A sign of fearful and doomed times?

We heard this call on the scanner about 3 p.m. this afternoon. Draw your own conclusions:

HACIENDA HEIGHTS – A woman who looked pregnant and had a young child waiting in her car swiped a charity bucket on Tuesday from a CVS Pharmacy.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Mark Relyea said the woman took the bucket from the CVS at 887 Hacienda Blvd. around 3 p.m.

Relyea did not say how much money was in the bucket.

The “heavyset” woman left in a white Toyota Corolla, Relyea said.

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A wild ride ends at Disneyland

Here’s the top of a story on a Monrovia man who terrorized the San Gabriel Valley for a few hours last week before spending his last moments of freedom at Disneyland.

An earlier version is here.

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A Monrovia man’s wild ride through the San Gabriel Valley, which authorities suspect included carjackings, home invasions and an attempted murder, ended at “The Happiest Place on Earth,” authorities said Tuesday.
Anthony Hislar, 27, of Monrovia, was booked on suspicion of dozens of crimes including two carjackings and one attempted murder after spending the day at Disneyland with two acquaintances he met on MySpace, officials said.
“This man was just a one-man crime spree,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Det. Randy Rue-Las said. “Just out of control.”

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Tossing butts in the street

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So what happens when you write about the economic meltdown and the total lack of leadership in Washington DC but lead with an anecdote about flipping a cigarette butt into the street?

People latch onto the anecdote.

I’ve been called a “slob.” I’ve been accused of using the SGV as my “toilet.”  I’ve been admonished in a letter to the publisher. My fellow smokers have wagged their fingers.

It has been suggested I take a tour of the sewer system just to see that butts float to the sea.

OK. I get it. Thanks for the suggestions.

If you’ve got more suggestions (or cigarettes) pass ’em my way.

 

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FBI accuses gang of using encrypted BlackBerrys to sell MDMA

A federal grand jury handed down an extensive indictment Tuesday charging a group of Californians and Canadians in a conspiracy to move MDMA from local cities to Canada.

A portion of the indictment talks about how defendant Nathanael Lineham used his position with a company called beStealth to supply encrypt BlackBerrys to drug dealers. Here’s a link to the beStealth site.

Here’s the indictment:

Candystore_-_Lineham_indictment[1].pdf

Here’s a portion of our Web story:

Prosecutors allege the organization was overseen by Temple City resident Jason I. Ming Wei, 30, a Canadian national. He was arrested Sunday night at Los Angeles International Airport while preparing to board a flight to Canada.

A total of 18 people, including seven residents of the San Gabriel Valley, have been named in two federal indictments that outline the operations of the organization. Marijuana and ecstasy were allegedly brought to the United States from Canada, while cocaine was shipped from the United States to Canada.

The other suspects arrested Monday morning include: Jerry Fanyuan Lin, 32, of Temple City; Jose G. Garibay, aka “Guero,” 28, of La Puente; Ming Chien Hsieh, aka “Sonny,” 24, of San Gabriel; and four others from California and Canada.

The ten others being sought by authorities include Ren Sui, aka “Jeffrey,” 31, of Rosemead; Erik Damien Vicente, 41, of Baldwin Park; Hong Yee “Annie” Chow, 28, of Rowland Heights. 

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Photo of shotgun-wielding bank robber released

The FBI has released a photo of a man who robbed a Cathay Bank in Alhambra Saturday.

The robbery was reported just before 1:40 p.m. at the bank located at 1 W. Bay State Street, police said.

The masked man used a bucket and an umbrella to hide a shotgun as he entered the bank, then poited it at a teller while demanding money.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Alhambra Police Department at (626) 570-5151.

 

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Rockefeller held on $50 million bail

From the Suffolk County DA’s office:

BOSTON, Sept. 29, 2008–A Suffolk Superior Court clerk magistrate today set bail at $50 million cash for the kidnapping defendant formerly known as Clark Rockefeller, “based on what I perceive the risk [of flight] to be.”

Clerk Magistrate Gary D. Wilson did not adopt prosecutors’ requests to continue holding CHRISTIAN KARL GERHARTSREITER (D.O.B. 2/21/61) without bail, but set it at an amount well beyond the $25,000 recommended by Gerhartsreiter’s attorney.

Gerhartsreiter may also post 10 times the cash amount in property as surety – in this case, $500 million.

At the agreement of Assistant District Attorney David Deakin and defense attorney Stephen Hrones, Wilson also scheduled Gerhartsreiter’s trial for March 23.

Wilson was prepared to allow both parties a full year to prepare for those proceedings. Indicted Friday by a Suffolk County grand jury, Gerhartsreiter today pleaded not guilty to single counts of kidnapping a minor relative, assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and furnishing a false name to police officers.

AP article on Gerhartsreiter’s plea:

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hGbAirbzAI5iGCtDGLR58A4-gYQwD93GELI00 

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Cutting and pasting from the overnight notes

PASADENA — Officials had to treat about 800 people who were watching college football at the Rose Bowl on Saturday for heat-related illnesses, authorities said.

***********

COVINA — A woman was arrested Saturday after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase while drunk, then trying to ram patrol cars, authorities said.

WEST COVINA — A parolee-at-large was arrested Saturday after allegedly leading police on a chase and then eating methamphetamine in an apparent attempt to get rid of evidence, authorities said.

LA PUENTE — Two men escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash Saturday after robbing an El Pollo Loco restaurant, authorities said.

*******************’

Whit:

A Pico Rivera father was killed by a hit-and-run driver Saturday night after watching a high school football game at his alma mater.

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Alhambra bank robbed

For the second time in nine days, an Alhambra bank was robbed Saturday.

The robbery was reported about 1:40 p.m. at Cathay Bank, 601 N. Atlantic Ave., officials said.

The robber brandished a shotgun at a teller while demanding money, police said, before fleeing on foot.

He was described as a white man in his late 20s or early 30s, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall, weighing about 170 pounds, Wiese said. He was wearing a tan shirt and tan pants.

Another Alhambra bank, this time a Citibank branch located at 1 W. Bay State Street, was robbed on Sept. 18 by a female bandit.

The woman, who the FBI is calling the “Bag Lady Bandit” because of a large beaded bag she carried during the heist, used a note to steal an undisclosed amount of money.

She was described as a white or Latina woman, standing about 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing about 125 pounds, with reddish hair, officials said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Alhambra police Detective Kevin Laing at (626) 570-5187.

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Boston grand jury indicts Rockefeller as Gerhartsreiter

O’Ryan Johnson at the Boston Herald writes:

The man once known as Clark Rockefeller was formally charged today with crimes he allegedly committed in early August when he ran off with his daughter during a supervised visit with a social worker.

Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter was indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury for parental kidnapping, assault and battery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and providing a false name to police, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s office.

Gerhartsreiter fled from the Back Bay, prompting a week-long manhunt, during which authorities began to uncover a twisted pattern of false identities and possible ties to murdered California newlyweds.

 

Here’s a press release from the Suffolk County DA’s Office:

BOSTON, Sept. 26, 2008–A Suffolk County grand jury today returned indictments charging CHRISTIAN KARL GERHARTSREITER (D.O.B. 2/21/61) with parental kidnapping, assault-related offenses, and providing a phony name to the Boston Police detectives investigating the case, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley announced.
Currently held without bail on similar district court complaints, the indictments move Gerhartsreiter’s case to Superior Court, where it will be adjudicated. Conley said he expects Gerhartsreiter to be arraigned on the indicted charges Monday.
Gerhartsreiter – formerly known as “Clark Rockefeller,” among other aliases – allegedly kidnapped his daughter on July 27, during their first scheduled visit following his divorce from her mother.
Under the terms of their 2007 divorce, Gerhartsreiter and his ex-wife agreed that she would have legal custody of her daughter and that Gerhartsreiter would be allowed a limited number of visits each year, with those visits monitored by an independent social worker. In addition to the kidnapping charge, Gerhartsreiter is also charged with assault and battery for allegedly shoving that social worker to the ground during the abduction and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon – the sport utility vehicle in which he escaped – for allegedly directing his driver to accelerate when he knew the social worker was holding on to the moving vehicle’s door. Those charges carry maximum penalties of 2 years in a house of correction and 10 years in state prison, respectively.
Finally, Gerhartsreiter was also indicted today for giving a false name to a police officer, a crime punishable by up to a year behind bars from and after any sentence for the underlying offense for which he was arrested. Gerhartsreiter incurred that charge by identifying himself as “Clark Rockefeller” to the Boston Police detectives interviewing him upon his August arrest.
“That the victim in this case is the defendant’s own daughter doesn’t minimize the wrongness of his actions,” Conley said. “He took her across state lines without her legal guardian’s knowledge or permission – it’s any parent’s worst nightmare. People on the run take risks they wouldn’t in other circumstances, and we’re all very lucky that this young girl suffered no long-term physical injury as a result of her ordeal.”
Gerhartsreiter’s arraignment will likely take place Monday morning in the Magistrate’s Session of Suffolk Superior Court, located on the seventh floor of the courthouse. The defendant is represented by attorney Stephen Hrones.

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