Nipomo man pleads guilty to assault charges after shooting marbles at passing cars in Monterey County
May 5—A Nipomo man pleaded guilty Thursday to dozens of assault charges after shooting marbles at passing motorists in Monterey County during a string of incidents from 2019 to 2020.
Charles Lafferty, 54, was charged with 30 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, including two counts against police officers, involving him firing marbles at passing motorists along Highway 101, according to Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Matthew L'Heureux.
Lafferty initially pleaded not guilty to 79 charges on Jan. 27, 2020, but the remaining 49 charges were dropped as part of a plea agreement. He is expected to receive 15 years in state prison when he is sentenced on June 29.
Lafferty was arrested at his home in Nipomo on Jan. 22, 2020, after the California Highway Patrol formed an investigative task force in November 2019 following an uptick in incidents the prior month, according to CHP Capt. Kevin Foster. Police seized a slingshot, a replacement band and 55 marbles from his vehicle when he was arrested.
In total, more than 70 incidents were investigated in San Benito and Monterey counties, including near Prunedale, from Feb. 19, 2019, to Jan. 5, 2020, according to Foster. Two incidents involved attacks on CHP officers responding to earlier reports.
Six people, including a child, received minor cuts and scrapes from broken glass in the attacks, but no collisions occurred, according to Foster.
L'Heureux said Lafferty worked part time for a food service company in Monterey County at the time and became a suspect after his vehicle was identified at the scene of several incidents.
Lafferty admitted to shooting marbles at passing cars using a slingshot but never provided the exact number of times, according to L'Heureux, who added that Lafferty did not disclose a motive during police interviews.
