Here's something we never knew about when it happened:

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office just notified us that a former Wilmington Middle School vice principal has been convicted of placing a 14-year-old male student on his desk, putting his hands under his clothes and touching the poor kid inappropriately.

William Harberts, 61, of Garden Grove was found guilty in April of one misdemeanor count of battery. A judge ordered him never to teach again and to stay away from children.

A story on what happened in March 2007 will appear in the Daily Breeze on Saturday and on dailybreeze.com, but here's the sick basics:

Police will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint from from 8 p.m. Saturday to 4 a.m. Sunday in the eastbound lanes of Rosecrans Avenue west of Aviation Boulevard in Manhattan Beach.

Officers from Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Gardena, Inglewood, Torrance and the California Highway Patrol will participate.

Officers chose the location because it is in an area with a high number of traffic collisions and alcohol-related incidents.

With gas prices reaching more than $4 a gallon, it's a wonder there aren't more crimes like this.

I know, I know. You can't throw a tagger around here without hitting some anti-gang initiative or another. The L.A. City Council today is considering measures that would literally hit gang members where they live and how they operate.

I received a call from Michael Salazar, who wanted to speak in support of Martin Gudino, the man arrested and charged with shooting at the Sheriff's Department helicopter last week. Everybody deserves a chance to defend himself and Salazar was upset no one on Gudino's side was quoted in Wednesday's article.

Gudino, 23, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday afternoon in his first court appearance.

Salazar, whose sister is married to Gudino's brother, said he had spoken to Gudino following his arrest. He alleges deputies beat a confession out of Gudino. I'm sure deputies see it differently.
Here's what Salazar said:

"He is innocent. He confessed to doing it, but only after the police abused him. They beat him up. They don't have any evidence that he did it. They don't have any gun. They didn't actually see him. They don't have any witnesses. They basically beat the confession out of him. He said he didn't do it three times on tape."

"He is a known gang member. They are trying to get him off the street. They are trying to put anything on him. They don't have no guns. They say they found casings. They don't know if it's from the same gun that shot at the helicopter. They only have his confession."

"He is innocent and he is not guilty. He only confessed because they wanted them to stop beating him."

The Daily Breeze editorial board endorsed District Attorney Steve Cooley today for the county's top prosecutor slot. Last week, endorsements were published for the various Los Angeles Superior Court judicial offices that will be on the June 3 ballot. Unfortunately, the link to that information on the dailybreeze.com Web site has expired, but you can find the entire editorial after the jump.

Note: I have nothing to do with the editorial board's endorsement decisions. Happy voting!

Hawthorne police Lt. Mike Ishii just issued this statement regarding the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl last week:

"On 05/20/08 at approximately 8am, a 13 yr old girl reported that she was kidnapped at knifepoint while walking to school. After further investigation and interviews, we determined the suspect was not a stranger but an acquaintance of the victim.

It appears that the story about being kidnapped while walking to school was not true. We have identified a possible suspect (who is under 18 yrs old) and we are actively searching for him. We still have evidence that a sexual assault took place and thus will be looking to file charges against the suspect.

We want to get this information out to the public now, especially to parents who have children walking to school, so that they are aware of the facts behind this case. We still encourage students to walk in groups and be aware of their surroundings."

David Woon Chong, 38, was off-duty March 15 when he got into an altercation at the outside eating area on the Redondo Beach Pier. The Los Angeles Police Department officer allegedly kicked food out of the victim's hand and brandished both a knife and a gun. He was arrested for DUI as he drove away. Chong was on administrative leave and undergoing alcohol counseling when he allegedly got into another fight with a fellow participant on May 1, according to authorities.

We'll have the full story in tomorrow's Daily Breeze.

Sometimes misinformation gets out during the course of a story as it develops. Unfortunately that happened yesterday.

Today, as upset as I am that a story reported yesterday was incorrect, I can call this good news.

We've all been following the horrible crash in South Los Angeles that killed three children from a Carson family and the occupants of the van that struck the van they were riding in.

Three children and three adults remain hospitalized.

So far, the names of the people involved -- alive and deceased -- have not been officially released by the police and coroner's office.

Unfortunately yesterday, through the fault of no one, some misinformation traveled from hospital officials to police officers and on to me. It was thankfully incorrect that a fourth child had died.

Happily, we can report today that isn't the case. A detective told me that two of the children in the crash are twins with very similar names and, somehow, that caused some confusion and the belief that another child had died. One of the twins, however, is alive and hospitalized.

I did make an attempt to speak with a relative of the family today, but so far have not been successful. Possibly later today or tomorrow we will have more word on what we can all do to help this family.

This liquor store owner in Colorado had an interesting approach to fighting crime. Unfortunately for him, the other shoe has dropped.

This is Martin Gudino, a reputed gang member charged with shooting at the helicopter hovering over the unincorporated area near Carson the other day. He is charged with multiple counts of attempting to kill two peace officer aboard the aircraft.

An anonymous donor, South Bay companies and other residents have donated thousands of dollars to the Gardena Police Department to help officers pay for a new police dog.

The donations followed last week's death of Sammy, who tracked down criminals and sniffed out drugs. Sammy died following an illness.

Gardena police Sgt. Steve Prendergast said employees at Toyota Financial Services and Toyota Motor Sales in Torrance provided about $5,000 while Sammy was still alive to help pay for medical bills.

Following a Daily Breeze article on Saturday about Sammy's passing, readers made donations, including a man who responded with $10,000. He wished to remain anonymous.

"He's just a very generous person," Prendergast said. "It's just a man who has a passion for animals and believes in giving back to the community. We are very appreciative."
Officers estimate it costs $10,000 to $12,000 to buy a new dog and train an officer.

Police dogs are funded by public donations.

A new dog is expected to be working in about two months, Prendergast said. Another dog currently is in

Did you hear that helicopter circling near Torrance Boulevard and Prospect Avenue in Redondo Beach early this morning.

Police were searching for car burglars over Pearl Street at Prospect.

Officers received calls about 2 a.m. of possible burglars looking into cars. When police arrived, they found three cars that had been reported stolen from other jurisdictions.

The suspects also had broken into several cars.

The burglars ran, triggering the search. A sheriff's helicopter circled above for a few hours.

One man, identified as Angel Jeremiah Romero, was arrested.

A 23-year-old man has been charged with shooting at the helicopter the other day as it hovered over the unincorporated area near Carson.

The suspect was identified as Martin Gudino, who also will face charges of attempted murder of a police officer.

Three juveniles also have been arrested as accessories.

In an interesting development, a police dog that tracks the scents off shell-casings helped identify the suspected gunman.

I'm working on the story right now. We'll have it up soon.

Another child has died from injuries suffered in that horrific crash in South Los Angeles on Monday.

LAPD Detective Antonio Lee told me investigators were notified this morning about the fourth child, all from the same Carson family.

The boy, who was 4, had been in critical condition.

The children were in the rear of a van involved in a fiery collision with another van that ran a red light Monday evening at Crenshaw Boulevard and Florence Avenue.

The crash also killed a 12-year-old boy who attended Stephen M. White Middle School in Carson, a 7-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy.

The female driver was reported in stable condition Tuesday and a man riding in the front passenger seat was in serious but stable condition.

An 11-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl were in stable condition.
.
Two people in the van that ran the red light were burned beyond recognition when it exploded.
Eleven other people were reported injured in the crash.

Coroner's officials and Los Angeles police have not officially identified the injured or dead.

A photograph posted a makeshift memorial, however, identified some of the victims as Alex, Tanya and Alexa Ayala. Another boy, Carlitos Luna, also was among the dead.

Los Angeles police are working on establishing a fund to help the family bury their children.

I am trying to write a story about this family. If anybody knows them or is friends with them, please contact me at 310-543-6655.

Virgil Grant, 41, of Carson, and his wife, Psyhra Grant, 33, are in a federal courtroom right now after being arrested this morning on various drug and money laundering charges. Virgil Grant owns and operates six Los Angeles-area medical marijuana dispensaries, including one in Gardena, that are being raided by DEA agents.

Agents were led their The Holistic Caregivers shop in Compton after a man who caused a fatal freeway crash in December said he was under the influence of pot he purchased there. An undercover investigation allegedly turned up sales practices that are not covered by California's medical marijuana laws. Everything pot-related is illegal under federal law.

This is not the first time Grant's been raided. With the support of Americans For Safe Access, he's spoken before the Gardena and Los Angeles city councils on the issues of moratoriums and raids. We'll have the full story on the arrest and indictment in tomorrow's Daily Breeze.

Thanks to a reader's call, I just learned a man sexually assaulted a female student at El Camino College while an accomplice acted as a lookout.

Campus officials confirmed the attack occurred Friday evening. Nothing was issued about the crime until I inquired about it less than an hour ago. They were ready with a press release in the event I asked. It seemed like they were waiting for my call. I'm not sure why they didn't just tell the media in general right after the crime, or if they would have told anyone had we not asked.

The crime occurred Friday outside the east entrance to the women's physical education complex. After one man threatened the student, they walked her inside the complex. Inside, one sexually assaulted her while the other acted as lookout.

Back in November, a 20-year-old woman was sexually assaulted outside the women's gym. That crime remains unsolved.

Story coming to dailybreeze.com

A Portland man who forced three women and a 16-year-old girl to work for him as prostitutes was convicted Friday by a federal jury in Phoenix of transportation of a minor for prostitution. Hanoi Barbaro Acosta, 30, forced the girl to engage in prostitution in Inglewood with death threats and a severe beating.

The entire Department of Justice press release is after the jump. 

In today's Dancing Inmates number, the prisoners do Bonnie Tyler's "I need a hero." Don't we all.

Sheriff's deputies arrested an active-duty Marine today in connection with
the killing of a fellow Marine, whose body was found in San Clemente.

Christian William Carney, 21, a lance corporal stationed at Camp Pendleton, was arrested at
the base in the slaying of Pfc. Stephen C. Serrano, 20, of El Dorado.

The Orange County Register reports Pvt. Alvin Reed Lovely, 20, of Texas, is being sought in the slaying and is considered armed and dangerous. He has been on unauthorized leave since April.

A hiker discovered Serrano's body May 15 on a trail near a dead-end street. He was shot.

So it's pretty shocking when a right foot wearing a sock and a sneaker washes up on a beach, right?

But twice? Three times? Four times?

Yesterday, for the fourth time, a right foot wearing a sock and a running shoe washed up in on an island near Vancouver in less than a year, according to the CBC.

The latest foot was found on uninhabited Kirkland Island. In August, size 12 right feet washed up on Gabriola and Jedediah islands, and a third foot showed up on Valdez Island in February.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Nycki Basra told the news agency on Thursday that the case is one of the strangest she has heard of.

"Well, for us, it's our first time. In my 12 years of service, this is the first time I've seen it," she said.

Police are working to trace where the foot came from, checking missing persons reports and DNA.

One man -- Kevin DeCock -- thinks the feet might belong to his missing brothers, Doug and Trevor, who apparently died in a plane crash. He gave police DNA from his brothers in the hope they can be identified.

Earlier this week, KCBS/KCAL ran an investigative piece about paroled sex offenders housed in a Gardena hotel in violation of Jessica's Law. Click here to see their report.

As if we Laker fans don't have enough to contend with in Tim Duncan and his pals trying to get in the way of our championship, the NBA has warned that we have to worry about counterfeiters selling us fake Laker gear.

The rotten scum. They must be Celtic fans!

Ayala Deutsch, senior vice president and chief intellectual property counsel for the NBA, is urging Laker fans to beware of counterfeit merchandise -- T-shirts and the like.

"The NBA insists upon the highest quality products, to protect both our authorized vendors and our fans," Deutsch said in a statement. "Counterfeiting is a lose-lose situation, harming those retailers who play by the rules and cheating fans out of the lasting NBA mementos they

 deserve."

Lakers fans won't be cheated! 

To avoid buying counterfeit stuff, Deutsch urged fans to:

• look for the hologram sticker or hangtag and a sewn-in label identifying the merchandise as "genuine" or "official" as authorized by the NBA.
• shop at the Lakers' official team store and other NBA-authorized retail locations instead of buying items from street vendors and flea markets.
• beware of ripped tags, typographical errors, poor quality screen-printing, or irregular markings on apparel.

"The 2008 NBA Playoffs is an event that Los Angeles fans will want to remember for many years to come, but a counterfeit T-shirt is not a really keepsake if it contains a typo or shrinks three sizes when you put it in the laundry," Deutsch said.

Okay, so the NBA warned Spurs, Pistons and Celtics fans too, but those fans won't be buying CHAMPIONSHIP shirts this year.

So when you buy your "World Champions 2008" shirts, look for the NBA label!

Lakers fans WEAR THE REAL DEAL.

Got this press release in my inbox from the Supreme Court:

TO:             Legal Affairs Editors and Reporters
FROM:   Lynn Holton, Public Information Officer
DATE:   Thursday, May 22, 2008

A petition for rehearing and a request for a stay was filed late this afternoon in the California Supreme Court relating to the court's opinion in In re Marriage Cases, S147999, filed May 15, 2008.  The petition and stay request was filed by the Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the group is asking the Court to put implementation of the law on hold until the November election.

Carson detectives had a busy day Thursday.

The Gardena Police Department announced today that its dog, Sammy, died. The dog tracked down suspects and sniffed out drugs as a member of the force.

While Sizzler offers an all-you-can-eat salad bar, it does not offer an all-you-can-take safe. As a former Sizzler employee, Derrick Oden should've known that. Oden, 41, was convicted late today by a Torrance jury of 10 counts of robbery, attempted robbery and assault for armed hold-ups at Sizzler restaurants in Lomita, Carson and Gardena.

He was also charged with a crime at the San Sai in El Segundo - located across the parking lot from a Sizzler that was likely closed by the time he got there. Deputy District Attorney Paul Guthrie said he hasn't added up how much time Oden, now a four-striker, is facing - but it's a lot. He returns for sentencing June 12.

Every judicial election, it's always the same: most voters really know nothing about any of the names listed on the ballot for Judge of the Superior Court. The folks at the Los Angeles County Bar Association, though, go to pretty great lengths to inform the electorate by ranking the candidates after interviews and investigations. The candidates' ratings, biographies and pictures can be found at the LACBA Web site here.

In addition, our editorial board is expected to make its recommendations in tomorrow's Daily Breeze.

It's not often that there is any controversy to the judicial elections. This year, however, a Carson minister ruffled some feathers with a write-in campaign aimed at incumbents with Hispanic surnames on the June 3 ballot. However, it appears that campaign has failed.

Here we go again. Every time we write about a crime occurring in the unincorporated area between Carson and Harbor Gateway, we get complaints about what we call that stretch of space.

The city manager of Carson sent us an angry letter explaining that the helicopter shooting incident this morning did not happen in Carson. Those of us at the Daily Breeze know that and never said it did, but other folks in the TV media apparently never open a Thomas Guide.

We understand why the good folks of Carson don't want to be tied to the problems that occur outside its boundaries. The fact that deputies at the Carson station patrol the unincorporated area doesn't help.

The problem is the area between Harbor Gateway and Carson has no name. Thus, we say things happen "near Carson" or "near Harbor Gateway."

We don't have much of a choice. I've actually looked at a big map on the wall here and measured where a crime has occurred to determine whether to say "near Carson" or "near Harbor Gateway."

So, it was "unincorporated area west of Carson" in today's story. It's the nearest named city. We could have said "west of Paris," but that's a good distance away.

Then we got this email from a reader:

"do you have a problem calling it torrance

pubic records states the city is torrance- there is no such city called near carson , west carson, west of carson, by carson or harbor gateway.

If you need help using a map let me know."

Hmmmm. First of all, it's "public."

An Israeli tourist upset about workmen who whistled at her in New Zealand took action that brought an abrupt end to the catcalls .

According to the Sun newspaper: "The chesty, er, testy lady took offence to the attention from workmen grafting in the small farming town of Kerikeri, in New Zealand."

So she stripped bare as she used an ATM, then put her clothes back on and walked away.

Police Sgt. Peter Masters reprimanded the woman and told her the response was inappropriate behavior in New Zealand.

Full story

Daily Breeze staff writer Andrea Woodhouse is en route to a news conference about the sheriff's helicopter that was struck by two bullets late last night. Word is there are no arrests, but several people were detained. Many residents  in the west Carson area near Catalina and Milton were evacuated to a nearby school around 3 a.m. while SWAT officers searched for suspects.

Check back here and at the Daily Breeze for updates.

Hawthorne School District Superintendent Donald Carrington sent out a notice offering safety tips for parents following the abduction and sexual assault of a 13-year-old student walking to school on Tuesday. The tips come from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children:

Here's the tips:

1. Make sure that you know where your child is at all times.
2. Never leave children unattended in an automobile, whether it is running or not.
3. Be involved in your children's activities.
4. Listen to your children. Pay attention if they tell you they do not want to go somewhere or with someone.
5. Notice when someone shows a great deal of attention to  your child or gives them gifts.
6. Teach your children that they have the right to say NO to any unwelcome, uncomfortable, or confusing touch or actions by others.
7. Be sensitive to any changes in your child's behavior or attitude.
8. Be sure you screen babysitters or caregivers.
9. Practice basic safety skills with your children to be sure that they know the rules and understand them.
10. Choose opportunuites to reinforce safety skills. Speak openly about safety issues with your child. Children need to know that they can tell you or a trusted adult if they feel scared.
11. Teach your children that it is more important to get out of a threatening situation, than be polite.
12. Children should not go out alone and should always take a friend with them.
13. Make sure your child knows their full name, address, and telephone number. Also they know your full name, place of employment, and telephone numbers where you can be reached.
14. Remember there is no substitute for your attention and supervision.

Wendy Thomas Russell, our colleague at the Long Beach Press-Telegram, has a multi-faceted, in-depth report called Kids and Crime: Inside Juvenile Justice. The four-day series began Sunday and includes video, photographs, articles and statistical charts. It's a package worthy of your time.

Sometimes, love (or whatever you want to call it) can just go awfully wrong. Just ask the pilot and flight attendant who were arrested in the Pennsylvania woods.

Jeffrey Bradford (reportedly on the left) and Adrianna Connor (supposedly on the right) are both 24 years old and employees of Pinnacle Airlines. Photo from the Patriot News.

Torrance Superior Court Judge Sandra Thompson was just seconds away from handing down a sentence to Jimmie Lunceford when she decided to give him a last-second reprieve to file a motion for a new trial. Lunceford's attorney, William Kopeski, had told Thompson that he believed a motion should be filed, but Lunceford and his family never authorized him to do so.

The sentencing hearing continued anyway with Deputy District Attorney Christine Von Helmolt arguing Lunceford should receive the maximum five-year, eight-month sentence and Kopeski asking for leniency for his emotionally unstable client. At the end, Kopeski took the long-shot and asked for a bit more time to file the motion after Lunceford asked him to, and Thompson said OK. They will return June 4 to argue the motion and, if it is denied, Lunceford will be sentenced.

This is the sketch of the suspect in the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in Hawthorne. If you know him, call the Hawthorne police at 310-349-2700.

A gunman with thick-braided hair abducted a 13-year-old girl walking to
school Tuesday in Hawthorne and sexually assaulted her, police
said.

The girl was attacked as she walked about 8 a.m. in the 3500 block of 132nd
Street, Hawthorne police Lt. Mike Ishii said.

A man approached her, threatened her with a knife and shoved her in a car.
She was driven to another location, where he sexually assaulted her at
gunpoint, Ishii said.

A man grabbed an El Segundo woman from behind today and stabbed her in her home, police said.

Although the 50-year-old woman did not know the assailant, she believed she was targeted, El Segundo police Lt. Bob Turnbull said. He did not elaborate.

The woman called police shortly before 1 p.m. to say she was assaulted in the 300 block of West Palm Avenue.

The man grabbed her hair and forced her inside. He then stabbed her with an unknown object and ran.

The man was described as white, about 50 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall with brown hair. He had a medium build, and wore blue jeans a white t-shirt and a blue ball cap with an unknown logo.

The woman was taken to County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She was reported in stable condition.

Students at Richmond Street Elementary School and El Segundo High School were kept in their classrooms while police searched for the attacker.

A sheriff's helicopter circled above and police searched with a dog on the ground.

An autopsy Tuesday determined UC Berkeley graduate Alan Kaname Hamai of Redondo Beach died of multiple blunt injuries from his fall off the roof of an apartment building near campus.

But coroner's officials said it will take months to complete the tests to determine whether he was drunk or under the influence of drugs.

Coroner's officials also won't rule on a manner of death -- accident, suicide or homicide -- until the test results are back and police detectives complete their investigation.

Hamai, 22, died early Saturday, just hours after his parents watched him graduate with an anthropology degree on Friday. They were on their way home when they received the call.

Following a night of packing, drinking and drugs, Jesus Payan, 38, ended up bound and dead on a Palos Verdes Drive South turnout in Rancho Palos Verdes. His two friends, cousins Rudy Tafoya, 21, and Daniel Nunez, 27, were ordered today to stand trial following a preliminary hearing.

The only witness to testify, Sheriff Detective Dameron Peyton, didn't answer any questions about possible motives for the January 31, 2007, slaying. After the hearing, Deputy District Attorney Craig Hum said the motive issue remains unresolved, but said authorities suspect drugs played a part. Hum is becoming quite the cliff-related death expert - he is also the prosecutor on the Cameron Brown  and Brandon Manai cases.

Tafoya and Nunez will return to court June 3. We'll have a full report on the preliminary hearing in tomorrow's Daily Breeze.

Former USC student Holly Ashcroft was charged in 2005 for dumping her newborn baby in the trash near her campus. Represented by high-profile criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos, the case was heavily litigated and took many turns. Today, she pleaded no contest to one count of child endangerment causing death. She returns to court for sentencing June 27, and, as part of the deal, will receive five years probation.

The entire release from the District Attorney's office follows:

This just in.....

A federal appeals court ruled today that the United States discriminates against blind people 
by printing paper money that makes it impossible for them to distinguish among the bills' varying values.

This could force the Treasury Department to redesign its money.

Blind people have to rely on store clerks to help them, use credit cards or fold corners of bills to distinguish their cash.

While the government said that's good enough and fought a suit demanding changes, the court said the government's stance would mean it could also argue that disabled people can crawl around on all fours or ask for help from strangers to avoid having to make buildings wheelchair accessible.

Here's the AP story

In the wake of last week's landmark state Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage in California, goverment types are now scrambling around trying to figure out how to implement the new law and prepare for same-sex marriages.

At today's Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor's meeting, the supes are scheduled to discuss a motion, brought by supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Yvonne Burke, that would direct county officials to research and report on the legal obligations for issuing marriage licenses. Sueprvisor Mike Antonovich, who has publicly criticized the high court's ruling, is expected to seek an amendment to whatever motion is brought that would call for a report on whatever impact a proposed November ballot initiative would have. The ballot initiative, if passed by voters, would reverse the gay marriage go-ahead the justices made. The Los Angeles City Council is also expected to take up the issue today.

Meanwhile, we have a story from the Associated Press that says City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo has advising officials that county workers must perform same-sex weddings under the law - regardless of how they feel about it.

Daily Breeze reporter Melissa Evans is monitoring the Board of Supervisors meeting and will have an update.

This is the driver's license photo of Alan Kaname Hamai, 22, of Redondo Beach, who died in a fall from the roof of his 3-story apartment building near UC Berkeley early Saturday.

The jury deliberating Adam Loza's case returned after a one-week hiatus Monday, and took about a half day to find him guilty of two counts of murder with the special allegation of killing during an attempted robbery, and attempted robbery. A separate jury hung on the same charges last week for co-defendant Eric Sanford, 17.

Loza, 24, will return to court July 24 for sentencing, when he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. We'll have the complete story in tomorrow's Daily Breeze.

Michael McDermott, a former financial adviser arrested after drugs and weapons were found at his beach-front home in Hermosa Beach, is headed for preliminary hearing July 1. McDermott's attorney, Michael Norris, told Judge William Hollingsworth today that they've been unable to resolve the case.

You know how you get those e-mail spam messages telling you your Paypal or eBay account has expired and they need you to send your personal information to update your account? Well, those are people "phishing" so they can commit identity theft.

Today, the FBI and Romanian authorities announced they have charged 38 people with stealing names, Social Security identity numbers, credit card data and other personal information from unsuspecting Internet users.

Indictments unsealed in federal courts in Los Angeles and New Haven said a worldwide international organized crime ring sought to rip off thousands of consumers and hundreds of financial institutions.

The FBI will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. today in Los Angeles to provide more details, but here's the press released issued this morning.

Here's the Indictment.pdf. I especially like their nicknames, including "The Vortex" and "Cryptmaster."

In case you missed it:

• 3 charged with 2006 campaign violations in Torrance
• Teen involved in bus brawl to file claim against Torrance (and if you go to the KCAL/KCBS site and type "bus brawl" in the search, you'll see their report on it from a couple weeks ago. The recording we have of the incident wouldn't convert for our use.)
• Lawndale couple counts costs of home fraud

Over at the L.A. Times on Sunday, they had a couple articles worth noting:

• California chief justice says same-sex marriage ruling was one of his toughest
• Steve Cooley makes his case for third term as L.A. County D.A.

 

From news service reports:

Police are investigating the death of 22-year-old Alan Kaname Hamai, who apparently fell to his death just a few hours after graduating from UC Berkeley.

The Redondo Beach man, who graduated with a degree in anthropology, died early Saturday.

Berkeley police said Hamai's parents were en route to Redondo Beach from Friday's commencement ceremony when he was found on a sidewalk beneath a three-story UC residence hall.

Alcohol may have been involved, police said. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, the Alameda County coroner's office said.

Time to close out the week with a thrill. Here's the dancing inmates from the Philippines doing  "Thriller." Check the second video for a news report on why prison officials turned to dancing as a way to rehabilitate murderers and rapists. Think Charles Manson and his pals would enjoy this?

Congratulations to Rolling Hills Estates resident and appellate court justice Robert Mallano, who was promoted by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday to presiding justice of Division One of the 2nd District Court of Appeal. Mallano, 69, joined the appellate court in 2000 after 22 years as a Los Angeles Municipal and Superior Court judge. His judicial career began in what was then known as the South Bay Municipal Court. 

Just take some tips from this Chicago Tribune article about all the ways propsective jurors at the R. Kelly statutory rape trial got their green light to go.

If you watched the morning news today, you saw coverage of a gruesome car crash on the Santa Ana Freeway in Commerce. A wrong-way driver crashed head-on into a right-way car, killing its driver and a female passenger, and seriously injuring two other young male passengers.
The wrong-way driver also died.

It turns out the wrong-way driver was identified as Steven Quintero, 27, of Gardena. That's him on the right.

I called his house, but a family member had nothing to say when I asked why Quintero was driving the wrong direction.

The women killed were identified as Anaheim residents Arielle Rose Estremo, 20, who was driving, and Chauncy Alysse Reid, 17.

Deputies in Carson will be on the lookout for drunken drivers tonight.

They'll hold sobriety checkpoints at Main Street north of 234th Street, and on Carson Street east of Main Street from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Deputies will also be checking for valid driver's licenses.

We get questions:

Reader Evan Gould asks:

"I am a resident of the 1900 block of Plant Avenue in North Redondo. Last Saturday, May 10, there was a police helicopter that buzzed around the intersection of Robinson and Aviation.

The helicopter circled the same area for two hours, shining a light onto the ground. At one point, the loudspeaker on the chopper instructed people to stay inside their homes, doors locked. I have checked in the Daily Breeze.com website and have not seen any info on the incident. So I was wondering, what happened that night?"

Reader Olivia Stomski asks:

"I live in North Redondo and on Saturday night there were several police cars (as well as a search helicopter) in my neighborhood.

The loud speaker from the helicopter warned of a K9 search of a felon and for the people of the neighborhood to stay in their homes and lock their doors. I was wondering if you could tell me what was going on. I would like to know if there is anything that I should be concerned about from Saturday night's activities."

Thanks for the questions. Here's what happened, according to Manhattan Beach police Sgt. Steve Tobias:

I got this e-mail today from Devan Jackson, the Hawthorne man wounded during the shootout between police officers and an ex-con at the Pacific Theaters in El Segundo back on April 7.

Remember he got fired from his job a few days later? He still needs work. I sent him an e-mail recently asking how he was doing and forwarded a letter to him from a reader who wanted to help him out.

"Hey how are you Larry? Hope everything is OK. As for me, I'm fine. Looking for jobs now.

Just updated my resume, so now I'm on the hunt. Life has to go on. My leg's healing. It's been hurting bad unfortunately. Hopefully that improves.

I'm going to set an appointment to get my prosthetic boot so I can heal properly and not have this bad limp for the rest of my life.

Oh and as for the lawyer, he terminated me due to his "high case load." It's OK though. I can do nothing but pray and keep faith.

I have received the letter you sent. I wish I knew who it was from. It's just signed by "A Witness." They sent a nice card and $100. Lord knows it's helpful.

Thank you for the letter and keeping in contact with me. I really appreciate it. I hope all is well. Talk to you soon."

Keeping the marriage trend going here, a  husband in England was so angry with his wife for allegedly having an affair, he put her up for sale on eBay.

Paul Osborn, 44, offered his "cheating, lying, adulterous, slag of a wife" to the highest bidder. Bids started at 1 pence and hit £500,100.

Read the story in The Sun: Hubby tries to flog wife on eBay.

Just getting into the opinion now, and hoping to do a story with a local angle for tomorrow's paper. You can read the opinion at here.

Remember yesterday when I asked people to e-mail me to share their thoughts on the decision? Well, the e-mail Gods are sometimes not friendly, and our server here at the Daily Breeze went down and is making a very, very slow recovery. Very slow. So, if you e-mailed me, I didn't get it. But, I still want to hear from you. Post a comment to this entry, send an e-mail to dailybreezenews@gmail.com or give me a call at 310-543-6652.

Interestingly, this video, titled Good Cop, Baby Cop, comes pretty close to re-creating scenes I've heard defendants describe from the witness stand to explain why they confessed.

This is one in a series starring Pearl. Be sure to check out Funny or Die if you want more. I highly recommend The Landlord.

El Segundo police are trying to catch carjackers who beat a man over the head with crowbars and took his car. 

The California Supreme Court is scheduled to issue it's opinion at 10 a.m. Thursday in what is being called In re Marriage Cases. The opinion will be available online at the court's Web site. More information about the case is available through the Equality California Web site, which also has a schedule of the events planned for tomorrow's celebratiion - or commisseration -depending on how the justices rule.

We're attempting to report the decision tomorrow with some local reaction from same sex couples, or any others who have a strong opinion and feel their lives will be impacted by this decision. If you, or anyone you know, would like to share reactions, opinions, etc. please feel free to contact me at denise.nix@dailybreeze.com.

For the sixth time, sentencing was postponed today for a man who pleaded no contest in August to one count of leaving the scene of an accident. Ruben Vargas, 48, who has a history of driver license suspensions for failing to complete drug and alcohol programs and driving under the influence, crashed his pick-up truck into the side of a Hermosa Beach home in the 900 block of Beach Drive on Oct. 6, 2006.

The truck pinned down a 5-year-old boy, who was asleep in his bottom bunk. When his mother came in, she heard the engine revving and saw the truck reverse and speed away - a stuffed penguin still embedded in its windshield.

Vargas initially denied he was behind the wheel, and said it was his passenger who was driving. In August, he pleaded no contest in exchange for 16 months in state prison. However, every time he returns to Torrance Superior Court to be sentenced, his lawyer gives a reason why the proceeding should be postponed. For a while, there were medical concerns. Today, the lawyer said he needed more time to discuss with his client a 300-page document he received two months ago regarding $1,500 restitution for damages.

Deputy District Attorney Paul Guthrie tried to convince Judge Eric Taylor that enough was enough. But Taylor gave Vargas, who is out of custody, one more continuance and said there will be no more. Vargas returns to court June 12.

At the downtown Los Angeles news conference yesterday announcing the bust of a Lawndale-based ginormous counterfeit operation, authorities gave lots of details about how they caught the bogus bill makers and what they were doing inside Albert Edward Talton's rented home.

KTLA talked to neighbors yesterday, who reported seeing expensive cars outside the home, including Aston Martins and Bentleys. Inside the home, one room was dedicated to the high-tech operation.

The Los Angeles Times reports that one of the suspects, who was under surveillance by Secret Service agents, is seen passing a fake $20 bill through a fast-food fried chicken drive-thru window. They also included a nice detail about all the hairspray bottles found at the bald-headed Talton's home. The hairspray is used to coat the bills.

Photo by Damien Dovargenes/AP

Gardena police have offered a $10,000 reward for help solving the murder of a woman inside a shop Monday night. We have a story on the Web site with descriptions of the crime and the suspects. We also have a link to a dramatic video of the shooting and robbery, via KTLA.

The gunman was described as being in his 20s and wearing a cloth bandana over his face, a black jacket with a white t-shirt underneath, and shorts. The other man is also about 20 and was last seen wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans, sheriff's Deputy Ed Hernandez said.

Anyone with information is asked to call sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

Jurors just told Judge William Chidsey they've reached in impasse and could not agree on a verdict for Eric Sanford, 17. Chidsey declared a mistrial. Sanford is accused of killing two Carson gas station clerks during a robbery. The attorneys are waiting for a new date to come back and discuss the case. We'll have a full story in tomorrow's Daily Breeze.

Previous entries are here.

The Creep Factor turned up a notch today in the case against a 30-year-old former Gardena aerospace parts manufacturing worker accused of videotaping a colleague while she used the restroom. We already knew that Ryan Castillo had a crush on the woman, and would allegedly switch on remote cameras aimed at the toilet everytime she headed to the facilities.

But during a preliminary hearing today, we also learned that he asked her out over e-mail and in person, had her bank statements, credit card statements, a copy of her driver's license, taped-up checks she had shredded and, get this, a spreadsheet documenting what she wore everyday.

Castillo, who looks younger than his age and has quarter-sized holes in earlobes where those piercing discs used to hang, was married and apparently still is - based on the kiss he gave to the young woman at the back of the courtroom at the conclusion of the hearing.

A full story on the hearing will be in tomorrow's Daily Breeze.

During a court hearing today, David Roberts, who is charged with vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving, was taken into custody on $100,000 bail. Roberts, 29, had remained free after a prosecutor, for unknown reasons, previously failed to ask a judge to set bail.

Roberts is accused of hitting and killing Bill Cunha near Carson on Aug. 12, 2007, then fleeing the scene. Various evidence, including his cell phone and DNA, linked him to the crime and he was eventually arrested and charged.

Despite his criminal history that includes arrests for drugs and reckless driving, Roberts was allowed to remain free on his own recognizance. Cunha's family and the detective handling the case believed this was an outrage.

Larry will have a full story on today's hearing in tomorrow's Daily Breeze.

After about a week of deliberating whether or not 17-year-old Eric Sanford is guilty of murder and the special circumstances of killing during an attempted robbery, the jury told Compton Superior Court Judge William Chidsey late Monday they are stuck. Chidsey told them to keep deliberating, and they return today to do so.

The jury deciding co-defendant Adam Loza's case is on a one-week hiatus, and will resume deliberations Monday.

Sanford, Loza, 24, and another man who will go on trial later this month are charged with killing two clerks at a Carson Mobil Mart on Nov. 4, 2006.

Two Police Departments will hold services this week to remember officers killed in the line of duty.

The Manhattan Beach ceremony Tuesday will dedicate a Public Safety Memorial Wall honoring officers Martin Lane Ganz, Richard Timothy Giles and Charles Frederick Grau.

The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. at 420 15th Street.

Torrance police will hold their annual ceremony at 10 a.m. Wednesday outside the police station at 3300 Civic Center Dr.

The ceremony will honor Sgt. William Lewis; and Officers David Noel Seibert, Gary Rippstein, and Thomas Keller; and crossing guard Hazel Kenny.

     ... You are in luck! The California Court system is celebrating its 10th annual Juror Appreciation Week, beginning today. To thank the approximate 2.7 million potential jurors who report for duty every year, those who are called in to court for their civic duty this week will be treated to refreshments and freebies, depending on where you go. The Los Angeles Superior Court has for you ... hold on to your hats ... pencils and water bottles! If that doesn't say patriotism, I don't know what does.

An English pet owner who was caught on closed-circuit television leaving her dog's doings on a neighbor's driveway is facing up to 1,000 pounds in fines (that's nearly $2,000 U.S. dollars). The best part about this article from the Sunderland Echo (which includes the video) is how polite the writer is, even while discussing poop. The dog was seen "fouling the pavement" and her "pooch soiled the ground." Not a mention of poop, turd, feces or even crap. The British are so proper.

Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo today announced that his office filed a lawsuit to stop five pimps and 36 prostitutes from operating along Figueroa Street in South Los Angeles.

Here's the statement released to the media:

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, the City's chief prosecutor, today joined with representatives of the Los Angeles Police Department to announce the filing of a groundbreaking lawsuit seeking to prevent five pimps and 36 chronic prostitutes from operating in the Figueroa Corridor. He is also unveiling a diversion program to educate prostitutes and "Johns" about the legal consequences, health risks, and community impact of their illegal conduct.

"We're launching the injunction for chronic offenders and the diversion program for first-time offenders at the same time because fighting crime in the 21st Century means getting smarter - not just tougher - with our public safety initiatives," said City Attorney Delgadillo.

The Pimp and Prostitution Injunction

The nuisance abatement action brought by the City Attorney's Safe Neighborhoods Division seeks to exclude five pimps and 36 chronic prostitutes from the Figueroa Corridor - an area defined as 100 yards to each side of Figueroa Street between Vernon Avenue and El Segundo Boulevard in South Los Angeles. The defendants have repeatedly returned to the Figueroa Corridor despite law enforcement efforts to stop them.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn responded over the weekend to a FOX 11 News report that said she provided money to gang members and helped them get out of jail.

"Everyone must know that the allegations that I have assisted or funded gang members, which ran on Fox 11 last week are outrageous, ridiculous and false. The entire story was based on statements made by desperate criminal gang members that would say anything to avoid going to jail. I have never paid these gang members, never had them work for me nor have I ever helped them to get out of jail."

Read Hahn's full blog entry

A draft report on the state's foster care system, which details its problems and recommendations for fixing those problems, is being discussed downtown today. Anyone who wants to see the report and comment (until Tuesday, May 13), can click here. The entire two-page release is below.

Actor Dennis Farina, who played a gun-toting detective on the long-running Law & Order, was arrested over the weekend for carrying a gun at Los Angeles International Airport. The Associated Press article on our Web site linked here is wrong in that Farina was not "charged" Sunday - only prosecutors can do that, and court's aren't open on Sundays. He was likely booked on suspicion of carrying the loaded firearm.

Sheriff's records show Farina posted $35,000 bail and was released on Sunday. He is scheduled to appear June 5 at the Airport Courthouse.

The L.A. Times on Sunday had this article about a Rolling Hills Estates family where the adult son is busted again and again by police for various misdeeds. When he directs his thievery at his parents' home, the dad decides to prosecute, hoping his son will get the help he needs under the court's jurisdiction. The son, though, gets beaten to a pulp by fellow inmates while awaiting his case to play out. I'd guess dad's feeling a wee bit guilty ... but really, what would any of us have done?

Marine Col. Brice Leslie sent this about his friend, Hawthorne police Officer Jeff Rand, who served under him in Iraq. Rand died May 3 on his 34th birthday after a night out with friends:

"There are so many stories and little things that happened with Jeff that I will give you a few.

Aside from running the overall training of the Karbala Police Department and going on joint missions with them, Jeff had to provide security patrols at night.

We used  to have regular demonstrations that would escalate to near riot and sometimes riots. I always knew that Jeff would be right there doing the right thing standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the personnel that were quelling the disturbance, making sure that innocent civilians were not injured, while other personnel ran to the buildings for cover and safety.

We were once conducting a patrol of ammo supply point and observed several Iraqis looting the ammo stores. Jeff took one side of the building and another group took another side. When all it was all over, more than 10 people were taken into custody.

While attending a cabinet meeting, Jeff observed an armed Iraqi with a concealed weapon under his shirt. Jeff responded and disarmed him by himself.

I am proud to say that I had the pleasure to meet and work with Jeff, and after our combat mission Jeff became like a second son to me and I feel proud of the fact that he liked that role in my life and I in his.

Jeff was a great police officer and a heroic Marine of the highest caliber. The world is a very empty place after his passing and much worse off. He will be missed by all of that knew, loved and respected him.

God bless him."

Most of the stuff on this blog can be pretty depressing, so perhaps we should end each week with some dancing. Here's hundreds of inmates at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines "doing the Hustle."

This is dedicated to anyone who had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah in 1976.

Next week: "Thriller."

    A couple of interesting things have happened this week for Torrance Superior Court Judge James Brandlin. On Thursday night, he was named Superior Court Judge of the Year by the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section (look for a story on him and the other honorees in Saturday's Daily Breeze). That same day, an appellate court upheld his decision to remain on a three-defendant Gardena attempted murder case, even though the attorney for one of the defendant's believes Brandlin can't be fair to his client.

The 2nd District Court of Appeal, without comment, denied Ruben Rizo's petition to overturn Brandlin's decision. After Ricardo Torres II's law firm inadvertently gave Rizo unredacted police reports and other documents, Brandlin wrote letters about the incident to the State Bar and District Attorney's office.

Torres complained that his client could not get a fair trial before Brandlin, and asked the judge to recuse himself. Brandlin refused and Torres appealed. Rizo, 19, and two co-defendants are expected to go to trial before Brandlin later this month for allegedly shooting at Rizo's girlfriend's mother on April 10, 2007.

Police departments throughout the South Bay will aggressively enforce the state's seat belt laws during the annual "Click it or Ticket" campaign.

The campaign from May 12 to June 1 aims to improve seat belt usage. California has the nation's fourth highest seat belt use rate at 94.6 percent.

California requires every driver and passenger in a vehicle to wear a seat belt.

Tickets begin at $80. The fine is nearly $400 for drivers whose children under 16 are unbuckled.

More than 280 law enforcement agencies statewide will participate. Gardena, El Segundo, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach specificially let us know they will be working this.

A couple of days ago we posted the mug of an unidentified man that INTERPOL was seeking as a suspected child molester.

They caught him yesterday in New Jersey.

Wayne Nelson Corliss, 58, from Union City, N.J. was identified as the man who was sexually abusing young children in Southeast Asia in hundreds of images distributed on the Internet, INTERPOL said.

Special Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement based in Newark arrested him.

Today, the Associated Press is reporting that Corliss is a small-time actor who painted faces at children's parties and performed as "the best Santa Claus anyone has ever seen."

The jury deciding 17-year-old Eric Sanford's fate is starting it's fourth day of deliberations this morning. Several times, they've heard his testimony read back from the court reporter. Prosecutors believe Sanford was the trigger man who killed clerks Eduardo Roco, 74, and Esther Arteaga, 32, during a robbery gone-wrong at a gas station mini mart on Nov. 4, 2006.

A second Compton jury deciding co-defendant 24-year-old Adam Loza's case began deliberations yesterday. Prosecutors believe Loza was in on the robbery and knew Sanford had a gun.

Both men blame the other. A third man, a friend who drove the car and allegedly handed the gun to Sanford before the murder, will go on trial when this on is over.

We're checking on the juries and will let you know when, and if, there are verdicts.

The captain of the Santa Ana CHP station has been placed on leave while authorities investigate whether he fixed a ticket for Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf, the Orange County Register reports.

An officer pulled Getzlaf, right,  over on March 14 on the 133 toll road for driving 84 mph.

The ticket didn't make its way to court until April 28, long after it should have, the Register said.

Here's the full report

Here are three e-mails I received from friends of Hawthorne police Officer Jeffrey Rand,

who died at age 34 on Saturday.

Chris Leslie wrote:

"Jeff was not only a great American, but a great friend, and great guy. He would give you the shirt off his back. Before I met him, he worked for my father in Iraq. My father thought of him like another son, as Jeff was the type of person that you want your children to grow up to be. I thank him for his service, dedication, and friendship.

Jeff, the time has come too early for you to guard the streets of Heaven with your fellow Marines.

You will not be forgotten."

Gardena police will conduct a driving under the influence and driver's license checkpoint from 8:30 p.m. Friday to 3:30 a.m. Saturday in the eastbound lanes of Redondo Beach Boulevard at La Salle Avenue.

If you plan to avoid it, please take a look at Denise's blog entry on the pain one family is suffering because of a drunk driver.

Oscar Medrano, who stepped down from the Gardena City Council dais and stepped into a vat of legal woes, had a brief apperance in Torrance Superior Court today for his child molestation case. A preliminary hearing, where evidence against him will be laid out, was scheduled for June 24.

Medrano, 48, was charged in March with 12 counts of committing lewd and lascivious acts on a young female relative. Two days before his arrest, he resigned from the Council, citing health concerns.

I might be getting ahead of myself here by posting this pre-edited story, slated for tomorrow's Daily Breeze, today. But I just couldn't escape it:

A Gardena domestic violence suspect who escaped from custody twice -- including once while handcuffed -- made his initial court appearance Thursday and was ordered held on eight times the normal bail.

Keion Green, 24, who has two prior domestic violence convictions, told a detective he ran because he "doesn't like to be confined."

 

Quirino Antonio Mateo, a Lomita man who drove drunk and caused a crash in Carson that killed Juan Gabriel Ontiveros, a 32-year-old father of four, was sentenced today to five years in state prison as part of a plea deal he reached for the Jan. 8 collision.

Ontiveros' family, including his widow and mother, cried in Compton Court as they told a judge how Mateo, 31, ruined their lives. His wife, Juanita Ontiveros, told Judge Gary Daigh she wants justice. But outside of court, she said she wasn't seeing it in the plea deal.

"I think it's really unfair because he should be getting more years because my husband's not coming back in five years," she said.

A full story on the sentencing hearing will be in tomorrow's Daily Breeze and on www.dailybreeze.com.

Rizzo's Pizzeria in Torrance is holding a fundraiser today to raise money for suriving members of the Pick family after a murder-suicide last week.The restaurant said it plans to donate 20 percent of its proceeds today to the Picks, and they are also taking cash donations in a collection box. Rizzo's is at 2350 Sepulveda Blvd. Suite G, a little more than a block east of Crenshaw Boulevard.

Steven Pick, 42, shot and killed his 5-year-old son, Tyler, and his 62-year-old mother-in-law, Janell Stern, at the family home in the 1900 block of 230th Street on April 28. He also shot and wounded his wife before killing himself. He apparently was a drug abuser and had a history of verbally and physically abusing his wife, who had a restraining order against him.

If you want to comment on the death of Hawthorne police Officer Jeff Rand, please attach them to the previous entry or send them directly to me at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.

I learned some sad news today about a passing that I missed.

I tried this week to contact former sheriff's Sgt. Mike Foster, a cop who I came to know and like on my beat. His wife, Christine, responded today. She told me he died Feb. 8 at age 62.

Sgt. Foster looked like he should have been riding a Harley. He had long hair and a Zapata mustache that made him appear tough. It worked well for his role as an undercover cop.

He was able to buy stolen property and drugs from criminals. He infiltrated a motorcycle gang that dealt in methamphetamine.

Foster was anything but a tough guy. He was one of the most friendly law enforcement officers I have ever met.

The national video du jour is the recorded beating of three suspects by 15 police officers in Philadelphia. The officers are relieved of their duty for now. The incident Monday comes two days after a Philadelphia officer was fatally shot.

Here's the video:

 

"The 15-year-old said he was hungry and did it 'for the thrill.'"

This is from the Kitsap Sun, which covers the woodsy, small-town area across Puget Sound from Seattle. Just to give you an idea of what goes on in those parts, here's a sampling of other recent headlines, taken from the newspaper's Web site:

• Teen Accused of Taking Mom's Purse at Knifepoint
• Stubborn Husband Walks Home in the Rain
• UPDATE: Man Who Shot Himself With Nail Gun in Serious Condition
• Brain Injury Prevents Man From Remembering Assault
• Unsatisfying Sex Life Leads to Silverdale Woman's Meltdown
• Woman Arrested After Driving Totaled Car
• Man Accused of Assaulting Teen With Hair Iron

You've got to wonder: Was this a really crazy crime news week or are stories like this par for the course there?

The Los Angeles Superior Court just issued an advisory that a small electrical fire damaged the toll-free lines that serve the Jury Services Division. That means people trying to call 800-SRV-JURY to register, postpone service or ask questions about jury duty might get a busy signal. Jurors are encouraged to call back or refer to www.lasuperiorcourt.org for general jury information. Although repair crews started working early Wednesday, it will be Monday, May 19, before telephone service is fully restored.

Early this morning, a man who was likely high on heroin crashed into some parked cars in Venice. Los Angeles police officers responded, and ended up pricked with a syringe.

The toddler who died at County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach today was identified as Koby Amir Brown. He was born Oct. 10, 2006.

Previous entry

The jury deciding whether Eric Sanford, 17, is guilty or not of killing two Carson gas station employees during a pre-dawn hold-up on Nov. 4, 2006, is still out deliberating. They've been in the jury room about a day.

A second jury that will decide the case against Adam Loza, 24, heard closing arguments today. The arguments should conclude tomorrow, then they will have the case.

Chief Justice Ronald George unveiled a proposal in Sacramento yesterday that would tack on extra money to things like traffic tickets, criminal penalties and civil filings to fund repairs to the state's dilapidated courthouses. The L.A. Times article on the proposal mentions some courthouses specifically, but not the Long Beach Courthouse, which is literally crumbling.

Not everyone, of course, is happy that, in this cash-strapped economy, citizens would be required to pay more ... even if most those citizens are lawbreakers.

After the jump is a story I did in 2005 about the problems at the Long Beach Courthouse. Not much to update since then, except for a Long Beach Press Telegram article in 2007 that said a new facility for Long Beach is one of the state's top priority courthouses.

This just arrived from the District Attorney's Office:


LOS ANGELES -- A man faces a possible state prison term after pleading no contest to killing his girlfriend's cat following an argument, the District Attorney's Office announced today.

On May 2, Scott Allen Atkinson, 45, was convicted of one count of making criminal threats and one count of intentional cruelty to an animal. Two other counts were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Atkinson is due back for sentencing July 31 at Los Angeles Superior Court, Department 127.

The defendant killed "Tweety," a black-and-white cat, in October 2007 after he and his girlfriend argued outside their (Los Angeles) apartment, according to police reports. After the verbal exchange, the defendant allegedly went back inside the apartment and came back out sometime later, telling the girlfriend, "Follow the blood trail to find Tweety."

While Atkinson contended that he found the cat dead and put its body in a dumpster behind the apartment building, police found blood on the walls of the apartment and in the bathtub. The cat's body was never recovered.

Deputy District Attorney Stefana Antonescu said Atkinson faces two years in state prison.

The 18-month-old boy taken to a hospital after he was found in respiratory distress on Sunday near El Camino Village has died.

The baby was removed from life support machines about 11:30 a.m., sheriff's Lt. Pat Nelson said.

Paramedics took the toddler to a hospital when they found him not breathing. They and deputies responded to a "baby not breathing" call at a house in the 14000 block of Chadron Avenue. The address is in an unincorporated neighborhood.

Homicide detectives are continuing to investigate the case. A male caregiver told deputies the baby choked on a penny. A penny was found on the floor near the baby, Nelson said.

Deputies are investigating whether the story is true.

"Our feeling is not everything is consistent with the story we've been given so far," Nelson said.

The  name of the baby was not immediately released.

Thieves in Long Beach and elsewhere are targeting manhole covers, which apparently fetches about $10 apiece in the scrap metal black market. Unfortunately, they cost about $500 each to replace, and are wreaking havoc on cars who hit the uncovered passages.

Inmates at Louisiana's Angola prison, left, have to think twice if they want to escape. 

This is Cornell Anderson Barber, a 28-year-old Torrance man.

Here's an update on the possible attempted homicide of the 18-month-old boy:

We're getting word that an 18-month-old baby is in critical condition and sheriff's detectives are investigating on Chadron Avenue in El Camino Village near Gardena. A City News Service advisory said the baby was taken to a hospital, and is listed as "death imminent."

Larry Altman is on his way and should have an update later.

Police and firefighters will offer station tours, equipment displays and a canine unit demonstration during an open house scheduled for Saturday.

The annual open house will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The stations are located on Main Street near Grand Avenue.

Officers from patrol, investigations, special operations, communications, crime prevention and Drug Abuse Resistance Education will offer tours and provide live firearms demonstrations.

Police Service Dog demonstrations are scheduled for 11:15 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. A special weapons team demonstration is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

Firefighters will offer station tours, child safety activities, conduct free blood pressure checks, equipment demonstrations, and apparatus displays.

Here's the Open house flier.pdf

It turns out Los Angeles officials are toying with the idea of selling the naming rights to the brand spankin' new police headquarters downtown. Rick Orlov at the Daily News explains it here.

If you wondered what was happening Sunday evening at Rosecrans and Western avenues in Gardena, a 74-year-old man was killed in a traffic collision.

Police in Oakland have arrested a 94-year-old man suspected of killing his landlord today. He's believed to be the oldest person ever arrested in a murder case in the Bay Area. We aren't sure how that ranks down here.

Apparently he was an easygoing guy, but feared he was going to be evicted when the landlord began installing new locks on his tenants' doors.

When police cornered him in his home, he refused to come out for three hours. They tasered him.

If he did this, he'll have free room and board for the rest of his life.

KTVU reports

San Jose Mercury News

Jimmie Lunceford was supposed to be sentenced today for threats he made to his estranged girlfriend's adult daughters and stabbing a Redondo Beach police dog. But his attorney, William Kopesky, was a no-show. The court clerk and prosecutor tried to reach him this morning for hours, but his voicemail was full and he wasn't returning pages. This is the same attorney who didn't show up for an earlier proceeding in the case, keeping nine witnesses waiting around.

Turns out, he wrote down the wrong date.

When we find out the new date, we'll update it in the Court Tracker. Lunceford is facing a maximum of five years and eight months.

An auto theft suspect who ran a red light and led police on a chase from Broadway and Gage in Los Angeles this morning kept driving west, even when he reached the ocean.

I don't know what was on his mind, but he flew straight into the drink at the Port of Los Angeles.

He stood shirtless on the top of the van for a moment and then swam around for 15 minutes before firefighters plucked him from the water and handed him over to LAPD.

KCBS video

Photo from CBS2.com

To commemorate Law Day on Monday, May 5, lawyers from the South Bay Bar Association will be on hand at the Torrance Courthouse to met out legal advice - for free. Come to Room 160 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., where lawyers will be available to talk about such things as family, real estate and personal injury law.

Here's the second part of Chris Blatchford's investigative report on FOX  11 News. In the Thursday night broadcast, two Los Angeles police officers who are suing the city for transferring them out of their jobs battling gangs in Watts, claimed City Councilwoman Janice Hahn and department brass forced them out after listening to gang members.

Here's part 2 

In the report, Hahn denounces allegations made against her in Part I.

"The allegations in the story that was run by Fox 11 last night are outrageous, ridiculous and false. The entire story was based on statements made by desperate criminal gang members that would say anything to avoid going to jail. I have never paid these gang members, never had them work for me, nor have I ever helped them get out of jail. My office records are public information and I invite Fox news to review them before making false accusations."

Here's Part 1

*The Daily Breeze reported on March 17, 2006 that rapist Steven Myrick claimed to be on Hahn's payroll. Hahn denied the allegation at the time.

The Redondo Beach Police department will conduct a driving under the influence/driver's license checkpoint from 8 p.m. tonight to 4 a.m. Saturday on Pacific Coast Highway between Diamond and Vincent streets.

The checkpoint is one of several scheduled in the months to come and is funded by grants from the state Office of Traffic Safety and state Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.

Another of the good guys in law enforcement got himself a promotion.

Inglewood police Capt. Hampton Cantrell has been named police chief at Loyola Marymount University in Westchester.

Cantrell told me at the Medal of Valor lunch Thursday that he will leave Inglewood PD later this month and take the position at LMU in June.

Cantrell has worked for Inglewood since 1984. He has a law degree and is a member of the state Bar.

LMU's Department of Public Safety works to keep the campus safe for its 5,746 undergraduate, 1,899 graduate and 1,327 law school students.

Cantrell  is replacing Chief Raymond E. Hilyar, who held the position for 21 years. According to the student newspaper, The Loyolan, Hilyar will remain with the department and report to Cantrell.

Here's Cantrell's bio from the Inglewood PD Web site:

What are the chances of this couple making it? I think any wedding night that ends with the bride, in her wedding dress, sleeping in a separate jail cell from her groom indicates doom.

Here's a few random notes from today's Medal of Valor luncheon:

• Elia Vargas accepted the Medal of Valor award for her son, Gardena police Officer Edgar Vargas. Vargas is a Marine on his third tour of duty in Iraq.

Vargas received the award with officers Patrick Goodpaster and Jesus Ugalde for rescuing a boy and his parents from a burning home......

• Each officer and firefighter received his award from his chief. That made Hawthorne police Officer Thomas Heffner's honor unique.

His father, Hawthorne police Chief Michael Heffner, placed the award around his son's neck.

 I can't remember that happening in all the years I've attended the ceremony.

The chief/father didn't want to make too much of it, saying he was proud of his son, but proud of all of the five Hawthorne officers who received awards.

"It is a little extra touching to have your son," he said.

• Speaking of sons, Hawthorne police Officer Christopher Port, who received a Sustained Superiority Award for his work as a gang investigator, is the son of former Hawthorne Chief Steve Port. Port is the chief at El Camino College.

You may have seen Wednesday's article about the 11 police officers and one firefighter being honored today for heroism and career achievement at the annual South Bay Medal of Valor luncheon.

The event sponsored by the South Bay Chambers of Commerce took place today at the  Torrance Marriott.

Here's the script of the awards portion of the program that was read by Channel 2 and 9 anchorman Glen Walker, who has emceed the event in recent years.

Would Fire Captain Rick Martinez, right, of the Redondo Beach Fire Department please come forward!

For 29 years, Captain Rick Martinez has worn many hats at the Redondo Beach Fire

Department. After 2 years of employment he became a Paramedic for the department and went on to instruct other firefighters to elevate their basic medical skills from First Aid to Emergency Medical Technician. He rose through the ranks and after 9 years of serving as a Paramedic was promoted to Fire Inspector/Arson Investigator, Fire Engineer, and in 1992 he was promoted to Fire Captain.

In the mid-1990's, Captain Martinez assisted in the development and eventually took the lead in a Community Emergency Response Team program (aka CERT). He attended the National Fire Academy in Emmetsburg, Maryland. Over the years, Captain Martinez has worked tirelessly and often on his own time developing course curriculums and live-training drills for CERT participants, and today he is recognized as a leading instructor for CERT training. Last year the Redondo Beach CERT team won first place in the BICEPP competition. BICEPP otherwise known as Business and Industry Council for Emergency and Planning and Preparedness is a nationally recognized organization that evaluates the effectiveness of CERT volunteer programs

Captain Martinez's dedication to the safety of this community and willingness to take the lead with the CERT program for the past 15 years has been a tremendous asset in improving the quality of lives for those who live, work and visit Redondo Beach.

Here to present the Sustained Superiority award to Captain Rick Martinez, Redondo Beach Fire Chief Dan Madrigal!

Would Detectives Mark Kirunchyk (right) and Christopher Port of the Hawthorne Police Department please come forward!

Detectives Port and Kirunchyk are both assigned to the Hawthorne Police Department's Gang Intelligence Unit as the only full time Intelligence Officers. In a city that experiences such high levels of gang violence, this is a daunting task for only two detectives. Last year, Detective Kirunchyk brought down a notorious member of the criminal street gang "FAB" and Detective Port led an investigation which resulted in the arrests and convictions of multiple members of a crime ring operating behind the façade of an anti-crime organization known as "No Guns". These are just two examples of what these detectives do on a daily basis, and throughout it all, their enthusiasm and dedication has not waivered and their performance over this past year reflects greatly upon themselves and the Hawthorne Police Department.

Here to present the Sustained Superiority Award to Detectives Mark Kirunchyk and Christopher Porter, Hawthorne Police Chief Michael Heffner!

There are only two people who know what happened inside the Mobil Mart around 4 a.m. Nov. 4, 2006. Eric Sanford, 17, and Adam Loza, 24, admit they were there, but they're each pointing fingers at the other for the fatal shooting of clerks Eduardo Roco, 74, and Esther Arteaga, a 32-year-old mother.

Roco and Arteaga's family members sat together in court Wednesday while the defendants took turns testifying. A young woman related to Arteaga sobbed when the prosecutor showed photographs of the mininmart. It appears the woman doesn't understand English, but she came looking for answers anyway. She didn't need to understand the words to feel the pain at seeing the place where a loved-one lost her life.

As Sanford described how Loza leaned over the counter to shoot Arteaga after gunning down Roco, nearly all the family members cried. Someone whispered, "Oh my God." They comforted Roco's widow, who should have spent the day celebrating her new U.S. citizenship, but instead sat in court listening to stories of her husband's death. 

The neighbors in the 1900 block of 230th Street knew Thursdays were a big day for 5-year-old Tyler Pick. Tyler loved trash trucks and came out to watch them on his street. In memory of Tyler, the neighbors are holding a vigil on the block today from noon to 2 p.m.

Tyler was shot and killed Monday night by his father, Steven Pick. Pick also killed his mother-in-law and shot his wife before committing suicide.

 

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman got arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in Century City last night.

Apparently the former Bull, Spur and Laker isn't rebounding well from a divorce. He's drinking.

TMZ reports

I'll never forget that missing teenager about 20 years ago in Ontario. When he showed up a day or two later, he claimed he'd been kidnapped.

It was a big deal. I wrote a story for my previous newspaper.

The problem was his story wasn't true. The kid confessed to police that he had stayed out all night and needed an excuse for why he wasn't home.

Well, here we go again. I guess I got duped, but I didn't really do anything wrong.

On Monday, I read a Redondo Beach police report that said a Marine had been attacked and robbed on The Esplanade. I interviewed him myself and published a story about a hero who was mistreated just weeks after returning from Iraq.

Unfortunately, Christopher Bajan's story wasn't true. Yes, police said they believe his report that he was robbed. He had a bump on his head after all, so something happened.

But Bajan is no Marine. He lied to police and then to me about serving in Iraq. He never watched buddies die when roadside bombs exploded. He's a 20-year-old unemployed former supermarket worker.