal with having some houses they might have to buy.”Regardless of which alignment the CHSRA chooses, the authority is required to pay fair market value for any private properties needed for the bullet train.The developer is required to disclose the potential HSR alignment on the property to any potential buyer of any of the Walnut Grove Estates homes or property, McClintock added.The developer likely won’t start building the Walnut Grove Estates homes until spring 2018, in order to wait out the current winter, McClintock added.The five-member city council approved Walnut Grove Estates’ final map unanimously as part of the Nov. 15 meeting’s consent calendar.The city and consultants it hired have determined that either HSR alignment alternative will have significant impacts on local properties.An HSR alignment on the east UPRR right-of-way would require the purchase of 35 commercial and other non-residential properties, and 196 residential units, according to the city’s analysis. The Highway 101 West alignment alternative would barrel through 11 non-residential properties and 51 single-family homes.“While the city cannot prevent development from occurring, the city is making the CHSRA aware of existing and planned development along the two alignment options and, at the same time, the city is informing potential developers of the HSR project and possible impacts,” Tobin added.The city has also asked the CHSRA to evaluate a third alignment alternative—along the U.S. 101 right-of-way—“in order to limit impacts on private property,” Tobin said in an email.Statewide, the HSR is expected to be operational by 2025. When complete, the bullet train will be able to carry passengers between San Francisco and Los Angeles in less than three hours.The 84-mile HSR segment that will pass through or around Morgan Hill—depending on which alignment the authority approves—is known as the “San Jose to Merced” section. It includes HSR stations in San Jose and Gilroy. A station is not planned for Morgan Hill.

Sitting on their couch in the living room, Cole and Drake Davis did what all brother do: They were arguing about race cars.

Live Oak’s Cinderella run came to a sudden end on Nov. 24 with a 52-17 loss to Half Moon Bay in the semifinals of the CCS Open Division III playoffs.

Kaylah Grant went out in her final cross country race of her high school career with an 18th place finish at the CIF State Cross Country Championships in Fresno.

The City of Morgan Hill has uncovered more than $5 million worth of unspent impact fees—paid by developers more than five years ago—that officials say will go toward long-planned, large-scale infrastructure and public facilities projects.

Stolen vehicleSomeone stole a 1997 Honda Civic from a spot on Del Monte Avenue. The theft was reported 4:46pm Nov. 20.FraudA customer of a hotel on Madrone Parkway told police that someone went into his room while he was staying there recently and stole checks, which were subsequently forged and cashed at Bank of America. The crime was reported 1:15pm Nov. 17.BrandishingA suspect was loitering in the back of a business on Monterey Road and pulled a knife on an employee when the employee confronted him. The suspect then fled southbound on Monterey Road in a green T-Bird. The incident was reported 6:18pm Nov. 17. Auto burglaryThe owner of a Chevrolet Suburban parked at Tennant Station caught an unknown male suspect inside the vehicle. The vehicle owner confronted the suspect, who fled on a bicycle. Quarters were missing from the vehicle after the suspect left. The crime was reported 2:37am Nov. 22.BurglaryA thief or thieves broke into a home at La Mar Drive and Via De Ninos and stole tools, a guitar and other items. The crime was reported 6:53am Nov. 22.Petty theftSomeone stole packages from the front porch of a home on Christeph Drive. The crime was reported 4:34pm Nov. 22.A thief or thieves stole a mountain bike worth about $600 from an open garage at a home on Sandalwood Way. The bicycle is described as a black Trek Marlin with green and yellow highlights and 29-inch wheels. A portable camera was affixed to the front of the bike. The crime was reported 8:42pm Nov. 22.Someone stole two cases of beer from AMPM Mini-Mart, 18605 Monterey Road. The theft was reported 5:52pm Nov. 23.FightNumerous witnesses reported a “huge fight” behind The Hill, 17330 Monterey Road, about 1:45am Nov. 23. Several hours later, a victim reported he was walking with a group of people about 3:30am and ran into some of the subjects who were reportedly fighting outside The Hill. The suspect attacked the victim with a tennis racquet, breaking a tooth and causing multiple facial injuries.  Accident with property damageA motorist hit a metal plate placed in the roadway by construction crews to temporarily cover roadwork, resulting damage to the driver’s Toyota Camry. The plate, located at a road construction site at Spring Avenue and Monterey Road, came loose from the roadway and caught on the front of the Camry. The damage was reported 4:52pm Nov. 24.All subjects are innocent until proven guilty. Information is compiled from public records.

The Morgan Hill City Council unanimously approved the developer’s final maps for a 168-unit apartment rental complex and a 74-unit subdivision of homes for sale to be built in east Morgan Hill.The apartment complex will be located on the northeast corner of San Pedro Avenue and Condit Road. The for-sale project will be built on the northwest corner of San Pedro and Murphy avenues, according to a city staff report.The developer for both the rental and for-sale projects is MH Evergreen Multi, LLC.By approving the final maps on staff’s recommendation, the council agrees that the developer has conformed to “all the requirements of the Subdivision Map Act, and any conditions of approval required of the Tentative Map.” The planning commission approved the tentative maps in August 2016.The council approved both final maps at the Nov. 15 meeting, as part of the consent calendar.An “improvement agreement” for the adjacent projects notes that the developer will make more than $950,000 worth of improvements to the properties and surrounding streets, including public roadway and other infrastructure upgrades, sidewalks, fire hydrants and water system enhancements.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office charged Morgan Hill City Councilman Larry Carr with misdemeanor domestic violence following a Nov. 25 incident at the home he shares with his girlfriend.Morgan Hill Police reported they responded to Carr’s home in the city’s downtown 6:20pm Nov. 25 in response to a call from his partner. The woman told a dispatcher on the phone that Carr, 48, threatened her, pulled her hair and broke her glasses, according to police reports.Carr was arrested at the home, according to police.Morgan Hill Police Sgt. Troy Hoefling confirmed the arrest on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery, and referred further questions to the D.A.’s office.Prosecutors filed one count of misdemeanor battery on a cohabitant against Carr, South County Deputy Supervising D.A. Vishal Bathija said Nov. 29. Carr’s next court date, scheduled for an arraignment, is Jan. 26, 2018.Bathija added that Carr was released on $10,000 bail shortly after his Nov. 25 arrest.A lifelong Morgan Hill resident, Carr was re-elected to his fifth and current term as a city councilman in November 2016. For 2017, the council has also assigned him the title of Mayor Pro Tem.Before joining the council, Carr was an elected Morgan Hill Unified School District trustee. He has a teenage son and daughter.In response to the questions from the Times regarding the Nov. 25 incident, Carr declined to address the specific accusations because he had not seen the D.A.’s complaint or evidence against him.But Carr said he is “terribly sorry” for placing himself and his family in the situation, and said he is “not a violent person.”“I realize I am not perfect—far from it,” Carr said. “I know I have let a lot of people down, most notably my partner, a person I care deeply about, (and) my family and many people in Morgan Hill who trust in me…I don’t act out in a violent way. Violence does not exist in my home.”The California Penal Code section in which Carr is charged states the maximum punishment for misdemeanor battery on a cohabitant is a $2,000 fine and/or one year in county jail.Authorities declined to comment on any potential injuries to the victim in Carr’s case. But the penal code notes that a charge of battery does not require physical injury.