Tracy Manzer: December 2009 Archives

Police said Tuesday that search warrants were served at 15 locations in and outside of Long Beach last week in connection with an investigation into the illegal sale of marijuana at several local dispensaries.
While specifics of the search warrants were still being kept under wraps, the Long Beach Police Department confirmed Tuesday that 15 search warrants were served and that 17 people were arrested during last week's operation.
Both the LBPD and the office of Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley confirmed last week they are working together on an investigation into illegal sales of marijuana at various medical marijuana dispensaries.
Sgt. Dina Zapalski, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman, said the department was not going to release the names of those arrested because charges have not yet been filed with the DA's office.
Because the people arrested are out of custody authorities have time to finish their investigation and expect to bring charges sometime in the New Year, the sergeant said.
"There's a lot of information they're going over and there's still a large amount of evidence the detectives are sifting through," Zapalski said Tuesday.
The sergeant confirmed that warrants were served at 15 locations throughout Southern California.
Among those arrested, all of whom are either owners or employees of marijuana dispensaries, were nine Long Beach residents, four Garden Grove residents, two people from Anaheim, one person from Westminster and one Perris resident, she said.
Three marijuana dispensaries were searched last week. Two are located in Long Beach and one is in Garden Grove. All three are believed to be connected, the sergeant said.
Long Beach police Cmdr. Laura Farinella said last Thursday that the police department's Narcotics Division was working with other officers on the force and the district attorney's office to serve warrants at several locations that had generated numerous complaints from neighbors about illegal, over-the-counter sales of pot.
Chris Glew, an attorney representing a cooperative located on Fourth Street at Elm Avenue, said he has yet to see any documentation from authorities who served warrants at his clients' business and home, but he insisted the dispensary has always operated within the state's Compassionate Use laws.
Glew said last week that the district attorney and the police department "appear to be operating under the theory that everything is illegal, they seem to interpret any collective or dispensary is operating against the voter's initiative."
The initiative outlined by Prop. 215 - the compassionate use act that legalized marijuana for California patients suffering from debilitating conditions and disorders - was passed by voters in 1996.
Patients seek permission to use marijuana from doctors under both Prop. 215 and a follow-up 2003 law, which clarified the original proposition and ordered counties to issue identification cards to patients.
Arguments over how to distribute the drug, however, have simmered on national, state and local levels ever since the 1996 passage of Prop. 215.

With donations down this year, the Long Beach Fire Department's crews and civilian staff have increased their personal donations to the annual Spark of Love toy drive, including a $10,000 gift from the firefighters union to the non-profit campaign.
"As a sign that the men and women of the Long Beach Fire Department do not just talk the talk but also walk the walk, fire crews and civilian staff have not only been collecting toy donations but have been making donations of their own.  Many of our members have worked in the city for years and are proud to serve the Long Beach community on a daily basis.  Now they have chosen to give not only their service but also out of their own pockets to help bring joy to those less fortunate during this holiday season," said Long Beach Firefighter and Fire Department Spokesman Josh Johnson.
As well as toy donations by the fire crews to the donation boxes located in their stations, Local 372 (the Long Beach Firefighters Association) made a donation of $10,000, Johnson said. The money will be used to buy larger ticket items such as bikes and other necessities not normally collected.
The Long Beach Fire Department made a plea to the community last week in light of severely reduced donations to the gift program this year. The public has answered that call for help, Johnson said, and  gifts and donations have been flowing in just in time for Christmas.
"The Long Beach Fire Department would like to extend a hearty thanks to all who rose to the challenge and came forward to help make this time of year just a little bit brighter for those less fortunate in the community," he said.
 

A drunk-driving/drivers license check point held Friday, at Livingston Drive and Roswell Avenue resulted in five arrests and the seizure of six vehicles.
The checkpoint, carried out with the help of Long Beach Police Explorers and Long Beach Search and Rescue, operated from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.During the 8-hour operation 1,633 vehicles passed through the checkpoint with 429 being screened.  Of the vehicles screened, three people were arrested for driving under the influence, one person was arrested for an outstanding DUI warrant, one person was arrested for an outstanding felony warrant, six vehicles were impounded because the drivers were unlicensed or had a suspended license, and 40 other drivers were issued traffic citations, said Sgt. Dina Zapalski, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
"Checkpoints are a vital component in the fight against both impaired and unlicensed drivers," Zapalski said a press release issued Monday. "The average American has a 30% chance of being killed or injured by an impaired driver."
Friday's check point was funded through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and is part of a holiday crackdown on driving while under the influence.

Starting December 18, the Bellflower Sheriff's Station joined law enforcement agencies across the state as part of California's 18 Day Holiday DUI Crackdown Campaign.
Law enforcement agencies throughout California are expected to deploy 300 DUI/Drivers License Checkpoints throughout December into early January, with the program culminating on Jan. 3.
The effort is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Bellflower's first checkpoint was held Friday, Dec. 18, to kick off the program, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Other checkpoints are scheduled throughout the next few weeks.

While most of us can't even get an appoint with our HMO's The Associated Press is reporting that a lawyer for a convicted murderer is suing the state of Massachusetts for a sex-change operation.
The attorney for Michelle Kosilek said Monday that the surgery is the only treatment that will significantly reduce Kosilek's depression and anxiety.
The state Department of Correction, however, said Kosilek is highly functional and does not have a "serious medical need" that requires her to have the surgery.
Kosilek, born as Robert, was convicted of killing his wife, Cheryl, in 1990. Michelle Kosilek has been living as a woman in an all-male prison after receiving hormone treatments while incarcerated.
Lawyers for both sides delivered closing arguments Monday in Kosilek's lawsuit, which claims that the refusal of prison officials to provide the surgery amounts to cruel and unusual punishment and violates Kosilek's constitutional rights.
Kosilek's lawyer, Frances Cohen, said several experts who testified during the trial agreed that the risk of potential suicide by Kosilek will increase if she does not get sexual-reassignment surgery.
"It is not an elective treatment. It is a medical treatment, and the state takes on those obligations," Cohen said.
But Richard McFarland, an attorney for the Department of Correction, said prison officials have a policy "not to give in" to an inmate who threatens to commit suicide or go on a hunger strike.
"That would be seen as a reward to manipulative behavior by the inmates and staff,"
he said.
McFarland said Kosilek is doing well under her current treatment plan, which has included hormone treatments, psychotherapy and electrolysis treatments.
McFarland also cited the testimony of current and former DOC commissioners who agreed
that allowing Kosilek to complete her transformation into a woman through the surgery would present "insurmountable" security risks, including her becoming a target for sexual assault by other inmates.
He denied Kosilek's claim that the security issues are a pretext and that the real reason for denying Kosilek the surgery is the political repercussions of the state paying for a sex-change operation for a convicted murderer.
"These are legitimate security concerns," he said.
Kosilek, who legally changed her name to Michelle in 1993, first sued the Department of Correction in 2000.
In 2002, Wolf ruled that Kosilek was entitled to treatment for gender identity disorder, but stopped short of ordering surgery.
Kosilek sued again in 2005, saying the hormone and hair removal treatments were not enough to relieve her anxiety and depression and that she had a "serious medical need" for the surgery.
Wolf did not indicate when he would issue his ruling.

Downey Detectives on Monday were investigating a home invasion robbery in a Downey home that resulted two people and two children being bound with zip ties.
The robbery took place about 11:30 p.m. Sunday at the Park Regency Club Apartments on
Imperial Highway, according to the Downey Police Department.
Officers at the scene said three men wearing bandanas over their faces forced their way into the home and bound the four occupant -- two adults and two children -- with zip ties. The four were shaken but unhurt.
The robbers, at least one of whom was armed, stole a 52-inch flat screen television, a PlayStation video game and DVD unit, video games and a computer, police said.

A Long Beach man was behind bars Monday for allegedly snatching an 82-year-old woman's purse in front of a CVS Pharmacy in Seal Beach and knocking the elderly victim to the ground.
The incident occurred around 2:25 p.m. Sunday at the CVS located at 12490 Seal
Beach Blvd., said Sgt. Steve Bowles of the Seal Beach
Police Department.
Andrew John Beal, 21, allegedly grabbed the purse, knocked the woman to the ground,
then fled in a white Scion, Bowles said.
The victim sustained minor injuries and was treated by paramedics.
Beal was taken into custody when a Cypress police officer saw the Scion and the license plate, which matched a vehicle that had been stolen in Buena Park earlier, and Cypress police conducted a traffic stop, Bowles said.
Beal was booked for robbery, robbery with a special enhancement for committing the
crime against an elderly person, possession of stolen property and auto theft, Bowles
said.
Beal was scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon and was being held without bail.

The Long Beach Police Department has joined efforts with the newly formed Los Angeles Regional Crime Stoppers Program, offering local residents the ability to anonymously report crimes that occur in Long Beach, authorities announced Friday.
The LBPD began collaborating with Crime Stoppers, which was advocated by 6th District Councilman Dee Andrews, to establish a partnership that could give investigators the upper hand in the fight against crime, according to a police department press release.  
Crime Stoppers is a non-profit organization which works with various law enforcement agencies, the media and the community. Cash rewards, provided by both public and private organizations, are raised to prompt people to provide information, including anonymous tips, that can lead to arrests or criminal filings.
Crime Stoppers' tips can be reported by either calling the toll free number at 800-222-TIPS (8477), by texting "TIPLA" to CRIMES (274637) or via the Web at www.lacrimestoppers.org, all of which are encrypted, scrambled and untraceable systems to ensure the tipster's identity remains anonymous.
Using the Tip ID # issued when information is provided, the tipster is also able to submit follow-up information on the same crime. Tips are then sent on to LA Crime Stoppers for evaluation,and will be forwarded to the Long Beach Police Department for follow-up investigation.
To learn more about the program and how you can report crimes, visit the Crime Stoppers Web site at www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Orange County authorities are looking for a 48-year-old Placentia man who failed to surrender to authorities this week on $1 million bail in a 2002 kidnapping case.
Nasir Kamaruddin Shamsi is considered the mastermind of the March 18, 2002, kidnapping of Sohiel Daliri, who managed to survive more than two weeks bound and gagged in a Long Beach motel, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Andre Manssourian said Thursday.
Shamsi is a U.S. citizen, but has ties to India, Manssourian added.
Shamsi was free on $250,000 bail since 2004, but was charged in a marijuana cultivation case in October and Orange County Superior Court Judge Francisco Briseno increased his bail to $1 million on Friday.
Several co-defendants have pleaded guilty. Shamsi was the last person to be tried for the scheme to ransom Daliri for $10,000, Manssourian said.
Esau Abrajan, 26, of Rancho Santa Margarita, and Eric Anthony Velasquez, 28, of Rancho Santa Margarita, pleaded guilty Oct. 15 to one felony count each of kidnapping with the use of a dangerous weapon, grand theft, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of stolen property, Manssourian said.
They are scheduled to be sentenced to 11 years in prison Jan. 22. As part of the plea deal, they will not receive credit for the nine years they have already served in jail, he added.
Brian David Good, 35, of Huntington Beach, pleaded guilty to a felony count of kidnapping Feb. 28, 2006, and sentenced to five years in prison. Scott Douglass Burns, 50, of Huntington Beach, pleaded guilty to kidnapping and residential burglary charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced to nine years and four months in prison Feb. 26.
Daliri hired a contractor, who employed his brother Shamsi, to remodel a home he owned in Orange, which he rented out, Manssourian said.
Shamsi developed the scheme to kidnap Daliri and recruited brothers Velasquez and Abrajan to abduct Daliri, Manssourian said.
Velasquez and Abrajan snatched Daliri from the house, bound him up, blindfolded him and gagged him with duct tape, Manssourian said. For two days they kept him in the home in Orange before moving him to the Long Beach<NO1>ZZPT<NO> motel, Manssourian
said.
Burns drove the moving truck used to relocate Daliri, Manssourian said.
Abrajan and Velasquez kept guard on Daliri in the motel while Shamsi used Daliri's credit cards for 13 days, Manssourian said.
After 13 days, Shamsi called Daliri's girlfriend and demanded $10,000 ransom. The girlfriend called police and Shamsi was soon arrested as he tried to pick up the ransom money with Good, who drove with him, Manssourian said.
Velasquez was watching Daliri when police arrived to rescue him and Abrajan showed up as they were arresting Velasquez, Manssourian said.
Daliri told investigators he was fed only three or four times and allowed to shower twice during the two weeks. He was taken to the hospital and treated for dehydration and minor cuts after being freed.
Daliri also told investigators his captors would hold small parties in the motel room where some partygoers would use drugs and shoot rubber pellets at him, Manssourian said. Daliri was so traumatized he moved out of the country.
While still facing charges in the kidnapping, Shamsi was accused of operating a marijuana cultivation farm with his friend, Karen Russell, in her Laguna Niguel home in May 2006, Manssourian said.
Shamsi and Russell were charged Oct. 28, 2009, with cultivating marijuana, possessing marijuana for sale and child abuse, Manssourian said.
Russell is due in court for a pretrial hearing Jan. 12.
Shamsi was supposed to return to court Monday to surrender to authorities or post the $1 million bail, but never showed, Manssourian said. If authorities find him he will be held without bail.
Anyone with information on Shamsi is asked to call Supervising District Attorney Investigator Anthony Sosnowski at 714-347-8814.

An arraignment for a 21-year-old Mission Viejo man charged with the murder of a 20-year-old Cal State Long Beach student was held Thursday.

The mostly nude and battered body of Kate Sue Yi was discovered inside a closet at her Long Beach apartment on April 2, by her roommate and her mother.

Police and prosecutors allege Yi's boyfriend, Jonathan Huynh, killed the Cal State Long Beach nursing student in a jealous rage.

A coroner's investigator testified earlier this month that Yi died from strangulation.

Huynh told police he had choked his estranged girlfriend with a belt and gagged her with her underwear while they had sex and fought, according to Long Beach Homicide investigators.

Bruising on the victim's neck indicated a ligature was used, and the coroner also found a pair of panties jammed down the victim's throat. Stuffed inside one nostril was what appeared to be remnants of a pill, most likely an Advil, and there was some sort of matter inside the other nostril that the coroner's investigator could not specifically identify.

Huynh was ordered to stand trial on a charge of murder on Dec. 2 and scheduled to appear at the Long Beach Superior Court for an arraignment Thursday. He will return to the courthouse on Jan. 11 for a pre-trial conference, according to court staff.
His trial date has not yet been set.

A 58-year-old man accused of the murder of a former Denver disc jockey -- who was killed in 2006 and whose remains were found off the coast of Catalina Island -- appeared in court briefly Thursday for a pre-trial conference.

Harvey Morrow is charged with first-degree murder and an enhancement that alleges the slaying was carried out for profit in the death of the victim, Steven B. Williams.

Morrow had been a close friend of Williams and in the years before Williams' killing, the two men had planned to sail the world on Morrow's 69-foot boat, authorities said.

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 likely 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 also said there are no eyewitnesses and no murder weapon was ever found.

Earlier this year, at Morrow's preliminary hearing, a coroner's examiner testified that the autopsy determined  the cause of death was a gunshot wound in Morrow's head. The expert also testified that the wound could have 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 in January but the court 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.

Morrow, who was arrested in November of 2006, is being held without bail.

He was ordered Thursday to return to the Long Beach Superior Court's Dept. C for another pre-trial conference on Jan. 29.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled Thursday for a 46-year-old Long Beach man charged with five counts of attempted murder in the shooting of a 4-year-old innocent bystander during a gang fight.

James Leland Landrum Sr., fled the state immediately after the July 22, shooting - which left 4-year-old Josue Hercules in a coma and fighting for his life for several days - and was detained at a U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas two days later.

The 4-year-old was not the intended target when Landrum Sr. allegedly pulled out a gun and began firing into a crowd, police and prosecutors said.

Witnesses told officers a man came to the neighborhood, in the 2100 block of Earl Avenue, at about 7 p.m. and got into an argument with a group of males and females.

The argument turned physical, and at one point the suspect pulled out a gun and opened fire, police said.

Josue was playing with his older sister and some others when the shooting broke out. The kids tried to flee but the 4-year-old wasn't fast enough, and one of several rounds struck him in the back of the head.

The bullet slammed into the child's skull, near his neck, and skirted his brain, lodging behind his forehead and near his left eye, his mother said.

After several days of waiting and not knowing if he would pull through, the little boy awoke and appeared to suffer no lasting effects other than a massive scar that skirts the back of his skull.

The charge filed against Landrum Sr. alleges the shooting was a willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder of the child as well as four others who were in the line of fire that day and Landrum carried out the shooting to benefit his gang. Each attempted murder count carries a possible 25 years to life sentence, and if the defendant is convicted on all counts he faces a lifetime in state prison without parole.

Landrum was ordered Thursday to return to the Long Beach Superior Court on Feb. 1 for a preliminary hearing in Dept. 3 at 8:30 a.m.

Santa will be making his usual rounds through the city this weekend with his sleigh perched high atop a Long Beach firetruck.

But instead of toys, the big man might have to pass out IOUs.

That's because donations to the Long Beach Fire Department's Spark of Love toy drive are at an all-time low, fire department officials said.

It's so bad this year, said program coordinator and firefighter Will Nash, that for the first time in anyone's memory the fire department has had to tell some families they may not be able to help.

"I am astounded, as always, by the generosity of the people in this city," Nash said Wednesday. "But for the first time, at least since I've been doing this, we've had to tell some people that we'll do what we can, but we can't guarantee we'll have enough."

As Nash spoke, an all volunteer staff bustled around him packing toys for kids ranging from infants to teens into large cardboard boxes and plastic bags.

They pulled the items from shelves in a small warehouse at the back of the city's Parks, Recreation and Marine offices on Studebaker Road, just south of Spring Street.

The warehouse is about a quarter of the size of the warehouse the program used to fill on the Westside in previous years.

This year marks the 17th year the LBFD has participated in the Spark of Love campaign, and this year's drive is down by record numbers, Nash said.

The program needs all types of gifts, including toys for tots, games, books and gift cards.

Normally the warehouse shelves are overflowing with dolls, trucks, bikes and stuffed bears this far into December, volunteers said. This year, there are shelves that lay bare; a sad first.

The program is especially short of gifts suitable for girls 10 to 12 years old and presents for teen boys and girls, said volunteer Tracey Roman.

Those ages are tough, although a gift card, items for bedrooms and makeup or hair and body products are always appreciated, she said.

Roman has volunteered with the program for the past several years and took her children with her last year when the fire department helped Santa pass out toys on their "Code 3" run.

That's when Santa's reindeer get a break and let the Long Beach Fire Department cart the chubby guy around with the help of fire department staff and a Long Beach Police Department escort.

"I wanted them to see how excited the kids are to get just one toy," Roman said. "It really makes you feel good and reminds you how lucky you are."

Roman was joined by several other dedicated volunteers Wednesday, including members of the Long Beach Fire Department's ambassador program, the Long Beach Police Department's senior volunteer group and city staffers working on their own time.

The Spark of Love program is a good one because you know the items donated will go to truly needy families, they assured.

"With the fire department you know you're safe," Nash promised.

That's because the LBFD vets all the people who receive the gift packages, either directly or through one of the reputable organizations they work with, he explained.

That includes local churches, the YMCA and the Long Beach Unified School District.

Each year, the fire department provides gifts for deserving children and their families among those groups, as well as people they come across during their duties.

Firefighters also go through the list of families and choose the neediest cases who are treated to a whole compliment of presents at a party hosted by the LBFD and Aquarium of the Pacific, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 23 this year.

Other gift packages will be delivered by Santa and the firefighters Sunday, and Nash and the volunteers note they always need extra toys to take to hand out to neighborhood children who come out in droves when they see the man in the red suit sailing by.

The Spark of Love campaign will continue to gather gift donations through Christmas Eve with the final gifts given out on Christmas Day via the Salvation Army's annual brunch, Nash said.

"We're going to get by, we'll make it happen," he vowed. "But like everyone else, we're having to make do with whatever we have this year."

Teams of local firefighters will fan out across Long Beach with boots in hand, as they kick off their annual Fill-the-Boot fund-raising campaign for children and adults with muscle-wasting diseases this weekend, Dec. 19-21.

      Committed to the eradication of neuromuscular diseases, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is a longtime friend and supporter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Fill-the-Boot drives are the primary means by which the IAFF has raised nearly $300 million for MDA since 1954.

The Long Beach firefighters, Local 372, hope to make this Fill-the-Boot drive a tremendous success for MDA.  Look for the Long Beach firefighters with boots in hand at the intersections of Alamitos & Ocean, and PCH & Bellflower on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. These firefighters will be asking motorists to drop a donation into their boots.  This "voluntary toll" helps MDA change the lives of thousands of families in Southern California.

      "Time and again, these lifesaving heroes give so much of themselves for 'my kids,'" MDA National Chairman Jerry Lewis said. "They've made a tremendous difference in the lives of so many, and as they begin their 2009 campaigns, I hope people will see their tireless dedication and be moved and inspired to do their part."      

      Fill-The-Boot funds support MDA's services locally and nationally, including medical clinics staffed with specialists in muscle disease and accessible summer camp for kids. Local clinics benefiting from Fill-the-Boot funds include Ranchos Los Amigos, UCI, UCLA and USC. Local summer camps are held at The Painted Turtle.

      These funds also help finance MDA's worldwide research program seeking treatments for diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease). Up-to-date information about MDA services and research can be found at www.als-mda.org.

      MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive service, and far-reaching professional and public health education. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributions such as those who drive by and "Fill the Boot."

The Norwalk and West Hollywood branches of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department launched a "Safe Drug Drop-Off" program Tuesday for the anonymous disposal of controlled substances and paraphernalia.
Drop boxes are located in the front parking lot area of the Norwalk station, 12335 Civic Center Drive, and the West Hollywood station, 780 N. San Vicente Blvd.
"This is just another approach we are using in our overall efforts to keep these harmful items off our streets, out of children's hands and out of our oceans," said West Hollywood Sheriff's Station Capt. Buddy Goldman.
He added that flushing drugs down drains can adversely affect aquatic wildlife in rivers,
streams, lakes, groundwater systems and oceans.
Sheriff Lee Baca kicked off the program last month at the Lomita Station to great success, according to authorities.
And the program is being considered for several other stations in the county.

A Compton man was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Tuesday for beating his ex-girlfriend's 6-year-old son to death in a South Los Angeles home.
Marcas Fisher was sentenced to the maximum term by Compton Superior Court Judge John Cheroske after Fisher entered a guilty plea last month to a single count of murder for the brutal beating death of 6-year-old Dae-von Bailey.
The boy's battered body was found in July after the child's mother left the victim and his sister in ex-boyfriend's care.
Prosecutors said Fisher became upset with the child and beat him over a lengthy period of time.
Fisher -- who had prior convictions for sexual battery and burglary -- was tracked to North Las Vegas on Aug. 19 and taken into custody. His arrest involved members of a multi-agency
task force including Los Angeles police detectives, the U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Justice and members of the North Las Vegas and Las Vegas Metro police departments.
In exchange for Fisher's plea, prosecutors dropped a second count against him -- assault on a child causing death.

Long Beach police officers called to a California Heights neighborhood about two suspicious men ended up locking down part of the area for an extensive search that included K-9 and helicopter crews Tuesday afternoon.
The call came in at about 12:30 p.m. regarding two men in an alley near the 3700 block of Cerritos Avenue.
Officers arrived on scene and one of the two men, who may have been trying to break into a home, fled on foot, Sgt. Dina Zapalski said.
Officers detained the one suspect who stayed behind at the scene and quickly set up a perimeter in the area, locking down several streets. They found the wayward suspect in a garage in the 3800 block of Brayton Avenue about an hour later, the sergeant said.
He was arrested and booked, but his name and the charge were not immediately available, Zapalski said.

A preliminary hearing date was scheduled Tuesday for two Long Beach teens accused of gunning down a Wilson High School honor student following her high school homecoming game.
Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, both 16, will return to the Long Beach Superior Court for their preliminary hearing on Jan. 28 in Dept. 3, according to court staff.
Vinson and Davis are being tried as adults for the death of 16-year-old Melody Ross, an AP student and athlete who was gunned down just outside of Wilson's gates as she and about 500 other people were leaving the homecoming game against Poly High School on Oct. 30.
It was the first time Melody had attended a game and she was struck in the side with a single gunshot wound when the shots rang out at about 10 p.m. on Ximeno Avenue, between Seventh and Tenth streets, authorities said.
In addition to the first degree murder charge filed against the pair for Melody's death, the two teens also face two counts of attempted murder for the wounding of two Long Beach men, one 18 and the other 20, who survived and an allegation that the shooting was carried out to benefit Vinson's and Davis' gang.
The two survivors are gang rivals of Vinson and Davis, authorities said, and were believed to be the intended target in the attack.
Melody was an innocent bystander, authorities said.
Vinson attended Wilson High School at one time but was enrolled in a continuation school at the time of the slaying. Davis was a sophomore at Lakewood High School, school district officials said.
If convicted on all counts, both Vinson -- the alleged shooter -- and Davis face the possibility of life in prison without parole.

The Long Beach Fire Department's Spark of Love Toy Drive is at an all time low for donations and desperately needs your help to make a child happy this Christmas, officials said Monday.
This year marks the 17th year of the toy drive, which combines the efforts of fire departments from throughout Southern California with local media outlets.
While previous years saw the LBFD store room shelves overflowing with gifts this year's donations have dropped dramatically, with many shelves empty, said Long Beach Fire Capt. Jackawa Jackson.
Toys collected in the drive are distributed by the Long Beach Fire Department to deserving families who have lost their homes or belongings in the previous year from fire and other disasters.
Toys donated to the Spark of Love campaign are also delivered by Santa, who each year rides through the city atop one of the Long Beach Fire Department's trucks passing out toys and treats to boys and girls as they go.
In addition to toys and games, the Spark of Love campaign also accepts and appreciates gift cards and items designed for teens -- who are often over-looked, Jackson said.
Donation boxes are located at all Long Beach fire stations as well as Long Beach City Hall and all CVS pharmacies, Jackson said.
Any donation is tax deductible (Tax ID# 9321223990) and the fire department will be collecting toys through Dec. 24, Jackson said.

A 23-year-old Long Beach man was gunned down late Saturday in an area known for gang violence and police were still searching for his killer or killers Monday, authorities said.
Long Beach Police officers were called to the area of Orange Avenue and 11th Street around 11 p.m. Saturday and found the victim, identified as Jesus Nava, who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper body, said Nancy Pratt, an LBPD spokeswoman.
The victim was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later, Pratt said.
The motive for the slaying was unknown, but police are investigating it as possibly gang-related, she said.
There was also no suspect description available, Pratt said.
Anyone with information about the killing is urged to call Homicide Detectives Patrick O'Dowd and Terri Hubert at 562-570-7244.

 

A Lakewood High School football star and his 31-year-old alleged accomplice were ordered to stand trial Wednesday on a charge of attempted murder.
Attorneys for defendants Jerry Stone, 17, and Lawrence Blake, 31, tried but were unable to have the charges against their clients dismissed, which include two counts of attempted murder -- one for each alleged victim -- two counts of use of an assault weapon and an allegation that August drive-by was carried out to benefit Stone and Blake's alleged gang.
Stone, who was a stand-out running back for the Lakewood Lancers and described by his coach and teammates as someone destined for a college scholarship and most likely a career in the NFL, is being tried as adult and faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted on all counts.
The two day preliminary hearing, held at the Compton Superior Court, included testimony from investigators and witnesses and evidence including the AK-47 used in the attack and a spent shell casing from the assault rifle.
No one was killed in the shooting, which occurred on South Acacia Avenue in Compton at about 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 21.

It turns out that the name apparently doesn't make the man as shown by a Long Beach murder suspect charged with conspiring to attack a witness in his trial.
Paul Gentile Smith, 49, of Long Beach is charged with the murder and torture of his high-school friend in Sunset Beach in 1988 and now faces new allegations of conspiring with
his girlfriend to attack a witness in his murder trial, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Smith was indicted Monday on the conspiracy charges, said Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's office.
Smith is also charged with special-circumstances, making him eligible for the
death penalty, for allegedly stabbing his friend Robert Haugen repeatedly on Oct. 24,
1988, nearly decapitating him, Emami said.
Smith left Haugen's body in Haugen's Sunset Beach apartment after the slaying and then set the body and apartment on fire to destroy the evidence, Emami said. He eluded capture until 2007, when he was arrested in Nevada on suspicion of domestic violence.
After he was arrested, Smith's DNA was put into a national database and it matched
evidence found at the 1988 crime scene, Emami said. He was extradited to Orange
County in March.
While in custody for the slaying, Smith obtained a phone number he believed belonged
to someone who could attack a witness in his case, Emami said, but the number led him
to an undercover officer.
Smith allegedly called the undercover investigator Nov. 17 and said he would pay $300
to have the witness attacked, Emami said. He gave the undercover officer a detailed
description of the witness, his cell phone and home phone numbers, where he lived and
the type of car he drove, Emami said.
Smith's girlfriend -- Tina Derae Smith, 46, of Mission Viejo -- discussed the
conspiracy with him several times, Emami said. He allegedly gave Tina Smith the phone
number of the undercover investigator and she is accused of calling the investigator to arrange a meeting.
Tina Smith was indicted on a felony count of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault
and faces up to four years in prison if convicted. She is being held in lieu of
$100,000 bail and is set to be arraigned Wednesday.
Tina Smith allegedly drove to a fast-food restaurant in Lake Forest Nov. 28 intending
to pay the undercover investigator $50 in advance to attack the witness. Paul Smith's attorney, Kory Mathewson, said he just received a copy of the indictment and was not familiar enough with it to comment.

A 50-year-old Seal Beach man who allegedly engaged in lewd behavior in the presence of one of his student at Redondo Union High School was free on bail Friday, police said.
Media arts teacher Louis Jay Haddad allegedly met with a 16-year-old female student Thursday afternoon in his classroom, talked about sex and engaged "in a sexual act in her presence," said Sgt. Phil Keenan of the Redondo Beach Police Department.
The teen reported the incident to school officials who notified police and Haddad was arrested that same day.
He was booked at the Redondo Beach jail on suspicion of arranging a meeting with a minor for the purposes of engaging in lewd behavior and was released around 10 p.m. Thursday on $75,000 bail.
The married father of two has worked at Redondo Union High School for the past eight years and previously taught at Lynwood High School, authorities said.
Haddad is scheduled to return to court Jan. 14.

A 22-year-old Downey man who drove drunk and caused a fiery crash in Huntington Beach that killed a 20-year-old Cal State Long Beach student was convicted Thursday of vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident.
Kenneth John McNair drank heavily for hours before getting behind the wheel of his father's white Honda Accord and slammed it into the back of Jose Pacheco's Ford Mustang at Goldenwest Street and Edinger Avenue Nov. 15, 2008.
McNair's attorney, Rondee J. Eagle, did not contest the vehicular manslaughter charge, but argued that his client did not leave the scene of the accident. Eagle contended that McNair was so drunk he did not realize he had killed Pacheco and did not intend to flee. McNair was also found guilty of driving without a license. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 29.
Pacheco, who was stopped at a traffic signal at Goldenwest Street and Edinger Avenue, died when his Mustang exploded into flames about 1:40 a.m.
McNair and his friend walked away, but Huntington Beach police caught up with them a block away, Baez said. About two hours after the accident, McNair's blood-alcohol level was 0.25 percent, more than three times the legal limit for driving, Baez said.
The two men had been playing "beer pong" and drank nine or 10 Bud Light beers Friday night before the early Saturday morning accident. McNair called for a cab and the two went to the Downey Brewing Company, where McNair had another beer.
The two then went back to McNair's home in Downey, but they soon decided they wanted to go out again. That is when McNair borrowed the keys to his father's car so he and his friend could drive to Sharkeez in Huntington Beach, where he had a bloody Mary, his attorney said.
McNair had the number of the cab company committed to memory so he could have avoided
driving drunk, the prosecutor said.
A witness at the scene of the crash told investigators he heard a man say, "Let's get out of here," before walking away from the crash, and the description of the men who walked away matched McNair and his friend, Baez said.
Eagle challenged the witness descriptions, saying they didn't quite match up to what the two were wearing. She also argued that McNair was so drunk at the time he thought the burning car was his father's and was unaware anyone else was hurt in the collision.

A 38-year-old woman has not been seen since leaving a home in Norwalk early Thursday en route to her home in South Gate.
Blanca Leticia Valdez also failed to show up at her place of business in
Downey, according to South Gate police.
Valdez was driving a 1998 white Ford pickup truck.
She is described as a Latina, 5 feet 3 inches tall, 130 pounds, with red shoulder- length hair
and brown eyes.
Anyone with information about her whereabouts was asked to call South
Gate detectives at 323-563-5418 during the day, or the watch commander
at 323-563-5457 after regular business hours. 

Police are investigating a fatal crash that resulted in the death of a 41-year-old transient, authorities said Thursday.
The victim, whose name was wittheld while authorities look for his family, apparently bolted into traffic and into the path of the driver's 2004 Honda Civic, police said.
The crash occurred at about 5:10 p.m. on the eastbound side of Seventh Street near Federation Drive, said Sgt. Dina Zapalski, a Long Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
The driver, a 35-year-old Long Beach woman, was heading east in the fast lane on Seventh when the victim ran suddenly into the street outside of a unmarked cross-walk, the sergeant said.
The victim sustained multiple fractures and major head trauma and was pronounced dead at a local hospital, Zapalski said.
The 35-year-old driver suffered minor injuries and was also treated at a local hospital as was a female adult passenger in her car. Both women were released shortly after treatment, police said.
 No charges are pending for the driver. Investigators are still working the case, however, and urge witnesses to call Accident Investigations Detective Brian Watt at 562-570-7355.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled Thursday for a 33-year-old Long Beach man accused of murder and driving drunk in the hit-and-run death of a 1-year-old girl. Neely Dinkins is accused of being drunk when he hit a red wagon that held one-year-old Kaylee Alvarez and her 2-year-old brother, Oscar. The children were being pulled by their parents, Alex and Yesenia Alvarez, across a crosswalk at Redondo Avenue and 10th Street at about 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 when the crash occurred. The parents and other passersby screamed for the single father to stop as he sped away with the wagon and the children jammed in the wheel well of a friend's SUV. Witnesses said he did stop for a moment a short distance away from the point of impact. That is when Oscar fell out of the wagon and was snatched to safety by bystanders. The boy underwent surgery for second-degree burns caused by the dragging but is expected to make a full recovery. Kaylee, however, was still buckled into the wagon and remained wedged inside of the wheel well of the SUV as Dinkins took off and wound his way to a residence on Wilton Street just off Redondo, witnesses said. Long Beach police estimate the baby was dragged more than a mile. Dinkins appeared briefly in the Long Beach Superior Court Thursday for a preliminary setting. He will return to the court next week, on Dec. 7, for the matter, court staff said.

Prosecutors announced Wednesday they will not re-try former Compton basketball coach Russell Otis on a charge of felony child molestation.,
Deputy District Attorney Ryan King, one of two prosecutors who tried the case against Otis last month, noted there were several reasons for his office's decision not to pursue another trial.
The main reason, King said, is knowing Otis' misdemeanor conviction for child molestation will require he have to register as a sex offender for life, meeting the DA's goal of ensuring the defendant never teach or coach minors again.
Otis was convicted on the misdemeanor count last month and faces the possibility of one year in county jail, court fees and fines and he may have to submit a DNA sample when he returns for sentencing on Jan. 6.
It took a jury nearly two weeks to convict the 46-year-old single father of the misdemeanor count for repeatedly propositioning a 16-year-old boy who played on the national title-winning Dominguez High School team via hundreds of text messages.
The jury deadlocked 10-to-2 in favor of guilt on the felony count, which alleged Otis propositioned the boy outside of the victim's home and showed the victim a stack of cash he could have if he let Otis perform oral sex on the youth.
The jury acquitted Otis on all counts related to allegations that he deposited a $15,000 check from Nike made out to Compton Unified School District into his personal bank account.
"As it stands right now, he will be required to register as a sex offender for life and spend one year in jail," King said. "Because there was no physical touching in the felony charge any sentence for that charge would not require more than a year."
Otis' attorney, Leonard Levine, said he was pleased that the DA decided to dismiss the felony count and said he still plans to appeal the misdemeanor charge when Otis returns to court for formal sentencing on Jan. 6.

A former Los Alamitos School Bus driver faces more than 200 years in prison after he was convicted Tuesday of more than a dozen felony counts for molesting three girls, two of whom were sisters he babysat.
Terry Lee Shields, who drove for the Los Alamitos School District, was convicted on a total of 15 criminal counts for molesting the children, aged 4, 7 and 11, and for possessing child pornography.
As the jury filed out of the Santa Ana courtroom Shields shouted, "You're wrong."
The 54-year-old showed no emotion, however, while the verdicts were read.
The jury forewoman credited Prosecutor Heather Brown with presenting a
"very meticulous" case.
The forewoman noted one victim denied in testimony that Shields molested her after he kidnapped her while she was walking to school back in 2004. The forewoman said the jury understood the girl was traumatized by the attack and the child had told the truth to investigators when she offered extensive detail of the molestation -- which was corroborated by pornographic pictures Shields took of the girl.
In her closing argument Monday, Brown showed the jury pornographic photos Shields
took of the girls he molested.
Shields was convicted of three counts of forcible lewd acts upon a child; one count
of kidnapping to commit rape, oral copulation or sodomy; three counts of using an
underage person for obscene matter; seven counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a
minor; and possession of child pornography. Brown dropped seven counts of child
molestation in the original case because the statute of limitations had run out, she
said.
Defense attorney Gassia Apkarian contended the case against her client was largely
circumstantial, although she conceded he possessed child pornography. The more than
2,000 photos made her defense difficult, she said.
Shields babysat two of the girls, who are sisters. He molested
the 4-year-old from April 18 to 21, 2002, and her 11-year-old sister on Feb. 18,
2002, in Los Alamitos, Brown said.
Shields lured the 7-year-old girl, who he had never met before, to his car with a
promise of a trip to Disneyland. He put her in the trunk of the car,
drove back to his Buena Park home and molested her, the DA said.
She said the girl told investigators Shields tried to get her to drink
beer and Nyquil before putting her in suggestive poses for photographs. After he
molested her he dropped her off at a McDonald's, Brown said.
Brown pointed out how wallpaper from Shields' home matched wallpaper seen in the
photos. The same goes for the sex toys depicted in the photographs that police later
found in his backpack, Brown said.
Brown also said one of the photos shows Shields' hand with the watch he was wearing
on the day of his arrest.
Shields was arrested Oct. 4, 2006, after viewing child pornography on a computer at a
cyber cafe in Bellflower, authorities said. When investigators arrested
the 6-foot-tall, 350-pound Shields, they also found cameras, binoculars, girls
underwear, "a Costco-sized box of lollipops," notes on the movements of
another child and her parent he allegedly was stalking and a pacifier, Brown said.
He faces 207 years and eight months to life in prison when he returns for sentencing on Dec. 24.

Sheriff's investigators shut down a portion of a North Long Beach neighborhood early Tuesday after receiving a tip that a wanted homicide suspect was holed up inside a local residence, authorities said Tuesday.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's investigators from the Homicide Detail went to the home near Long Beach Boulevard and East Ellis Street around 9 a.m., according to the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.
Long Beach Police responded to the incident as well, providing help with the perimeter, said Nancy Pratt, an LBPD spokeswoman.
The suspect was taken into custody without incident, Sheriff's officials said.
The suspect's name and the name of the victim and where the homicide occurred were not immediately available Tuesday, authorities said.
More information is expected to come.

A pretrial conference scheduled for former Compton basketball coach Russell Otis was postponed Tuesday.

Otis was found guilty of one count of misdemeanor child molestation on Nov. 3 in connection with the 46-year-old coach propositioning a 16-year-old boy who played on the national title winning Dominguez High School basketball team lead by Otis.

The jury deadlocked 10-to-2 in favor of guilt on a felony count of child molestation and the jury acquitted Otis on all counts related to forgery and fraud allegations that he deposited thousands of dollars donated from Nike to the Compton Unified School District into his personal bank account.

Otis' attorney, Leonard Levine, said there were a number of problems with the case that will be raised in Otis' appeal.

Attorneys on both sides were scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss whether the DA's office will re-file on the one felony count that resulted in dead-lock and to discuss the status of Otis' appeal and his sentencing.

They will instead meet Wednesday in Dept. 10 of the Compton Superior Court.

Trial was postponed Tuesday for veteran LAPD officer and Long Beach resident John Deegan.
John Deegan, 54, who was indicted by a federal grand with two counts of possession of child pornography, will return to federal court March 16 when his new trial date is scheduled.
Charged with Deegan was his 27-year-old son, Jonathon Deegan, who pleaded guilty to the same counts last month and who was immediately taken into custody.
Federal investigators first came to suspect the younger Deegan -- who had no previous criminal history -- of trading pornographic pictures and videos on the Internet, according to court documents.
When FBI agents served a search warrant at the Long Beach home he shared with his father, they found 600 images on his computer of children, some as young as 4 years old, involved in sex acts with adults. They also found alleged child pornography on his father's computer, court documents show.
Father and son turned themselves into authorities on Oct. 5 and were released on $10,000 bond each.
The elder Deegan -- a 22-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department -- was placed on administrative leave back in March when the department was notified of the FBI's investigation. He had been assigned to the Central Division's Patrol Unit.
If the elder Deegan is convicted he and his son face the possibility of up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine, plus lifetime supervised release and having to register as sex offenders.
FBI investigators were able to identify some of the children, none of whom are local, and although the Deegans are not suspected of ever contacting the children federal prosecutors are also are seeking $1 million in "restitution" for the victims.
The younger Deegan is scheduled to return to federal court for sentencing on April 26.
The elder Deegan remains free on bail as he awaits his trial.