Man gets trial in La Jolla gallery holdup
A judge has ordered a 22-year-old man to stand trial for three robbery counts in a Sept. 18 incident at the Carlton Gallery in La Jolla where the bandit was pepper sprayed by the owner.
A Feb. 19 trial date was set for Camron Dale Cash, who is charged with robbing three workers at the gallery at 1144 Prospect St. He has pleaded not guilty. A police detective and three others testified at the preliminary hearing conducted by San Diego Superior Court Judge Michael Washington, according to court records. The judge ordered Cash to stand trial on all three counts.
A masked man entered the store and pointed a 9-mm gun at the owner’s face. The owner, who was quoted by U-T San Diego, said he pepper sprayed the bandit, who quickly left. The owner said he had never been robbed before.
The Carlton Gallery has sold fine art, jewelry and antiques since 1994, according to its web site.
Cash remains free on $50,000 bond with the condition he does not enter any type of jewelry business. —Neal Putnam Concerns over Shores infrastructure project heard
Public officials met with Shores residents and stakeholders Nov. 26 to discuss plans and hear concerns about the infrastructure replacement project along Avenida de la Playa scheduled to begin Dec. 4.
Among those present were representatives from Vic Salazar Communications, liaison between the city and the community on the project.
Officials laid out specifics on, and answered questions about, infrastructure improvement and the timetable for the project.
Scott Robinson, public information officer for the city’s Public Works Department, noted in an email following the public meeting that two projects, Avenida de la Playa Infrastructure and Sewer and Water Group Job 809, were consolidated into a single construction contract.
“The city issued a notice to proceed to the contractor on Monday, Nov. 25 and the demolition work of the existing outfall structure will start on Wednesday, Dec 4,” Robinson said, adding the goal was “to complete Avenida de la Playa portion of the project by the time the summer moratorium starts Memorial Day weekend.”
Robinson said work on Sewer and Water Group Job 809 is anticipated to be complete in early 2015.
“The city has worked with the community on the consolidation of these two projects and incorporated input in to the phasing schedule to minimize impacts to the community,” Robinson said.
Robinson said the contractor’s staging area will be on SDG&E property at Hidden Valley Road and Torrey Pines Road, and will not be at Nobel Laureate park in La Jolla Shores.
He said the overall cost of the Avenida de la Playa Infrastructure project’s planning, design and construction budget is about $4.5 million, while the cost of Sewer and Water Group Job 809 project’s planning, design and construction budget is about $10.5 milllion.
The project is going to require the boat launch at Avenida de la Playa to be closed for about 2 1/2 months starting Dec. 4, Robinson said.
Robinson said the contractor and the city have also brought Shores water sports vendors together with city lifeguards to discuss where they will stage their equipment. 
“As a result, Vallecitos Street will be used to access the beach and temporary no parking zones will be posted in order to accommodate the trucks the kayak vendors use to transport their equipment to the beach,” Robinson said. —David Schwab Woman pleads guilty in UC bank robbery
A woman who participated in a University City bank robbery before one of her fellow bandits was shot pleaded guilty Nov. 22 to bank robbery and possession of razor blades while in jail.
Because of her long criminal record, Laura Joyce Elshire, 43, faces a maximum sentence of 33 years to life in prison. Sentencing was set for Feb. 7 by San Diego Superior Court Judge Leo Valentine, Jr.
Elshire admitted to her role in the June 11 hold-up of Wells Fargo Bank on Genesee Avenue. Casey Alan Wilson, 27, was shot in the arm and face by a security guard and was sentenced Oct. 16 to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to two robbery counts.
The getaway driver, Robert Anthony Hodge, 28, left Wilson at a hospital where he was arrested. Hodge faces a March 24 trial, and has pleaded not guilty.
Elshire has previously been convicted of attempted murder. The razor blades were found in her bra in jail and they are considered a weapon. Elshire could also get a lesser sentence than the maximum.
No money was taken out of the bank on June 11. Elshire was arrested inside the bank. Both Elshire and Hodge remain in jail.
—Neal Putnam