Bail set at $5 million for suspected La Jolla shooter
Hans Antone Petersen remains in jail this week on $5 million bail after he was arraigned Sept. 30 on three counts of attempted murder and other charges involving Sept. 18 shootings in two La Jolla homes.
Petersen, 49, of University City, delayed his arraignment twice before hiring attorney Marc Carlos, who asked San Diego Superior Court Judge David Szumowski to set bail at $1 million. Petersen pleaded not guilty.
He is charged with attempting to kill Steven and Lisa Dowdy and Ron Fletcher all on the same night. He is also accused of shooting at an inhabited structure and burglary of Fletcher’s home. Deputy District Attorney Amy Maund said Petersen, a biotech executive, fired multiple shots through the master bedroom window of Steven Dowdy, 53, a University of California San Diego cancer researcher. Dowdy was shot in the back, but his wife was not hurt in the 3 a.m. shootings.
Maund said four rounds struck a dresser in the bedroom and Dowdy was wounded as he stood up after he got out of bed. Petersen was allegedly angry with Dowdy over a failed business deal.
Around 6:40 a.m., Petersen allegedly broke into the Cottontail Lane home of Fletcher, 50, his estranged brother-in-law, and shot him in the stomach. Fletcher was able to overpower Petersen by hitting him with his own gun.
Petersen’s sister, who is separated from Fletcher, was not home at the time.
Maund asked the judge for $6 million in bail, saying Petersen had access to a lot of money. The judge told Petersen to surrender his passport if he posts bail. Carlos said his client had no prior record and is a former CEO of many firms. Afterward, Carlos called the $5 million bail figure “excessive.”
A preliminary hearing was set for Dec. 18. Petersen remains in custody. —Neal Putnam Would-be carjacker gets 270-day jail term
A young woman who pleaded guilty to attempted car theft outside the La Jolla Country Day School after someone dropped off a child was sentenced Oct. 1 to 270 days in jail.
Jennifer Anaiz Gomez, 21, was given credit for serving 196 days in the Las Colinas Women’s Detention Facility by San Diego Superior Court Judge Eugenia Eyherabide, which included time off for good behavior. She was placed on three years probation.
During the June 26 incident, Gomez tried to take a car after she pulled the driver, Maeng Kang, out of the car at 8:35 a.m. after Kang dropped off an 8-year-old child at the school. Gomez could not put the car in gear and could only rev the engine. Gomez was pulled out of the car by someone and was caught by the head of the school’s security. Kang, a relative of the child, was not hurt. A charge of attempted carjacking was dismissed after she pleaded guilty to the reduced charge.
Her attorney, William Stone, asked the judge to release her immediately with credit for time served. “She certainly learned her lesson,” said Stone. He said Gomez was from Los Angeles.
Deputy District Attorney Rick Clabby and the probation department recommended a 270-day term with probation conditions. —Neal Putnam