It was last June 24 when Community Church by the Lake was filled to overflowing in loving support of the Lundin family who, a year ago today, lost their son Michael, a 2006 graduate of Big Bear High School. The passing of Mike Lundin, a young man who loved sports, the forest and God, was the sad outcome of an altercation on June 18 that involved many young men from Big Bear and resulted in the arrests of four. Since that time, Mark Potts, now 19, pleaded guilty to felony assault with a deadly weapon, for injuries to two unnamed friends of Lundin. Potts has since served his jail time, paid restitution in the amount of $7,500, and is on a three-year probation term. Two others, David Ferguson and Christopher Day, followed Potts in pleading guilty to the felony assault charges, and are in County custody awaiting sentencing, scheduled for month’s end. The fourth individual charged in the altercation is Chalen Winters, 20 this month; Winters has been held at West Valley Detention Center since being charged with murder and his preliminary hearing is now set to be held at the end of June. Though many lives were changed as a result of what happened June 18, 2008, the Big Bear community has a renewed focus on the interests of our youth. The Lighthouse Project has since expanded their Peace Builders program to include all three elementaries and, given $72,000 raised during their Man About Town campaign, the Soroptimists will fund a three-year effort to eliminate teen violence in the Big Bear Valley. Meanwhile, Mike Lundin’s family, dad John, mom Glenda and big brother Willie, are planning to honor their BBHS football star, #76, with a barbecue including his friends this evening. As Glenda tells KBHR, “We miss our Mikey, and we hope other parents out there will support their kids and love them–and, thank you, Big Bear, for your continued support.” (For more information, you can visit our 2008 KBHR Archive for stories posted December 16, October 30, October 20, September 19, August 6, July 14, July 9, July 2, June 25, June 23, June 20 and June 19.)
Update: For the most recent update on Potts, Ferguson and Day, see our story posted July 6, 2009. As of June 2010 (two years later), defendant Chalen Winters remains in custody, and is scheduled for a jury trial on September 20, 2010.
