Gunman Sentenced to 60 Days House Arrest

A 37-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to three years probation and 60 days house arrest for firing a shotgun at a group of men he thought were drug dealers and who refused to leave the yard of his Panorama City home.

Richard Charles Alford also received a one-year suspended jail sentence and was ordered to pay a $1,500 fine and undergo psychological counseling. His house arrest will be monitored by electronic surveillance equipment.

Alford pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon at a pretrial hearing May 20. Last Sept. 4, he fired a 12-gauge shotgun at the men when they refused to leave his yard, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Lloyd Nash.

Alford, who has moved to Burbank since the incident, could have received a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison.

Van Nuys Superior Court Judge C. Bernard Kaufman said he granted a lighter sentence because Alford had no criminal record and the victims, Rogelio Salas, 20, and Marvin Garcia, 21, both of Panorama City, suffered only minor injuries.

Nash argued for a heavier sentence because Alford fired into a group of people.