Gilroy man says he was in accident
Morgan Hill – An accident that puzzled CHP officers and Morgan Hill Police has been clarified, now that the driver involved told police the truth, according to CHP Public Information Officer Chris Armstrong.
Mark Hendrickson, 21, of Gilroy confessed to driving the car that was found on its roof on the shoulder of Edmundson Avenue near Spring Avenue early Sept. 14. What puzzled both the CHP and MHPD was that when the car was found, there was a pool of blood inside, but no one in or around the car.
“(Hendrickson) said he could not remember exactly what happened, but he did remember a jolt,” Armstrong said Friday. “After the collision, he walked to a friend’s house, and the friend helped him to get medical attention.”
The morning of the collision, an emergency room worker at Kaiser Santa Teresa Hospital in south San Jose called the MHPD to report a man “covered with blood” was seeking treatment, saying he’d been assaulted at a bar on Dunne Avenue and his car stolen. He also told the worker he was left in a large trash bin.
Hendrickson had abrasions on his forehead, Armstrong said
Hendrickson told the investigating CHP officer he was scared after the accident, Armstrong added, and “alcohol was a factor.”
No charges were filed Armstrong said, “because he told the truth. If he had filed a false police report, we would have been forced to file charges.”
Bamboozled in the bathroom
Gilroy – A man using the restroom at Costco in Gilroy was caught off guard when someone in the stall next to him stole his wallet. The man reported the incident to police at 2:52pm Thursday, though he said it had occurred at 1:22pm. He told police his pants were down around his ankles when his wallet fell out of his pocket. He saw a hand reach down under his stall and take the wallet. Police are unsure why the man waited an hour and a half to report the stolen item.
“Maybe he was finishing his business, and doing a little shopping,” said Cpl. Veronica Georges.
Shelter reopens after quarantine
San Martin – The San Martin Animal Shelter has reopened, but its cats remain under quarantine to control a ringworm outbreak.
The shelter closed Friday, Sept. 16 when it was discovered that several of its cats had contracted the highly contagious disease.
The shelter reopened Wednesday, after staff treated the animals and cleaned the facility.
The cats will remain quarantined until sometime next week. In the meantime, the shelter is adopting and accepting dogs.
PCAG will hold a special meeting
San Martin – The Perchlorate Community Advisory Group will hold a special evening meeting Thursday, Sept. 29, from 7 to 9pm at the San Martin Lions Club Hall, 425 Murphy Ave.
To get on the “interested parties” roster, e-mail zk*****@*********er.og or call 265-2600 ext. 2638.
Details: visit www.smneighbor.org,www.valleywater.org or call Sylvia Hamilton at 683-2667.
Senate approves farm bill
Washington – The U.S. Senate Thursday approved a $100 million farm appropriations bill that includes $30 million to fight the glassy-winged sharpshooter, a pest capable of destroying the state’s vineyards.
The bill also includes funding to combat sudden oak death and mad cow disease, Hispanic education grants and nutrition programs. The bill continues a prohibition against Japanese beef.
“The funding approved by the Senate today goes a long way to help the nation’s number one agriculture producing state,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said. “Many segments of California’s great agricultural industry stand to benefit from this bill.”
Send news items to City Editor Robert Airoldi. FAX to 842-2206, mail to Gilroy Dispatch, 6400 Monterey Road, Gilroy, CA 95020.
