San Francisco News Blog

In the wee hours of Oct. 15, police arrested 40-year-old Tregg Smith and charged him with tossing his 32-year-old friend out the window at the Burke-Lewis Apartments on 776 Bush Street, an SRO hotel where Smith is a resident. While police initially told SF Weekly that the victim sailed clear to the pavement below, they subsequently reported he struck a tree about midway to the ground, and then tumbled down. Either way, the victim's injuries of a broken arm and dislocated shoulder are astoundingly minor for someone who fell more than 50 feet.

Smith pleaded not guilty to the charges; Assistant District Attorney Mike Torncoso asked for bail to be set at $400,000, but Judge Curtis Karnow set it at $100,000. Smith made bail on Oct. 19 and is currently living in the community; terms of his release forbid him from approaching his erstwhile pal or imbibing alcohol.

The Thursday court date is characterized as a pre-hearing conference. The next date is a Dec. 17 preliminary hearing.

The great bodily injury allegation could add three years to whatever sentence Smith receives if he is found guilty. In that event, it is conceivable he could be jailed for a decade or more. SF Weekly was unable to contact Smith, and calls to his attorney, Ellen Leonida, have not been returned.

Friends of Smith's told SF Weekly they were dumbfounded by the charges: "This is really out of character. Tregg is someone you wouldn't associate with violence."