LAKEPORT — Attorneys in the Thomas Loyd Dudney attempted murder trial gave their opening statements Tuesday morning and the prosecution began presenting evidence of the alleged crime.
Judge Arthur H. Mann presided. Deputy district attorney Art Grothe represented the Lake County District Attorney”s Office and attorney Doug Rhoades represented Dudney.
Dudney faces 11 felony charges, along with many special allegations, in connection with an Oct. 20, 2009 incident in which Lakeport resident Ronald Greiner was shot, tortured and hogtied at his residence behind the Record-Bee building.
The 59-year-old Fulton man is charged with attempted murder, simple and aggravated mayhem, torture, robbery, burglary, three types of assaults, battery causing serious bodily injury and participating in a criminal street gang, The Misfits.
Grothe gave a 30-minute opening statement, during which he described to the jury what he thinks the evidence of the case will show.
On Oct. 17, 2009, Deborah James, Greiner”s former girlfriend, and three other people visited Greiner”s Lakeport home, Grothe said.
Greiner, who had been growing several marijuana plants for James, informed the group that James”s plants were gone, after which an argument ensued, culminating in Greiner forcing the four people from his home, according to Grothe.
During the early morning hours of Oct. 20, 2009, two men kicked down the door of Greiner”s home, shot the man and inflicted numerous other injuries both inside and outside of the house, Grothe said.
Greiner sustained injuries, including gunshot and stab wounds, broken ribs, fractured face bones and numerous cuts, Grothe said. Greiner”s wrists and ankles were also bound together using metal bailing wire, he said.
Grothe said Greiner identified one of his attackers as a man he had met through James who went by the moniker KTom. Investigators soon identified Dudney as the man Greiner knew as KTom, he said.
Grothe alleged that Dudney and an unidentified second person stole Greiner”s remaining marijuana and that the crimes were committed at the behest of The Misfits.
Rhoades questioned the identification of Dudney during his 10-minute opening statement, saying that Greiner told investigators the man who attacked him was called KTron. He also denied that the evidence implies the attackers had gang affiliations.
Grothe called five witnesses Tuesday. The first, Debra Due, testified she was James”s friend and was part of the group that visited Greiner”s house on Oct. 17, 2009.
Due said that an argument arose after Greiner told James that the marijuana he was growing for her was “gone.” Due said that at one point, Greiner pushed her out of one of the rooms.
As the group exited the house, Due said she asked Greiner “what are you going to do when the big boys come for you?” which she said was spoken in a sarcastic tone, sounding like the theme from the television show “COPS.”
Due also testified that she knew several members of The Misfits motorcycle gang and knew Dudney to be a member of the gang.
Thomas Adams, a former Record-Bee employee, was the second witness called. He said that he got off work around 9 a.m. on Oct. 20, 2009, after working a night shift, and while outside of his car heard a voice screaming, “help.”
Adams said he remained in the Record-Bee parking lot and was present when the police arrived nearly five minutes later.
Officer Jim Bell of the Lakeport Police Department (LPD) testified that he was the first responder to arrive on scene and that he parked his police car in the Record-Bee parking lot and walked onto the adjacent property, following the sounds of a man yelling for help.
Bell said he soon found Greiner about 10 to 15 feet outside the main house, bloody and hogtied, and called dispatch for rescue support. Bell said he tried to free Greiner”s hands using a pocketknife but could not cut through the wire.
Deputy Carla Hockett of the Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) arrived to the scene and had a tool that could cut wire, which they used to free Greiner”s hands, Bell said. The officers secured and cleared the house and waited with Greiner until medical personnel arrived, Bell said.
Grothe presented photographs of Greiner that Hockett took at the scene and asked Bell to describe the images. The photographs focused mainly on Greiner”s injuries and the location of the property off of South Main Street in Lakeport.
Bell said Greiner was “severely injured” with a “completely swollen” head and that there was “massive blood everywhere.” The photographs showed many of Greiner”s injuries, including puncture wounds to the chest, bloody indentations on his wrists and a swollen head covered with dry blood.
Greiner”s breathing was labored and his speech was difficult to understand, Bell said.
Soon after medical personnel arrived and transported Greiner from the scene, Bell said he was told that the property was located just outside the city limits and the case fell into LCSO jurisdiction.
Jose Contreras, a longtime Record-Bee employee, testified he heard something that sounded faintly like a person yelling as if in pain. Contreras said that about five minutes later he was told that Adams had called the police.
Hockett was the final witness called Tuesday. She testified that she and Bell secured the house, cut Greiner”s wrists loose from the wire, closed the scene and released it to the detectives once they arrived.
Hockett analyzed several photographs she took inside and outside of the house before detectives arrived. Remnants of marijuana were found in various rooms of the house but she saw no plants growing outside the house, Hockett said.
Testimony concluded for the day around 3:25 p.m. The jury trial continues today at 9 a.m. in Department 2.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37.
