Ex-Monterey business owner gets probation, year in jail for giving teens drugs, alcohol

A former Monterey business owner will spend a year in Monterey County Jail followed by four years of felony probation for giving teenagers drugs and alcohol.

David Simonich, 49, pleaded guilty to three felony counts of providing marijuana and alcohol to his teenage children, along with other teenage children.

The mother of a 16-year-old boy met with sheriff’s deputies in March 2013 after she found marijuana-related items in her son’s clothing. The teen told deputies that Simonich, owner of Eco-Sharp, Inc., previously located in Monterey, was giving him marijuana, alcohol and other drugs during working hours.

An investigation determined Simonich had given the substances to the teen, his own children (ages 15 and 16) and another teen over a period of at least five months.

He was sentenced Tuesday to serve 365 days in jail and four years of probation.