BIG SUR — A San Simeon man has been convicted of felony assault and misdemeanor battery stemming from an attack on a State Parks employee at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur, announced Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
A jury found David Carl Goad, 69, guilty on Sept. 2 after a two-day trial. He was convicted of assault by means likely to cause great bodily injury and misdemeanor battery committed on state park property.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Goad began disassembling a toilet on May 17 in a restroom at the state park in an attempt to fix an issue with it. A State Parks maintenance employee asked Goad to stop and leave the restroom so maintenance staff could address the problem.
Goad became hostile and combative, prosecutors said, and attacked the employee from behind when the employee turned to close and lock the restroom door.
The employee testified that Goad placed his hands around his neck and applied pressure. The employee was able to break free after a brief struggle and reported the incident to State Parks rangers.
Rangers observed visible red marks on the employee’s neck, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Goad is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 2. He faces up to three years in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
