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News Briefs
No Plea in Husband Stabbing
The Los Altos woman accused of stabbing her estranged husband several
times at their Redwood City–based construction company office first stunned
him with a Taser and clothed herself in bubble wrap as protection against
being hit herself, according to prosecutors.
Laura Jean Wenke, 50, was also the recipient of a $2 million life insurance
policy if her husband died and was very jealous of his new girlfriend, said
District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.
The latest details in the case of Wenke, which prosecutors say paint a picture of
a deliberate act, come just as she was arraigned on attempted murder charges.
“It certainly seems like pretty darn good evidence of premeditation,” said Wagstaffe.
Wenke allegedly went to the business on the end block of Laurel Street and
parked a truck in front of the office windows, blocking the view of passersby
to the inside, where she asked her husband to look up something in his
computer. As he worked, Wenke stunned and then stabbed him with a folding
knife several times in the neck and torso, prosecutors said.
After her arrest, police reported she was wearing a mechanic’s jumpsuit
and underneath the clothing, her torso was swaddled in bubble wrap.
Wenke appeared in court on charges of premeditated attempted murder,
felony assault with a knife and felony assault with a stun gun. She did not
enter a plea and returns to court Oct. 4.
Meanwhile, she remains in custody without bail. Wenke and her husband,
with whom she has an 8-year-old child, are in the midst of an “ugly” divorce,
Wagstaffe said. If convicted, she faces seven years to life in prison because of
the premeditation allegation. Her husband remains hospitalized with injuries
to his lung, neck and chest.
Suspected Burglar Hides in Attic Above Little Caesars
A man was arrested after hiding in an attic from police after they arrived
to investigate a silent burglary alarm at a Little Caesars Pizza restaurant in
Redwood City, police said.
Police arrived at the restaurant and saw the suspect climb into the attic of
the restaurant, located at 2193 Roosevelt Ave., according to police.
Officers established a perimeter around the commercial complex where the
restaurant is located, and began searching the restaurant and the adjoining
business for the suspect. Redwood City police received assistance from the
San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and its police dog.
The police dog located the suspect hiding in a dental office at 2183
Roosevelt Ave., and when he refused to come out, the dog bit him. The
suspect, Joseph Albert Sciarra Jr., 44, was treated for his dog bite, arrested
and booked into San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of commercial burglary.
Sciarra, a Redwood City resident, is also suspected of committing several
recent burglaries in the complex, police said.
RWC Driver Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal Hit-and-Run Accident
A Redwood City driver accused of fatally striking a 53-year-old woman with
his vehicle and fleeing the scene pleaded not guilty to charges of felony hitand-run
and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.
Julio Ricardo Montenegro, 58, waived his right to a speedy trial and was
ordered back to court Oct. 19 for a review conference followed by a Nov. 14
preliminary hearing. He remains in custody in lieu of $250,000 bail.
Montenegro was arrested Sept. 6 by Redwood City police after they linked
his vehicle to witness descriptions after 53-year-old Nora Fuentes-Arias was
found lying on the ground at approximately 7:15 p.m. in the 3000 block of
East Bayshore Road in Redwood City. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
A witness reported seeing a vehicle hit Fuentes-Arias and continue driving,
according to Redwood City police.
Using a description and partial license plate number, police located the
truck at Montenegro’s residence on East Bayshore Road and reported it
having damage on the right front corner.
Montenegro conceded driving the truck and being involved in a collision
but said he didn’t know what was struck and that he drove home after seeing
nothing behind him, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
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Suspected Home Burglar Arrested in El Camino
Chinese Restaurant
Redwood City police arrested a suspect in a home burglary after finding him
hiding in a nearby Chinese restaurant.
Officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress after a resident
of the 300 block of Madrone Street returned home and saw a man walking
around inside his house, according to Redwood City police.
The man confronted the intruder, who ran out of the home through a
smashed sliding-glass door and fled on foot, police said. The victim got into
his car and followed the burglar for a short distance, police said. He was able
to provide a description of the man and a general idea of his whereabouts.
Responding officers searched the neighborhood and quickly tracked down
the suspect, who was hiding in the US Chinese Food restaurant at 2490
El Camino Real. Police identified him as Miguel Zamora, a 29-year-old
homeless man from the Redwood City area.
Zamora was arrested on suspicion of residential burglary and booked into
San Mateo County Jail. The property that had been taken from the victim’s
home was returned, police said.
Time Served, Rehab for Naked Officer-Assaulter
A Redwood City man convicted of assaulting a police officer who tried to
subdue him from waving a frying pan while drunk and nude was sentenced
to time served and ordered to enter a residential treatment program.
Robert Filipovich, 29, was sentenced to 217 days in jail but given credit
for the same amount earned while in custody in lieu of $40,000 bail. He
must also spend three years on probation, pay restitution to the victims and
Sheriff’s Office and enroll in treatment.
After pleading no contest to felony assault on an officer and misdemeanor
counts of resisting arrest and being drunk in public, Filipovich sought mental
health treatment instead of incarceration. However, he was denied after a
judge found he did not have a serious mental condition that qualified for
Pathways mental health court.
Police arrested Filipovich April 9 after responding to the Beech Street
residence in Redwood City he shared with a female roommate. The woman,
who is black, said she returned home to find an intoxicated, naked Filipovich
breaking items and screaming that he hates black people. When police
entered the home, Filipovich ran outside to the driveway, wearing an open
robe and waving a frying pan. He fought with officers trying to arrest him,
kicking and reaching for one’s Taser, until being restrained with a wrap device.
After his arrest, Filipovich reportedly asked officers to cut off his head. At
the hospital, he screamed at nurses and masturbated, according to the District
Attorney’s Office. Officers reported finding four empty liquor bottles in the home.
Community Interest (Continued from page 16)
years ago after six years on the city’s planning commission. He was named
executive director of the Redwood City Police Activities League in 2009
after three years as operations director for the Riekes Center for Human
Enhancement in Menlo Park. Prior to that, he held nonprofit consulting and
management positions at Sequoia Hospital Foundation, Peninsula Conflict
Resolution Center, Committee for Green Foothills and Foundation for Global
Community.
Prior to his work in the nonprofit sector, he had a 20-year career at Hewlett
Packard. Cronin has a degree in business administration from University of
Minnesota.
Besides the three new officers, other commissioners include outgoing
Chairman Garcia, owner of Ralph’s Vacuum & Sewing Center in Redwood
City, and Lorianna Kastrop, vice president and controller of the Kastrop
Group Inc. Architects in Redwood City.