Wilkes Bashford makes hasty departure from Carmel Plaza By MARY BROWNFIELD decision to close the store which it opened, complete with a decided to tell the employees Monday morning,” she said. “It full bar, superlative customer service and extravagant price was done in adherence to whatever is the appropriate way of THE CLOSURE of upscale clothier Wilkes Bashford’s tags, three years ago. informing people the store is closed.” store in Carmel Plaza Monday caught many, including its “The decision was made very recently, so it’s not one of Although the dressed mannequins remained in the display seven employees and the shopping center’s management, by those situations where there was a great deal of time windows this week, the store’s contents had been loaded onto surprise, as did the nighttime loading of merchandise onto involved,” she said. Although the recession was cited as the trucks Sunday. But spokeswoman Melissa Krantz said that reason for closing the store, the move to shut its doors was See WILKES page 13A surprise was simply a byproduct of the company’s quick made in just a few days’ time, according to Krantz. “When company managers made the decision, they also BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID CARMEL, CA Permit No. 149 Volume 95 No. 44 On the Internet: www.carmelpinecone.com October 30-November 5, 2009 Y OUR S OURCE F OR L OCAL N EWS, ARTS AND O PINION S INCE 1915 Police arrest ex-con in fire-bombings Voters ready to decide By MARY BROWNFIELD lives in the 800 block of Taylor Street, had been cited by MPD Oct. 20 for allegedly ■ Flanders opponents ■ C.V., sign thieves get A 35-YEAR-OLD Monterey man was vandalizing a street sign, according to jailed on $500,000 bail Oct. 23 for allegedly Sonne. outpace supporters busy as incorporation burning two businesses with Molotov cock- While work- tails last July. Police became suspicious of ing on the in fundraising emotions heat up Nathan Abel Augustine when an officer con- case, detec- By MARY BROWNFIELD By CHRIS COUNTS tacted him to follow up on an unrelated van- tives discov- dalism charge, Monterey P.D. Lt. Leslie ered he was ITH VOTERS set to decide the fate HE TEMPERATURE has been rising Sonne said Tuesday. And one of the victims on probation W T of Flanders Mansion at the polls next in Carmel Valley and it has nothing to do said she believes the man was once asked to out of Tuesday, committees on both sides are with global warming. leave her business for racist behavior. Ventura undertaking their final campaign efforts. So After nine years of heated public hear- Augustine, a self-employed commercial County for far, the group opposing the ings, dueling lawsuits and fisherman and construction worker who vandalism Nov. 3 ballot measure has contentious debates, Carmel and raised more money and spent Valley residents will vote on weapons less on its campaign, accord- incorporation Tuesday, Nov. violations, ing to documents filed with Polls open 3. Meanwhile, in the few making him ‘Indigent’ Bergstrom the City of Carmel last week. days left before the Measure subject to Tuesday from Between Sept. 20 and Oct. G election, it’s probably a search and Nathan Augustine 19, the Monterey-based 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. good idea to keep a close eye files appeal from seizure by Committee to Oppose on your campaigns signs. law enforcement. Measure I and Save Mission They took advantage of that and searched San Quentin Trail Park raised $5,600 in Now you see them ... his house, where they reportedly found contributions from 21 donors, bringing the When Carmel Valley resident Heidi ammunition, which convicted felons are not By MARY BROWNFIELD total to $8,200 for the year. The biggest Miguel heard her dog growling last Tuesday, allowed to possess. checks of the period were from MaryAnne she figured a friend was coming to visit. Sonne said other discoveries in the resi- CONVICTED SODOMIST and former Teed and former councilwoman Barbara When she opened her door, though, she saw dence led them to suspect he was connected physician Carl Bergstrom is now in San Livingston, who each gave $750. a man in her driveway getting into a truck to the Molotov-cocktail arson fires at Quentin State Prison serving his six-year Livingston’s campaign contributions for the and driving away with her two “Yes on G” Creative Visions body art and tattoo studio sentence, according to court records. year total $1,000. signs. Miguel said she got a good look at the on Lighthouse Avenue July 13 and Lattitudes Meanwhile, a nonprofit that provides attor- Several people donated $250, including culprit, whom she described as a tall man Restaurant at Lovers Point two days later. neys for appellants who can’t afford their former city manager Doug Schmitz, attorney between 25 and 30 years old, with short hair While only a small section of the roof burned own is preparing to represent him. Skip Lloyd and former councilman Jim and a lean build. He was driving a new black at the restaurant, the body-art studio, owned In July, a jury found Bergstrom guilty of Wright. Flanders Foundation President SUV with a small pickup bed in the rear. by City of Carmel employee Margi Perotti, forcible sodomy on a woman at his Carmel Melanie Billig gave $300, while several “I looked him in the eye,” she recalled. “I suffered significant damage and was closed Woods home. Defense attorney Tom other Measure I opponents made $100 and think he was surprised. It didn’t look like for weeks. Worthington had objected to instructions $200 contributions. anybody was home.” “They saw some items that piqued their jurors received before they deliberated, and The campaign’s total expenses for the Miguel was livid over the theft. “What he interest,” Sonne said, so the detectives sealed after Monterey County Superior Court Judge period were $4,002.96, including $1,000 for did was criminal,” she added. campaign consultant Boots Road Group and Last Wednesday, apparently, was a busy See BERGSTROM page 19A See ARSON page 7A $575 for campaign consultant Daniel day for local sign thieves. McCormick. Graphic artist Sarah Kincaid “Early this morning, thieves stole most of was paid $650 for designing the campaign the large ‘Yes on G’ signs in Carmel Valley, button, and photographer Randy Tunnell and many smaller ones,” reported Glenn Cat killer baits antifreeze with food received $800 for his work on the mailing. Robinson, a candidate for town council. The group paid Copy King $365.34 for post- “All these signs were on private property at By KELLY NIX “I found a little plastic container with cards and fliers for handouts and mailings, the request of the property owners. In most bread and antifreeze,” she said. “A resident with the balance covering the costs of sort- cases, the sign and metal ground stakes were THE PERSON who placed a dish of found the bottom of a Coke bottle. It had antifreeze in a flower bed of a Pacific some sort of fish and antifreeze in it.” See FLANDERS page 13A See TOWN page 13A Grove apartment complex to kill a tenant’s Edwards said she was shocked to think cat in September set out two more bowls of the person still wants to kill cats. the poison, this time adding food to the “It makes me sick to think that this per- CUSD: Habitat classroom too costly toxic soup so it would be more enticing to son is continuing this malice,” Edwards felines. said Wednesday. Jackie Edwards’ cat, Lily, died Sept. 28 The apartment manager, who declined after being poisoned with ethylene glycol, to be identified, said she called the police, the ingredient in automobile antifreeze. who made a report of the crime. Officers Someone had placed a bowl of the chemi- suggested she install video cameras in the cal, which can be appealing to cats and complex. “We are just watching and look- dogs, inside Edwards’ apartment complex ing,” she said. and one outside near the P.G. recreation Edwards and the apartment manager trail. believe a tenant set out the bowls of antifreeze. The manager issued a notice to Bread and fish tenants letting them know that they would On Oct. 13 and 15, two more bowls of be reported to police and evicted if caught. antifreeze were discovered at Edwards’ “I also told people to keep their cats apartment complex by the building’s man- inside,” she said, adding that there are only ager. One dish was found on the third floor one or two cats living at the complex off landing and another in the garden. Unlike Lighthouse Avenue. the first bowls, these also had food soaked By the time the architect is done redesigning the green building for the Carmel Middle School in antifreeze. See ANTIFREEZE page 12A habitat, it might not look like this earlier proposal, but the district hopes it will be much less expensive to construct. See page 8A. Get your complete Carmel Pine Cone every Thursday evening in convenient pdf format via email. Free subscriptions available at www.carmelpinecone.com. 2A The Carmel Pine Cone October 30, 2009 Monterey Gourmet being sued over $45 million sale the Korean-based Pulmuone are being sued for entering into before Nov. 7, Wheeler explained. “Basically, the company is ■ Lawsuit alleges 3,500 share- a deal to sell Monterey Gourmet stock for an unfair price, going to be sold to the highest bidder.” according to Georg Thurmann, who filed the class action suit A press release issued by MGF Oct.