SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) – Our friend and colleague, CBS News 8 Sports Director Kyle Kraska, remains hospitalized after being shot outside his home Tuesday. We're also learning new information about his suspected shooter's past.
It turns out Mike Montana's arrest Tuesday night wasn't his first time in handcuffs. In fact, he was out on bail when he allegedly shot Kraska.
Court records show Montana was arrested last October, and again in November, charged both times with driving under the influence of drugs. So how did Kyle meet him in the first place?
"Kyle had noticed the guy painting neighbors houses, so when you see a neighbor, some guy doing a good job on your neighbor's house, that's a pretty good recommendation. So he ended up hiring the guy," Todd Villalobos said.
Todd Villalobos is Kraska's sports producer here at CBS 8, they are also great friends. He says Kraska told him that Montana became flaky about showing up, and that the work he had done was not the quality he expected. So he paid Montana for his time and supplies and hired someone else to finish the job.
"He didn't owe the guy any money. They had completed their transaction and the guy came back and started demanding more money from Kyle," Villalobos said.
Those demands started months after Kraska thought he was done with Montana, and apparently he's not the first person Montana has asked for money after being pulled from a job.
Frank Coit says he had to let Montana go after he stopped showing up on a regular basis, and like Kyle, Coit was not pleased with the work that had been done. When he parted ways with Montana Coit says his son started getting voice mails.
"Not direct threats, but talking about his guns and how much… how good of a marksman he is and all that. So, insinuated threats. And then it got to the point the girls in the office didn't want to come to work because they were scared of him," Coit said.
Court records show Montana has been involved with several civil lawsuits, owes nearly $2,000 in back taxes and was served with papers last year, accused of owing more than $5,000 in delinquent rent.
Sheriff's officials believe Montana also threatened a DMV employee in November because he didn't have enough money to pay his fees. He was gone when deputies arrived.
As of Wednesday evening, Kraska was in critical, but stable condition at Scripps La Jolla Hospital. He suffered 10 gunshot wounds in Tuesday's attack.
Montana is scheduled to be arraigned on a charge of attempted first degree murder Friday.
