January 2011 Archives

Posts will resume Feb. 14. Taking a little break.......

An 8-year-old boy's report that a man tried to lure him into his car in Redondo Beach was a misunderstanding, and police today said nothing happened.

Officers determined that the boy misinterpreted the man's innocent comment as he walked past him Thursday afternoon, Redondo Beach police Lt. Joe Hoffman said.

"We don't blame the kid," Hoffman said. "The kid thought he perceived danger."

The boy, police said, ran home and reported the "attempted kidnapping" to his mother, who called police.

The boy told offices he was walking in the 2500 block of Huntington Lane at 3 p.m. when he passed a car parked at the curb.

The man opened the door and said things to the boy that made him feel the man wanted him to get in the car, police said.

Detectives investigated, talking to the child and the man, who turned out to be a neighbor, Hoffman said.

The man told police he was unloading packages from his car and saw the boy walking along the sidewalk. For some reason, the boy walked into the street to go around the car parked at the curb.

The man lost sight of him, but soon saw him on the

The man lost sight of him, but soon saw him on the sidewalk past his car. "Oh, there you are," the man said.

The boy took off running. The man later told his wife something strange had happened, but chose not to knock on the boy's door to make sure he was all right.

Police took the boy's report seriously, and notified the public through the media.

Officers wanted the word to spread quickly that the report was false, Hoffman said.

"It was a misunderstanding," Hoffman said. "The families know each other and the child was initially frightened. It was in no way a kidnapping attempt."

The boy apparently did not recognize the man.

Police initially said they were looking into whether the boy's report was linked to incidents in November of a man exposing himself to teenage girls in South Redondo Beach.

In each instance, the man asked the girl questions and tried to engage her in conversation before getting out of his car and exposing himself.

A man tried to lure an 8-year-old boy into his car Thursday in Redondo Beach, police said.

The boy was walking in the 2500 block of Huntington Lane at 3 p.m. when he passed a car parked at the curb, Redondo Beach police Sgt. Phil Keenan said.

"The lone suspect, behind the wheel of the car, opened the door and said things to the boy which made the boy feel the suspect wanted him to get in the car," Keenan said.

The boy ran and told his mother, who called police.

The man was described as Latino, in his 50s, which dark short hair and a heavy build. He drove an older model silver or gray 4-door car.

Investigators are working to determine if the man is linked to a "series of stalkings and exposures that occurred in Redondo Beach in November," Keenan said.

The suspect description and car are similar, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Denise Brenner at 310-379-2477, extension 2320.

 

Eleven reputed gang members were arrested today in raids to crack down on a Gardena gang suspected in homicides, burglaries, robberies and drug trafficking, authorities said.

The pre-dawn raids occurred at 11 locations in Gardena, Harbor City, Compton and El Monte, sheriff's Lt. Wes Sutton said.

"Our whole goal is to take this gang out of business -- to dismantle this gang and the leadership of this gang," Sutton said.

Sutton declined to identify the particular gang, but said it is has active Latino membership based in Gardena. Those arrested included the gang's hierarchy.

The raids, conducted by sheriff's deputies, Drug Enforcement Administration agents, and Gardena police officers, culminated a 1-1/2 year long investigation into the gang.

"It involves a few different murders that this gang has been involved in over the years and narcotics trafficking, along with several assaults, robberies and burglaries," Sutton said.

"Basically this street gang is a criminal enterprise that's been operating in the Los Angeles County area."

One of the raids occurred near 168th Street and the Harbor Freeway. Police used an armored vehicle, and firefighters stood by.

A suspect arrested on 171st Street reportedly was involved in methamphetamine and cocaine dealing.
More information might be released later.

Here's more info from Redondo Beach police about Friday's robbery at Beach Cities Jewelers:

Four men entered the store while one remained outside in the getaway vehicle. They smashed display cases with a sledge hammer and put jewelry in a bag.

The store manager tried to remove one robber's ski mask. That robber punched the manager. The robbers then ran to the getaway vehicle without taking the bag full of jewelry. They drove north. Within minutes, a police officer located two robbers on foot near Juanita and Emerald avenues.

At the same time, an officer saw the getaway car speeding north on Pacific Coast Highway, and another officer saw a suspect running toward Parras Middle School.

Officers arrested the two suspects on Juanita, and a motorcycle officer caught up with the car near Beryl Street and Pacific Coast Highway, where the men abandoned the car and ran.
Police surrounded two large areas, one near Beryl and PCH and the other near Parras school.

During a six- hour search, involving three helicopters from three agencies, thirty South Bay police officers, and seven police dogs, a third suspect found hiding in a trash can in the 1100 block of Vincent Street, and a fourth suspect was captured near Beryl and PCH. The fifth man escaped.

Here's an email I received from a Hawthorne resident (she provided her name!) who didn't like the story about the hit-and-run/robbery. The subject line was "Hawthorne bashing HAS GOT TO STOP!"

"Mr. Altman.

How dare you bash Hawthorne with this kind of entry statement?

'If it was just another street robbery in Hawthorne, it would have gone largely unnoticed?'

What the hell do you think you think this kind of negative reporting does to our City?

We've lived in Hawthorne over 20 years and don't AT ALL appreciate this negative reporting.

I don't know where you live, but ANYONE who has a sense of responsible reporting DOES NOT bash the city by reporting an incident with this kind of language.  Who are you?

How dare you and how dare Daily Breeze in allowing this negative crap reporting.

Have some respect for responsible, law abiding, property tax paying, concerned citizens."

You gotta admire someone who stands up for her town. By the way, I live in the South Bay and spend a lot of my dollars and time in Hawthorne. I have nothing against the place -- or anywhere for that matter.

Four men suspected of robbing a jewelry store in Redondo Beach were arrested Friday following a lengthy search of a nearby neighborhood, police said.

 

A fifth man escaped.

 

The crime occurred shortly before 6 p.m. when a man wearing a ski mask entered Beach Cities Jewelry at 809 Torrance Blvd. and began smashing smashing display cases with a hammer, Redondo Beach police Lt. Paul Wrightsman said.

At least two other men joined him, reaching into the shattered glass cases, and pulling out jewelry and watches.

 

The store manager was hit in the head when he tried to stop them.

 

After quickly scooping up loot, the robbers ran to a getaway car that raced into a nearby neighborhood. Three men were seen running.

 

Police quickly arrested two. Officers surrounded the area and began a search that lasted into the evening. A helicopter circled overhead as officers searched on the ground.

 

One man was found hiding in a trash bin in a resident's yard.

 

The abandoned getaway car was found near Pacific Coast Highway and Carnelian Avenue.

 

Police continued searching that area, finding one man hiding in a storage area behind an apartment building. A fifth man was not found.

 

Arrested on suspicion of robbery were Deangelo Drake, 27, of Sun Valley; Bobby Walker, 23, of Los Angeles; Daron Polk, 19,  of Los Angeles, and Bryan Harris, 19, of Inglewood.

 

Officers said residents who live in homes around Redondo Union High School might find jewelry in their yards. They are asked to call the police.

 

 

Four robbers shattered the counters at a Redondo Beach jewelry store and made off with gems, triggering a Friday night search, police said.

One suspected robber was taken into custody shortly after the 4:50 p.m. holdup at Beach Cities Jewelers at 809 Torrance Blvd., police said.

The other robbers scattered in different directions. Police set up a command center at Diamond Street and Irena Avenue, and began searching the area.

No one was hurt in the crime.

Gardena High School alumni have scheduled a prayer vigil outside the campus at 6 p.m. Friday.
So far, they have confirmation of members of classes 1970 to 1991.

 "We want to show our support for our alma mater, the school administration, the student body, those involved in this week's shooting and all parents," said Lydia Boyd, class of 1989.

More information is also available on two Facebook group pages: Gardena Mohican Alumni Mixers and Gardena Mohicans.

The boy whose gun discharged in his backpack and wounded two students at Gardena High School was charged today with two counts of bringing a gun on campus, police said.

The 17-year-old will not face assault with a deadly weapon charges, Los Angeles police Lt. David McGill said.

The decision came during a meeting with the District Attorney's Office this morning. A spokeswoman with the office said she could not immediately confirm the report.

The charges stem from Tuesday's shooting when a 9mm semiautomatic handgun discharged when he set his backpack down in a classroom.

Two teenagers were wounded.

Two teenage boys arrested Wednesday on suspicion of aiding the shooting suspect will not be charged, McGill said.

District Attorney's Office statement on why charges were not filed against two Manhattan Beach police officers in alleged hit-and-run case:

"The Justice System Integrity Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has reviewed the investigation of Manhattan Beach Police Officers Eric Eccles, Serial Number 261, and Kristopher Thompson, Serial Number 289, for their involvement as passengers in the accident caused by Richard Hatten on Jan. 29, 2010.

There is no evidence that indicates Eccles and Thompson aided, abetted or encouraged Hatten's actions in leaving the scene of the accident. The Vehicle Code does not place any responsibility upon passengers to return to the scene. While the evidence that Eccles and Thompson acted as accomplices. Therefore, we are declining to file charges against these individuals."

An attorney entered a not guilty plea today in Torrance court on behalf of a Manhattan Beach police officer charged in a hit-and-run crash.

Attorney William Hadden stood in for Richard William Hatten, 36, who was not required to appear in court himself on the misdemeanor charge.

Hatten was formally charged with leaving the scene of a Jan. 31 crash that involved him and two other officers who were passengers in his car.

Hatten, 36, of Manhattan Beach was the only one charged in the crash. He is scheduled to be booked at the East Los Angeles sheriff's station either later today or Thursday.

Judge Stuart Rice ordered that can be released on his own recognizance.

Hatten's next court appearance is March 3.

Haddon declined comment.

Somebody named Kbaggett09 has posted the radio transmissions from the scene of Friday's  officer-involved shooting in Playa Vista that took the life of Reggie Doucet, a male model and personal trainer. These are on YouTube.

Here's the edited version: (it's edited for length by the poster and the date is incorrect. It should be Jan. 14.)

Rolling Hills Preparatory School officials on Friday announced they were establishing a fund in the memory of a student who took his own life Jan. 5.

The "Holding the Rope" fund will "provide resources to help students and their parents better deal with the stresses that come with being a teenager in the 21st Century," Head of School Peter McCormack said in a release.

The fund is in memory of Michael Garcia, the 17-year-old captain of the San Pedro school's football team. His death stunned his family and friends.

The "Hold the Rope" fund will provide resources for parents and students in need, a hotline for students, and training for faculty and advisers.

The fund gets its name from a speech Garcia gave in October that included the passage:

"Each and every one of us holds onto a rope...and we know that if just one of us lets go then we all go. If I am at the end of that rope...I trust that every one of my brothers will hold onto that rope and never let go, not until I am back on to solid ground with them safe and sound."

Checks can be sent to the Mike Garcia Memorial, in care of Crystal Angulo in the Development Office, Rolling Hills Prep, 1 Rolling Hills Prep Way, San Pedro, Calif. 90732.
Donations also can be made at the campus' website.

Michael's funeral was held Friday.

Police officers said they were fighting for their lives Friday when they shot and killed a naked personal trainer who had been jumping on cars and yelling on a Playa Vista street. They fought with Reginald Doucet and, according to police, shot him when one officer became dazed and battered, and Doucet went for his gun.

Doucet was unarmed, so this is a controversial one with media and the man's friends asking questions.

If you go onto YouTube, you'll find numerous videos recorded by Doucet. Many show him working out. This man was a physical specimen.

When the inevitable lawsuit is filed, it's likely Doucet's own videos will play a role in the case, at least on the police officers' side of things. This man was strong.

Here's six videos:

This email came in Friday, not long after my story posted about a Manhattan Beach police officer  being charged with hit-and-run driving. The charge comes a year after the officer and three others were placed on leave while the Sheriff's Department investigated the crash.

The letter is anonymous, with the phony email address "disgustedwiththeDB@hotmail.com."

I've thought how to respond, making a list of stories to refute this claim. I understand the anger and hostility toward me over a story I did in October about a Manhattan Beach police officers' death. But the one thing I really don't get is how anyone could think that the photo published a while back of a Hermosa Beach officer injured when he tumbled into a convertible's back seat was posted for laughs.

Here's the email:

"For going on 15 years, I have worked as a law enforcement officer in the South Bay.  I was born and raised here.  Not once have I ever received even the slightest bit of discipline, as I do my job professionally every single day.  Before making every decision, I think about my family and how my actions will affect not only my life and the lives of my family, but of the people I am dealing with.

In the course of my career, I have held many desired positions, worked several special details, received several broken bones on duty, had people die literally in my arms, seen a partner shot, seen a suspect shot, pulled broken and torn bodies from cars, homes, and every other place in between.  I've seen bloody murder scenes, suicide scenes and the aftermath of every kind of violent encounter you can think of.  And as a father, I could go the rest of my career without ever having to deal with a dead child ever again as I have dealt with enough already
.
Never in my career have I ever seen you write a good story about law enforcement.  You apparently sit back and wait for the negative to appear, then publish it into the ground.

One of three Manhattan Beach police officers put on leave following an alleged hit-and-run crash last year has been charged with leaving the scene of the accident, police said Friday.

Although police did not name him, other sources identified the officer as 36-year-old Richard Hatten. The Manhattan Beach resident is expected to appear next week at the Torrance courthouse for arraignment on the misdemeanor count of hit-and-run.

The District Attorney's Office, which has been reviewing the case for about a month, refused comment.

According to a statement from Manhattan Beach Police Chief Rod Uyeda, no other officers will be charged in connection with the Jan. 31 crash that occurred while the officers were off-duty.

A fourth officer who had been placed on leave in connection with the crash died of cancer in October.

Uyeda said he was informed of the District Attorney's Office decision this week.

"As this incident is still the subject of an internal affairs investigation, I cannot comment further on the incident, on the officers involved or on the decision reached by the District Attorney's Office," Uyeda said.

We went through our archives to see if we had any photographs of Michael Ruben Garcia, who is the subject of my story today about his suicide. Scott Varley took this shot of him in the Rolling Hills Prep locker room before a game. Scott was there to take photos of a fellow student. Michael was in the background, having his ankle taped.

His family provided us with several photographs. Because we couldn't use too many in the paper, I put the rest here. Very sad story, and not one that was easy to do. My condolences to his family.

A former police Palos Verdes Estates police officer accused of stealing $19,200 from his fellow officers' union pleaded guilty Wednesday to a lesser charge, authorities said.

Alex Ghazarian, 33, was immediately sentenced in Los Angeles Superior Court to two years probation and 100 hours of community service. He must pay a $100 fine and make a $1,000 donation to the Hollenbeck Youth Center in Los Angeles, the District Attorney's Office said.

Ghazarian allegedly stole the money while serving as the Palos Verdes Estates Police Officers Association's treasurer in 2008, police said. He repaid the money, prosecutors said.

Ghazarian, who had faced up to three years in prison, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of refusal to make book entry or posting of notice required by law.

Prosecutors dismissed charges of grand theft of personal property and embezzlement by a public officer in exchange for his plea.

Ghazarian has resigned from the force.

I got a phone call earlier today from a Torrance business owner who suffered a tremendous monetary loss overnight.

Thieves broke into his business, South Bay Spas at 3691 Pacific Coast Highway, and made off with three large hot tubs, each worth $4,000. They also took several motors, each worth about $900.

He was not insured for those.

The spas and motors were in the patio area of his business behind a locked wrought-iron fence. He figured that someone had to see something, since it would require quite a few men and a huge truck to cart those things away. It could not have been done quickly.

It occurred sometime between 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday.

If you saw anything, contact the Torrance Police Department at 310-328-3456.

And no, he was not insured for the lost merchandise.

A 45-year-old ex-convict was charged today with sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl at knifepoint in a Redondo Union High School restroom, prosecutors said.

Sylvester Gene Rawls of Long Beach is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon at the Torrance courthouse, Deputy District Attorney Christi Frey said in a statement.

Rawls faces two felony counts of forcible oral copulation with the special allegation that he personally used a deadly weapon, a knife.

Rawls allegedly attacked the girl in a restroom on Aug. 28, 2003 while she attended a school event.

Police recovered semen from inside a toilet. They obtained a match in December that identified Rawls, prosecutors said.

Rawls provided a DNA sample in 2006 after he served a federal prison sentence for conspiracy to manufacture PCP.

If convicted, he faces up to life in prison. Rawl, who was arrested on Monday, is held on $2 million bail.

A Lawndale man was charged Tuesday with killing his girlfriend just weeks after she gave birth to their child, authorities said.

Tymarc Daimarque Warren, 25, faces one count of murder in the stabbing death of Eileen Garnreiter, a former El Camino College softball player.

The crime occurred shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday in the 4100 block of Rosecrans Avenue.
Deputy District Attorney Christi Frey said Warren appeared in Torrance court Tuesday afternoon, but his arraignment was postponed until Feb. 3.

Detectives said Warren grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed his 22-year-old girlfriend during argument.

Friends told the Daily Breeze on Tuesday that Garnreiter was breaking up with him and had been verbally and physically abusive to her.

Warren was the father of Garnreiter's daughter, friends said.

He is held in county jail on $1 million bail.

I went to the Torrance courthouse today to cover a hearing on a major South Bay case.

A Long Beach man was arrested Monday on suspicion of sexually assaulting a Redondo Union High School student in a girl's gym restroom in 2003, police said.

Sylvester Gene Rawls, 45, of Long Beach was tied to the crime with DNA evidence recovered from the restroom, Redondo Beach police Lt. Joe Hoffman said.

At the time, police used a turkey baster to recover semen from the water in a toilet, officers said.

Detectives linked Rawls to the crime last week. Rawls had been required to supply his DNA during a previous conviction, police said.

The crime occurred Aug. 28, 2003, when the student went to use the restroom while participating with 30 other girls in a campus-sponsored after-school event.

The girl told police she believed the man was hiding in a stall adjacent to hers when she entered between 2:15 and 2:30 p.m.

Police worked for years to try to find the assailant, releasing a sketch to the public in the hope someone could identify him. Cold case detectives reviewed the original case and ultimately matched his DNA.

Rawls record includes a 1996 federal arrest and conviction for manufacturing PCP, Hoffman said.

He was released from prison in 2001 and placed on probation. When his probation sentence ended in May 2006, Rawls was required to submit a sample of his DNA.

The back log of specimens in a federal laboratory took several years to examine.
Once cold case detectives learned of the match, they worked to find Rawls. An arrest warrant was obtained early Monday. A team of detectives located Rawls in Long Beach.

Hoffman said detectives had never stopped trying to solve the crime.

"I'm just really happy we were able to make an arrest in this thing," Hoffman said. "When it happened, it was really shocking in this community."

Rawls was booked on suspicion of sexual assault at the Redondo Beach jail and is being held on $250,000 bail.

He is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

The Sheriff's Department issued this statement today on something that's obviously pretty horrible. They are specifically asking for the person who provided them with the video to contact them. The complete bulletin is here: Sheriffsdepartmentbulletin.pdf.

Here's the statement:

SPECIAL VICTIMS BUREAU DETECTIVES SEEK TO IDENTIFY
MULTIPLE SEXUAL ASSAULT SUSPECTS SEEN ON VIDEO.

Detectives are seeking the public's assistance in identifying at least four male suspects who are suspected of being involved in the sexual assaults of at least 10 women who appear to be severely disabled.

The Sheriff's Department recently acquired a computer hard drive from an anonymous source. It contains over 100 hours of video of a sequence of at least 10 female adult victims being sexually assaulted by at least eight men.

There are several locations depicted but at least one location appears to be a residential care facility. All of the victims appear to be severely disabled.

The extremely disturbing videos are not being released to the public, but photos from portions of the video are being released in an effort to identify some of the suspects and at least one room depicted. Composite drawings of four of the suspects have been made based upon video images, in order to help identify them.

Images of the victims are not being released.

It is not yet known who the suspects or victims are, or where and when these sexual assaults occurred. Investigators are seeking the public's assistance to help.

Please contact the Special Victims Bureau at their special toll free hotline at (866) 247-5877 as soon as possible.

"Detectives from the Special Victims Bureau are concerned that these sexual assaults might still be occurring, said Sgt. Dan Scott.. "The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department welcomes information that can lead to stopping these criminals," he said.

A special request comes from detectives to the anonymous person who sent us the video: Please use Crimestoppers, a totally anonymous communication system, to contact us.
We would very much like to ask you a few important questions about how these videos were acquired and where they came from. You have already been a great help by giving us the videos but we need more help to be able to find the victims. We are concerned they are still being abused and want to find them and ensure they are safe.

Information can be provided anonymously, by calling Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477), or by texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637) or by accessing the Crime Stoppers website at www.lacrimestoppers.org.

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At a news conference today, according to City News Service, Sgt. Dan Scott, who has seen it all at the Special Victims Unit, Sgt. Dan Scott described this horrible attack that appeared to have been carried out by an attacker who was a paraplegic in some type of hospital or care facility.

"When he wheeled himself the room, he used his arms to hoist himself onto the bed," Scott said. "He removed his diaper. He removed the diaper of the victim. He engaged her in sexual activity, sexual assault. He then hoisted himself onto the floor, scooted across the floor, out the doorway and disappeared from the camera's view."

A Lancaster man was shot to death in an apparently gang-related attack in Inglewood, police said Thursday.

Douglas Demetrius Bland, 26, died at a hospital shortly after the 1:45 p.m. Tuesday shooting in the 10900 block of South Crenshaw Boulevard, Inglewood police Lt. Oscar Serrano said.

Witnesses told police they heard an argument moments before the shooting. They heard several shots and saw a group of men run west across Crenshaw.

The victim, who was hit multiple times, collapsed on the sidewalk.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact Inglewood police at 310-412-5246, or the 24-hour anonymous hotline, 888-41-CRIME.

Here's a few things from Redondo Beach's significant events report of stuff officers had to deal with after midnight Jan. 1:

• At 1:13 a.m., police received a call of a group fighting near Carnelian Street and Catalina Avenue. A man hit a woman during an argument, so nearby residents went to her aid, grabbed the man and hit him. Police arrested him.

• Four minutes later, police were sent to a group fighting outside Brixton's night club at the Redondo Beach pier.
  
  During the fight, one man shattered a beer bottle on another man's face, causing deep cuts. Police arrested three people.
  

• At 2:41 a.m., a female pedestrian was trying to convince a cab driver to allow her and her friends into a cab outside the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The cab driver declined because of the amount of passengers.
  
  The pedestrian leaned into the driver's side window, when the cab driver drove away, dragging the woman 10 feet until she fell to the ground. Police are investigating the hit and run.
  

• Just before 3 a.m., police went to a fight in the 500 block of Avenue C. Officers found nothing when they arrived, but knocked on a door. A man with blood streaming down his face answered. He'd been hit with a glass smoking pipe. The suspect was arrested.

A man with a gun found slumped over on a jetty in Playa del Rey Tuesday afternoon was drunk, police said today.

At first, police did not know whether the man was dead or alive when he was spotted about 4:30 p.m. near Pacific Avenue and 62nd Street.

He did not respond to them.

Police closed off the area and called in SWAT officers to handle the call.

It turned out he was alive, but had been drinking heavily. He was taken to jail.

Police have closed off the area near Pacific Avenue and 62nd Street in Playa del Rey, where a man with a gun is sitting slumped over on a jetty.

The man was noticed about 4:30 p.m. and has not responded to shouts from officers, police said.

They do not know if he is dead or alive.

Officers have called for a special weapons team to handle the call. 

If you read the comments under my story about Jimi Norberg,  you'll notice he inspired many people by doing what's right.

Jimi is the young man who found a wallet on the ground outside a Wendy's restaurant in Hawthorne a couple weeks ago and turned it over to police, who contacted the owners and returned it.

They were suffering their own financial difficulties, and losing the money in the wallet would have hurt. (It would hurt anyone.)

Jimi had no idea the wallet contained $3,000 until I told him. He chose not to look. Imagine if somebody else not so reputable had found it.

When I interviewed Jimi, I asked him why he chose not to take the money. He started to cry as he spoke, talking about being a role model for his daughter. He had me tearing up.

I told him he was the greatest person I had ever interviewed. I meant it. I left work in a terrific mood that day, honored to have spoken to such a fine man. It was the perfect story to end my year.

A number of commenters on our website suggested we do more stories like this. You know, stories about positive things.

We actually do more positive stories than you imagine. If you really examined things, you'd see the stories in the paper and website. They sometimes go unnoticed in between all the murders and celebrity garbage that regularly make it into our Top 10 most popular stories.

In the same New Year's Day edition, my colleague Douglas Morino wrote about a Hawthorne man winning Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest's championship ring in a raffle. Artest raised more than $600,000 for mental health organizations. Positive news all around.

My story and Doug's story have remained in our Top 10 for two days. That's a positive sign that people are choosing to read the good news.

As far as the Jimi story goes, kudos to Lt. Gary Tomatani at the Hawthorne Police Department for telling me about it. He didn't know the back stories on Jimi or the Valero family that lost the money, but he asked me during a phone call if I wanted a "good news" story.

He told me someone had found a wallet full of money and returned it. He was expecting the owners to arrive later that day at the police station to retrieve it.

Yes, I said, knowing there was a wonderful story to tell. The lieutenant provided me with contact information for the people involved and I took it from there. I interviewed David Valero and Jimi on the phone and arranged to meet both of them for photos. (We couldn't get them together for one shot.)

I wrote the story up, but it was held to run on Saturday.

Many of you have said some nice things about Jimi. He deserves it. (It is kind of amazing that he did what was right and everybody is surprised, but that's a subject for another day.) I've also received some e-mails from readers and I might have more info for an update in the coming days. We'll see. (An envelope did arrive at the Breeze today and I'll be dropping it in the mail to Jimi tomorrow. Yes, Jimi, it contains a check.)

Jimi, by the way, was greeted as a hero when he went to work at SpaceX on Sunday. Well deserved.