| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Man accused in May postal standoff ordered to trial; most serious charges dropped
Wednesday July 23, 2003EL CAJON, Calif. (AP) A judge has ordered a 39-year-old man to stand trial on charges of kidnapping and false imprisonment for allegedly taking four postal workers hostage at a post office.
Judge Larrie Brainard on Tuesday dismissed more serious charges of taking hostages for the purpose of extortion, saying prosecutors had failed to provide sufficient evidence to back the claim.
If he is convicted of kidnapping and false imprisonment, Albert de Santiago could face up to 40 years in prison, defense lawyer Kerry Steigerwalt said. Conviction on the extortion charges would have carried the possibility of multiple life terms.
Steigerwalt said de Santiago's frustrations over a 2001 car crash with a postal vehicle partially motivated the May 28 standoff in Lakeside, 25 miles northeast of downtown San Diego.
During the nearly four-hour standoff, de Santiago held hostages at gunpoint as he talked to a negotiator on a cell phone. He said the crash had left him partially paralyzed and unable to work, postal worker Jon Bigornia told the court.
``He was angry,'' Bigornia said. ``He said it was our fault he was in the condition he was in.''
De Santiago of Ramona surrendered after SWAT officers delivered a six-pack of Dr Pepper to him. Officers found a Russian-made rifle and more than 100 rounds of ammunition in the post office.
``Albert has asked us to express his deepest apologies for the fear he instilled,'' his sister, Gina Dempski, said Tuesday. ``The event was completely and totally out of character.''
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