County IN BRIEF : SAN FERNANDO : Charges Dropped in Assault on Suspects

Prosecutors dropped their case Wednesday against a jail inmate who allegedly assaulted two Northridge college students accused of murdering a Pacoima pastor. Felony charges against Thaddeus K. Bonner, 36, were dismissed after a San Fernando Municipal judge ruled that Dana Singer, 18, and Philip J. Dimenno, 19, would not be required to testify against Bonner at a preliminary hearing. Attorneys for Singer and Dimenno argued that cross-examination of their clients during the preliminary hearing could have hurt efforts to defend them against charges that they murdered Pastor Carl White on July 28. “We couldn’t make anything without the testimony of the two witnesses,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Victor Minjares said, explaining the dismissal. Dimenno and Singer were injured in an assault Sept. 11 in an inmate lockup area of the San Fernando Courthouse.