With the donated money, Rafael Madrigal and his family were able to afford a rental home in Ontario. They lost their home to foreclosure and have until Sunday to vacate the property, Madrigal said.

Madrigal's father died in January, and the family was unable to keep up with mortgage payments on the home they had owned since 1995.

The federal appeals process that resulted in Madrigal's release after nine years of incarceration ended this week, with the state Attorney General's office announcing Thursday that it wouldn't appeal the judge's ruling to a higher court.

A electronic-monitoring bracelet he had worn on his ankle as a bail condition since his release from prison was removed at Thursday's hearing in Santa Ana federal court, Madrigal said.

In overturning Madrigal's conviction for a 2000 drive-by shooting in East Los Angeles, a federal judge highlighted evidence indicating that Madrigal was innocent of the crime, and faulted Madrigal's defense attorney for failing to effectively assist him.

Madrigal was reportedly working at a Rancho Cucamonga factory at the time of the shooting, but his attorney failed to call enough witnesses during his trial to prove the alibi, the judge wrote.

The defense attorney also failed to present a recording to the jury of Madrigal's co-defendant making statements in a phone conversation that point to Madrigal's innocence.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is now reviewing Madrigal's case, and has until mid-January to decide whether to bring the case to trial, said a district attorney spokeswoman.

Madrigal is scheduled to appear on Jan. 8 in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom, where prosecutors are expected to announce whether they will take Madrigal's case to trial, Madrigal said.

When one of Madrigal's son's former schoolteachers learned of the family's financial troubles, she set up a bank account for people to donate to the family.

In less than two weeks, donors gave enough money to help the Madrigals cover a security deposit and the first month's rent at a new home in Ontario, plus moving expenses, Madrigal said.

"It's a big blessing," Madrigal said.

Madrigal, a father of three, said he was relieved that his children wouldn't be forced to change schools as a result of the foreclosure and move.

He said he has been looking for work, and even has gone on job interviews, but so far hasn't landed a job.

"It's going to be an uphill battle," Madrigal said. "But I'm hoping I find a job real quick and real soon. And I feel once that happens, we'll be OK."

Madrigal said he hasn't decided whether to bring civil action against his trial attorney or other people or agencies responsible for his apparent wrongful conviction.

"I want all this to be finalized first before any type of consideration is taken into that matter," Madrigal said. "I have to sit down with my attorneys to see what they say and which direction they want to go with this."

Christopher O, 20, is expected to be arraigned Monday in Chino Superior Court. He remains jailed at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga in lieu of $1 million bail.

O is accused of shooting a man in the course of a robbery at about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of Mimi's Cafe.

The victim, who was shot in the thigh and the ankle, is expected to survive his injuries, a Chino spokeswoman said this week.

Toan Van Ho, 59, was sentenced in West Valley Superior Court for three felony convictions -- fraud to obtain aid, and two counts of perjury, said Deputy District Attorney Mike Abney.

Prosecutors accused Ho of misrepresenting his sons' criminal records and incomes when he filled out an application for low-income housing with the Housing Authority of San Bernardino County, Abney said.

People with certain types of criminal convictions or incomes over a set level are ineligible for low-income housing, Abney said.

In January last year, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department conducted a sweep targeting low-income-housing fraud and made 20 arrests.

Ho, of Rancho Cucamonga, was one of about ten people convicted following the sweep, Abney said. He was convicted by a jury last month.

Ho was also ordered this morning to pay the county about $8,500 in restitution, Abney said.

Prosecutors also allege that Patrick Griffin, 41, was drunk on Tuesday when he crashed into the 18-year-old victim -- identified by authorities as Jessika Garcia or Jessica Garcia -- at the intersection of Arrow Route and Vineyard Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga.

Garcia suffered severe head injuries and remained hospitalized in critical condition Thursday. Updated information on her medical condition was not immediately available this morning.

Click here for a detailed story on Griffin's case.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- An 18-year-old woman remained hospitalized in critical condition today with injuries she suffered this week when her car was broadsided by a transient accused of speeding through red lights in a stolen car.

The alleged driver in Tuesday's collision, 41-year-old Patrick Griffin, was charged by the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office today with four felonies: grand theft auto, evading a police officer, and two counts related to DUI causing serious injury, said San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Tracy Dorsey.

"Preliminary investigation determined that (Griffin) had been drinking," Dorsey said.

The victim, Jessika Garcia of Rancho Cucamonga, suffered severe head injuries in the collision at Arrow Route and Vineyard Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga, and hasn't regained consciousness, Dorsey said.

Garcia remains hospitalized at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, Dorsey said.
"She was just the innocent victim of (Griffin's) criminal activities," Dorsey said.

Griffin was hospitalized after the collision but was discharged today and jailed in lieu of $1.5 million bail at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, Dorsey said.

Ontario police revealed today that Griffin was briefly in custody the morning of the crash for a misdemeanor drug charge, but was released with a citation within a few hours.

Griffin, a transient from Washington state, told sheriff's deputies after his arrest that he was passing through the area hoping to eventually reach Florida, Dorsey said.

Griffin was born in Florida, said Ontario police Detective Jeff Crittenden. Griffin has no known local addresses, Dorsey said.

At about 1:30 p.m., Griffin reportedly stole a Toyota Camry from a Union 76 gas station at the intersection of Arrow and Hermosa Avenue, Dorsey said.

Soon after, a sheriff's deputy saw Griffin driving erratically as Griffin pulled out of a shopping center at the corner of Arrow and Archibald Avenue, Dorsey said.

The sheriff's deputy made a U-turn intending to pull Griffin over, Dorsey said.

As the deputy continued to watch Griffin's car, he saw the vehicle drive west on Arrow at speeds of up to 80 mph and run red lights at Archibald, Hellman Avenue, and Vineyard, Dorsey said.

At the Vineyard intersection, Griffin collided with Garcia, who was traveling north on Vineyard in a 2010 Hyundai.

Griffin slammed into the passenger side of Garcia's car, which was occupied only by Garcia.

About 10 hours prior to the crash, Ontario police contacted Griffin at a truck stop at Guasti Road and Milliken Avenue, Crittenden said.

Officers questioned Griffin at about 3 a.m. Tuesday because his car had an Oregon license plate for a vehicle registered as a commercial truck, Crittenden said.

Officers arrested Griffin after they found drug paraphernalia in his car, and his car was impounded, Crittenden said.

Officers also found at least four license plates in Griffin's car from at least three different states, including Washington, Oregon and Texas, Crittenden said.

At about 7 a.m., Griffin was released from custody at the Ontario police station and issued a citation for the drug charge with a January court date, Crittenden said.

Dorsey said that investigators do not believe the deputy's pursuit of Griffin was a factor in the crash.

Because Griffin had been drinking, investigators do not believe he was aware there was a sheriff's unit behind him, Dorsey said.

Read Dorsey's news release: 110309NewsRelease.pdf

Full-size crime scene photo (3.06 MB): View image

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Antonio Quiroz, 31, of Montclair, pleaded no contest Tuesday in West Valley Superior Court to a misdemeanor battery charge. Two felonies related to the sex accusations were dismissed.

Quiroz, who worked at Canyon Ridge Hospital in Chino, was sentenced Tuesday to one year of probation, but will not have to serve additional jail time. He was credited for 65 days in custody at his sentencing hearing.

Prosecutors accused Quiroz of having sex with the girl, a patient at the hospital, when she was 15 years old. Canyon Ridge Hospital is a psychiatric facility that offers treatment for behavioral health and substance abuse.

Deputy District Attorney Jason Anderson said he agreed to let Quiroz plead no contest to a misdemeanor because the case "turned out to be a toss-up" after Quiroz's defense attorney uncovered evidence supporting an alibi against some of the girl's allegations.

Roger Perchez, who lived in the same Chino apartment building as Servin, had been a suspect in the January 2005 killing since it occurred -- he was even once arrested but released because investigators lacked physical evidence.

Perchez, 30, hadn't appeared in court to face charges until this week, when he pleaded not guilty to murder in Chino Superior Court.

It remains unclear how investigators tied Perchez to the killing of Servin, 24, or what may have motivated the killing.

In a news release, a city spokeswoman said a witness came forward in June 2008 and led Chino investigators to the murder weapon, which was found in a drainage pipe.

A Chino police spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment today, and a prosecutor declined to discuss the facts of the case.

According to police reports attached to Perchez's court file, at the time of Servin's killing Servin and Perchez lived in the same apartment complex in the 13100 block of Ninth Street.

And a 10-page rap sheet attached to Perchez's court file shows numerous arrests and convictions -- for crimes such as burglary, battery, gang participation, possession of drugs for sale, rioting and a weapons violation.

In an interview today, the woman who contacted police after finding Servin in her alley recalled the night of Servin's death in detail.

Less than two minutes before she discovered Servin, Mary Cantu, 65, said she heard a car in the alley beside her home in the 13450 block of Third Street.

After the car left, she said her dogs were unusually agitated and fixated on something outside.
Cantu said she looked outside her bedroom window and saw Servin leaning on a fence that separates the alley from her property.

Her initial thought was, "Oh it's some borracho, a drunk," she said. But Servin moved his body slightly and he was illuminated by a street light, and Cantu saw that he was covered in blood.

Cantu went outside to help Servin, and Servin was unable to speak to her.

He was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital.

Servin had suffered 18 stab wounds to the front of his body, 10 stab wounds to the back of his body, and numerous defensive wounds on his hands. His left eye had been gouged out, according to police reports.

He was never able to make a statement to police or paramedics prior to his death.

"It was sad the way they cut him all up and poked him," Cantu said. "I've never seen that."

Shortly after Servin's killing, someone attached a bouquet of plastic flowers to the section of Cantu's fence where she found Servin. The bouquet is still attached to the fence, and Servin said she sometimes cleans it.

Prior to the night of Servin's death, Cantu's longtime partner had quit smoking for 17 years. But the night he saw Servin, he asked a houseguest for a cigarette, Cantu said.

"That same night he started smoking, and he hasn't stopped," she said. "That put a lot of stress on him."

Ward Ryan Welty, 36, surrendered to authorities last week in rural Fremont County, Colorado, where an extensive online police sting that resulted in his arrest originated. His local extradition case was dropped Friday.

Welty, of Rancho Cucamonga, agreed to travel to Colorado after his attorney, Roger Diamond, negotiated a plea bargain that includes only probation, Diamond said.

If convicted by a jury in Colorado of the five felonies charges against him, Welty could have faced a prison sentence of 10 years to life, Diamond said.

Welty's father is the owner of Manta Management, which operates Tropical Lei in Upland, the Flesh Club in San Bernardino, and Hawaii Theatre in the City of Industry.

Before his arrest, Welty told news reporters he was the manager or owner of the clubs, but Diamond has said recently that Welty has no current role in the family business.

Welty was arrested in June 2008 after traveling to Colorado to allegedly meet a woman he believed was willing to involve her 9-year-old daughter in sex.

The woman who Welty allegedly traveled to meet was an undercover police detective, and Welty was taken into custody when he arrived at a predetermined meeting place.

After his arrest in Colorado, local authorities searched Welty's apartment and found steroids they allege he was selling, and child-pornography images on his computers, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing.

Welty eventually pleaded guilty to three charges at West Valley Superior Court -- relating to sex solicitation, the steroids, and the pornography images -- and was sentenced to 270 days in jail. He has completed his jail time, Diamond said.

But while Welty was serving his jail time locally, he missed court appearances in his active Colorado case and was considered a fugitive.

He initially fought extradition efforts from authorities in Colorado -- citing his local conviction and Colorado's double-jeopardy laws -- but agreed to appear in Colorado after negotiating the plea bargain that spares him additional jail time, Diamond said.

Welty surrendered Oct. 21 in Cañon City, Colorado -- located about 100 miles south of Denver -- and was jailed pending his sentencing hearing on Dec. 16, Diamond said.

"He should be released and put on probation, and then he'll have his probation transferred to California," Diamond said.

Diamond said that Welty's probation in California does not prohibit him for working at the family's strip clubs. He said he didn't know what Welty's future plans are.

ARRESTED (L-R): Jose Luis Rodriguez and Francisco Rodriguez

Two brothers have been charged with attempted murder and other felonies for allegedly taking $100,000 worth of marijuana during an undercover police sting in Ontario last week, then shooting at detectives as they tried to flee.

Jose Luis Rodriguez, 28, and Francisco Rodriguez, 30, both of Los Angeles, allegedly intervened to steal the drugs during a drug transaction monitored by undercover West Covina police detectives on Oct. 20.

When the brothers fled the scene of the botched drug deal, one of them shot a handgun at two undercover detectives who chased them onto the 10 Freeway, according to police reports attached to the men's court file.

The bullets missed their intended targets and the detectives were unharmed.

The Rodriguez brothers pleaded not guilty Monday in West Valley Superior Court to two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, carjacking, and second-degree robbery.

Both men remained jailed Thursday in lieu of $1 million bail at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.

At about noon the day of the incident, three undercover West Covina drug detectives in three separate undercover cars arrived near the predetermined site of the drug transaction -- a Denny's parking lot on Milliken Avenue just north of the 10 Freeway.

The detectives had supplied two informants with 200 pounds of marijuana that was to be sold at $500 a pound, according to police reports.

Four other cars arrived in the parking lot -- a car containing the informants, two cars associated with the potential drug buyers, and a fourth car that belonged to the Rodriguez brothers, according to police reports.

The brothers may have been tipped off about the transaction by one of the potential buyers, according to police reports.

The drugs were transferred by an informant into one of the vehicles belonging to the buyers, and the informant was instructed to drop off the buyers' vehicle at a nearby gas station, according to police reports.

But before the informant could drop off the car, the Rodriguez brothers cut him off and forced him out of the vehicle at gunpoint, according to police reports.

During the alleged robbery, one of the West Covina detectives drove to the area, pointed a rifle at the two alleged robbers, and ordered them to the ground, according to police reports.

Rather than drop to the ground, the Rodriguez brothers fled the area -- with one man in the car containing the drugs, and the other in the brothers' initial vehicle. They entered the westbound 10 Freeway, traveling at up to 100 mph, according to police reports.

Two West Covina detectives chased them onto the freeway, and they were allegedly shot at several times by Jose Rodriguez, according to police reports.

Jose Rodriguez pulled to the side of the freeway near Central Avenue and surrendered to police.

His brother, Francisco Rodriguez, was located by police and arrested at a Costco store on Central Avenue in Montclair.

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RIVERSIDE -- Five local men accused of committing a series of armed robberies and shooting a Riverside County clergyman must stand trial for attempted murder and other charges, a judge ruled this week.

The defendants include Pomona residents Timothy Jacquemain, 18, Jacob Bushow, 19, and Andrew Swindle, 23, as well as Anthony Coleman, 21, of Chino, and Willis Bagley, 38, of Perris.

According to prosecutors, the men held up five diners on Sept. 15 -- in Industry, Rowland Heights, Pomona, Norco and Corona -- and attempted to commit a robbery a church in Home Gardens.

Antonio Garduno, pastor of Our Lady of Tepeyac, was shot during the robbery but survived his injuries.

Following two days of testimony, Riverside Superior Court Judge Roger A. Luebs ruled Wednesday that there was sufficient evidence for a trial in the case.

The five defendants, who remained jailed today, are scheduled to next appear in court Nov. 12.

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Matthew James McClane, 27, and Larry Darnell Shyne, 30, are accused of participating in the December robbery and killing of 41-year-old Kimberly Michelle Sum at an Ontario hotel.

A third man implicated in the incident, 22-year-old Donald Ray Walker, has accepted a plea bargain from prosecutors for a reduced sentence in exchange for his testimony against McClane and Shyne.

Following three days of testimony in West Valley Superior court -- from Walker, police officers and others -- Judge Stephan G. Saleson ruled that McClane and Shyne must stand trial.

The two men are due back in court Nov. 4.

Though he's been "toe-tagged" -- or marked for death by his gang -- for cooperating with authorities, in two days on the witness stand Donald Ray Walker detailed the December robbery that ended in the shooting death of Kimberly Michelle Sum, 41.

Matthew James McClane, 27, and Larry Darnell Shyne, 30, both face murder charges and life prison sentences for Sum's killing at an Ontario hotel.

Their preliminary hearing, which began Thursday, is set to resume Wednesday afternoon in West Valley Superior Court. Both men remained jailed today in lieu of $1.5 million bail.

Walker, who confessed when he was arrested in March, accepted a plea bargain from prosecutors last week for 17 years in state prison. As part of the plea bargain, Walker, 22, must testify against McClane and Shyne.

Shyne, Sum's former pimp, is accused of orchestrating the robbery to benefit financially, and to frighten Sum into returning to him for protection.

Shyne, of Pomona, enlisted Walker, his cousin from South Los Angeles, and McClane, an alleged gang associate of Walker's, to assist him in the robbery, Walker testified today.

The evening of Dec. 20, Shyne picked up Walker and McClane in his burgundy Cadillac, and the group traveled together to the Hotel Indigo, a newly opened boutique hotel just northwest of Haven Avenue and the 10 Freeway.

While Shyne waited in the car, Walker and McClane went to Sum's hotel room to rob her. Walker testified that he was surprised to see that McClane brought a pistol with him.

After less than two minutes in Sum's room, McClane shot and killed Sum. Walker testified that McClane told him the shooting was accidental.

When Shyne learned of the shooting, "he was upset," Walker testified. "Nobody expected that to happen."

Walker testified that he and McClane were unable to find money or any valuables in Sum's room.

Using surveillance footage from the hotel, Ontario police were able to identify Walker and McClane as the two men pictured, according to police reports.

During initial interviews with police after his March 12 arrest, Walker denied any involvement in the shooting.

But during the interrogation, Walker learned that his girlfriend had been arrested after police found marijuana during a search of her home, Walker testified.

A detective told Walker that the woman would be released if he told the truth about the incident, and Walker then opted to tell the truth, Walker testified.

Walker said he accepted the plea bargain from prosecutors last week because he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in prison for murder.

"I thought I'd do my time for the robbery," Walker said. "I didn't know about this other stuff. It's overwhelming."

Walker's testimony against his co-defendants was videotaped in court today and last week.

The recording was made to preserve his testimony, said Deputy District Attorney Carolyn Youngberg.

In their cross examination of Walker, defense attorneys for Shyne and McClane repeatedly questioned Walker's motive for testifying his alleged co-conspirators.

Shyne's defense attorney, David Call, asked Walker whether he was testifying to secure a prison sentence of "only 17 years" rather than life.

"You said 'only 17 years' like that's short," Walker responded.

Under questioning from Youngberg, Walker said he didn't want to return from protective custody in West Valley Detention Center to a "general population" section of the Rancho Cucamonga jail where he might come into contact with members of his gang.

"That's because you have a toe tag on you?" Youngberg asked.

"Correct," Walker responded.

Shyne and McClane have not been offered plea bargains, Youngberg said.

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That was the testimony this morning of Stewart's boyfriend, one of three witnesses called at a preliminary hearing in Pomona Superior Court.

The boyfriend, John Weedon, testified that employees at the Hamilton Villa "paid no attention" to Stewart's complaints about her mental state.

And on July 23, she stabbed and killed Robin Ridgeway -- reportedly because Stewart believed Ridgeway and Weedon were having an affair, according to witnesses who testified today.

Owners or managers of the facility could not be reached for comment. A woman who answered the phone at the facility this afternoon said the owner was not available.

At the conclusion of the hour-long hearing, Judge Charles Horan ruled that there was sufficient evidence for Stewart, 34, to stand trial on murder charges.

Weedon, a resident of Hamilton Villa, testified that Stewart accused him about three days before the stabbing of having an affair with Ridgeway, 49.

Weedon denied he had a romantic relationship with Ridgeway. "There's no way I would do that," he testified.

At about 4 p.m. on the day of the incident, Ridgeway was standing in an outdoor area of the facility speaking with another resident and a psychologist who works with patients at the facility, located at 948 S. Hamilton Blvd.

The psychologist, Joseph Pruitt, testified that he was sitting only 18 inches away from Ridgeway when she was attacked by Stewart.

Pruitt said that he saw Stewart stab Ridgeway in the back with a blade that was at least a foot long. After wounding the woman, Stewart said, "Take that," Pruitt said.

"Robin stepped back and said, 'I've been shot,'" Pruitt testified.

After the stabbing, Pruitt and another employee took Ridgeway indoors, where she collapsed, and other patients ran from Stewart, who walked back and forth clutching the knife, according to witnesses.

Stewart said, "Don't mess with my husband," according to Weedon, who was nearby when the attack occurred.

The three witnesses who testified today said they had never seen the knife Stewart used to attack Ridgeway. They said the knife, which was described as a hunting knife or kitchen knife, did not belong to the facility.

Deputy District Attorney Stephen Dones said after the hearing that Stewart told police after her arrest where she got the knife. Dones declined to disclose what Stewart said.

Stewart hears voices and often assumes different personalities, including that of her brother, Weedon testified.

He said Stewart would have "crazy spells," and he would hold her down for 10 minutes until the spells would pass.

Stewart is next scheduled to appear in court Nov. 9 for an arraignment hearing. She remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.

Stewart's attorney, Rodolfo Aguirre, declined to comment after the hearing.

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Cesar Guzman, 47, was sentenced on Oct. 19 to six years in state prison as part of a plea bargain reached with prosecutors for his role in the Oct. 30, 2002 shooting death of Craig Corle, 38.

Guzman was released at the end of last week's hearing because the time he spent in custody, with behavior credits included, equaled six years.

At a 2007 preliminary hearing, Guzman testified that he and an accomplice, Kent Craig, hired a hitman to beat up Corle for failing to repay Guzman $100 and failing to return speakers he borrowed from Corle.

Without consulting Guzman, Craig reportedly altered the plan and told the hitman -- a teenage drug dealer from San Bernardino -- to kill Corle.

Guzman pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter for his role in Corle's death. Craig was convicted of murder by jury last year and sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.

Brian Gary Cullens, 47, faces a base sentence of 15 years to life in state prison for the 2003 killing of Donald Marshall, 41, though his sentence will likely be significantly longer because he used a gun and he has several prior felony convictions, including a strike conviction.

Cullens and Marshall, who had known each other since childhood, were reportedly feuding at the time of the shooting because Cullens allegedly had a relationship with Marshall's wife while Marshall was incarcerated.

The day he was killed, Marshall went to Cullens' home to reportedly fight Cullens. When Marshall confronted Cullens, Cullens shot and killed him, according to a witness.

A jury found Cullens guilty of second-degree murder on Oct. 19 after two days of deliberating in Fontana Superior Court. Sentencing was scheduled Friday at the end of a court hearing on Cullens' prior convictions.

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