Court Briefs

Dartaniel Ishmeal Williams, 35, agreed April 29 to plead guilty to being a felon in possession of a weapon and resisting arrest. He made the plea in exchange for a sentence of no more than six months in jail and the dismissal of charges including assault on an officer and making threats.

Williams must also serve three years of supervised probation and pay restitution fines. He receives credit for six days jail time.

He was apprehended by Millbrae police July 17, 2002 after threatening to shoot an employee over a work-related issue.

Williams, of Pittsburg, CA, was trying to unlock his truck to fetch a loaded semi-automatic hand gun when police arrived. Millbrae Sgt. Rich Dixon grabbed Williams and the two struggled until other officers broke up the scuffle and arrested the suspect.

Defense attorney Randy Daar originally tried having the case dismissed in late March but was refused. During his case, Williams remained out of custody on a $100,000 bond.

Guilty verdict for man who beat family

After only one day of deliberations, a jury found Alan Marquez guilty of beating his girlfriend and two children with a belt because they no longer wanted to be around him.

Marquez, 32, was convicted of assault and child endangerment stemming from the assault of his girlfriend and the couple's two children, ages 6 and 10. He could face up to 11 years in prison when sentenced.

Marquez was also charged and convicted of four counts of child abuse against his two children for incidents between March 15, 2002 to Jan. 4, 2003. He was found not guilty on two lesser child abuse charges.

Marquez claimed he used a belt against his children as a discipline tool and said the victims were lying about the beating. But prosecutor Morris Maya argued that the defendant acted in anger. However, both sides agreed that there was no evidence of physical abuse during a medical examination of the children.

The children both testified during the trial about the attack and the 6-year-old said his father called him lewd names, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Marquez is married to another woman he met while in prison three years ago but spends substantial time at the victims' home.

He has a history of four earlier crimes dating from 1992 including a police chase.

Marquez returns to court July 9 for sentencing. He remains in custody in lieu of $150,000 bail.

Alleged car thief accused of influencing witness

The Brisbane woman arrested after allegedly driving a stolen car to San Mateo County Jail to visit an inmate had her jury trial postponed after making dozens of phone calls to a key witness.

Michelle Dupas, 30, has pleaded not guilty to grand theft auto charges and was scheduled to start trial yesterday. But prosecutors asked for and received a delay after discovering that Dupas called one of their witnesses dozens of times from the jail. Prosecutors must now listen to the taped calls to determine if Dupas was trying to intimidate the witness or sway their testimony in the case. If they believe so, Dupas faces more charges.

Dupas was already on felony probation for previous burglary convictions when she was arrested Jan. 29. An anonymous caller tipped the police that Dupas would be visiting the jail in a stolen Jeep Cherokee. Sheriff's deputies found Dupas in the vehicle wearing what was identified as jewelry stolen from a Menlo Park home.

Dupas didn't park the car legally, but left it idling while she was inside the jail. Inside, sheriff's deputies found more property stolen from the Menlo Park home. A check of the car's plates showed that it was reported stolen Jan. 24 from San Mateo and linked to a Jan. 27 burglary in Menlo Park. That burglary is still under investigation. She was also driving on a suspended license.

At a pre-trial conference, prosecutors offered Dupas eight to 10 years in prison but she declined the deal.

Dupas returns to court today to set a new trial date. She remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 bail. <