Outcome: Judge deems evidence sufficient :
By SARAH ELIZABETH VILLICANA

Two suspects in an October stabbing outside a bar were bound over for trial Friday when a judge found there is enough evidence for prosecutors to proceed with the case.

Jeffrey David Lodor, 27, of Porterville, is suspected of stabbing Steve Uecker, 48, of Springville, in the parking lot of The Antlers Bar, located in the 30900 block of East Highway 190, near Springville, at about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 18. Lodor is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and the personal use of a deadly weapon. Joshua Perkins, 25, is charged with being an accessory after the fact and was also bound over for trial.

At a preliminary hearing Friday, Superior Court Judge Elisabeth Krant determined there is sufficient evidence to warrant a trial and that there is enough evidence to include a special gang allegation. Lodor is self-proclaimed skinhead and member of the Church of the Creator. Krant said the allegation that Lodor and Perkins are part of a “skinhead gang” is “not the strongest case for the people.”

Detective Marciel Morales of the Porterville Police Department presented his opinion to the court Friday as an expert on gangs in Tulare County and the state. Morales said it is his opinion that both Lodor and Perkins are gang members based on their tattoos, his discussions with other law enforcement officers and statements from the defendants themselves.

According to testimony from the investigating detective, Lodor allegedly stabbed Uecker after Perkins showed the victim his tattoos and Uecker said he did not like the tattoos or believe in what they stood for. The Sheriff’s Department detective who investigated the case said Perkins has “white power” tattooed on his chest.

After a confrontation outside the bar where Lodor allegedly threatened Uecker, reportedly stating he would cut his face off, the two walked behind the building where the alleged assault took place. After the alleged assault, Perkins is suspected of throwning the knife into the bushes near The Antlers Bar.

Perkins and Lodor will be back in court for a felony arraignment on Feb. 4 in Dept. 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court in Visalia.

Contact Sarah Elizabeth Villicana at 784-5000, Ext. 1045, or svillicana@portervillerecorder.com.