Hermosa Beach arson investigator charged with gun offense
A Hermosa Beach Fire Department arson investigator has been charged with pointing a handgun at a woman in a Sunset Beach bar, prosecutors said Monday.
Darryl Lee Powers, 49, of La Palma was charged Thursday with one misdemeanor count of brandishing a firearm capable of being concealed upon a person in a public place, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said.
If convicted, Powers could face 90 days to a year in jail.
The charges stem from July 7, when Powers was off-duty and having drinks with his cousin at Turc's Bar in Sunset Beach.
Prosecutors said Powers pulled out a knife and stabbed it into the bar in front of him. The victim, who did not know Powers, was sitting next to him.
A bartender took the knife and told Powers he could not have a knife in the bar.
When the bartender walked away, Powers allegedly pulled the gun from his pocket and put it on the bar with the barrel pointing at the woman, prosecutors said.
"The frightened victim asked Powers to put the firearm away, but he is accused of leaving it on the bar," prosecutors said in a statement
.
The victim told the bartender, who called the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Powers was detained outside the bar and released pending further investigation.
.
Powers is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 24, 2010, at the West Justice Center in Westminster.
Earlier this month, Hermosa Beach Fire Chief David Lantzer issued a statement saying he asked Hermosa Beach police internal affairs investigators to look into the matter.
Powers' status with the agency was not clear.
Darryl Lee Powers, 49, of La Palma was charged Thursday with one misdemeanor count of brandishing a firearm capable of being concealed upon a person in a public place, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said.
If convicted, Powers could face 90 days to a year in jail.
The charges stem from July 7, when Powers was off-duty and having drinks with his cousin at Turc's Bar in Sunset Beach.
Prosecutors said Powers pulled out a knife and stabbed it into the bar in front of him. The victim, who did not know Powers, was sitting next to him.
A bartender took the knife and told Powers he could not have a knife in the bar.
When the bartender walked away, Powers allegedly pulled the gun from his pocket and put it on the bar with the barrel pointing at the woman, prosecutors said.
"The frightened victim asked Powers to put the firearm away, but he is accused of leaving it on the bar," prosecutors said in a statement
.
The victim told the bartender, who called the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Powers was detained outside the bar and released pending further investigation.
.
Powers is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 24, 2010, at the West Justice Center in Westminster.
Earlier this month, Hermosa Beach Fire Chief David Lantzer issued a statement saying he asked Hermosa Beach police internal affairs investigators to look into the matter.
Powers' status with the agency was not clear.
About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
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