14 DAY TRIAL // 27-year-old Patrick Leach, the son of the Barney the Dinosaur show creator Sheryl Leach, is running into some trouble with the law.
Leach was arrested for the attempted murder of a 49-year-old man in Malibu, Malibu Times writes. On Wednesday, January 9, someone called 911 reporting gunshots, at 9:30 a.m. local time.
The Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station responded to the call on the West Winding Way. They found Eric Shanks with a gun wound in his chest area. The Malibu resident was lying on the ground when police arrived.
Witness accounts put a man rushing to get away from the crime scene, driving a black SUV. Traffic control operators pulled Leach over a few blocks away, on Kanan Road, south of Cornell Road in Agoura Hills, according to The Acorn.
“There was no vehicular pursuit and the suspect exhibited no threatening behavior while being taken into custody,” Lt. Matthew Squire describes.
The vehicle was checked for material evidence, which led to an arrest. Leach was transported to the Lost Hills Station, and a $500,000 (€373,000) bond was imposed. The amount was doubled the same day.
By January 17, he had already posted bail and was released.
“He’s no longer here,” a spokesperson for the police department told Radar Online.
The assailant and victim were neighbors, and the shooting occurred as they argued over a property issue.
“I think it was just a brewing dispute thing that got out of hand," another neighbor commented.
The 49-year-old man was hospitalized at the UCLA Medical Center, where he is being treated for non-life-threatening wounds. His condition is stable, and he is recovering from the gunshot.
“He’s one very lucky guy. [...] It looks like he’ll be OK. He’s a blessed man,” Squire adds.