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Shawkey |
BY KEITH EPPS
A Mechanicsville man who was charged Friday in a highly publicized California murder case was arraigned in Stafford County yesterday on far less serious charges.
Gary Allen Shawkey, 45, is charged in Stafford with obtaining money by false pretenses and writing a worthless check. A June 4 trial date was set yesterday in Stafford Circuit Court.
Shawkey is currently being held in the Rappahannock Regional Jail, but there is a good chance he'll leave Virginia before his scheduled trial date.
He was charged with murder in Orange County, Calif., in connection with the February 2008 disappearance of his business associate, 71-year-old Robert Lee Vendrick of Phoenix, Ariz.
According to police and news reports, Vendrick was last seen on Feb. 15 of last year leaving the Dana Point Harbor on a boat with Shawkey, described in reports as an Internet marketing guru and motivational speaker.
Shawkey had convinced Vendrick to invest a large amount of money in a "highly secretive" software program for the federal government.
The pair left the dock for what was supposed to be
Shawkey returned, but Vendrick was never seen again. His medication and personal items were still in his hotel room.
Shawkey told police that Vendrick was fine when he dropped him off at the pier. Vendrick's family said he left home with $100,000 in cash.
The story was the subject of a series of stories in Orange County newspapers and television stations. It was also featured in a May 8 segment on "America's Most Wanted."
According to the Stafford warrants, Shawkey wrote a check to Scooter Works in Stafford for just over $300 for repairs to his motorcycle.
That check was written on March 21 from an account that was frozen as part of the California investigation.
A Stafford grand jury indicted Shawkey on Jan. 5, and he was arrested in New Jersey on Feb. 6, a week before the California warrant was obtained.
Stafford prosecutor Lori DiGiosia said Sgt. Ray Davis headed the Stafford investigation and has been in touch with California investigators.
Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com
