Charles Lafferty Sentenced to 15 Years in State Prison for Highway Projectile Incidents in Monterey County

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on Tuesday, June 29 that the Honorable Mark E. Hood sentenced 54-year-old Charles Kenneth Lafferty to 15 years in state prison following his guilty pleas to 28 counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer. All of these convictions qualify as strikes under California’s Three Strikes law. The incidents involved Lafferty firing projectiles at numerous vehicles driving on Monterey County highways between February 2019 and January 2020. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) arrested him in Nipomo, California, on January 22, 2020, following a comprehensive investigation into more than 70 incidents of vehicles being struck with unknown objects while driving. He became a suspect when the CHP identified his vehicle at the scene of several reported projectile incidents. A detailed digital forensic analysis linked him to more than 50 of the incidents reported to the CHP. Some incidents were reported days or weeks after the fact, and not all drivers were able to provide the exact date, time, and location for when and where their vehicles were damaged. Six people in the affected vehicles suffered cuts and scrapes as a result of being hit with broken glass. A majority of the drivers and passengers were uninjured. No collisions were reported as a result of these incidents. The two counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer involved Lafferty shooting a marble at two CHP officers in a marked patrol vehicle, who were responding to an earlier projectile incident. Neither officer suffered injuries. After Lafferty’s arrest, he admitted to repeatedly shooting marbles at traffic using a slingshot, but he never provided an exact number of times he did so. During his police interview, Lafferty did not disclose a motive for his actions. Police seized a slingshot, a slingshot replacement band, and 55 marbles from Lafferty’s vehicle the day he was arrested. The extensive investigation was conducted by the CHP Coastal Investigative Services Unit and the CHP Monterey Area, with assistance from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. District Attorney’s Office Victim Advocate Martamaria Rosado assisted the many victims.

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Fatal 3 Vehicle Accident Involving Wrong Way Driver on Highway 101 Outside of King City on January 10

A fatal multi-vehicle collision happened on Saturday night, January 10 at 9:51 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 outside of King City. According to the King City CHP a 2016 Toyota Tacoma driven by 65-year-old Paul Lee Cooper of Otis, Oregon was heading the wrong way going southbound in the northbound lanes south of Jolon Road, while a 2006 Toyota Corolla driven by 33-year-old Dinora Maribel Gomez of Salinas was heading northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road in the #1 lane and a Honda Accord driven by 36-year-old Ignacio Sangerman of King City was also traveling northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road but was in the #2 lane. Due to Cooper's level of impairment his vehicle went the wrong way on Highway 101 going directly into the path of Gomez' vehicle causing the rear of her car to crash with the front of the vehicle driven by Sangerman. Cooper was arrested, sustaining major injuries and was transported to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas where as of January 12 is...

King City City Council Announces Selection of José Arreola as New City Manager

January 7, 2025-Following an extensive recruitment process, José Arreola has been selected by the King City City Council to be its next City Manager. Arreola will replace Steve Adams, who is retiring after serving in the position for the past 10 years. Arreola was selected from 31 applicants and 8 finalists for the position. The King City City Council will formally consider the proposed city manager contract at its meeting on Tuesday night, January 13. Arreola's first day on the job is scheduled to be February 23. José Arreola has a distinguished career of serving the community with a particular commitment to youth. He has worked for the City of Salinas for 12 years as their Community Safety Program Manager, Community Safety Administrator and Assistant to the City Manager. Among other responsibilities, Arreola has led several programs to eliminate gang violence which aligns well with the City of King’s efforts and priorities. Prior to that, Arreola worked as an Educa...

King City CHP is searching for person of interest who fled the scene of a fatal crash in Greenfield

On Monday, September 16 at approximately 3:50 pm, a fatal traffic collision occurred on Metz Road south of Elm Avenue in Greenfield. The driver who caused the collision fled on foot and is currently outstanding. The California Highway Patrol King City Area is currently seeking the whereabouts of 31-year-old Agustin Santana-Moncada of King City who has been identified as a person of interest in the case. The King City Area is requesting assistance from the public in locating Santana-Moncada. Anyone with information is asked to contact the King City Area office at (831) 385-3216.

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