A judge ruled Thursday that sufficient evidence was presented to proceed to a trial against a San Luis Obispo firefighter accused of assault and battery while off duty at a wedding celebration in June.
Judge Michael Duffy made the ruling in San Luis Obispo Superior Court against John Ryan Mason, who’s accused of assaulting Jory Brigham on June 4 at a wedding after-party at Pappy McGregor’s bar on Monterey Street in San Luis Obispo.
San Luis Obispo man to be tried in assault and torture of homeless woman
Trial set for Santa Maria man accused of beating girl in Arroyo Grande
CMC inmate died of injuries caused by blunt force trauma, autopsy shows
10-year sentence for Oceanside man accused in Cambria, San Diego molestations
Defender in prominent SLO County trials dies at age 55
Mason, 34, has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of assault and battery against Brigham, who testified against Mason at a preliminary hearing that began Sept. 1. The hearing earlier this month didn’t finish that day and was postponed until Thursday.
The two men had feuded because Brigham wrote on his Facebook page a comment critical of those who walk out on their families. Brigham testified that his comment included Mason, though he didn’t write Mason’s name.
Brigham told investigators he and Mason had known each other six years and their wives were friends. The two men recently had strained relations over what was described in a police report as Mason’s purported infidelity.
Brigham said he walked into the bathroom that night and saw Mason. The run-in quickly turned into a heated conversation and resulted in a fight that left Brigham with several broken bones in his face.
The prosecution and defense have disagreed over who instigated the fight. Brigham said he never touched Mason, though witnesses testified they saw the men grappling.
The prosecution has pointed to evidence that Mason told police he hit Brigham in the face and then with his elbow three times while Brigham was on the ground.
SanLuisObispo.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. See our full terms of service here.
Here are some rules of the road:
You should also know that The Tribune does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the username of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to webmaster@thetribunenews.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
Be the first to know what's going on in San Luis Obispo County. Just tell us how you want to find out — we'll take care of the rest.
Sign up for breaking news alerts from SanLuisObispo.com and get the latest news sent to your cell phone via text message.
By signing up for alerts from this site, you are signing up for a program that may include up to 5 SMS text alert(s) per alert category per day. There is no service fee charged per month but your carrier's standard text messaging and other charges may apply. You may stop this subscription service at any time by sending the text message "STOP" to 72737. You must be at least thirteen (13) years of age to use our alert services. If you are between 13 and 17 years old, you agree that you have received parental permission both to complete the registration process and to receive SMS content on your cell phone. For help, send the text message "HELP" to 72737. This service will work with ATT, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, Alltell, US Cellular, Cincinnati Bell, Boost, Virgin Mobile USA, Celluar South, Telos, Centennial, East Kentucky Network, Cellcom, Immix and Rural Celluar.
E-mail »
Twitter »
Facebook »
iTribune »
Subscribe »
RSS »
About comments
Reader comments on SanLuisObispo.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Tribune. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.