san rafael

Mall guard accused of assaulting youth

Police arrested a Northgate mall security guard for allegedly hitting a 16-year-old bicyclist with his patrol vehicle.

The incident happened at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in a parking lot at the mall, police Sgt. Justin Graham said. The driver fled but returned and surrendered to police, Graham said.

According to the preliminary investigation, the guard was angered by youths who removed caution tape that closed off a section of the parking lot. The bicyclist was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, Graham said.

Melvin Anthony Kennedy, 66, of Oakland was booked into the Marin County Jail and released after posting a $50,000 bond, according to court records. The Marin County District Attorney’s Office filed charges of assault with a deadly weapon, felony child abuse, assault likely to produce great bodily injury and corporal injury on a child.

Kennedy is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday. He could not be reached for comment.

Graham said Kennedy worked for a private security company.

SAN QUENTIN

Former prison officer pleads guilty to fraud

A former state corrections officer pleaded guilty to charges that he planted contraband at San Quentin prison and elsewhere.

Avelino Ramirez, 52, of Vallejo orchestrated the scheme so he could appear to discover the items himself in order to be promoted, according to federal authorities.

Ramirez worked as dog handler in the Investigative Services Unit at San Quentin from 2013 to 2022. He was promoted to sergeant and transferred to the California Medical Facility in Vacaville.

Ramirez smuggled illegal items such as marijuana, methamphetamine, cellphones and weapons, and placed them in the common areas of prisons where he worked, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Investigators said Ramirez also accumulated about $8,200 in overtime pay by claiming extra hours for recovering the contraband and filing reports about it.

A federal grand jury indicted Ramirez in October. He pleaded guilty to one charge of wire fraud on Thursday and is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

LARKSPUR

House demolitions sought at properties

The city is reviewing proposals to demolish two houses and build new ones.

One project would replace the 2,424-square-foot home at 111 Wiltshire Ave. with a 4,004-square-foot home and an attached garage. The other project would replace the 3,188-square-foot residence at 80 La Cuesta in Greenbrae with a 5,670-square-foot residence and an attached garage.

Both plans would require front setback variances, floor area ratio exceptions and tree removals.

The Planning Commission is scheduled to hold hearings on the applications during its meeting at 7 p.m. June 24 at City Hall.

BELVEDERE

Council backs appeal of ADU height limit

The owners of 333 Bella Vista Ave. have successfully challenged a height restriction on their accessory dwelling unit project.

The residents filed an application to build a 25-foot-tall ADU, which is 9 feet over the limit. The Planning Commission approved the project last month on the condition that the ADU height be reduced by 2 feet.

The property owners appealed the restriction, saying the commission’s analysis was flawed and the project generated no neighborhood opposition, among other factors.

The City Council held a hearing on the appeal on June 9 and voted unanimously in the owners’ favor, allowing the 25-foot project to proceed, said Rebecca Markwick, the city’s director of planning and building.