
Four suspects in the home invasion robbery of La Jolla cookbook author Jeanne Jones will face a preliminary hearing on Feb. 18. Officials waived their right to have a speedy hearing in San Diego Superior Court. The hearing had been set for Dec. 20, but several lawyers had vacations and other conflicts with that date, said Deputy District Attorney C.J. Mody. Four defense attorneys and the prosecutor conferred with each other about when they could all meet for the preliminary hearing. “It was quite a discussion to pick a date,” said Mody. Three masked men broke into Jones’ home on Nov. 5 and punched a caretaker in the face. Officials said the caretaker opened the door of Jones’ La Jolla home at 6:30 p.m. to see a man holding a single rose that he said was for Jones. The suspects ran upstairs and, at gunpoint, allegedly forced Jones to open a safe and give them jewelry that was valued at $30,000. All of the jewelry was recovered by San Diego police after the men were arrested on State Route 52 just west of Regents Road. A United Parcel Service driver was delivering a package to Jones’ residence and phoned police after seeing three men wearing ski masks at her home. All four men are charged with robbery, residential burglary, felony assault, elder abuse and receiving stolen property. Mody said they face 20 years in prison if they are convicted of all charges. Thomas Walter Clark, 41, Hector Guerra, 30, Aaron Jacob Espinoza, 23, and Miguel Ocegueda, 23, have all pleaded not guilty. Clark and Espinoza are housed in the George Bailey Detention Facility, while Guerra and Ocegueda remain at the downtown central jail with bail set at $1 million.








