Men Arrested for Reckless Gun Firing
Men Arrested for Reckless Gun Firing

Hollister – The San Benito County Sheriff’s Office arrested three Gilroy men Thursday night after finding two pistols in their truck.

Alberto Osvaldo Marquez, 28; Jose Luis Lendechy, 30; and Daniel Lopez Galvez, 24, were all arrested on suspicion of illegal weapon possession, a felony, and discharging a firearm in a gross negligent manner, a felony, at 6pm Thursday, according to Sheriff’s Lt. Roy Iler.

Deputies had received a call from a woman who heard five shots fired on Fry Lane, Iler said. As deputies responded, they saw a red truck matching the woman’s description of the vehicle from which the shots had been fired southbound on San Felipe Road, Iler said.

The truck then turned westbound onto Flynn Road, where the suspects were pulled over in front of the Juvenile Hall, Iler said.

Lendechy was found to be driving without a license, Iler said.

Upon searching the truck, deputies found a Smith and Wesson .38-caliber pistol and a Davis Industry .32-caliber semi-automatic pistol, he said.

Iler said the shots fired did not appear to have hit or damaged any property.

“We don’t know what they were doing here exactly,” he said.

The men are being held at the San Benito County Jail in lieu of $20,000 in bail, according to jail personnel.

Supes to Consider Requiring Sprinklers

Hollister – At its meeting Tuesday, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors will consider making residential fire sprinklers mandatory.

Under the ordinance, anyone building a new home or making major repairs or alterations to an old one would be required to install a sprinkler system.

In his staff report, Assistant Fire Chief Reno DiTullio cites numbers from the National Fire Protection Association estimating that 50 percent of home fire fatalities could be avoided if residents have escape plans and working smoke alarms. With the addition of a sprinkler system, that risk is reduced by 82 percent.

If the supervisors are interested in making sprinklers a requirement, county staff will prepare an ordinance to be considered at a future meeting.

The supervisors will also look at increasing fees for alcohol and vehicle offenses. If the resolution is passed, anyone fined for those offenses would have to pay an additional $2 for every $10 – or fraction of $10 – of their penalty.

The additional revenue from the fines would be deposited into several medical funds, including the Maddy Emergency Medial Services Fund.

The supervisors will meet at 9:30am Tuesday in the county administration building.

Leal Wines Win Gold Medals

Hollister – Leal Vineyards received two gold medals this week from the American Wine Society Commercial Wine Competition for its 2003 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and its 2003 Estate Carnaval.

Although the 2003 Estate Carnaval, which is a meritage, or blend of Bordeaux grape varieties, is sold out, there are still 12 cases of the 2003 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2003 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is available at the winery or online at www.lealvineyards.com for $32 per bottle, said Chris Walker, a spokeswoman for Leal Vineyards.

Leal was also recognized at the California State Fair in September.

“We pretty much only enter our wines in three or four wine competitions per year,” Walker said.

The estate designation means the wines are produced from grapes grown at Leal’s vineyards in Hollister, Walker said. She said the 2004 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Estate Carnaval are similar to the 2003 vintages and are available at Lynn’s Liquors on Hawkins Street in Hollister, Windmill Market in San Juan Bautista, Diaz Liquors on Airline Highway in Hollister and G & L Liquor Mart on San Felipe Road in Hollister.

“Both of them are pretty traditional,” Walker said.

Frank Leal founded Leal Vineyards in 1998 and is the head wine maker.

From staff reports.

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A staff member wrote, edited or posted this article, which may include information provided by one or more third parties.

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