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SB Symphony’s 70th anniversary
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Trial of man accused of intentional fatal crash drawing to a close By NEIL HARTSTEIN NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Prosecutors were expected to wrap up their case this week against the Santa Barbara man accused of speeding in excess of 100 mph and intentionally crashing head-on into a car driven by a Solvang woman, killing her and her two small children instantly. Judge Thomas Adams said he expects the prosecuting attorneys to rest their case on Monday, and the defense will start presenting their case later in the week. Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagner, the lead attorney for the prosecution, and defense attorney Jeremy Lessen
are barred from talking about the case because Judge Adams issued a gag order. Prosecutors presented evidence and testimony in Santa Barbara Superior Court about the Oct. 25, 2019 crash on Highway 154, and about the precarious mental state of defendant John Dungan, then 28. Investigators with the California Highway Patrol testified that Mr. Dungan was driving 119 mph the wrong way on Highway 154 before the crash and deliberately rammed his Chevy Camaro into a Chevy Volt driven by Rebecca Vanessa Bley, 34, who had her children, 2-year-old Lucienne Bley Gleason and 4-month-old Desmond Bley Gleason,
strapped in car seats in the back, according to Noozhawk. The defendant is charged with three counts of first degree murder, and has pleaded not guilty. He is being held without bail in the Santa Barbara County Jail. The force of the collision caused Ms. Bley to be ejected from her car but her children were trapped in the back seat, Noozhawk said. The children’s bodies apparently were hard to locate in the dirt and ash in the back seat area following a vehicle fire caused by the collision, Noozhawak said. Michael Carlson, who worked as a Coroner’s Bureau detective at the
time, said they were burned beyond recognition. Ms. Bley had charring on her shoulder from the vehicle fire, as well as open fractures on her arm and leg, skull and neck fractures, and a dislocated pelvis, Mr. Carlson said. He said he concluded that homicide was the manner of death for all three of them, with which Dr. Manny Montez, a forensic pathologist at the Coroner’s Bureau, concurred. Witnesses testified that Mr. Dungan was speeding before he drove straight into Ms. Bley’s oncoming vehicle, Noozhawk said, adding that investigators found skid marks across Cold Spring Bridge, where the defendant’s car ended
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up, and one leading directly to the back of one of his vehicle’s tires. Mr. Dungan was critically injured and taken to Cottage Hospital. California Highway Patrol Officer Shannan Sams testified that while in the defendant’s hospital room and viewing him, he did not observe any evidence of seatbelt use, Noozhawk said. He said that people in those kinds of vehicle collisions would have welt-like abrasions, markings or redness where the seatbelt was, if one was worn. Law enforcement investigators also read into evidence some of the more than Please see TRIAL on A2
Tom Reed to retire after 20 years ‘The time is right,’ says Unity Shoppe executive director
Foodbank to host first Lompoc Empty Bowls benefit since 2019
By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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Siblings enjoy their soup at the Lompoc Empty Bowls. After a two-year hiatus, the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County benefit will return in late July to Lompoc.
By MARILYN MCMAHON NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County will host its 17th Lompoc Empty Bowls fundraiser, following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on July 27 at the Dick DeWees Community and Senior Center, 1120 Ocean Ave. Seatings for the Lompoc event are set for 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 and are available online at www. foodbanksbc.org/leb22 or can be purchased in Lompoc at
Chapter 2 Bookstore at 1137 N. H St., Suite Q, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and at the Vandenberg Village Water District Office at 3745 E. Constellation Road from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. Some outdoor seating will be available at the event. Health and safety recommendations from Santa Barbara County Public Health Department will be observed. The Foodbank will use all proceeds raised to provide healthy groceries, fresh produce and nutrition education to Lompoc residents who are facing
FYI The 17th Lompoc Empty Bowls will take place at 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. July 27 at the Dick DeWees Community and Senior Center, 1120 Ocean Ave., Lompoc. For more information, contact the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County at 805-967-5741, ext. 306.
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hunger and food insecurity. Empty Bowls guests will select a unique, hand-painted bowl and enjoy a simple lunch of soup, bread and water. They will also be able to participate in a raffle extravaganza and silent auction and purchase custom succulent plantings for $10. Entertainment will include music provided by DJ Suz and bowl-making demonstrations by Mike McNutt of Allan Hancock College’s ceramics program. “For me, Empty Bowls began with my employers George and Anna Stillman and Roger McConnell. They teamed up with the Foodbank to bring this event to life in Lompoc. I felt like it was my responsibility to continue it,” said Erika Culwell, Lompoc Empty Bowls host committee chair. “I believe in the Foodbank’s mission, and the idea that our event can help people within our community is very gratifying.”
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“Unity Shoppe is about helping anyone who is truly in need,” Executive Director Tom Reed said, “anyone who has fallen on hard times. We pride ourselves in helping people get over a challenging hurdle in their lives and get back on their feet.”
made available. New school clothing and supplies are in the same location but attractively presented in their Little Red School House; and the Toy Shoppe is an absolute favorite for thousands of qualifying families for birthdays and during the holidays. Mr. Reed served as a pilot in the Air Force during Vietnam before relocating to the west coast. “I understood ‘need’ when I discovered Unity Shoppe,” he said. “Emotional, mental and physical need, having lost two homes myself in Northern California — one to fire and another in an avalanche-induced mudslide that also took the life of a close friend. And I was impressed with the agency’s philosophy — that every family and individual be allowed to ‘choose’ what they received. After all of my own losses, I found myself searching for a new purpose in life, and some spiritual meaning. “Discovering Unity Shoppe and seeing the unique manner in which the less fortunate are served with true dignity, not just charity, was the inspiration I was seeking. It gave me a new direction. It’s funny how helping others so often results in finding our own needs met. I’ve always been struck by the number of people who have shared similar Please see REED on A3
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“The last Lompoc Empty Bowls was scheduled for March 28, 2020, and was canceled at the very last minute due to lockdowns that had just been put into place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Anna Boren, Foodbank donor relations supervisor. “Everything was planned, and we were ready to go. We were so disappointed to have to cancel at the last minute. That’s why we’re rejoicing so much to gather with the community this summer for Lompoc Empty Bowls.” Attendees will choose from among hundreds of one-of-a-kind bowls provided by Allan Hancock College, Santa Ynez Valley Community Outreach (formerly known as the Buellton Senior Center), Lompoc Valley Middle School and Vandenberg Spouses Club. The bowls can be used to enjoy the soup of the guest’s Please see BOWLS on A3
Tom Reed, the public face of Unity Shoppe for 20 years, is stepping down at the end of 2022. Speaking at every opportunity about the many programs Unity Shoppe offers to help those in need — an average of 18,000 clients annually, referred by more than 300 social service agencies around Santa Barbara County — Mr. Reed said, “It’s time for someone else to lead this amazing, unique, 105-year-old local charity. And it’s time for me to enjoy some new adventures with my wife and grandchildren.” Unity Shoppe was founded in 1917 as the Council of Christmas Cheer by Pearl Chase, and Mr. Reed signed on in 2002 to help Barbara Tellefson grow the Santa Barbara-based organization into a sustainable year-round charity, providing not only food, clothing and toys, but also job training, school supplies, disaster relief and special gifts for seniors. “Unity Shoppe is about helping anyone who is truly in need,” Mr. Reed said, “anyone who has fallen on hard times. We pride ourselves in helping people get over a challenging hurdle in their lives and get back on their feet.” Known to everyone as simply “Tom,” Mr. Reed has created a legacy that includes volunteering his time and real estate expertise in 2002 to assist in the purchase of Unity Shoppe’s former building at 1219 State St., helping Ms. Tellefson to raise $2 million in 30 days with the help of a matching gift from local philanthropist Pierre Claeyssens. First hired as development director, Mr. Reed was appointed by the board as executive director in 2004. Later, he was instrumental in helping to acquire the space at 1209 State St. for today’s Gift and Thrift Shoppe and Senior Resource Center, plus Unity Shoppe’s Job Smart Program and Furniture Annex next door, at 1207 State St., where donated furniture is sold, and professional attire is provided at no cost to qualifying individuals seeking employment. The free grocery store in the Family Services Facility at 1401 Chapala St. often meets the initial need of those facing financial difficulties. Clients are also invited into what Unity Shoppe now calls its Old West General Store where clothing, household goods and basic necessities are
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