3:50pm Wednesday | Charges will not be filed against local developer Tom Dean after his Friday night arrest for alleged domestic violence due to insufficient evidence, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said today. The news was first reported by the Press-Telegram this afternoon.
The D.A.’s office reviewed the case presented by the Long Beach Police Department on Tuesday and made the decision later that same day.
“We reviewed a potential misdemeanor case of alleged domestic violence and determined there was insufficient evidence,” said Jane Robinson, spokesperson for the D.A. “We have to believe that we have enough evidence to prove the case beyond any reasonable doubt.”
Robinson could not comment on deciding factors in the decision.
In a story first reported by the lbpost.com on Monday morning, police were called to Dean’s home on Sea Isle Drive around 9:15pm about a possible case of domestic violence. Officers arrived and witnessed evidence of abuse, according to Long Beach Police Department spokesperson, though she could not go into further detail.
Dean himself was no longer on the premises and was pulled over in his vehicle near the intersection of 2nd & Pacific Coast Highway and arrested shortly after. He posted bail on Saturday morning.
Robinson said the case is a “reject” and will not be reviewed further. The Press-Telegram has reported that the case could be pursued by the Long Beach City Prosecutor but that such a move is unlikely.
Dean is well known in Long Beach as the owner of a large portion of the Los Cerritos Wetlands and his attempt to develop a Home Depot site on a section of that land, which was ultimately rejected by a judge. He is currently involved in negotiations with the City to trade 33.7 acres of his wetlands-property for about 13.4 acres of City-owned land, a deal which some critics say is heavily weighted in Dean’s favor.
Dean spoke exclusively to the lbpost.com in August the morning before the City Council was to vote on the proposed land trade, saying that he always believed the wetlands property should be owned by the public and that if his offer was not approved that evening, it would be pulled from the table. The Council approved the proposal, but more than six months later negotiations are ongoing as the value of both properties is still being determined as well as any possible environmental damage that may have been done to Dean’s land.
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11:45am Monday | Local developer Tom Dean was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence on Friday night, after police were called to his home.
Officers were dispatched to Dean’s home near Sea Isle Drive around 9:15pm on Friday night after receiving a call from a woman who said she had a domestic dispute with her husband. She told police that Dean had left the residence and officers found his car and pulled him over near the intersection of 2nd Street and Pacific Coast Highway shortly after.
Dean was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and has since posted bail, according to Long Beach Police Department spokesperson Dina Zipalski. Detectives are investigating the case and newly-elected City Prosecutor Doug Haubert will ultimately decide whether to pursue charges.
Dean is a well-known developer infamous for his bids to build a Home Depot site on a wetlands-area site near Studebaker Drive and for his current negotiations with the City to swap 37.7 acres of wetlands property he owns for 13.4 acres of City-owned public service yard property that critics say is heavily weighted in Dean’s favor.
Dean spoke exclusively to the lbpost.com in August just before the Council voted to approve the swap, and said that the deal would be pulled from the table if it was not approved that night. Though Dean got his wish, the negotiations have since hit roadblocks as City Management attempts to discern the quality of the land as well as its value.