A retired Monterey County Sheriff’s deputy faces up to 19 years
in prison if convicted of a felony firearm charge and will be the
first person prosecuted under the district attorney’s new
zero-tolerance policy.
Hollister – A retired Monterey County Sheriff’s deputy faces up to 19 years in prison if convicted of a felony firearm charge and will be the first person prosecuted under the district attorney’s new zero-tolerance policy.
Hilton Dyar, 64, of Seaside, was charged with felony assault with a firearm and misdemeanor exhibiting a firearm after allegedly pointing a loaded pistol at a female driver in a fit of road rage. Dyar won’t have a chance to plea bargain his way to lesser charges under San Benito County District Attorney John Sarsfield’s new zero-tolerance policy, which he instated two weeks ago following a rash of gang-related shootings. The policy prohibits those accused of gun or gang-related crimes from striking plea bargains and is aimed at curbing those types of offenses, according to Sarsfield.
“I think it is going to be a big deterrent,” he said.
The charges stem from Dyar’s arrest last month when he allegedly threatened a female motorist on Highway 156 with a loaded, semi-automatic pistol. The victim called 911 from her cell phone and gave a description of the suspect and his vehicle. Police pulled Dyar over on Highway 156 near the Alameda and found a loaded H&K 9mm pistol behind the driver’s seat. The gun later turned out to be stolen, according to Undersheriff Pat Turturici. The victim, who police declined to name, told police that a man had been tailgating her, pulled up along side her and pointed a black gun at her.
“He scared her to death,” Sarsfield said. “She did nothing to provoke this.”
Monterey County Undersheriff Nancy Cuffney declined to comment on the case, but previously told the Free Lance that Dyar worked as a correction’s officer for Monterey County from 1977 to 1993, and had little information to provide regarding Dyar’s tenure at the department.
In November, Cuffney said she was unaware if Dyar had been involved in any incidents while working at the sheriff’s office, and said that even if he had been, internal affairs records are only retained for five years. Because Dyar, who could not be reached for comment, retired 12 years ago, any documentation stemming from an investigation would have been destroyed, she said.
Dyar’s service as a corrections officer will not be taken into consideration by the prosecution, Sarsfield said.
“I’m not holding him to a higher standard because of his past,” he said. “He will be treated just like everybody else.”
County Supervisor Anthony Botelho has been working closely with Sarsfield and fellow Supervisor Don Marcus to crack down on gang violence. He believes Sarsfield’s new policy will help, but said the county needs to do more to prevent gang violence.
“I think we definitely have to take a more of a ‘get tough’ posture and this is just one aspect of it,” he said. “Hopefully the message is loud and clear that we don’t want this activity in our county.”
Botelho hopes the zero-tolerance policy will act as a deterrent to gang and gun crime in the short term while county officials work closely with local schools to make sure prevention and intervention support programs are in place.
In an effort to find a solution to the problem of escalating gang violence, Sarsfield said he has had informal discussions with the County Administrative Officer and some county supervisors. Those discussions have yielded a plan to create a new multi-jurisdictional law enforcement group made up of officers from the Hollister Police Department, San Benito County Sheriff’s Office, Probation Department and District Attorney’s Office charged solely with combating gangs. The possibility of declaring a state of emergency in the county has also been discussed.
Dyar is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 20 at the San Benito County Courthouse.
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or br******@fr***********.com.
