July 2011 Archives
LONG BEACH -- Donations are needed for the 17th Annual "Shop with a Cop" spree, which provides local, disadvantaged children with new back-to-school clothes and supplies.
The event, hosted by The Long Beach Junior Chamber in partnership with the Long Beach Police Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach and the Assistance League of Long Beach, is scheduled for Aug. 20.
Event organizers hope to raise enough money to help 100 local kids.
"Shop with a Cop" sees deserving children paired with police officers and other volunteers. The shopping spree is, for many of the kids, the only time they will receive new clothes for the year.
In addition to the shopping, the Assistance League will provide each child with a school uniform, backpack and other essentials.
The shopping spree is being held at Target, located at 33rd Street and Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach.
The children, nominated by the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach, will start their day with a breakfast cooked by the Long Beach Police Officers Association.
After shopping for clothes and shoes they will be treated to snacks and school supplies for their backpacks and an arts and crafts area will be set up to keep the kids busy.
Public support needed for the event includes cash and in-kind donations. Items that will be accepted include, but are not limited to, new clothes, new shoes or new school supplies.
Donations can be made online at the foundation's website, www.lbpolicefoundation.org.
Checks should be made payable to the "Long Beach Police Foundation" and mailed to P.O. Box 15418, Long Beach, CA 90805.
The police foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides private, direct funding for the Long Beach Police Department.
For more information check out the foundation's website -- listed above -- or call 562-343-5111.
tracy.manzer@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1261.
The event, hosted by The Long Beach Junior Chamber in partnership with the Long Beach Police Foundation, the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach and the Assistance League of Long Beach, is scheduled for Aug. 20.
Event organizers hope to raise enough money to help 100 local kids.
"Shop with a Cop" sees deserving children paired with police officers and other volunteers. The shopping spree is, for many of the kids, the only time they will receive new clothes for the year.
In addition to the shopping, the Assistance League will provide each child with a school uniform, backpack and other essentials.
The shopping spree is being held at Target, located at 33rd Street and Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach.
The children, nominated by the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach, will start their day with a breakfast cooked by the Long Beach Police Officers Association.
After shopping for clothes and shoes they will be treated to snacks and school supplies for their backpacks and an arts and crafts area will be set up to keep the kids busy.
Public support needed for the event includes cash and in-kind donations. Items that will be accepted include, but are not limited to, new clothes, new shoes or new school supplies.
Donations can be made online at the foundation's website, www.lbpolicefoundation.org.
Checks should be made payable to the "Long Beach Police Foundation" and mailed to P.O. Box 15418, Long Beach, CA 90805.
The police foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides private, direct funding for the Long Beach Police Department.
For more information check out the foundation's website -- listed above -- or call 562-343-5111.
tracy.manzer@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1261.
LONG BEACH -- Two 19-year-old men, one from Compton and the other from Cypress, were charged with murder Friday in connection with the slaying of an 18-year-old Long Beach youth.
Melvin Lynn Davis of Compton and Rakeem Williams of Cypress were each charged with murder and an allegation that the June 25th killing of Dajon Daniels was carried out to benefit their alleged gang, authorities said.
LBPD Homicide detectives arrested the pair Thursday after a series of search warrants were served in several nearby cities, Lisa Massacani, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Warrants were served at two locations in Compton, one in Cypress and one location in Hawthorne. In addition to the arrests, police seized seven handguns, 12 rifles and one assault rifle, that was not registered, Massacani said.
Evidence linking Davis and Williams to the killing was also found and seized by police, she said.
It was late on a Saturday night when Daniels was gunned down in the 100 block of East 56th Street in Long Beach.
He and a number of others were leaving a party for a local girl after her father told everyone to clear out when nearly 200 revelers showed up, witnesses said.
Daniels was walking down the street when he got into a fight with a group of males and was shot at close range.
The victim lived in Long Beach and attended Jordan High School from December of 2009 to January of 2010, school officials said.
School records showed Daniels' left the district for a transfer to another school district last January, though it was not noted which district the teen had transferred to.
At the time of the killing, police said they were looking into the possibility that the attack may have been gang-related.
Davis and Williams were both on probation at the time of the killing and were being held without bail Friday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Inmate Information Center.
The slaying remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Homicide Detectives Greg Krabbe and Peter Lackovic, 562-570-7244. Anonymous tips can be made via text or e-mail at www.longbeach.gov/police or www.tipsoft.com.
Melvin Lynn Davis of Compton and Rakeem Williams of Cypress were each charged with murder and an allegation that the June 25th killing of Dajon Daniels was carried out to benefit their alleged gang, authorities said.
LBPD Homicide detectives arrested the pair Thursday after a series of search warrants were served in several nearby cities, Lisa Massacani, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Warrants were served at two locations in Compton, one in Cypress and one location in Hawthorne. In addition to the arrests, police seized seven handguns, 12 rifles and one assault rifle, that was not registered, Massacani said.
Evidence linking Davis and Williams to the killing was also found and seized by police, she said.
It was late on a Saturday night when Daniels was gunned down in the 100 block of East 56th Street in Long Beach.
He and a number of others were leaving a party for a local girl after her father told everyone to clear out when nearly 200 revelers showed up, witnesses said.
Daniels was walking down the street when he got into a fight with a group of males and was shot at close range.
The victim lived in Long Beach and attended Jordan High School from December of 2009 to January of 2010, school officials said.
School records showed Daniels' left the district for a transfer to another school district last January, though it was not noted which district the teen had transferred to.
At the time of the killing, police said they were looking into the possibility that the attack may have been gang-related.
Davis and Williams were both on probation at the time of the killing and were being held without bail Friday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Inmate Information Center.
The slaying remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call Homicide Detectives Greg Krabbe and Peter Lackovic, 562-570-7244. Anonymous tips can be made via text or e-mail at www.longbeach.gov/police or www.tipsoft.com.
LONG BEACH -- A 24-year-old Whittier man found sneaking into the bed of 10-year-old Signal Hill girl pleaded no contest to a single count of trespassing Thursday and was sentenced to 170 days in county jail.
Sergio Osuna was arrested by Signal Hill Police at a home in the 1900 block of Cherry Avenue about 2:20 a.m. June 26.
He was clad only in boxers and stank of alcohol when the girl's father found him, police said.
"I wake up and I see the guy close to my daughter," said the dad, who the Press-Telegram has declined to identify because of the daughter's young age.
"I see the guy only in boxers, close to my daughter and say 'What the hell?'"
A neighbor helped the dad hold Osuna until police arrived.
Signal Hill Police Department spokeswoman Crista Martinez said Osuna reached through an open window to open the front door.
Martinez also said Osuna had no adult criminal record and is not a registered sex offender.
A search of court records found a person with the same name, date of birth and description who was arrested in May and released that same month for a juvenile probation violation.
Osuna on Thursday pleaded no contest to one count of trespassing at the Long Beach Superior Court Thursday morning, considered the same as a guilty plea in criminal court. He was originally charged with two misdemeanor counts, one for trespassing and a count for damaging a prison or jail.
Sergio Osuna was arrested by Signal Hill Police at a home in the 1900 block of Cherry Avenue about 2:20 a.m. June 26.
He was clad only in boxers and stank of alcohol when the girl's father found him, police said.
"I wake up and I see the guy close to my daughter," said the dad, who the Press-Telegram has declined to identify because of the daughter's young age.
"I see the guy only in boxers, close to my daughter and say 'What the hell?'"
A neighbor helped the dad hold Osuna until police arrived.
Signal Hill Police Department spokeswoman Crista Martinez said Osuna reached through an open window to open the front door.
Martinez also said Osuna had no adult criminal record and is not a registered sex offender.
A search of court records found a person with the same name, date of birth and description who was arrested in May and released that same month for a juvenile probation violation.
Osuna on Thursday pleaded no contest to one count of trespassing at the Long Beach Superior Court Thursday morning, considered the same as a guilty plea in criminal court. He was originally charged with two misdemeanor counts, one for trespassing and a count for damaging a prison or jail.
Riders take note, the Long Beach Police Department will be scrutinizing motorcycle safety and laws this weekend with an 8-hour special operation paid for by state and federal grants.
Officers in the LBPD Traffic Division will be patrolling citywide but will also target collision-prone areas from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, to check for equipment and helmet violations as well as moving violations by riders and motorists.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation the number of registered motorcycles has spiked to more than 10 million as of 2011. Motorcycle fatalities now account for 11 percent of road fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Studies cite speeding and impairment due to alcohol or drugs as a contributing factor in many motorcycle crashes as well as inexperience.
Many riders lack the proper license, police said. All are encouraged to check out the training and safety information provided by the California Motorcyclist Safety Program, at http://www.ca-msp.org/, or by calling 1-877-RIDE-411.
LONG BEACH -- A trial date was set Tuesday for two Long Beach teens charged with the 2009 slaying of a 16-year-old Wilson High School honor student gunned down at the end of her school's homecoming game.
Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, who were both 16 at the time of the shooting, are charged as adults in the in the slaying of Melody Ross, who was also 16.
The pair were ordered Tuesday to return to the Long Beach Superior Court on Aug. 8 for trial.
They are also charged with attempted murder in the shooting of two male survivors - an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old, who are believed to be rival gang members of Vinson and Davis, police and prosecutors said.
Police said the defendants were aiming for their rivals when a stray round struck Ross, an innocent bystander.
The honor roll student and daughter of Cambodian immigrants had just finished watching at her first live football game, where she rooted for her home team against Poly High School.
She and thousands of other spectators were streaming out of the west gates of the campus, near the football field, when the shots rang out.
Dozens of witnesses were called to testify in the preliminary hearing held last year for Vinson, now 18, and Davis, now 17. Several were threatened or intimidated inside the courtroom and in the court house hallways.
Two teen girls, both students at Wilson, were charged and tried for witnesses threats in juvenile court with the petition found true, the equivalent of a guilty verdict, and placed on probation.
Vinson, who is from Bellflower, and Davis, of Long Beach, have remained in custody without bail since their arrests in 2009.
If convicted on all counts, they could each face more than 100 years to life in prison, prosecutors said.
Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, who were both 16 at the time of the shooting, are charged as adults in the in the slaying of Melody Ross, who was also 16.
The pair were ordered Tuesday to return to the Long Beach Superior Court on Aug. 8 for trial.
They are also charged with attempted murder in the shooting of two male survivors - an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old, who are believed to be rival gang members of Vinson and Davis, police and prosecutors said.
Police said the defendants were aiming for their rivals when a stray round struck Ross, an innocent bystander.
The honor roll student and daughter of Cambodian immigrants had just finished watching at her first live football game, where she rooted for her home team against Poly High School.
She and thousands of other spectators were streaming out of the west gates of the campus, near the football field, when the shots rang out.
Dozens of witnesses were called to testify in the preliminary hearing held last year for Vinson, now 18, and Davis, now 17. Several were threatened or intimidated inside the courtroom and in the court house hallways.
Two teen girls, both students at Wilson, were charged and tried for witnesses threats in juvenile court with the petition found true, the equivalent of a guilty verdict, and placed on probation.
Vinson, who is from Bellflower, and Davis, of Long Beach, have remained in custody without bail since their arrests in 2009.
If convicted on all counts, they could each face more than 100 years to life in prison, prosecutors said.
The Long Beach Police Historical Society wants to know; Do you feel lucky?
Well, do you?
If so buy tickets now for the historical society's Casino Night 2011 fund-raiser, scheduled from 7 p.m. to midnight on Aug. 12 at Skylinks Golf Course, 4800 E. Wardlow Road, in Long Beach.
Tickets to the annual event are $50 each and provide "$1,000 of casino play," a full buffet and free parking. There will also be a silent auction, 50/50 drawing and door prizes.
Tickets can be purchased at the Long Beach Police Officers Association, 2865 Temple Ave., in Long Beach, or by calling the POA at 562-426-1201.
Well, do you?
If so buy tickets now for the historical society's Casino Night 2011 fund-raiser, scheduled from 7 p.m. to midnight on Aug. 12 at Skylinks Golf Course, 4800 E. Wardlow Road, in Long Beach.
Tickets to the annual event are $50 each and provide "$1,000 of casino play," a full buffet and free parking. There will also be a silent auction, 50/50 drawing and door prizes.
Tickets can be purchased at the Long Beach Police Officers Association, 2865 Temple Ave., in Long Beach, or by calling the POA at 562-426-1201.
LONG BEACH -- A mentally ill woman who took a nearly 800-year-old relic from one of the city's largest and oldest Catholic churches will not face criminal prosecution.
Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, said Friday the office decided not to prosecute Maria Solis in part because the archdiocese and the parish priest at St. Anthony's Catholic church did not want to pursue a case against her.
Also factored into the DA's office decision is the fact that the 41-year-old Long Beach woman has no prior criminal record and lives at a facility for the mentally ill under a conservatorship, according to prosecution records.
"It is unlikely we could prove ... she entered the church with the intent to steal," the document states.
The relic was taken during mass at St. Anthony's Catholic Church on June 13. The theft sparked national media attention as police searched for the priceless item, a piece of bone from the church's patron saint that is encased in an ornate reliquary. The item was given to the parish by the archdiocese when St. Anthony's was founded more than 100 years ago.
It was recovered June 16, after investigators watched surveillance video from a nearby business, canvassed the neighborhood and tracked the relic to Solis' room at the mental facility, located less than a mile from the church, police said.
Solis was booked at the Long Beach Police Department's jail and released that same day due to her medical issues, police said.
The relic was returned to the church that same day as well.
Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, said Friday the office decided not to prosecute Maria Solis in part because the archdiocese and the parish priest at St. Anthony's Catholic church did not want to pursue a case against her.
Also factored into the DA's office decision is the fact that the 41-year-old Long Beach woman has no prior criminal record and lives at a facility for the mentally ill under a conservatorship, according to prosecution records.
"It is unlikely we could prove ... she entered the church with the intent to steal," the document states.
The relic was taken during mass at St. Anthony's Catholic Church on June 13. The theft sparked national media attention as police searched for the priceless item, a piece of bone from the church's patron saint that is encased in an ornate reliquary. The item was given to the parish by the archdiocese when St. Anthony's was founded more than 100 years ago.
It was recovered June 16, after investigators watched surveillance video from a nearby business, canvassed the neighborhood and tracked the relic to Solis' room at the mental facility, located less than a mile from the church, police said.
Solis was booked at the Long Beach Police Department's jail and released that same day due to her medical issues, police said.
The relic was returned to the church that same day as well.
