A driver who killed a 14-year-old South Bay boy in 1991 was sentenced Aug. 27 to 28 years and eight months for torching a Catholic church after he pleaded guilty to committing a hate crime and arson of a house of worship.
Eugene William Volk, 46, of Spring Valley, will have to serve 80 percent of the sentence before he can be paroled, said Deputy District Attorney Andrew Aguilar. His long sentence included extra years for his 1991 vehicular manslaughter conviction.
The Oct. 8, 2013, arson caused $687,000 in damages to the Santa Sophia Catholic Church at 9800 San Juan Street in Spring Valley. The church did not request El Cajon Superior Court Judge Laura Halgren to order Volk to pay the damages.
In a letter by Father Jacob Bertrand to the judge, the priest wrote that they are praying for Volk and have forgiven him for what he has done. Bertrand added that he hopes Volk “will find time for reflection” and turn to God.
Volk’s attorney, Ivan Schwartz, said he was glad to read the priest’s letter, adding his client “really does appreciate the church’s prayers and compassion.” Schwarz said Volk has some church background and did not harbor a hatred of the Catholic faith.
In 1991, Volk admitted to driving under the influence of PCP in a deadly car crash which killed Gerardo Salazar, 14, when Volk rear-ended a truck on Interstate 805 at 8:30 p.m. on July 6, 1991, according to court records.
The boy was in the front seat and died from blunt force trauma after the truck rolled over. The truck got onto the freeway from Plaza Boulevard and Volk struck it while driving at 90 mph. He received nine years in prison from a Chula Vista judge.
“He feels he’s wasted his life on methamphetamine,” said Schwartz, referencing the 1991 crash. He said Volk “was in a state of methamphetamine psychosis” when he committed the arson.
“When the smoke cleared and with a clear head (in jail), he was appalled by his behavior,” said Schwartz. “No one was making him do that,” said Halgren. “He chose to use the meth.”
Schwartz asked for a 20-year term while Aguilar suggested two life terms or at least 32 years. “He hated the Catholic Church,” said Aguilar, who described the burned areas of the church that showed his “animosity to the Catholic religion.”
Fires were set near a statue of Mary, underneath a large wooden crucifix, and on a large altar. A red candle was set on a pew and lit, but it burned horizontally and went out, preserving Volk’s fingerprints on the candle glass holder. Being a parolee, Volk’s fingerprints were on file.
Halgren gave him credits for serving 684 days and jail and a fine of $11,618. Volk’s former employer was Catholic and recalled sharing his faith with Volk before he laid him off at a shipyard.
His boss said Volk cursed his Catholic faith and made a criminal threat in April, 2013. Volk was arrested, but posted bond and was awaiting trial when he set fire to the church.
When a sheriff’s detective told Volk his fingerprints were found in the burned church and on a window, Volk cursed the church and him. Volk also pleaded guilty to making a criminal threat to his boss which got him 32 months consecutively in the total 28 year, eight month sentence.
