Thread: OCEANSIDE POLICE OFFICER SHOT DEAD : 20 DECEMBER 2006

Originally Posted by Skip

KOREY, KORA, KARALENA wrote on December 29, 2006 12:46 AM:"FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW MEKI, DO NOT JUDGE HIM IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HIM. AND UNLESS IT IS A QUOTE STRAIGHT FROM HIM OR HIS TRUE FAMILY, DO NOT BELIEVE IT. HE IS INNOCENT UNLESS PROVEN GUILTY. AND FOR EVERYBODYS INFORMATION, HE IS A GREAT BROTHER, UNCLE, NEPHEW, SON AND GRANDSON! AND THIS IS SPEcIFICALLY COMIN FROM HIS SISTERS. THERE HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT PEOPLE TALKING CRAP ABOUT OUR BROTHER AND WE CAN NOT PUT UP WITH IT ANYMORE. WE LOVE OUR BROTHER AND WE ARE GOING TO STICK BY HIM NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS! THANK YOU! "

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/12 ... 112020.txt

Innocent??? I don't think so. How can this person have the audacity to come out and say this brother or not???? And this senseless killing of a young brave officer makes me sick. Hopefully law enforcement will get after these gangs big time!

Suspects in officer shooting case face hearings

By: JO MORELAND - Staff Writer

OCEANSIDE ---- The two teenagers arrested after Oceanside police Officer Dan Bessant was gunned down last week face a series of legal hearings, officials said Friday.

Meki Gaono Jr., 17, who authorities said has admitted he is a gang member, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder in the Dec. 20 slaying of Bessant, 25, and two counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting that night at Officer Karina Pina, 28, and her civilian passenger who was on a ridealong.

A second juvenile, a 16-year-old boy, was also taken into custody during the shooting investigation on suspicion of probation violation.


His name, the charge that prompted the probation, the suspected violation of that probation, and the handling of his case have not been released by authorities because, they say, he's a juvenile.

Officials said Bessant was fired on from behind while helping Pina during a traffic stop at Gold Drive and Arthur Avenue in the Mesa Margarita area of northeast Oceanside. During Gaono's arraignment, a prosecutor said the teen used a telescopic sight while firing a rifle at the police officers.

With less than six weeks to go to his 18th birthday and a "minimal" criminal record, according to a prosecutor, Gaono is being tried as an adult.

His bail is set at $5 million at San Diego Central Jail, and the status of his case will be discussed Jan. 9 during a Vista court hearing.

If convicted, Gaono could be sentenced to life in prison. Because he wasn't an adult when the slaying happened, state law doesn't allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

A prosecutor said the younger teen has a "minor" criminal record, and he was placed in Juvenile Hall.

"He's being held on a probation violation in relation to the shooting," police detective Lt. Shawn Murray said Friday. "He's yet to be formally charged (in the shooting case)."

Murray said he thinks there is a time frame within two to three weeks when formal charges would need to be filed.

"We're still investigating," said the lieutenant.

The prosecutor in the shooting case couldn't be reached for comment. A deputy public defender said she wouldn't be discussing the matter.

Derryl Acosta, spokesman for the San Diego County Probation Department, said any juvenile on probation has already been found guilty of something and received a sentence.

When a juvenile is returned to custody for suspected probation violation, Acosta said, a hearing would have to be held within 14 court days to determine whether the teen actually violated probation.

That hearing might be delayed if the defense requests additional time, the Probation Department spokesman said.

Should the teen be found guilty of violating his probation, he could then be held only on the remaining time left on the original sentence, less any time already served in custody, Acosta explained.

Attorney Gerald Smith, a defense lawyer with attorney Kerry Steigerwalt's office, said that if a new serious charge, such as homicide, is filed against a juvenile in custody on probation violation, then a hearing would have to be held within 72 hours.

The hearing would determine whether the suspect would be held pending a juvenile justice system trial, Acosta said.

Some issues about a suspect's statements that might come into play during prosecution of juveniles include whether they were interrogated properly under the law, whether questioning was stopped as legally required if they requested attorneys or their parents, and whether their rights were read to them, Smith said.

"There's always an issue of whether the statement's voluntary," he said.

Smith cited the possibility of a juvenile making a statement or changing one after being questioned for a number of hours as an example.

If a juvenile requests a lawyer or asks for a parent, all police questioning must stop and the suspect must be read his rights under the law, said Smith. He said a request for a parent is legally viewed as a juvenile invoking his constitutional right against self-incrimination.

Contact staff writer Jo Moreland at (760) 740-3524 or jmoreland@nctimes.com.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/12 ... ogcomments

By Lola Sherman
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 30, 2006


Oceanside rallies behind two widows of officers


OCEANSIDE – When Jamie Zeppetella founded a charitable foundation last month in honor of her slain policeman husband, she said she wanted to give back something to the community that had rallied around her.

Now, three years later, another Oceanside police officer, Dan Bessant, has been killed and similarly has left a young wife and infant son.


And again the community – public and official – is helping a family cope with tragedy.
That support has been financial as well as emotional.

There has been no disclosure of the amount of money raised in two trust funds set up after the murder of Tony Zeppetella, 27, in June 2003.

More than $65,000 has been contributed to a fund for Katelyn Bessant since her husband was killed Dec. 20.

Jamie Zeppetella and Katelyn Bessant, young mothers at the time of their husbands' deaths, have much in common.

Both were married to young officers – Bessant was 25 – apparently shot by gang members. Zeppetella's confrontation with assailant Adrian Camacho, 28, came after a traffic stop. Bessant was killed Dec. 20 during a traffic stop by a sniper's bullet. Meki Gaono, 17, has pleaded not guilty to murder, and attempted murder of a second officer and a ride-along passenger.

Zeppetella's son, Jakob, was 6 months old when his father died. Wyatt, Bessant's son, is 2 months old.

The official recompenses to the widows varies. The women and their boys are guaranteed free tuition at any campus of the University of California or the California State University system. Scholarships of up to $5,250 a year are available as well.

Other compensation varies because of changes in state law and city policy in the intervening years and also because the men varied a bit in age and tenure with the city.

Bessant had been employed by the city of Oceanside for six years, the last three as a sworn police officer. Zeppetella had served 13 months.

A benefit breakdown by Brian Kammerer, city personnel director, shows:

Jamie Zeppetella had the choice of $1,575 per month from her husband's retirement fund under the California Public Employees Retirement System or a flat, one-time amount of $9,676.

She also receives $30,000 each from standard life and accidental-death insurance policies.

Zeppetella's son receives $392 a month to his maturity.

The state pays $537 a month for Jamie Zeppetella's health insurance premium.

In Bessant's case, Kammerer said:

Katelyn Bessant will receive $2,500 a month paid through the state or a lump sum of $44,000.

She will receive $50,000 from each of three insurance policies – standard life, accidental death and a new one, for those killed in line of duty, not available at the time of Zeppetella's slaying.

Wyatt Bessant will receive $6,000 a year to his maturity.

Dan Bessant also had a personal retirement fund that will go to his wife.

Katelyn Bessant's health insurance premium of $670 a month will be paid only for one year by the city, which has withdrawn from the state system that is paying Zeppetella's insurance until she qualifies for Medicare.

Each widow receives a $700 monthly survivor's stipend from the state.

In addition, because both officers were killed on duty, their widows are entitled to workers' compensation.

The charitable foundation Jamie Zeppetella set up to try to steer young people away from gangs came from a $2.27 million settlement she received in a wrongful-death lawsuit against the manufacturer of the bullet-resistant vest her husband was wearing when he was killed.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nort ... widow.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lola Sherman: (760) 476-8241; lola.sherman@uniontrib.com

Oceanside school trustees seek review of gang-prevention programs



OCEANSIDE ---- In grappling with the death of police Officer Dan Bessant, an Oceanside High School alum, school district trustees talked Thursday about the senselessness of his death, allegedly at the hands of a gang member and former district student.

The killing of Bessant was sadder still, Oceanside Unified School District trustees said in interviews, because Bessant's father, Steve Bessant, is principal of Clair Burgener Academy, one of the district's schools for struggling students.

Trustees questioned whether the district could do more to prevent gang involvement among the district's students, such as the alleged shooter, 17-year-old Meki Gaono, who has been charged with murder in connection with Bessant's death and two counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting at a second police officer and a civilian on Dec. 20.

Bessant was killed after responding to call for backup from fellow officer Karina Pina who was conducting a traffic stop in northeast Oceanside near a back gate to Camp Pendleton. The officer was shot in the left armpit from about 320 feet away.

Authorities say Gaono, a former student at El Camino and Ocean Shores high schools, committed the crime for the benefit of the Oceanside gang he belongs to. He's been charged as an adult. A second suspect, a 16-year-old boy whom police didn't identify because of his age, has been charged with violating probation but hasn't been charged in the case.

Some trustees said the killing and Gaono's arrest made them wonder whether the district's approach to gang activity is as comprehensive and beneficial as it needs to be. At a minimum, they said, the issue requires them to re-examine the district's approach to gang issues.

"I'm going to want to have people take a look at (gang prevention) to see if any adjustments can be made," Trustee Roy Youngblood said Thursday in an interview.

Trustee Janet Bledsoe Lacy said she wants the district to review its programs and study how it addresses gang problems.

"I do think we need to visit how we address gangs," Lacy said. "We do everything possible to prevent any type of gang activity on campus. Any gang signs, any gang-related behavior is not tolerated. But so often at expulsion hearings, we find students who are involved in gangs, and we ask ourselves, how can we stop this from happening?"

The district has gang prevention programs that differ from school to school. For instance, the Boys & Girls Club offers an after-school program at Jefferson and Martin Luther King middle schools that includes tutoring, mentoring, sports and social activities as well as sessions with ex-offenders who talk about their criminal past and gang activity.

Jefferson also has a program called Attitude When Angry and Resolving Emotional Issues headed by a former gang member and ex-offender who talks to students about thinking independently, improving their coping skills and avoiding gang involvement.

But trustees say there's no uniform approach to gang problems, and it's not clear that a one-size-fits-all approach would be beneficial.

Trustee Emily Ortiz Wichmann spoke of a need to build stronger relationships with families of troubled children. But, she said, it's difficult to do that with some families. "Many times parents aren't helpful to the children," Wichmann said.

Wichmann said the district "can always do better," but said she wondered how much more it can do to address an entrenched community problem.

"Unfortunately things like that (the killing) happening are many times beyond the school district's control," Wichmann said.

Lacy agreed saying that it's extremely difficult for the district to reach parents who aren't adequately supervising troubled students.

"They (students) can have an awful environment in which they live ---- an environment that many of us cannot even conceive of living in. They can have drug-addicted parents, domestic violence in the home, no parents, living in five different foster homes and no kind of stability and no kind of support in the home. Parents with two jobs each and are struggling financially, and kids can be left alone and unattended," Lacy said.

Despite the problems of reaching the parents of troubled students, Lacy would like the trustees to consider having a professional study done to examine the effectiveness of the district's approach to gang intervention.

"We have so much on our plate with No Child Left Behind, test scores, transportation issues," she said. "There's a multitude of things that educators have to face in their classrooms, yet this is a vital part of what we're going to need to do to see if there's anything we can do to assist these kids."

-- Contact Staff Writer Keith Rushing at (760) 901-4151 or krushing@nctimes.com.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/12 ... _28_06.txt

Comments On This Story

Note: Comments reflect the views of readers and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff.

Randy wrote on December 29, 2006 8:26 AM:"The mission of schools is education, not gang prevention."

OH PLEASE!!!!! wrote on December 29, 2006 8:33 AM:"These touchy feely prevention programs don't work!!!!! The only things these punks know is violence. You kill more of them than they kill of us, then you'll see progress. Everyone knows this is true."

Osider wrote on December 29, 2006 8:54 AM:"yeah right Lacy/Wichman, where were you when we were trying to help our child by contacting every resource available to parents. The responce we received was that NO one really cared. It all starts at the schools by being tardy and then abscent. Try and call the school and let them know that your son or daughter refuses to go to school and to please send someone to pick them up. It will never happen at least from my experiences. "

Concerned wrote on December 29, 2006 8:58 AM:"I think schools are in place to educate. It's the parents who are not doing their jobs here. I'm all for the schools having a zero tolerence program for gangs and drugs, but there's only so many hours in the school day. Concentrate on the basics. Enforce the laws and codes on the books. And forget about the stupid No Child Left Behind. Life is tough. The sooner these kids and their parents realize that, the better off they will be. Yes, I'm old school. But, old school worked!"

Thomas wrote on December 29, 2006 9:30 AM:"Osider comments say it all. YOUR CHILD WONT GO TO SCHOOL! THE SCHOOL DISTRICT SHOULD SEND SOMEONE TO PICK THEM UP. You people don't have a clue! You go and have these children and then everyone else but you should be responsible for raising them. Of all the letters posted around this very sad matter yours cuts to the heart of the gang problem. You more than represent the growing class of ineffectual and incompetent members of the "I'm a Victim" society in this nation. I would like to inform you that it doesn't all start at the schools; "IT" (your parental incompetence) winds up in the schools. I believe they do as much as possible and what should be expected of any public institution to deal with this ever growing matter. All too sadly you are members of an ever growing group."

To Osider wrote on December 29, 2006 9:50 AM:"People like you who can't take care of their own child are the problem. You want someone else to take care of the problem for you. Take care of your own child, yourself!"

Randy wrote on December 29, 2006 11:03 AM:"Schools educate."

JC wrote on December 29, 2006 11:23 AM:"The school system needs to worry about teaching the kids. I can't even get my kid in pre-school so how in the world can the school system keep my kids out of gangs? It start with the family 1st they know their kids are in gangs. Families must take care of their own kids stop letting the school system raised your kids. "

Interested wrote on December 29, 2006 11:35 AM:"You're correct, Randy, schools are for education. This gang problem needs police intervention; preventing gang groups and "hard handed" handling of any incident."

Until you can wrote on December 29, 2006 12:13 PM:"grow up and face the problem as adults it isn't going anywhere soon. More sports, after school activities, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts none are going to work. These nice young punks get pocket money from rolling illegals, selling drugs to your kids and stealing lunch money! Oh No, not lunch money!!! Until the judges start locking them up till they are 21, you won't see no change! Dream on and if you believe you can make a change, I have a Bridge in Escondido, I want to sell you. "

Susie wrote on December 29, 2006 1:19 PM:"Resolving the gang problems in Oceanside is going to require a multilevel approach. It needs to start with educating parents on what they are watching for, many of the signs go undetected by parents until it is too late to intervien. Hence my belief that there should be a mandated gang education program for all parents of kids entering the sixth grade, it could be a combined effort between OPD and the school district. Next I believe that parenting classes to assist parents in diciplining and communicating with teenage children would be helpful for those with troubled teens, perhaps required for any child with behavior problems noted by the schools. OPD perhaps could set up a program of notifing parents if their child is noted to be at risk of gang initiation. Stepped up patrols in the trouble spots might also be helpful. Community churches could also help with the education and support of their members experiencing difficulty with their children. Education programs work, I know this first hand. You will never save all the kids, but you could save a lot of them by educating and giving their parents the tools. The cost of these programs would easily be made up by reducing the number of gang kids the system has to deal with."

Amanda wrote on December 29, 2006 1:36 PM:"Thomas you are a piece of work, lets see it all started about 20 years ago when CDE came out with the, “village mentality” mimicking the CDE curriculum that was modeled after Plato and Socrates. Basically coming out and telling them, “we are the experts, we know what we are doing.” Then they would have these classes in which they told the kids that if their mommy and daddy spanked them then they needed to call child protective services because it was considered child abuse. The schools administrators and their wonderful teachers diminished the parental authority and control by degrading parents in front of the students. Then we have these great TV programs that degrade MEN (FATHERS) and make them all look like stupid, idiots like, “the Simpson’s” “ Al Bundy” you name it and just about every MEN on television is depicted as STUPID and INCOMPETENT. Parents of course trusted the EXPERTS and went to work and gave their kids a little, “KEY” so that they could come home and watched TV all day while the parents worked. As it turned out we have the same situation as the word strongest Roman Empire faced, while undefeated by the entire world it collapsed within its own walls. "

Sophie wrote on December 29, 2006 2:26 PM:"These gang members laugh at our Corrections system: It is a joke to them! They get away with MURDER again and again. These criminals need to pay a fair price for their behavior: they are victimizing all those who are not in gangs. Gangs endanger our neighborhoods, parks, streets, schools, theaters, restaurants, all public facilities etc. etc. They need intense consequences: I agree, lock them up until they turn 21 and they will refrain from becoming gang bangers. "

Me wrote on December 29, 2006 4:44 PM:"The problem is with the parents!!! There are fewer and fewer stepping up to the PARENTING PLATE and many that are too afraid that there children will be taken away by CPS. I say give parents back the rights to parent their children, and you'll see a big drop in gangs."

Thomas wrote on December 29, 2006 7:09 PM:"Amanda Keep on writing and just proving my point. You and your kind always have someone else to blame. Just poor little victims with the big bad world after you day by day. Fabricating your own little excuses as you go along. The solution has always been self responsibility and self determination both concepts that the victimized crowd just cannot understand."

Spank The Booty wrote on December 29, 2006 8:05 PM:"The problem isn't really always with the parents ... it's with the system that says it's wrong to spank your children. No offense, but some kids need a good butt whopping every once in awhile. Give the parents back their right & ability to properly discipline their children on a case by case basis and you will see a reduction in bad behavior. "

Oside Schools Help? wrote on December 29, 2006 8:07 PM:"Help what?! They can barely educate the children that show up as it is. Now we're supposed to believe they have a plan to solve the gang issue too?! Baby steps people ... The school district needs to take one step at a time. Stick with the basics first (education) then try to branch out in clearly unfamiliar terrority once you've mastered your primary task (and you have a LONG way to go)."

Taxpayer wrote on December 29, 2006 8:11 PM:"The school board in Oceanside does whatever Ken Noonan tells them to do. In this case, he's probably on vacation or "in Sacramento." Just stick to trying to raise test scores. You need to really work on that one, anyway."

Amanda wrote on December 30, 2006 9:41 PM:" Thomas what utopia do you live in? Have you looked around you? Do you read at all? Do you even know what is going on in your city or state? You must be one of those school administrators that love to use reverse psychology to bully people so that they cannot express their point of view BASED ON FACTS. I meet your kind in public schools now I train people do deal with bullies. "


Add Your Comments or Letter to the Editor

Oceanside police hope Internet records lead to 'other suspects'

By: SCOTT MARSHALL - Staff Writer
North County Times
January 4, 2007

OCEANSIDE -- Detectives investigating the shooting death of Oceanside police Officer Dan Bessant have obtained records from the social networking Web site MySpace.com that they believe could help locate "other suspects and co-conspirators" in the case, a court document stated.

In an affidavit filed with the Superior Court to obtain a search warrant, Detective Gordon Govier wrote that he believes a Web page on MySpace.com belongs to Meki Walker Gaono Jr., 17, who has been charged as an adult with murder in connection with Bessant's death.

The Web page states that it is "private" and that the site user must add a visitor as a friend before that person is able to see more information. Govier wrote in the affidavit that much of the communication that occurs on MySpace.com is done privately between friends and is not accessible without a search warrant.


Judge Timothy Casserly authorized the search warrant Dec. 22 and Govier obtained subscriber information records from MySpace.com on Dec. 23, according to a search warrant inventory filed with the court Friday.

Bessant, 25, was shot and killed about 6:30 p.m. Dec. 20 at the intersection of Arthur Avenue and Gold Drive while helping another officer with a traffic stop. The shooting occurred "within the turf" claimed by a predominately Samoan criminal street gang with which Gaono is affiliated, Govier wrote in the affidavit.

Deputy District Attorney Tom Manning said last week that Gaono told investigators he is a gang member.

Police have said the deadly shot was fired from about a half-block away, and that the occupants of the car that was stopped were not involved in the shooting.

Gaono has pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to return to court Tuesday, and a preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 6. A 16-year-old boy was taken into custody on suspicion of violating his probation in another case but has not been charged in connection with the Bessant shooting.

Govier wrote that witnesses saw suspects fleeing into nearby homes after the shooting. One witness saw a suspect with what looked like a rifle go into an Arthur Avenue residence where Gaono, who matched the description the witness gave, was located, Govier wrote.

In a police interview, Gaono "made several statements that indicated his involvement in the homicide," Govier wrote.

After being advised of his rights, Gaono "confessed to participating in the shooting and later led officers to two weapons at his residence, which he claimed to have used to shoot at Officer Bessant," Govier wrote.

The day after the shooting occurred, Govier searched MySpace.com for "Meki" and located the Web page he believes belongs to Gaono. The page states it belongs to a 17-year-old male in Oceanside, contains a cartoon and title that appear to be gang affiliated, and has a "profile headline" on the page that refers to Rusty Seau, a gang member shot and killed in 2005 by a rival gang, Govier wrote in the affidavit.

"By obtaining the MySpace.com customer's records, I expect to develop investigative leads that will assist in identifying the physical location the computer was logged onto the Internet from and therefore providing us with possible location(s) for other suspects and co-conspirators," Govier wrote. "By obtaining communications between these subjects, it is likely we would locate documentation on what happened before, during and after the shooting."

Sgt. Leonard Mata, an Oceanside police spokesman, said seeking information from MySpace.com has become more common for police as the Web site has gained in popularity.

"It depends on the crime," Mata said. "If a person posts a profile and a blog and information about their life, it's going to be of interest to investigators."

People in gangs or other groups communicate with one another on MySpace.com, Mata said.

"Whatever's accessible, if we think it will benefit the investigation, we'll take a look at it," Mata said.

Launched in 2004, MySpace.com is visited by almost 60 million people in the United States each month, according to the company.

MySpace.com "has created streamlined procedures" for law enforcement officials to get information they need in investigations and runs a hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to law enforcement officials in emergency and nonemergency situations, according to the company.

Manning, the prosecutor assigned to Gaono's case, could not be reached Wednesday for comment. Mata said he did not have any updated information to release Wednesday about the ongoing investigation.

-- Contact staff writer Scott Marshall at (760) 631-6623 or smarshall@nctimes.com

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01 ... 1_3_07.txt

Oceanside police arrest second teen suspect in officer shooting

By: JO MORELAND --- staff writer
Last modified Friday, January 5, 2007 12:44 PM PST

OCEANSIDE ---- Oceanside police said today they have arrested a second juvenile in the Dec. 20 slaying of Officer Dan Bessant.

Officers took the 16-year-old boy into custody about 5 p.m. Thursday at his Oceanside home, according to a statement issued through Sgt. Leonard Mata, Oceanside Police Department spokesman.

It said the youth, one of three teens now held in the case, was questioned by detectives, then booked into Juvenile Hall on suspicion of murder in the officer's death.


Bessant, 25, a husband and the father of a son then 2 months old, was gunned down while helping a fellow officer during a traffic stop that night at Gold Drive and Arthur Avenue in northeast Oceanside. The other officer had a citizen ridealong.

Fatally wounded by a single shot that struck him in the left armpit, where his bullet-resistant vest didn't protect him, Bessant died a short time later.

The first suspect, 17-year-old Meki Walker Gaono Jr. of Oceanside, was arrested several hours after the murder.

Gaono, being held on $5 million bail at San Diego Central Jail, has pleaded not guilty to murder in the slaying and two counts of attempted murder.

The suspect allegedly told detectives that he is a gang member and that he used a rifle with a telescopic sight to fire at the officers, Deputy District Attorney Thomas Manning said in court.

A third suspect, also 16, was taken into custody on Dec. 21, the day after the slaying.

"This suspect has not been charged with Officer Bessant's murder," the police statement said today. "He is currently in custody for violation of probation."

Police have not said how the 16-year-olds are linked to the slaying.

The statement said the investigation is continuing, and additional information about it can't be released at this time.

"The Oceanside Police Department is working closely with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office on this matter," the statement said.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01 ... 0_4_07.txt

Second teen suspect to be charged Tuesday in Oceanside officer's slaying

By: North County Times
January 8, 2006

A 16-year-old boy arrested last week in connection with the Dec. 20 shooting death of Officer Dan Bessant will be in court Tuesday to face charges as an adult, authorities said Monday.

The teen, who's name will not be released until he is arraigned, will be the second youth charged in connection with Bessant's shooting death. A sniper's bullet felled the 25-year-old Oceanside policeman shortly after he arrived to give a fellow officer back up during a routine traffic stop in a northeast Oceanside neighborhood with a history of gang violence.

Police have arrested three youths thus far in connection with the shooting.

One of the teens, 17-year-old Meki Gaono, who authorities said is an admitted gang member, pleaded not guilty two weeks ago to murder and other charges.

The third teen ---- who was arrested the day after the shooting ---- has not been charged, and remains in Juvenile Hall on a probation violation.

The boy set to be arraigned Tuesday was placed under arrest last week, two weeks after Bessant's shooting, and has been housed in Juvenile Hall.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01 ... 511010.txt

Boy pleads not guilty to officer murder charges

By TERI FIGUEROA
North County Times
January 8. 2007



/A juvenile is taken out of the courtroom after his arraignment Tuesday at the Vista Courthouse in connection with the murder of Oceanside Police Office Dan Bessant. The defendant's face was ordered by the judge not to be shown.

Staff Writer

VISTA ---- A second Oceanside teen, who authorities say is a gang member, pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges Tuesday in the fatal shooting of Oceanside police Officer Dan Bessant, who was killed on the city's northeast side last month.

Prosecutor Tom Manning said the government has evidence that 16-year-old Penifoti "P.J." Taeotui, a member of a predominantly Samoan gang, was firing a handgun on a police officer at the time of the shooting.

"The defendant is an admitted gang member and the evidence also shows he was also firing a handgun at a police officer," Manning said.

Bessant was gunned down just after 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 20, shortly after he arrived to offer back-up to a fellow police officer during a routine traffic stop in a northeast Oceanside neighborhood with a history of gang violence.

Taeotui, who has been charged as an adult, stayed stone-faced throughout his short arraignment hearing.

Police have arrested three teenagers thus far in connection with the fatal shooting.

One of the teens, 17-year-old Meki Gaono, was arrested within hours of Bessant's death, and pleaded not guilty two weeks ago to murder and other charges. Authorities said Gaono, who is also being charged as an adult, is an admitted gang member. They have accused Gaono of using a rifle with a scope to shoot at officers from half a block away during the incident.

Another teen ---- a 16-year-old who was arrested the day after the shooting ---- has not been charged in connection with Bessant's slaying. He remains in Juvenile Hall on a probation violation.

Taeotui was not arrested until more than two weeks after Bessant's shooting. Officers took Taeotui into custody Thursday at the boy's Oceanside home, according to a statement from the Oceanside Police Department.

Coincidentally, Gaono was also in court Tuesday as well, for a routine and brief hearing, at which he agreed to postpone a major pretrial proceeding known as a preliminary hearing until March 28. At that time, the prosecution will lay out the basics of the case against Gaono, and a judge will determine if there is enough evidence to send the defendant on to trial.

The 25-year-old Bessant was an Oceanside native who joined the police force in 2003. He was the father of a 2-month-old son at the time of the shooting.

Contact staff writer Teri Figueroa at (760) 631-6624 or tfigueroa@nctimes.com.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/01 ... 0_8_07.txt

Comments On This Story

When is this crap going to end? Currently we have a BOLO or be on the look out for 2 Hispanic men in a Toyota. The Highway Patrol Officer was killed on a routine traffic stop in Lake Placid in central Florida. Most likely illegals.