HUNTINGTON BEACH : Judge Lengthens Surfer’s Jail Sentence

A Ventura County judge on Wednesday extended the jail sentence of a Huntington Beach man who kicked and beat a surfer in a dispute over beach rights.

Peter A. Proctor, 27, of Huntington Beach was convicted last year of assault with a deadly weapon and assault with intent to commit great bodily injury. Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard E. Simon gave this account of the assault, which occurred Dec. 10, 1989:

While surfing near the Ventura-Los Angeles county line, Proctor started yelling at another group of surfers, telling them that it was a private area and insisting that they leave.

After the group moved down the beach, Proctor entered a beach house where he was staying, donned a pair of pants and steel-toed boots and came after the other surfers, accompanied by a pit bull.

One of the surfers, Jeffrey Hamby, 25, of Newport Beach, was struck from behind and knocked down. Proctor kicked Hamby several times with the steel-toed boots, causing severe cuts and skull fractures that required 12 staples to heal.

Superior Court Judge Charles R. McGrath sentenced Proctor to 240 days in jail, but the defendant failed to show up last September when he was supposed to start serving the sentence.

Proctor was arrested in Los Angeles last month and was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol. On Wednesday, he was returned to Ventura County, and McGrath extended his sentence to 365 days in jail. The time will be served after Proctor finishes the 160-day term he received in the drunk-driving case.