Hollister man dies after explosion
Gilroy – A Hollister man died Friday night after sustaining burns to 90 percent of his body, after a homemade device he used to extract THC from marijuana created an explosion in his motel room.
Dennis Johns, 45, was staying in room 202 at the Leavesley Inn in Gilroy on Thursday, July 27, when the device outfitted with butane cans used to make hash oil exploded. Police were called to the scene after witnesses reported the explosion about 10:06pm.
A motel guest staying close to Johns tried to used wet bed sheets to extinguish the flames on his body. His daughter, Stacia Johns said her father was a good man.
“He was cleaning up his life,” she said.
Man injured in robbery
Morgan Hill – Police are looking for a 24-year-old man in connection with a robbery inside a motel room at the Microtel Motel on Condit Road, according to Morgan Hill Sgt. David Swing.
The victim, a man in his mid-40s, was seriously injured Saturday night during the robbery. He was treated at Valley Medical Center and later released.
According to police, Mark Fredrickson and his accomplice stole an undisclosed amount of cash and “personal items” from the victim.
Swing said the robbery was not gang-related. He stressed the fact that the victim knew the suspect, and that the incident was not a random attack.
No further information about the incident will be released at this time, Swing said, because detectives are in the early stages of the investigation.
Anyone with information about the incident may call Morgan Hill police Detective Kevin Beilmann at 779-7323 or to give an anonymous tip, call Crime Stoppers at 947-STOP.
Send news items to City Editor Robert Airoldi. FAX to 842-2206, mail to Gilroy Dispatch, 6400 Monterey Road, Gilroy, CA 95020, or e-mail ed****@****ic.com.
