DEMOCRAT ARRESTED PEPPER SPRAYED
ENCINITAS: Hostess of Busby fundraiser pepper-sprayed, arrested
This article has been updated since its original posting
By SARAH GORDON - sgordon@nctimes.com | Sunday, June 28, 2009 2:01 PM PDT 8
(109) CommentsIncrease FontDecrease Font email this story print this story ENCINITAS ---- The 60-year-old hostess of a fundraising shindig for U.S. Congressional candidate Francine Busby was pepper-sprayed and arrested Friday night after she allegedly became combative with a deputy who was there to investigate a noise complaint, sheriff's officials said.
Busby said Saturday the gathering was not loud and described the deputy's use of pepper spray on the hostess and guests as "shocking."
The hostess, Shari Barman, reached through her gate intercom Saturday, declined to talk about the incident.
She said she would release a statement Sunday.
Busby, a Cardiff resident, is a democrat who plans to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray for his 50th District congressional seat in 2010. She lost to Bilbray in 2006, when the two were vying for the open seat.
About 9 p.m. Friday, a neighbor complained about noise coming from the party attended by about 50 people at a home in the 1200 block of Rubenstein Avenue, Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Jan Caldwell said.
The oceanview estate is in Cardiff, a few blocks south of Santa Fe Drive.
Busby said the sedate gathering had no music and generated little noise. She guessed the complaint came from an unseen man who spent the evening shouting obscene remarks about democrats and herself from behind a tree in a neighboring lot.
When the deputy arrived around 9 p.m., several dozen guests were still in the house and the front door was open, Busby said.
The deputy came in and was directed to Barman, she said.
The deputy told her about the neighbor's complaint and asked for her name and date of birth, standard information deputies seek when they serve a noise complaint, Caldwell said.
Barman allegedly refused to give her date of birth, argued with the deputy and walked away, Caldwell said.
Caldwell said Barman rushed the deputy after he reached out to grab her. Others in attendance were also becoming argumentative, Caldwell said.
Caldwell said the deputy was worried the guests were becoming unruly and someone might get hurt. He warned Barman twice he would use his pepper spray if she didn't calm down and stop charging him, she said.
The hostess allegedly kept arguing, and the deputy sprayed her, Caldwell said.
Caldwell said the deputy then followed Barman into the kitchen, where she continued to argue and allegedly struck him, Caldwell said.
Busby disputed that Barman was responsible for the confrontation's escalation and said she was shocked how quickly the deputy pepper-sprayed the middle-aged, older crowd.
"People were standing talking, nobody was paying any attention, and the next thing you know (Barman) was being grabbed; she was on the ground," Busby said.
Recovering from a recent shoulder surgery, the hostess was clearly suffering in the deputy's grip, she said.
"There were a bunch of women standing around and their reaction was to beg him, 'Please don't hurt her. What are you doing?' His response was to pull out pepper spray," Busby said.
She said the deputy sprayed several people in the face and eyes.
Barman was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor assault on a peace officer and obstructing justice.
She was taken to the Vista jail and released later that night, Caldwell said.
Caldwell said another person at the party was cited and released, although she wasn't sure what the charges were.
Caldwell said the Sheriff's Department will review the deputy's use of pepper spray because members of the public are questioning it.
Call staff writer Sarah Gordon at 760-740-3517.
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