L.A. Times:
An off-duty San Diego County deputy sheriff found robbing an Encinitas home and beating its owner was shot and killed Wednesday by a fellow deputy who did not recognize the robber as his colleague and close friend until he removed a stocking from his friend's head.
Sheriff's officials said Deputy Michael Stanewich, 36, an undercover narcotics detective and nine-year veteran, was fatally shot by patrol Deputy Gary Steadman, 35, an 11-year-veteran, who responded with another deputy to a report that a residence was being robbed. Both men worked out of the same sheriff's station in Encinitas.
Stanewich had been to the home, owned by Donald Van Ort, 32, last week to search for narcotics and noticed a large amount of cash that he did not seize, officials said.
On Wednesday, officials said, Stanewich returned to the wood-framed stucco home with an unidentified accomplice to steal the money, estimated to be about $100,000 in cash. The deputy wore rubber gloves and a stocking over his head.
More contemporaneous details from the L.A. Times, which seems to be the paper of record for Encinitas:
Debt may have been motive.
Stanewich was shot in the back.
Deputy-turned-robber eulogized as friendly, helpful.
Victim's Pick Is Ruled Out as Accomplice
Van Ort attorneys on lawsuit vs. Sheriff's Dept.
From the L..A. Times article:
ReplyDelete"In 1989, Stanewich was singled out, along with four other deputies, by the Encinitas City Council for "outstanding service to the community." In 1987, he shot and injured a man in Solana Beach who was charging at him with a gun."
Oops.
Full on SWAT raid of a small time junkie hangout?
ReplyDeleteYou are suggesting an over-reaction. In fact, the occupants of the home were known to be involved in cross border smuggling of hard drugs like heroin, transporting and selling drugs, gang membership, and oh yeah, an active charge of concealed weapon. In fact, the home owner was caught again with a weapon.
This isn't a couple of teenagers playing video games smoking a joint. In some cases the militarization of police is over the top, and needlessly confrontational. This isn't one of those cases.
EU should edit this post to clarify.
Agree with 8:01am.
ReplyDeleteWhat did they find? They only announced what sounds like small personal quantities of drugs, and small criminal charges.
ReplyDeleteOh, sorry.
DeleteI didn't understand the rules.
We're judging decisions after all the unknowns and details have been revealed through hindsight.
Under those rules, EU is right. The cops should have sent one of the unarmed Senior Volunteer Patrol units.
http://www.sdsheriff.net/volunteer_svp.html
Look at the cast of characters. This isn't the Capone gang.
DeleteThese are really bad neighbors, not unlike those in thousands of other druggie houses in less affluent neighborhoods. They have shady characters coming and going, but it's not the command center of some vast criminal enterprise.
It was his partner detective Morse
DeleteA witness appeared on TV on the news but they disguised his appearance and scrambled his voice but you could see the silhouette was exactly like his partner they put out the opposite of what he actually look like the guy was heavy set and they said he was slim to throw you off don't believe it it was him
Two people told me the accomplice in the Stanewich case was a man named Johnny Ochoa. The description I read of the man from one of the articles you posted fit him. Slender, dark skinned with long hair. The other thing that is curious about those two men is that months before the Van Ort incident, there was a Pizza Parlor robbery in Solana Beach. Police were right outside when the robbery occurred and pursued the car two men and one woman were in . The car ran over an embankment and crashed. The two men fled. The woman remained shaking as Sheriffs approached her with guns drawn. She was interviewed and released. She only knew the first names of the men who had just picked her up, taking her to a gas station to get a battery charged. "Johnny and Al" were their names. The car came back registered to Johnny Ochoa. But guess who Johnny had bought the car from? Michael Stanewich. Not long afterward, and its just hearsay, but two people told me Johnny was shot dead in the chest in Vista by a former Sheriff named Cookie. The plot thickens for Throwback Thursday.
ReplyDeleteThat makes Johnny Ochoa a rat because he was with the deputies at the original raid.
DeleteJohnny was shot by Chico over a love triangle. Chico got 25 yrs.
Deletedrugs + gang members + felons + weapons = SWAT
ReplyDeletesilly to suggest otherwise
Cops encounter felons and drugs and gang members every day on the job. It rarely calls for a SWAT raid spectacle big enough to make the evening news.
DeleteAnd what weapons? Why are there no weapons or felony charges coming from the raid?
There were people named in the warrant with active weapons charges, and violent felony convictions.
DeleteEU is using his rear view mirror, instead of considering what the police knew when planning the raid.
The warrant also documents dozens of gang members and felons coming and going from the home. The transient nature of the people associated with the home means the police can't say for sure who is in there, and what level of threat they pose, on a given day.
The safest course for both the police and the residents is to enter the home with overwhelming force when people are most likely to be asleep.
Only a radical libertarian would suggest otherwise.
Agreed, Anon 4:22 PM.
Delete1:02, In a town where the city manager deemed it necessary to bring a Sheriff with him to a 101 Mainstreet board meeting, sure, why not bring the SWAT team to a McMansion full of expensive furnishings for a search warrant? Am surprised there were no large sums of cash or weapons reported. But ANY home that has a felon inside constitutes a condition that is called a "4th waiver". That is, no search warrant is necessary for the premises, inside or out, regardless of there being probable cause or not if any authority wants to waltz in unannounced. So be careful who you invite into your home if you don't want it raided by a SWAT team at 4am here in Encinitas. Not defending any criminal activity that may have occurred at the Olivenhain house. Just leaving a tip how to best defend your home from a legal invasion for those who aren't aware of this little known law. Always seems a little over the top to have 2 Sheriffs at every council meeting. That seemed to start happening after a former Sheriff was on council and never changed. How much are they paid per hour? I feel sorry for the Sheriffs mandatory presence sitting through those tiresome meetings, only to experience at worst, the weekly verbal wrath from the usual harmless suspects at the public's microphone.
ReplyDeleteIf you are referring to the former council member Guerin, she was a police officer, not a sheriff. After claiming an injury, she has continued to bilk the department of thousands of dollars and still receives disability. Amazing that the woman is able to get around as well as she does (tsk, tsk).
DeleteChristy Guerin worked for the Sheriff's Dept. She was a deputy sheriff and left the force on retirement disability, supposedly due to stress fractures in her legs. She told Adam Kaye, formerly of North County Times, that she was getting $3000 per month disability. Her husband, a Commander in the Sheriff's Department also got a Workman's Compensation award, which he appealed, and lost, wanting more dollars. Guerin left Council to work as district manager for Brian Bilbray. I'm not sure, but she may be working for the Olivenhain Water District, now, is that also covered by CalPers?
Delete12:51 It was previously reported that Guerin got on disability because of back problems. She supposedly was in pursuit of someone on foot, tripped and fell. Uncoordinated?????
DeleteBack, knees, who knows? But, she managed to get disability. She does move about quite well for all her physical ailments. Some just know how to bilk.
I don't believe the Board members of OMWD are in CalPers. They do receive benefits such as medical, dental, etc. and receive a $1,500 monthly compensation.
DeleteWhat a waste of taxpayer dollars to have police officers sitting in during council meetings. Does this happen in other cities?
ReplyDeleteThis really needs to be addressed. Get on it council. They could be out saving lives or helping people in distress.
Those are COPPS Deputies who are at the meetings. They are in a unit designed to address problems that normal patrol deputies may not have time to devote to. As part of their jobs they attend the meetings in case there is an issue. It's common in most cities.
DeleteOh, how wonderful. Grown adults attend these meetings. Does the council or staff fear for their life? Give me a break. It is a waste of my taxpayer dollars. They are not needed at these meetings. There are more serious problems they need to deal with rather than yawning at a boring meeting.
DeleteThis is what a COPPS Deputy's job entails (taken from the San Diego County Sheriff's web page_.
ReplyDelete9:06 AM So, you are telling the public that these officers are on hand at a council meeting in case there is a problem? I believe the citizens in Encinitas are civilized individuals and don't require extra attention from these people.
Again, they are a waste of taxpayer money sitting in at council meetings. They should be out looking for gangs, hoodlums, parole violators, etc.
C.O.P.P.S. / SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS
Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving deputies are special purpose deputies assigned to investigate the quality of life issues within the community. COPPS deputies utilize the COPPS philosophy to promote quality interaction between law enforcement and neighborhood citizens. COPPS deputies also conduct directed patrols focusing on gangs, persons on parole/probation, persons with outstanding warrants, graffiti, human trafficking, prostitution, habitual offenders, transient camps and alcohol/tobacco related crimes.
COPPS deputies are also active within the community by attending Neighborhood Watch meetings and providing various presentations to youth groups, community groups, schools and businesses.
The School Resource Officer is assigned to high schools within the City of San Marcos. He/she handles all crimes relating to school students. These crimes include truancy, tobacco, drug and alcohol related offenses as well as crimes that occur on school grounds.
Sounds like the council is flagrantly abusing the COPPS program in order to give itself a Praetorian Guard against the great unwashed.
DeleteEU, that is putting it mildly. The council members must be shaking in their seats with all us rowdy citizens at the meetings (rolling eyes).
Delete