A man suspected of stealing a boat motor in the Crown Point area before leading police on a high-speed chase to Mount Soledad was ordered Wednesday, April 2, to stand trial on two counts of assault on two police officers for allegedly ramming their patrol car with the stolen car the suspect was driving.
William Steven Starke, 45, was also ordered to stand trial for evading police with reckless driving, receiving stolen property, auto theft and felony vandalism. San Diego Superior Court Judge Fred Maguire dismissed a grand theft charge and one count of resisting an executive officer at the end of the preliminary hearing.
Starke allegedly broke the locks and chains of an outboard motor on a boat in the Crown Point area that was owned by the harbor police on March 15. Starke didn’t realize the motor came equipped with a global positioning system that alerted Harbor Police of the theft around 1:30 a.m.
Harbor Police officers chased the thief, who refused to stop, and he allegedly rammed their patrol car deliberately on Avenida Manana in the Mount Soledad area of La Jolla. The officers weren’t injured, and they identified Starke in court as the driver.
Starke didn’t realize the street he was on was a cul-de-sac, and he found himself trapped in the Volkswagen Jetta, which was reportedly stolen. The Jetta had been reported stolen, with license plates allegedly stolen from another vehicle.
During the arrest, one of the officers broke his car window and cut his hand. Starke’s dog, a
Rottweiler, got out of the car and allegedly charged officers, prompting two officers to shoot it. The dog died at the scene.
The grand theft charge that was dismissed involved the theft of the motor, which was described as a “bait motor” with a GPS tracking device. Deputy District Attorney Ryan Saunders said his office has not yet decided whether to refile that charge. The vandalism charge stems from the damages to the patrol car.
A trial date will be set on April 15, and Starke has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Starke had been on probation in two other cases from 2007. He was found to have violated probation, and warrants had been issued for his arrest in September 2007, according to court records.
He remains in the Vista Detention Facility in lieu of $50,000 bail.