Ex-Oakland Administrator's Nephew Sentenced To State Prison

OAKLAND (BCN) -- A city of Oakland employee and nephew of former Oakland City Administrator Deborah Edgerly was sentenced Monday to 16 months in state prison after he admitted that he violated his probation for a felony gun conviction.

Alameda County prosecutors filed a petition to revoke William Lovan's probation after he tested positive for cocaine on Aug. 30 and was arrested at his home in Antioch on Sept. 8 on suspicion of possession of cocaine and marijuana for sale and possession of ammunition by a felon.

Lovan, a reputed member of the Acorn gang that operates out of the Acorn housing project in West Oakland, faces four felony charges in Contra Costa County in connection with his arrest: promoting criminal gang activity, being a felon in possession of ammunition, possession of cocaine for sale, and possession of marijuana for sale.

Lovan, who worked as a parking meter repairman for the city of Oakland for seven years until he resigned after his most recent arrest, pleaded no contest on Oct. 13, 2009, to a felony charge of carrying a concealed and unregistered firearm in a car. It was his second conviction on felony gun charges.

Lovan could have faced up to a year in the Alameda County Jail, but when Superior Court Judge Morris Jacobson sentenced him on Jan. 5, he gave him a break by electing not to give him any jail time and allowing him to undergo electronic monitoring for a year so that he could keep working for the city.

Jacobson also placed Lovan on five years' probation and ordered him not to associate with gang members, wear gang clothing, or flash gang signs.

Jacobson sent Lovan to state prison Monday after Lovan admitted that he violated his probation.

Lovan was contacted by Oakland police in June 2008 as part of their investigation into the activities of the Acorn gang. Officers arrested 54 suspected gang members, including Lovan, in a massive raid later that month.

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums fired Edgerly on July 2, 2008, partly based on allegations that she had tipped off Lovan about the investigation into the Acorn gang, which included wiretapping.

But Edgerly denied the allegations and was never charged. She filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Dellums and the city, which is still pending.

In return for Lovan's no-contest plea last year to the felony gun charge, prosecutors dropped a second felony gun charge. Prosecutors also dropped two gang enhancement clauses against Lovan.

In a previous case, Lovan pleaded no contest on Nov. 3, 2000, to felony possession of assault weapons. That conviction was expunged from his record three years later.

Oakland officials said after Lovan was sentenced in January that they didn't plan to fire Lovan despite his two felony gun convictions because his 2008 arrest occurred during his off hours and wasn't work related.

Lovan's attorney, Adante Pointer, said Lovan "is happy that this chapter is over and is looking forward to moving on with his life."

Pointer said Lovan could be released from state prison in February because he's being given credit for the time he has already served.

However, Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Bryan Abanto said Lovan must still face a trial on the charges against him in that county.

Abanto said Lovan hasn't yet been arraigned on the Contra Costa County charges but probably will appear in court there in the near future.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)