Templeton advisory group chair receives probation, jail time for felony vandalism
Case involved eight protected parties in an Orchard Road neighborhood
– Templeton Area Advisory Group Chair David Allen Leader received two years of supervised probation and 30 days in county jail for felony vandalism and misdemeanor violations of court orders, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced Aug. 19.
The court also ordered Leader to stay away from the victims as a condition of his probation.
The victims attended the sentencing and provided impact statements to the court under the California Constitution’s Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights, also known as Marsy’s Rights.
A restitution hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Nov. 4 in Department 7 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. Judge Rita Federman will preside.
Leader pleaded guilty in July to one felony count of vandalism and seven misdemeanor counts of disobeying a court order. The plea resolved two consolidated criminal cases arising from an alleged pattern of vandalism, harassment, and repeated violations of a civil harassment restraining order involving several Templeton-area neighbors.
According to a July news release, the charges stemmed from conduct that began in October 2024 involving neighbors along Orchard Road, a private road in the Templeton area. The consolidated cases included eight protected parties who lived in the neighborhood.
The earlier release said the conduct underlying the court order violations included revving a vehicle’s engine, driving on the wrong side of the road, exceeding the posted speed limit, staring at neighbors, making hand gestures toward them, slowing or stopping across from their properties, and shining lights at their homes and cameras at night. The felony vandalism charge involved damage to private signs owned by property owners.
