CARLSBAD: A woman assaulted during a robbery at a Carlsbad resort was found dead a day later on her boat in Oceanside.
Friends found the body of Barbara Novelich, 67, Monday morning.
Authorities say Novelich was working as a clerk at the Tamarack Beach Resort early Sunday when a man demanding money punched her in the face and stole her car.
The county Medical Examiner's Office could not immediately determine a cause of death, or say whether it was related to the assault.
Novelich had refused medical treatment from authorities after the assault, but friends said her son took her to a hospital Sunday morning and she was treated for facial cuts and released. –AP
Teens walking near park
shot after confrontation
NATIONAL CITY: Two teenagers were shot yesterday afternoon after being confronted by assailants in a dark sport-utility vehicle, police said.
They were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, said Assistant National City police Chief Manuel Rodriguez.
The teens, ages 16 and 19, were walking south on D Avenue near Plaza Boulevard just after 4 p.m. with another 19-year-old when the driver of the SUV pulled up by them, police said. The area is a few blocks from Kimball Park.
The female driver and two male passengers asked the teens if they wanted a ride. When the teenagers declined, the driver made a U-turn and one passenger fired several rounds at the teens, Lt. Lanny Roark said. The younger boy suffered a grazing wound to his shin and an older teen was wounded in one knee. The SUV then headed south.
Police said they do not know the motive for the shooting or whether it was gang-related. Witnesses said the shooter did not verbally challenge the youths before he fired the gun, Rodriguez said.
So far this year, there have been no fatal shootings in National City, he said. –A.M. & P.R.
Suspected car thief eludes
police via drainage pipe
SAN DIEGO: A suspected car thief eluded police early yesterday by diving into a drainage pipe after leading officers on a freeway chase from Miramar to La Jolla.
Officers tried to pull over the driver about 2:20 a.m. on Miramar Road near Carroll Road after seeing him run a red light, San Diego police Sgt. Kerry Tom said.
But instead of stopping, the driver sped off, Tom said. After running over a spike strip near La Jolla Village Drive, the man continued to drive as his tires shredded and sparks flew from the rims.
The driver was pulled over shortly after 2:30 a.m. and ditched the vehicle, which was quickly engulfed in flames, near state Route 52 and ran up to the top of a 200-foot embankment.
The man glanced down, looked back at the officers behind him and “without hesitation” jumped headfirst into a drainage pipe – estimated at about 30 inches wide and at a 45-degree angle – and “disappeared into the darkness,” Tom said. “It was a long, long, way down.”
The pipe goes under the freeway and eventually lets out near the ocean. But it also branches off in several directions, with homeless people living in some sections, the sergeant said. It was dry at the time.
Officers were stationed at several exit points, but the man wasn't seen emerging, and the search was called off. –D.B.
Man faces lesser charges
in death of bicyclist, 23
SAN DIEGO COURTS: A man accused of running down a bicyclist in Mira Mesa and dragging the body more than 500 feet was ordered yesterday to stand trial on charges of voluntary and vehicular manslaughter.
Marcos Garcia Jeronimo, 22, was originally charged with murder in the death of Marcelo Bolom, 23, of San Diego.
But San Diego Superior Court Judge Frederic Link said the evidence didn't support murder, and he ordered Jeronimo to be tried on lesser charges.
According to testimony presented in court, Bolom was riding a bicycle Aug. 20 when he stopped in front of Jeronimo's car in a parking lot on Capricorn Way.
Jeronimo allegedly accelerated his Dodge Neon, hitting Bolom and dragging the bike and the body 543 feet. Jeronimo eventually stopped driving and ran off, leaving the body pinned beneath the car. He turned himself in to police a couple days later.
Prosecutor Patrick Ojeil argued that Jeronimo committed second-degree murder, because he had “an ongoing feud” with the bicyclist. Jeronimo's sister-in-law testified she had a romantic affair with Bolom.
Defense attorney Terry Zimmerman argued that Jeronimo was afraid of Bolom, who had been drinking and was acting aggressively. She said her client thought the bicycle, not the body, was stuck under the car and kept driving to dislodge it. –D.L.
Feb. 4 hearing for actor
accused in stabbing case
NORTH COUNTY COURTS: A preliminary hearing for actor Shelley Malil was scheduled yesterday for Feb. 4 in Vista Superior Court.
Malil, 43, known for a supporting role as Haziz in the movie “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” earlier pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted murder in the stabbing of his ex-girlfriend.
Kendra Beebe was attacked Aug. 10 in her San Marcos home, suffering more than 20 stab wounds, prosecutors said.
Malil's preliminary hearing had been scheduled for Dec. 8.
A prosecutor said yesterday the defense wants more time to review evidence and file a motion in the case. –A.M.
Jury in slain stepdad trial
told to keep deliberating
SAN DIEGO COURTS: Jurors in the trial of Nathaniel Gann, a young man accused of fatally shooting his stepfather, announced yesterday they were unable to reach a verdict in the case.
However, a judge determined that the jury hadn't been deliberating long enough to be hopelessly deadlocked, and he sent the panel back to the jury room to continue discussions.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Frederic Link said he received a note yesterday afternoon indicating the jurors had reached an impasse after deliberating about a day.
The foreman said they took two votes and were divided 6-4-2, a split that was not further explained.
Link read the jury a brief instruction, over the defense attorney's objections, and said, “We will see what will happen” when the jury returns to court today.
Deliberations began Tuesday afternoon to determine whether Gann, 20, is guilty of murder and a special allegation of lying in wait in his stepfather's death. Prosecutors contend that Gann and his sister killed attorney Timothy MacNeil, 63, on July 19, 2007.
The sister, Brae Hansen, is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 20. –D.L.
Staff writers Angelica Martinez, Pauline Repard, Debbi Baker and Dana Littlefield and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
