Tres Pinos
– A central coast miner was sent to San Jose Regional Medical
Center after a violent confrontation with four men near Tres Pinos
on Saturday night left him with a puncture wound in the head,
according to the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office.
Tres Pinos – A central coast miner was sent to San Jose Regional Medical Center after a violent confrontation with four men near Tres Pinos on Saturday night left him with a puncture wound in the head, according to the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office.
Larry Bourdeau, 61, of Boulder Creek, Calif., told deputies the last thing he remembers was being confronted by four men on the side of Panoche Road just south of Panoche Inn, Detective John Peña said. Deputies responded to Douglas Ranch at 34220 Panoche Road at 9:32pm Saturday in response to a possible gunshot victim.
“The victim doesn’t really remember what happened,” Peña said.
After being taken by helicopter to SJRMC and an ensuing CT scan, it was determined Bourdeau was not shot in the head, but had been hit with an unknown weapon hard enough to create a puncture wound, Peña said.
Deputies were unable to determine what happened.
“It’s pretty unusual that we don’t know what happened,” Peña said.
The head trauma Bourdeau suffered was severe enough to create a lapse in memory, Peña added.
“He took a good thumping to the head,” Peña said.
Bourdeau is a mineral miner and may have been in the area visiting the mineral mines in the hills of the south valley, Peña said.
There are several quicksilver, or mercury, mines on Panoche Road such as the historic New Idria mine in the New Idria Mining District.
Deputies have no suspects in the assault. Bourdeau was listed in stable condition.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
