POLICE HUNT FOR MIDWAY BURGER KING ROBBERS
Police officials are asking for the public’s help in tracking down information about two armed, masked Latino men who struck the Burger King fast-food restaurant at closing time this month at the store on Rosecrans Street. The two suspects reportedly approached two employees who were closing the restaurant. The men brandished their weapons and demanded cash. They were last seen getting into a dark-colored Pontiac two-door car that was parked in a nearby parking lot on Pacific Highway. The Pontiac sped off northbound on Pacific Highway. Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477. PSYCHIATRIC PATIENT WHO KILLED ROOMMATE LANDS 15-YEAR SENTENCE
A prison sentence of 15 years and two months was handed down Sept. 5 for a psychiatric patient who killed his roommate at the San Diego County Psychiatric Hospital at 3851 Rosecrans St. in 2012.
Bart Clement Schafer, 34, was ordered to pay nearly $3,700 for the funeral of Robert King, 53, who was beaten to death on March 17, 2012. Deputy District Attorney Makenzie Harvey said Schafer struck King with his fists and King’s head apparently hit the floor or a wall.
Schafer, also known as Bart Schufer, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in June. A murder charge was dropped by a San Diego Superior Court judge. Schafer withdrew his insanity plea with his attorney present. Schafer also pleaded guilty to committing torture upon King who suffered severe head and brain injuries. The judge gave Schafer credit for serving 1,038 days in jail since his arrest.
It was Schafer who reported King’s injury at 2 p.m. on the day of the attack, telling staff King had fallen. San Diego police officers were dispatched to the scene. Paramedics evaluated King and rushed him to a trauma center. King died eight days later. The last time a psychiatric patient was killed by another patient at that facility was in 1986.
— Neal Putnam CREDIT INFO ON GUESTS AT 5 HOTELS COMPROMISED IN SECURITY BREACH Credit and debit card information of as many as 55,000 guests who stayed at five hotels in San Diego was compromised in a security breach, the company that owns the lodging houses an-nounced Sept. 8.
Guests who stayed at the Best Western Plus Island Palms Hotel and Marina on Shelter Island, the Dana Inn on Mission Bay, Humphreys Half Moon Inn & Suites on Shelter Island, the Pacific Terrace Hotel in Pacific Beach and the Days Hotel on Hotel Circle South are being advised to check their credit and debit accounts for signs of unusual activity.
The properties are owned by San Diego-based Bartell Hotels, which said it called in law enforcement and independent forensic data experts to investigate the breach.
The breach affected customers who used payment cards for lodging, food and beverage, or retail transactions between Feb. 16 and May 13 of this year, according to hotel CEO Richard Bartell. No other personal identifying information was given up, he said. He said the company is in the process of notifying the affected guests about the breach, which appears to be the work of a third-party intruder. The hotel owner is providing a toll-free information line at (877) 437- 4010 to address customer questions and concerns and has contracted with AllClear ID to provide identity monitoring and protection services to affected individuals.
— City News Service LA PLAYA TRAIL ASSOC. TO HOST FREE PRESENTATION ON KUMEYAAY
The La Playa Trail Association will host another in a series of informative programs to share the history of the Point Loma area. The presentation is titled “Kumeyaay Along the Trail.” The event will feature speakers Jamie Labrake, a member of the Council of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay; Paul Cuero, a leader of the Campo Kumeyaay Nation, traditional bird singer and vice spokesperson for the Kumeyaay Cultural Repatriation Committee; Steve Banegas, member of the Barona Band of Mission Indians and a founder and spokesperson of the Kumeyaay Cultural Repatriation Committee; and Stanley Rodriguez, member of the San Isabel Band of the Ipai Nation and noted Kumeyaay language instructor. In addition, Ana Gloria (Martha) Rodriquez, the Kumeyaay coordinator of the Sycuan Cultural Department and instructor at Kumeyaay Community College, will join the lineup.
The free presentation will be at the Point Loma Assembly, located at 3035 Talbot St., from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16. A donation at the door of $10 includes happy-hour refreshments. For more information, visit www.laplayatrail.org.