October 2008 Archives

In Thursday's column, I noted that Walter Collins lived in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Los Angeles. A reader writes to correct that by noting that Walter and Christine Collins actually lived in Lincoln Heights.

A slight correction on the "Changeling" story.  Walter Collins was not from Mt. Washington, he was from Lincoln Heights and lived at 217 N. Ave 23.  He was abducted two blocks away.  The neighborhood where he lived was razed to make way for the transit village at the Ave 26/Lincoln Heights Gold Line Stop.

Old L.A. Times and other media often mistook L.A. neighborhoods.  The borders of where Mt. Washington is, where Highland Park is, etc is far more distinct now.  It wasn't always the case.

I've created a map that shows some of the locations from the story:
View Larger Map

This comes from Jan Williams, whose son and grandsons were killed last summer at their home in Rowland Heights. Manling Williams, wife and mother of the victims, is awaiting trial for slayings, and could face the death penalty. Here's Jan's commentary:

Jan Williams, whose son and grandsons were killed last August at their home in Rowland Heights, will be participating in a rally supporting Marcy's Law, described as a bill of rights for victims of violent crimes. The press conference will take place outside the condo where Neal, Devon and Ian were slain. Here's the top of the press release:

As children prepare to go house to house "trick or treating" on Halloween Friday, a Los Angeles man will be traveling across Los Angeles and Orange County from murder scene to murder scene. He will not be gathering candy, but stories of murder.  The man is a local criminal prosecutor who worked with Broadcom billionaire Henry Nicholas to give victims rights by co-writing  Prop 9, the "Victims Bill of Rights". The prosecutor, a local Deputy District Attorney, "Marsy's Law" in memory of Nicholas's murdered sister, is on the November 4, 2008 ballot.

Press Conferences/ "Yes on Prop. 9" Tour of Murder Scenes  (Oct. 29, 30, 31)
Over the three day period there will be a series of press conferences featuring the prosecutor who wrote Marsy's law and the victims stories that inspired the changes in the law. Family members of murdered victims will tell not only the story of the murder, but the story of how they were re-victimized by the criminal justice system. The pilgrimage will begin on Wednesday October 29, 2008 in Malibu at the scene of 20 year old Marsy's brutal shotgun murder and end in Orange County, with victims right leaders who inspired  the writing of Prop 9.

Photo at right comes from the archives of the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner at the Los Angeles City Library. Here's the caption:

Gordon Stewart Northcott the opposing batteries of attorneys, his four guards and some of the witnesses at his trial in Riverside for the murder of the Winslow brothers. Seated at the counsel table are, left to right, Deputy District Attorney Earle Redwine; Loyal C. Kelley, associate prosecution counsel; A. H. DeTremaudan, defense attorney; J. McKinley Cameron, defense attorney; David Sokol, defense attorney; Northcott; Norbert Savay, chief defense attorney. The four guards standing at right are, left to right, Deputy Sheriffs T. J. Burn, Ben deCrevecoeur, Carl Raeburn and Tex Boyles. In the background are witnesses and spectators.

Among those things we struggle with in reporting crimes stories are names -- and correct spellings.

When Manling Williams was arrested in 2007 on suspicion of killing her husband and two young boys, several spellings of her name appeared on the Internet and in various publications: Man-ling. Man Ling, Manling. Originally we went with Man-ling, but in recent stories we've switched to Manling, which is how court papers refer to her.

A similar problem presented itself this summer with Christopher Chichester/Clark Rockefeller/Christian Gerhartsreiter.

Reporters in the 1920s faced similar articles. In Tuesday's blog entry, I transcribed an article referring to Gordon Stewart Northcott as Gordon Stuart Northcott. Years ago it wouldn't have been a problem, with the Internet and specilized search tools.. you get the picture.

Anyway in the months before Northcott came to national prominence for is role in the kidnapping and killing of four young boys, Los Angeles was gripped by the story of Edward Hickman. 

This comes from a Sheriff's Department bulletin issued this afternoon:

On October 21, 2008 (Tuesday) at 1400 hours, Victim Luciano Brash was shot at a home in Alhambra. His body was then dropped off at the Pacific Orthopedic Medical Center, 707 S. Garfield Avenue, Alhambra. The suspects should be considered ARMED AND DANGEROUS. Investigators are seeking the public's assistance, and asking anyone with information to contact Sheriff's Homicide Bureau.

Here's the photos:

Sheriff's detectives identify this man as Scott Young Kim. A 37-year-old male Asian. He is wanted in connection with the Brash homicide. It's believed he was the shooter.

 

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Sheriff's detectives identify this man as Samuel Patrick Groft, a 28-year-old male white. He is also wanted in connection with the Brash homicide. he is believed to be one of two men seen in a videotape dropping Brash's body on the floor of an Alhambra medical clinic.

 

 

 

 

Here's a  videotape of two men dumping Brash's body in the reception area of an Alhambra medical clinic. There is also an alleged connection between the men and the Korean Mafia, officials said.

Here's a Wikipedia entry on the Korean mob and gangsters known as kkangpae.

 

 

 

 

I've had some problems recently with a high spam volume. As a result it's affected all the comments on the blog.

Here's some of the most recent that didn't get posted:

 

 

America's Most Wanted will devote part of its show Saturday to the tale of the Grim Sleeper. The LA Weekly outlined the story several weeks ago. Here's a link to the show's Web site. This from the AMW press release:

AMW host John Walsh and special guest LAPD Chief William Bratton will share the latest developments in the case of "The Grim Sleeper," a serial killer who earned his nickname after committing at least 11 violent murders in the 1980s, only to resurface and strike again 13 years later.
 
Walsh will also take viewers to the mean streets populated by the city's homeless, and ask them to help solve the brutal and senseless murder of John McGraham. McGraham was a fixture on the streets of L.A.'s Koreatown neighborhood, a man who'd been given a raw deal by life but was making the best of it. The community considered him to be one of their own, and protected him as best they could. In October 2008, someone doused the helpless man with gasoline and set him ablaze, leaving him to die in the streets.

 

This comes from an old newspaper article. It was published on Sept. 16, 1928:

Gordon Stuart Northcott, alleged to have murdered four boys on the chicken ranch of his father Cyrus Northcott, near Wineville, and his mother, Louise Northcott, today are confronted with a first degree murder charge and Canadian police and detectives are close on their trail in Vancouver.

The Murder complaint was issued from the office of District Attorney Albert Ford this morning, with Jim Quinn, district attorney investigator as the complaining witness.

HAVE STRONG CASE

Quinn believes the state has sufficient evidence to convict both Gordon Stuart Northcott and his mother of first degree murder.

He says the statement made by Sanford Clark to the Los Angeles operators, and the statement alleged to have been made by Gordon Stuart Northcott to his father Cyrus Northcott, are sufficient upon which to base a murder charge.

The physical evidence in the hands of Riverside county officers strengthens the case, Quinn statesm and proves that a human life has been taken. This evidence includes a toenail, two  

 

This from Bethania Palma:

AZUSA -- A judge Tuesday dropped lewd conduct charges against a local substitute teacher, calling the accusations "implausible," officials said.
Virgil Cleon Harper, 66, of Azusa, faced nine counts of committing lewds with a child, stemming from allegations when he substituted for the fourth grade teacher at W.R. Powell Elementary School in Azus March 21.
A jury deliberated for three days before failing to reach a decision Monday. Seven jurors believed Harper was guilty while five believed he was not.

The District Attorney's office will not refile the case officials said.

Authorities announced an arrest in connection with a body dump at an Alhambra clinic. The dead man shown in the video below may have been connected to the Korean mafia, authorities said. Here's Nate McIntire's story:

Suspects have been identified in the slaying of a man whose body was dropped off at an Alhambra medical facility last week, authorities said.

The body of Luciano Teadoro Brash, 31, was brought by two men to the Pacific Orthopaedic & Medical Center on South Garfield Avenue last Tuesday. The incident was caught on tape by security cameras.

Brash was pronounced dead at the scene, and coroners determined his cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Scott Kim, 37, whom detectives believe was the shooter. Arrest warrants have also been issued for Samuel Groft and Sam Lock Sui, the two men who allegedly carried Brash's body into the medical facility, according to Sheriff's Sgt. Alec MacArthur. Sui has been arrested and remains in custody, detectives said.

MacArthur said the suspects were "possibly in the Korean Mob." Brash may also be linked to the Korean mafia, according to Sheriff's Lt. Patrick Nelson.

"It appears that the victim himself may have had some connection with that," he said.

Brash has a criminal record and spent time in prison for felony robbery in the late 1990s, according to investigators.

This from the City News Service:

A narcotics unit of the Redondo Beach Police Department announced today the arrest of a suspected drug dealer who turned out to be wanted for two murders in Colorado and was
profiled on "America's Most Wanted."

The Redondo PD's Special Investigations Unit got a tip about an alleged
narcotics dealer who lived in Montebello, said Sgt. Gene Tomatani.

While the suspect was under surveillance Monday, he was allegedly observed
selling methamphetamine to a buyer in a shopping center parking lot in El
Monte, the sergeant said.

Officers arrested 28-year-old Rodolfo "Rudy" Gonzalez, who allegedly had a
small amount of contraband on him, and also took the buyer into custody,
Tomatani said.

When Gonzalez was taken into custody, he casually remarked that he was wanted
for two murders and refused to say more, according to the sergeant, who said
the suspect also gave police a phony name.

Meanwhile, he was jailed in the Redondo Beach lockup, and a search warrant was obtained late last night to search his home in Montebello, where three pounds of methamphetamine and a smaller quantity of cocaine and marijuana were recovered, Tomatani said.

This from the "Only in Buffalo" file:

HAMBURG, N.Y. (AP) - Health officials shut down a suburban Buffalo restaurant after an inspector found employees butchering a dead deer inside the business. Erie County Health Department officials said they got a tip Friday about a dead deer in the China King restaurant in the town of Hamburg, just south of Buffalo.

This comes from Aging Rebel:

Maybe the Feds have the Mongols by the huevos. Maybe after, numerous attempts over the last 30 years, the Department of Justice is finally, actually going to deconstruct a major outlaw motorcycle club. Maybe not. But, don't dismiss the possibility. "The future right now," former Mongol Tony Vodnik rhetorically asked the Associated Press yesterday. [...]

About the time Ruben "Doc" Cavazos published his autobiography, "Honor Few, Fear None," his life as an outlaw motorcycle gang member began to come apart.

The book, published in June, tells Cavazos' story and includes re-tellings of violent episodes between members of the gang and outsiders.

To hear "Doc" tell it, the Mongols were taking on an assortment of gangs in an international turf battle that stretched beyond the San Gabriel Valley.

Last week a federal grand jury handed down an 84-count racketeering indictment against Cavazos and dozens of other Mongols. It detailed allegations including murder, attempted murder, gun possessions, racial attacks, maimings and drug offenses.

As part of the criminal case, the government barred members of the gang from wearing clothing displaying the Mongols' logo.

Here's how the book jacket pitches Cavazos' story:

"In reality, the Mongols are a tightly knit band of brothers devoted in equal measure to the club, their fellow Mongols, and their freedom. They live to enjoy life, party and travel the open road. Above all, they demand respect. When pushed too far, Mongols join together to push back. Just ask the Hells Angels, the Ukrainian mafia, the Mexican mafia and the U.S. government. All have tested the Mongols' resolve.

"Doc takes you to the streets and into the bars, the secret meetings, the brawls, and the shoot-outs, all proof that if you live like a Mongol does, you must honor few, fear none."

But why buy the book when the indictment lays out some of the same excitement without the hyperbole?

For example, on the day the book was published by HarperCollins, Cavazos awarded patches to two members accused of stabbing two innocent by-standers at a Mobil gas station in Pasadena on April 6.

They were among the last patches Cavazos awarded.

As Cavazos embarked on a high-profile tour of swanky bookstores in upscale neighborhoods like Beverly Hills, other members of the gang began to grumble about his leadership.

Principle among their complaints was Cavazos' penchant for recruiting street gang members and a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars of Mongol money.

Cavazos frequently hit up his buddies for contributions to a Mongols legal fund. The money began to go missing.

Finally on Aug. 30, at the "House Lounge" in Vernon, Hector "Largo" Gonzalez and William Munz told the rest of the gang that "Doc" was stealing from them.

They also pointed to tensions between the gang and La Eme and voted Cavazos "out bad" from the organization.

"Out Bad" - sounds like a good title for the sequel.

GLENDORA -- A Glendora man turned himself in Tuesday morning in connection with a stabbing that occurred Monday night on the patio of a Starbucks, authorities said.

Jacob Westin, 18, was arrested on suspicion of stabbing a man on the patio of a Starbucks on the 1800 block of East Route 66 last night around 10 p.m., Glendora police Lt. Ernie Didier said.

WHITTIER - Sheriff's deputies are searching for an attempted burglary suspect in Whittier, authorities said.

The deputies responded at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday morning to a "burglary in process" at the 11500 block of Havenwood Drive, said Sgt. Della Walls of the Pico Rivera sheriff's station.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS - Officials have released the name of a 20-year-old La Puente man found dead at the scene of a shooting Sunday.

Paulo Orozco Campos was pronounced dead at 9:30 a.m. in the driveway of a house in the 15400 block Los Robles Avenue, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said.

MONROVIA - Hazmat* 720 E Huntington, Monrovia; Battalion 10 Incident Commander, large
amount of toxic cloud from closed up metal commerical structure. Req Hazmat
units. Mutual Aid: Burbank and Glendale. Red 2@10:03PM CABN01 ### 

Looks like it was another busy weekend for law enforcement with violent acts reported throughout the region.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS -- A man's body was discovered in a residential driveway Sunday with apparent gunshot wounds, authorities said.

EL MONTE -- A man stabbed to death in a motel room over the weekend was bound and gagged when a maid found his body, according to a motel employee.

SAN GABRIEL -- A man was hospitalized with serious injuries Saturday after he was stabbed at a shopping center, authorities said.

PICO RIVERA -- Gunfire ended a Halloween party in Pico Rivera Saturday, leaving one person wounded and at least one suspect on the run, a sheriff's sergeant said.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS -- Los Angeles County sheriff's officials examine evidence at the scene of a homicide Sunday, Oct. 26, 2008, in the 15400 block of Los Robles Avenue. Here's a link to the Tribune story regarding the apparent shooting death of a young man.

MONTEBELLO -- Two men were arrested Saturday on suspicion of killing another man in what police believe was a gang-related shooting, authorities said.

  Edward Joseph De la Rosa, 22, of Montebello (left) and Andrew Simon Valdez, 20, (right) also of Montebello were booked on suspicion of murder, Montebello police said in a written statement.

The victim's name was not released Saturday as officials had not yet notified a next of kin, coroner's officials said. Police estimated him to be in his 20s.

  The man died at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center shortly after the shooting, which occurred about 11:30 p.m. Friday in the 200 block of N. 6th Street, officials said.

The suspects and victim are believed to be affiliated with street gangs, police said. Authorities would not release the names of those gangs.

A man was found stabbed to death in an El Monte motel room Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

The body was found about 1:09 p.m. in the 11600 block of Garvey Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Art Spencer.

"The cause of death was apparently due to multiple stab wounds," Spencer said.

Detectives from the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau were sent to help the El Monte Police Department with the investigation.

The man's name was not released. He was only described as a male, Hispanic adult.

Clint Eastwood's "The Changeling," which was released today has some interesting local connections.

The story is a retelling of the Wineville Chicken Murders committed by Gordan Stewart Northcott and his mother Louise Northcott on a chicken farm in 1928.

The Northcotts kidnapped boys from throughout the Southland, including Walter Collins, the subject of the movie, which stars Angelina Joile as Clark's mother Christine Collins.

Besides Collins, the Northcotts kidnapped Louis and Nelson Winslow of Pomona and an unidentified "Mexican" boy from La Puente. Most of the kidnappings were done along the main route between Riverside and Los Angeles, which is now kown as Valley Boulevard.

At one time, I hoped to write a book on the killings and in the process I collected several old newspaper articles and a copy of the remaining court file from Sacramento.

Sheriff Lee Baca responded to a series of articles that have appeared in this paper over the past week. Here's the top of our story:

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is reexamining how it collects towing fees in response to allegations a former traffic sergeant took nearly $500,000 from the city of La Puente in impound revenues, officials said.

"We are doing that now," Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said. "We are probably going to go to a cashless system. Using something like an ATM card to make it more difficult for theft to occur."

Whitmore also said the department is reviewing several other internal policies and will consult with the Board of Supervisors.

Former Sgt. Joe Dyer, who used to work out of the Industry sheriff's station until he retired in May, has been under investigation since the beginning of the year.

A 15-year-old armed with a shotgun on Puente Avenue accidentally shot his 18-year-old companion, police said.

Anyway, here's the story as we're reporting it:

BALDWIN PARK -- An 18-year-old man remains in stable condition this morning after being accidentally shot by a friend Thursday, officials said.

Police are not releasing the man's name but said Friday his wounds are not life threatening, according to Baldwin Park Police Lt. David Reynoso.

Around 3:47 p.m. the man was among friends in the garage of a residence watching television on the 3900 block of Puente Avenue, officials said.

One of the friends - a 15-year-old boy - allegedly had a shotgun, which police believe he accidentally discharged, striking the 18-year-old in the upper torso, Reynoso said.

The 15-year-old was arrested and booked on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a shotgun, police said.

 

A preliminary hearing for former Rams kicker Tony Zendejas is underway today in Pomona. Sources tell me the woman who accuses Zendejas of raping her in a motel room earlier this year has testified.

I'll have an update when there's more information to post.

*Zendejas will face trial in the rape case.

City News Service reports:

Former Los Angeles Rams placekicker Antonio "Tony" Zendejas was ordered today to stand trial on four charges alleging that he drugged a woman at his San Dimas sports bar and sexually assaulted her.

Zendejas, 48, is accused of giving a woman at his restaurant/bar a drink that made her groggy either late Jan. 25 or early Jan. 26. She told authorities that she woke up in a nearby motel room and had been raped.

Pomona Superior Court Judge Charles Horan found sufficient evidence to require the former National Football League player to proceed to trial on one felony count each of rape by use of drugs, rape of an unconscious person, sodomy by anesthesia or controlled substance and sodomy of an unconscious person, according to Deputy District Attorney Rouman
Ebrahim.

Mongul author Ruben "Doc" Cavazos, Mongol Little Rubes, Mongol Ogre and Mongol Bouncer attend the Book Expo Celebrity Dinner at Restaurant 208 on May 30, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California.

 

Doc, Little Rubes, and Bouncer are all mentioned in the 177-page federal indictment handed down against the gang Tuesday.

Here's a mention of "Bouncer":

COUNT THIRTY-THREE

[21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(B)(viii)]

On or about July 25, 2006, in Los Angeles County, within the

Central District of California, defendant PETER SOTO, also known

as "Bouncer," knowingly and intentionally distributed at least

five grams, that is, approximately 13.5 grams, of actual

methamphetamine, a schedule II controlled substance.

 

Here's a mention of "LIttle Rubes"

COUNT SIXTY-FIVE

[18 U.S.C. § 924(c)]

On or about May 24, 2008, in Los Angeles County, within the

Central District of California, defendants RUBEN CAVAZOS, JR.,

also known as "Lil Rubes," and BRIAN MCCAULEY, knowingly

possessed a firearm, namely, an H&K .45 caliber handgun, bearing

serial number 25-093654, during and in relation to, and in

furtherance of, a crime of violence, namely, the racketeering

conspiracy set forth in Count One of this Indictment, a violation

of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(d).

 

 

This scene comes from season five of The Wire on HBO.

Some of us miss all the attention we were getting from the Foothill Cities Blog. Unfortunately, the blog has vanished due to technical issues. So here's the Crime Scene Poll ...

There are some fascinating peeks at the workings of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang in the federal grand jury indictment released Tuesday.

Their brutality is apparent:

"On August 18, 2006, in Los Angeles County, defendant (William `Dago Bill' Shawley) advised an undercover law enforcement officer that he and defendants (David `L.A. Bull' Gil) and (Aaron `Sick Boy' Price) had captured an individual and tortured him for three hours, by breaking the man's knuckles with a pair of pliers, breaking his knee by hitting it with a metal pipe."

Alongside the action, a sub-plot emerges from the pages and pages of court documents.

It lies in the ongoing feuds among individual Mongols and a turf battle between bikers and area street gangs who are loyal to La Eme.

While there's been a push by former Mongols president Ruben "Doc" Cavazos to recruit street gang members, old-time members have been resistant.

Meanwhile, newer members have been reluctant to pay taxes on illicit drug sales to La Eme, because they are already paying the Mongols.

Last year, Cavazos wanted to broker an agreement between the organizations, but instead found himself targeted, according to the indictment.

According to the indictment, an informant told an undercover ATF agent that "Cavazos was attempting to negotiate with La Eme to compensate them for the narcotics-trafficking being conducted by Mongols members.

"Cavazos had met with

La Eme representatives at City Walk in Studio City to offer them a one-time tax payment, but that the offer had been rejected and La Eme had ordered a greenlight on the Mongols."

Although the meeting took place on the other side of town, it's pretty clear the San Gabriel Valley is fertile ground for organized crime.

This is prime turf for credit card scams, dope deals, money laundering, extortion, prostitution, assault and murder.

Stuff that happens here every day. Stuff that often gets reported in the newspaper, but in a disconnected, bullet-points-on-a-blotter sort of way that occasionally fleshes out the big picture.

Think about all the groups that operate in our neighborhoods. There's La Eme. We have the Wah Ching and assorted other Asian gangs. Crips and Bloods rule some neighborhoods, while Armenian and Russian gangsters continue to filter into the SGV from Glendale and Los Angeles.

If anything it's a Balkanization of sorts. And from time to time, each gang has its moment in the spotlight because of a large-scale federal or county prosecution.

Despite turf battles and rivalries, the prosecutions of these gangs highlight plenty of similarities - mainly the desire to make money. Lots of it. By any means necessary - including beatings and murder.

But it also paints a picture of young men who believe they are the last true individualists in America.

In his 1966 book "Hell's Angels," Hunter S. Thompson saw violent motorcycle gangs as part of the bleak and terrible rise of a new form of gangsterism dispensing equal amounts of violence and dope.

"(They are) not some romantic leftover, but the first wave of a future that nothing in our history has prepared us to deal with," Thompson wrote.

This slide show was produced by members of the SGVN team, including Raul Roa and Rod Leveque.

 

The state's case against Virgil Cleon Harper went to a Jury Wednesday after both sides presented closing arguments.

Harper, a substitute teacher in Azusa, is accused of nine counts of sexual molestation involving youngsters in his classroom.

Our reporter Bethania Palma attended Wednesday's court session and interviewed Harper. These excerpts are from her story:

Deputy District Attorney Miji Vellakkatel<NO1>cq <NO>told the jury there was solid evidence Harper touched the 9-and-10-year-old boys and girls in a sexual manner.
"The truth lies in the evidence," he said. "He touched a total of 17 body parts that are sexual in nature.
The fourth graders had stated Harper touched genital areas, rear ends, breasts and thighs, Vellakkatel said.
Defense attorney Victor Salerno said the accusations were false and added they resulted from peer pressure and a "snowball effect."

<snip>

Harper said he had been a teacher and substitute teacher for years in various settings, including high schools and colleges. At one point he taught at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem.
He also worked as an adjunct professor at APU and served on the city's architectural barriers commission.
Harper said he began teaching at grade schools about a year ago so he could get more hours.
He said if cleared of charges, he would not teach children again "unless there are cameras or another adult present."

The US attorney wanted to own the trademarked logo of the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang and a judge granted that request Wednesday, according to an Associated Press reporter who attended an afternoon hearing in federal court:

Here's the top of the story:

LOS ANGELES -- A federal judge in Los Angeles bars the Mongols motorcycle gang from selling or distributing its trademarked logo after authorities arrested dozens of its members in six states.

 

No word yet if Ruben Cavazos has appeared in court or entered a plea. Cavazos, a former president of the group, is targeted as the head of the conspiracy.

Reporter Amanda Baumfeld wrote an extensive story detailing the history of the Mongols Motorcycle gang in Montebello and beyond. Here's an excerpt:

The Mongols Motorcycle Club began in the 1970s as a group of men with a passion for motorcycles and partying before turning into a violent criminal enterprise, officials said.

Federal law enforcement officials attempted to dismantle that enterprise Tuesday when they arrested suspected Mongols members and their associates in a sweep targeting the outlaw motorcycle gang.

But the Mongols were not always an outlaw gang, according to former member Anthony Vodnik, 60.

Vodnik, also known as "Snake," is an original Mongol. He served with the motorcycle club for nearly 37 years. Disagreeing about the direction the club had taken, Vodnik retired in January.

"It's a good club," Vodnik said. "But some of us older members want to bring it back to how it used to be; we are tired over this war over drugs and who controls drugs."

Officials say the gang was formed by a group of Latino men who were banned from joining the Hells Angels because of their heritage.

The single homicide alleged in the federal indictment against members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club occurred on Valentine's Day last year.

The victim apparently was Leon Huddleston, a homeless man who was beaten to death with a pool cue at a bar in Lancaster.

Here's a recap of the beating from a Web site known as the Antelope Valley War on Gangs and Crime.

Meanwhile, members of the outlaw motorcycle gang are expected to appear in federal court later today.

* Here's what Jill Levoy wrote in the Homicide Report last year following Huddleston's death:

Leon Huddleston, a 25-year-old white man, was beaten with a pool cue at 227 W. Pillsbury St. in Lancaster and died at 7:10 p.m. Feb. 22.

Huddleston, described by police as a local transient, was playing pool at Young's Bar and Grill when two men came in, walked straight up to him, and hit him with a pool cue. Huddleston fell behind the bar. No argument or brawl preceded the attack. Detectives say they don't know the motive. Huddleston "didn't even have a chance to defend himself," said Sgt. Jeff Cochran of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau.

The suspects fled, and a handful of bar patrons who witnessed the attack also left the scene. Huddleston lived for a week on life support before dying. Los Angeles County supervisors have offered a $10,000 reward for information in this case. Anyone with tips is asked to call detectives at (323) 890-5635.

Here's some crime stories we were following Tuesday.  In no particular order:

* BALDWIN PARK -- A local man entered a not guilty plea Tuesday on charges he vandalized a war memorial.

* ROWLAND HEIGHTS -- Sheriff's deputies from three area stations searched a neighborhood Tuesday for a suspect possible connected to a violent kidnapping in San Dimas, authorities said.

* NORWALK -- A Norwalk man was pronounced dead at the scene of a four-vehicle crash Tuesday, authorities said.

* NORWALK -- Two teenage boys were shot and wounded Tuesday, officials said.

An outlaw motorcycle gang member is led on a perp walk by officers involved in a RICO bust of members of the Mongols Motorcycle gang.

A person is brought in to the Montebello Police Department after many
arrests overnight during an investigation conducted by the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), L.A. Sheriff Dept.,
Montebello Police and La Vegas Police. Over 160 federal search
warrants and 110 federal arrest warrants were served today on members
and associates of the Mongols Outlaw Motorcycle Gang nationwide.
(SGVN/Staff Photo by Raul Roa/SVCity)

Alhambra police and sheriff's homicide detectives are investigating a body dump near the intersection of Garfield and Mission, officials said.

Apparently a man drove up to a clinic near the intersection, dropped of a man with a bullet hole in his chest and fled. The man with the bullet hole in his chest was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives are reviewing a videotape of the incident.

Here's a list of the defendants targeted by the ATF and federal authorities in the case against the outlaw Mongols motorcycle gang.

And, the affidavit filed by an undercover agent in the RICO case.

 

 

They are all mentioned in the block buster 177-page federal indictment against members of the outlaw motorcycle gang known as the Mongols. The indictment details drug deals, beatings, a war with La Eme, murder and attempted murder.

Here's a link to the indictment for your reading pleasure.

I just finished reading your article in today's SGVT in regard to the "Tow fee controversy."  It is certainly sad that a "model law-enforcement agency" has been tarnished by the act of one individual and or others who failed to oversee the procedure of collecting tow fees. I would like to refer you to the comment made by John Stites, president of the Los Angeles County Professional Peace Officers Association who stated in the article published on Friday, October 17th:  "The higher-ups in the department bear responsibility for the missing money" He goes on to say: "We're not money men, Oftentimes they put us in positions we are not trained to handle and it ends up going bad.  I've seen it happen more than once." 
 
Of course this does not mean that someone is not responsible for his or her own lack of honesty, nor does it mean that all the blame should be given to the current higher-up's.  If my information is correct, and perhaps you would be interested in looking for the facts regarding the policy of where and how money was collected for city tow fees that was instigated years ago during Sherman Block's term as Sheriff of L. A. County.   It was and is a poorly thought out policy. 
 
Now, for the main reason I am taking the time to write to you personally.  As I continued to read your article, I was disappointed in you and your comments regarding the "Joe Six-Packs" of the world and the "greasy paws of a tow monkey."  I don't think you considered that everyone who gets their vehicle towed does not fall into the category that you so cutely labeled "Joe Six-Packs" .  People get their vehicles towed for many reasons,  Often, it may be because their vehicle was stolen, recovered and impounded.  They are innocent victims of a crime committed against them. I won't take the time to go into the other various reasons that vehicles are towed, stored or impounded, but I assure you that most of the time it is not for drunken driving as you insinuated.  As for the comment:  "No doubt it would be a helluva lot easier than putting the cash in the hands of a greasy paws of a tow monkey" .....What where you thinking? 
 
First of all, money collected by towing companies are generally collected at a office counter staffed by reputable employees. Secondly, for you to demean the men and women who perform a service for individuals, the community and the police agencies shows me that you are not in touch with reality.  Have you ever noticed a tow truck on the freeway assisting in the removal of a disabled or wrecked vehicle. Would you not agree that the driver is putting him or herself in danger?  If you should ever have the misfortune to be stranded in your vehicle, would you consider the person who is coming to your aid a...."greasy tow monkey?"
 
I don't know anything about you, other than the fact that according to your column you have the title of Metro Editor.  Therefore, even though I might disagree with your published comments, I would never put a derogatory label on you.  I suggest that in the future you might want to refrain from labeling people with inflammatory character references.
 
Sincerely,
Andria Welch

This comes from the History Channel's Gangland series. West Covina resident Ruben "Doc" Cavazos is interviewed about the gang. Cavazos was one of several dozens arrested in a federal sweep of Mongols members.

This comes from a hand-out reporter Emma Gallegos received this morning at the Montebello Police Department:

• The investigation was handled by the ATF the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Montebello PD and the Las Vegas Metro PD.
• ATF agents, deputies and police officers obtained 160 search warrants and 110 arrest warrants for the sweep this morning.
• 1500 cops were involved in the various searches and arrests. Warrants were served in California, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Ohio.
• Mongols members are being charged with murder, attempted murder, assault, firearms violations, and narcotics violations. The prosecution will be a RICO case.
• The Mongols and their associates are a heavily armed and violent cang. There are approximately 600 members in the US and 400 of those memberrs are in California. The gang was recruiting street gang members.
• Among those arrested were former Mongols National President Rueben "Doc" Cavazos.
• The sweep is this second time since 2001 that the gang has been targeted by federal authorities.

 

Developing: ATF raids throughout the region this morning apparently targeted the Mongols motorcycle gang, according to Fox 11.

One of those raids targeted the Mongols' president at his home in West Covina.

The Mongols received some attention lately, when a motorcyclist was shot on the freeway, officials said.

The Operation is called "Black Rain." Montebello PD is the processing center for the raid.

The raids are ongoing throughout several states.

 

This from the Associated Press, covering the Phil Spector murder trial downtown. Mr. Spector has a new hair-do for the occaision:

Jury selection for music producer Phil Spector's murder retrial began Monday.

About 80 prospects reported to court Monday and an initial group of 18 has been
chosen for questioning.

Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler asked the nine men and nine women if they can be fair and impartial and follow his instructions.

Spector is charged with second-degree murder in the 2003 death of Lana Clarkson.

 

The 40-year-old actress died of a gunshot through the mouth while sitting in
the foyer of his Alhambra mansion.

Spector's first trial ended a year ago when jurors deadlocked 10-2, with the
majority favoring conviction. Spector's defense suggested Clarkson shot
herself.

This video of colliding firetrucks comes from St. Louis. It was apparently captured ona Red Light camera at a nearby intersection.

This came in the form of a letter to the editor. We haven't had time to check it out yet, but it follows the pattern of recent thefts targeting high-value copper wire. A recent burglary happened earlier this year at Highlander Field in Hacienda Heights. Here's the letter (unedited):

I wasnt sure if your paper had been notified that Baldwin Park
National Little League had been burglarized last Thursday night. The
electrical wiring that powers the outdoor field lights had been
pulled out going all the way back to the electrical panels. This was
discovered friday evening when two girls Softball teams had arrived
to play their game. The lights had last been used Thursday night
around 7pm. The Gate lock had been cut off the week prior but had not
yet been replaced by the school district even after being notified as
soon as it had been discovered.

The District Attorney's office is going after a professional petiution circulator accused of registering to vote at addresses where he doesn't live, according to a press release issed Monday by Steve Cooley's office.

Mark Jacoby, 25, used the fake addresses to circulate petitions statewide, the DA alleges.

Jacoby was charged with two felony counts of perjury and registration fraud on Oct. 3. He faces five years state prison time if convicted.

He was arrested on Saturday in Ontario and released after posting $50,000 bail, officials said. Jacoby was affiliated with a company known as "Young Political Majors."

Officials are reporting five people killed within 5-hours over the weekend, with three of the homicides reported in the Whittier area.

In addition to the Whittier-area killings, one of which was a double-homicide, a man was stabbed to death in Hawaiian Gardens late Friday and another man was shot to death in Athens early Sunday.

Here's an excerpt from a preliminary version of tommorrow's story regarding the Whittier-area cases:

Three men were shot to death in two separate shootings in the Whittier area within a two-hour period late Saturday and early Sunday, authorities said.
Two men were shot about 10:45 p.m. Saturday in the 3900 block of Aleman Avenue in Pico Rivera, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Art Spencer said.
Another man was fatally shot about 12:20 a.m. Sunday in the 10900 block of Carmenita Road in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, he said.
A teenager and a young father were among the victims, officials and family members said.

Coroner's officials identified the Pico Rivera victims as Manuel Torres, 17 of La Puente and John Schula, 30, of Montebello.

The name of the victim in unincorporated Whittier was not available.

Details regarding the investigation are slow in coming, as detectives handling the the Whittier-area cases could not be reached for comment Sunday.

 

 

A pedestrian struck and killed late Friday in South El Monte was struck by more than one vehicle, officials said Saturday.

The man, estimated to be 35 years old and listed with the coroner's office as a John Doe, was crossing Rosemead Boulevard just south of Rush Street when he was struck by a Honda being driven by a Sierra Madre man, officials said.

The Honda driver was not cited or arrested, and CHP officials said peliminary investigations indicates the pedestrian was likely at fault.

Following the initial crash, the driver of the Honda remained at the scene, however at least one additional vehicle is believed to have also struck the pedestrian and continued.

Initial reports indicated as many as three or four hit-and-run drivers may have struck the man, however officials could not confirm if that was the case Saturday.

It was not clear if the man died in the initial crash or a subsequent one.

Baldwin Park police arrested two suspected taggers Friday who apparently have no regard for military service.

Louis Andrew Lopez, a 23-year-old parolee from Baldwin park, was booked on suspicion of felony vandalism along with a local 16-year-old boy after reportedly etching graffiti into a large marble war memorial at Morgan Park.

Police report a citizen phone police to report the vandalism about 4 p.m., then pointed the suspects out to officers.

Local veterans have expressed outrage at the incident, as has Mayor Manuel Lozano.

 

There's been a lot of activity on our Web site concerning two stories: The new Norms Restaurant in West Covina and the In-N-Out Hoax. Which is the bigger story?

The quarterly report on the Sheriff's department filed by the County Office of Independent Review is a detailed list of investigations into a variety of miscounduct by employees of the Sheriff's Department. Much of it never gets reported in the MSM.

There are stories of domestic violence, theft, beatings and sex with inmates at the county jail.

Interestingly enough there appears to be no mention of Industry Sgt. Joe Dyer, accused of embezzling something like $500,000 worth of towing fees from the City of La Puente. The case is under investigation by the Sheriff's Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau, and reportedly has been refered to the OIR. *

* An anonymous caller points out that a similar incident is mentioned on page 8 of the report. It also says that it was turned over for prosecution but that the DA's office rejected the case.

Here's the text from that entry:

Subject allegedly removed money that the station had collected for traffic impound fees, and failed to follow protocols for collection and documentation of these funds. Investigation is complete; final resolution is pending. Criminal investigation failed to establish a basis for prosecution; Case rejected in July of '07.

**Officials now say that was a separate case from another station. Apparently the problem is widespread in the sheriff's department. Anyone want to bet that the policies for handling tow money is about to change? How many other cities have been shortchaged?

Todd Ruiz says it is. And, he blogging again as proof.

It's probably a good thing too. WIth the recent demise of the Foothill Cities and Aaron Proctor someone needs to fill the void.

Hopefully K. Todd and his partner Monica will light a fire and get the region's blogosphere back up to speed...

Until then some might say West Covina is the center of the universe.

Tania Chatila pieced this story together from a variety of sources who indicated something fishy was happening in La Puente after Industry Capt. Mike Smith was transferred on a Sunday afternoon.

Here's the top of the story, and a link:

LOS ANGELES - A sheriff's deputy is suspected of embezzling nearly half a million dollars in towing fees from the city of La Puente, officials said Thursday.

Sheriff Lee Baca said the department's Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau is investigating allegations that former traffic Sgt. Joe Dyer stole nearly $500,000.

"My belief is that no one is above the law and I think that the criminal justice system will act appropriately in this case," Baca said Thursday.

Dyer, who could not be reached for comment, retired in May after detectives "established a need for an investigation regarding funds at the Industry station that were missing," Baca said.

Dyer's supervisor, Capt. Michael Smith, was reassigned to the sheriff's headquarters in Monterey Park effective Sunday, officials said.

The District Attorney is aware of the case, Baca said. He expected it would be submitted for review by the end of the year.

"We've done as much as we can to build a good strong case," Baca said.

The investigation was launched in January.

 

It's a typical late October campaign stunt -- steal signs of the opposition. This year's target happens to be Yes on Proposition 8 signs from several homes in Covina, officials said.

If passed, Prop 8 would ban gay marriage in California. In official language: "Only a marriage between a man and a woman would be recognized by the state.

In all as many as 15 residents have been victimized, Covina police Lt. Scott Pierson said. The thefts have all occurred under cover of the night. The homes affected are in a neighborhood bounded by on the east by Hollenbeck Avenue and west by Azusa Avenue. The north and south boundaries are Puente and Edna, Pierson said.

Total monetary value associated with the thefts equaled about $5 per sign, Pierson estimated. Patrolmen will be on the lookout tonight for "campaign workers."

This from the Bank Terrorism blog:

At 9:38 AM on Wednesday, October 15, 2008, three black males entered the Citibank Mall of Orange Branch in Orange, CA with drawn handguns and executed a takeover robbery. The suspects ordered customers and personnel to the floor, stole a large sum of cash from a customer who was at the bank to open an account, took cash from two tellers and then forced bank personnel into the bank's vault. A Personal Banker was accosted by one suspect who ripped the employee's wrist watch from his arm. No other injuries were sustained. It is believed that there was a fourth individual involved in this robbery who stood by in what is believed to be a light colored Toyota Corolla. There is no known description of this drive.
 
The suspects are described as two thin black males wearing hooded sweatshirts and another black male wearing a "bucket hat" (see photo on left) who was considered as being more muscular. All had handguns, but the guns were not readily identifiable. The robbery lasted approximately four minutes. There were no injuries to any of Citibank's customers or personnel. The bank did not reopen for business.

A debate is a debate ...unless Batman and the Penguin are involved. Hat tip to mediabistro.com Fishbowl LA

 

In light of Robert Urteaga's no contest plea to Grand Theft charges back in 1999, I got to thinking about a case that involved Walnut City Councilman Joaquin Lim back in 1997.

Lim was accused of petty theft after he allegedly left a grocery store without paying for $27 in groceries. Ultimately Lim testified in his own behalf and was acquitted in the case. Some of the original reporting is on the jump.

At least that's what experts think. Here's Thursday's Crime Scene column:

The federal economic stimulus plan might have unintended benefits for organized crime.

At least that's the assessment of experts who monitor groups like the Russian Mafia in Los Angeles County.

"They take advantage," said Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Larry Hastings. "The more money that's out there; if there's some type of scam they can get into, they'll go after it. If there's an angle they'll work it."

Hastings heads a squad specifically tasked with taking on organized crime. In recent years the men and women who work for him report a surge in Russian gangsters throughout the region.

"It used to be they were just on the Westside," Hastings said. "Now pretty much we are getting stuff all over. It's spread everywhere."

There's nothing new about gangsters profiting in an economic downturn.

During the Great Depression, Al Capone ran rackets in Chicago, while Lucky Luciano ran them in New York and Mickey Cohen took care of business here in Los Angeles.

Those crime families, primarily Italian, are known in law enforcement as La Cosa Nostra or LCN. Their profits derived primarily from vice - bootlegging, prostitution, drugs, gambling and extortion.

And, as they gained notoriety, made LCN members were glamorized in Hollywood, lived like celebrities and became huge targets for law enforcement, Hastings said.

A Godfather called the shots and his capos and lieutenants carried out the orders.

But the new organized crime groups, while expert in all the old-school tricks, present a problem for law enforcement. Their structure is not well defined. They fly under the radar. There is no Godfather.

"It's really difficult to explain," Hastings said. "They are loosely organized and spread all over. They are not like street gangs or LCN."

Instead of cozying up to Hollywood types, Russian mobsters get close to politicians and successful businessmen, Hastings said. The new rackets are complicated fraud scams that target credit cards, ATM machines, and the fountains of government money intended for health care, welfare and a variety of other social needs.

As more and more money pours out of Washington, experts believe crime groups formed in Soviet prisons under Stalin are ready to put on a full-court press.

There's little doubt the Russian mob will use all the tricks at its disposal, according to Gerald Caiden, a USC professor of public policy, who is an expert in organized crime.

"These guys know how to diddle the system," Caiden said. "They'll figure out a way to get swing loans from (the government) using fake addresses and any other means they can."

Caiden believes Russian scam artists are primarily responsible for the collapse of our Social Security system.

"It's awful what these guys have done," Caiden said.

Bottom line: a sagging economy, billions of new government dollars pouring into the system and a ruthless group intent on profiteering can only mean more trouble for already overburdened law enforcement agencies tracking these thugs.

"They are about making money," Hastings said. "What's happening now is not going to hurt them."

Nate McIntire reports:

ALHAMBRA - A suspect in a 25-year-old murder investigation who once told police that his alleged victim fell on a knife is being extradited from Vietnam and is expected to return to the United States today, authorities said.

Members of an FBI task force will escort Vietnamese national Ninh Kim Nguyen, 52, back to the United States to face murder and robbery charges after he allegedly stabbed a woman to death in Alhambra in 1983.

"Soon after the investigation began, he became the prime suspect," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Detective Joe Romero said.

Nguyen, who is also a convicted rapist, fled the country after being charged with murder a week after Khuyen Thi Bui, 38, was found by her son in her North Fifth Street apartment with a kitchen knife sticking out of her throat.

Nguyen was a friend of the victim and was arranging to assist her in the sale of $30,000 worth of jewelry before her death, according to authorities.

"At the time of the murder, Nguyen was allegedly trying to defraud the victim in a scheme involving diamonds, with which he allegedly absconded before he fled the United States," FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller wrote in a statement.

 

Reporter Amanda Baumfeld did extensive research on a story that found Montebello City Councilman Robert Urteaga was once charged with forgery and grand theft. In a 1999 plea deal he plead no contest to grand theft. He's expressed remorse.

Here's the top of the story:

MONTEBELLO - A fight over a trash contract turned to mud slinging when a group opposed to the plan put materials from a City Councilman's criminal record on the Internet.

In 1998, Councilman Robert Urteaga pleaded no contest to grand theft of personal property totaling $30,000, according to court documents.

"When I ran for office, I knew eventually someone would dig into my background and dig this up," Urteaga said. "I just don't think that this incident happening 10 years ago is a true reflection of who Robert Urteaga is."

 

This from our newest blog, the Whittier Dispatch:

WHITTIER - A judge ruled Wednesday there was sufficient evidence to try a woman for allegedly stabbing another woman at a Whittier bar after an argument.

A preliminary hearing was held at Whittier Superior Court for Kathleen Cottle, 44, charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon.

She will be arraigned Oct. 29 at Norwalk Superior Court.

Cottle fled in her mobile home after the Sept. 13 stabbing at the Embers Lounge, 11332 Washington Blvd.

Whittier Police said the victim was attacked when she went to the bathroom.

Police tracked down the mobile home to Guirado Park on Pioneer Boulevard on Oct. 1 and arrested Cottle when she showed up.

Possible gang ties:

EL MONTE -- Police are seeking an attacker who stabbed a 17-year-old girl and a 19-year-old man late Tuesday, authorities said.

The incident was reported about 9:15 p.m. near the intersection of Magnolia Street and Mountain View Road, El Monte police Sgt. David Vautrin said.

Both victims were taken to an area hospital where they were listed in stable condition.

A motive in the attack was not known late Tuesday, and the suspect was described only as Latino man, Vautrin said.

The victims, who were believed to be walking together when the stabbing occurred, gave conflicting accounts of the incidents, he added.

The male victim was believed to have gang ties, however it was not clear Tuesday if the attack was gang-related, Vautrin said.

** Material removed

Jennifer McLain wrote the story in Tuesday's newspaper:

WEST COVINA - A Lake Elsinore woman who posted an Internet sex video targeting a city councilwoman has been convicted of disturbing the peace for making threatening phone calls to the councilwoman, officials said Monday.

Charlynda Lamb, 32, posted a video in several Internet forums purporting to show West Covina Councilwoman Shelley Sanderson engaged in sexual activity in 2000.

Sanderson, 43, filed a criminal complaint against Lamb in January, alleging Lamb was threatening and harassing her over the phone. Sanderson on Monday declined to discuss the video.

``I need to make sure that nothing compromises the ongoing investigation,'' Sanderson said. ``I am a victim here.''

West Covina police Lt. Ron Mitchell, who hadn't seen the video, said police didn't believe it was Sanderson in the video.

 

 

Reporter Emma Gallegos tells the re-write desk that Wanda Dunn, 53, passed out her clothes to neighbors before taking her life and burning her house down. Dunn was reportedly facing foreclosure.

Here's the top of our current story:

A Pasadena woman distraught over the pending foreclosure of her home may have lit her house on fire and killed herself, police said.

Neighbors reported smoke coming from a home in the 1000 block of North Wilson Avenue shortly before 5 a.m. Monday morning. Firefighters arrived and found Wanda Dunn, 53, in her bed suffering from a gunshot wound.

"Some of the neighbors said she was going to be evicted this weekend," said Lt. John Dewar, the detective investigating the case. "We're looking at this as possibly a reason this tragedy occurred."

 

Chuck Hubbs, the night city editor at the Herald-Examiner used to refer to the monster Sunday Los Angeles Times of the 1980s as the "puppy killer."

Thanks to Kevin Roderick at LA Observed for this tidbit about the new lighter newspaper.

Times reporter Tracy Wood found yesterday's paper soaking wet in the gutter, her delivery guy knew what happened. "I threw your paper up on your driveway, the same as always," he told Wood. "The wind blew it into the water."

This comes from the Wikipedia entry on Santa Ana winds:

Santa Anas are a type of drainage wind, an offshore wind that results from the buildup of air pressure in the high-altitude Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. When upper level winds are favorable, this high altitude air mass spills out of the Great Basin and is propelled gravitationally towards the southern California coastline, generally as a northeasterly wind.

It is often said that the air is heated and dried as it passes through the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, but according to meteorologists this is a popular misconception. The Santa Ana winds usually form during autumn and early spring when the surface air in the elevated regions of the Great Basin and Mojave Desert (the "high desert") becomes cool or even cold, although they may form at virtually any time of year. The air heats up due to adiabatic heating during its descent. While the air has already been dried by orographic lift before reaching the Great Basin as well as by subsidence from the upper atmosphere, the relative humidity of the air is further decreased as it descends from the high desert toward the coast, often falling below 10 percent.

Scan America has a link to live audio from the front lines of the fire fight in the San Fernando Valley. Much of the traffic is Verdugo dispatch and Los Angeles County Fire. Here's a direct link to the audio.

Here's the photo caption:

Vehicles burn early Monday morning, Oct. 13, 2008,  after intense Santa Ana winds  whipped up a 3,700-acre wildfire. (AP Photo/Mike Meadows)

Here's the latest from the Associated Press on the Marek Fire:

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Two wildfires driven by strong Santa Ana winds threatened neighborhoods on the edges of the San Fernando Valley on Monday, killing one person, destroying several dozen mobile homes and forcing evacuations.

Firefighters were struggling with a 3,700-acre blaze in the Sylmar area in the valley's northeastern corner when a new blaze erupted at midmorning a few miles to the west in mountains above the Porter Ranch area and quickly grew to 500 acres.

"It is a blowtorch we can't get in front of," said Los Angeles County fire Inspector Frank Garrido.

Fire officials could not immediately estimate how many homes in Porter Ranch were in the fire's path. Flames burned furiously at midday just across a road from one development of luxury homes.

The fatality occurred at the so-called Marek Fire burning in the Sylmar area. where neighborhoods abut rugged canyonlands below the mountainous Angeles National forest. The victim was a man who appeared to be a transient living with a dog in a makeshift shelter, officials said.

An estimated 1,200 people were evacuated due to the Marek Fire, which was just 5 percent contained.

Inciweb now indicates the Little Tujunga fire has spread to 2066 acres. Here's the latest AP story:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Firefighters backed by water-dumping helicopters and planes gained ground Sunday on a wildfire that destroyed two homes and forced the evacuation of about 1,200 people in a rugged area 20 miles north of downtown. The blaze charred up to 750 acres and also burned a garage, several sheds and three motor homes, said Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Ron Haralson. No one was seriously injured, but a firefighter and one resident reported minor breathing problems.

Here's what AP is reporting about the 750 acre fire near Sunland and little Tujunga:

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Firefighters backed by water-dumping helicopters and planes gained ground Sunday on a wildfire that destroyed two homes and forced the evacuation of about 1,200 people in a rugged area 20 miles north of downtown.
Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Ron Haralson said the blaze charred up to 750 acres and also burned a garage, several sheds and three motor homes.
No one was seriously injured. A firefighter and one resident reported minor breathing problems.
Haralson said firefighters are "getting a really good handle" on the blaze that started early. Sunday. But powerful Santa Ana winds are expected to arrive in the evening, and gusts could spread embers igniting brush, grass and chaparral in the area.
About 450 homes were evacuated early Sunday when the blaze moved southeast toward city limits, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Stanton Florea.
"It burned right down to a couple of neighborhoods," Florea said.
The fire was burning south of the Wildlife Waystation, an animal sanctuary and rehabilitation facility set on 160 acres. The nonprofit agency houses more than 400 animals, including lions, bears and deer. Officials were loading up the animals in case the fire switched direction.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department battle the wildfire in the Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008. Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Ron Haralson says the blaze has charred up to 750 acres in the rugged area of Little Tujunga Canyon, about 20 miles north of downtown. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)

This from LAist:

A fire aided by overnight winds broke out around 2 this morning in Little Tujunga Canyon and has already claimed 500 acres of brush and has forced the evacuation of about 1,200 nearby residents. Mandatory evacuations are currently in effect in Kagel Canyon, Lopez Canyon, and Little Tujunga Canyon. Residents of nearby Lakeview Terrace are on the ready, but are not required to evacuate as of yet. 

*As of 9 a.m. Inciweb has raised the number of affected acres to 600. The fire is reportedly 5 percent contained. This is known as the Marek Wildland Fire. The cause remains under investigation. A total of 900 firefighters have been dispatched to the scene of the blaze.

SANTA FE SPRINGS -- Authorities released the name Saturday of a 50-year-old Santa Fe Springs man who was run over and killed by a driver-less big rig.

Fernando V. Lara died at the scene of the incident, which was reported about 2:20 a.m. Friday on Pioneer Boulevard, just north of Slauson Avenue in an unincorporated county area near Santa Fe Springs.

A sheriff's deputy who happened to be patrolling in the area apparently witnessed the crash.

CHP officials believe Lara was underneath his truck doing some sort of inspection when, for unknown reasons, the truck moved forward, crushing Lara.

 

Less than a week after what may have been a shooting between rival motorcycle gangs on area freeways, thousands of bikers are descending on Palm Springs this morning as part of the American Heat rally. The shooting resulted in the death of Manuel Martin, of Venice.

This letter was sent to parents of kids attending CJ Morris Elementary in Walnut. About the time we made a round of calls to both Walnut and West Covina and were told "Nothing going on."

Good afternoon. This is Mrs. Arzola, Principal of C.J. Morris. As some
of you may know, this morning there was police activity in a home a few
blocks from our school. Helicopters and patrol cars were dispatched. As
a precautionalry measure, we implemented a lock-down and brought our
students in from recess. Throughout the incident, we were in contact
with both the Walnut Valley Sherriff's Station and the West Covina
Police Department. At approximately 11:00a.m., 30 minutes later, Watch
Commander, Tolich, of the West Covina Police Department informed us
that the incident was contained and we isssued an all-clear.

I just wanted to reassure you that throughout the incident, our
students were safe and secure and the lock-down was merly a
precautionary measure. The staff at C.J. Morris is well-trained in
safety proceedures. We take great pride in ensuring our school is a
safe place.

Thank you for helping us to make it happen. If you have any questions
or concerns, please feel free to give me a call.

 

This comes from the Whittier Daily News' new blog, "Whittier Dispatch." Enjoy:

Deputy Donald Naslund was flagged down this morning by a citizen who found six newborn puppies.
The still-wet puppies were behind a Dumpster at the 76 gas station at Fullerton and Colima roads in Rowland Heights, according to Sgt. Thomas Wilson.
Naslund brought the little furballs to the sheriff's Industry Station
at 150 Hudson Ave. in Industry.
"They're being cleaned and fed by the jailer," Wilson said.

*(actual dogs not pictured here)

 

Authorities said the Alhambra Shotgun Bandit responsible for a robbery at Cathay Bank on Sept. 27 is in custody. Details to come.

There's an elaborate hoax making the rounds in the SGV  regarding In-N-Out's 60th birthday coming up later this month. An e-mail received by many boldly proclaims all-time low prices:

In-n-Out's 60th Year Anniversary is Wednesday, October 22nd. All hamburgers will be sold for 25 cents, Cheeseburgers 30 cents, Fries 15 cents, and drinks are 10 cents!!! So mark your calendars!

Responding to the hoax, In-N-Out issued a statement late Thursday:

If you read Crime Scene enough, you know how much I love Philippe's.

Bob Rector, a former Star-News city editor paid homage to the downtown French Dip insitiution in a column that appeared in Friday's Star-News. Here's a sample:

... it is a somewhat less than elegant eatery that is a shrine to the French dip, a place hard by Union Station that has been in operation since 1908, making it one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles.

Come to think of it, in a city which has historically bulldozed almost everything several times over, Philippe's may be the oldest institution of any kind in Los Angeles.

Customers stand sometimes 10-deep behind a long counter staffed by women wearing starched waitress attire the likes of which you haven't seen in 50 years.

When they deliver your order (on paper plates), you sit at long tables atop sawdust-covered floors where your dining partners could be anyone from a judge to a transient. Or, befitting the atmosphere of the place, a barrister or a bum.

Photo from LA Eater. 

This comes from City News service, and appears in the Contra Costa Times:

MOORPARK - Authorities today planned to call off the search for the body of a 16-year-old San Fernando Valley boy missing since 1968 who was believed to have been buried next to a Ventura County freeway.

Unless there is "some compelling evidence," the search for the remains of Roger Dale Madison will be called off and a memorial service for the teen will be held at the site starting at 11 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department. His sister was expected to be on hand, police said.

The search had been concentrated along the 23 Freeway at the Tierra Rejada Road offramp, where a 12-foot-deep pit was excavated.

Digging began there Monday, as cold-case investigators from a half-dozen jurisdictions, most of them volunteers working on their days off, searched for the remains of the boy, who was last seen just before Christmas 1968.

From reporter Rebecca Kimitch working the early cops shift:

PASADENA - A naked woman fleeing a parking lot where she was allegedly breaking windows led police on a 28-mile chase last night before she lost control of her car and was apprehended.

The chase began on the 2400 block of Mohawk Street where police responded to calls of a disturbance in a parking lot. The woman fled immediately and led police west on the 210 to the  134 west to the 170 north, before crashing her car on the side of the highway near the intersection of highway 170 and highway 5, Sgt. Vasken Gourdikian said.

Here's some video from KCBS/KCAL

This is the latest in the strange and terrible saga of Manuel Martin's' death at the intersection of the 2 and the 210 freeways was the result of an ongoing feud between the Hell's Angels and Mongols motorcycle clubs. Here's Nathan McIntire's update:

GLENDALE - Police are searching for a dark-colored car that may have been involved in the shooting death of a motorcyclist on the Glendale (2) Freeway.

An autopsy was performed on the victim Thursday, but the results were not available, authorities said.
Manuel Vincent Martin, 30, suffered a bullet wound in the chest but had no other major visible injuries, according to Los Angeles County Department of Coroner spokesman Craig Harvey.
Police confirmed Thursday that another motorcyclist riding with Martin was wearing a Mongols Motorcycle Club T-shirt. The Mongols, a biker gang that originated in Montebello in the 1970s, has been warring with the Hell's Angels.
Gang involvement is being investigated as a possible motive in the slaying, according to Glendale Police Department Sgt. Tom Lorenz.
Several people showed up to the crime scene following the shooting, Lorenz said.
"The apparel that they were wearing indicated an association with the Mongols," he said. "There was one individual with a Mongol tatoo."
"The Police Department has not ruled out any outlaw biker activity that may have caused this event," he added.

WHITTIER --Detectives are looking for additional victims of a former Marine accused of having sex with a 15-year-old in 2007 and of committing lewd acts on a 13-year-old in 2006.

The robbery happened at 10:47 a.m. Monday in a parking lot in the 11500 block of La Mirada Boulevard.

LOS ANGELES --Authorities say two bodies pulled from the waters off the coast of Los Angeles are the missing brother of two Southern California congresswomen and his girlfriend.

ARCADIA -- An 83-year-old pedestrian was killed Wednesday by a vehicle that struck him at Duarte Road and Golden West Avenue, police said. The vehicle was driven by an 88-year-old.

In wake of increased violence between outlaw motorcycle gangs, Palm Desert is prepping for a weekend orgy of motorcyclists to descend on the Riverside County Community, according to the Desert Sun:

Palm Springs Police Chief David Dominguez told merchants this week that while there have been recent incidents around the state between rival motorcycle gangs, he does not expect violence during this weekend's event.

"They (the motorcycle groups) have let us know they are coming and they just want to have fun," Dominguez said.

Earlier this year, Dominguez warned the City Council that he was concerned about rising incidents among the Mongols, Vagos and Hells Angels motorcycle gangs.

He said this week that there is always a chance that something could happen, but his department will be prepared.

There will be a heavy presence of uniformed officers throughout the weekend, as well as volunteer and off-duty law enforcement officers who will be in town showing off their own bikes, Dominguez said. Burke said he will also have security on hand to ensure a family-friendly event.

"I think we will be fine," Dominguez said.

Here's a photo of Manuel Martin supplied by the DMV. Martin was apparently shot and killed at the 210 2 connector on the Glendale La Canada border early Wednesday morning, officials said. He was 30. 

A motorcyclist who was shot to death on a freeway in Glendale may have been a member of the Montebello-based Mongols motorcycle gang, authorities said Wednesday.

From the San Francisco Chronicle: 

Guardado was killed about a mile from the Hells Angels clubhouse on Tennessee Street, where he lived as head of what the group calls the Frisco chapter.

Police say murder charges were filed against Ablett in San Francisco earlier this week. He is considered armed and dangerous, and is being sought on a $5 million arrest warrant.

Homicide Inspector Karen Lynch declined to elaborate on a possible motive for the killing, other than to say Guardado and Ablett apparently argued on the street before the shooting.

Ablett is a freelance electrician who lives with his parents in a suburban neighborhood of Modesto.

* Ablett turned himself in to authorities in Oklahoma yesterday, according to the Associated Press:

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) - The man police think killed the leader of the San Francisco Hells Angels motorcycle gang last month surprised a smalltown police force in Oklahoma by turning himself in.
Bartlesville Police Chief Tom Holland says Christopher Ablett showed up to surrender Sunday.
A check of Ablett's name and fingerprints turned up nothing tying him to any case in Oklahoma. He suggested they might want to expand their search, and that's when a California warrant for his arrest popped onto the screen with a $5 million bond attached. Ablett told the officers, "That would be me."
Holland says Ablett was "as polite as could be," and not someone you'd think killed anyone.
Ablett is said to be part of a rival motorcycle gang fueding with the Hells Angels.

** The official Mongols Web site is here.

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This skit absolutely skewers our political "leadership" in Washington. It's a dead on view of what's really behind the financial crisis and the bailout. I dont' know how long you'll be able to watch it though because NBC keeps taking it down. Enjoy:

I don't know if this is true or not, but a source says there's word that human remains have been found at the excavation site where cops are digging for the body of the Roger Madison. Here's some recent coverage of the case and a related case in Pasadena.

Two missing Azusa children are also linked to the killer.

Todd Ruiz -- Under the Dome

LADN -- Dig for remains

Los Angeles police will dig near two freeway ramps in Ventura County today in a search for the remains of a San Fernando Valley boy killed by a serial murderer 40 years ago.

LAPD officers, aided by dozens of FBI agents and police from other agencies, will excavate where four police dogs have indicated that human bones have been buried, the Ventura County Star reported Sunday.

A ground-penetrating radar unit from Caltrans has indicated a likely burial location, and a particle detector that sniffs out decaying human bones "went off like a Geiger counter in the same place," said Los Angeles Police Detective Vivian Flores.

The interchange of the 23 Freeway at Tierra Rejada Road in Moorpark is about 25 miles west of the Arleta home where Roger Dale Madison was last seen alive on Dec. 14, 1968. A construction crew chief who was building the freeway, Mack Ray Edwards, confessed to kidnapping and murdering the boy, throwing him into a hole and covering him up with rocks and fill dirt as the 23 was being built.

Edwards, known as the most-notorious serial killer of children in California history, confessed to as many as 18 kidnappings and murders dating back to at least 1953. Although he was never charged with killing Roger Madison, he confessed to the crime shortly before he hanged himself with a television cord while on death row at San Quentin.

Flores said Edwards' confession in the Madison case was not followed up in 1970, but the reasons

I got a call this morning from a man who identified himself as Albert Lee of San Francisco.

Lee said he is the boyfriend of an Alhambra woman who was shot in the face Sunday night at a home in the 800 block of Garfield Avenue.

He told me he was attempting to contact the Alhambra police department after reading about his girlfriend on the Internet.

"I always call her, she wanted me to call her," Lee said. "I wanted to tell her that I found a house for us in El Monte."

Lee said the woman had been beaten outside the Staples store in Alhambra about 30 days ago by four men. That case remains open, Lee said.

He did not know whay the woman was targeted.

Here's a section of the Pasadena Star-News story that appears online:

The woman was shot once in the face and once in leg, and she is currently recovering at a hospital, according to Det. Kevin Laing.

"She was shot somewhere near her front porch area of her residence," Sgt. Kean Oda said. "That's the only other information that we know."

There are currently no suspects, and Laing said he expects the woman to survive.

"We're waiting for her to wake up," said Laing.

The woman is in stable condition and detectives hope to interview her tomorrow, Oda said. Police will not release the woman's name until she is interviewed, he said.

 

Police identified a man who was shot sunday as Oscar Torres, 38, of Bassett.

Torres was shot and killed in the 2200 block of Mardel Avenue early Sunday morning, officials said. Coroner's officials said Torres was shot in the head, the torso, the hand and leg.

A man with him was wounded in the shooting.

Reporter Brian Day visited the crime scene Sunday, took this picture and filed this story:

BASSETT - A man was killed and another wounded early Sunday in a shooting in an equestrian neighborhood, authorities said.

The incident was reported about 6:30 a.m. in the 2200 block of Mardel Avenue in an unincorporated county area near Industry, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. James Beamon said.

The dead man was identified only as a Latino man in his 30s, Lt. Dan Rosenberg of the sheriff's Homicide Bureau said.

His name had not been released late Sunday pending notification of family members, coroner's officials said.

No motive or shooter information was known Sunday afternoon, according to Rosenberg.

"At this point, we're talking to witnesses and trying to determine what happened," he said.

Deputies from the sheriff's Industry station were initially sent to investigate a report of a shooting, Rosenberg said.

"They found a male Hispanic adult suffering from gunshot wounds deceased in the front yard," Rosenberg said.

This from staff writer Robert Hong:

A former teacher at Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena pleaded guilty today to possessing child pornography.

The illegal images were found on a computer belonging to 63-year-old David Hassler when authorities searched his home in November 2007, authorities said. He was among about 10,000 of people arrested in nationwide federal investigation into on-line child pornography.

Hassler, who pleaded guilty in federal court in downtown Los Angeles, could be sentenced to up to 10 years in federal prison.

This from staff and wire reports:

LOS ANGELES  -- An Altadena man made his first court appearance today on
charges that he molested two 9-year-old girls, including one of his students,
while he was working as a teacher about 20 years ago.

Mark Walter Sonnenburg, 53, is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 20 on three
felony counts filed last Friday involving the two alleged victims, according to
Sandi Gibbons of the District Attorney's Office.

One of the girls was a student at Eagle Rock Montessori School,
where he taught at the time, Gibbons said.

He had more recently taught at The Walden School in Pasadena where he worked until March, according to a statement released by that
school.

"We have determined that these allegations do not involve any former or current
student from our school and are based on a time more than two decades ago,"
Walden School's statement says. "Prior to learning of the allegations, the
school never received any information, complaint or allegation of this kind
involving Mr. Sonnenburg -- before or during his tenure at the school."

The Walden School said it had been contacted by authorities during the last
school year, had been fully cooperating with the investigation and conducted
its own independent investigation.

Sonnenburg was arrested last Friday by officers from the Los Angeles Police
Department's Northeast Division. He has remained jailed since then in lieu of
$300,000 bail.

Authorities in Pasadena announced the results of a pretty big gang and drug bust today. Here's what we're reporting:

PASADENA -- Authorities arrested nearly 90 people and seized a half-million dollars worth of narcotics during a multi-agency crackdown on gangs and drugs, police announced this morning.

More on the story here.

MONROVIA -- A report of a parachutist possibly stranded in the foothills above Monrovia Sunday night was likely nothing more than party balloons, officials said.

A caller reported seeing a parachutist through a telescope go over the foothills about 6:30 p.m. in Spanish Canyon, near Monrovia Canyon Park, but not come back, Monrovia police Sgt. Tom Wright said.

Rescuers from the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team, as well as helicopters from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the Pasadena Police Department scoured the area, but found no sign of the parachutist after more than an hour, Wright said.

A Verdugo fire dispatcher said one of the helicopters spotted a group of party balloons floating in the area of the same color the caller said the parachute was, leading officials to believe the caller mistook the balloons for a parachutist.

Nonetheless, rescuers continued the search Sunday night to make certain, Wright said.

BASSETT -- Homicide investigators visited the 2200 block of Mardel Avenue Sunday to investigate the shooting death of a man and the wounding of another.

Detectives initially said there was little known about the incident, which occurred about 6:30 a.m. in the 2200 block of Mardel Avenue.

The dead man was described only as a Latino man estimated to be in his 30s, and the wounded man, who was hospitalized in critical condition, appeared to be in his 20s, according to sheriff's and fire officials.

The dead man died in the driveway of the home, where his body remained shielded by a green tarp early Sunday afternoon.

The wounded man was found inside the home, however officials believe the attack most likely occurred outside.

No motive or suspect information was available.

A local business had a bronze statue valued at $35,000 to $40,000 stolen from its grounds overnight -- the second time since June that such an incident occurred.

The statue was taken from the grounds of the McIntyre Co., 370 E. Rowland Avenue, police siad.

In late June, thieves stole another statue from the company.

The statue was later recovered at a Montclair recycling facility after a manager became suspicious when a statue was brought in for recycling after reading newspaper reports about the statue theft.

Police suspect, again, the thieves targeted the statue for it's metal.

Detectives are reviewing area surveillance tapes in hopes of cathing a glimpse of the theft or the suspects.

*The stolen statue is a life-size depiction of a teenage boy holding an American Flag.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Covina Police Department Detective Bureau at (626) 858-4478.

 

A Las Vegas jury found OJ Simpson guilty in a gunpoint robbery at the Palace Station Casino last year. Interestingly enough, some of the cast of weirdos that he robbed believe their hero was railroaded. Here's the AP story (Note the interesting twist):

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Jurors in the O.J. Simpson trial reached a verdict Friday after working into the night, deliberating the fate of the former football star and a co-defendant accused of robbing two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a casino hotel room.
"We have a verdict," said Michael Sommermeyer, spokesman for the Clark County District Court. He said it would be read after all the defendants, lawyers and prosecutors arrived at the court.
The jury reached a decision after deliberating for more than 13 hours.
Simpson, 61, and a golfing buddy, Clarence "C.J." Stewart, 54, each face five years to life in prison if convicted of kidnapping, or mandatory prison time if convicted of armed robbery. They've pleaded not guilty to 12 charges, including conspiracy, coercion and assault with a deadly weapon.
Deliberations began 13 years to the day after Simpson was acquitted of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in Los Angeles.

Lawrence Phillips, an outstanding tailback at Baldwin Park High and in the pros for the Rams and 49ers, got 10 years state prison time for an assault at a pick up football game. AP, NFL Blog

America's Most Wanted is doing a feature this week on a rapist who has preyed on Northern California women since 1996.

Here's a link. Here's an excerpt and a composite mug shot:

Victims of the NorCal Rapist's string of sexual assaults say similar things...he talked to them as if they were friends and sometimes called them after an attack to apologize.   He reportedly tells his victims personal details about himself.  Some authorities believe that these are the actions of a man who fantasizes about a future life with the women he rapes.

Investigators note that the NorCal Rapist stalks his victims and learns their routines.  In his most recent attacks in October 2006, two female victims told detectives that it seemed like he knew his way around their home suggesting that he had surveilled them beforehand. 

 

Police announced Thursday night they launched an investigation into the case of a man whose death is "imminent."

Here's what the City News Service is reporting:

A man was on the brink of death today following an assault in El Monte, authorities said.

The injured man was found at Valley Boulevard and Gibson Road around 6:30 a.m. Monday, the sheriff's department reported. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was listed as "death- imminent," said Sgt. Rich Pena of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.

Sheriff's homicide detectives arrived at the crime scene late Thursday to assist El Monte police with the investigation. Details of the assault were not immediately released.

This is the top half of a press release I received this morning. Sounds like a Christmas gift in the making:

Rhonda Saunders is the preeminent stalking expert in the country--the prosecutor for Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Steven Spielberg, and countless other celebrity stalking cases. She has been a criminal prosecutor for 24 years and established S.T.A.T. (Stalking and Threat Assessment Team) for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office and the L.A. Stalking Task Force.
Rhonda's new book, out in November, is called: WHISPER OF FEAR: The True Story of the Prosecutor Who Stalks the Stalkers. Publishers Weekly calls it, "...an illuminating guide, complete with legal remedies and possible precautions."

Here's what the state Sen. told PCC's Courier staff regarding Darryl "Slurp" Stephens:

"I'm a strong believer in second chances. If someone has served his time and is deemed worthy to reenter society, a public school should not prevent that person from obtaining an education," said Scott.

Scott was speaking in an interview after his appearance at the Faculty Flex Day.

The senator's comments came in the wake of revelations that "Slurp" a PCC wide receiver/tight end was on the PCC fottball team's roster while wearing a GPS ankle bracelet designed to track high risk sex offenders. 

Stephens had been convicted of rape and is listed on the state's Megan's Law Web site.

 

You have to read down to the bottom of the entry. Basically. blogger Jim Treacher posted a pre-debate bit of satire Tuesday. This afternoon, talk show host Sean Hannity, heard locally on KABC 790, used the bit without attribution, Treacher said.

<snip>

P.P.P.S. I'm told Hannity used this without attribution on his 10/2 radio show. If that's the case, and if you enjoy my work, could you please let him know he should give me credit for it? If he's going to criticize SNL, he should try a little harder than they do.

You can read the rest of entry here.

My favorite MAD cover of all time:

Having lived in Pomona, I know all about their police helicopters. Anyway, the city has a new one. It's an MD-500E.

Below is a picture a of the new beast. And, here's a link to the Pomona Police Department's 10-5 Web site.

Here's the AP story.

This from Suffolk County DA's spokesman Jake Wark:

BOSTON, Oct. 2, 2008--A Suffolk Superior Court judge today ordered the man formerly known as Clark Rockefeller held without bail, reversing the decision of a clerk magistrate days earlier and citing the defendant's "ingenious capacity to transform himself."

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley hailed Judge D. Lloyd Macdonald's decision to withhold bail from CHRISTIAN KARL GERHARTSREITER (D.O.B. 2/21/61).

"This defendant has eluded authorities before - we'd prefer not to give him another chance," Conley said, citing Gerhartsreiter's 1988 disappearance from a job on Wall Street when he learned that Connecticut investigators were looking for him. "We've maintained, after reviewing decades of deception, that no monetary bail will ensure his appearance before the court."

At a bail review hearing called by the defendant's attorney, Assistant District Attorney David Deakin told Macdonald that he made his "concededly unusual request" to deny Gerhartsreiter bail because of the extraordinary degree of planning and prevarication that went into his 7-year-old daughter's July 27 abduction and the years of phony names and stories that preceded it.

Ruling from the bench, Macdonald rejected defense suggestions to outfit Gerhartsreiter with a GPS monitoring bracelet, saying "there have been numerous instances of persons removing" the devices.

From the Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES -- A Monrovia man arrested at Disneyland has been charged with a five-day crime spree across three Southern California counties that includes carjackings, home-invasion robberies and attempted murder.

Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives alerted Anaheim police of 27-year-old Anthony Hislar's whereabouts last week and he was arrested.

Hislar's alleged crime spree started Sept. 19 with a shooting in Rosemead and continued with carjackings in El Monte and Rosemead, home invasion robberies in Arcadia and Azusa and robberies in Huntington Beach and Santa Ana. He's also listed in a Ventura County arrest warrant.

Hisler's bail is set at $3.4 million.

*I got this message from the Suffolk County DA's office this afternoon. Looks like Clark Rockefeller's attorney Stephen Hrones is going to ask that bail be reduced from $50,000,000 for the one time fugitive:

The defense attorney for CHRISTIAN KARL GERHARTSREITER, a.k.a. Clark Rockefeller, is expected to be in the First Session of the Suffolk Superior Court tomorrow at noon for a bail hearing before a judge; Assistant District Attorney David Deakin is representing the Commonwealth.

Wig & Vault Bandits:

Armed takeover group linked to robberies in Los Angeles County,

most recently in Glendale and Industry.

Earned name since one bandit wears wig and hit vault.

Description: Two black males, 27 - 36 years old; one wears a wig with ball cap; both armed with guns.

From the Associated Press:

Federal investigators say the engineer of a Metrolink commuter train sent a text message 22 seconds before the collision with a freight train in Chatsworth last month that killed 25 people.

The National Transportation Safety Board said today that cell phone records of Robert Sanchez show he received a text message a minute and 20 seconds before the crash, and sent one about a minute later.

Investigators are looking into whether Sanchez was distracted when he ran through a red signal and collided with a Union Pacific train Sept. 12.

The records also showed that Sanchez sent 24 text messages and received 21 messages over a two-hour period during his morning shift. During his afternoon shift, he received seven and sent five messages from his cell phone.

A Rowland Heights doctor is accused of sexually assaulting patients at a Whittier Hospital. he denies the charges. Here's our story so far:

WHITTIER - A doctor denied sexually assaulting patients during office visits.

Dr. Wazir Nadir Ali, 44, of Rowland Heights pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object and two counts of sexual battery by fraud at his Tuesday arraignment at Whittier Superior Court.

He will return to court Nov. 6.

The charges stem from an incident in 2005 and a second incident 2007 at a Bright Medical Associates facility on Whittier Boulevard in Whittier. Two women alleged Ali sexually assaulted them under the guise of a medical examination.

Ali resigned from Bright Medical last year.

Sheriff's booking records show he is out on bail.

There was an OIS in Rosemead that resulted in deputies killing a stabbing suspect. Here's what we are reporting:

ROSEMEAD, Calif. (AP) ― Authorities say Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies shot and killed a stabbing suspect who charged at them with a metal pole in a Rosemead home. 

Sheriff's Sgt. Anthony Haynes says deputies found a wounded female stabbing victim late Tuesday night and tracked down the suspect about 45 minutes later. 

Lt. Liam Gallagher tells reporters the man charged out of a bathroom at deputies and hit one of them with the pole, injuring the deputy on his arm.