Regional Roundup

Suspect gets 14-to-life for attempted murder

A man convicted of beating a childhood friend with a baseball bat in Lodi will spend at least 14 years behind bars on an attempted murder conviction, and could remain in prison for life.

Pharaoh Brooks, 28, was sentenced Tuesday to seven-years-to-life for the attempted murder charge, plus seven years for residential burglary. He was also ordered to pay restitution, and medical bills for victim Mychal Lewis have totaled $880,000 so far, Deputy District Attorney Elton Grau said.

A San Joaquin County jury on March 5 convicted Brooks of beating Lewis with an aluminum baseball bat in a North Curch Street home on Jan. 24, 2006. Lewis, who had known Brooks since childhood, was unconscious for 38 days and remained hospitalized for several months.

Lewis, now 30, has lasting injuries and still needs more therapy.

Throughout the case and trial, Brooks denied being involved in the attack. He left the state shortly after the beating, and police arrested him on a Greyhound bus in the Midwest, where he said he had gone for a family emergency. He did not speak at the sentencing.

Brooks receives credit for the time already spent behind bars and must serve 85 percent of the base sentence before he is eligible for parole, Grau said. That means Brooks could be eligible for parole in about 10 years.

LUSD seeks oversight committee members

Lodi Unified School District is looking to fill three openings on its Measure L and Measure K citizens' oversight committees.

These committees monitor and report on the use of bond money.

The Measure L Committee needs an at-large representative. This person must live within the Bear Creek or McNair high school attendance areas.

The Measure K Committee is looking for a taxpayer representative and a parent representative who live within the district boundaries.

The committees meet quarterly and write at least one report a year for the school board.

The Measure L at-large representative is a two-year commitment.

To apply, visit http://www.lodiusd.net or got to the district office at 1305 E. Vine St.

Nobody struck in drive-by shooting

Lodi police are investigating a Monday night drive-by shooting as gang-related and believe a 15-year-old boy was the intended target.

Nobody was struck or injured in the 10:25 p.m. shooting at Cherokee Place Apartments, 621 Hale Road, according to Lodi police.

Four shotgun rounds hit the building near the teenager, who was outside on a balcony, Lt. Steve Carillo said.

The suspects were in a black four-door Honda sedan with a sunroof, and the vehicle was last seen heading west on Hale Road.

San Joaquin Sheriff's deputies promoted

A number of San Joaquin County Sheriff's deputies were promoted in March to fill positions vacated through retirements. They include:

• Lt. Bruce Wuest, to captain.

• Sergeants Martin Lamie, Chris Stevens and Cindy Angeli, to lieutenants.

• Deputies Lewis Greenman, Russ Colman, James Lenzi, William Thomas and John Hamilton, to sergeants.

• Correctional Officer Anthony Goulart, to correctional sergeant.

Supervisors adopt 'urgency' entertainment ordinance

As expected, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted an urgency ordinance on Tuesday that will require anyone wanting to put on live entertainment outside the county's seven cities to apply for a 30-day permit.

Prompted by a lawsuit filed against the county recently by Timothy Kruppe, who wants to open a nightclub with dancers in Lockeford, the Board of Supervisors adopted a 45-day urgency ordinance that requires Kruppe to file for a special events license if he wants to hire dancers, and he would need to reapply every 30 days.

The ordinance applies to anyone in unincorporated San Joaquin County who wants to have live entertainment — anything from ballet to a rock band, said Assistant County Counsel Mark Myles. That would allow county staff to determine if the entertainment would be compatible in the surrounding area, he said.

McNerney introduces bill on innovation tax credit

Congressman Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, introduced legislation to simplify the Research and Development Tax Credit.

McNerney's legislation would also make the credit a permanent incentive for companies to invest in research and development.

The bill, H.R. 5681, was introduced Wednesday and referred to the Ways and Means Committee for further consideration. It is entitled the Innovation Tax Credit Act.

"Research and development tax credits have inspired the research and innovation that has led to major breakthroughs in all different types of products, from wind turbine parts to life-saving medical technologies and computers," McNerney said in a statement released Wednesday.

First introduced in 1981, the Research and Development Tax Credit's existence has been temporarily renewed 12 times.

McNerney's bill would provide one overarching tax credit, currently referred to as the Alternative Simplified Credit. It implements a phased increase in the amount of the credit, from 16 percent in 2008 to 18 percent in 2009 to 20 percent thereafter, and makes the tax credit permanent.

"In a weak economy, we should be doing everything we can to spur on innovation and the type of family wage jobs that increased research and development will create," McNerney said.

McNerney's bill was praised by Oracle software company, National Association of Manufacturers and the University of California system.