LAKEPORT, Calif. – The scheduled sentencing for a Hopland man facing more than 150 years in prison for the attempted murder of two California Highway Patrol officers and dozens of other felonies has been postponed and another trial – this time relating to his mental competence at the time of the shootings – is set to be held next month.
In April a jury convicted 41-year-old William Edward Steele of Hopland of 22 felony charges, chief among them the attempted murder of CHP Officers Shane Roach and Glen Thomas, as Lake County News has reported.
Other charges the jury convicted Steele of include assault with a deadly weapon, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, violating a restraining order by possessing a gun, shooting at an inhabited car, reckless evading, evading a peace officer causing death or serious injury, and more than 30 special allegations relating primarily to firearm use as well as causing great bodily injury.
Roach and Thomas had attempted to pull Steele over early on the morning of Oct. 19, 2013, in the area of Highway 29 and Cruickshank Drive in Kelseyville as they believed he was driving under the influence.
Steele pulled a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun and shot at the officers before fleeing. He then turned around near Live Oak Drive and shot at the officers again.
In the Chevy Tahoe that Steele was driving were Jeremy John and Gavina Delgadillo. John jumped from the vehicle to escape, hit his head and died days later at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
The jury found Steele not guilty of murder for John's death, but did convict him of involuntary manslaughter, deadlocked on a hit and run charge and found Steele not guilty of kidnapping Delgadillo, but did convict him of her unlawful imprisonment.
Steele was set to have been sentenced on May 18, at which time it was estimated that he was facing at least four life sentences for attempted murder charges – two for each of the CHP officers.
However, Senior Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe – who prosecuted the case – said the criminal proceedings were temporarily suspended after Steele raised doubt as to his own mental competence.
Ahead of the sentencing, the Lake County Probation Department prepared a sentencing recommendation for Steele in the case that Grothe said came to 154 years and eight months in state prison.
Following that, during the first week of May, Steele raised the mental competence issues, Grothe said.
Steele then fired his attorney Patrick Pekin and began filing his own motions in the case, according to Grothe.
Steele asked for and received another attorney, whose caseload was too heavy. Tom Quinn told Lake County News that he subsequently was appointed as Steele's new attorney.
Quinn said he couldn't offer further comment on the case at this time.
Grothe said Steele requested a jury trial on his mental competence, which Quinn agreed to do.
That request comes under Penal Code 1368, which allows for the inquiry into the competence of a defendant before trial or after conviction in cases.
Based on the penal code, Steele and his attorney will have the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that he was incapable of understanding the nature of the criminal proceedings or incapable of providing any meaningful assistance in his defense to his attorney due to a mental defect.
In his 26 years as a prosecutor, said Grothe, he's never encountered this type of situation.
That special trial is scheduled for July 15, Grothe said. He estimated it could run as long as two days, and will require the selection of a new jury.
In preparation, Grothe said the District Attorney's Office has reports from two doctors saying that Steele is mentally competent.
In this trial, the finding will be competent or incompetent, as opposed to guilty or not guilty, Grothe said.
“If he’s found competent, we’re back on track in the criminal proceedings,” with a new sentencing date to be set, said Grothe.
Should Steele be found incompetent, he would be sent to the Napa State Hospital, where he would be enrolled in a program that helps get individuals to the point of being competent. Grothe said Steele would then be returned to Lake County for sentencing.
The time when Steele could have pursued the insanity defense is well past, said Grothe.
Separately, Grothe said Steele and Quinn have indicated they will seek a new trial.
As for whether or not the potential for spending the rest of his life in prison may have been Steele's motivation in seeking the competency trial, Grothe said, “I really don’t want to speculate at this point.”
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Man convicted of shooting at CHP officers to have mental competence trial
- Elizabeth Larson
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