Owner of ‘revenge porn’ website arraigned
A Pacific Beach man pleaded not guilty Jan. 17 to 31 felony charges including identity theft and extortion in connection with a “revenge porn” website that sought money from women whose nude photos were posted on a website.
Kevin Christopher Bollaert, 27, made his first court appearance in San Diego Superior Court since charges were filed on Dec. 10. He is charged with 28 counts of identity theft, two counts of extortion and a conspiracy charge.
Bollaert remains free on $50,000 bond. His two websites, both of which were taken down months ago, listed a Pacific Beach post office box as a home address. Judge David Szumowski set a preliminary hearing for March 24.
Bollaert allegedly set up an online website that featured thousands of photos of nude or semi-nude women with personal information about them. Court records say the women were directed to another website called changemyreputation.com that allowed them to pay several hundreds of dollars to have the photos taken down.
The charges say Bollaert was the administrator of a website called ugotposted.com that began on Dec. 2, 2012. The websites were taken down in September and the state Attorney General’s Office filed charges against him. — Neal Putnam Four sentenced for mailing pot from PB
Four people who were involved with mailing packages of marijuana from Pacific Beach have all been placed on three years’ probation, with the ringleader getting one year in jail.
Kyle Thomas Gillen, 26, of Pacific Beach, was given the 1-year term and a nearly $3,300 fine by San Diego Superior Court Judge Dwayne Moring, who gave him credit for already serving 24 days in jail.
Matthew Schneider, 28, of Pacific Beach was given 270 days in jail, but has asked if he could serve in a work furlough center. Deputy District Attorney Lisa Moffatt said if approved, Schneider could go to work during the day, but would be locked up at night and on weekends.
Mitchell Morris, 25, of San Diego was given 180 days. Christopher Robin Huntsman, 28, of San Diego received a suspended 180-day jail term.
Christopher Gillen, 25, of Pacific Beach pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of money laundering and was sentenced Dec. 11 to 11 days he has already served in jail. He was also placed on probation.
Kyle Gillen pleaded guilty to eight counts of transportation of marijuana, money laundering and marijuana cultivation. Schneider pleaded guilty to receiving money from a drug transaction, possession of cocaine and other drugs without a prescription. Morris and Huntsman pleaded guilty to cultivating marijuana, and money laundering.
The four defendants remain free on bond and were given a future date to surrender to either jail or a work-furlough facility if that is approved for them, said Moffatt. The marijuana was grown in a warehouse in the Midway district. — Neal Putnam Sentencing handed down in murder trial
Shane Brian Grattan of Pacific Beach was sentenced Jan. 17 to 25 years to life in prison for the 2012 murder of Darrin Joseph, 45, a Point Loma man who was beaten to death in Grattan’s van.
Joseph’s family members said the victim was not homeless and had been living in a sober-living facility until about a month prior to the murder. Joseph’s aunt, Belle Joseph, told Grattan, 57, that he must have offered alcohol to her nephew, which she said likely led to Joseph’s decision to leave the facility.
Joseph’s body was found Jan. 19, 2012 in some bushes at 4960 North Harbor Drive. His abandoned wheelchair was found not far away. His blood and DNA was found throughout Grattan’s van, despite Grattan’s attempts to clean it up, according to police investigators.
“Darrin was a good man. He served five years in the Army to keep us safe,” said mother Betty Joseph. “He was loved by his family and friends.”
“You brutally beat my son to death,” she continued. “I’ll never see his smile or hear his laugh. I want you to suffer every day in prison. I hope you rot in hell.”
As he did during his trial, Grattan said nothing during the sentencing. A jury convicted him Nov. 6 of first-degree murder. He was arrested Feb. 8, 2012.
Superior Court Judge Amalia Meza ordered Grattan to pay nearly $3,700 toward the victim’s funeral expenses and fined him more than $10,200. Grattan’s attorney argued that Joseph had stayed temporarily with Grattan, but that someone else committed the murder. Grattan has filed an appeal. — Neal Putnam Beach-area court looks back on 2013
The Beach Area Community Court released its year-in-review numbers for 2013, calling the past 12 months “a very successful year.” BACC hosted 11 sessions and one “instant justice” case. Here were the results of the sessions: • 327 participants learned how their crimes impacted the community and engaged in community service. 
• 1,348 hours of community service were preformed in the Pacific Beach and Mission Beach areas.  
• Projects included picking up trash along Garnet, Felspar, Hornblend and Mission Boulevard, constructing cardboard trash receptacles, removing tumbleweeds from the least tern breeding grounds and more. For more information, visit beachcommunitycourt.com.