VISTA – Superior Court Judge Runston Maino put on hold yesterday the punishment of a San Marcos man convicted of child molestation. Maino sentenced the man Tuesday to a two-century prison term before being eligible for parole.
Yesterday, Maino scheduled a hearing Feb. 22 to consider arguments about why Robert Michael Rubino's sentence should be reduced from 225 years to life in prison. The 65-year-old retired real estate broker was convicted Oct. 2 of 15 counts of lewd acts on a child for molesting two boys over several days in August 2003.
Defense attorney Gerald Blank argued during the original hearing that his client should be sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. A probation official also recommended a much lower term than Maino imposed.
City manager gets
salary increase
POWAY: The city manager got a 5 percent raise this week, boosting his salary to $200,850.
The Poway City Council agreed on the raise for Ron Gould, who oversees an operating budget of approximately $70.1 million. Gould, former city manager of San Rafael in Marin County, just celebrated his first anniversary running the city of 50,000.
He also gets increased benefits for his life insurance policies.
3 plead not guilty
in kidnap attempt
VISTA: Three Solana Beach men accused of conspiring to kidnap and rob the estranged wife of one of the men pleaded not guilty yesterday in Superior Court.
Omar Hernandez, 36, hired Jonathan Martinez, 18, and Alberto Naranjo, 20, to perform the alleged crimes, according to court records. The men broke into the woman's apartment on Rosebay Drive near Encinitas Blvd. in Encinitas on Friday night, authorities said. The woman and her 13-year-old son fought them off and escaped, authorities said.
Hernandez's wife recently obtained a domestic-violence restraining order against him, authorities said.
Judge Adrienne Orfield ordered Martinez and Hernandez held in jail in lieu of $300,000 bail and Naranjo on $500,000 bail.
City gives award
to year's first baby
POWAY: Eliana Noelle Martinez was a little cranky for her first public appearance this week, being only one month old.
She was lauded Tuesday night by the City Council as Poway's First Baby, the award city officials give the first infant born after New Year's Eve.
Eliana was born at 7:11 a.m. Jan. 2 at 6 pounds, 10 ounces to Amy and Manny Martinez.
Following city custom, she received a $100 savings bond.
Mickey Cafagna also kissed the pajama-clad Eliana at the council meeting, saying, “Since I'm the mayor, I get to kiss the babies.”
City Council OKs
change in meetings
POWAY: The five-member City Council voted this week to cut back on public meetings.
By unanimous vote, council members agreed to meet on the first three Tuesdays of the month. Meetings start at 7 p.m.
The council has been mulling over changing its weekly meeting schedule for more than a year. The final vote on the issue is set for Feb. 20.
The city also is working on televising its council meetings, starting this month.
Staff writers Jose Luis Jiménez and Lisa Petrillo contributed to this report.
