January 2009 Archives

Local bank have experienced a wave of unauthorized withdrawls in recent days, as banks in Alhambra, San Marino and La Canada Flintridge were robbed Thursday and Friday.

In the case of Alhambra, it was the third robbery of the month.  A serial robber known as the Grizzly Adams Bandit visited a local bank twice on Jan. 6 and Jan. 26.

In San Marino, the bank robbed Friday shared a driveway with the San Marino Police Department.

In La Canada Flintridge, after robbing a bank, the same robber is believed to have robbed a pharmacy of prescription drugs about an hour later.

Sheriff's homicide detectives are in Sierra Madre this evening to investigate an officer involved shooting that resulted in a man being seriously wounded, officials said.

The shooting occurred in the 200 block of West Sierra Madre Boulevard at 3:36 this morning.

According to the sheriff's department a Sierra Madre police officer on patrol early Friday recovered a stolen Nissan Murano. it had been reported missing in Pacifica, a town in Northern California.

The officer had the vehicle towed to a garage at the police department. When the officeer opened the locked car, he was confronted by a suspect who had been hiding under a blanket in the rear of the Murano.

The cop fired and shot and wounded the suspect.

The suspect was only identified as a 46-year-old man. He was struck in the upper body and taken to the hospital, officials said.

The officer was not injured, officials said.

From the Anaheim PD:

On January 8th, the Anaheim Police Department asked for the public's help in identifying and locating 2 males responsible for commercial robberies. Surveillance photos and video were distributed to the media.

Both subjects were believed to be responsible for 7 robberies that occurred in Anaheim since December 3, 2008. In these seperates cases, one or both men enter a commercial businesses acting as if they were customers or clients. A handgun was produced, money demanded and the robbery completed. One of the males has a 5-pointed star tattoo on his right elbow.

As a result of the media exposure, information was received from the public identifying the subjects. On Thursday evening, January 29th, robbery detectives arrested Jose Angel Rodriguez and Roberto Antonio Ruiz for these robberies. They were arrested near the 800 block of Dade Avenue in the city of La Puente, where they reside.( They were out in a public near near their residence). They have been booked in the Anaheim Detention Facility for the robberies.

The Anaheim Police Department extends their appreciation to the public for their

A report in USA Today notes that the FBI claims criminal gangs are responsible for 80 percent of our nation's crime. Here's the story.

No Chargers in Industry this year, at least that's a what a report in the San Diego Business Journal claims.

Local soldier Sgt. Hy Thai, of Monterey Park is profiled on News Blaze, for his work in Iraq.

Detroit cops slow to respond to reports of frozen body in abandoned warehouse, according to the Detroit News and the Associated Press, which cites the indifference of cops there as part of the city's overall problem.

LASO unveils new technology in the pursuit of criminals.

Hacienda Heights, West Covina, Covina, Whittier and Pasadena have all experienced kidnapping attempts in recent days. Now a sergeant attached to the Sheriff's Special Victims Unit acknowledges there's been a rash of such attempts.

We're writing the story now. Not sure how significant it will be. Its doubtful that the "rash" has a common thread, but as yet that is mroe speculation than anything.

Following one such attempt in Hacienda Heights earlier this week, deputies have taken to stepping up enforcement in the neighborhood. Here's the story:

HACIENDA HEIGHTS - Industry Sheriff's deputies are out in force patrolling after a bold kidnapping attempt Wednesday morning.

A man driving a gray Honda Civic pulled up alongside and tried to grab an 8-year-old boy as he walked to Palm Elementary in the 14000 block of Palm Avenue at about 8 a.m. Wednesday.

The man fled when the child's mother, who was walking about 15 feet behind the boy, screamed, authorities said.

"We're doing saturation patrol and being highly visible," said Industry Sheriff's Lt. John McBride. "The manner in which he did it was pretty overt."

He said authorities will be patrolling area schools with "no end in sight, hopefully until we catch this guy."

The attempted kidnapper is a male Hispanic standing about 5 feet 4 inches and weighing about 200 pounds, authorities said. He is about 50 years old with a thin mustache and a V-shaped scar under his left eye.

A man accused of molesting four girls at a San Gabriel elementary school was cleared of three of the accusations Thurssday. In the fourth charge, the jury could not reach a verdict. City News Service reports below:

ALHAMBRA - An outside contractor who had been accused of inappropriately touching three female students at an elementary school in San Gabriel was acquitted today of three charges, but jurors deadlocked on a count involving a fourth girl.
The Alhambra Superior Court jury deliberated just over a day before acquitting Daniel Roy Smith, 43, of Fullerton, of two felony counts of lewd act on a child and a misdemeanor
child annoying charge.
The panel deadlocked 9-3 in favor of acquittal on a third lewd act charge, according to defense
attorney Leonard Levine.
"We're hopeful that the remaining count will be dismissed," Smith's attorney said.
The prosecution is expected to announce at the next hearing Feb. 13 whether it wants to retry Smith on the charge, which involves a girl who was 7 at the time.
"We'll look at the decision on whether to retry him," Deputy District Attorney Steven Ipson said this afternoon.
The other charges on which Smith was acquitted involved another 7-year- old girl, a 10-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl, according to Ipson.
Smith was an outside contractor who was hired in connection with an astronomy presentation at Washington Elementary School.
"Our simple argument was that he didn't commit any acts of molestation," Levine said.
Smith had been jailed on $600,000 bail, but his bail was reduced to $75,000 following the jury's verdict, according to his attorney.

PASADENA -- The trial of a Monrovia man suspected of using the Internet to lure, molest and take pictures of 10 underage girls is scheduled to begin this month, officials said.
Gregory Scott Serrano, 34, is due to go on trial Feb. 9 at Pasadena Superior Court, court officials said.
Serrano has been charged with 20 counts of child molestation in the alleged crimes, which Los Angeles County District Attorney's officials say date back to June of 2006, United States Attorney Joey Blanch said.
In addition to the local charges, Serrano has been indicted on 23 federal charges including using the Internet to entice minors, producing and possessing child pornography and destroying evidence, United States Attorney's officials said.
Serrano was arrested March 12 after a 15-year-old girl reported the alleged molestation to her parents, officials said.
The alleged victims in the case range in age from 13 to 17, said Blanch.
If convicted on the federal charges alone, Serrano could face a sentence of life in prison, she added.

This comes from a story budget proposed for today's Whittier Daily News:

City Council Tuesday approved new laws -- one that sets standards for new cell towers and a second that rewrites the existing adult business ordinance. The rewrite of the adult business ordinance adds some new restrictions -- less hours, but also will allow dancers to be closer to patrons. City officials say the changes are needed to make sure the law is legally defensible.

My question, "are there strip clubs in Whittier?"

I hoping that by sharing these two letters with Crime Scene readers, you all can help me provide some facts. Here's the first:

How u doing Frank, Won't take to much of your time. I grew up in Pico and graduated from EL RANCHO in 1979. As a kid I lived on Olympic blvd near North Ranchito. Address was 8726 Olympic blvd. I'm currently a 21 year LAPD police officer, I'm trying to find an old 1970's murder/suicide case which occurred at my next door neighbors on Olympic. I believe it involved a police officer who lived there. I was only a kid maybe 3rd or 4th grade. Thanks for your time,

Anyone remember this?

Here's the second letter, which I received earlier this week:

I have contacted you before on some of your stories/articles in the past. The purpose of my email to you is due to a horrific event that occurred in Whittier which I don't think I will ever forget. Around 2000 or 2001 a young lady was murdered by being set on fire in a Whittier alley behind a auto shop. She was kidnapped by a father and his stepson after they robbed her of her paycheck, tied her up and then set her on fire, alive. For some reason I wish to remember her by her name and/or picture and not as a Jane Doe.

So, can we help these guys?

Thanks.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS - A man jumped out of a car Wednesday and tried to grab an 8-year-old walking to school, but the attacker released the boy when he realized the child's mother was following a mere 15 feet behind, officials said. "The mother saw it and yelled at the guy to let go of the boy," said Industry Sheriff's Sgt. Tom Wilson. "He jumped back in the car and fled."

The boy and his mother were on their way to Palm Elementary School in Hacienda Heights at about 8 a.m. when a gray car pulled up along side him. A man got out of the car and grabbed the boy, authorities said.

Wilson said the man was driving a gray two-door Honda Civic with a missing front bumper and tinted rear windows.

The man is described as a 49-to-50 year old Hispanic, standing about 5 feet 4 inches and weighing about 200 pounds, Wilson said. He has dark, short hair shaved on the sides, a thin mustache and a scar in the shape of a "V" under his left eye.

Kim Rhode has her shotgun back.

The specially fitted 12-guard Perazzi over-under MX-12 was recovered on Monday by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and returned to the four-time Olympic medalist on Wednesday morning. After going through the firearm Wednesday night, the 29-year-old Monrovia resident plans on taking it to her specially-built skeet range at the Oak Tree Gun Club in Newhall for testing today.

"How lucky can I be?" Rhode said. "I figured that with as much publicity as we put out, I would never get it back. I figured it would be sawed off, at the bottom of a lake or chucked. As time went on, I figured I had less and less of a chance of getting it back."

During a routine probation search at the residence of Gregorio Macias, 22, of Perris, officers found the shotgun in its case under his bed. He was arrested for possession of the shotgun.

Sheriff's officials in Riverside County have released photos of an armed robber who's apparently been making the rounds at area Radio Shacks, inlcuding one here in the San Gabriel Valley.

In addition to a Monday robbery at a Radio Shack in Perris in which employees were pepper-sprayed before the robber helped himself to the register, he's also believed to be responsible for a Jan. 15 robbery at a Radio Shack in Monrovia and a Jan. 7 robbery at a Highland Radio Shack.

The pictures below were provided by the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. He's described as a black man between 30 and 35 years old, about 6 feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles has opened up a probe of Cardinal Roger Mahoney for his role in the sex abuse scandal that rocked the Archdiocese in recent years. Here's a portion of the story that appears on the Time's Web site this afternoon:

The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles has launched a federal grand jury investigation into Cardinal Roger M. Mahony in connection with his response to the alleged molestation of children by priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the case.

The probe, in which U.S. Atty. Thomas P. O'Brien is personally involved, is aimed at determining whether Mahony, and possibly other church leaders, committed "honest services fraud" by failing to adequately deal with priests accused of sexually abusing children, said the sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.

Detectives suspect Lorenzo Latimer stabbed his girlfriend several times in the throat and body before escaping to Riverside where he was captured.

Latimere is suspected of causing a freeway accident on the 57 freeway as he fled the crime scene. Additionally, detectives said he tried to burn his get away car.

Latimer is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. He's due to appear in Rio Hondo Court Thursday morning, according to official records.

Ervin Lupoe, 40, killed his wife, two sets of twins and another child before turning a gun on himself in the tiny town near the port.

Prior to the massacre, Lupoe sent a fax to KABC detailing his misery. Apparently, Lupoe and his wife had been fired from Kaiser for some sort of impropriety.

Here's the closing paragraph of his letter:

"So after a horrendous ordeal my wife felt it better to end our lives and why leave our children in someone's else's hands, in addition it seems Kiaser Permanente want's us to kill ourselves and take our family with us. They did nothing to the manager who stated such, and did not attempt to assist us in the matter, knowing we have no job and 5 children under 8 years with no place to go. So here we are.

"Ervin Lupoe

"(Handwritten:) Oh Lord my God is there no hope for a widow's son!"

Lupoe placed calls to the news desk at KABC Channel 7 and the LAPD's 911 center just before shooting himself at the family's home in the 1000 block of North McFarland Avenue, police said.

All of the victims were shot in the head, as was Lupoe, police said. Some of the family members were shot more than once.

Lupoe, an X-ray technician at the medical center, wrote in his letter that a supervisor rebuffed him when he tried to talk about his job status, suggesting,

"You should have blown your brains out."

LAPD is handling the investigation. Covina police, who handled a similar case on Christmas Eve, have not been contacted for assistance or advice, officials said Tuesday.

No longer a missing man, onetime actor, and Pasadena gad-about Basil Tellou, aka "The Bishop" has been found, according to several sources.

Tellou, who played roles in several low budget movies in the 40s and 50s, turned up in Pasadena Tuesday afternoon. He was last seen at an inauguration party at Pasadena's Jackie Robinson Center, that was attended by our own Larry Wilson.

A Wilmington man, despondent over work issues, killed his wife, three daughters and two sons before committing suicide in his home this morning, police believe.

Though officials have not released the man's identity, he is believed to be Ervin Antonio Lupoe, 40. His wife is believed to be Ana Elizabeth Lupoe.

Los Angeles police officers found the bodies of Lupoe and his family about 8:30 a.m. in various rooms of the home in the 1000 block of North McFarland Avenue

Police went to the home within minutes after Lupoe faxed a two-page typed letter to KABC Channel 7 and placed a phone call to the station to tell them he was going to kill his family, said Los Angeles Police Deputy Chief Kenneth Garner.

Somebody at the station called the Harbor Division to report the incident. While they were talking, Lupoe called 911 and told them he had just gotten home and found that his whole family had been killed.

When police arrived, they could detect the scent of recent gunshots.

Police found the bodies of Lupoe and his wife, his 8-year-old daughter, twin 5-year-old daughters and twin 2-year-old sons.

Rumored that "S&P Bandit" has been seen casing several banks in the San Gabriel Valley, same appearance and same "lucky" jacket, sorta hard to miss.
AND a new bandito popped-up again;"Yosemite Sam", White male, 30s, huge full beard (fake?), hitting 1st Bank, again, on Valley Bl., Alhambra Mon. 1-26 at 1000hr.
AND possibly Another serial bandit hit Another Citibank in La Cresenta Mon..
AND,in Riverside County Calimesa, the same serial bandit did violent Take-Over at same WAMU, second time this month, same scary disguise & big gun, assaults and pepper sprays innocent customer & employees as they lay on the floor.
For longer list click 'Bank Terrorism Alerts" on sidebar>

LOS ANGELES--Los Angeles police say they've found at least two bodies in a Wilmington home.

Officer Ana Aguirre says officers got a call about a shooting shortly before 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. They went to the 1000 block of MacFarland Avenue and found at least two members of the same family dead inside a two-story home.

Aguirre says there are at least two bodies but the home hasn't been completely searched and there may be more.

Other details are unclear but Aguirre says police aren't actively looking for a killer.

A father apparently distraught over job problems shot and killed his wife and five young children and then committed suicide at their home Tuesday, police said. The victims included two sets of twins.

The bodies were found when police responded to a report of a shooting in progress in the Wilmington area shortly before 8:30 a.m., Officer Sam Park said. The bodies were found throughout the McFarland Avenue house.

The victims were not immediately identified.

Deputy Chief Kenneth Garner said the man killed his wife, an 8-year-old girl, twin 5-year-old daughters and twin 2-year-old sons. He then killed himself.

"He was despondent, clearly, over his job situation," Garner said.

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE - A man was shot and wounded in an apparently gang-related attack in the Angeles National Forest north of La Canada Flintridge Sunday, authorities said.

The shooting occurred about 4:30 a.m. on Angeles Crest Highway north of Foothill Boulevard, at mile marker 27.37, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Angela Shepherd said.
The victim, a 21-year-old Highland Park man, was standing at a turnout when a Silver sedan containing a Latino man and woman in their early 20s passed by, Shepherd said.
Several shots were fired from inside the car, striking the victim once in the lower back, she said. He was hospitalized with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
No further details were available.

A suspected teen-aged killer was held to answer for the killings of 12-year-old Albert Garcia and his father Juan Garcia at a Montebello graduation party last June 21.

Angel Sosa, 15, will be tried as an adult in the case. He is scheduled for arraignment on Feb. 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court.

A judge in the case denied the newspapers' request to take photos of the suspect in court.

Ruby Gonzales will have the complete story in Tuesday's newspaper.

* A spectator in court said:

"Four witnesses identified (Angel) in a line up. Only one little girl came through -- couldn't say (Angel's) name aloud and was afraid to point the suspect out."

Angel beaten up earlier in the day, according to testimony. He and a friend came to the party looking for someone named Marcus.

"There was a fight with the bouncer at the gate of the party. Angel was behind him, he showed the gun." ..shots were fired.

The unidentified 17-year-old "was probably scared. It took a long time to answer questions. There was intimidation there. The DA protected her identity up until that time ..."

"The witness is blaming herself for the shooting." 

"The judge said he was binding over for trial I was in shock watching the DA, I thought, "Oh my God they've got to do better than this."

"What was that? I asked. "I thought you had people who identified him?"

"They flaked," the prosecutor responded. "At best I have that young girl."

On the witness stand the teenager, "Said she felt bad that she had to point out Angel. She didn't want to get him in trouble even though he probably killed two people."

"It seemed like the case was falling apart."

Police didn't do well either. "The officer who testified was kind of useless."

Following the slayings, "there was another shooting down the street. They found their target a kid named Marcus, They shot at him and he shot back."

Again there was tension between family members in court.

Members of Sosa's family when asked to move, said, "We not moving, we're kicking it here."

After what appeared to be some witness intimidation, extra deputies were brought in to keep the peace.  

Prosecutors didn't seek a gang enhancement, because Sosa wasn't from a gang, instead he claimed membership in a tagging crew, possibly CSC, which associates with the South Montebello gang.  

The family member said the prosecutor told her, "This is a tough case to try. It may come down to a deal."

In this new era of responsibility, I'm hoping that somehow our state and our nation get through the crisis before us.

Seems like they are going to do it by focusing on sports.

I both fear and loathe the tactic. It's as if our elected leaders see us as nothing more than dumb animals easily distracted by shiny objects.

Both Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Rep. Gary Miller, R-Brea, seem to have deployed the tactic in recent days.

If you watched Pomona's own "Sugar" Shane Mosley dominate and ultimately destroy Antonio Margarito on Saturday evening, you probably saw our governor there. He was siting ringside with his celebrity friends, just behind Mosely's corner.

Obviously he can't be working to fix the state budget crisis on a Saturday night. Even so, if you ever needed any indication of how out of touch Arnold Schwarzenegger really is with the common man, there's the touchstone.

Can he be expected to feel our pain when taxes go up?

He can't.

Especially when he can afford upwards of $20,000 for the privilege of watching the fight first hand.

Can he be expected to know how difficult it is to make a house payment? A car payment? A utility bill?

No.

Not when he's hanging out with Sylvester Stallone, Christina Aguilera, and Marky Mark at the Staples Center.

Then there's Congressman Miller. He's chosen to take on the Bowl Championship Series, college football's flawed attempt to crown a national champion.

On Jan. 16, Miller introduced a bill that would cut off federal funds to universities who refuse to eliminate the BCS and participate in a playoff.

Since when do we send folks to Washington to worry about college football?

I know President Obama has spoken of his dislike of the BCS. I doubt that with the thousands of layoffs occurring daily, the standoff in Gaza, the presence of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan he's proposing to tackle the problem in the first 100 days of his administration.

Miller's flak Jessica Baker said Monday that her boss put out the bill to address the unfairness of the system.

I asked, "Since when does a Republican proponent of free markets support the use of federal power to address a problem in the public sector?"

Her answer: "Congress has a role to make sure there's fairness and equality."

I've got another plan I'm guessing would work just as well.

Rep. Miller, if you want fairness and equality in sports, just propose legislation that mandates all college football games will end in ties.

It's simple really. I do it with my boys when we play football in the backyard. If Thomas, who is 11, racks up too many touchdowns, I, as all-time quarterback, change the rules midgame so Matthew, 7, has a chance.

That's fair, equitable and removes the shiny object distraction so that you guys can get back to work fixing this country's real problems.

This from Linda Deutch at the Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Nearly six years after an actress was shot to death in the foyer of his storied castle, music legend Phil Spector's long, strange voyage through the justice system is nearing what could be its final act -- his lawyer's presentation of what happened on that fateful night.

Prosecutors rested their case last week in what is the second murder trial for Spector. The first ended in a mistrial when jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict and deadlocked 10-2 in favor of conviction.

Both sides are hoping for a verdict this time. If convicted, the 68-year-old record producer could be sentenced to 18 years in prison, realistically the rest of his life.

A verdict would also render a decision on just what happened to Lana Clarkson, a statuesque, blonde beauty who became a 1980s cult figure following her starring role in the Roger Corman film "Barbarian Queen."

Sheriff's deputies are seeking 86-year-old Basil Tellou after the elderly man disappeared from his home in Duarte on Jan. 20.

Tellou, also known as "The Bishop" is well known in Pasadena's Playhouse District and apparently frequents Vroman's.

Back in the 1940s and 1950s, Tellou worked as a bit player in Hollywood and appeared in a movie titled "Harbor of the Missing Men."

Here's a link to his IMDB page.

The Salt and Pepper bandit, whose exploits have been chronicled here, is now wanted by the FBI. A flier came out this morning seeking the man who has been linked to 15 bank robberies in January.

Here's the Salt_and_Pepper_Bandit_-_Wanted_Flyer.pdf.

Got this text from reporter Ruby Gonzales who is downtown covering a preliminary hearing for a 15-year-old accused of gunning down Albert Garcia and his father while the two attended a graduation party in a Montebello backyard in June.

Here's Ruby's text:

Witness sez she saw shooter and chose 2 write his name than say it. Da dropped gang allegation dunno y. Just heard it in court.

I'll have more when I get it. Ruby said the prelim started at 11 and will likely go all day.

MONTEBELLO -- A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday for a then-15-year-old alleged gang member accused of shooting a 12-year-old boy and his father to death at a blind girl's graduation party.

Angel Sosa has been charged as an adult with the murders of Albert Garcia of Hemet and his father, Juan Garcia of Perris, Los Angeles County District Attorney's officials said. Prosecutors further allege that the killings were gang-related, and that Sosa personally fired the gun that killed the Garcias.

The shooting occurred June 21, 2008, at a party in the 100 block of East Madison Avenue.
At Monday's hearing, which is to be held at Los Angeles Superior Court, Dept. 30, attorney's will present arguments and a judge will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to order Sosa to stand trial.

Because of his age, Sosa will not face the death penalty if convicted. He could, however, face life imprisonment.

VIDEO OF ALBERT GARCIA

A man convicted of slaying two coeds in Rowland Heights back in the 1980s bought his way off Death Row by confessing to the killing of a seven-year-old Northern California girl in the early part of that decade.

Wayne Harvey Smith, 61, will spend the rest of his life in prison. Here's a link to Brian Day's story (and the top portion):

ROWLAND HEIGHTS - A serial killer convicted of two Rowland Heights murders in the 1980s avoided the death penalty after he confessed to slaying a seven-year-old Northern California girl, officials and family members said Friday.

In order to avoid execution for the 1983 shooting death of 18-year-old Stacy Belcher of Rowland Heights, Wayne Harvey Smith, 61, cooperated with investigators and admitted to killing a 7-year-old girl in Weaverville in 1980, Trinity County sheriff's Detective Bryan Ward said. He will not be prosecuted in that case.

"I'd rather have seen the death penalty," Stacy Belcher's father, Charles Belcher, said, "but the fact that this other family has closure, that makes it worthwhile."

 

For the second time in two days, a San Gabriel Valley home has been visited by home-invasion robbers.
The most recent incident occurred Friday afternoon in an unincorporated county area near Arcadia, while another was reported Thursday morning in Montebello.
Based on differing suspect descriptions, officials do not believe the robberies are related. Here's the stories from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Whittier Daily News:

ARCADIA -- An elderly woman suffered minor injuries Friday during a home-invasion robbery, officials said.
The incident occurred about 3 p.m. at a house in the 9800 block of Lemon Avenue, in an unincorporated county area near Arcadia, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Allan Smith said.
Three robbers, described only as heavyset black men in their 20s or 20s, entered the home while a woman in her 70s was home and stole undisclosed property, Smith said.
The lieutenant declined to say exactly how the woman was injured pending further investigation, but she was hospitalized as a precaution.
No further details were available Saturday.
Sheriff's officials are hoping someone in the neighborhood can provide them with a description of the suspects' vehicle, Smith said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's Temple station.

MONTEBELLO - Police are looking for three suspects who allegedly robbed a home early Thursday morning, officials said.
Around 1:45 a.m. the three suspects broke into a home on the 700 block of East La Merced Avenue, according to Detective D. Kim of the Montebello Police Department.
The suspects ordered an adult woman and juvenile man, who were in the home, to turn their heads so they could not identify them, Kim said. At least one of the suspects had a gun, according to officials.
After demanding money, the suspects ransacked the home, officials said.
The woman and juvenile were not injured, Kim said.
Police describe one of the suspects as a Latino man in his 20s, 5 feet 7 inches tall, about 175 lbs. and he was wearing dark clothing. There is no descriptions of the other two suspects.
Anyone with information is asked to call Montebello Police at 323-887-1251.

Whittier police have released photos of a man who robbed a Bank of America branch at the Whittwood Town Center Tuesday.

Here's the original story from the Whittier Daily News:

WHITTIER - A man escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash Tuesday after robbing a Bank of America branch, authorities said.

The incident occurred about 4:20 p.m. at the bank located at 15742 Whittier Blvd., in the Whittwood Town Center, Whittier police Lt. Carlos Solorza said.

The robber demanded money from a teller verbally, using profanity and threatening harm if his demands weren't met, Solorza said. No weapon was seen.

He was described as a Latino man in his 20s or 30s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing about 170 pounds, the lieutenant said.

He had a tattoo on the left side of his neck and wore all dark clothing, including dark sunglasses and a baseball cap, he said.

The robber was last seen running east from the bank toward Santa Gertrudes Avenue, Solorza said.

Officials obtained a clear picture of the robber from bank surveillance cameras, Solorza said.

The death of a homeless man who was set on fire on a Los Angeles street corner last year does not appear to have been a gang initiation, as was originally speculated, but rather is suspected to be the work of a local barber with a personal hatred for the homeless. The Associated Press reports:

LOS ANGELES -- Fresh graffiti declaring "Thank God! They caught the killer!" was scrawled Friday on an abandoned storefront that last fall was the scene of the horrifying murder of a mild-mannered homeless man set on fire as he sat on his familiar street corner.
The message was in response to the Los Angeles Police Department's announcement the day before that Benjamin Martin, a barber who used to work in a shop near the murder scene, had been arrested for the Oct. 9 killing of John McGraham, 55.
Martin had "personal dislike for not only Mr. McGraham, but also homeless people in general," Deputy Police Chief Charlie Beck said, adding: "It's far too soon to ascribe a motive to this thing but it's probably going to end up boiling down to the demons in this guy's head."
Police said they linked Martin, 30, through witness identification and DNA evidence at the scene. He was arrested Thursday in Rancho Mirage, about 120 miles east of Los Angeles. Arraignment was set for Monday.
A former co-worker said Martin briefly worked five years ago at a barbershop a block from the murder scene.
"He was a little bit crazy, and fighting -- not hitting, but talking -- fighting, fighting all the
time," said the co-worker, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.
Martin is accused of drenching McGraham with gasoline and setting him ablaze on a street corner in the multiethnic, largely working-class neighborhood west of downtown. Witnesses rushed to extinguish the flames but McGraham suffered burns over 90 percent of his body and died.
Though homeless, McGraham was not friendless. In the densely populated area where he wandered, people recalled him as mild-mannered, quiet and kind.
"He didn't mess with anybody, he was such a nice guy," said Samuel Escobar, a resident who has lived in the area for five years. "I'm amazed it happened the way it did. It's just terrible, and makes us all look so bad."
McGraham was a fixture on the block who befriended people and got regular visits from family
members. But for two decades, he rejected their efforts to get him off the streets.
Those who fed McGraham and gave him spare change and clothing said he liked to drink Dr Pepper and listen to a portable radio. He frequently hung around near a doughnut shop, where the owners gave him a cinnamon roll and cup of coffee every morning.
McGraham wasn't always on the streets. As a young man he worked as a hotel bellman until he fell into a debilitating depression and lost his job.
David McGraham, his brother, said officers had promised him they would find the killer, but "as time passed, I thought it wasn't going to happen. I just figured the killer got away with it," he told the Los Angeles Times.
Police said tips began pouring in after McGraham's story aired on the TV show "America's Most Wanted."

A preliminary hearing for a Montebello teen-aged gang member accused of slaying two people at a backyard party last summer was put off until Monday, authorities said.

Albert Anthony Garcia, 12, and his father Juan were shot and killed June 21.

Prosecutors have shared some of the evidence in the case and it seems pretty compelling.

Suspect Angel Sosa, 15, an alleged gang member, is being held without bail in connection with the case. Upon his arrest, Sosa was in the Montebello jail on suspicion of disturbing the peace. Detectives who questioned him in conneciton with the shooting were stymied when he asserted his fifth amendment right and asked for an attorney.

Later those same detectives served three search warrants and recovered 9 mm rounds that were consistent with the type of ammunition that killed the Garcias.

The prosecution is expected to call five witnesses, including party-goers who witnessed the shooting.

The prelim gets underway at 8:30 a.m .Monday in Div. 30 at the Criminal Courts Building downtown.

The e-justice blog has compiled a list of the top 50 true crime blogs internationally. It's a fun read for sure. Here's the top three, the rest of the list is here:

1. Cerberus at the gate. Newly retired, this detective shares his life experiences and offers plenty of valuable information to anyone stopping by for a read.
2. View from the cop. This retired policeman blogs about community watch issues, the criminals, and the police who catch them.
3. LAPD Blog. While not just focusing on detectives, this blog does read like a script from Law & Order with detailed descriptions of crimes occurring in LA.

A story that will appear in tomorrow's Daily Bulletin notes that United States immigration officials arrested nearly 2000 gang members in 2008. Here's the meat:

Authorities with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced on Friday that they arrested nearly 2,000 gang members and associates last year in a national anti-gang operation.

ICE officials said more than 850 of them have been prosecuted on state and federal charges, including re-entry after deportation and weapons violations. The remainder, who are considered foreign national gang members, have been placed in deportation proceedings, ICE officials said.

The arrests occurred in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

Our online team is rolling out mobile breaking news updates on Twitter. You Can get all the latest at http://twitter.com/SGVTribune.

If you are so inclined, you can follow Crime Scene of Twitter as well at http://twitter.com/FrankGirardot

The Vatican and unveiled its official YouTube channel.

Here's how the site describes itself:

This channel offers news coverage of the main activities of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and of relevant Vatican events.

It is updated daily.

Video images are produced by Centro Televisio Vaticano (CTV), texts by Vatican Radio (RV) and CTV.

This video-news presents the Catholic Churchs position regarding the principal issues of the world today.

Links give access to the full and official texts of cited documents.

Previously about the only Vatican related material on YouTube was probably this George Harrison video:

The Sierra Madre emergency alert system is flying a green flag today -- which means the city is in Stage One alert mode for potential mudslides.

The system alerts residents to mudslide danger on local hillsides. It grew out of a wildfire last spring that destroyed several acres fo brush in the foothills just above the tiny San Gabriel Valley community.

Here's what a Green Flag means, according to the site:

The City's state of emergency level is now at Stage One: GREEN FLAG--Activated under a prediction of 80%--100% chance of precipitation. Affected residents should get "READY" for potential evacuation. This includes keeping a close watch on weather forecasts.

Here's some city links of interest:

The Pasadena City College's newspaper reported Thursday that Head Football Coach Kenny Lawler remains on paid leave from the school while the administration continues to conduct an investigation.

The college is investigating how a GPS-wearing registered sex offender named Darryl "Slurp" Stephens was not only allowed to register at the college but was a starter on the football team.

Here's a portion of the story by PCC Editor Jeremy Balan:

According to school officials, the third-party investigation into his "policies and procedures" has concluded, but further action regarding Lawler's status at the college is unknown.

"Really nothing has changed, even though the investigation is completed. There has not been any decision made. At this point Kenneth Lawler is still on paid administrative leave and that's basically all I know at this point," Interim Dean/Athletic Director Beverly Tate said in a phone message on Tuesday.

But they did. She has her car back, and perhaps a little dignity as well.

Last week I wrote about Rangel's encounter with Alhambra's version of The Tin Man, a motorcycle cop with no heart.

The tin man pulled over Rangel, 46, of Beaumont, and her family when they were on their way to church to pray for a sick pastor.

Because Rangel's tags were expired, the tin man decided to have her car towed and impounded. That came after Rangel explained that she lost her home and job and was struggling to make ends meet.

Several of you wrote me, a few others called.

Everyone wanted to lend a helping hand to a woman and her family who had fallen on desperate circumstances in the hardest of times since the Great Depression.

Eventually an anonymous angel came forward and took care of Rangel's fines, impound fees, DMV registration and city processing charges.

"The Lord worked out some amazing things," Rangel said Wednesday. "It was the right timing. It encouraged me to know there are so many people out there who care."

Rangel said the DMV also found a way to lower her registration fee. Instead of $400, the DMV only required a payment of $266 to update the license on her 2004 Chrysler Sebring.

"That was just amazing," Rangel said.

As for the tin man, his bosses, and the politicians in Alhambra, none have contacted Rangel.

Of course, as Alhambra Police Lt. Elliot Kase noted last week, the ticket was a matter of officer discretion. And the brass stands behind the black-and-white decision of its tin man.

That's OK with Rangel, her husband and 9-year-old son.

"We're just really touched especially with everything that's happening in the world, with the economy so bad and so many people hurting," she said. "People need to hear good news."

•••

Since I'm following up on things today, I should thank all of you who offered to take me to a shooting range.

Several weeks ago, I wrote about going to a gun range in La Puente with the hopes of popping off a couple of caps at lunch.

I was turned away because I was alone. Apparently it's a gun range policy designed to discourage suicidal nuts.

I have yet to return, but in the meantime I picked up a Remington Model 700 SPS rifle that I plan to take out sometime in the near future.

It's a really beautiful firearm and according to Remington's Web site, "the Model 700 SPS offers the unrivaled out-of-the-box accuracy and high-end performance you've come to expect from America's most popular bolt-action centerfire rifle."

See you at the range.

If you are like me and you love products with peanut butter, you might want to take a look at the FDA's list of recalled products and an update on their investigation. Here's a link.

The FDA says the products are possibly contaminated with Salmonella Typhimurium. Here's an excerpt from the page:

... peanut paste--a concentrated product consisting of ground, roasted peanuts--that are both distributed to food manufacturers to be used as an ingredient in many commercially produced products including cakes, cookies, crackers, candies, cereal and ice cream. In addition, PCA peanut butter is distributed to and institutionally served in such settings as long-term care facilities and cafeterias.

The FDA has notified PCA that product samples originating from its Blakely, Georgia (Ga.), processing plant have been tested and found positive for Salmonella by laboratories in the states of Minnesota and Connecticut. Connecticut and Minnesota have reported to FDA that samples of King Nut peanut butter tested in those states are a genetic match to the strain of Salmonella associated with the nationwide outbreak.

This from Mike Alerich our 211 expert:

Looks like our infamous "S&P Bandit" went back to work Tues.1-20-09, this time 'Up-Town', 1st Federal Bank, Wilshire Bl., Beverly Hills at high noon, the exact time our new President was being sworn in office. This dude went from 'low-class' to 'No Class'.
Ironic while President Obama is trying to correct the Banking Cartel debacle this guy is robbing the 1st Federal Bank.
We'll see where he pops up next.....San Gabriel Valley ?

DUARTE - Aa man suspected of attempting to burglarize cars in Duarte Wednesday morning bit a sheriff's deputy, officials said.

Deputies received a call around 8 a.m. that a man was trying to open car doors near the intersection of Huntington Drive and Las Lomas Road, according to Sgt. Michael Martinez with the Temple sheriff's station.

When deputies attempted to arrest the man, a struggle ensued, and the suspect bit one of the responding deputies, Martinez said.

The Azusa Police Department was called in for assistance, Martinez said.

Authorities identified the suspect only as a male in his 30s.

He was arrested on suspicion of battery on a police officer, Martinez said.

No other suspects were detained, and the suspect did not have any loot, Martinez said.

Four members of the Mongols motorcycle gang were sentenced for their roles in an attack on a Hells Angel in November. The attack occurred in Humbolt County. All the Mongols pleaded guilty.

Here's the story from the Eureka Times-Standard:

Four men arrested in connection to the non-fatal shooting of a suspected Hells Angels member in November were sentenced in Humboldt County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon to terms ranging from three years in prison to 180 days in jail.

All four men, three of whom were found to be card carrying members of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, pleaded guilty in a plea agreement offered during their preliminary hearing, after evidence surfaced that the victim -- Robert Thompson -- may have fired first.

Deputy District Attorney Ben McLaughlin said although there are no current plans to charge Thompson as a felon in possession of a firearm, the matter is still under investigation.

The accused gunman in the case, 28-year-old Mongols gang member Eric Gunner Lundin, was sentenced by Judge Dale Reinholtsen to three years in prison for felony charges of assault with a firearm and participating in a criminal street gang.

Lundin's attorney, Glenn Brown, said his client will likely serve "a little over two years."

Dustin Liebes, a 36-year-old who the prosecution named as the president of the area Mongols chapter, was sentenced to one year in jail with five years probation. Shasta County resident Eric Garcia, 28, was also given a one year jail sentence with five years probation. Both men had pleaded guilty to participation in a criminal street gang, and both were granted 110 days time served.

Whittier area police are seeking information in three homicides that occurred over the weekend. One, which occurred in Montebello, was discovered after firefighters were called to a blaze in the 900 block of Lincoln Avenue.

When they arrived authorities discovered a man's body burning. Here's the top of our stories on the various incidents:

Authorities are asking for the public's help on separate shootings in Montebello, Norwalk and Santa Fe Springs that left three men dead.

The Norwalk fatality was identified today as Hugo Gutierrez of Norwalk. Coroner's officials didn't release the names of the two other victims because their relatives haven't been identified.

The first victim was found 4:30 a.m., Sunday by Montebello firefighters and police officers who responded to a possible fire in the 900 block of Lincoln Avenue, near the Whittier Narrows Dam.

"A passerby drove by, saw what they thought was a brush fire so they called 9-1-1. They had no idea what it was," said Montebello Sgt. Luis Lopez.

It turned out to be the body of a man who had been shot in the head and set ablaze.

Ed Winter, assistant chief of operations for the Los Angeles County Department of the Coroner said the victim was a 37-year-old Latino and the autopsy will be done today.

The second fatality was in front of an apartment complex in the 12700 block of Pioneer Boulevard in Norwalk. Deputies got a call of shots being fired in the area about 9:30 p.m., Sunday and discovered a man shot several times.

The victim was originally reported to be a teen.

Sheriff's Homicide Detective Lt. Dave Dolson said Hugo Gutierrez was 26. He said Gutierrez didn't live at the apartment but was a Norwalk resident.

 

From City News Service. Photo courtesy Pasadena PD:

PASADENA -- Pasadena police released a photo today in hopes that someone will recognize a suspect who used a handgun to order a customer to withdraw money from an ATM two days after Thanksgiving, but left empty-handed.

The victim of the Nov. 29 daytime holdup was uninjured, said Pasadena police Lt. John Dewar.

The bandit was wearing a black and gray sweatshirt and black pants and may have been
driving a silver Nissan Xterra with paper plates that indicated the SUV had been bought
at a Universal City dealership, the detective said.

The suspect was described as a Latino in his early 20s, 5 feet 10 inches tall and 160 pounds, with short black hair, a medium complexion and a small amount of
acne on his cheeks.

POMONA - A woman accused of slashing her husband two death with a sword and smothering their two young children as they slept in their Rowland Heights home in 2007 entered a not guilty plea in court Tuesday, officials said.

Manling Tsang Williams, 29, appeared for her second arraignment at Pomona Superior Court, court officials said.

She is due back in court March 5 for a "status hearing," in which prosectors and defense attorneys will meet to determine if they're ready for trial, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Jane Robison said.

A trial date is scheduled to be set April 15, she added.

She allegedly stabbed her husband, 27-year-old Neal Williams, 97 times with a sword.

The couple's two sons, Devon, 7, and Ian, 3, were smothered to death with a pillow in their beds, prosecutors allege.

According to court records, Manling Williams is being held without bail.

CNN is reporting that both senators collapsed at various events this afternoon in Washington D.C., following the inauguration of President Obama.

Here's a Washington Post story on the medical events.

CNN and Microsoft have put together some interesting views of the Inauguration from the Capitol Mall using a new technology known as Photosynth.

Here's the link.

Here's the feed.

And a new look at Whitehouse.gov and a blog post

Your thoughts?

The moving vans have arrived at the White House:

H/T Fishbowlla

Barack Obama is sworn is as the 44th President of the United States!

*A 21-gun salute followed the swearing in of Obama.

My Fellow citizens I stand here today humnbled by the task before us. A great moment for the trust of the trust you bestowed and mindful

...thanks Bush for his service to our nation and the cooperation he has shown throughout this transistion...

Every so often the oath is taken amid the gathering clouds

The indicators of crisis the sapping fo confidence across our land the nagging fear the America's decline ..the challenges we face are real they are serious and many but know this America they will be met.

WE have chosen hope over fear unity of purpose.

we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievences and false promises that have long strangled our politics. the time has come to set aside childish things.

All are equal all are free and all have a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. We understand that greatnessis never a gift it must be earned...

It has been the risk doers and the makers of things who carried us up the long running path toward prosperity and freedom...

Concord, Gettysbury Normandy and Khe Sahn..

The most prosperous and powerful nation on earth ...

Capacity remains undiminished

Begin again the work of remaking america

restore science to its rightful place

lower health care costs

harvest the sun and the wind

transform colleges and universities we can do and will do,..

there are some who question the scale of our ambitions their memories are short. THey'v eforgotton what free menand women have already done..

Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be asked to account...

The nation cannot prosper alone when it favors only the prosperous..

Reject as false the choice between safety and our ideals..

To all the other peoples who are watching,  know that America is a friend of each nation ... and we are ready to lead once more...

Our power alone cannot protect us ... power grows through prudent use...we are the keepers fo this legacy ... we will began to leave Iraq to its people we will work tirelessly to end the nuclear threat and

To terrorists: "we will defeat you."

The world has changed and we must change with it...

A return to these truths a new era of responsibility we have duties to ourselves and the world.

A man whose father 60 years ago might have not been served in a local restaurant can now stand before you and take a sacred oath.

Quotes George Washington

Let us brave the icy currents and brave what storms may come. WE carried forth that grat freedom and delivered to future generations.

God Bless You and God Bless America

WHITTIER -- Two juvenile gang members were arrested Sunday after allegedly robbing a 15-year-old of his skateboard at knifepoint, authorities said.
The incident occurred about 5:20 p.m. in the 14400 block of Washington Avenue, police said in a written statement.
Four gang members held a knife to the boy's throat and demanded his skateboard, officials said.
The boy's mother saw the suspects as she was driving in the area, and police were able to catch two of the four robbers, officials said.
The two suspects, both Whittier residents, were not identified due to their age.

In a related story, Covina police has a similar caper early Monday in which six people -- four adults and two children -- allegedly beat a man with a golf club and robbed him of his skateboard. For that story, click here.

  A man caught fire Saturday after he apparently fell asleep in a sleeping bag while smoking. Another man he was with tried to douse the flames, but unfortunately, he tried to do it with vodka, which only fed the flames. Ultimately, the man was apparently rescued by an off-duty Los Angeles City Firefighter. He was expected to recover Sunday. Here's the story:

PASADENA - A man was hospitalized in critical condition with burns covering more than half his body Saturday after he fell asleep while smoking, officials said.

The incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. at an abandoned auto dealership in the 2900 block of East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

Callers initially reported the building was on fire, Derderian said, but reports soon began to indicate that it was not the structure that was burning, but rather a man who had run out of it.

An off-duty Los Angeles Fire Fighter saw the burning man and rushed across the street to help douse the flames, Derderian said.

"The quick work of the off-duty firefighter probably saved his life," she said.

The injured man, a transient estimated to be in his 40s, was hospitalized with second-degree burns to more than 50 percent of his body, Derderian said.

Most of the burns were on the mans legs and lower body, she added.

The fire started when the man, who officials believe had been living at the abandoned car dealership for several days, fell asleep in a sleeping bag while smoking, Pasadena police Lt. Tracey Ibarra said.

Another transient who was with him tried to douse the flames with vodka, which caused the fire to spread, Ibarra said.

The incident appeared to be accidental, and no arrests were made, she said.

*PHOTO COURTESTY OF PASADENA FIRE DEPARTMENT

Deputies at the sheriff's Industry station are seeking a pair of robbers who enjoyed a meal at a local restaurant before helping themselves to the cash register and tip jar:

BASSETT -- Two men sat down and ate at a local restaurant before robbing it at gunpoint, authorities said.
The crime occurred about 6 p.m. at Little Beijing, 550 S. Workman Mill Road, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Mark Relyea said.
Two robbers, described only as Latino men in there 20s, ate at the restaurant before standing up and using a handgun to steal cash from the register as well as the restaurant's tip jar, the lieutenant said.
No further details were available.

The following was posted by bank security expert Mike Alerich in response to a Tribune Web update reporting a Covina bank had been targeted in a failed robbery Friday.  His predictions proved to be dead on.  The FBI confirmed later in the day that the suspect was, in fact, believed to be the prolific "Salt and Pepper Bandit." Furthermore, just as Alerich predicted, officials said the bandit showed up at a First Federal Bank on Fairfax Boulevard in Los Angeles just hours after the attempted heist in Covina, where he carried out a robbery. He was also spotted "casing" a Washington Mutual in the area. Below is the original message posted on the Tribune Web site early Friday afternoon. Thanks for the info, Mike.

What are the chances this robbery suspect is a serial bandit (very low budget) with several AKA's:" Salt & Pepper Bandit" / "S&P" Bandit" or "Jack-in -the Box" because he pops up all over the County every day. If he holds to his usual pattern after striking out in Covina he should head back to Fairfax Bl. and Wilshire Bl. in Los Angeles where the pickin is easy.
This dude is a classic Ex-Con CrackHead on parole ready to die for a 'Rock'' good for 20 bank 211s following in the footsteps of "Goofy Hat" 2 years ago.......Loser.
Information& photo on www.bank211s-mike.blogspot.com , www.scorpio-security.com and FBI websites..... and bet he smells real bad.

EL MONTE -- As many as 125 elementary students remained locked down for hours in a elementary school cafeteria while police Friday attempted to coax a robbery suspect from a home in the 4100 block of Gibson Street, authorities said.

Modesto Alcala, 29, is suspected of participating in an armend robbery at a South El Monte motel in late December. Police said the standoff is tied to a similar incident in West covina last week that resulted in the arrest of another suspect in the case.

El Monte police officers, U.S. Marshals, hostage negotiators and a special weapons team have set up a command post at nearby Shirpser Elementary School. About 125 students there have been locked in a cafeteria since 2 p.m., officials said.

"The suspect, Modesto Alcala, we believe is inside the house and has refused to surrender," El Monte police Detective Ralph Batres said. "He is a parolee at large and is considered armed and dangerous."

Alcala had recently moved into the neighborhood and was seen earlier Friday with a handgun, Batres said.

"He's putting a lot of people here at risk," Batres said.

Jurors in the trial of former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona have reached a verdict, according Thom Mrozak with the U.S. Department of Justice. The verdict will be read at 11:45 a.m Pacific.

Carona, who grew up in Covina, is accused in a massive corruption case that led to the dismantling of his department. We'll have the verdict when it arrives.

* Cleared on all but one count. This from CBS 2:

A jury Friday acquitted former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona of all but one count of witness tampering in a lengthy corruption trial against the former head of the nation's fifth largest sheriffs department.

Carona, 53, who Larry King dubbed "America's sheriff" after the capture of 5-year-old Samantha Runnion's killer, was cleared of one count of conspiracy, three counts of mail fraud and a second count of witness tampering.

Witnesses to the hearing described Carona as "shaking and sobbing" when the verdict was read.

What was it Hunter S. Thompson said about North Las Vegas?

"North Las Vegas is where you go when you've f---ed up once too often on the Strip, and when you're not even welcome in the cut-rate downtown places. ... This is Nevada's answer to East St. Louis -- a slum and a graveyard, last stop before permanent exile to Ely or Winnemucca.

From the Las Vegas Review Journal:

North Las Vegas detectives arrested two of the department's own officers Thursday for misconduct during a December incident involving a casino patron.

One officer is accused of repeatedly striking the handcuffed California man in the face during the incident. Both officers are accused of lying on a police report.

Police said Mark Alan Miles and James F. Balelo, both 27, were booked into the Clark County Detention Center on charges of filing a false report by a public officer, a gross misdemeanor. Miles also faces a felony charge of oppression under color of office. Both officers have been with the department for almost two years.

<snip>

The incident that led to the arrests occurred just before midnight Dec. 6 at the Cannery, 2121 E. Craig Road.

Miles and Balelo were called to the casino to deal with a rowdy bar patron from Diamond Bar, Calif. The 31-year-old man, identified in the officers' arrest report as Luis Enrique Vargas, was handcuffed in a holding cell at the casino after a citizen's arrest was made by security guards.

He was accused of slamming his beer bottle on the casino bar and punching the screen of a video poker machine.

The arrest reports Miles and Balelo filed against Vargas were vastly different than evidence from the actual video surveillance, according to the report filed against the officers.

While in the holding cell at the casino, Miles, without provocation, repeatedly slapped Vargas and baited him to fight, according to the report filed against the officers. Balelo threatened to "bust" Vargas in the face if Vargas didn't stop yelling at the hotel security guards who were standing outside the holding cell.

The reports the officers filed claimed that Vargas had threatened them and attempted to bite and spit on them. The officers also made up threatening quotes and attributed them to Vargas in the reports. The surveillance showed instead that he was compliant with the two officers' requests and did not make any threats, according to the report filed against the officers.

A man was reportedly shot at the TGIF restaurant Thursday night about 10:15, according to reports coming in over the newsroom scanner.

Its not clear what led to the shooting, but apparently the man's wounds are not life threatening. We'll have more on this story tomorrow a.m.

Here's the details from a Sheriff's broadcast at 10:30 p.m. Thursday:

245 GS reported at TGIF 17427 Colima Road in Industry. Vehicle is described as a Ford F150 partial plate of 8A last seen west bound on Colima

Suspect one described as 415g in 20s 6'1" 230 pounds wearing a white shirt and jeans armed with a black .22 handgun

Suspect two male hispanic in 20s heavyset wearing a black sweater slicked black hair

Suspects fired at victim and yelled "Puente"

*Two now detained at gunpoint on Eschelon in La Puente (10:36 p.m.) They are believed to be suspects in the shooting.

** Situation now "code 4" (10:40 p.m.)

Property values in the Inland Empire are sinking to new lows, while the Assessor is suspected of fiddling with nose candy.

Bill Postmus, once a rising star in the Inland Empire's Republican Party, was arrested Thursday morning in possession of a pile of meth. One can only guess what else investigators found when they raided his house, but it's a well-known fact that meth addicts have addicts have a lot of proclivities that don't make for family reading. Here's the early story from the San Bernardino Sun:

Assessor Bill Postmus was arrested this morning after investigators say they found methamphetamine in his Rancho Cucamonga house while serving a search warrant for an ongoing investigation related to possible abuse of his authority as a county official.

About 50 San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office investigators and investigative technicians served 10 search warrants in six cities, including San Bernardino, Highland, Apple Valley, Victorville, Rancho Cucamonga and Rancho Santa Margarita in Orange County.

District Attorney spokeswoman Susan Mickey said she could not disclose specific locations.

But she did confirm that a search warrant was also served at the office of Jim Erwin, a former assistant assessor who now serves

 

Brandon Michael Landreth, 30, a onetime English teacher at Muir High School in Pasadena, was ordered to stand trial this afternoon in Superior Court.

Landreth is accused in the April 2008 shooting death of Justo Ceaser Morales, 25.

Morales was shot to death at his parents home on a Sunday afternoon, and witnesses described the killer as fleeing the scene on a skateboard.

Landreth later confessed to his ex-wife that he had killed Morales, officials said. He is being held on $5 million bail. There are allegations, of threats and stalking that, if true, make Landreth seem like one creepy teacher. Here's the story:

Prosecutors outlined the case against Landreth at a preliminary hearing Thursday. A friend of Landreth, Gerald Gracian, and Landreth's ex-wife, Tania, both claimed he had confessed to shooting and killing Morales.

Tania Landreth testified that the defendant had met her on her front lawn in the days after Morales' death and confessed to killing Morales.

"I asked, 'Was he in pain?'" she recounted tearfully. "He told me, 'He died quickly.'"
She also said that Landreth had made threats against Morales' life close to 100 times over the course of two years.

Landreth's attorney pointed out that police were unsuccessful in their attempts to tape Landreth's confession by wiring Tania.

 

MONTCLAIR -- Police arrested a suspected prostitute and two men this morning after the woman traded sex acts for 7-Eleven merchandise.

A Montclair officer spotted Juliya Rogova, 21, of Montclair shopping inside the store in the 4500 block of Holt Boulevard. Rogova, who police say is a known prostitute, grabbed a large amount of merchandise and then walked into the store bathroom with a 7-Eleven clerk.

Rogova and the clerk, Raymundo Garcia, 24, of Montclair, exited the bathroom about six minutes later, police said. Rogova grabbed the store items and walked outside.

Ricardo Huerta, 38, of Covina, a Coca-Cola vendor working inside the store, then followed Rogova outside to talk to her. Police said the pair came back into the store and Rogova re-entered the restroom. Huerta joined her in the bathroom after using the store's ATM.

Police arrested all three people after Huerta and Rogova exited the bathroom about five minutes later.

A prayer vigil is set for 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church, 724 E. Bonita Avenue in San Dimas.

Friday, a funeral mass will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church. It will be followed by a procession to the grave site at Forest Law Memorial Park, 21300 Via Verde in Covina.

Following the burial , a reception is planned for 2 p.m. at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 344 W. Workman Avenue in Covina.

Nine members of the family were killed on Christmas Eve when Bruce Pardo dressed as Santa Claus burst into their holiday party and opened fire. Pardo, whose ex-wife and in-laws were at the party, then sprayed fuel into the house, setting it on fire.

Pardo, who was badly burned in the attack, later killed himself.

Nate McIntire chronicles Monday's shooting on Sherman by interviewing witnesses, cops and Monrovia PIO Dick Singer.

Singer's comments are perhaps most telling. He says nothing about the fear induced by ongoing racial tensions in the neighborhood and instead points the finger at Crip gang members who suppossedly live in the home where Sanders "Pete" Rollins was shot to death last year.

Here's a link to Nate's story. Below, Dick Singer's interesting quote:

"That house has always been a hotbed of gang activity, anyway," he said. "Crips live there."

I guess that justifies the shooting...

A couple of friends of mine who are motorcycle cops refer to a third motorcycle cop they know as the "Tin Man."

Certainly you remember the character from "The Wizard of Oz," because he had no heart. Kathleen Rangel, 46, of Beaumont believes she and her family encountered a tin man of sorts enforcing traffic laws in Alhambra.

Several months ago, Rangel lost her job. Without the income, it's been difficult to come up with the $400 the bloodsuckers at the DMV want for the registration on her 2004 Chrysler Sebring.

Knowing the car was not registered, Rangel decided to make the trek to Alhambra on Monday to pray with friends for a sick pastor at the New Harvest Christian Fellowship Church.

She packed her husband and 9-year-old son in the car and headed to Alhambra.

"I was going to turn right on Main Street to turn right on to Garfield," Rangel recalled. "The officer was turning left. My son saw a comic book shop and said, 'Mommy, when we get out of church can we go there?'

"As soon as I made the turn, the officer was right behind me and turned his lights on." The officer wrote a ticket.

"When he came back he asked me why we haven't paid the registration," Rangel said. "I told him, 'I lost my job and my house, it's been a difficult year for us. Right now things are tight, but we're expecting a check any day and hope to get the registration cleared up.'"

The officer spoke into his radio, and came back to the Sebring.

"He said, 'I need you to remove all your contents because I'm impounding the vehicle,'" Rangel recalled. "I started to cry and he just looked at me like I was nothing and said, 'You should have thought this was going to happen when you got in the car.'"

"We are going to church," I told him. "Please, how are we going to get home?"

"He goes, 'take a cab.'"

Ultimately a friend from Los Angeles came out to Alhambra, picked up Rangel, her husband and son and drove them back to Beaumont -- "just 28 miles west of Palm Springs," as she likes to point out. The impound will cost her $36 per day, plus $159 for the tow and a $45 fee to the Alhambra Police Department.

Perhaps Rangel got caught in the vortex of the times.

Or perhaps government agencies like Alhambra are turning to tickets and impounds to make up for lost revenue thanks to the economic crisis.

"This only works if you can target people from outside the community," said Max Neiman, associate director and senior fellow of the Public Policy Institute of California. "There are places in the U.S. and California where tourists become a target for a fair amount of revenue enhancement." As for the Alhambra Police Department, the ticket was a matter of officer discretion, and the brass stands behind the black-and-white decision of its tin man.

When the state gets its money, the city gets its cut and the tow yard is satisfied, Rangel can get her car, Alhambra police Lt. Elliot Kase said.

"It's very straightforward based on the vehicle code," he said. "We have the authority to store the vehicle."

It was a year ago this week that a racial tensions in Monrovia flared up and resulted in a gang war that left four people dead and several wounded.

Things got heated when Sanders "Pete" Rollins was shot and killed in front of his home on Sherman. It only got worse when teens Sammantha Salas and Brandon Lee were also shot and killed in what appeared to be retaliatory attacks.

Last night, neighbors got a terrible reminder of that violence when Rollins' former home was shot up again.

Here's a letter (not edited)  I received from a neighbor, who is scared and concerned that the violence is about to get worse:

A gang shooting in Los Angeles near Echo Park claimed the life of a four-year-old. Here's what the LA Times reported this a.m.:

A 4-year-old boy walking with his sister was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon south of Angelino Heights, Los Angeles police officials reported.

LAPD Deputy Chief Sergio Diaz said that at least one person opened fire on a red car driving down the street, and one of the shots apparently struck the boy in the chest. The shooting occurred in the 1200 block of Court Street about 4:25 p.m.

"Word has gotten out that a child has been killed here," Diaz said, adding that neighbors were gathered on their front porches. 

The boy was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Two years ago in the same neighborhood, a 9-year-old girl was standing in the kitchen of her home as her mother rinsed dishes, when gang members drove up to a house across the street and exchanged shots with rival gang members, police said. None of the gang members were injured. But one bullet tore through the front wall of the girl's home, passed through the living room and struck the girl in the head.

This from WTVQ 2 in Lexington, Ky:

A gunman walked into the South Elkhorn Water District Building this afternoon and tried to rob it, mistaking it for a bank. 

The man showed clerks his revolver handgun and demanded cash.  When the clerks said they didn't have any money, the man mentioned that the building was a bank.  The clerks then informed him that the building was no longer a bank.

The man looked around the building for a bit before running away.  No one was hurt in the attempted robbery.

The South Elkhorn Water District moved into the building that was formally occupied by Farmer's Bank on the corner of South Main Street and Edgewood Drive.  Police say the man mistakenly thought it was still Farmer's Bank.

Anytime the Pasadena Police Department contacts the media, its usually because they want something. Today it's because they want to show off some of the loot they've recovered from four men arrested in connection with a string of burglaries. Here's the budget note from our line-up:

Cops will hold a 3 p.m. news conference to announce they've linked four suspects arrested in an attempted burglary last week to numerous others in and around the city.

At a preliminary hearing for a West Covina man charged in the brutal slayings of a teenaged couple out in San Bernardino,  Collin Lee McGlaughlin's attorney called his client mentally unstable and unfit for trial.

Here's the story from the San Bernardino Sun. Testimony continues today in the case:

Just weeks before he was arrested in connection with the shotgun killings of 19-year-old Christopher Cody Thompson and his girlfriend, Bodhisattva "Bodhi" Sherzer-Potter, 16, Collin Lee McGlaughlin was taken to the doctor by his father to see about getting psychiatric medication, according to testimony at a preliminary hearing in Barstow Superior Court.

During an interview with sheriff's homicide Detective Robert Alexander, McGlaughlin's father, Wayne, said his son had become "frightening." He also said that about three weeks before his son's arrest he had taken him to the doctor to see about getting medication to treat his erratic behavior, Alexander said during his testimony.

McGlaughlin, 19, and Covina residents David Smith, 20, and Cameron Thomson, 17, have all been charged with the Jan. 5 slayings of Thompson, of Apple Valley, and Bodhi, of Silver Lakes.

Stephan Williams declined to comment as to whether his client's mental state will be the crux of his defense if the case goes to trial.

 

A newspaper in Tijuana reports this morning that the last suspect in the killing of a West Covina woman was captured Monday afternoon in one of the Colonias.

Thanks to a commenter on this blog for pointing out the link.

Here's a translated version of the story:

Maurtua Victor Manuel, who has an arrest warrant for homicide in Los Angeles, California he was arrested by elements of the State Preventive Police (PEP).

The arrest of the subject of 19 years, the corporation held that police officers at the embassies of the avenue colony Colonial Villa around the 16:20 hours. 

Now the place where he was arrested escandalizando in public and screaming sounding words.

By attempting to be arrested by agents of the PEP, the suspect claimed that he could not do anything for being an American citizen.

In the C4 was confirmed that Victor Manuel Maurtua, with the arrest warrant in the neighboring state of California since last May 15. 

As he was transferred to the offices of the PEP to make it available to the U.S. authorities.

This from a United States Department of Justice press release:

The vice president of a Hacienda Heights company made his initial appearance in federal court this afternoon after being arrested over the weekend on charges of exporting high-tech integrated circuits to China in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). 

William Chai-Wai Tsu, 61, a resident of Beijing, was taken into custody by federal agents Saturday afternoon at the Commerce Casino. According to court documents, Tsu illegally shipped at least 200 of the sophisticated integrated circuits to China. At this afternoon's hearing, a United States Magistrate Judge scheduled Tsu's formal arraignment for February 2. Tsu will remain in federal custody pending a bond hearing Thursday. If convicted of the export violation alleged in a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles, the naturalized U.S. citizen faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Federal investigators executed a search warrant Saturday morning at a Hacienda Heights home Tsu allegedly used to receive business-related shipments and correspondence for a company called Cheerway, Inc. During the search, agents seized computer equipment, financial documents and other suspected controlled items believed to be linked to the case. 

La Eme connected Florencia 13 members were convicted Monday in a federal RICO case that included allegations of attempte murder, firearm violations and drug charges. A large component of the case rested on the gang targeting blacks, according to a press release from the United States Department of Justice.

Here's the release:

Ten members and associates of Florencia 13 (F13), a street gang involved in narcotics distribution and shootings of African-Americans, were convicted today on a host of federal criminal charges, including racketeering and narcotics distribution.

The 10 defendants were found guilty today after a 3½-month trial. They are among 102 defendants named in four F13-related indictments that were returned by a federal grand jury in the fall of 2007. The investigation into F13, which was called Operation Joker's Wild, led to the largest gang takedown in American history, with 96 of the 102 defendants being taken into custody. Seventy-six of the defendants have now been convicted, either at trial or as the result of guilty pleas, with the remaining defendants pending trial.

<snip>

"The investigation into Florencia 13 demonstrated the power of law enforcement coming together to combat organized street gangs," said United States Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien. "This gang - which targeted African-Americans, whether or not they posed a threat to the gang's drug-trafficking operations - posed an imminent danger. As a result of this prosecution, the residents of South Los Angeles can live a little easier knowing that these dangerous gangsters have been taken off the street."

John A. Torres, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, stated: "We are very pleased with the verdicts today. This sends a clear message that the community will not tolerate the heinous activity perpetrated by Florencia 13. These convictions will go a long way toward reducing violence and returning peace to the neighborhoods."

Azusa PD and Baldwin Park PD officers took part in the operation, officials said.

DEL TACO ROBBED

COVINA - A man escaped on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash after he robbed a fast-food restaurant at gunpoint early Monday morning, according to police.

Employees from a Del Taco located at 400 S Citrus Avenue reported that a masked man armed with a handgun ordered them on the ground, removed cash from the register and fled on foot, according to Covina police Lt. John Curley.

MOTORCYCLE DEATHS UP

LOS ANGELES COUNTY -- The rate of people dying in Los Angeles County motorcycle crashes has almost doubled over the past eight years, according to data from the California Highway Patrol.

Countywide, 96 people died in motorcycle collisions in 2008 compared to 58 deaths in 2001, according to provisional statistics from the CHP.

In 2007, 85 people died in motorcycle collisions.

BAR SHOOTOUT INJURES ONE

WHITTIER - One man was injured in a shooting that occurred after an argument at The Hide Out Bar in Whittier Saturday night, authorities said.

A 44-year-old man was shot once in the shoulder with a handgun after an argument between two groups of patrons outside the bar at the 13000 block of Telegraph Road around 10 p.m., said Sgt. Ralph Gama of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Norwalk station.

The victim drove himself to Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital. He is expected to survive, Gama said.

VANDALS HIT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

WHITTIER - Vandals broke into a classroom at a Whittier elementary school over the weekend and sprayed the classroom with a fire extinguisher, according to officials.

The break-in was reported Sunday evening at 5 p.m. at Lake Marie School in Whittier, said Sgt. Ralph Gama of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Norwalk station.

BODY FOUND IN ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST - Officials worked to recover a body found Sunday in the forest north of La Crescenta, authorities said.

The body was found more than 120 feet below a bridge near Big Tujunga Canyon Road, about 10 miles north of the road's origin in Sunland, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Angela Shepherd said.

Officials from the United States Forestry Department discovered the body about 3:30 p.m. and contacted sheriff's officials, Shepherd said.

Five teens charged with slaying a Covina Hills woman while she was on the phone with 911 are scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

This from City News Service, via the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office:

The trial for former Rams kicker and San Dimas restaurant owner Tony Zendejas, who is accused of drugging a woman at his restaurant and raping her, is set to begin Feb. 10 after a judge refused a defense motion to dismiss the charges Friday.

Below is an excerpt from a story by Will Bigham over at the San Bernardino County Sun. For the full story, click here.

A judge Friday denied a defense motion to dismiss two rape charges against former NFL placekicker Tony Zendejas.

Zendejas' attorneys argued in Pomona Superior Court there wasn't enough evidence presented at October's preliminary hearing for the former Los Angeles Ram to be held to answer on charges related to Zendejas' alleged drugging of the woman he is accused of raping.

Prosecutors said Zendejas, an NFL placekicker from 1985 to 1995, drugged a woman in January 2008 at the restaurant he owns in San Dimas - Zendejas Mexican Restaurant - then raped and sodomized her at a nearby motel while she was incapacitated.

Zendejas, 48, faces a total of four felony charges in connection with the incident.

A trial date was set Friday for Feb. 10 in Pomona Superior Court.

Details continue to emerge about the disturbing story of a 4-year-old Dayton, Ohio boy who reported to strangers that his mother had been shot to death after being abandoned by the alleged killer at a rest stop.

A suspect (Charlie Myers, 22, of Columbus, Ohio, pictured left) has been arrested and reportedly confessed to the crime, as reported by the Associated Press:

DAYTON -- The 4-year-old boy's explanation was even more startling than the sight of him, barefoot and clad in pajamas, standing alone in the lobby of a highway rest stop.
Judith McConnell and her husband, Michael, had pulled into the rest stop on Interstate 70 about 50 miles outside of Dayton just after 9 p.m. on Jan. 2.
The boy was by himself, staring out a window. Judith McConnell waved at him as they walked in.
What he said next was chilling: "A man came into my house without knocking and shot my mommy."
The man then left him alone at the rest stop, the boy said.
The couple, driving home to Maryland after Christmas in Colorado, took the boy into their car to warm up and called police.
"He's been abandoned here by a man with a gun," Michael McConnell told police. "He's quite disturbed."
As they waited for deputies to arrive, the boy recited the information his mother had drilled into him -- his address, his parents' names, two phone numbers.
When Montgomery County sheriff's deputies arrived at his family's small white bungalow in Dayton later that night, they found the body of his 29-year-old mother, shot to death.
The woman died after struggling with her attacker, said Sheriff Phil Plummer. The killer also sexually assaulted the boy before taking him to the rest stop and abandoning him, police said.
The Associated Press is not naming the family so as not to identify the victim of an alleged sexual offense.
Police say a man under arrest has confessed to the crimes. Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias Heck is considering whether to seek the death penalty.

READ MORE

The Whittier Police Department has released a composite sketch of one of two suspects who attacked a pregnant woman during an attempted carjacking in Whittier late last month.

According to police, the attackers punched the 6-months pregnant victim in the stomach in the attack.

For the full story, as reported by Ruby Gonzales in the Whittier Daily News, click here.

If you thought Moe the Chimp or Homer Simpson's pal Mojo were cool, you'll want to know more about Richard the helper monkey. This from an article in the NY Times Magazine:

On a rainy day in November, I walked through a T. J. Maxx store in Springfield, Mo., with Debby Rose and Richard, her 25-pound bonnet macaque monkey -- one of the most controversial service animals working today. Rose was wearing brown pants and a brown-and-gold-patterned shirt. Richard was wearing a brown long-sleeved polo over a white T-shirt with jeans and a tan vest that said "Please Don't Pet Me I'm Working." Richard stood in the child seat of Rose's shopping cart, facing forward, bouncing up and down, smacking his lips and grinning as Rose pushed him down the aisles.

Richard is a hands-on shopper. If Rose pointed at a sweater or purse she liked, or a pair of shoes, his hand darted out to touch them. As we passed a pair of tan, fuzzy winter boots that Rose particularly liked, Richard leaned out of the cart and quickly licked one on its toe.

People stared as we walked. "Why do you have him?" they'd ask.

"He's a service animal trained for my disability, kind of like a seizure-alert dog," Rose told them, again and again.

I've been to lots of events at Santa Anita through the years. None was as emotional as Thursday's second race, which featured Return of the King, a scrappy 7-year-old chestnut gelding with Martin Pedroza aboard.

The connections, Pedroza, trainer David Bernstein and family and friends who filled in for deceased owners Joseph, James and Charles Ortega, saw their horse glide to a come-from-behind victory. They shed tears of joy and sadness.

Jockey Martin Pedroza told me he thought he was guided by angels throughout the race.

Jockey Danny Sorenson told me that despite the competitive nature of the racing business, most of his peers wanted to see Pedroza win.

"It's like Seabiscuit," he said. "You want to root for the underdog."

Here's the top of Friday's story:

ARCADIA - Tears freely flowed Thursday at Santa Anita when Return of the King stepped into the Winner's Circle.

Friends and family members of Joseph, James and Charles Ortega had come to see their seven-year-old chestnut gelding race for perhaps the last time from the barn of trainer David Bernstein.

The three Ortegas were among nine family members slain at a Covina home on Christmas Eve by Bruce Pardo, the estranged husband of Joseph's daughter Sylvia.

"This was special," Bernstein said. "It was hard to keep from crying from the moment he left the paddock."

Here's the photo caption:  

Jockey Martin Pedroza on Return of the King, center, owned by James
Ortega, takes the lead as they win the 2nd race at Santa Anita Park
Thursday, January 8, 2009 in Arcadia. The Ortega family was killed
during the Christmas Eve massacre in Covina. (SGVN/Staff Photo by
Sarah Reingewirtz/SVCITY)

 

A teenager suspected in a carjacking incident held off police for five hours Thursday evening, before he ultimately surrendered in El Monte. Here's the story from reporter Robert Hong:

WEST COVINA - A teenage carjacking suspect was in custody late Thursday, after leading a standoff with police for more than five hours, officials said.

The boy surrendered about 11:40 p.m. after police used tear gas, according to El Monte police Detective Ralph Batres. No one was injured, he added.

An El Monte police investigation lead police to surround an apartment building in the 200 block of North Grand Avenue where they believed to have located two "people of interest" in a pair of carjackings in El Monte and Baldwin Park and a vehicle theft in El Monte.

When police arrived about 6:30 p.m., one teen boy came out peacefully, while the other barricaded himself inside an apartment, police said

Manny Lozano's all-expense paid trip to China caught the eye of Dave Demerjian who heads the DAs Public Integrity unit. Apparently he didn't declare the trip on his form 700 as required by state Campaign Finance law. Here's the story:

BALDWIN PARK - The District Attorney's Office is reviewing conflict-of-interest allegations involving Mayor Manuel Lozano, officials said.

The agency received a complaint in September and has been probing the issue since, said Dave Demerjian, head of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Division.

Demerjian would not divulge details about the complaint nor say who filed it.

Local businessman Greg Tuttle said though he didn't file the complaint, the District Attorney's review stems from a grievance he did file last year with the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

In that complaint, Tuttle alleged Lozano took an all-expenses paid trip to China in 2007, but never claimed the trip on his statement of economic interests.

Nelson Fortenberry thought it would be a good idea to settle an arguement with his ex by raping her, according to police. Here's the story:

PASADENA - Police arrested a man Thursday night after he allegedly raped a woman he is legally separated from, officials said.

Nelson Fortenberry, 36, of Pasadena was taken into custody around 8:26 p.m., according to Lt. Chris Russ of the Pasadena Police Department.

Fortenberry was visiting a 33-year-old woman in the 1200 block of North Raymond Avenue. Russ did not know the relationship of the couple but said they are legally separated.

An argument ensued between the two and Fortenberry sexually assaulted the woman, Russ said.

Rocha Family and Friends Day at the Races Presents Ortega Family Benefit (Profit from proceeds will go to Ortega Family Trust) February 28th, 2009 Santa Anita Race Track Arcadia, CA Gates Open at 10:30am First Post: 12:30pm Cost: $25.00 adults (18 and over) $10.00 children (17 and under) Includes: Admission, parking, racing program and steak lunch R.S.V.P. by Feb. 15th Jerry Rocha 626-945-6729 jrocha@dtsone.com Jim Rocha 909-267-8623 jimr@adamscampbell.com

Another bit of sad economic news from my hometown, Detroit. Apparently a local elementary school is asking parents to donate toilet paper and light bulbs.

Pretty sad. Here's the lede:

DETROIT -- A Detroit elementary school is asking for donations of toilet paper and light bulbs to continue functioning.

The principal of the Academy of Americas sent a letter to staff, parents and partners asking for donations of items "that are of the utmost importance for proper school functioning and most importantly for student health and safety."

In the letter, Principal Naomi Khalil cited budget constraints within the district as the reason that the school could no longer stock the items.

The district is grappling with a more than $400 million budget deficit and is on the verge of being assigned an emergency financial manager by the state.

 Here's the district Web site

Police believed this shooting was gang related -- perhaps Azusa 13 vs West Covina Mob Pirus. In any event, an arrest was made. Here's this morning's story:

COVINA - Covina police made an arrest yesterday in connection with a shooting that occurred Tuesday afternoon near Las Palmas Middle School, according to officials.

Carlos Pineda, 20, of Azusa was arrested on suspicion of shooting and injuring two young men in the 500 block of Lark Ellen Avenue, according to Covina police Sgt. Dave Foster.

Both men were shot in the leg, fled across the grounds of the school and took refuge in a nearby apartment. A third man with them escaped injury, according to Covina Sgt. David Povero.

No other arrests have been made.

Pineda is in the custody of Covina police. Foster said Pineda will be charged with assault with a deadly weapon

Return of the King, the JJO Stables horse owned by Joseph and James Ortega, runs the second race at Santa Anita this afternoon. Post time is about 1:30 p.m.

Here's today's program. Return of the King is the 5/2 morning line favorite.

The Ortegas were among nine people slain in Covina on Christmas Eve by Bruce Pardo. All the slain were members of the same family and relatives of Pardo's estranged wife Sylvia.

As for the race, its a 6 furlong claimer, with prices between $40,000 and $35,000.  -- which means the horse is for sale and could be claimed by another owner this afternoon.

Martin Pedroza will ride. The consensus of handicappers working for the SGVN predicts Return of the King will find the winner's circle.

We first heard about this assault this morning. The facts just came in about an hour ago. Hopefully the West Covina PD will develop a composite drawing and release it to the public.

Here's the top of Dan Tedford's story:

WEST COVINA - A 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on her way to school this morning after a man pulled her into some nearby bushes and attacked her for several minutes, according to West Covina police.

The girl was walking at 6 a.m. on Shadow Oak Drive near Gemini Street where a man in a black-hooded sweatshirt was walking about 100 yards behind her, police said.

About a minute later, the man grabbed her from behind and pulled her into the bushes near Shadow Oak Park, police said.

There's been an officer involved shooting in Pasadena, at least according to our newsroom scanner.

Sounds like the event took place somewhere in the 1200 block of Glenoak. I'll update as I know more.

*apparently the shooting took place in the 1300 block of Wierfield.

*A field show up of some sort has occurred. There is apparently someone in custody.

A pilot program targeting gangs in various county neighborhoods had been initially scheduled to beta test in the Firestone and Pacoima neighborhoods.

The plan was expanded this afternoon by the County Board of Supervisors to include Monrovia and Duarte, authorities said.

The plan utilizes a variety of techniques to track gang members, potential gang members and their families as a way to reduce violence. Here's a copy of a report presented to the board by CEO Bill Fujioka.

A shooting at a Covina apartment complex has left at least one man wounded and four under arrest. Police followed a trail of blood and small caliber shell casings as they made their way through the crime scene near the the Las Palmas Apartments at 777 W. Covina Avenue.

El Monte police announced this afternoon they've captured a woman suspected in the Dec. 20 kidnapping and robbery of a San Gabriel woman.

The cops plan to hold a press conference at El Monte City Hall this afternoon, Detective Ralph Batres said.

Here's the basics of the case.

The Covina City Council will hold a special meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. to discuss the Christmas Eve Massacre and its affect onthe community. This from the Council agenda:

NEW BUSINESS

NB 1. Update and discussion of possible actions as may be necessary to respond to the

Christmas Eve Homicides

We've rounded up al our coverage of the Covina Christmas Eve slayings in one spot on the Internet. You can find the stories here.

Here's the lead in:

On Christmas Eve, 2008, Bruce Pardo dressed in a Santa Claus suit, armed himself with guns and drove to a house in Covina where his ex-wife, Syliva Pardo, was celebrating with her family. When an 8-year-old girl answered his knock, he shot her in the face. He continued inside, executing Sylvia and other members of her family. He then sprayed fuel in the home, prompting it to catch fire. Eight people died there. Pardo later killed himself, closing out one of the most violent outbursts in the history of the San Gabriel Valley.

Among the Interactive extras on the page are the chilling 911 call from Sylvia's sister and portions of the divorce records.

We've also rounded up photographs, videos, and summaries of the evidence.

Also on the site, is Amanda Baumfeld's latest story regarding plans for a private memorial for the victims.

From auto mechanics to computer specialists to agents, the FBI is trying to bolster it ranks in what the agency is calling one of it's largest "hiring blitzes" in it's history.

About 2,100 professional staff are being sought, as well as about 850 new agents.

Positions are available nation-wide in a variety of areas.

Interested in joining the Feds? More information is availabe via a press release on the FBI's Web site.

Thanks to Ed Barrera, aka Gotham Pundit, who pointed out another Web site devoted to the demise of a great American City that happens to be my hometown.

The site, Detroit Funk, has some great photography and interesting videos from Motown.

Enjoy -- or just cry.

Or perhaps it was a member of the security detail. I'm definitely ruling out Professor Plum in pantry with a briefcase.

In any event, police now believe that a jewelry heist at Paris Hilton's Mullholland Estates homes was an inside job. Here's what the LA Times is reporting:

LAPD investigators believe the $2-million jewelry heist at Paris Hilton's Mulholland Estates mansion last month was probably done by someone familiar with the home's layout and who knew how to access the socialite's collection of rings, watches and necklaces.

Detectives are investigating a number of potential suspects based on information gathered from the scene and interviews with Hilton, who is cooperating with police.

Hilton's bedroom was ransacked during the overnight burglary, but police sources said security video showed a thief who knew the home and was able to quickly find Hilton's jewelry collection, which includes several family heirlooms. The jewelry was in a place that was not accessible to someone simply searching the home, police said.

Just last week, Pasadena police and the DAs office announced they had captured a man suspected in a couple of rapes during the holidays.

But, apparently another rapist is stalking Colorado Boulevard, using the same MO and possibly matching the description of the previous rapist. Here's the story as we know it:

PASADENA - A woman was kidnapped, raped and bound Friday before being dropped off in Los Angeles, authorities said.

Pasadena police received a call from Los Angeles police about 5:20 a.m. saying a woman in her late 30s reported being kidnapped from the 2600 block of East Colorado Boulevard and raped, Pasadena police Lt. Tracey Ibarra said.

The woman reported she was offered a ride by her attacker when he drove her to an unknown location within the city and sexually assaulted her, Ibarra said.

She was also struck in the face during the incident, causing minor injuries, the lieutenant added.

After the assault, the attacker bound the victim's hands and dropped her off at a secluded spot near the 210 Freeway and La Tuna Canyon Road in Los Angeles, Ibarra said.

The suspect was described as a white man in his 40s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, of heavy build, with brown hair and blue clothing, the lieutenant said.

He was driving a white Ford F-150 pickup truck that appeared it was being used as a utility or contractor's vehicle, she said, and may have been armed with a knife.

 

A guy dressed as a cop, wearing an oval badge stopped a woman in West Covina the other night and made some lewd comments. Now he's being sought by police as an imposter.

Here's Brian Day's story:

WEST COVINA - Officials are seeking a man who pulled over a woman while pretending to be a police officer and made sexual comments before being scared off Friday

The incident occurred just after midnight on a side street near Francisquito and Conlon Avenues, West Covina police Lt. Dan Brooks said.

A woman in her 30s was driving when a man driving a "police-style" car used a white spotlight and loudspeaker system to order her to pull over.

When the man, who was wearing a blue uniform, possibly a police uniform, with no patches and an oval-shaped badge, approached the woman, he began making sexual comments, Brooks said.

The woman became panicked and set off her car alarm, which prompted the police impersonator to flee, the lieutenant said.

The suspect was described as a white man in his 40s with brown hair, a bushy mustache and a muscular build, he added.

 

City News Service is reporting a man killed in a Santa Clarita crash Friday was a Pasadena resident. Here's the story:

SANTA CLARITA -- Authorities Sunday identified the 58-year-old man who died in a single-vehicle crash on the 5 Freeway near Santa Clarita.
The accident on the northbound 5 Freeway just north of Weldon Canyon Road was reported about 11:35 p.m. Friday, California Highway Patrol Officer Patrick Kimball said.
Felipe Cisneros Arroyo of Pasadena died when his sport utility vehicle crashed into the center divider, Kimball said. He was declared dead at the scene.

*UPDATE:

El Monte police officials reported Saturday that MIchelle Garcia has been located safely.  Apparently, the girl went to stay at a relative's house without notifying her parents, causing them to panick and call police.

From City News Service:

MICHELLE GARCIA.bmp

(click above link for photo)

EL MONTE -- A 14-year-old girl was missing today and El Monte police asked for the public's help in finding her.
Michelle Garcia went missing from her home at 9548 Cortada Ave. on New Year's Eve at 1 p.m., according to El Monte police Detective Anthony Alvarez. Garcia had the flu, he
said.
Police contacted friends and family but have run out of leads, Alvarez said.
He asked anyone with information about Garcia's whereabouts to call the department at (626)
580-2100 or Alvarez directly at (626) 580-2117.

A Los Angeles man has been charged in a December shooting that left two people dead, one of them a bystander who worked at the sheriff's Compton Station, as City News Services reports below.

LOS ANGELES -- A Los Angeles man was charged Friday with capital murder for the Dec.
20 shooting deaths of two people, including an innocent bystander who worked as a records clerk at the sheriff's station in Compton.
Leonard Mitchell, 46, is scheduled to be arraigned Jan. 15 at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse in connection with the slayings of Alexander Castro, 23, and sheriff's civilian employee Adriana Pizarro, 34.
The murder charges include the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, which could make Mitchell eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Prosecutors are expected to decide later whether to go that route.
A confrontation between Mitchell and Castro precipitated the gunfire, authorities said.
It appeared that Castro most likely had gone to the area looking for someone he thought was
seeing his girlfriend, and that he got into a verbal altercation with Mitchell, who was not the
man he was seeking, according to Detective Kelle Baitx of the Los Angeles Police Department's Newton Division.
Castro -- who was inside his vehicle -- was hit several times, including twice in the head.
Pizarro was about 150 feet away outside her mother's home at Central Avenue and 50th Street in Los Angeles when she was struck in the eye by a stray bullet. She was taken to County-USC Medical Center and pronounced dead about an hour later.
Mitchell was arrested Tuesday by the Los Angeles Police Department's Newton Division and was jailed without bail.

A woman and her companion who live in an El Monte motel room at the Gibson Inn where a murder was committed recently call the room the "Murder Room."

This is just one of the things reporters Brian Day and Rebecca Kimitch learned after several tours of El Monte motels along Valley Boulevard. Here's how their story, scheduled to see print on Sunday, will begin:

With one-third of El Monte's murders this year at or near several motels, some El Monte elected officials are becoming increasingly concerned about crime near the businesses. Meanwhile, police officials dispute assertions that crime in motels is significantly worse than elsewhere, but do say the motels can be problematic.

MONROVIA -- Authorities have released a picture of a man who attempted to rob a bank earlier this week.
The incident was reported shortly before 6 p.m. at the Bank of America, 230 S. Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia police Sgt. Tom Wright said.
The robber left empty-handed after a teller activated an alarm, Wright said.
The robber tried to rob the bank by passing a demand note to the teller, he said.
No one was hurt in the incident, he added.
Officials in other agencies may be investigating the same man for other bank robberies, Wright said.
He was described as an Asian or Latino man wearing a black cap and gray sweat shirt, the sergeant added.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Monrovia Police Department at (626) 256-8000.

Also published by the FBI this week was a photo of a man who robbed an Arcadia East West Bank on Christmas Eve.
Anyone with information on the Arcadia crime is asked to call Arcadia police at (626) 574-5150.