The Coast News

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PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ENCINITAS, CA 92024 PERMIT NO. 94

THE COAST NEWS

MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

VOL. 23, NO. 41

THISWEEK le b a u Val pons cou Page on 23 B IRATE OVER RATES

Residents and council members alike are not happy about proposed water and wastewater increases in O’side A6

INSIDE TWO SECTIONS, 48 PAGES

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B19 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . B22 Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A8 Crossword Puzzle . . . . B22 Eye on the Coast . . . . . . A5 Frugal Living . . . . . . . . A16 Henry’s Health Tips . . . A15 Hit the Road . . . . . . . . . B3 Hot Off the Block . . . . . A6 Legal Notices . . . . . . . . A20 Lick the Plate . . . . . . . . A16 Odd Files . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Outside Perspective . . . . A4 Pendleton News . . . . . A18 Pet of the Week . . . . . . A17 Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . B1 Taste of Wine . . . . . . . A16 Who’s News? . . . . . . . . . A8

The Feeling Fit Festival was held Oct. 4 at Leo Mullen Sports Park in Encinitas.There were guided trail hikes, drop-in sports clinics and fitness class demos. Attendees also enjoyed the giant rock climbing wall, surf simulator and bungee trampolines. Above, Encinitas resident Jacob Gonzalez practices on a balance board. Right, Carlsbad resident Jaden Nichols on the bungee jump. Below, Carlsbad residents Chelsea Cornwell and Jessica Lopez demonstrate how boxing can be used as a cardio workout. See more photos on A17.

CALENDARS SECTION: calendar@coastnewsgroup.com COMMUNITY NEWS: community@coastnewsgroup.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: letters@coastnewsgroup.com

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OCT. 9, 2009

Natural High Photos by Daniel Knighton

Man pleads guilty to playground sex acts with teen By Randy Kalp

HOW TO REACH US (760) 436-9737

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CARLSBAD — A 24-yearold man accused of a sexual assault on an underage teenage girl on the grounds of a local elementary school accepted a plea agreement Sept. 28 that will keep him out of prison. In accordance to his plea agreement, Leo Burns Welnick will receive 365 days in county jail relating to a June 25 incident at Magnolia Elementary School with a then-15-year-old Carlsbad girl who prosecutors said was forced to give Welnick oral sex. Welnick, of Carlsbad, pleaded guilty to one felony count each of oral copulation

by a person over 21 on someone under the age of 16 and false imprisonment. His sentencing date is scheduled for Oct. 28. A decision will be made at that time as to whether Welnick will be ordered to register as a sex offender for life. Deputy District Attorney Elisabeth Silva said in a phone interview that she would be arguing for lifetime sexual offender registration. Two felony charges — forcible oral copulation and kidnapping — were dismissed in lieu of his plea deal, Silva said. Welnick had faced more than 10 years in prison if convicted of all charges, the prosecutor said.

The case was set to go to trial on the day Welnick pleaded guilty. Silva said there were a number of different considerations that went into the deal, which included protecting the victim from having to testify at trial. “The victim in that case is pretty young and vulnerable, and I didn’t want to have to put her through it,” Silva said. At a July 23 preliminary hearing, the victim testified she and her female teenage friend, also a minor, were having a conversation on the school’s grounds about performing oral sex, when they noticed Welnick approaching with his dog.

Eventually, the victim’s friend left to take a phone call at which time the victim said Welnick and her were alone. Soon after, the victim testified Welnick took her to a more secluded section of the school grounds and forced her to perform oral sex on him. Welnick’s attorney, Brad Patton, couldn’t be reached to comment on the plea agreement. At the preliminary hearing, Patton, in his successful argument for a bail reduction, told the judge his client has strong family ties to the area, no prior criminal record and suffers from bipolar disorder. Welnick remains in custody.

Plans for Del Mar get mixed reaction By Bianca Kaplanek

DEL MAR — Residents offered mixed opinions about infrastructure improvements for the downtown area when preliminary plans were revealed at a Sept. 29 open house in the City Hall Annex. Because the construction schedule is tight, council members took action on two issues a few days later during the Oct. 5 meeting. There were requests to widen the sidewalk on the south side of 15th Street and extend the left-turn lane from northbound Camino del Mar onto 15th Street. Project plans included decreasing the 12-inch gap between the sidewalk and roadway on 15th Street.Since the project is currently over budget and council members had been discussing options for possible future widening of that sidewalk, 15th Street improvements were taken out of the current project plans. Council members will address improvements in that area later and likely include them for funding during the next fiscal year. Council also opted not to extend the turn lane since that would essentially add a lane to Camino del Mar and the goal of the community plan is to reduce the number of lanes. Those decisions should come as welcome news to resident Bill Michalsky,who said at the open house he had “lukewarm” feelings about the project plans.“I’m not too excited,” he said. “I think they should make it like a promenade as much as possible. I think the sidewalks should be wider to create a more pedestrian-friendly area — make it comfortable for visitors and residents, not commuters.” Also at the open house, Dennis Sharp, who uses a wheelchair, took issue with the improvement plans, saying they did not comply

12 Unique Townhomes From the High $300,000’s

www.sanelijohills.com/marketwalk

TURN TO MIXED ON A15


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