The Crime & Courts' Blog 2008 cliche restrospective

I know, I know. It's 2009. Who cares about 2008, that's the past, right? Well, this exercise was as much to satisfy my curiosity as it was to be informative, so I'm taking a look at what were the most popular items posted during the Crime & Courts Blog's inagural year. We launched in March, so this doesn't cover a whole year, but it was interesting to see from a statistical standpoint what you're reading. We don't get statistics on individual entries, only on the day. So these are the most popular days here in 2008, and what Larry and I wrote about.

1.) April 12: Larry broke news as it happened on an officer-involved shooting at an El Segundo movie theater, during which two officers and an innocent bystander were shot.

2.) April 30: A "Marine" was beaten in Redondo Beach and a reader wanted to know more about the suspect; a boy steals an SUV; follow up to Pick family's tragic murder-suicide in Torrance; questions arise about Councilwoman Janice Hahn giving money to gang members and workers trapped.

3.) April 29: Several updates about the Pick family as details began to come in while we reported them.

4.) May 1: A pick-up about Dennis Rodman being arrested; vigil for Tyler Pick; defendants testify in the Carson double murder of gas station clerks and Medal of Valor script and notes. 

5.) May 5: Follow-up on the El Segundo shooting and sentencing for Cristina Castaneda, who killed her four young passengers in a crash.

6.) Aug. 25: A new judge on American Idol; a bomb scare at the Manhattan Beach Target; would-be terrorist was sentenced; LAPD officer accidentally discharges weapon; former ILWU bookkeeper accused of embezzlement in court and Wilmington homicide suspect sought.

7.) Aug. 18: Follow-ups to former youth coach Barry Sacks charged for child molestation; woman kidnapped, raped and dumped in Redondo Beach; California crime artifacts on display at National Museum of Crime & Punishment in Washington D.C.; Torrance gang leader Ricky Sisneros convicted of weapons charges; Harbor-area neighborhood watch makes lunch for cops and activist Najee Ali gets prison.

8.) Oct. 15: Map and names for Ghost Town gang injunctions; TSA screener steals gadgets from luggage; Redondo Beach man wanted for stabbing girlfriend; lawsuit against God dismissed; Hermosa Beach man discovers his family in Northern California bbq'd his mother; prosthetic penis manufacturers sued in federal court and suspect sought in San Pedro kidnapping attempt.

9.) Sept. 8: Follow up on an attempted sexual assault at El Camino College; Redondo Beach Police crime blotter; comments to a previous entry about taggers in Redondo Beach and Carson; follow to a body found in an SUV in Hawthorne and Erwin Howard decides to take plea deal in former wife Julie "Deede" Keller's murder.

10.) Aug. 19: Barry Mosley convicted for three murders and other crimes; former South Bay gastroenterologist Mahendra Udani in court; child molester Wynford Murray arrested for failing to register and the Backpack Bomber bank robbers are arrested.

Here's to a great 2009. Happy New Year and thanks for reading!