A July 16 preliminary hearing was set for the husband of El Cajon dentist Blake Synowski who is charged with murder in the asphyxiation death of the dentist.
Thomas Wayne Zupner, 65, appeared on a video screen in a room from jail in El Cajon Superior Court on June 17.
The attorneys also appeared remotely.
Synowski, 62, died from obstruction of airway and mechanical asphyxiation on Sept. 17, 2019, according to the medical examiner’s office.
Zupner had tried to force Synowski to eat crackers in their La Mesa home and he called 911 after noticing that Synowski was not breathing. His attorney, Paul Pfingst, said the murder charge is inappropriate because the death was not intentional.
Zupner has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail on $2 million bail.
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Rudy Alvarez, 24, of Lemon Grove, posted $5,000 bond June 15 and remains free on a federal charge of aiming a laser beam at a San Diego Police helicopter during a protest.
Alvarez was arrested June 6 at 9:45 p.m. by San Diego Police following a large demonstration that occurred in the 500 block of University Avenue in Hillcrest.
The protest concerned the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Detectives found a high-powered gray metal laser pointer in Alvarez’s front left pant pocket, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
“Aiming a laser pointer at or near an aircraft could cause distraction or blindness to a pilot and the consequences could be devastating,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer.
Alvarez has pleaded not guilty and will return to U.S. District Court later in July.
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Criminal proceedings were suspended June 23 for a Lakeside man accused of shooting at sheriff’s deputies who were answering a domestic violence call.
The attorney for Dustin Charles Banzhof, 39, told prosecutors he doubted his mental competency to be arraigned, so a mental fitness hearing was set for July 20.
Banzhof is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a loaded firearm in the June 14 incident. Deputies responded to a domestic violence call in the 11600 block of Hi Ridge Road after Banzhof’s girlfriend and her two children were hiding from Banzhof.
Deputies saw Banzhof drive away and he evaded them before driving back to his residence. He is alleged to have fired at deputies several times, but no one was wounded.
Banzhof was arrested at 2:30 a.m. that night after contact with a sheriff’s canine. He remains in jail on $100,000 bail.
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Timothy Huss, 31, of El Cajon, has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for robbing two banks.
Huss was ordered to pay $4,930 to the banks he held up on June 8. He had been living with his father, Ronald Huss, in the Flinn Springs RV Park on Olde Highway 80 before the hold-ups.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Whelan also ordered Huss to pay $200 in a penalty assessment, according to court records.
Huss pleaded guilty to robbing the Chase Bank at 3490 College Avenue on Sept. 14, 2019, and the hold-up of a Wells Fargo bank in Fashion Valley.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Brehm recommended the 46-month term while Huss’s lawyer recommended a 30-month sentence in a supervised residential drug treatment program.
Huss appeared via a video feed from the Metropolitan Correction Center due to the precautions involving the coronavirus outbreak.
Huss is incarcerated at a Victorville prison and his release date is set for Dec. 25, 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
