mostly nonfiction and bakersfield news | July 22nd, 2009
Flamboyant Real Estate Agent Mark Ponder Found Dead In Kern River
Drive down Bakersfield streets and you can often see a billboard plastered with the face of real estate agent Mark Ponder. Now those billboards are a strange sort of memorial as Ponder, 38, was mysteriously found dead on Wednesday floating in the Kern River.
According to the Bakersfield Police Department, at about 12:04 p.m. a man was jogging along the south side of the Kern River when he saw a dead body floating in the river. The jogger was about 200 feet east of Manor Street near Calvary Bible church. KGET reported it was close to where the river passes under Manor Street. The TV station reported that Ponder had last been seen running from his own home in a bathing suit after a beer bottle throwing incident.
Police said the jogger called 911 and used a stick to grab the body and drag it to the river’s edge. The jogger then awaited police and fire personnel.
Chris Van Horne of ABC23 reported via Twitter that the body was identified by the coroner as that of real estate agent Mark Ponder, who they also reported had been missing since July 19.
KGET reported that the Kern County Sheriff’s Department had been looking for Ponder since July 19, after a man reported Ponder threw a beer bottle at him.
Ponder was known locally as a flamboyant real estate agent who could often be seen at high-end parties. He worked in retail at a Valley Plaza Mall jewelry store in the mid-1990s before launching a career in real estate.
Melinda Carroll, who bought a house from Ponder in 2008, said she was extremely shocked to hear he had died. “I didn’t know he was missing,” she said.
Carroll said it had been a few months since she last contacted him. She said Ponder wasn’t just a real estate agent and said he had an apartment complex and land for a housing division that was possibly in development. “I think he wanted to be a land developer. I don’t know how successful he was at it. I don’t know the status of it or where it went when the market fell,” she said.
Carroll had worked at an engineering company that did a feasability study for Ponder to see what could be done with his land.
Ponder’s Facebook page hadn’t been updated in some time. Two days ago he added a new friend. One person said Ponder rarely used his Facebook.
According to Ponder’s Web site for Westchester Realty, he is known in the real estate community for his “integrity, in-depth community and market knowledge, marketing savvy, effective negotiation skills and a high-quality professional network…” Elizabeth Ann Szymanski is listed as an associate on his site. In February 2007, according to the Bakersfield Bubble real estate site, Ponder had listed one of the most expensive houses on the market. The price for the Mediterranean-style mansion was $3,700,000.
KGET reported that Ponder had been in trouble with the law on numerous occasions. As many as 11 cases had been placed against him, including several DUIs. (Read more from KGET).
While KGET hinted at Ponder being an “apparent drowning victim,” police said Ponder’s death is suspicious. Originally, when the body was found, Kern County Search and Rescue was contacted. they said the body was not the individual they have been searching for since July 19 from the Richbar area of the Kern River.
Police said Search and Rescue members estimated Ponder’s body had been in the water for 24-72 hours.
The Bakersfield Police Department is investigating the incident as a suspicious death.
Mark Ponder
Related article: Murder, Suicide Or Accident? Mark Ponder’s Death Conjures Tales Of Lords Of Bakersfield, Dark Secrets
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37 Responses for “Flamboyant Real Estate Agent Mark Ponder Found Dead In Kern River”
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Sad sad sad. Sad for anyone to be found dead in the might Kern River.
Sad! I don’t know him but I’m sure his family must be heartbroken. I’m shocked by this news! I see his face everday on a billboard by my house.
This is a very strange story and I suspect it will get weirder as more details arise.
Yeah, it’s bizarro. A tale of strangeness for sure…
well he was leaving the casablanca friday night drunk along with 3 other intoxicated men, heck I saw it and asked the driver to please call a cab but they didn’t listen. I didn’t know that he was this man at the time.
Mark was not a well respected member of the Real Estate Community! His integrity was called in to mention many a time! If anything he was not well liked. I new him personally worked with him way before the bill boards and hung out with him on many occasions! he was a confused guy with something to prove but nice when he wanted to be.
I am shocked by his death and think something suspicious must be behind it!
It is very very sad for anyone to end their life in such a sad way!
anyway, that’s all I know he was alive friday night and left the bar at about an hour before closing I think. I assume the authorities already know all of this, but if they don’t or if they have any questions just contact me on here and I will give a statement or whatever is required, even if the guy is a jerk he truly doesn’t deserve what happened and justice should be assured.
You are a stupid man, is that correct?
Wow is it to early to say some one wanted a lower apr jk really sad to hear mey he R.I.P.
I saw his body being pulled from the river… not pleasant. It’s unfortunate.
Hey, Jangirl, do you board out at Ranco Rio?
Sad…his family’s gotta be hurting very badly.
But dustin, what are you doing posting that info here? Go tell the cops, man!!
R.I.P.
I was very shocked when I heard the news that Mark had been found dead in the Kern River. A very sad end to his life. My thoughts are with his family.
such a shame and a shock! news will only get weirder….
Wow.
…this story has so much gonzo stuff going on. sad, but very intriguing.
Yea dustin you should go to the cops with that man. I know some people think he was an a-hole but even A-holes need Justices bro
Awww, this is heartbreaking. I don’t think he was an a hole. I personally feel he was a nice guy, He was a generous person! Very sad indeed.
My heart goes out to his family, very sorry for their loss.
He was not in any way an asshole. He was a total sweet heart and a very thoughtful and generous person. He was a blast to hangout with. He will be missed. I feel for his family.
Yea i agree if anyone has any info about the case tell it to the cops or if u know anything, but i think he was murdered then someone threw him in the river…. IMO
He had a lot of bad blood with people. Seems very suspicious. God bless his family, but fate fits karma.
Bad Blood?
As with most people there are good tales and sometimes what historians consider the “Black Legend.” I have a follow-up piece but will wait to see what other media outlets and officials say before I release.
release what?
Mark was a pompous ass. That’s actually why I liked him. He and I hung out here and there when he was still working at a jewelry store in the mall, before I moved out of CA. Anyway, regardless of how much he was loathed by people, no one ever has the right to put their hands on another individual.
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was inebriated and out there cruising to get his willy sucked. That was classic Mark, at least when I knew him.
You got your willy sucked too! And, because you didn't know you were gay, you got inebriated before it happened!
He was found partially submerged, his winking brown eye was taking on water…
[...] lived a fast life, and he’s being villanized in the press for it, but he was one of the first people I met when I moved to California so he always represented a [...]
“Flamboyant Real Estate Agent . . ” I like the social coding.
I hope when I am found dead someplace the question of my a-holeness isn’t a prominent theme.
In 1990 he stole from me and I never forgot that. Since then I always went out of my way to avoid him because he was so mean. One weird story I had about him: This past christmas I was out doing some shopping. I hadn’t seen him in like 15 years but I always thought he was one of the worst people I knew in Bakersfield. For some reason I thought to myself, ” I hope I don’t see that jerk Mark Ponder.” And sure enough, the first store I went in and THERE HE WAS. I thought that was super weird. But not as weird as this news report.
Well looky what I found:
Here is a picture of Mark Ponder… and his boyfriend:
http://www.facebook.com/people/Dallas-White/769673738
Oh, and he’s grabbing his ass…how heart warming.
what a bitch! i'm assuming you're refering to the picture where his hand is behind me LEANING ON THE BOAT. marks hand is on the boat, not my ass you ignorant, typical, bakersfield gossip monger. shame on you. a curse on all you hateful people. may your deaths be wrought with the disection of your character and integrity and the slandering of your name. may people wish your death upon you, as well and say such horrid things like "he deserved it" , "they're paying for their sins", and only bring up the negative you have done in your life as opposed to the great, wonderful, loving things your life was about. shame on everyone. this town should be ashamed. yes, everyone is responsible for their own actions, but do we ever stop to think that the hatred and negativity we breed here in this town can really fuck with some one's head. some people can only take so much and some people really do take to heart the opions and feelings of others. and when all you have is hate being thrown at you, what are you to do?
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseact...
DAMN! That’s all I’m sayin’.
oh jean bowman, get the hell over it, pay ur respects and move on . this isn’t a bashing, stupid girl.!
mark was a good guy, besides his flaws( oh if your human your gonna have them too ). thanks .
I had the misfortune of working with Mark. He was very disliked in the real estate community. It is rare to hear anyone say anything nice about him. If he was nice to you its because he wanted something. He was even fired from Watson back in 2000 I think it was for his unethical and dishonest practices. No office in town would hire him- only Jose Arredondo’s real estate company ‘Family Realty’. I worked with him in the same real estate office and he was the reason I left. I got so tired of seeing him screw people over. He was after fame and riches.
Sad to see a life end and even sadder to see a life end with the tarnished name he made for himself.
You wish you could have grabbed his ass. You, know Freud's theory on gay paranoid. Are you gay and afraid to admit it!
KARMA – he was a classic sociapath;
Persistent lying or stealing (CHECK)
Superficial charm (CHECK and CHECK)
Apparent lack of remorse or empathy; inability to care about hurting others (CHECK)
Impulsivity and/or recklessness (CHECK)
Inability to make or keep friends, or maintain relationships such as marriage (CHECK)
Poor behavioral controls — expressions of irritability, annoyance, impatience, threats, aggression, and verbal abuse; inadequate control of anger and temper (CHECK, CHECK, CHECK)
Narcissism, elevated self-appraisal or a sense of extreme entitlement (CHECK, CHECK, CHECK and CHECK)
A persistent agitated or depressed feeling (dysphoria) (CHECK)
Recurring difficulties with the law (CHECK)
Tendency to violate the boundaries and rights of others (CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK AND CHECK!!!)
Substance abuse (CHECK)
Aggressive, often violent behavior; prone to getting involved in fights (AH, YES-CHECK!)
Inability to tolerate boredom (CHECK)
Disregard for the safety of self or others (CHECK)
Persistent attitude of irresponsibility and disregard for social rules, obligations, and norms (CHECK)
Difficulties with authority figures (CHECK)