June 2010 Archives

Police and coroners investigators were looking into an apparent suicide at Houghton Park Wednesday morning.
Long Beach Police were called to the North Long Beach park, which sits at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and East Harding Street, at about 5 a.m. after a resident found the body of a young male, said Officer Israel Ramirez, an LBPD spokesman.
It looked as though the victim hung himself, Ramirez said.
Homicide investigators were called to the scene as a point of procedure, the officer said.
"At this point it appears to be a suicide, there doesn't appear to be anything suspicious," Ramirez said.
Police also notified the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, which will determine the cause of death, Ramirez said.
The victim's name was withheld pending identification and notification of family.

LONG BEACH -- The case of three gang members, one an adult and two teens, charged with the murder of a California Highway Patrol officer's son in 2008 went to the jury Thursday morning.
Defendants Glenn Martin Cox, Christopher Weddle, and Desmond Weddle are each charged with one count of murder for the Jan. 1, 2008, slaying of Jonathan Fernandez, who was shot at point-blank range in the head in the backyard of a duplex near 19th Street and Pine Avenue.
Fernandez was not the only person hit by gunfire at the New Year's party. Three others were maimed, including one woman critically wounded when a bullet struck her in the head, but survived.
Attempted murder counts were added to the charge for each of the surviving victims.
The suspects were tracked to three different cities within a week of the shooting and all three are documented gang members, according to former Police Chief Anthony Batts.
Cox, who was 21 at the time of the killing, is from Compton. Christopher Weddle, who was 17 back in 2008, was found in Victorville and Desmond Weddle, then 15, was arrested in Long Beach.
Though Christopher Weddle and Desmond Weddle were minors at the time they are being tried as adults.
Batts described the 25-year-old's killing as a tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"You always worry about your kids, if they're going to be at the wrong place at the wrong time," the chief said in 2008, "and unfortunately that's what happened in our city."
Batts also credited one of the surviving victims, a 20-year-old male who lives at the duplex where the shooting occurred, with trying to stop the shooting.
That victim told the Press-Telegram he was shot a second time in the lower back after he chased after the suspects, grabbing one of the accomplices.
The shooting began a few minutes after midnight after the gunman crept through the gate of a neighboring property and took aim from behind a 4-foot-tall fence, reaching over the fence with a handgun and pulling the trigger, police said.
All three defendants face the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted on all counts.
Jury deliberations are scheduled to resume today.

DOWNEY -- Thirty small dogs from the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority shelter in Downey and an SPCA shelter in Central California will head for the Great White North Friday in hopes of finding homes.
The pups will be flown from the Long Beach Airport to Alberta, Canada, where they
will be taken to the Edmonton Humane Society.
Aaron Reyes, director of operations for SEAACA, said the trip was being made possible
through a donation from Jan Folk, the owner of a company called Orange Dog.
"She is a wonderful woman who truly wants to help shelter animals that so desperately
seek a second chance at a new home," Reyes said. "Who would have thought we'd be
shipping our dogs out of the country to find them their new family?"
Reyes said the transport program is part of a program called California Canine
Cuties.
"We are all full in Southern California, yet the intake door just keeps swinging," he
said. "These transports truly save lives, and we are so grateful to the kind souls
like Mrs. Jan Folk who make these flights happen."

LONG BEACH -- A recent round of promotions at the Long Beach Fire Department has brought new members to the command staff that serves the department's new fire chief.
Long Beach Fire Chief Alan Patalano was selected for the top job last month. As of Thursday, three fire department members were promoted to the upper echelon of the department:
Deputy Chief of Operations Mike Sarjeant,
Assistant Chief of Operations Mike DuRee,
Assistant Chief of Support Services Chris Albers.
The trio joins Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention Jeff Reeb and Deputy Chief of Support Services Mike Garcia.
Sarjeant and DuRee both recently served as Battalion Chief 3 on different shifts and they are both replacing retiring members of the Long Beach Fire Department, said Capt. Jackawa Jackson, a fire department spokesman.
Albers was under-filling as a Battalion Chief in the Support Services Division and filling in as director training. His promotion will see him remain in the same department but with the higher rank, Jackson explained.
Exams to fill the two vacant battalion chief positions are expected sometime in the near future, the captain said.
Like the three men promoted Thursday, Patalano also promoted from within the department where he has served for more than 20 years.
The chief's most recent assignment was that of deputy chiefs, and Patalano had been running the department with the help of the other two deputy chiefs since former Fire Chief Dave Ellis' retirement last year.
"I don't envision any really sweeping changes," Patalano told the Press-Telegram at the time of his promotion. "I'm lucky to work with a department that is very efficient and very good about finding alternatives, especially with the current budget issues."

Looking for a good excuse to enjoy a frosty milkshake or a cheese burger?
Look no further than Ruby's Diner in Long Beach because today you can indulge your cravings while contributing to charity.
Long Beach Firefighters will be working the counter, all on donated time, at Ruby's all day today and through Saturday for the "Half-way to Christmas fund-raiser."
All patrons who print out and bring a copy of the even flyer will have 20 percent of the cost of their meal donated to the annual "Spark of Love Toy Drive."
The event began Monday and will end Saturday. Starting today and through Saturday members of Fire Station #8 will volunteer, helping out with meal service and whatever else is needed from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Those who bring in a new unwrapped toy will get a free milkshake with their meal purchase.
Ruby's is located 6405 E. Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach, on the corner of PCH and Second Street next to the Market Place Mall.
Make sure to click on the link for a copy of the flyer, http://www.lbfdtraining.com/sparkoflove/fundraiser.html

LONG BEACH -- Long Beach Firefighters pulled a 55-year-old man from the mangled remains of a car Tuesday after he lost control of the vehicle and smashed into a power pole in North Long Beach.
Long Beach Fire Truck 11 was first on scene just before 11 a.m. and found the driver of the car trapped in his small sedan near the corner of Del Amo Boulevard and Virginia Avenue, said LBFD Capt. Jackawa Jackson.
The driver was pinned inside his car with the driver's side door taking the brunt of the impact. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to cut the man free within 10 minutes, Jackson said.
The driver, who was not identified, was taken to a local hospital in moderate distress, Jackson said.
"Fortunately the power pole remained upright and there did not appear to be any loss of power to local homes or businesses," Jackson said.
It was not clear what caused the single-car crash and the incident is being investigated by the Long Beach Police Department Accident Investigations Detail.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Accident Investigations at 562-570-7355.

LONG BEACH -- The legal battle is getting ugly between a local man, once dubbed a hero for wrestling an armed robber to the ground, and the bank where the crime occurred.
Long Beach resident Rich Camp made headlines across the Southland when he took on the suspected and long-sought-after "Sport Bike Bank" during a take-over robbery at the F&M Bank on Bellflower Boulevard at 23rd Street on March 5.
Camp was able to subdue the gunman, but was hit by gunfire as the suspect flailed wildly. Also struck by the gunfire was the suspect and two other customers.
Camp and his Irvine-based attorney, Eric Dubin, announced on March 18 that Camp had filed suit against the bank after its only response was to send flowers and offer to buy him lunch.
F&M President Daniel Walker defended the bank's actions at that time, saying the flowers were an immediate gesture he personally ordered for all of the customers hurt that day as well as all the bank employees.
The luncheon was something Walker personally set up so that he and the rest of the bank's executive officers - there are four total - could meet with Camp, thank him in person and hear his story before deciding what to do next, Walker said.
Camp responded by hiring a lawyer, Walker added.
Camp and Dubin have hit back hard, launching a media blitz Monday that included talking to national TV networks and newspapers about an amendment to the suit that now alleges the bank and Walker, as well as other bank employees, have defamed Camp.
That included the release of surveillance stills Camp was able to get from the bank as part of the legal process which show Camp tackling suspected robber Robert Gordon Lockwood, 51, of Long Beach, who is awaiting trial in federal court.
F&M representatives declined comment Monday, citing the on-going litigation.
In the amended law suit, filed last week, Camp alleges the bank launched a smear campaign against him to destroy his image in the public, which had largely considered him a hero for thwarting the armed-robber.
The amended suit charges bank representatives lied when they told media outlets the bank offered to pay all Camp's medical bills and yet Camp insisted on suing.
That led to a massive backlash, with Camp branded "a loser," and "greedy", the suit states, noting that a Google search of Camp's name turns up page after page of negative responses.
"Rich is literally a meat and potatoes, hard-working American boy," Dubin said Monday. "It's really him him where it hurts. He doesn't understand, and I don't understand, whey thy they won't just pay his medical bills."
The filing goes on to accuse the bank of offering only $10,000 toward Camp's $75,000 in medical bills earlier this month and telling Camp he had to write a letter to the Press-Telegram -- which broke the story of the lawsuit -- taking responsibility for the shooting.
"(Mr. Camp's) apology will be in the form of a letter to the editor of the Long Beach Press-Telegram signed by him, the gist of which will be:
-- (Mr. Camp) acknowledges that F&M has done nothing to endanger him or any other customer.
-- (Mr. Camp) acknowledges that F&M (Bank's) design and security procedures comply with industry standards.
-- (Mr. Camp acknowledges that he made a mistake by suing F&M and apologizes for doing so.
Once he agrees to the forgoing we can talk about other aspects of the case."
Such a letter would not only be a lie, but an act of public humiliation, Dubin said Monday.
"It would have been 'Go pull your pants down and we'll spank you in public,'" Dubin said.
Dubin said Camp actually requested less than his total medical bills, and the response from F&M was, "it (the $10,000 offer...) is a 'take it or leave it' proposal and is surprisingly magnanimous for someone who got himself and two other people shot."
The suit alleges the bank told Camp to "cut his losses" and accept the $10,000 and sign the letter.
"The bank states: 'Depending on how pumped up (Dubin) got (Camp) with all the Robert Blake nostalgia, it might be a disappointment to him but he would be well advised to cut his losses."
The amended filing now supersedes the original suit, but still charges that the bank failed to protect Camp and the other customers and employees.
At the time of the original filing, Dubin said many of the bank's tellers were terrified to go to work because of the "absolute failure of the bank to provide any real security for their patrons and employees during this serial rash of violent bank robberies in the Long Beach area."
The previous robberies were detailed in an FBI press release issued in February when authorities asked for the public's help in stopping the "Sport Bike Bandit," who was nicknamed for his use of a sport motorcycle and riding gear during a two-year crime spree, Dubin noted.
In the release, the FBI said the armed and dangerous suspect had hit at least seven banks in cities such as Long Beach, Los Alamitos, Rancho Palos Verdes and Pasadena. In at least one of those crimes, the suspect temporarily held a woman hostage.
Dubin said in March that Camp was facing "at least a year of surgery, rehabilitation and very likely will be disabled for the rest of his life."
He noted Camp had a wife and baby at home and was self-employed as a general contractor and could not work.
On Monday, Dubin said Camp had the bullet that was lodged in his leg removed but suffered a serious infection and has at least two more months of physical therapy ahead of him.
"He's a one man general contractor and he can't work, he can't climb a ladder with power tools if his knee is giving out," Dubin said.
"We're hoping he'll be able to bounce back," Dubin added. "It's killing him the pressure he's putting on his wife."
Camp and Dubin said back in March that when Camp asked about a reward he was told he did not qualify for one. When he later heard from the bank it was to offer to buy him lunch, they said.
He was also told he "could bring his wife along if he wished," Dubin said.
The bank, under state law, had a duty to provide a safe environment in light of the rash of armed robberies and "clearly failed to do so," Dubin charged.
While Walker was unable to address specific issues in the original lawsuit in March, including accusations that the security officers failed in their duties, Walker did say the accusation that the bank failed to acknowledge Camp's efforts was untrue.
"In (Camp's) eyes he risked his life, which we didn't want him to do and don't want anyone to do, and the bank just ignored him completely? That would be a sad day," Walker said.
F&M acknowledged Camp and wanted to work with him, Walker insisted.
Walker also said the bank, in the event of a crime, has been counseled by the Long Beach Police Department to "let the fight go outside of the bank, which is what happens 99 percent of the time."
"We're truly sorry that he was injured as well as (the other customers)," Walker added.
If Camp were to change his mind about the luncheon Walker would gladly meet him and shake his hand, the bank president said.
"It isn't a personal issue for me," Walker said.

LONG BEACH -- Long Beach Police Commander Jay Johnson will trade his LBPD bars for Newport Beach stars as the Orange County city's newest Chief of Police.
Johnson, one of five internal candidates who competed for the chief of police job in Long Beach last year, found out officially that he had earned the highly coveted post Monday morning.
"I've done a tremendous amount of research on the city of Newport Beach, its leadership, city manager, and the police department. The more I researched the more impressed I became with every aspect of the city," Johnson said Monday. "It is exceptionally well run .. and its police department is outstanding. They have a great community with one of the highest levels of support for their police department I've seen anywhere."
The more than 23-year veteran of the force was recently assigned to the LBPD's Emergency Operations Division after serving as commander of the LBPD's South Division since his promotion to commander in 2004.
And his departure marks the third from the LBPD command staff this year, with former Cmdr. Jorge Cisneros taking a job as chief of the Huntington Park Police Department and former Cmdr. Gary Morrison now serving as chief of the Carlsbad Police Department.
Cisneros was also among the group of internal candidates who applied for the LBPD Chief job.
Chief Jim McDonnell, who served more than 25 years with the Los Angeles Police Department, was named Long Beach's 25th chief of police in February.
Johnson said the decision to hire from outside for the LBPD chief's post did not factor into his move to Newport Beach, noting he was aware of the Newport Beach job well before former Long Beach Chief Anthony Batts announced his departure for Oakland last fall.
"I would have been content staying a commander in Long Beach and working for Chief McDonnell and a great command staff, except for that other Commander Johnson, the rest of my career," he said, adding a light-hearted dig for his brother, Cmdr. Jeff Johnson, who oversees the LBPD Training Division.
"I see the Newport chief position as a once in a lifetime opportunity," he added. "I can't begin to express how happy and honored I am to be able to work with the men and women of the NBPD."
The move to Newport Beach was a competitive one with Johnson beating candidates from across the country, said Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff.
"Commander Johnson went through a rigorous recruitment process, including at least five separate interviews," Kiff said. "In each phase of the process, Commander Johnson stood out as a candidate with great integrity, professionalism, diverse experience, a strong education and an excellent sense of our community."
Johnson's hiring marks the second time in less than a decade that the Newport Beach Police Department has seen something they liked in LBPD leadership, with Johnson taking over the top post from former LBPD Chief Robert Luman, who served as interim chief in Newport after retiring from Long Beach in 2006.
Johnson's start date is July 3. Luman's last official day at work is June 30.
Johnson's annual salary in Newport will be $204,500, subject to a payroll deduction for CalPERS pension costs that all NBPD safety staff face following their most recent round of contract negotiations with the city, Kiff said.
Johnson, who has been recognized for outstanding service and work performance more than 75 times during the past two decades, started his career with Long Beach in 1987.
During his tenure with the LBPD Johnson's assignments included Patrol - where he worked as a patrol officer and a field training officer - the Narcotics Enforcement Team, Felony Detail, Gang Enforcement, Community Policing Team and Special Enforcement Section.
Johnson's career also includes 12 years on the SWAT team in the roles of team member, team leader, tactical sergeant and lieutenant.
Though the cities are very different in size and demographics, Johnson said he still expects challenges in his new job particularly with the universal problem facing all cities -- shrinking budgets.
"Even with the outstanding leadership and sound fiscal management that exist in Newport Beach, when there is less money coming in we need to find creative ways to tighten the belt while continuing to provide the best service possible to the community," he said.
The married father of three children no doubt will draw on his educational background, which includes a master's degree in public administration from Cal State Long Beach, when dealing with some of those issues.
Johnson is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and comes from a family of Long Beach Police officers, with two brothers and a cousin who have all served on the force.
His life-long service to the city and remaining family ties made for a tough decision when he put in for the Newport job, Johnson admitted.
But Newport Beach was also a department he had considered when applying as rookie more than 23 years ago and its close proximity to his family's Orange County home makes for a good fit.
"This is a dream job," Johnson said. "Just don't pinch me until it's over."

LONG BEACH -- Sentencing was postponed Monday in the case of a 42-year-old Long Beach convicted in the beating and slashing death of a 70-year-old cancer patient.
Andrew Felton Odom is now scheduled to be sentenced on July 8 for the 2008 murder of Rita Wiley. A hearing will also be held that day to determine whether Odom's prior convictions can be factored into his sentence.
Odom was convicted last month for the killing of Wiley, a woman who was described as a second mother to the defendant.
Her body was found in the back yard of her Long Beach home late on Aug. 21, 2008, by her friend and roommate, Sandra Patterson.
Patterson said Wiley and Odom may have had a falling out when Wiley refused to let Odom use her car the night of her death.
Police arrested Odom for Wiley's slaying shortly after Patterson made the gruesome discovery and Odom has remained in custody since that time.
The 42-year-old defendant is facing the possibility of life in prison when he returns to the Long Beach Superior Court next month.
tracy.manzer@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1261.

NORWALK -- Jury selection has been postponed yet again in the sanity phase of a murder trial for a 26-year-old Lakewood woman convicted last year of the slashing death of one neighbor and the attempted murders of three others.
Virginia Krall was found guilty on Aug. 14, 2009, of one count of murder for the death of Yolanda Meraz, 37, and three counts of attempted murder for the slashings of Meraz's daughter, sister and mother.
The defendant was also convicted of multiple allegations that the attack on the survivors resulted in great bodily injury and required the personal use of a weapon.
The same jury deadlocked during the sanity phase of the trial, which was held to determine whether Krall should serve her sentence in a mental facility or a prison.
Authorities said Krall crept through an open window at her neighbors' home in the 4300 block of Quigley Avenue at about 3 a.m. on June 16, 2006.
After stabbing Meraz, Krall turned the 12-inch knife -- which she took from Meraz's kitchen -- on the dead woman's 18-year-old daughter, the victim's sister and the victim's mother, according to authorities.
Meraz was stabbed 30 times, according to a coroner's investigator.
The prosecutor argued the killing and attempted killings were calculated attacks, noting that Krall waited until the "dark of night" to sneak through an open window, that she looked in the victims' kitchen and found "the biggest knife" they had and that Krall then turned off what lights were still on to make it more difficult for the victims to get away.
The defense argued there was no doubt his client killed Meraz and attacked the other women, but his client's mental state - hampered by what he called mental illness and psychosis and the use of drugs - made it impossible to find Krall guilty of first-degree murder.
The defendant, who was 22 at the time of the slaying, entered two pleas; not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.
After the jury found her guilty of murder and attempted murder they were reconvened to determine her sanity at the time of the crime and ended up hopelessly deadlocked.
A new sanity phase was scheduled to begin at the Norwalk Superior Court Monday, but it was postponed during a motion's hearing held in Dept. K Friday.
The case has been turned over to a new prosecutor and it is now scheduled to begin July 16.
Krall remains in jail in lieu of $2.7 million bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Inmate Information Center.

LONG BEACH -- Sheriff's deputies called to carry out an eviction in the East Village area made a surprising discovery Wednesday.
Long Beach police officers were called to assist the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department after deputies were sent to a residence in the 800 block of East Fourth Street at about 11:30 a.m. and found a large amount of marijuana, said Lisa Massacani, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Responding LBPD officers also found a gun, Massacani said.
Arrested was Roy Lance Young, 45, of Long Beach.
He is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at the Long Beach Superior Court and was being held in the Long Beach City Jail in lieu of $30,521, according to his booking information.
The investigation into the drug find is ongoing, Massacani said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Narcotics Detail at 562-570-7221.

LONG BEACH -- Police are investigating the shooting of a 21-year-old Long Beach man in North Long Beach late Wednesday.
Long Beach Police Department officers were called to the 6600 block of Orange Avenue at about 9:44 p.m. and found the victim, who was hit in the torso, said Lisa Massacani, a police department spokeswoman.
The victim was taken by Long Beach Fire Department paramedics to a local hospital and is expected to survive, according to police.
A notification put out by the Chief of Police's Office said the victim was shot once after he was confronted by the suspect.
The suspect, described only as an adult male black, fled on foot and remained at large Thursday, Massacani said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Gang Detail at 562-570-7370.

NORWALK -- More details emerged Thursday about a 20-year-old man who pleaded no contest this week to a robbery outside a Norwalk liquor store in which he used a toddler as a human shield.
Jeremy Louis Gallegos entered the plea to two counts - second-degree robbery and child abuse - Tuesday at the Norwalk Superior Court and was promptly sentenced to eight years in state prison, said Jane Robison, a Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman.
The charge stemmed from an Oct. 28, 2009, holdup which was captured on surveillance video at the liquor store.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigators based out of Norwalk were able to get an identification of Gallegos from the video footage, which was released to the public.
Gallegos was eventually found in La Mirada and arrested Nov. 19, according to deputies.
Authorities said Gallegos was baby-sitting the 3-year-old, the son of his then girlfriend, when he decided to carry out the armed robbery. The child was not hurt, sheriff's officials said at the time of the crime.
Though initial reports listed the robbery at the liquor store, a prosecutor clarified Thursday that the crime took place outside the business after a customer walked out of the store and Gallegos confronted him, demanding cash.
Gallegos was arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and felony child abuse based on the victim telling investigators the suspect lifted his shirt and gestured at what looked to be the butt of a gun in his waistband with one hand while holding the child in the other hand, Robison said.
The suspect was able to get $35 cash and two beers from the victim, she said.
Because the prosecution could not prove without a doubt that a weapon was used the gun allegation was dropped from the charge, Robison explained.
The case came abruptly to a close Tuesday with Gallegos opting to plead no contest to the second degree robbery and felony child abuse counts rather than go to trial. He was immediately remanded to state custody and given credit for the time served since his November arrest, court staff said.

[BYNAME]By Tracy Manzer
<MC>Staff Writer
[BODY]LONG BEACH -- A tentative trial date was scheduled Tuesday for a Belmont Shore man accused of gunning down a neighbor in 2008 as the two clashed just outside a popular sports bar and pool hall.
Tuesday's court appearance marked the first for the defendant, Stanley Sunghoon Park, 38, since Park was released on $2 million bail May 1.
He was ordered to return to the Long Beach Superior Court on Sept. 29 for a pre-trial hearing, with the trial date set to begin within 30 days of that date, court staff said.
Park is charged with gunning down Michael Martoni, 36, of Belmont Shore on Dec. 4, 2008.
Witnesses said Park shot Martoni twice after the two men got into an alcohol- fueled argument outside Yankee Doodles, 4100 E. Ocean Blvd., around closing time.
It was also mere steps from where both men lived in the beach community.
Park's attorney, Henry Salcido, said the shooting was in self-defense after the much larger Martoni attacked Park, striking the defendant in the face.
Park faces the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted on all counts.

A former Long Beach police officer in court last week on a charge of felony weapons violations, including possession of assault weapons and misdemeanor vandalism, was ordered to return to court next week.
Matthew Gjersvold, 43, appeared at the Long Beach Superior Court for a pitchess hearing on Friday, June 11. That matter was delayed until June 25, according to court staff.
In the meantime, the defendant remains in jail in lieu of $1,036,000.
Gjersvold - who was dismissed from the LBPD in November of 2008 - was arrested by the Long Beach Police Department on March 1 in Cypress after the police department received a complaint of vandalism and launched an investigation, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
He was initially booked on $40,000 bail and, after posting bond, appeared out of custody at the Long Beach Superior Court on March 12 for his arraignment, Pratt said.
"Additional information came forward at court and he was charged with (the weapons violations) and remanded to custody," Pratt said.
That is when Gjersvold's bail was hiked to $3 million, which was later lowered following a court appearance earlier this year.
The current case against Gjersvold is not his first run-in with the law since his 2008 dismissal.
Court records show he was charged in December of 2008 with three counts of drunk driving: one count for driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol and two counts of driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 percent or greater. The first count was dismissed, but the latter two counts resulted in a conviction on Feb. 10, 2009.
Court records also show that earlier this year the court ordered the former veteran officer to undergo a mental health screening, which found him fit for trial.
Upon Gjersvold's March 1 arrest he was booked into the Signal Hill Jail due to his status as a former Long Beach police officer and also because he has a relative who works for the LBPD.
At the time of his second arrest he was taken into custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at the Long Beach Courthouse.

LONG BEACH -- The trial for a 59-year-old man accused in the 2006 murder of a former Denver disc jockey whose remains were found off the coast of Catalina Island has been postponed again.
Harvey Morrow is charged with first-degree murder and an enhancement that alleges the slaying was carried out for profit.
Morrow was a close friend of the victim, Steven B. Williams. In the years before Williams' killing, the two men had planned to sail the world on Morrow's 69-foot boat, authorities allege.
At the time of Morrow's arrest and extradition from Great Falls, Mont., to Long Beach, Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators said it was an argument over money that spurred Morrow to deadly violence.
"There was approximately $1.9 million missing from Steven's account. We know that money went into Harvey Morrow's account."
"Steven talked to a close friend the night before and told the friend he was going to confront Harvey Morrow and tell him that he wanted his money back," said Homicide Lt. Al Grotefend.
"We believe that's what caused the actual confrontation which resulted in this murder."
Sheriff's investigators said there are no eyewitnesses and no murder weapon was ever found.
An autopsy determined that the cause of death was a gunshot wound in Williams' head, but the coroner's examiner testified earlier this week that the wound could have possibly been self-inflicted, or suicide, or murder; there is no way to know for certain.
The defense argued both those factors as reasons to dismiss the charge against Morrow during his January, 2009, preliminary hearing Friday.
The court, however, ruled there was sufficient evidence to try Morrow in the slaying.
The victim's death made headlines in several states across the country due in large part to Williams' career as a disc jockey in Denver.
"Steven B," as he was known on the air, was half of the popular "Steven B and the Hawk" morning show on KBPI in the 1980s.
A new trial date was scheduled to be set Tuesday and was tentatively set for July 22 at the Long Beach Superior Court.
Morrow has remained in jail without bail since his November, 2006, arrest. 

LONG BEACH -- A pre-trial hearing scheduled last week for the 62-year-old former head of the state's largest mental health facility accused of molesting his adopted son for more than a decade was held, but no trial date has been selected.
The 35 felony count charge against Claude Edward Foulk Jr. includes 22 counts of forcible oral copulation, 11 counts of sodomy by use of force and two counts of forcible lewd act on a child, all pertaining to Jonathan F., one of Foulk's two adopted sons.
Foulk - the former head of Napa State Hospital - was ordered earlier this year to stand trial following testimony from his son, now 26, who testified that he was repeatedly sexually abused by Foulk after he was adopted at the age of 9.
The court also heard from one of Foulk's many foster children and a former friend of a foster child, both of whom testified that Foulk molested them and one of whom said he could name dozens of other victims.
Police and prosecutors have interviewed more than dozen potential victims, all of them either foster children or friends of children put in Foulk's charge while he lived in Long Beach, but none of their cases meet the statute of limitations, authorities said.
Foulk was married briefly in the 1970s and had no biological children, according to his family and county records.
He was arrested in February in Napa and immediately fired from his post at the state mental hospital.
Deputy District Attorney Danette Gomez said Foulk used manipulation and threats along with gifts to keep Jonathan F. quiet and complacent throughout the 10 years of alleged abuse.
Foulk's privately retained defense attorney, Richard Poland, said his client denies all the the accusations.
Foulk appeared at the Long Beach Superior Court Tuesday for his first pre-trial hearing since his preliminary hearing. He was ordered to return to court on July 9 for another pre-trial hearing and he remains in jail in lieu of $3.5 million bail.
 

LONG BEACH -- An 82-year-old Long Beach man accused of stabbing his 60-year-old roommate was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on a charge of murder.
Gilbert Ortega Baca was arrested April 10 after police were called to the Crofton Manor Inn, 1900 E. Fifth St., about 7 a.m.
Authorities found the victim, William Wells, had suffered multiple stab wounds. Wells was taken to St. Mary Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Baca lived at the assisted living center where he shared a room with Wells. Homicide detectives called to investigate Wells' death took Baca into custody that day, arresting him on suspicion of murder.
Police have said little about what led to the stabbing.
A preliminary hearing was held Tuesday to determine if there was sufficient evidence to try Baca for the slaying. After ordering Baca be bound over for trial he was returned to the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, where he is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
Baca is scheduled to return to the Long Beach Superior Court for arraignment next month, according to court staff.

NORWALK -- A 20-year-old man accused of using a toddler as a human shield while robbing a Norwalk liquor store clerk at gunpoint pleaded no contest to the charge Tuesday.
Jeremy Louis Gallegos entered the plea to two counts, second degree robbery and child abuse, and was promptly sentenced to eight years in state prison, said Jane Robison, a Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman.
The charge stemmed from a hold-up on Oct. 28, 2009, which was captured on surveillance video.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigators based out of Norwalk were able to get an identification of Gallegos from the video footage, which was released to the public to help authorities track down and arrest the suspect.
Gallegos was eventually found in La Mirada and arrested Nov. 19, according to deputies.
Authorities said Gallegos was baby-sitting the three-year-old when he decided to carry out the armed robbery.
The child was not hurt, Sheriff's officials said.
Gallegos appeared at the Norwalk Superior Court Tuesday, when a court date was scheduled to be set.
He instead chose to plead no contest, considered the same as a guilty plea in criminal court, Robison said.
He was immediately remanded to state custody and given credit for the time he has served since his November arrest, court staff said.

Residents wanting to learn how the Long Beach Police Department dispatches 911 calls are invited to a free workshop from 5 to 6:30 p.m. June 15, at the Mark Twain Neighborhood Library Community Room, 1401 E. Anaheim St.
Rich Funke from the City of Long Beach 911 Communication Center will give a presentation that will explain:
How the Long Beach Police Department prioritizes and dispatches 911 calls.
How to communicate with dispatchers for the most effective response.
Why dispatchers ask certain questions.  
The meeting is sponsored by the Anaheim Street Community Police Center and MacArthur Park/Whittier School Neighborhood Improvement Strategy Area and will be presented in English with Spanish and Khmer translation. Light refreshments will be provided and free parking is available in the library parking lot.
For more information, please email bryant.ben@longbeach.gov or call 
562-570-1691.

NORWALK -- Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies asked for the public's help Wednesday in
finding an 84-year-old Norwalk woman who suffers from dementia.
Florence Gordan was last seen leaving her home on Longworth Avenue about noon Tuesday
in a 1995 tan Mercury, license plate number 3LCM549, according to Brian Doyle of the
Norwalk Sheriff's Station.
Gordan is 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds, with white hair, brown eyes
and a full set of dentures. She has large pockmark scars on her upper left arm.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts was asked to call Sheriff's Detectives
Harris or Abraham at 323-890-5500.  

LONG BEACH -- Long Beach Police on Wednesday released sketches of two suspects wanted in connection with a murder and several attempted murders stemming from two shootings last year.
In addition to the computer-generated sketches of the suspects investigators recently found video surveillance from a property near one of the shootings and are reviewing the footage, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Police plan to take the sketches to the streets Thursday in one of the neighborhoods where the shootings occurred, going door to door in their search for witnesses for the possibly gang-related crimes, said Lt. Lloyd Cox.
The most recent shooting occurred Sept. 14 in the 200 block of West 20th Street when the suspects, described as male Hispanics, opened fire on the three victims, who were sitting on the stairs at an apartment complex.
The victims and the shooters exchanged words before the suspects opened fire, shooting numerous rounds, Pratt said.
Several witnesses described two suspects running west on 20th Street towards a possible get-away vehicle.
All three victims were struck by gunfire in the upper torso and rushed to a local hospital, where one of the victims, 20-year-old Robert Tripple of Long Beach, was pronounced dead, Pratt said.
The other two victims, listed as 19 and 20-year-old Long Beach residents, survived, she said.
Ballistic evidence gathered from that crime scene showed the shooting was linked to a previous attack on Aug. 21 that left a 29-year-old Long Beach injured from a gunshot wound.
That victim was with a group of men in the 1500 block of West 20th Street when a male Hispanic suspect walked up and pointed a gun at the group.
Again, words were exchanged between the victims and the suspect before the gunman opened fire, Pratt said.
Only the 29-year-old was hit by gunfire and he survived the attack, she said.
The suspects in both shootings were described as male Hispanics; about 18-22 years-old; 5-feet, 6-inches to 5-feet, 10-inches tall; 160 to 190 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. They were also believed to be gang members.
One of the suspect's in the September slaying was described as having tattoos on his right arm.
A suspect in the August attempted murder case was seen wearing a gray baseball cap, a light gray or blue button down shirt and blue jeans, police said.
Anyone with information about either incident, or who recognizes the suspects, is urged to contact Homicide Detectives Todd Johnson or Malcolm Evans at 562-570-7244.

LONG BEACH -- A 42-year-old Long Beach man was ordered to stand trial Tuesday in the machete murder of his live-in girlfriend.
Alberto Fonseca was found earlier this year critically injured from what appeared to be self-inflicted slash wounds.
Near him was the bloody corpse of his long-term girlfriend, Mireya Lopez Medina, police said.
A relative of one of the pair came home about 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 18 and found them in the bedroom of their home in the 1900 block of Cedar Avenue and called 911.
The couple were arguing when Fonseca attacked Medina with the machete before turning the weapon on himself, police said.
He was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on all counts in the slaying of Medina and is scheduled to return to the Long Beach Superior Court on June 22 for arraignment.
He remains in the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

LONG BEACH -- Two teens accused in the killing of a Wilson High student after her school's homecoming game last fall appeared briefly in court Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing.
The trial for defendants Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, however, is still a long way off, court staff said.
Vinson, a former Wilson student who was enrolled in a continuation school at the time of the incident, is charged with being the triggerman in the killing of 16-year-old Melody Ross and the attempted murder of two surviving victims.
Davis, a former Lakewood High School student, is charged as Vinson's accomplice.
Both defendants were 16 at the time of the slaying, but have been charged as adults and face the possibility of life without parole if convicted on all counts.
Police and prosecutors say the pair fired into a crowd of thousands of spectators at about 10 p.m. just outside of the entrance to the Wilson campus on Ximeno Avenue between Seventh and Tenth streets.
The maximum capacity crowd at the game against cross-town rivals Poly High School had just let out and the sidewalk and street were clogged with kids and their parents as well as school staffers and community supporters.
Vinson allegedly opened fire on his gang rivals after Davis allegedly started a confrontation by yelling gang names at the opposing group, authorities charge.
Ross was an innocent bystander and merely caught in the line of fire, police and prosecutors said.
The defendants were ordered Tuesday to return to the court on June 23 for another pre-trial conference. Their trial date is not likely to be set before the end of August, court staff said.
The two teens are being held without bail pending trial.

LONG BEACH -- Jury selection dates were set Monday in the case of two teens charged in the revenge killing of another Long Beach youth.
Two juries will be chosen for the trials of Eric Benites and Jason Trejo, one for each defendant.
Though the defendant's will have separate trials with separate juries the matters will be heard at the same time in the same courtroom.
Jury selection in Benites' case will begin June 23 and jury selection is expected to begin in Trejo's case on June 24, according to court staff.
The pair stand accused in the murder of 16-year-old Cabrillo High student Florentino Rivera, who was gunned down near 15th Street and Cedar Avenue on Jan. 6, 2008.
Benites and Trejo were 15 and 14 years old, respectively, at the time of the shooting, but are being tried as adults.
Police and prosecutors allege the pair opened fire on a group of people, killing Rivera and nearly killing five others.
Sources close to the defendants and the victims said the shooting stemmed from Benites' desire for revenge in the killing of his 13-year-old brother, Jose Cano, who was stabbed to death in June 2007 by gang rivals at 14th Street Park.
Cano was killed after he allegedly attacked his 14-year-old gang rival's home and the 14-year-old's mother, Eva Daley, on June 25, 2007.
Cano also stabbed the 14-year-old in a fight about six months prior to Cano's murder.
A total of six minors were tried in that case along with Daley, who helped plan the attack and drove the boys to the park to kill Cano.
The stabber - Heriberto Garcia, who was 15 at the time of the killing - was tried as an adult along with Daley and both were convicted of second degree murder in October of 2008.
Friends of suspects in both slayings said Benites was so incensed by the lack of action taken by his brother's gang and so distraught over his brother's death that he turned on his brother's gang, which led to Rivera's slaying.
Rivera's family denied he was in a gang, but friends of the victim and suspects said Rivera hung out with gang members and may have been shot accidentally or lumped into the group by association.
Both Benites and Trejo have remained in custody as they have awaited their trials. Each faces the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted on all counts.

LONG BEACH -- A 38-year-old Long Beach man was arrested by officers following up on an investigation into an armed man making threats at a local business, police said Monday.
Long Beach Police Department patrol officers working at about 11 p.m. in the 1900 block of West 19th Street on Friday noticed a vehicle and man matching the description of a suspect who brandished a gun in a local business the day before, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
The suspect didn't take anything from the store, but brandished the weapon and made threats, she said.
After stopping the man Saturday officers were able to confirm he was the suspect and arrested him. They also found a gun in the vehicle, Pratt said.
The suspect, whose name was not released Monday, was booked on suspicion of criminal threats, carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle, exhibiting a firearm and carrying a firearm in a public place.

LONG BEACH -- A jogger was robbed by an armed bandit while running on a busy street Saturday, prompting a warning from police for runners to always be aware of their surroundings.
The victim, described as a woman in her 40's, was running on the sidewalk in the 4500 block of Carson Street at about 6:30 p.m. when she was held up by a suspect armed with a sharp object, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Though the woman wasn't hurt the suspect did motion toward her in a threatening manner before taking her mp3 player, Pratt said.
No suspect description was released.
Pratt issued a warning to people to always be aware of their surroundings, particularly when wearing headphones, and to try to do activities such as walking or jogging with a friend or partner.

LONG BEACH -- D.A.R.E., the long-standing youth program that was one of many victims that fell last year to the city's brutal budget axe, lives on.
The program has been resurrected through the merger of its board with the Long Beach Police Foundation, a nonprofit community organization separate from the the Long Beach Police Department that provides financial and community assistance to the police department.
Due to on-going budget constraints the foundation now heads a number of community programs once offered by the LBPD.
That includes the Chief for a Day Program and the Explorer's Program, which sees youths ages 14-21 interested in a career in law enforcement given the opportunity to work directly with LBPD officers in a variety of capacities, from community events to assisting at major crime scenes, said the Foundation's Executive Director Kathy Berry.
Though the Long Beach D.A.R.E. program was officially chosen for elimination in late 2008, its board members never gave up their goal of supporting an educational program that combined children and law enforcement, said D.A.R.E. Board President Betty-Jean Thompson.
With the merger, the foundation will now help fund the Explorer's Program, Thompson said.
"Our goal to merge with the (foundation) was initiated by long-time D.A.R.E. Board Member Lindsay Shields, and was supported by both boards," Thompson said. "It was almost a year-long process, but we were determined to put our almost $200,000 to an activity that includes youth interaction with our city's uniformed officers."
Long Beach's D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, the second of its kind in the nation, was originally geared toward fifth grade students and included officers teaching drug and alcohol resistance education in the classroom.
Officers also helped children with morale, self-esteem building and team building skills and helped kids understand the duties of police officers.
The Explorer's Program is also taught by uniformed police officers. It is led by LBPD Det. Lisa Schumaker with the help of Officer Matt Mills and includes and a team of volunteers.
Though Schumaker's salary is paid by the police department there is no longer any other funding allotted for the program through the police department or city budget budget.
"These officers spend hours of their own time volunteering," Thompson said. "(But) even with all their work and Lisa's hard work it's hard to find funding."
Thompson said the merged foundation is dedicated to keeping existing programs going and hopes to revive some programs recently lost, such as the D.A.R.E. curriculum and the Police Athletic League (P.A.L.)
The foundation also would like to introduce some new programs, such as a Junior Explorer's Program, she said.
"But the city needs to support these programs as well," Thompson noted.
To donate to the Youth Programs, or to donate or volunteer for any of the foundation's program, go to their website at www.lbpolicefoundation.org.

My colleagues at CNS are reporting that the former head of an Irvine telecommunications company was sentenced Monday to six months behind bars and ordered to pay nearly $726,000 in restitution for filing a false personal tax return.
"I got a little greedy ... made some bad decisions," Mark Thomas Ellis, ex-president and chief executive officer of Winsted Holdings, told U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. before the  sentence was impose.
The Long Beach resident pleaded guilty in January to the tax charge, admitting he knew his 2004 tax return was false and that it was illegal to file a false tax return with the Internal Revenue Service.
"He let greed overtake him," said Ellis' attorney, Greg Nicolaysen.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Wilner told the judge that Ellis was both "upfront" and "candid" in his meetings with prosecutors.
Along with the federal prison term and restitution, Ellis must serve one year of supervised release, including time in a halfway house and in home detention, Hatter said.

LONG BEACH -- The Long Beach Police Department is making some big changes with the rotation of most of the department's commanders, including the promotion of two lieutenants to the position of commander, and the promotion of more than a dozen other officers.
Two of the promotions are the result of the recent departures of two LBPD commanders for other departments; Cmdr. Gary Morrison is now Chief of Police for the Carlsbad Police Department and Cmdr. Jorge Cisneros, who was one of several internal candidates for the LBPD Chief position, is now Chief of Police for the Huntington Park Police Department.
The new commanders, who will be officially promoted to their new posts on June 10, are Lt. Josef Levy and Lt. Lisa Lopez, who will lead the West and East patrol divisions, respectively, according to the LBPD.
The up-coming rotations, traditionally done every few years according to department officials, are:
Chief of Staff - Commander Laura Farinella
Emergency Operations Division - Commander Jay Johnson
Training Division - Commander Jeff Johnson
Detective Division - Commander Cynthia Renaud
Gangs & Violent Crimes Division - Commander Billy Quach
Field Support Division - Commander Robert Luman Jr.
South Patrol Division - Commander Joe Stilinovich
Cmdr. Richard Meyer, Internal Affairs; and Cmr. David Hendrick, North Patrol Division, will remain in their posts.
The remaining promotions are:
Lieutenant:
Sgt. Christopher Morgan
Sgt. Richard Farfan
Sergeant:
Officer Paul Baum
Officer Greg Brown
Officer Michael DePrete
Officer David Faris
Officer Scott Jenson
Officer Ryan LeBaron
Officer Bruce Lee
Officer Melvin McGuire
Officer Michael Richens
Officer Robert Titus
Officer Abram Yap
Confidential Secretary:
Police Services Specialist Cynthia Dominguez

LONG BEACH -- Three men were arrested for vandalizing a Long Beach church and are believed to be partly responsible for a rash of tagging that has blighted portions of the city recently.
Long Beach Police announced the arrests Thursday, a day after a resident spotted three men tagging the Epic Center Church, 4801 Long Beach Blvd., around 12:30 a.m. and called authorities to report the crime.
When the first two patrol units arrived at the scene the suspects scattered, said Nancy Pratt, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
The first two officers on scene were able to stop two of the men, she said.
Seeing the officers had two suspects under control a third unit swept through the area and found a third suspect, who was also arrested, Pratt said.
All of the suspects were found with what appeared to be evidence linking them to the scene of the crime, Pratt said.
Two of the men are from Long Beach and the third is from Torrance, she said.
One of the men, a 25-year-old Long Beach resident, was arrested on a charge of vandalism and found in violation of his parole, Pratt said.
The other Long Beach man, who is 23, was charged with vandalism and being drunk in public.
The Torrance man, who is 28, was also charged with public intoxication and vandalism, Pratt said.
Because the investigation was still active Wednesday the suspects' names were not immediately available.
Pratt said hundreds of dollars in damage was done to the church.
And the church, which is described as a Christian church on its website, is not the only victim in the area to be hit by a recent rash of tagging, she said.
Police have been dealing with a spike in vandalism throughout the community and urged anyone who sees vandalism or graffiti being done to immediately call 911, Pratt said.
"Part of the reason we caught these individuals was because we did receive a call from an alert citizen and we were able to respond quickly," Pratt said.

The jury in the case of a Compton man charged with kidnapping and attempted sexual assault for a Belmont Shore attack last year reached its verdict Thursday, but the decision will not be read until Friday morning, according to court staff.
The victim, Tiffany S., identified defendant Dennis Davis by sight and by voice while on the witness stand in the trial last week.
She told the jury she could never forget the sound of her attacker's voice after she was abducted at knife-point on May 22, 2009 and threatened with death.
She testified she had just parked her car on Roswell Avenue, above East Livingston Drive, around 9:45 p.m. and as she stepped from her car she immediately felt a sharp object at her throat and was in a chokehold.
She said the accused demanded all her money and when she said she had none he took her small black purse - which held her identification, her debit card and her cell phone - and forced her back into her car so that she could take him to an ATM.
Crying and shaking throughout the ordeal, the victim said she ran from her car after the suspect pulled over in the 100 block of Belmont Avenue, ordered her to recline her seat and then began pushing the hem of her dress up.
The victim, who said she no longer lives in the area, said it was the threat of rape that prompted her to run.
Davis was also identified by other witnesses in court by an unusual blemish on Davis' left hand, which one described as looking like a map of Italy.
Davis is charged with kidnapping, armed robbery and attempted sexual assault.
His attorney agreed the victim suffered a terrifying ordeal but insisted Davis was innocent, chalking the case up to one of misidentification.
The defense also argued medical evidence proved Davis couldn't have carried out the attack - including witness claims Davis ran after the victim when she bolted from her car - due to massive injuries he sustained last year to his leg and back.
The jury began its deliberations after closing arguments were heard late Wednesday and had reached it's verdict by 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
They are expected to deliver the verdict at 9 a.m. at the Long Beach Superior Court Friday.
The jury is scheduled to resume deliberations at 9 a.m. today.

LONG BEACH -- Jury deliberations began late Wednesday in the case of a Compton man charged with kidnapping and attempted sexual assault for a Belmont Shore attack last year.
The victim, Tiffany S., identified the defendant, Dennis Davis, by sight and by voice while on the witness stand last week.
She told the jury she could never forget the sound of her attacker's voice after she was abducted at knife-point on May 22, 2009 and threatened with death.
She testified she had just parked her car on Roswell Avenue, above East Livingston Drive, around 9:45 p.m. and as she stepped from her car she immediately felt a sharp object at her throat and was in a chokehold.
She said the accused demanded all her money and when she said she had none he took her small black purse - which held her identification, her debit card and her cell phone - and forced her back into her car so that she could take him to an ATM.
Crying and shaking throughout the ordeal, the victim said she ran from her car after the suspect pulled over in the 100 block of Belmont Avenue, ordered her to recline her seat and then began pushing the hem of her dress up.
The victim, who said she no longer lives in the area, said it was the threat of rape that prompted her to run.
Davis was also identified by other witnesses in court by an unusual blemish on Davis' left hand, which one described as looking like a map of Italy.
Davis is charged with kidnapping, armed robbery and attempted sexual assault.
His attorney agreed the victim suffered a terrifying ordeal but insisted Davis was innocent, chalking the case up to one of misidentification.
The defense also argued medical evidence proved Davis couldn't have carried out the attack - including witness claims Davis ran after the victim when she bolted from her car - due to massive injuries he sustained last year to his leg and back.
The jury began its deliberations after closing arguments were heard late Wednesday.
The jury is scheduled to resume deliberations at 9 a.m. today.

A trial date was set Wednesday for an 18-year-old Compton man and former Lakewood High School football star arrested last year for attempted murder in connection with a gang drive-by in Compton.
Jerry Stone and his co-defendant Lawrence Blake, 31, are both charged with two counts of attempted murder -- one count for each alleged victim -- and two counts of using an assault rifle in a Aug. 21, 2009, attack that allegedly targeted gang rivals.
The drive-by was part of a summer-long war between rival gang factions in Compton and one of more than half a dozen shootings tied to that war. The shootings erupted after a party where members of Stone's and Blake's gang were told they had to pay a $25 entry fee, something they took as a sign of "disrespect," according to gang investigators who testified in Stone's and Blake's preliminary hearing last December.
A June 8 trial date was set for the pair at the Compton Superior Court Wednesday morning.
Stone has remained in jail in lieu of $3 million bail since his arrest last year. Blake's bail was set at $2.9 million.
Though Stone was 17 at the time of the attack and his arrest he was charged as an adult. If he and Blake are convicted on all counts they both face the possibility of life in state prison.
Stone's schoolmates at Lakewood High School were stunned at the news of his arrest last year. According to team members and his coach, the gifted athlete was virtually guaranteed a college scholarship and likely had a promising career in the NFL ahead of him.