A Lakeport man accused of animal cruelty for killing his dog with a machete was given 461 days of credit, including 202 for conduct, toward his jail term during a sentencing hearing at Lake County Superior Court.
William Richard Gatlyn, 27, will be released in the last 18 months of his three year sentence with the agreement to follow several mandatory supervision terms, with one of the rules being he will not possess or have in his control any type of animal or pet.
Financial obligations include a restitution fine of $900, court security fee of $40, criminal conviction assessment fee of $30 and restitution in the amount of $175 which is payable to the Lake County Animal Care Control.
Gatlyn entered a plea of no contest in July.
Gatlyn’s plea was delayed while the state considered his fitness to appear in court. Last December, doubt of the defendant’s mental competency had been declared as Gatlyn was unable to understand the criminal proceedings in a rational manner.
At the time, the court found there was substantial evidence that Gatlyn may be suffering from mental issues.
The Department of State Hospitals Attorney Paula Riese informed the court that the defendant was approved for admission into the Jail-Based Competency (JBCT) Program.
After waiting several weeks for an available bed, Gatlyn was admitted to the JBCT Program at the San Bernardino County West Valley Detention on May 11.
Gatlyn’s Sentencing Hearing was presided over by Judge Andrew Blum with Deputy District Attorney Susan Krones representing the People and Defense Attorney Mitchell Hauptman representing the defendant.
Warrant issued for sex offender
Lawrence Clayton Jelks, 70, was not present in court for his recent scheduled Settlement Conference and while the Court found no good cause for the defendant’s non-appearance, a bench warrant was issued with bail set in the amount of $50,000.
Jelks had been located in February and arrested after he had failed to register as a sex offender, as the Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant at that time for Jelks.
His bail had been set at $35,000, but after making bail Jelks was now out of jail.
During the Settlement Conference Defense Attorney Mitchell Hauptman indicated for the record that on occasion the defendant has been disoriented.
No future court dates have been set at this time.
