California IN BRIEF : SANTA CRUZ : Boat Captain Won’t Face Felony Charges

Felony charges have been dropped for lack of evidence that a San Francisco commercial fishing boat captain attacked a woman crew member who jumped ship. “His actions, while outrageous, were not felonious,” Municipal Judge Robert Atack said in finding there was not enough evidence to try Paul Batsford, 49, on criminal charges of assault and false imprisonment. Assistant Dist. Atty. Christine McGuire, however, said she would file misdemeanor battery and weapon brandishing charges against the boat skipper. Karla Dalton, 28, testified that Batsford beat her, held her prisoner and threatened to kill her with a .22-caliber rifle. The Petaluma woman, a new crew member, said she jumped from the 40-foot Dorothy L at sea on May 8 and hailed a passing fishing boat to escape Batsford, who was arrested by the Coast Guard as the Dorothy L sailed from San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf to Monterey Bay.