Victim’s Mother Accuses Sheriff of “Dropping the Ball” on Investigation, Considers Lawsuit

By Miriam Raftery

Update October 2013:  Jerry Arnold has contacted ECM to advise that charges against him were reduced to distrubing the peace with loud music, for which he paid a fine.  Arnold also shared his side of the story.  "I was executor of the estate. I hadn't been around for nine years. I told the kids they couldn't have a party, but they had it anyway...When police got here, I was breaking up the party.  My son who had the party, I threw him out of the house...To say that I was contributing to minors' drinking couldn't be farther from the truth." Arnold told ECM he knew nothng about the assault on Chris Jones, which did not occur on the property.  He insists that he is not prejudiced and that three of his close family members have black partners or spouses.  He added that when he asked all party guests to leave and did not single out those who were black.  Johnson claims he was innocent of all charges but could not afford an attorney, so accepted the plea bargain offer.

October 9, 2009 (Deerhorn Valley) – The San Diego County District Attorney (D.A.) has filed three counts of misdemeanor charges in the case of an African-American teenager severely beaten by a group of white men last April at a party in Deerhorn Valley, near Jamul.  The home was in probate; the representative of the estate, Jerry Arnold Jr., was charged with allowing minors to drink; his son and a juvenile were charged with vandalizing  the victim's car.

Denise Brown, mother of the victim, is outraged that no charges of assault or hate crimes were filed. “The Sheriff dropped the ball on this investigation, big-time,” Brown told East County Magazine following a hate crimes summit in El Cajon last week. “Those men beat my son. They smashed the car windows. They tried to burn the vehicle with him inside. There were boot prints and hand prints all over the car, but the Sheriff’s Department had it towed and never even took prints.”

September 24, 2009 (El Cajon) – Grossmont Union High School District will host a free public forum Oct. 3 on the future of the district. The public is invited to learn more about projects planned for each campus and school project timelines, as well as celebrate the future of Grossmont schools. Imagery of design guidelines for specialty classrooms will be on display.

By Miriam Raftery
 

September 23, 2009 (Santee) – If you’re playing hooky in the Grossmont Union High School District, you might get some unexpected visitors . Today, Superintendent Bob Collins dropped in at the homes of truant students in Santee, along with a Sheriff’s Deputy and child welfare worker. Juvenile Detail sweeps also include visits to places frequented by truant teens, from Starbucks to parks to the local mall.

It’s all part of a joint effort that has reduced drop-out rates in the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) from 7-8% three years ago to under 3% last year.

Projects Funded by Props H and U School Bonds

July 24, 2009 (El Cajon) – Grossmont Union High School District announced this week that construction is underway to enhance athletic fields and facilities at several campuses. The projects are funded by the Proposition H and Proposition U bonds passed by East County voters in 2004 and 2008.

July 22, 2009 (La Mesa)—Grossmont Union High School District’s board of trustees will hold a special meeting Wednesday July 23 at 5 p.m. to review an amendment to the Helix Charter. The amendment was devised by the Helix Charter Board and two GUHSD board members to address the board’s concerns over handling of sexual misconduct cases.

By Miriam Raftery

June 11, 2009 (Alpine)—Cheers and tears of joy filled the room tonight as the Grossmont Union High School Board unanimously voted to approve construction of a new high school in Alpine. The decision drew a rousing ovation from parents and others who have fought for more than a decade to bring a high school to their community.

Trustee Priscilla Schreiber praised Viejas and Sycuan tribal leaders and other community members for their support, then thanked new Superintendent
Bob Collins for honoring his pledge “to fulfill a promise long overdue.”

Grossmont High School, Helix Charter High School and Grossmont Middle College High School Receive Prestigious Honor April 2, 2009 (El Cajon)—On April 1, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell announced that 125 California high schools were awarded the prestigious 2009 California Distinguished Schools Award. This marks the first year that a record three GUHSD schools have been recognized by the state for outstanding academic achievement.

February 22, 2009 (San Diego's East County)--The traditional Academic League All-Star match will be held on Wednesday, February 25th at 3:30 p.m. in the Granite Hills Library. The All-Star match will feature the best of ten high school teams versus the Grossmont Union High School District (GUHSD) Academic League 2009 Champions, Granite Hills High School.

The All-Star Team will be jointly coached by Cheri Gabler, Brooke Crocker and Betty Jensen. Dick Hoy, Ruth Weiss and Steve Haiman will serve as moderators.
The Academic League competitions are sponsored by