Sheriff’s Department changes policy regarding internal investigations

From City News Service:

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has reversed its policy of waiting until prosecutors make a decision about charging deputies accused of crimes before starting internal investigations, it was reported Sunday.
In one case, a group of jailers were accused of taking an inmate to a secluded spot in Men’s Central Jail, beating him, pulling down his boxers and pepper-spraying his anus and groin, a newspaper reported.
After nearly three years, prosecutors decided not to charge the deputies. That triggered the start of a Internal Affairs investigation, which is still under way.
Since the alleged attack, two of the accused deputies continue to be paid. For the cash-strapped department, that means shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars for employees who weren’t working, it was reproted.
In an attempt to avoid such long delays, sheriff’s officials recently changed course and decided to allow their own inquiries to begin immediately.
“There were significant investigations that were being delayed two, three years because the district attorney’s office wasn’t doing anything,” sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said.
Whitmore said the change is not about cost-saving but about transparency. “The public would get frustrated with the delay,” he said. “The sheriff wants to be more accountable.”
Michael Gennaco, whose Office of Independent Review oversees the sheriff’s department, said the practice of waiting came from a 1991 settlement with the union representing deputies that stipulated that internal reviews be done after criminal adjudication.
A representative for the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs declined to comment, but Gennaco said the deputies’ union is taking legal action to block the change in practice.

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Two robbers empty safe at Norwalk Lowe’s store

NORWALK — Two robbers forced their way into a home improvement store early Sunday and ordered an employee to open a safe at gunpoint, authorities said.
A manager arrived at Lowe’s Home Improvement, 14873 Carmenita Road, about 6 a.m. to open the store, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Glen Emery said.
The two robbers, one of whom was armed with a handgun, “barged their way in and had (employees) turn the alarms off,” he said.
Emery said the robbers then forced the manager to open a safe before locking him and another employee in an office.
The robbers fled out the back of the store with an undisclosed amount of cash, he said.
Officials initially described the robbers only as two black men who were both wearing sunglasses.
Detectives continued their investigation Sunday afternoon.

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Suspect arrested in East Valinda homicide

47034-EMILIO BORGES2-thumb-300x476-47033.jpg

EAST VALINDA – A young gang member is awaiting trial on suspicion of shooting a 24-year-old man to death outside an East Valinda house party earlier this year, investigators announced last week.
Jonathan Lopez, 18, of La Puente is accused of murdering Emilio Borges of Hacienda Heights in front of a Feb. 27 birthday party in the 17000 block of Boulay Street, authorities said.
The attack took place as Borges, along with two passengers, were driving away from the party, Sgt. Brian Schoonmaker of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau said.
“(Borges) was starting to drive away when the shooter walked up on him and shot him through an unopened window,” he said.
A man who was a passenger in Borges’ car suffered a grazing wound, while a woman in the car was unhurt, Detective Mike Valento said.
Due to an ongoing investigation, Valento declined to say exactly how detectives identified Lopez as the suspected triggerman in the fatal shooting before arresting him Sept. 30.
“Right now, let’s just say the investigation led in his direction,” he said.
Investigators said because the shooting occurred outside a party, there were several witnesses present.
“(Lopez) was under surveillance. He was arrested a short distance from his house once he walked away,” Valento said.
Lopez was 17 when the fatal shooting took place, though he has since turned 18, Valento said. Because of the seriousness of the crime and how close Lopez was to being 18 at the time of the shooting, prosectors have charged him as an adult.
According to court records, Lopez was charged with murder Oct. 4 in Pomona Superior Court.
In addition to murder, Lopez is also accused of the special allegation of personally using a firearm in the alleged crime, authorities said. An allegation of committing the crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang is expected to be added later.
The motive in the shooting appeared to be gang-related, Valento said, and detective recently learned that the shooting may have been preceded by a confrontation between the shooter and victim at the party.
Valento described Lopez as a documented member of a La Puente area street gang known as Townsmen.
Borges himself had a criminal history and, according to sheriff’s investigators, was a former affiliate of a local street gang.
He was convicted of criminal conspiracy in connection with a drive-by shooting at age 17 in 2003 and served four years in prison, according to his mother and court records.
Less than a year after his release, he was again imprisoned for three years after a drug possession conviction.
Both family members and detectives said Borges had severed ties with his gang prior to his slaying.
His mother, Belinda Mendez, said she believed her son may have been targeted because of his appearance. He had tattoos and kept his head shaved.
Borges is survived by a wife, a 3-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son from a previous relationship.
“He liked to have fun,” she said. “He liked to take the kids out – to the park, swimming. He was the best father.”
Mendez said Borges was excited to have just started attending classes at Mt. San Antonio College the day before he was killed.
She added that her son had earned his high school diploma while in prison, and had recently become certified in forklift driving and welding.
He had been working with family businesses plastering swimming pools and cleaning carpets, and was hoping to start a career in the construction industry.
A Hacienda Heights resident, Borges was staying temporarily in Walnut when he was killed, Mendez said.
Lopez is due due back in court for an arraignment hearing on Oct. 27, court officials said.
He’s being held in lieu of $2 million bail, records show, at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic.
As Lopez awaits trial, Mendez said she is determined to make some positive out of her family’s tragedy.
She has launched a new nonprofit organization called Parents Fighting Back dedicated to deterring youths from becoming involved in gangs or violence.
The organization is planning a youth resource fair on Feb. 26 in front of West Covina City Hall to honor the anniversary of Borges’ death.
The event will feature organizations geared toward keeping kids out of trouble, such as youth groups and explorer scouts.
For more information on Parents Fighting Back, e-mail parentsfightingback@yahoo.com.

PHOTO: Emilio Borges, courtesy

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Hearing delayed in SGV attempted murder, kidnapping for ransom case

ALHAMBRA — A hearing was delayed Friday for a Monterey Park man accused of kidnapping a young San Gabriel Valley woman for ransom, cutting her throat and leaving her for dead in the desert, officials said.
DeQiang Song, 24, is charged with kidnapping for ransom and attempted murder in connection with the Sept. 8 incident.
An arraignment was scheduled for him Friday in Alhambra Superior Court, however it was continued to Nov. 22, court officials said.
Song allegedly kidnapped the woman, with whom he was acquainted, after taking her on a shopping trip in Arcadia, investigators said.
He allegedly bound her, demanded ransom from her father via telephone, cut her throat and abandoned her in a remote area of desert off the 15 Freeway between Apple Valley and Victorville.
The badly wounded woman walked about half a mile to the nearest home for help, officials said.
Detectives, who authorities said had been working with the woman’s father, jailed Song as tried to pick up ransom money in San Gabriel.
According to sheriff’s booking records, Song is being held in lieu of $2,050,000 bail at the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles.

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Suspects in Fullerton jewelry store smash-and-grab robbery arrested in Santa Fe Springs

SANTA FE SPRINGS — Whittier police jailed three men at a Santa Fe Springs motel late Thursday suspected in a smash-and-grab jewelry store robbery in Fullerton earlier in the day, authorities said.
Deshawn Coleman, 22, of Los Angeles, Bryant Burnett, 19, of Compton and Lavell Grant, 22, of Lynwood, are suspected in the Thursday’s 4:45 p.m. heist at Fullerton Jewelry Mart, 1475 S. Harbor Ave., as well as auto theft, Fullerton police Sgt. Andrew Goodrich said in a written statement. All are believed to be Los Angeles gang members.
Whittier police spotted a stolen car in the parking lot of the Budget Inn, 13420 East Firestone Blvd. in Santa Fe Springs, about 6:50 p.m. and ultimately arrested the three men on suspicion of auto theft, Whittier and Fullerton police said.
“Detectives determined that the three suspects that Whittier PD officers arrested for auto theft were connected to the earlier robbery at the Jewelry Mart,” Goodrich said.
Whittier officers were on patrol when they noticed Coleman, Burnett and Grant standing near a car with a broken rear window in the motel’s parking lot, Whittier police Lt. Bill Webster said. They had been staying at the motel.
“Officers investigated further and ultimately determined that the car was a stolen vehicle from Los Angeles, but it hadn’t been reported stolen yet,” Webster said.
When Whittier officers entered the license plate number into a police computer system, he said, they learned it matched a description of a getaway car given in the Fullerton robbery.
In the jewelry store robbery, six masked men entered the store through three different doors in teams of two and immediately began smashing jewelry cases open with hammers, Goodrich said.
They helped themselves to jewelry for about 30 seconds, then fled to getaway cars, police added.
During the robbery, Goodrich said, employees of the store turned on the robbers and began pelting them with missiles.
“After the employees realized the suspects were unarmed, the employees began fighting back, throwing stools and other objects at the robbers,” he said.
The other suspects remained outstanding, as well as the majority of the stolen jewelry, police said.
According to sheriff’s booking records, Coleman, Burnett and Grant were released from jail early Friday after posting $35,000, $35,721 and $88,471 bail, respectively.
Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call Fullerton police Detective Matt Malone at 714-738-6534.

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Burglary suspect jailed after search near Whittier

WHITTIER — Deputies found and arrested a burglary suspect hiding in the laundry room of an apartment complex Friday in an unincorporated county area near Whittier, authorities said.
Robert ALexander, 19, of Los Angeles was jailed after a brief search and lockdown of a nearby elementary school, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Joe Chavez said.
The incident began about 11:40 a.m. when a witness reported seeing the suspect enter a house in the 8300 block of Norwalk Boulevard, Chavez said.
Deputies surrounded the home and spotted the intruder climb out a rear window and flee into a nearby apartment complex at Norwalk Boulevard and Slauson Avenue, officials said.
They surrounded the apartment building, Chavez said, and locked down nearby Aeolian Elementary School as a precaution.
After about 15 minutes, deputies found the burglary suspect, “attempting to hide in the laundry room,” he said.

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British judge sentences former priest, arrested in Duarte, for child molestations

From the Associated Press:

LONDON — A British judge has sentenced a former Roman Catholic priest arrested in Duarte last year to 21 years in jail after he was convicted of 21 charges of sexual offenses against boys.
James Robinson, 73, had denied the charges. He was accused of abusing boys from 1959 to 1983. He was ordained in 1971.
Judge Patrick Thomas described Robinson on Friday as devious and manipulative. Thomas says “the offenses you committed were unimaginably wicked and caused immense and long-lasting — we can only hope not permanent — damage to the six victims.”
Robinson left Britain in 1985 and moved to California.
Police issued an arrest warrant against him after he was tracked down by a BBC program and challenged in person by one of his accusers.
After being arrested last year in Duarte, he was extradited back to the UK to face trial.

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Meet South Pasadena’s “Bernie Madoff”

South Pasadena’s Bernie Madoff will be in court today for arraignment:

SOUTH PASADENA – The man local authorities have dubbed “Bernie Madoff of South Pasadena” is scheduled to be arraigned Friday at Los Angeles Superior Court.

Morris Gussin is facing twenty felony counts of grand theft and securities violations in a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme.

He was arrested by a Federal Bureau of Investigations Task Force in Las Vegas and was extradited by South Pasadena authorities after a two and half year investigation.

Janice and Carlos Sams Cespedes said they were referred to Gussin by a mutual friend to help them go over their insurance policy and write a will after Carlos was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2004.

“She trusted him and because she trusted him, I trusted him,” Janice said. “He used her name because she’s known in the Pasadena community and unbeknownst to her he was stealing people’s money.”

Gussin is being represented by the law firm of Brown, White & Newhouse, LLP.

“(Gussin) will certainly enter a plea of not guilty to the charges,” said George Newhouse, attorney. “A great number of the charges appear to be seven or eight years old and under the law they have three years to allege grand theft.”

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Torrid affair between Manling and classmate led to 2007 triple slaying

A woman who killed her husband and two children was tired of being a wife and mother, a prosecutor argued Thursday. 
So tired of the drudgery that Manling Willians smothered her two young children sliced her husband Neal to death with a Kitana sword.
Why?
She was having a torrid affair, prosecutor Pak Kouch said.
Meanwhile Manling’s attorney admitted her client’s guilt in the 2007 triple slaying, but tried to minimize the premeditation. 
On her blog, Grief’s Journey, Neal’s mom, Jan WIlliams, described the first day of the hearing as gut wrenching.

I’m shell shocked. I don’t know how much I can write about this right now. It’s going to take a lot of assimilating. My notes are disjointed and staccato, and it will be a few days before my feelings and stomach settle down and I can really write about it. It’s too new, too immediate and too awful.

The defense attorneys admitted to the jury that Manling committed the murders. They are not contesting the crime scene information. What they will argue is the legal definition of first degree murder. I don’t really understand that, but I’m not understanding much of anything today. My system is on complete overload.

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