Man Charged With Stealing Yacht That Ran Aground In Pacifica To Have Mental Evaluation
REDWOOD CITY (CBS/AP) -- A judge has assigned two doctors to determine if a Wyoming man charged with stealing a luxury yacht in Sausalito and running it aground in Pacifica is mentally fit for trial.
Sixty-two-year-old Leslie Alan Gardner faces three felonies, including grand theft, for allegedly stealing the 82-foot vessel Darling from a Sausalito harbor. It ran aground in Pacifica with Gardner and two others aboard.
District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the doctors will evaluate whether Gardner can aid in his own defense.
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Jonathan Karesh appointed the doctors after defense attorney John May signaled he had doubts about his client's mental competency.
Charges were dropped against 54-year-old Dario Mira and 56-year-old Lisa Modawell after prosecutors determined they didn't know the $2 million sailboat was stolen.
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