Bail Isn’t Lowered in San Clemente Teen Assault Case

A judge refused to lower bail for two men who pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges they participated in an assault that ended with a paint-roller rod impaling the skull of a 17-year-old San Clemente High School student.

Four additional counts of felony assault were filed against Juan Enriquez Alcocer, 20, and Arturo Villalobos, 20, both of San Clemente, authorities said. Each now faces a total of 10 counts of felony assault and one felony count of throwing a projectile at a moving vehicle.

Although Alcocer was described by his attorney as a model citizen, a bail reduction request was denied by Municipal Judge Ronald P. Kreber, who left bail for both men at $250,000 each.

Alcocer and Villalobos were ordered to return to Municipal Court in Laguna Niguel Nov. 23 for a preliminary hearing.

Four juveniles also charged with felony assault stemming from the incident will be in Juvenile Court on Nov. 30.

Speaking through a translator, Alcocer and Villalobos, both dressed in orange, jail-issue jumpsuits, pleaded innocent. Alcocer kept his head down, chin at his chest throughout the proceedings, as his family watched from the audience.

After the arraignment, defense attorneys for both men and a county prosecutor said there is still confusion over whether the paint-roller rod was thrown or thrust through the head of San Clemente resident Steve Woods, who remains in a coma at Kaiser Permanente Hospital-Orange County in Anaheim on life support.

“It’s still unclear how exactly that happened,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Gary Paer said.

A Kaiser official said that Woods has shown some brain activity. Paer said if the youth doesn’t recover from his injury, the district attorney’s office will consider filing murder charges against the defendants.

“If he dies, we’ll sit down and re-evaluate the case,” Paer said. “But Mr. Woods is still alive.”

Sheriff’s deputies said that several San Clemente High School students went to Calafia Beach County Park Oct. 15 after a school football game. There, some of the youths exchanged words with about 10 to 15 young adults and teen-agers who were already at the beachfront park, deputies said.

The students said they tried to drive away to avoid a confrontation. As they were leaving the park, rocks, bottles and other items--including at least two paint rollers--were thrown at the vehicles. Sitting in the front passenger seat of a truck with the window rolled down, Woods was somehow impaled by a paint-roller rod.

Michael Naughton, who represents Villalobos, said his client acknowledged throwing a paint roller at a truck not occupied by Woods, but added there was no intent to cause serious harm.

“I don’t think anyone in their wildest dreams imagined this would happen,” he said.

San Clemente residents have expressed extreme outrage over the incident. Demonstrations and rallies decrying the violence have taken place in the city in recent weeks.