April 2008 Archives

Arcadia police released a photo Wednesday of a man suspected of participating in a bank robbery that netted $3,600.

The robbery, which occurred about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday occurred in the HSBC Bank at 1107 S. Baldwin Avenue.

We're still in the process of moving to a new server, so posts are slow appearing.

As we move forward, I plan on revamping parts of the site including the links. So,

If you have a site you think Crime Scene should link to, post it up in the comments below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Frank

This comes from our sister paper in Northern California, the San Jose Mercury. I'm posting a link here because there is a Duarte connection as you will see in the snippet below:

They were the gang that shot straight but could not do much else. The killers of Mark Achilli pumped seven slugs into his body, truly finishing the popular Los Gatos man's life. But in the police affidavit that was released on Friday, the accused killers emerged as the ultimate bumblers: Guys who badly mixed technology with an old-fashioned crime conspiracy.

Two blocks from the scene of the March 14 shooting, police found two items that were key to solving the case: an AOL-generated map showing directions from an unlisted address in Duarte, Calif., to Achilli's town house on Overlook Road, and also a crumpled photo of Achilli downloaded from Metroactive.com.

The find was almost as good as fingerprints. It allowed detectives to put pressure on the man believed to be the pivot of the conspiracy, bar bouncer Daniel Chaidez. When Chaidez lied to the cops, it got sweeter.

Did anyone in this gang ever watch "The Sopranos"? Did any of them see Tony Soprano hunched over a computer, printing out directions to the home of his next victim? Fuggedaboudit. It just wouldn't happen.

This from reporter Janette Williams:

Ricky Whitman, spokeswoman for the Pasadena Humane Society, said the
organization us still caring for about three dozen cats and dogs
brought in by owners who had to evacuate over the past few days.

"(Sunday) we evacuated the mules by trailer" from the Adams pack
Station at Chantry Flat, Whitman said. "We were able to help that way,
and the race track stepped up and helped."

She said there were 20 mules, one mare and 15 goats all being looked
after by staff at Santa Anita Park racetrack.

Whitman said the pets brought in during the evacuation are being held
separately -- including in the board room and auditorium -- and will be
ready to leave when their owners come for them.

Reporter Amanda Baumfeld will report tomorrow on a Craigslist scam in Covina that has some potential renters hopping mad.

Here's the top of her story as it stands:

COVINA - Stevan Ortiz and his girlfriend planned to move into a three-bedroom home on Calera Avenue Thursday.

The couple - expecting their second child in June - gave notice at their apartment in Baldwin Park, bought a washer and dryer and even made plans to pick up a dog.

But Tuesday afternoon, Ortiz, 22, discovered he was among a group of people who have been victims of a real estate fraud.

"We made so many plans," said Ortiz, who tried contacting the owner all weekend. "I had this in the back of my mind when I couldn't get a hold of him."

At least 12 families have filed complaints connected to the property located at 5441 N. Calera Avenue, said Detective Ted Williams, of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Each family gave first and last month rent, totaling $2,400, officials said.

Fred's award from Pasadena provocateur Proctor came in the mail today. I asked him to pose for a photo and the obligatory quote:

All he would say was "Um, yeah. That's good." (as he shoveled in another mouthful of huevos rancheros con jamon).

Brian Day reports on another shooting in the Valinda-La Puente corridor. Killed Monday morning was a 43-year-old man standing in a driveway in the 700 block of Foxworth Avenue.

From Brian's story:

LA PUENTE - Authorities had few leads Monday in the shooting death of a man in a residential neighborhood, authorities said.

Alex Trejo, 43, of Valinda was pronounced dead at the hospital after being shot numerous times, sheriff's and coroner's officials said.

Deputies responded to 9-1-1 calls reporting a gunshot victim just after 5 a.m. and found a 43-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds in front of a house in the 700 block of Foxworth Avenue in an unincorporated county area near La Puente, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Gerard Velona.

While several witnesses reported hearing gunshots shortly before the body was found, no witnesses reported seeing the shooting, said Detective Steven Blagg of the sheriff's Homicide Bureau.

The man was found lying in the driveway of a single-story home with numerous gunshot wounds from a handgun, Blagg said.

 

First off, a couple of links:

A personal observation from a guy who has a photo of an interesting street sign in Pico Rivera.

Wildfire Today with an update.

Things are rapidly returning to normal near the burn area. The buzz around the newsroom is that for all intents and purposes, the Santa Anita fire is over.

Some highlights:
 
According to Janette Williams, NPR is reporting that residents are being allowed to return to their homes this morning.

The Foothill Cities Blog, which covered the blaze early and comprehensively, has gone back to including non-fire related posts.

I noticed the KFI made no mention of the blaze at either 7:30 a.m. or 8 a.m.

The fire command post has moved east to Santa Fe Dam, even though the fire was reported moving west toward Pasadena. And, according to a press release from Pasadena CIty spokeswoman Ann Erdman there were voluntary evacuations on four streets near Hastings Ranch.

Some totals from the inciweb report:

As of Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 6:00 a.m. PST, the Santa Anita Fire has burned 538 acres north of Sierra Madre, CA. Approximately 234 acres are on National Forest System land within the Angeles National Forest, and 304 acres are within the corporate boundary of the City of Sierra Madre (see fire progression map posted to this site).

The fire is currently 57% contained, with most of the containment in the area surrounding Sierra Madre residences and along the eastern edge of the burned area .

Southern California Interagency Incident Management Team 3 assumed command of the fire at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, 2008.

Fire information is available 24 hours/day by calling the Angeles National Forest Fire Information Center at 626-821-6700. The City of Sierra Madre Public Information can be reached at 626-355-7135.

I saw this tombstone at the Pioneer Cemetery in Sierra Madre Monday and it fascinated me.

Who are these people? What's the story? Here's the inscription:

"Donald Phillips

Nov 9, 1904

Anna Phillips

Aug. 7, 1918 Jan. 24, 1938

My darling

Four months bride

Angel of my dreams

Rest in God's love

And mine

Residents of Sierra Madre like to think of their town as the closest thing to heaven on earth.

But hell came calling over the past several days. The call came in the form of a wildfire that threatened hundreds of homes wedged into the side of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The fire, a 500-acre hillside blaze that lit up the night sky, forced the evacuation of more than 1000 residents and placed the tiny community of 11,000 right in the crosshairs of national media attention.

Fortunately, as of late Monday afternoon, no one was killed or injured, no homes were destroyed, and life seemed about to return to normal.

On any other spring day, there's probably nothing quite like a walk through Sierra Madre.
Even with smoke and ash in the air, the scent of night blooming Jasmine, eucalyptus, wild roses and rosemary lingers everywhere.

At the top of Auburn Avenue less than 100 yards from a smouldering hot spot, I met a man named Richter who said he's lived in Sierra Madre all his life and in that neighborhood since 1970. He said he didn't fear the fire.

" I wouldn't live up here if I didn't like it," he said. "If you live down by the freeways, you can't hear yourself talk," he said. "But up here, it's as quiet a church mouse -- just like heaven."

City officials have their own take on life in Sierra Madre.

"This is one of the last small towns in America," Kurt Zimmerman, Sierra Madre's mayor told a media hoard gathered in Sierra Vista Park, just down the road a piece from the Richter place.

"There's no traffic lights," he said, stifling a tear in his eye and a catch in his throat. "This is a place where neighbor knows neighbor."

Although fire and police officials said they have not determined a cause for the blaze, Zimmerman pointed to a likely human origin.

"Someone, at approximately 3 p.m. Saturday started a fire in the hillside over our city," Zimmerman told the cameras, microphones and pencils. "This is a crisis situation."

Zimmerman went on to praise firefighters who, early Monday morning, prevented the blaze from reaching into one of Sierra Madre's neighborhoods.

"Early this morning," he began. "A couple of feet from our homes in the canyon, a perimeter was established when bodies and engines; steel, water and human flesh and blood stopped the fire dead in its tracks. We are making progress."

Almost as soon as Zimmerman completed his dramatic statement, a city spokeswoman said the mayor misspoke.

"We do not know the cause of the fire," Elisa Weaver said.

She left it at that.

A terse meeting between police Chief Marilyn Diaz, Weaver and Zimmerman followed the mayor's remarks.

I could hear Zimmerman say, "I didn't say 'intentional.' I was told it was not a bolt of lightening."

Nonetheless, Diaz came to the podium and reiterated the official position: The cause of the blaze remains unknown.

I wandered away from the park and the press and found myself standing alone in the middle of a graveyard. I spent time looking at old tombstones, thinking of how peaceful the place must be when fire choppers aren't hovering above.

These came to me from fellow reporter Janette Williams. She received them with this note:

My name is Amber Fountain, a sophomore at La Salle High School, and theses are some pictures of the Chantry fires i took from my house in Sierra Madre.

What is the name of the fire? I thought there was some official settlement on Sierra Madre. But some are still calling it the Santa Anita fire, while still others refer to it as the Chantry Flats fire.

Here's an interoffice memo from ME Steve Hunt, clarifying the naming:

I guess several media outlets have called it by different names, but Hector reports the Forest Service has officially dubbed the fire above Sierra Madre the Santa Anita Fire.

FYI,

Steve

As for more photos. Here's a couple more. Its fascinating to see how many citizens carry digital devices to record the event for posterity. I saw digital recorders, camcorders, laptops and cameras. Amazing.

Sherry Wheelock and her twins, Michael and Christopher, 13, walk south on Baldwin Avenue protecting themselves from the smoke hanging in the air.

Reporters from KCAL KCBS (left) and Fox News (left) read their stories on the air from Sierra Vista Park Monday morning. The reports were filed just before Mayor Kurt Zimmerman and Sierra Madre police Chief Marilyn Diaz spoke to the assembled media

Looks like we'll be unable to post until about 5 p.m. If there's no posts here by 7 p.m. check sgvcrime.blogspot.com for updates.

Spent the morning in Sierra Madre, listening to officials, talking to residents, visiting the fire line and taking in some sights and sounds.

While I was gone, an email arrived with a great map link. Here the link to an inciweb fire progression site.(thanks to the other Mala).

Here's a couple of photos from a batch I took this morning.

This is on Baldwin Avenue, just south of Carter. The flames shot up through oak trees on a nearby ridge, while copters hovered overhead and residents and media looked on.

This shot is from the end of Baldwin Avenue at Carter. The flames are shooting high because there's a tree providing a lot of fuel.

This is from Frank, who is at the scene of the fires:

The evacuated area has been extended west to Michillinda Avenue, north of Grandview Avenue. Previously, the burn area's western border stopped at Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park.

Also, residents east of Camillo Street, north of Grandview Avenue, may be allowed to return to their homes as early as 2 p.m. today.

View Larger Map

The view from Mount Wilson (thanks 20/20 hindsight)

Pasadena Daily Photo's daily photo.

Another personal take from a guy named Simon.

Star-New photo gallery. On-line here.

The Foothill Cities -- putting together just about everything else there is to know about the fire here.

Caption: Jeff Hurd, far right, foreman of the Los Angeles County Camp 14 fire
crew accesses the Chantry Flats Fire before cutting line with his crew
above the Sierra Madre Dam to hold back the fire from homes in Sierra
Madre Sunday morning, April 27, 2008. Residents in the area were
evacuated as 400 acres continue to burn. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Sarah
Reingewirtz/SXCITY)

Dear Crime Scene readers,

Our blogs are scheduled to move to a new server sometime this afternoon. During the move there may be a delay in getting posts up online. I should be notified when the move occurs, and I'll pass that information on to you all. As soon as the move takes place, I'll post at the Crime Scene mirror on Blogger. http://sgvcrime.blogspot.com

As soon as we reactivate, I'll move any posts back here.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your patience.

Sincerely,

Frank

I just finished talking to Julie Sokolowski, the bride whose wedding party was transported out of Sturdevant Camp in the Chantry Flats area earlier today via helicopter.

Sokolowski told me her stepfather, Chris Kasten, has been managing the camp - four miles from the Chantry Flats Ranger Station - for 17 years and is still up there with his wife. They opted to stick the fire through.

Sokolowski and her husband, Ken Grady, tied the knot on Saturday at 3 p.m., about the same time the Santa Anita Fire started. No one in the wedding party knew about the blaze until Saturday evening.

By noon today, the entire wedding party - 45 people and four pets - were evacuated from the area.

"We didn't think there was any threat to us," she said. "We went on like normal and then this morning, we were all having breakfast and they told us search and rescue was on their way."

Sokolowski said early Sunday the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team first gave them the option to hike out with escorts.

But smoky conditions caused by the fire made authorities rethink that plan.

Here are some pictures of the couple. Julie was nice enough to send them over.

Sokolowski said early Sunday the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue team first gave them the option to hike out with escorts.

But smoky conditions caused by the fire made authorities rethink that plan.

Here are some pictures of the couple. Julie was nice enough to send them over.

Several area hotels are offering discounted room rates for discplaced fire victims and the city has set up a hotline for residents to call for more information.

AGENCY: City of Sierra Madre

PHONE: (626) 355-1735 and press "0" for the operator

RESOURCE: Up to date information about Chantry Flats Fire and other resources

*********

AGENCY: The American Red Cross

PHONE: (626) 799-0841, ext. 270

RESOURCE: Information about the Hart Park House and Congregational Chruch evacuation centers for displaced residents

ADDRESS: Hart Park House: 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. in Sierra Madre

Congregational Church: 170 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. in Sierra Madre

*********

AGENCY: The Pasadena Humane Society

PHONE: (626) 792-3810

RESOURCE: Offering shelter services for pets displaced by the fire

ADRESS: 361 S. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena

*********

AGENCY: Courtyard Marriot

PHONE: (626) 357-5211

RESOURCE: Discounted room rates for residents displaced by the fire

ADDRESS: 700 W. Huntington Drive in Monrovia

*********

AGENCY: Santa Anita Inn

PHONE: (626) 446-5211

RESOURCE: Discounted room rates for residents displaced by the fire

ADDRESS: 130 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia

*********

AGENCY: Motel 6

PHONE: (626) 446-2660

RESOURCE: Discounted room rates for residents displaced by the fire

ADDRESS: 225 Colorado St. Arcadia

The city is posting information on its Web site here

For more information you can call (626) 355-7135. Press 0 for operator. There is updated information about evacuations and evacuation centers around town

Here's several more links from various perspectives on the 'net.

A guy named Vinny has photos here.

LA County Fire blog here.

The East of Allen Blog (from Altadena) here.

Altadena above it all here.

And a firefighter blog here.

We're hearing that a wedding party of about 50 people who were stranded about 3.5 miles from the Chantry Flat Ranger Station have been rescued.

They have been transported out of the area via helicopter. No one was injured.

We're still not quite sure how they got there or if they were there before the broke out, but we'll update when we have more details.

EVACUATIONS:

The Sierra Madre city Web site is reporting about 200 homes have been evacuated. Here is a list of two sites where displaced residents can go:

Mandatory Evacuation
Go to:
Hart Senior Park House
222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

Congregational Church
170 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

If you haven't checked it out already, the Web site is a good resource for info. The last update was at 6:30 this morning.

Everyone has contributed and has done a great job of covering all the aspects of the fire. A comment was left on Frazgo’s LA Met site about getting more info from the local blogs than from the AP Wire…

Too scary; looks like it could come all the way across the mountains again like the Altadena fire. 

EL MONTE - A stabbing, a shooting, three search warrants leading to a major pot bust and a bomb scare involving 30 pounds of TNT.
It's a roll call of major crime that sounds like it could fit neatly into a busy month for any police department.
But in El Monte, those calls made up part of a frantic 48 hours that saw police handle two homicides - making arrests in both cases; bust up a $2 million pot operation 15 miles away in Rowland Heights; and swiftly clear a neighborhood endangered by 30 pounds of TNT.
"We have a very active city," said police Chief Ken Weldon. "It's a challenge to stay on top of it." 

Brian Miller pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of telephone harassment. A poster here the other day claimed Miller pleaded guilty in the case. The poster was wrong.

Here's a portion of Dan Abendschein's story:

POMONA - The ex-boyfriend of a woman who has disappeared with their three children was pleaded not guilty on Thursday to making annoying telephone calls to the fugitive's father.

Brian Miller , the son of Rep. Gary Miller , R-Brea, allegedly made harassing calls to Jude Lopez of Diamond Bar, the father of Jennifer Dejongh, who had three kids with Miller .

The charge is for making repeated calls with "intent to annoy another person at his or her residence."

Dejongh has been a fugitive for several months after disobeying a custody order and disappearing with the kids in November.

Last night I attended a meeting of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).
The group put together a distinguished panel of experts to discuss the new media, blogging and ethics.

On the panel were:
Attorney Terry Francke, of CalAware.
Writer Mickey Kaus, Kausfiles at Slate.com
Attorney Jack Lerner, a USC expert in intellectual property and technology law
Kevin Roderick, Pulitzer Prize winner and publisher of LA Observed.
**Roderick modestly points out he was editor on two undertakings that won the LA Times news staff Pulitzer Prizes.

There was heavyweight discussion on several issues. Francke suggested Thomas Jefferson would have been a top blogger, if blogs were around back in the 18th and 19th Centruies.
Kaus suggested SPJ's ethics rules don't necessarily apply in the digital age.
Lerner discussed recent case law, including the Apple vs Bloggers case.
Roderick talked about his blog, and how it got off the ground as a conservative political destination of choice when he leaked an LA Times editor's memo on abortion.
Joel Bellman, former Her-Ex opinion page editor, who is now Zev Yaroslavsky's press deputy, MC'd the deal. I like him because he's admitted anonymous source and level-headed moderator, especially when the conspiracy kooks come out. (And they did)
***Bellman points out I promoted him above his pay grade at the Examiner.

"You inadvertently promoted me at the Her-Ex. I was an editorial writer and rotating op-ed columnist - I was NOT the opinion-age editor (that distinction belonged to Gary Spiecker, an excellent fellow and longstanding assistant editor of the LA Times Sunday Opinion section.)"

My big question of the night for the panel was what's your home page? and what web sites do you regularly visit.

Got some interesting responses:
The Arts and Letter Blog is apparently well respected.
The Drudgereport got some notice, especially from Kaus who cited its more even-handed approach in recent years.
NYTimes.com also received kudos, especially from Bellman, who said it's the best newspaper site out there.
"Loads fast," he said.

Roderick also noted the healthy blog exchange taking place in the San Gabriel Valley. Noting that there are several "political blogs" and anonymous blogs getting a lot of attention.
* Looking at my notebook There were a couple of links I forgot.
* Kaus mentioned he was a fan of lukeford.net An LA area blog.
* Roderick mentioned the FOX 11 LA blogs, noting they are "mostly insipid."
* He praised others like John Schwada's.
****I should really work harder to check this stuff out before I post!
****From Bellman for Roderick:

...the site I meant to reference last night was not Arts & Letters Daily but Arts Journal, another very high quality site with many smart and interesting voices. The arts blogger whose name I couldn't remember is Tyler Green., whose site is Modern Art Notes.

http://www.artsjournal.com/
http://www.artsjournal.com/man/

Fred J Robledo is all over this on his prep sports blog, where there are some interesting comments, including one casting aspersions on Fred's reporting ability.

For the record, we ran the story on the news side after Fred got a tip about Coberly. The same story ran in the Daily Bulletin. We weren't "scooped."

This from Tania Chatila's story in today's paper:

LA VERNE - Police are investigating allegations that a Bonita High School girls volleyball coach behaved inappropriately with a player, police and school officials said Wednesday.

La Verne police Lt. Jim Strona confirmed a complaint was filed, but declined to give more specific information.

School officials said the allegations were made against Morgan Coberly, who is also listed as a coach at the Claremont Colleges and at a private club in La Verne.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Coberly, who is from La Verne, denied the allegations.

"No, they are not true," he said, "and I don't want to talk about anything until the investigation is over."

 

Here's video from the web featuring Coberly and some of the Bonita players:

And don't forget this famous shot from the Bonita-San Dimas Volleyball game:

As first reported on the LA Observed Web site, there appears to be a shortage of matzoh this Passover season.
I was surprised.

So on Wednesday, I conducted an informal survey in our area, and stores in the region are in fact missing matzoh.
Not that it really matters now, since Passover Week is about over.

What’s really bugging me anyway this week is the severe lack of kosher Coke. I haven’t been able to find it anywhere since ... well ... before Easter.

This is a disturbing trend.

First of all, I’m not a big soft drink guy — kidney stones a decade ago cemented that decision. I’m also not Jewish, so keeping kosher at Passover isn’t a holy duty.

But, I gotta say this about stuff that’s kosher (or hilal, which is apparently the same thing), you can trust it. It’s been blessed. You know that whole “higher authority” thing.

For example, while pork links from the back of Satriale’s sure sound tasty, you never really know if you are getting pieces of Richie Aprille mixed in with the anise seed.

Picking up a package of Hebrew National franks on the other hand, pretty much assures purity and tastiness, even without the anise. Definitely without the body parts.

I often find myself looking for the pareve or U symbol on packaged foods much like I look for the letter grade on restaurants. “A” is great. “B” maybe. “C” never. “D” run before the vermin get you.

All of which probably explains part of the fixation on kosher Coke.

But there’s something more to the story. See kosher Coke is made with real sugar. So in my opinion it tastes better.

My colleagues here in the newsroom have told me to get Mexican Coca-Cola, which also has real sugar. I’m not convinced it’s the “real thing.” (Refer to my packaged food rules above.)

Anyway, I’ll continue my search. Apparently Gelson’s in Pasadena still has a case or so left.

This is probably all good preparation for the real food shortage on the horizon: rice, flour and cooking oil.

Sam’s, Costco, and other big box warehouse grocery stores have taken to rationing rice in recent days. There’s even talk about rationing flour and cooking oil.

The staples of home cooking are becoming more expensive and scarce at the same time.

We are moving into potentially scary times. Food shortages are not supposed to happen in the United States, much less California — the world’s bread basket.

It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that the mystery of the missing matzoh is somehow linked to all this.

So if you’ve been lucky enough to stumble upon kosher Coke or matzoh in the midst of all this I can only say,

“Mazel tov.”

A block surrounding the intersection of Arden and Valley in El Monte has been evacuated because of a bomb scare. Det. Ralph Batres says officials will detonate the TNT at the location.

**The coach has been identified as Trib's 2007 volleyball coach of the year, Morgan Coberly.

**Coberly also girls volleyball at Claremont Colleges and for a travel team based in La Verne.

**The travel team is also investigating allegations.

**The allegations apparently involve text messages between Coberly and a freshman member of the Bonita team.

La Verne Police are investigating allegations that a coach at Bonita High School had inappropriate contact with a student (perhaps a player) during the school year. The coach is on leave from the school, sources said.

This is from an article I wrote last April regarding the district's attempts to stem sexual abuse allegations (hardly seems like a year ago):

In 2006, Allen Avenue Elementary School teacher Debra Lynn Pence, 48, of La Verne pleaded no contest to one count of molesting Matthew Wanamaker. She received five year's probation and was required to register as a sex offender.

Just two weeks before Pence's arrest, Bonita High School math teacher Walter Babst was arrested in an Internet sting for soliciting sex from what he thought was a girl under 14.

Babst, 43, of Corona continued to teach at Bonita High for several days after his arrest by Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies. Officials said they had no idea Babst had been arrested until his attorney notified the district.

In February, Babst pleaded guilty to attempted lewd acts with a minor under 14, and possession of child pornography. He will be sentenced May 11, according to Ingrid Wyatt, spokeswoman for the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

"I think should have known who these teachers were," Cheryl Wanamaker said. "Whatever's happened to all stems back to (the molestation)."

In the 1990s the district lost two lawsuits after teachers Dave Dangleis and Jack Kelley, a soccer coach, were charged with molesting students.

The Kelley settlement ultimately cost the district $3.5 million in damages, according to court documents and published reports. Both Dangleis and Kelley served criminal terms. Dangleis now lives in Indio and is a registered sex offender. Kelley is a registered sex offender living in San Diego.

Sheriff's officials said Peter Sanchez, 38, of El Monte, has been arrested in connection with the slaying of Elaine Garza, 41.

Garza was shot to death in the parking lot of Five Points Plaza in El Monte Tuesday.

Her mother identifed Garza as an informant and said family members knew it was coming.

Sanchez doesn't appear in the sheriff's inmate locator as of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. It is unclear if he has been booked.

*Turns out suspect's name is actually Joseph Sanchez, DOB 10-03-1969. He's being held on a parole violation at the El Monte city jail, according to El Monte police LT. Santos Hernandez.

 ** Sources close to the investigation said Garza and Sanchez had been involved in some sort of altercation previous to the shooting. The altercation allegedly took place at the Victory Motel where Sanchez was later arrested.

** Sources close to the investigation also said Sanchez fled the scene on a "Razor"-type scooter. He went back to the Victory Motel and was arrested with a handgun still in his waistband.

One day after an informant for the El Monte PD was killed, detectives continued their string of pot busts with a roust in Rowland Heights. A home at 2040 Bing Court, yielded more pot than a bust at the gated El Monte community on Maxon Road last Friday.

This from the Daily Bulletin:

SAN DIMAS - An Asian man was stabbed in the face and torso during a hate crime attack at Lone Hill Middle School on Tuesday evening.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies said the attackers - a 15-year-old boy and a man in his 20s - shouted racial epithets while stabbing the man. "They were shouting out 'White power' or something like that," said sheriff's Lt. Roxanne Hart.

A white man who was walking with the victim at the school at 700 South Lone Hill Avenue about 8:30 p.m. received cuts and bruises from being punched by the pair, Hart said.

Paramedics flew the Asian man to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition.

Deputies identified the 15-year-old suspect and arrested him. The man in his 20s was not in custody, Hart said.

One witness said the shooting resulted from a purse snatching gone wrong. We'll update as soon as more info is available.

If true, the shooting would be El Monte's second homicide today and *eighth this year.

*LA County Sheriff's homicide detectives are rolling to the scene of the shooting at 12030 Valley Boulevard (near Five-Points)

*A man has apparently been arrested in connection with the case at the Victory Motel on Garvey Avenue, according to reporter Claudia Palma who is at the scene.

**The victim may have been a well known El Monte police informant, according to several sources. There is a rumor that the victim had informed in a recent case that lead to a large scale bust (possibly the pot house?)

**** A person of interest has been detained in connection with the shooting, sheriff's officials said. The man was apparently in possession of a handgun similar to that used in the killing.

**** The dead woman was identified by authorities and her mother as Elaine "Baby" Garza, 41, a resident of El Monte and mother of four kids.

****Here's my notes from conversation with reporter Claudia Palma who is at the scene:

" her mom thinks she was an informer and the people who might have done this were upset about several raids pulled off by the El Monte PD. Mom not surprised said she expected it. said her daughter lived a bad life..."
 

View Larger Map

Over at LA Observed, Kevin Rodrick's readers have been lamenting the matzoh shortage that hit area markets in time for Passover.

I always look for Kosher Coke at this time of year because it's made with real sugar instead of corn syrup, which means it tastes better and probably better for you too. It's easy to find because of the yellow cap (regular Coke has a white cap).

That said I haven't seen any of the Kosher Coke this year. Shortage?

The stabbing of a man outside the Scenic Bar and Hotel on Garvey Avenue in El Monte Monday night was the city's seventh this year, according to authorities.

By comparison, at this time last year there were just three homicides in El Monte. What a difference a year makes.

Here's the Tribune's 2007 homicide database that I put together last year. You can search El Monte for the 2007 totals. 

Here's the Pomona Freeway mudslide photo from 1969. What kind of car is that?

The caption information provided by the Los Angeles Public Library is kind of sketchy. Here's what it says:

"Mudslide covering all eastbound and two of the westbound lanes of the Pomona Freeway, 2 1/2 miles east of Pico Rivera."

If you are interested, here's a link to the full record, which contains information about the photographer (Fred Garcia), and the fact it was part of the Her-Ex photo collection.

First of all, the print version of Tuesday's column again contains a mistake about the debuts of the Model Ts and Model As.

Wikipedia says this about the whole controversy.

I'm sure that when Bill Ruh wrote me he meant to say that Ford didn't produce the Model A until late 1927. (Of course as a caller just pointed out he might have meant that Ford produced the Model T until late 1927.)

When I cut and pasted his email into my column I didn't read it closely enough to make that distinction. But several readers have seen the error, so I've fixed it in the blog and will fix the online version as well.

Here's the link to the "Ruins of Detroit" website.

Last week in this spot I wrote about some wonderful historical pictures.

Many of the shots can be found on the Web either through the Los Angeles Public Library, UCLA or at fototeka.com, an art site devoted to ancient LAPD crime scene photos.

There's a reason I'm writing about these photos again this week: I made a mistake describing my favorite one of the bunch.

The picture in question, shot in 1921, depicts a funeral procession for a 106-year-old man. Santo Juncio's casket is being escorted just beyond the walls of an unrestored San Gabriel Mission.

A group of cars is parked alongside a dirt path next to the mission. I described the cars as Model A's.

They were, in fact, Model T's.

Almost 100 years later, that doesn't seem like a huge distinction. But to several of you who called, wrote and e-mailed me it was a glaring error.

Here's an example, written by Bill Ruh of Montclair:

"The Ford Model A was not around in 1921. Ford did(n't) produce the Model A until late 1927. The cars had to be the Ford Model T. The Model T speaks even more volumes about the photo - the first mass-production motor car along the final road of a man who was born when all humans relied on horses."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Thanks, Bill.

A couple others were less complimentary. And, quite honestly, I should know better.

In case you didn't know, or if I haven't  said so before, I was born in Detroit and have lived most of my life on the Los Angeles freeway system.

By default, the American automotive industry is in my blood, and I should know the entire history of Henry Ford, assembly lines and how the Model T's DNA runs through the cars we drive today.

So, excuse the mistake. By the way, there's a great Detroit photo Web site called "Ruins of Detroit." Take a look; you'll be glad you live here.

Since we are on the subject of these wonderful archives, I can take the time to point out a few other Los Angeles-area photos that are quite interesting.

This past week has been filled with talk about the possibility of billionaire developer Ed Roski Jr. bringing professional football back to Los Angeles by building a stadium in Industry.

A search of "pro football" in the public library archive went as far back as 1927.

None of them mention Industry, but there is a great 1944 photo of a guy named Roy

"Bullet" Baker, a USC left halfback who racked up 107 yards in the 1923 Rose Bowl - the first played in the "new" stadium.

Roski's proposed stadium will be built where the 57 and the 60 freeways come together. A search of the library archive for "Pomona Freeway" revealed a 1969 shot titled "Pomona Freeway Mudslide."

Here's the caption:

"Mudslide covering all eastbound and two of the westbound lanes of the Pomona Freeway, 2 1/2 miles east of Pico Rivera."

What's fascinating about the shot is that there is a car atop the massive pile of mud. The car has obviously been pushed from the fast lane into oncoming traffic.

I tried hard to figure out the make and model of the car, but no such luck.

One thing for certain: it's not a Model T.

There's a lot of action on the crime beat today. Here's some examples:

Teen to be arraigned in Columbine-style threats posted on Wikipedia.

An El Monte man was stabbed to death outside a Garvey Avenue bar.

A decomposed body was found late Monday off San Gabriel Canyon Road between Azusa and Glendora. (not many details on this yet)

And, there's this video of an ATM robbery in Norwalk:

This from KQED's Capitol Notes:

A NEW TAXXX: Today was lobbying day for the adult entertainment industry, one of the more unusual annual rituals at a statehouse was unusual is the norm. The fully clothed ensemble that made their way to Sacramento had a particular gripe this time around: pending legislation to impose a new (and extra) 8% tax on adult DVD stores, theaters, and nightclubs. The money collected by the tax in Assemblymember Charles Calderon’s bill, AB 2914, would create a new fund to supposedly mitigate the impact of such businesses on local communities.

Let’s just answer that burning question now, shall we? Yes, adult film stars were in attendance. And no, I shouldn’t have Googled them in advance when I didn’t recognize the names listed on the press advisory (seriously, KQED, I was doing research).

FBI calls this guy the "Late Bloomer" bandit. It appears he's struck again in Pico Rivera Monday afternoon.

A man described as a male Hispanic in his 60s about 5-feet-4 tall and weighing 140 pounds struck the Bank of the West at 9001 Whittier Boulevard in Pico Rivera. He escaped with an unknown amount of cash.

A previous story by Brian Day on the "Late Bloomer" read like this:

The FBI is seeking a serial robber suspected of three Whittier area bank robberies since late March, authorities said.

Dubbed the "Late Bloomer Bandit" because of his age, officials are worried because the robber seems to be growing bolder with each crime.

The bandit is believed to have struck the Whittier Union Bank branch at 8510 Painter Ave. on March 28, a Pico Rivera Banco Popular at 8500 Washington Blvd. on March 29, and a Santa Fe Springs Banco Popular at 13310 Telegraph Road on April 16, Eimiller said.

The bandit presents a note and also verbally demands money, she said. He threatens to have a gun and says he's "not afraid to use it," Eimiller said, however a weapon has not been seen.

The Late Bloomer Bandit is described as a white or Latino man in his late 50s, standing about 5 feet 7 inches tall, and weighing 180 to 190 pounds, with gray hair and a mustache, Eimiller said. He wears prescription glasses with black frames and carries a newspaper or magazine where he stows the stolen cash, she said.

In the latest incident the Late Bloomer was described wearing a cap with the letter "G" a long-sleeved white shirt and blue jeans. 

Brian Day is set to report the existence of a serial robber who is targetign area beauty stores. THe robber has apparently hit five beauty supply locations in recent weeks.

The latest victim .com Beauty Supply in Walnut.

Aslo targeted were stores in Alhambra and Monterey Park. Link to the story when it comes in.

This from AP (Associated Press -- sorry Aaron Proctor)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A smackdown among presidential candidates?

Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain will appear on World Wrestling Entertainment's live "Monday Night Raw" (8-11 p.m. EST on cable's USA network) but instead of smacking each other down, they separately will deliver some wrestling-themed stumping in taped messages before Tuesday's Pennsylvania primary.

"Tonight, in honor of the WWE, you can call me Hillrod," Clinton says in her message. "This election is starting to feel a lot like `King of the Ring.' The only difference? The last man standing may just be a woman."

Obama borrows The Rock's famous catchphrase during his appearance.

"To the special interests who've been setting the agenda in Washington for too long and to all the forces of division and distraction that has stopped us from making progress, for the American people, I've got one question: Do you smell what Barack is cooking?" Obama says before flashing a smile.

McCain, meanwhile, looked to Hulkamania for inspiration for his message.

"Looks like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama want to celebrate their differences in the ring," McCain says. "Well, that's fine with me, but let me tell you: If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man. Come November, it'll be game over. And whatcha gonna do when John McCain and all his McCainiacs run wild on you?"

The candidate appearances will be used to promote "Smackdown Your Vote!" — the WWE's voter registration drive.

On the Net:

• World Wrestling Entertainment: http://www.wwe.com
• Smackdown Your Vote!: http://smackdownyourvote.com

 

This from AP (Aaron Proctor -- sorry Associated Press):

Ruby Gonzales at the Whittier Daily News talked to cops who said there's a growing trend of car theives targeting the removable 3rd seat in Chevy SUVs.

So add that third seat to a growing list of coveted items that includes tools, copper, catalytic converters, cell phones and iPODs.,

Here's a piece of Ruby's story:

The seats, which are removable and carry no serial numbers, end up being sold for as much as $2,000 in a thriving black market.

Thefts of such seats, especially from Tahoes, are happening in other communities, too.

The sheriff's Norwalk Station, which covers Norwalk, La Mirada and the unincorporated county areas of East Whittier and South Whittier, had 50 such thefts last year and 17 so far this year, according to Sgt. Steve Mills.

About 35 of the 50 cases last year involved Tahoes. And of the 17 SUVs that had third-row seats stolen to date this year, Mills said eight were Tahoes.

The latest theft happened April 7.

"They pop right out. They get in the vehicle real quick and remove them real quick," Mills said. "They favor the Tahoe. I don't know (why)."

So, I searched for 3rd Rows on Ebay and here's what I found.

  One of my favorite Hunter S. Thompson pieces was published in Rolling Stone magazine in April 1971. It discussed the killing of journalist Ruben Salazar as he sat in the Silver Dollar Bar in East Los Angeles during a Brown Power protest march.

Thompson discussed the article in a Rolling Stone interview on the 25th anniversary of the release of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" 

An excerpt from PJ O'Rourke's article on the anniversary:

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is also a sort of accident. It was a literary byproduct. In the midst of some intentional journalistic brilliance, Thompson had a happenstance of artistic genius. In 1971, Hunter was deeply and rather dangerously involved in writing about the killing of Chicano journalist Ruben Salazar. Hunter had a good source on the story, Mexican-American lawyer and political activist Oscar Acosta. But Oscar was surrounded by youthful hotheads paranoid of any connection to an Anglo, however sympathetic to the cause that the gabacho was supposed to be. So, Thompson suggested that he and Acosta take a weekend jaunt to Las Vegas. They'd have time to chat in private on the drive.

The rest is history. Sort of. Physics, anyway. Chemistry, definitely. Abnormal psych, for sure. Plus PE and lunch.

 

Salazar, an opinon writer and KMEX personality will be remembered with a stamp that will be issued Tuesday, according to LA Observed.

Here's an excerpt from the post there:

The journalist killed by a Los Angeles County sheriff's projectile during the National Chicano Moratorium March against the Vietnam War held on August 29, 1970 in East Los Angeles; will be honored with this postal stamp next week in Washington.

Brian Day interviewed family and friends of Jack Hicks, killed last week in El Monte. Many of his acquaintances recalled Hicks as a good guy who made some bad choices ...

Here's the opening from Brian's piece:

EL MONTE - The fatal shooting of 33-year-old Jack "Eddie" Hicks last week remains a mystery, authorities said.

His body was discovered inside a trailer April 12 with a single gunshot wound about two hours after he left his girlfriend's house, according to officials and family members.

No witnesses have come forward and no motive or suspect description is known, said Lt. Gil Carrillo of the Los Angeles County sheriff's Homicide Bureau.

"I hope we find out what really happened," said Hicks' cousin, who requested his name not be published for fear of retaliation.

"He's not just a man found dead in a trailer," said the cousin. "My cousin was a good guy."

"He'd give you the shirt off his back if you're cold," said Hicks' girlfriend, who also asked her name be withheld. "Everywhere he went he was loved," she said.

Hicks had two daughters, 7 and 8 years old, with previous girlfriends and another on the way with his girlfriend, who said she's currently four months' pregnant.

Hicks, who had been in and out of prison over the years and battled a drug problem, "wasn't an angel," said his cousin, but he was a friendly man who didn't have any enemies.

There were two threats against Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights. Both were posted on Wikipedia.

The threats hae been removed, but here's a historical link to one of them:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Glen_A._Wilson_High_School&diff=next&oldid=206173196

Here's the text:

You removed my last edit. I gave you a fair warning. Now the people listed in my previous edit will now be victims in the Glen A. Wilson Shooting to occur this Friday. Your lack of attention to the seriousness of my warning will now be the reason as to why you will receive all fault of this event. Be prepared to have 33 families mourn the loss of their children and place a lawsuit upon your shoulders.

This from the AP in Los Angeles:

LOS ANGELES — A possibly stolen car is being pursued across Southern California at
high speed.

The white Yukon SUV has been weaving in and out of freeway traffic through suburbs east of Los
Angeles, with California Highway Patrol officers in pursuit.

CHP Officer Vince Ramirez says speeds up to 100 mph have been reported and at one point the SUV
may have sideswiped a patrol car.

Ramirez says the vehicle was reported as possibly stolen and a chase began in East Los Angeles
at 10:40 a.m. Friday.

The pursuit initially went east on Interstate 10 and is now southbound on Interstate 605 in the
Whittier area.

Who knew there were gated communities in El Monte? Apparently they exist. The last time I remember running into one it was a front for a slave-labor sweat shop.

In any event, today's gated community involves the discovery of a grow home, $1 million in plants and three arrests. Here's the lowdown:

EL MONTE - Police arrested three San Gabriel residents Thursday and raided three homes in connection with a nearly $1 million pot operation.

Authorities believe Henry Kwong, 22, Yue Huan Mai, 25, and Denise Guan, 32, were all involved in a "sophisticated " operation that netted about 700 marijuana plants.

Officers found the plants in three second-floor bedrooms at a home in the 2800 block of North Maxson Road -- an El Monte gated community called Maxson Villas, El Monte police Det. Peter Lopez said.

Police have linked the suspects to a second Walnut home allegedly being converted to support marijuana cultivation and a third San Gabriel home, where tools for a pot grow, thousands of dollars in cash and a pound of marijuana were found, Lopez said.

Story here. 

Officials suspect a robbery spree might be linked to three young ladies crusing the Temple City area in a dark four-door sedan.

The trio is accused of three robberies using a black hand gun.

Tee locations are sketchy, the girls may be in custody of Pasadena PD...we'll monitor.

Officials at Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights announced this afternoon the school will be closed Friday for fear of terrorist threats. The announcement came after officials learned of an Internet threat targeting students at the school on the ninth anniversary of the Columbine massacre.

More to come on this as we learn it.

Pasadena Star-News city editor did a little enterprising reporting on the arraignment of Brandon Landreth at the Pasadena courthouse this a.m.

Landreth is acused of killing Justo Cesar Morlaes then skating off from the scene of the crime on Canyon Drive in Arcadia.

Here's what Hector found out(this comes from an IM Hector sent):

Detectives Thursday continued their investigation into a 90-year-old woman suspected of beating a tiny dog to death.

Here's an excerpt from Sandra Molina's story:

This is the worst case of animal cruelty I've seen," said Southeast Area Animal Control Authority Officer Jaime Preciado, who responded to the call of animal cruelty Monday in the 12000 block of Bayla Street. "I was nauseous."

Authorities are seeking felony animal cruelty charges against Beatrice Castillo.

"We will be asking the District Attorney's Office to file charges," said Capt. Aaron Reyes, of SEAACA.

Although a felony charge can mean up to a year of incarceration in county jail and/or a $225,000 fine, officials are not looking to punish Castillo.

"Our goal is not to incarcerate her but to evaluate her mental health and make sure she gets the proper care she needs," Reyes said.

The 10-year-old dog suffered severe trauma to its jaw, teeth and hind leg, said Brad Brunskill, SEAACA veterinarian.

Keith Durflinger had complete access to evidence and the investigation. One of his photos on the jump. Do not look if you are squemish.

 

This comes from Jan Williams in an email.

Williams' son Neal and grandsons Ian and Devon were killed in August at their home in Rowland Heights. Police arrested Neal's wife Manling Tsang Williams on suspicion of murder in the case. She could face the death penalty if convicted.

Here's Jan's letter:

I've been thinking a lot about my littlest guy today.  I was sitting on my front porch this morning with a cup of tea and heard the chattering of little voices.  I looked down the street to see a double line of preschoolers - about 25 of them- being led on a walk by 3 adult women.  My street doesn't have a sidewalk, and the adults struggled to hold the little ones in formation and keep them to the side of the street.  They had quite a bit of difficulty as they passed my house as the mailbox drew a lot of attention and the children kept reaching out to touch the evergreen hedge.  As they came back down the other side of the street, one little boy broke away and went whirling through the tall, unmown grass across the street.  That would have been Ian.

This was going to be Ian's year, when he would finally get to go to preschool like the "big guys."  He was very excited about it.  He would have been quite a handful, because he had insatiable curiosity, boundless energy and not an ounce of fear.  He blew through life like a hurricane, mercurially jumping from one thing to the next without thought.  When he broke something or got into trouble as was inevitable, he was usually genuinely surprised.  It never occurred to him that anything could possibly go wrong, or that you would actually get mad at him, even though you had told him repeatedly not to continue with what he was doing.  There were no half measures with Ian.  He threw himself into life with great abandon, and lived totally in the moment.  It might not be a good idea to build a ladder out of chairs and climb to the top, but once imagined, the deed had to be carried through to fruition immediately, no matter the consequences.

So yes, Ian would have been learning to walk in a line holding hands with a partner.  (Probably a girl, because Ian just loved little girls).  But he couldn't have resisted opening and closing the mailbox several times, and pulling needles off the hedge, even if it pricked his fingers.  And as for the yard of unmown grass, waving knee high in the gentle breeze... absolutely irresistable.  Just like Ian.  I miss him.  Jan

It’s been more than two months since 16-year-old Sammantha Salas was gunned down in front of a shabby apartment building in an unincorporated portion of Monrovia — known to many as ‘No Man’s Land.”

Her family and friends wait for some closure in the case.

No suspects have been caught, and as the days drag on, Salas’ mother Jeanette Chavez, of Alhambra, continues to wonder why the county Board of Supervisors hasn’t offered a reward in the case.

Well, for one thing, they’ve been very busy worrying about taco trucks.

On Tuesday the Board approved a law, authored by Gloria Molina, that will make it a misdemeanor for the trucks to park in any one spot for more than an hour. The ordinance takes effect in 30 days.

Now I’ll be the first to admit there are good arguments for and against taco trucks.
First the good:
[BULLET]Tacos are delicious.
[BULLET]This is a true form of free enterprise, which — when unfettered — could stimulate local economies.
[BULLET]There’s nothing better than a hot snack after a night of imbibing adult beverages.

On the down side:
[BULLET]There’s a reason catering trucks are called “roach coaches.” I think it has something to do with health inspections, or the obvious lack thereof.
[BULLET]The trucks are hard to see around, especially on narrow streets.
[BULLET]They leave trash and debris in their wake.

Regardless of the arguments, it’s downright arrogant of the supes to think that just because they make a law it’s going to be enforced.

After all, there are county ordinances and state laws that prohibit all sorts of behaviors.

Guess what?

People still run red lights, they still play Texas Hold ‘Em at home and some still ride their skateboards on roads with grades greater than 3 percent. Oh the horror.

By the way, there’s a law against murder, but scofflaws still kill and they don’t always get caught.

That’s exactly why there should be a reward offered in the Salas case. Yet it hasn’t happened.

The supes (actually their paid flacks, the supes rarely take phone calls and are seldom quoted directly) lay the blame at the foot of the Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff’s officials say offering a reward is up to the homicide detectives investigating Sammantha Salas’ murder.

As for those homicide detectives, they have said they are not ready to offer a reward because it might hinder their investigation — or taint leads they get from confidential informants.

It’s confusing, annoying and frustrating — especially for Salas’ mom, her family and friends.

But don’t worry. The Supes have got that taco truck problem solved.

I think so. At least we've made some fixes that will allow it.

Let me know if it works.

Frank.

Here's a little tidbit to chew over if you can't:

WASHINGTON - The government plans to begin collecting DNA samples from anyone arrested by a federal law enforcement agency — a move intended to prevent violent crime but which also is raising concerns about the privacy of innocent people.

The rest of that story is here.

The story begins simply enough:

PASADENA - A police cadet testified Monday he overheard a phone conversation in which a man admitted to shooting Tommie James Evans Jr.

The police cadet testified during a preliminary hearing Monday for Harvey and Aujulius Bailey of Pasadena. Both men are charged with murder. The Pasadena Superior Court hearing, to determine whether authorities have enough evidence to try the pair, was scheduled to resume today.

The deal, as far as Pope-Givens is concerned is that we should have kept the cadet's name out of the paper.

Why? He comes from a large family and they may be at risk because he appeared in court and gave crucial testimony, she said.

As soon as Pope-Givens hung up an uncle called to raise the same issue with the Star-News.

The boy's mother sent an email to the reporter today raising he same complaint.

Here was (and is) my defense of naming the cadet.

1) He spoke in open court and identified himself.

2) Officers of the court and Pasadena police knew there was a reporter in court, they could have asked that the name not be reported at that time. They didn't

3) The young man who took the noble step of testifying against gang members in a homicide case is an employee of the Pasadena police department...will the next step be askign us not to name fully sworn officers in similar proceedings.

There are several other interesting angles in this case. One of the defendants, Aujulius Bailey is a member of the P-9 set of the PDL blood gang.

Aurelius Bailey, another member of that gang was one of several defendants in the Halloween Homicide case.

Pope Givens didn't know if the two are related.

I did find this little tidbit on the net from a Pasadena area church that mentions Aujulius. And this which mentions Aurelius Bailey.

Here's the big talker of the day around the newsrooms. It's a story that will appear in Thursday's Whittier Daily News. Kinda sick. ..Sandra Molina is writing it and filling in the blanks. The jist comes from Sandra's budget note to editors here this a.m.:

Officials are investigating a fatal animal cruelty charge. SEEACA received a call Monday night from the Norwalk Sheriff’s Station about animal cruelty. The Chihuahua mix was 25 pounds and the incident happened at 12139 Bayla Street in Norwalk. Son brought the dog into SEEACA. An animal control officer noticed the dog covered in blood and an eye popped out. The 90-year-old woman alledgedly threw parts of a block at the dog and beat the tied-up animal with a shovel. Officials say she’s a danger to children in the neighborhood and should be arrested and put in a home.

Dan Abendschein wrote this entry for Crime Scene after interviewing Angela Chung's sister Tuesday:

Staci Chung, the sister of Angela Chung, the Temple City 19-year-old Woodbury student who was killed in December in a car accident after a 17-year-old smashed into her at 80 mph, says she was very unhappy with the light sentence the defendant received.

"Tears just came down my face when I heard the news," Chung said in a phone interview, the day after the sentence. As we reported in today's Tribune, the 17-year-old, who was tried as a minor, received a three-month sentence in a juvenile camp. She had been fleeing from police when she hit Angela Chung, and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, evading police, and street racing.

Compare that to a similar case involving an adult, named Juan Dena, who killed two people in El Monte after a high speed chase with police. He received 34 years to life. If she were a year older, and the juvenile in this case would be in a much worse situation.

Staci Chung also said she could not accept the belated apology that the defendant offered at yesterday's hearing.

"We were looking for the apology in the week after the accident, or in January at the first hearing," said Chung. "Now it is too late."

The sad part of it for Chung was that her family have been willing to accept a sentence of 9 months in a juvie camp, which was what prosecutors told her would be the maximum penalty in the case. She said she did not understand why the judge in the case only gave the defendant three months.

For more on the case click here.

--
Dan Abendschein
Staff Writer, SGV Tribune
626-962-8811 ext. 2105
dan.abendschein@sgvn.com
http://www.insidesocal.com/laoutdoors/

Yesterday I created a mirror site, in case of problems during our move to larger and better servers. It requires posting to both sites and hoping there's some kind of synchronization. I must admit I haven't done a complete job of it.

There are posts on the mirror site that aren't here and vice versa.

Here's a link to the mirror site.

As for the missing posts from this site, there are two. The first is titled "Girl pleads guilty to manslaughter, evading and street racing."

Here's an outtake:

A 17-year-old girl pled guilty Monday to several charges stemming from a collision that killed Angela Chung, 19, of Temple City.
Here's an excerpt from Dan Abendschein's online piece:

PASADENA - A 17-year-old girl pleaded guilty on Monday to four felony counts in a street racing case that killed a 19-year-old student from Temple City.
The girl, whose name was not released because of her age, was convicted in juvenile court. She will serve three months in a county probation department camp, and will have to pay restitution to the victim's family.

The second is a follow to the El Monte Homicide from the weekend. Again an excerpt:

The victim lived in a trailer (not apparently visible on Google Earth). Left no fingerprint of his existence as far as public records and was apparently arrested three times in recent months by El Monte and Baldwin Park police, according to the Los Angeles County's Sheriff's Inmate Locator.

The guy also has a lengthy rap sheet for drug possession, car thievery and spousal abuse. Motive anyone?

Here's our story for (Tuesday's) paper:

EL MONTE — Detectives are continuing to investigate the death of a 33-year-old man found shot inside a trailer late Saturday.

Jack Edward Hicks’ body was discovered shortly before midnight in the 5200 block of Cogswell Road, said Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Denise Fuchs.

The body was found inside a trailer next to a back house where Hicks had been staying, said Detective Gil Carrillo of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.

Yesterday I created a mirror site, in case of problems during our move to larger and better servers. It requires posting to both sites and hoping there's some kind of synchronization. I must admit I haven't done a complete job of it.

There are posts on the mirror site that aren't here and vice versa.

Here's a link to the mirror site.

As for the missing posts from this site, there are two. The first is titled "Girl pleads guilty to manslaughter, evading and street racing."

Here's an outtake:

A 17-year-old girl pled guilty Monday to several charges stemming from a collision that killed Angela Chung, 19, of Temple City.
Here's an excerpt from Dan Abendschein's online piece:

PASADENA - A 17-year-old girl pleaded guilty on Monday to four felony counts in a street racing case that killed a 19-year-old student from Temple City.
The girl, whose name was not released because of her age, was convicted in juvenile court. She will serve three months in a county probation department camp, and will have to pay restitution to the victim's family.

The second is a follow to the El Monte Homicide from the weekend. Again an excerpt:

The victim lived in a trailer (not apparently visible on Google Earth). Left no fingerprint of his existence as far as public records and was apparently arrested three times in recent months by El Monte and Baldwin Park police, according to the Los Angeles County's Sheriff's Inmate Locator.

The guy also has a lengthy rap sheet for drug possession, car thievery and spousal abuse. Motive anyone?

Here's our story for (Tuesday's) paper:

EL MONTE — Detectives are continuing to investigate the death of a 33-year-old man found shot inside a trailer late Saturday.

Jack Edward Hicks’ body was discovered shortly before midnight in the 5200 block of Cogswell Road, said Los Angeles County sheriff’s Deputy Denise Fuchs.

The body was found inside a trailer next to a back house where Hicks had been staying, said Detective Gil Carrillo of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.

This from the Friendly Fire Blog at LADN.

Crime Scene reader Robert CJ Parry blogged the latest news about LAPD's planned SWAT reorganization. here's an excerpt:

The LAPD SWAT Board of Inquiry report that Police Chief William Bratton unveiled this morning is a remarkable insult to the people and police officers of Los Angeles. It recommends a litany of politically correct changes that have been used to eliminate 13 of the 18 standards SWAT has used for two decades in selecting its new officers. It even goes so far as to describe SWAT - not the criminals it captures - as “a threat to” Los Angeles as a whole.

In my research on this issue, I’ve interviewed officers whose experience totals more than 150 years on the department, a century in SWAT. Their comments on a draft copy of the un-released BOI report have been consolidated in a “Counter Analysis,” which will be released later today. It is a point-by-point review of both the BOI’s recommendations and their methodology for reaching them. In short, there was none.

These officers refuse to be identified because of an unprecedented campaign of intimidation LAPD management has pressed on SWAT. Bratton has gone so far as to remove officers from operations because of the comments of their wives and threatening to transfer out any officer who speaks his mind – publicly or privately.

This comes from John Schwada's blog on the FOX 11 website. Thanks to LA Observed for pointing it out.

Schwada is one of the few TV reporters I respect. That's primarily because he comes from a newspaper background and knows how to write, edit and speak proper English. Additionally, (and perhaps most importantly) he is a good reporter as this blog post should make clear.

Baca's deputies in Temple City and Monrovia city officials might want to take note of these remarks. During the late January and early February Monrovia crime spree that left four dead, there was constant denial of racial undertones in the crimes.

Here's an excerpt from Schwada's blog entry:

LA County Sheriff Lee Baca, on April 4th, told a largely African-American audience in Compton that when Latino gangs are at war with black gangs over drugs and turf they are sometimes satisfied to kill any young black living in their rival’s territory in order to flex their criminal muscle. In other words, Baca asserted innocents are being targeted for death by gangs just because of their race. Sounds like a hate-crime to most of us.

Here's a few historical Los Angeles photo websites on the net:

UCLA Library here.

Los Angeles Public Library photo search here.

Additionally, I received this email, and thought I would clarify:

Frank,
 
This may be a dumb question........you were talking about the Tamale restaurant and used (sic) between hispanic and foods. I've seen this before and it's been quite a long time since english class.........please enlighten.

My Answer:

The caption didn't capitalize Hispanic like I would have, had I written it. So I used the Latin word for thus -- sic-- which indicates an unusual spelling exists in a quote.

Hope that helps.

An archive of old LAPD photographs recently found its way online. The black and whites add to a rich photographic history of our region that is slowly finding its way on to the Internet.

For example, last year UCLA put up nearly 3 million old newspaper photos. The Los Angeles Public Library has a pretty extensive collection of old newspaper shots as well as private photos. It's been online since at least 2004 and continues to grow.

What's interesting about browsing these collections is the first-hand look at the rich history they offer.

For example, in the Los Angeles Public Library archive there is a shot from about the 1920s labeled "The Tamale." I found it by searching for Whittier. Here's a description:

"Exterior view of The Tamale, a restaurant specializing in hispanic (sic) foods. Building was built in the shape of a tamale. Located at 6421 Whittier Boulevard."

In the picture, it appears as if there are no other buildings in the neighborhood. The Tamale stands alone against a background of dirt lots and shade trees.

Here's where the fun part comes in. When you search Google for the address, you can actually see a "Street View" of the location.

And, guess what? The Tamale, which was a lunch counter way back when, is still there.

It's called Charley's. It's now a beauty salon.

In the UCLA archive there's a photo taken in 1921 of a funeral procession outside the San Gabriel Mission. The photo  strikes me for several reasons. First of all the Mission is completely unrestored, so it's probably the original construction we see.

Here's the caption: "Funeral cortege of Santo Juncio, leaving San Gabriel Mission yesterday. Chief Youngturtle of the Chickasaw tribe (in the headdress) is leading the native pallbearers carrying the coffin of the 106-year-old man."

The photo amazes me. Catholic priests in full regalia lead a procession of sandal wearing Native Americans outside the unrestored mission.

Just think, in 1921 Santo Juncio, at 106, would have been born in 1815; before California was a state; before the Civil War; before autos or planes.

As if highlighting the dichotomy of that amazing life, a group of Model-A Fords are parked right up alongside a dirt path that separates the primitive adobe mission from a parking lot.

Hoping for some of the same Google magic I had with the Tamale, I was a little disappointed by the "Street View" of the mission.

The 1921 newspaper photo shows several eucalyptus trees surrounding the church. I couldn't find them looking through Google. It seems as if they've all been replaced with palm trees.

Obviously, the extensive restoration of the 1980s and 1990s probably obliterated much of the historical sense of the place where Los Angeles was born.

I could go on and on about some of the interesting photographs I've found and the stories they tell, but I don't have the time - or the space. I will post links to the galleries and some of the photos from today's column on the Crime Scene blog.

Until then if you want to see a sample of the LAPD photos, which cover a period from the mid-1920s until the 1960s, they can be found at http://www.fototeka.com

Crime Scene (and the family of LANG blogs) is moving to a new server. The address will be the same, and in fact, if it goes without a hitch, you probably won't even notice a thing.

As a precaution, and until the move is complete, I'm putting up a mirror site here: http://sgvcrime.blogspot.com, I'll be posting there until the move is complete.

Thanks for you patience.

Frank

Not much information available on this one. Appears to have happened late Saturday night. Sheriff's and El Monte PD just got around to reporting it Monday. Here's the details from our website:

EL MONTE - Authorities today identified a man found shot to death in an El Monte home during the weekend.

Jack Edward Hicks, 35, was found dead about 11:50 p.m. Saturday in the 5200 block of Cogswell road, said Deputy Ed Hernandez of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.

Sheriff's homicide detectives were assisting El Monte police in the investigation

The aftermath of a car accident Friday that killed four members of a Walnut church youth group reverberated through the Korean community Saturday. Killed in the accident were three Walnut High School students and a student from Mt. SAC. The victims were identified as Richard Kim, David Chung, Daniel Kim and Kevin Na. A fifth boy, Stanley Na, remains hospitalized. The photo above comes from the Walnut Blessing Church Web site.

Members of the Walnut Blessing Chirch gathered Saturday for a memorial to their fallen friends, recalling the good times. The Nazarene Church also has some information about the tragedy here. Here's an excerpt from the LAT follow on the story:

On Saturday, relatives and friends of the young men came to the church. They made funeral arrangements and consoled one another over bean sprout soup and tea. Later, the church held a memorial service for the youths.

Families are still making plans for the funeral service and burial, which will take place this week.

All four were very involved in the church -- attending services on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and often stopping by the home of the youth pastor, Lundell's daughter Grace Kim. As part of the youth group, they went on special trips to the beach, the mountains and amusement parks.

Grace Kim, who was driving one of the other cars on the way to the ice rink, said that her son and the other young men were close friends and that she had long discussions about faith and family with each of them.

"We grew together," she said, crying. "We suffered together. We had fun together."

Four members of a Walnut church youth group were killed on the Pomona Freeway Friday morning as they traveled to an ice rink for an outing.

Here's a link to the Walnut Blessing Church, where photos of the four young men have been posted. The church Web site identifies them as David Chung, Daniel Kim, Richard Kim and Kevin Na. There are several other photos on the site showing young people engaged in a variety of worship activities.

There is this note on the site:

For condolences and donations please send to the address below.
We will make sure the families of the youth that died receive it.
Please keep their parents in your prayers and please pray
for Stanley Na (whose brother did not make it)
who is currently in serious condition. Thank you

There is video and a photo gallery on the Web as well as the complete story here.

Here's an excerpt from our coverage:

POMONA - Four members of a Walnut youth group died and another one was seriously injured in a crash Friday morning on the 60 Freeway.

The collision occurred just before 11 a.m. on the eastbound 60 Freeway west of Reservoir Street, said California Highway Patrol Officer Joe Zizi.

The unidentified occupants of the Toyota Camry - five young men who ranged from 17 to 21 years old - were following a caravan of three other vehicles traveling from Walnut Blessing Church to an ice skating rink when they fell behind, Zizi said.

In an attempt to catch up with a silver Dodge Neon in front of them, CHP officers believe the driver of the Camry sped up, then lost control.

Daniel Chung, a cousin of one of the victims, witnessed the crash from inside a Dodge Neon and said the Camry driver attempted to cut in front of the Neon but there wasn't enough space.

State parole agents arrested a pair accused of stealing a purse from the parents of Moe the chimp. Here's the story from reporter Brian Day:

CLAREMONT - A man and woman suspected of stealing a purse from the owners of Moe the chimpanzee late last month in West Covina were arrested Thursday, officials said.

Baldwin Park residents Karen Jean Cervantes, 46, and Michael Dean Huffman, 44, were arrested shortly after 8 p.m. when state parole agents stopped Huffman's truck in Claremont, said West Covina police Corporal Rudy Lopez. Huffman, a parolee, immediately led police to Cervantes, he said.

The pair has been booked on suspicion of several felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from the theft of a purse from La Donna and St. James Davis' shopping cart at a Target store in the Eastland Shopping Center on March 30, Lopez said.

Jude Lopez tipped me off to this case last night. Here's a copy of an email he sent:

Do you remember me telling you about the annoying phone calls that our family had been receiving for the last few months?  The numbers were restricted but Verizon traced them at our request and sent them to the police.  Some of the calls were threatening but I am not sure if they were traced to him.  Here is the information we received from court.

The email came with this .pdf file from the court.

Brian Miller Phone Calls.pdf

Finally there's this story we've posted on line as of noon:

The ex-boyfriend of a woman, who has disappeared with their three kids, was arrested last month for a making annoying telephone calls to the fugitive's father, records show.

Brian Miller, the son of Rep. Gary Miller, R-Diamond Bar, allegedly made harassing calls to Jude Lopez, the father of Jennifer DeJongh, who had three kids with Miller.

The charge, for making repeated calls to "intent to annoy another person at his or her residence," is a misdemeanor.

Dejongh has been a fugitive for several months after disobeying a custody order and disappearing with the kids in November.

Lopez said that he received about 30 calls in the months following Dejongh's disappearance, including three threatening calls.

He said he used a Verizon phone company service to set up the calls to be traced.

Sherrie Davidson, who works in the law offices of Antonio Bestard, who is representing Miller, said that police used the Verizon data as the basis for the charges.

Lopez said he was not sure if Miller was involved in the threatening calls or just calling in and hanging up.

"The threats sounded like they were coming from a disguised voice," said Lopez. "I don't know if it was him, or maybe someone else he knew, or someone else entirely."

This comes from the Associated Press:

Thomas Riccio, the memorabilia dealer who arranged O.J. Simpson’s ill-fated meeting in a Las Vegas hotel room, says in a book released Monday that the former football star’s entourage carried at least one gun, even though Simpson tried afterward to tell him otherwise.

“He was trying to convince me a gun wasn’t involved, but that was ridiculous,” Riccio says in the book “Busted,” which he and his publisher, Phoenix Books, tout as an inside account of events leading to Simpson’s arrest in the botched Sept. 13 heist.

“I was standing right next to the guy with the gun,” Riccio says. “Some reports claim there may have been a second gunman in the room, but I only witnessed one.”

Riccio acknowledged the 212-page book breaks little new ground.

“Maybe there’s nothing really surprising in it,” Riccio told The Associated Press by telephone from New York, where he planned a news conference and television appearances.

“But as far as the O.J. thing, it’s amazing how many people don’t know quite what
happened,” he said.

This comes from Jude Lopez, father of Jennifer Dejongh. As you might already know, Dejongh is accused of fleeing with her three children instead of turning them over U.S. Rep. Gary Miller and his wife Cathy.

Dejongh has been embroiled in a custody dispute over the three boys with Miller's son Brian. Since her disappearance, Lopez has appeared on John and Ken, been interrogated by the LA Sheriff and U.S. Marshall and in a dispute with Yahoo! over the content of the original Web site.

In the meantime, Jennifer has written two letters postmarked in Manchester, New Hampshire. One came addressed to me. The other was addressed to DA Steve Cooley. In February, Brian sued Jude for slander and libel.

Here's what Jude had to say in a recent email:

Thanks to the efforts of a family friend this new website was developed: Save Jenny's Kids

This new website is, basically, a mirror of the original website. Yahoo hasn’t released the “.com” URL so; a “.net” was used.

Another friend has volunteered to create a website that will be more informative. This current website barely covers some of the injustices in this case. There are many more issues that have yet to be exposed.

I have no idea when the new website will be complete but I will keep you posted.

Because the original website was created using Yahoo’s software, the shutting down of the site caused the loss of the web pages. This website is owned by the developer of the site and was uploaded to an independent web hosting service. If this website is shut down, the creator of the website only needs to upload it to a new web host.

This from Brian Day...notice Rosenberg's quote about how the Rosemead deputies contributed to the arrest:

ROSEMEAD — Investigators have arrested a man and woman on suspicion of fatally stabbing a local man following an argument Monday.

Jesus Murieta, 29, and Leticia Sanchez, 41, were arrested Wednesay on suspicion of murder, said Lt. Dan Rosenberg of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau. Both suspects are transients, he said.
Murieta and Sanchez are believed to have stabbed 20-year-old Leonel Cervantes in the “upper torso” about 7:30 p.m. in the 2700 block of Delta Avenue, Rosenberg said.

Cervantes died from his wounds about 1:25 a.m. the following day at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, said Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter.

Rosenberg declined to say which suspect was believed to have wielded the knife.
The stabbing apparently stemmed from an argument between the suspects and Cervantes that occurred minutes earilier at a nearby park, Rosenberg said.

 

Gotta love our state legislature. We're in a recession. People are losing their jobs, gasoline prices are through the roof, and they want to raise taxes. It's the kind of regressive tax that really hurts the poor. Way to go Cali. Here's something on its way from the SJ Merc:

Here's the Lucky cap that started it all:

An engineering study done in South Pasadena apparently suggests raising some speed limits around town.

In most cities of the San Gabriel Valley, such a study would hardly raise an eyebrow. But, we are talking about South Pasadena here. Word on some of those affected streets is that tonight's Transportation Commission meeting could get ugly.

Elizabeth Daly, an RN and resident of South Pas sent an open letter to members of the council and her neighbors:

This comes from Dan Abendschein in the form of an IM. Apparently I'm not the first person to use the Top Ramen index as an economic indicator, I've just been using Top Ramen as a forecast longer and I actually think the Mama Noodles Index referred to below is a myth. I can find no direct links to it on the web and only five or six blog entries that talk about it ...none has a link.

Anyway, here's what Dan (and wikipedia) have to say.

A hearing in the Man-Ling Williams case, scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed to a date in the future that has yet to be determined.

Eventually there will be a preliminary hearing in the case. When that will take place is anybody's guess.

Williams is accused of killing her husband by slashing him to death with a ninja sword last August. She is also accused of killing the couple's two children by smothering them to death in their beds.

The family lived in an apartment/condo in Rowland Heights.

As pundits and brainiacs around the country constantly attempt to determine if we are in a recession, I’ve been looking at my own economic indicator.

I call it the Top Ramen index.

Here’s how it works: When the price of Top Ramen rises, we’re in an economic crisis. When it falls, good times.

I guess I could gauge my economic barometer on other commodities like soybeans, pork bellies, uranium or light sweet crude, but I don’t buy any of that at Staters, Ralph’s, Albertsons or Vons. I’ll bet you don’t either.

The words “light, sweet crude” in the same sentence sound more like a review of a show on Fox than something you can actually buy anyway.

Top Ramen is a commodity, and you can live on it. I know. I did it in college.

Back in the late 1970s and early ‘80s you could buy something like 20 packages of the stuff for a buck. Think about it, that’s breakfast, lunch and dinner for six days.

Other options included Ralph’s Blue Label macaroni and cheese for a dime a box or a $1 jar of Pizza Quick and a $1 loaf of Wonder.

Throw in a case of Lucky Lager at $3.99 and a couple packs of smokes at a buck-and-a-half, a guy could live large for a week with less than 20 bucks.

Lucky Beer had the added bonus of puzzle caps, so who needed the Internet for entertainment?

The inside of the caps had little rebus puzzles that were easy to figure out at first but got harder and harder to solve the deeper you dug into the box.

Midway through a case, you could spend all night figuring out what the combination of the word RUSH, a picture of a hen, a picture of a dress and a picture of a sink meant. Russian dressing! Get it?

It’s been nearly 30 years since I lived so frugally, but I have always paid attention to the price of Top Ramen, boxed macaroni, cigarettes and beer.

Early last year, I popped into a Stater Bros. market and paid $1 for 10 Top Ramens, which meant my dollar bought half the noodles it bought almost 30 years ago. Can’t remember what mac and cheese cost that day, but it was certainly more than a dime a box.

Wednesday morning I stopped into Ralph’s on my way to work and saw that my favorite packaged noodle soup was selling for a quarter a package or five for a $1. That’s quite a price hike in a matter of months. Boxes of mac and cheese were selling for something like $1.25 each.

My conclusion?

Prices are on a rapid upswing. Our dollars don’t stretch as far as they did last year — or even last week.
Those old beer caps probably have an answer. I remember this one: a key followed by the letter P, an oar, a chin and an arrow pointing up, as in “keep your chin up.”

Yeah right.

This comes in a letter from Industry station deputy Brian Sanford:

Frank, This morning around 0930Hrs, Industry Station received a call of two male hispanics walking near Stimson Av/Halliburton av, in Hacienda Heights.

One had a back pack carrying a spray can that had just tagged a wall near that area. Our patrol units managed to detain both individuals at Hacienda and Newton. The citizen that called identifed both and placed both under private person's arrest being they were adults.

We recovered two spray cans of paint on the one male. The suspects names are: Michael Villalobos age 26 from El Monte (booking number 1251330) and the other is Cesar Morales age 28 from East LA, an admitted "Indiana St." gang member (booking number 1251351)

Both males are on parole for weapons violations. A parole hold was placed on Villalobos. Morales will probably be cited out. I know its not a "major" arrest, but we were fortunate that a citizen got involved, thats what I would like to convey to the readers if possible.

Interim City Manager Barney Melekian will return to his post as Pasadena police chief, we've learned.

Here's some of what we will be reporting tomorrow:

Soon, Pasadena police Chief/Interim City Bernard Melekian will just be plain old Chief Melekian, after announcing Tuesday he’s taking himself out of the running for the permanent city manager post. So what does that mean for the selection process going forward, and what about Melekian’s plan to become head of the Calif. Police Chiefs Association.

Fred Ortega is all over this story at Under The Dome. So too is Aaron Proctor. Miss Havisham's recent interview with Melekian is also rather interesting.

In my opinion, this is probably a good thing for open government advocates. Melekian is no fan of a free press and likely his moving into a CM's post would create some friction between the fourth estate and city government.

Chris Vicino, Melekian's interim replacement at the PD will probably return to his job as commander.  

West Covina police said Tuesday they've identified a 46-year-old woman and 44-year-old man wanted in connection with a purse snatching that targeted St. James and LaDonna Davis, parents of Moe of the Chimp.

Police officials declined to release the names of the two suspects, indicating they are still at large. The man is apparently on parole, according to West Covina police Lt. Ron Mitchell.

The wanted pair, both of Baldwin Park, may be responsible for additional crimes throughout the area, Mitchell said.
West Covina police have sorted through several leads in the case since a press conference at attorney Gloria Allred’s office last week, authorities said.

West Covina police said Tuesday they've identified a woman and man wanted in connection with a purse snatching that targeted St. James and LaDonna Davis, parents of Moe of the Chimp.

Police officials declined to release the names of the two suspects, indicating they are still at large.

THe Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to extend the amount of time a reward would be offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers of Robert Whitehead, a good samaritan who was shot to death outside his parents home when he confronted a group of taggers.

Arrests have been made in the case and at least one man suspected of involvement, Paul "Malo" Salazar, a onetime Bishop Amat student who was an alleged member of Puente 13, is dead.

Salazar was killed outside his home last summer.

The residents of 1300 Date Avenue in Alhambra, all registered sex offenders, are in the spotlight this week. Alhambra police have been getting the word out about these guys and plan a community meeting 7 p.m. at Fremont Elementary School.

Name:  Drane, Michael Carven
DOB:  September 14, 1954.
Additional DOB=s: August 18, 1954; September 14, 1956.
Physical: Male, Black, 5-09, 250 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.  He also wears glasses.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Aliases: Jones, Marvin; Brown, Michael; Jones, Melvin; Jones, Michael; Green, Michael; Drone, Michael.
Offense: 314.1PC - Indecent Exposure.

Name:  Hobbs, Donn Carroll Jr.
DOB:  March 25, 1970.
Physical: Male, Black, 5-11, 254 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Aliases: Hobbs, Don Carrol.
Offense: 264.1PC - Rape etc. in concert with force violence. 

Name:  Mollinedo, Leonard William
DOB:  June 8, 1972.
Physical: Male, Hispanic, 5-10, 230 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Aliases: Mallinedo, Leonard W.
Offense: 288(A)PC - Lewd or Lascivious acts with child under 14 years.

Name:  Wynn, Eddie Herman
DOB:  September 8, 1961.
Physical: Male, Black, 5-09, 180 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Aliases: Smith, Dwayne; Thomas, Dave; Spencer, Terry; Smith, Thomas; Guy, Earl; Franklin, Tony.
Offense: Lewd acts / Indecent Exposure (Out of State).

Name:  Elliott, Mario
DOB:  October 8, 1968.
Physical: Male, Black, 5-08, 140 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Aliases: Elliott, Mario Dionne.
Offense: 243.4(A)PC - Sexual Battery.

Name:  Wilson, David Haliburton
DOB:  September 4, 1980.
Physical: Male, Other, 5-11, 185 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Offense: 261(A)(2)PC - Rape by force etc.

How cool. Bob Dylan wins a Pulitizer Prize for his contributions to Americana.

From the Associated Press:

NEW YORK (AP) — Thanks to Bob Dylan, rock 'n' roll has finally broken through the Pulitzer wall. Dylan, the most acclaimed and influential songwriter of the past half century, who more than anyone brought rock from the streets to the lecture hall, received an honorary Pulitzer Prize on Monday, cited for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."

Some Dylan links of interest:

bobdylan.com

Wikipedia

Theme Time Radio Hour (My favorite)

 

I got a call from Patricia Flood today, program manager at Stepping Stones Recovery Center in Covina.

Apparently, people are getting a little confused with Stepping Stones Recovery Center and Stepping Stones for Women, which is also in Covina.

Why does this matter? Well Virgil Cleon Harper, who is facing child molestation charges amid allegations he inappropriately touched nine students at Azusa's Powell Elementary School, is on the board of Stepping Stones for Women.

The two organizations may share like names and may be located in the same city, but they are defintely not the same. Harper's group is on Arrow Highway, while Flood's center is on Cypress Street.

So if you are somehow affiliated with the recovery center, no need to worry, we're talking about that other Stepping Stones place.

Really bizarre story out of City Terrace this morning. Taxi driver picks up two women rides them out to the Ramona Gardens project. Somehow they end up stabbing the cabbie. He wrecks. There's two dead and one injured.

LAist sums up the tale here.

From the notebook ...

One of the unique features of the vast Los Angeles County bureaucracy can be found in the Department of Coroner.

Unlike most other California counties, the coroner is not elected and the head medical examiner doesn’t report to the Sheriff’s Department.

Back in the 1970s and 1980s when Dr. Thomas Noguchi headed the department, that separation sometimes caused local politicians and law enforcement tons of headaches. Noguchi, known as “coroner to the stars,” did press conferences, held public inquests, and sometimes made rulings that flew in the face of conventional wisdom.

Two, even three decades later, the memory of Noguchi looms large in many ways. Even if nothing (except the retro concrete buildings on North Mission) else is remotely the same.

“There’s way more technology,” said Ed Winter, a former Arcadia police officer who is now the Department of Coroner’s assistant chief of operations. “You can’t just make guesses anymore. I’m not saying Noguchi guessed, but we have much more data and much more information now.”

Even with all that technology, and all those new forms of information, medical examiners and investigators apparently have been unable to determine how Liya “Jessie” Lu died, according to prosecutors in the case.

Lu, 31, disappeared in August after being dropped off at her boyfriend’s home in San Gabriel. Police pleaded for help locating the woman. A couple of weeks later her body was found stuffed into a plastic trash can and covered with kitty litter.

Her boyfriend, Isaac Campbell, 32, became the object of a nationwide manhunt. He turned up hiding out in a low-budget motel on the outskirts of Minneapolis in mid-September. Campbell fought extradition to California and lost.

But, he’s been able to stave off arraignment in the case because of the lack of a coroner’s report, officials said.

Last week, Superior Court Judge Carlos Uranga postponed arraignment in the case until May 6, primarily because of the lack of information.

On Monday, Winter said the coroner’s report and autopsy results for Lu remain on a security hold. He was unable to discuss the specifics of either. Case watchers will have to hold their collective breath another month to see where this one goes.

X X X

Hey readers, I want you to know that I analyze all the e-mails you send — as well as cards and letters. Thanks to all of you for some timely tips; you guys are the eyes and ears of the Crime Scene Blog and column on the streets of the SGV and I really appreciate the input.

That said, I must apologize to several of you for my tardiness responding to e-mails. Guess that makes it about time for a New Year’s resolution.

This is a brief that will run in tomorrow's paper, and the story is apparently a little stale. But I like it because of several elements.  I'm sure you all can guess what elements. Here's the jist of the piece:

A 15-year-old local boy was arrested on suspicion of eight area burglaries after his parents noticed incriminating statements on his MySpace page, said Glendora police Detective Marty Barrett.

After viewing the MySpace entries,  the boy's parents searched their son’s room and found what appeared to be stolen property. After that, they called the cops.

Four of the burglaries were to homes, and the other four were to cars, police said. In each case the boy allegedly took advantage of unlocked doors and windows to commit the crimes, Barrett said.

The burglaries took place over a three week period.

Jewelry, cash, credit card information, electronics, Playboy mags, and adult movies were among the items stolen, Barrett said. All but the cash were recovered.

The teen allegedly used stolen credit card information to purchase $600 worth of iTunes, said the detective.

Once arrested, the teen suspect was “extremely cooperative,” and pointed out all the locations he’d struck, Barrett said. Two of the victims weren’t aware their property had been stolen.

 

Well, most of the SGV area anyway. For some reason Valinda has not been mapped. Don't know why just yet.

In the meantime, here's a scene from a drive on the 605. Enjoy.

A residence at 1300 Date Avenue in Alhambra is home to as many as 6 sex offenders registered under the terms of Megan's Law, officals said.

A forum to discuss the house will be held Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Fremont Elementary School at 2001 E. Elm Street, Alhambra police Sgt. Sigfredo Villegas said.

Police have passed fliers in the neighborhood warning residents of the presence of the sex offenders, Villegas said. They are also stocking copies of the men's mug shots at the police station. Those mugs shots are awailable at the station's front counter, Villegas said.

The state's Megan's Law website does not list any registered sex offenders on Date Avenue. Police became suspicious of the house late last week when two sex offenders apparently called the station (one right after the other) to report their new address.

Three boys and nine girls claim they were molested my substitute teacher V. Cleon Harper, according to the felony complaint filed against Harper by the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

Harper, who is being held on $1 million bail was scheduled for arraignment at the Pomona courthouse Monday, but that arraignment was postposed until April, 18, according to Sandi Gibbons in the DA's office.

Meanwhile, friends of Harper turned to this blog to begin a campaign of support for their colleague. This comment was left on an earlier entry:

If your reporter were doing his job he would also have discovered this. The teacher coached the students in writing 'mysterious' events about Harper, as a writing exercise. None of the written assignments described any 'touching' other than a light touch on the shoulder. It was only after feedback by the teacher and the administrator that children began to talk about other forms of touching. This same class was known for being disruptive to sub teachers in the past. Harper is among the most upstanding people in the Azusa community and this 'witch-hunt' is an unparalleled abuse of power and authority by the School district, by Child Protective Services and by the Azusa Police Department. It was a complete over reaction to childish fiction to 'get back' at a sub teacher who tried to hold them accountable for their collective mis-behavior.

 

Former Tribune reporter Nisha Gutierrez, who is now a TV reporter in tiny Pocatello, Idaho at KPVI- NBC News Channel 6, sends along an update on a case from this past summer:

Just a quick heads ups -Jason Meyer will be sentenced here in Pocatello this afternoon. If you recall he is the guy who rear ended and killed the LA County Deputy and his wife last summer. I'll be following the proceedings so let me know if you'd like to know what he gets.

Here's a story on the case.

Official counts indicate three murders county-wide during the 40-hour "Murder Moratorium."

The moratorium was planned as a way of honoring the death 40 years ago of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. THe LA City Council rejected the idea initally, but did issue a proclamation against violence. No one's checked weekend violence stats yet, but undoubtedly they are typical for an average weekend in Los Angeles County.

One of those killed over the weekend was a 23-year-old La Puente man, shot to death in the 400 block of Edgley Drive in Monterey Park.

Alfred Richard Chavez, 23, was shot about 1:20 a.m. Sunday, according to a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner. Sheriff's Homicide is investigating the case.

We're just hearing over the scanner that Irwindale PD are working a possible shooting between two employees. It happened near Schabarum Ave and Durbin Street according to scanner chatter, and apparently one employee shot another employee then fled the scene. The shooting victim was apparently only grazed in the leg.

Reporter Brian Day is trying to get more info.

I bet this Industry manager never saw this coming:

INDUSTRY - An employee in the process of being fired stabbed his boss with a pocket knife Friday, authorities said.

The incident was reported about 1 p.m. at a trucking business in the 900 block of Azusa Avenue, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Paul Puchalski.

The employee, 39-year-old Zhang Lie of Hacienda Heights, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Puchalski said.

His boss, a man in his mid-40s, suffered two stab wounds to his arm from a small pocket knife, he said.

Puchalski said the boss was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

I just spotted this on the Star-News website:

PASADENA -- A 7-year-old child remains in critical condition after he and his parents were struck by a car that ran over the curb after a collision in Old Pasadena.

The incident occurred at about 6:30 p.m. Thursday, at the busy intersection of Fair Oaks Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

The child's father, Jose de la Rosa, 36, was listed in fair condition on Friday, Pasadena Police Officials said.

He had suffered several fractures, Pasadena Fire officials said.

The mother was not seriously injured and has been discharged, Fire officials said.

The family was visiting relatives, and had arrived from out-of-town just hours before the incident, officials said.

When the incident occurred, bike officials from the Pasadena Traffic Enforcement group and paramedics from Ambumed -- who just happened to be in the area -- aided local emergency officials on the scene.

The incident is still under investigation.

News worthy? It depends on one's perception of the story, I guess. Yet, with the TMZ loaded, UTube star studded events that choke the news daily-- including your own -- when the Lindsey, Spears, Hilton ... stories based more on voyeurism than humanity command the light; where clips of Hiltons Chihuahua, Brittany's (privates), and Lindsey's lesbian affair are aired on the major networks and we are like...WOW'D--
 
Yes, I believe the Davis story absolutely shines.
 
Why? I mean, who cares? Everyday cowardly punks prey on the less fortunate. What makes the Davis story so news worthy? Simply this...at the end of the day theirs is less a story of tragedy than it is one of triumph. Against all odds they have survived. Lacking glamour, their story is a testament to the strength and power of the human spirit.
 
Their story is as much a "purse" story as Titanic is a "boat" story.

Article in Around the Region in today's (April 1) edition of  the
Trib states
"The former owners of Moe the chimp . . ."   WHERE IS  MOE?  IF THE
DAVISES DON'T OWN HIM NOW, WHO DOES???

I have wondered what's happened to him for quite a while now, and I'm
sure I'm not the only person who has wondered that.

Thanks for any information you can email me.  

Mr. and Mrs. Davis have been through so much. It is heartbreaking to see them suffer from yet another senseless act.

Right now, up at the Rio Hondo Police Academy, there is a class that will graduate sometime soon, full of young would-be officers who are looking for a police department for whom to work.
When the Azusa PD recruiter heads of the hill, he can boast “We’ll pay YOU the most.” And the Monrovia PD recruiter can counter, “yeah, but we’ll pay Sacramento the most!”
It’s not hard to imagine which cop will have the most cadets to talk to at the end of the day.
The cost of police services is a vital issue, and one the City must address. But, the council and City Manager should also have the wisdom to realize that they are competitors in a market, and if they are not providing potential suppliers (of police labor), they will be left with the second choice among those suppliers - or potentially none at all.

Richard's case is the third homicide in the La Puente area investigated by the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau this year.
Joe Rudy Encinas of La Puente was pronounced dead at the scene of a March 8 shooting on Tonopah Avenue near Flynn Street, coroner's officials said - about one mile away from where Richard was shot.
Encinas was driving his car when he was shot in the back, officials added. A motive or suspect description was not known.
Lt. Larry Lincoln of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said Encinas was not known to have any gang ties.
On Feb. 3, a 43-year-old La Puente resident was found stabbed to death inside a trailer in the 13800 block of Proctor Avenue, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Edmundo Hummel.
"(The violence) needs to stop," said Julie, Richard's sister. "We wanted to come out here not just for Richard, but for all the victims."
Alice said her son's organs have already helped to save the lives of at least eight people.
"Pray for those people who got his organs," she said.
Alice addressed the group of young people in front of the memorial, urging them to use caution.
"All you kids please be careful. Watch it out there. Keep an eye on your back. Keep an eye on your friends' backs. Keep safe," said Alice.

Brandon Michael Landreth, suspected in the Sunday slaying of Justo Morales holds a California state teaching credential and was teaching at Muir High when arrested in the case, according to preliminary information.

A commenter here said Landreth and Morales were involved in a love triangle that went sour. We have no evidence of that, however Landreth and his wife recently divorced.

Neighbors on Canyon Road in Arcadia where Morales was killed were guarded when speaking to reporter Robert Hong who visited the scene this afternoon.

In Monrovia, where Landreath and his estranged wife lived, neighbors said little about the couple.

For now Ladreath is being held at the Twin Towers jail on a no bail warrant. He will be arraigned Friday, authorities said.

Interesting article in CityBeat by Alan Mittelstaedt where he digs into Sheriff Lee Baca and DA Steve Cooley for falling down on two newsworthy investigations. An excerpt:

In the D.A. man’s case, he never intends to touch wayward pedophile protector Cardinal Roger Mahony, but don’t expect him to tell the public he’s closing the books after spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars paging through the diaries and papers of the Jackass in the Red Robe, who’d be hell-bound if one existed.

And the loony sheriff, who’s snowed some of the top human-rights watchers in this city with his often empty New Agey rhetoric during his too-long three terms in office, refuses to stop looking for the person who leaked the Mel Gibson arrest report way back during the summer of 2006.

In "Shine a Light" the Stones team with Scorsese for an IMAX extravaganza that's gotten mixed reviews. (I'm still going to find a way to see it). This from the Chicago Tribune:

As in "The Last Waltz," Scorsese interjects himself into the proceedings just enough to make it interesting. In the prologue we see the Stones jetting around from city to city--here's Jagger mulling a Beacon set list on his plane, there's Scorsese back in New York, freaking out about not having the set list yet. We're meant to think the whole affair, billed as a benefit for the Clinton Foundation (we see Bill and Hillary meeting and greeting the boys before the show), came together by the seat of its pants. These early scenes are shown in a reduced image on the IMAX screen; then, when the concert begins and Jagger hits the stage for "Jumpin' Jack Flash," boom, we get the full-screen IMAXimus impact.

Finally, another group of cops wants a pay raise. This time its in Covina, where there are budget woes a plenty. This from Amanda Baumfeld's story:

"The city does not and has not taken care of its employees," said PAC President Rob Bobkiewicz at Tuesday's City Council meeting. "Employee morale is at an all-time low."

Thanks to Aaron Proctor for the fun interview he's posted at his website. I loved the questions (including the last one).

Cleon V. Harper, 65, of Azusa was picked up by Azusa PD on suspicion of 10 counts of child molestation.

Harper was a substitute teacher for a fourth-grade class at WR Powell Elementary School. Children complained to their parents after sitting in Harper's class.

The arrest was the culmination of a week-long investigation by Azusa authorities.

This guy may have been a professor at APU, according to a cursory records search.

Here's comments from Rate My Professor.

A V. Cleon Harper is also listed as a city commissioner on Azusa's website Architectural Barriers Commission.

Another guy who shares the name sits on the board of a group known as "Stepping Stones for Women"  The Motto of the group: "Providing handles of hope to single mothers and their children."

I got this message today from an anonymous caller in response to the BB gun story that ran in today's paper:

Arcadia police announced they've made an arrest in the shooting death of Justo Cesar Morales, 25, of Arcadia. Officers found Morales at about 1:40 p.m. Sunday, dead inside his parents' home in the 2200 block of Canyon Road.

Brandon Michael Landreth, 30, of Monrovia was arrested in Pasadena last night in connection with the killing he is being held in Twin Towers without bail. Arraignment is scheduled for Friday.

We were tipped to this information from a Crime Scene reader. Thank you.

Arcadia police officers, who had no problem talking to us during their contract dispute, refused to discuss the case beyond the basics with reporter Robert Hong.

That's OK though, we're still going to get the whole story for tomorrow's paper.

RCJ Parry has a lengthy post on TheFCBlog about how the Monrovia Police Officers Association has been ill treated by the city even after the shooting of Sgt. Dan Verna early Sunday.

From Parry's commentary:

Regardless of your opinion of the Monrovia Police Officers’ Association’s tactics, the City of Monrovia has clearly taken the most egregious steps possible in attacking not only the MPOA, but the Police Department itself.

The City Council voted Tuesday night to study three measures which would utterly destroy the police department - one of which would directly impact crime fighting efforts and, in fact, will unquestionably bring the current anti-gang effort to a screeching halt.

The proposals reflect the council’s complete and utter ignorance of police work, an astounding failure to understand markets (or intentional sabotage of MPD) and the individual council members’ personal contempt for the officers of the department. Remarkably, all this came barely three days after MPD Sergeant Dan Verna came within a fraction of an inch of dying at the hands of a common thief.

“This is strictly punitive,” Phil Nelson, MPOA president, told me. “It has nothing to do with improving police services in this community.”

The whole enchilada is here.

Gloria Allred seems like a nice lady She was genuinely concerned about her clients St. James and La Donna Davis. She even wiped St. James' face as he wept about being unable to stop a woman from stealing his wife's purse while the couple shopped at a Target store in West Covina last Sunday.

Allred characterized St. James as a hero. After all she noted St. James risked his life to save LaDonna when the couple were attacked by crazed chimps in March 2005.

The attack occurred at a home for wildlife in Caliente, Calif. It was the place they sent Moe when the city of West Covina insisted that Moe couldn't live at the Davis' home anymore.

Wednesday Allred called a press conference. I think to help the Davises get a little publicity for their case. She shared a photo of the suspected purse snatcher and offered to take calls from anyone who had information about the woman in the surveillance photo.

Allred also propped up a copy of a book about Moe, I think 

it was the official biography. I've seen a copy floating around the office. In return, St. James pitched Allred's book, "Fight Back and Win."

Some of the more callous members of the media were moved by St. James and LaDonna. One cameraman even shook St. James' hand and said, "You are a true hero."

You can't help but be impressed by Allred. She knows how to handle the media. She speaks well and seems sincere. Her office commands the 15th floor of a mid-Wilshire high-rise and the conference room has a sweeping vista of the Hollywood Hills.

The people who work for her all all pretty nice too. Not like the usual secretaries, paralegals and hacks one typically might find in an attorney's office.

The pictures here are both pre-press conference. Allred talks fast, which makes for good TV, but difficult to take accurate notes - fortunately she (not an assistant) passed out a copy of a statement  That's a long winded excuse for not snapping a pic of Allred. (maybe next time).

The Los Angeles City Council dropped plans Tuesday for a symbolic moratorium on killing, deciding instead to use the upcoming anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination to promote peace.

Council members had been asked by a handful of activists to declare a 40-hour ban on murder and other violence, a concept one critic quickly derided as "silliness."

After a 45-minute debate, the council reworked its resolution, saying the city's opposition to homicides should last more than a single weekend.

"A moratorium on violence and killing is something we should support 365 days a year and every minute we live," said Councilman Richard Alarcon, who represents part of the San Fernando Valley.

What a week.

Violence erupted on our freeways. Crooks took pot shots at police officers and the cops shot back. Someone executed an Arcadia man inside his parents' home. The Department of Coroner attempted to sort out the details surrounding the strange death of a Pico Rivera man found dead in a Ford sedan the morning after his wedding.

Two kindly grandfathers working as car salesmen in East Los Angeles were herded into a back room and blasted. Twenty minutes later, and a block or so away, two other guys were killed in a drive-by.

Oh, and the parents of Moe the chimp encountered a purse snatcher Sunday at a Target store in West Covina.

On Wednesday afternoon, St. James and LaDonna Davis held a press conference at attorney Gloria Allred's office in a Wilshire Boulevard highrise overlooking the Hollywood Hills to discuss the incident.

"How could she do this to me?" St. James said. "I keep asking myself 'why, why, why do I have such bad luck?'"

This is news.

As proof, TMZ.com was streaming live and KTLA, KABC, KCBS, KCAL and KTTV all sent their heaviest hitters.

There's a huge file of stories about Moe the chimp in the newspaper's morgue dating back a decade or so. Most have pictures. The saddest shows St. James Davis wailing as his "son" is carted away from the family's West Covina home in September 1999.

The most recent mention comes from 2005. Chimps attacked and mauled St. James on the grounds of Moe's new home, the Animal Haven Ranch in Caliente.

As a result of the attack and 60 surgeries, St. James' face is disfigured and he is confined to a wheelchair. He could only sit and watch Sunday as LaDonna's purse was taken from their shopping cart. On Wednesday, 15 of my colleagues were there to chronicle this latest twist of the Davises.

After all, who doesn't like monkeys or stories about monkeys? (Yes I know Moe's a chimp — but in a generic sense he's a monkey.)

Monkeys are funny. It's in their genes. Every time I think about the chain-smoking Mr. Teeny, Krusty the Clown's sidekick on "The Simpsons," I smile. I put Ronald Reagan right up there in the pantheon of presidents, but who can remember a single movie of his other than "Bedtime for Bonzo"?

I must admit, I stifled a grin when I saw how much attention the Davises' case got.

In that context, who can blame Allred for using the chimp to make chumps of the local media?

"They are on a fixed income and are still coping with the life-changing consequence of the attack by the chimps," Allred said. "LaDonna spends her days caring for St. James, feeding him, bathing him, helping him in and out of his wheelchair and taking him to doctors."

For most of us, a purse snatching winds up with the police taking a report, and the bank and credit card companies taking their sweet time to return your lost plastic.

Don't forget the line at the DMV taking a century or so to navigate just to get a paper license and a new picture.

I know. My wife, Rosie, and I lived this once. When our son Matthew was born at San Gabriel Valley Medical Center, he had to spend the first week of his life in the neonatal ward in an induced coma.

It's one of those secure and supposedly clean wards of the hospital. Everyone has to scrub down. Purses and other personal items need to be left on a table away from the sick babies.

One Sunday when we were visiting the little guy, someone walked off with Rosie's purse. I think we called in a report to the police.

Eventually the wallet came back, with a note that said, "sorry." But the plastic and the money was gone. I guess someone needed it more than we did.

And that was that.

Maybe we would have scored it all back if Matt had been born a monkey.

The Moe the Chimp saga willcontinue today as his "parents" hold a press conference with super lawyer Gloria Allred to discuss La Donna Davis' purse snatching from Target in West Covina.. Here's surveillance video from the store with commentary by Tim Berger,head of the SGVN photo department and a blogger in his own right over at Candids.

I received the email below after posting this entry on the homicide in Arcadia. I've redacted the writer's name because its unimportant.

Here's the letter:  

I think it's interesting how very glib you are being about this murder.  Have you been to the area of the crime, Canyon Road?  Do you really think it's "ritzy"?  What a ridiculous word to describe an area of canyon homes- they are for the most part not ostentatious, not shiny, not over the top.  The word  "ritzy" immediately sets you up to look immature and not objective.   Is this murder any less horrifying because it happened in Arcadia?

Get over yourself.