Los Gatos Weekly-Times Spat at Taco Bell leads to an arrest in Boulder Creek By Shari Kaplan An argument that began in a Los Gatos fast-food restaurant in the late afternoon ended later that night with the arrest of 26-year-old Boulder Creek resident Kurt Hanson. According to Los Gatos police, the incident began at 5:40 p.m. on May 13, when someone at the Jack in the Box restaurant on Los Gatos Boulevard called police to report a case of domestic violence. According to LGPD Sgt. Tricia Friedrich, witnesses said a man--who would later turn out to be Hanson--and a woman were having an argument in the restaurant; at one point Hanson knocked a drink from the woman's hand. As the argument continued, the woman knocked a taco from Hanson's hand; after that, he slapped her several times and called her names. The couple then left the restaurant, got into a truck and engaged in what witnesses called a "violent struggle." When the woman tried to leave the truck, Hanson pulled her back in. One witness approached the truck to break up the fight, Friedrich said, but when Hanson saw someone walking over, he started the engine and drove quickly away. The same witness took note of the truck's license plate number. LGPD officers Al Haskell, Tim Morgan and Steve Wahl searched the area but did not locate the truck. After conducting a registration check of the truck's license plate through the Department of Motor Vehicles, they discovered the truck was registered to Hanson and drove to what the DMV had listed as his current residence. Although he no longer lived there, police were able to locate his current residence in Boulder Creek through other means. Los Gatos police notified the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Department, whose jurisdiction includes Boulder Creek, and asked them to check out the Boulder Creek address. LGPD officers Wahl and Cynthia Coahran joined sheriff's deputies in Boulder Creek, where they located Hanson, determined that he was the man who had been at the Taco Bell and arrested him. They also located the woman, who had suffered abrasions and scratches. Hanson was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on charges of committing a corporeal injury to a co-habitant, as well as kidnapping. As of last week, the case had not yet been reviewed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, May 21, 1997. ©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.