DA tells Commerce councilman to resign

From The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office:

LOS ANGELES – A City of Commerce councilman must resign and abstain from holding public office for the next three years after pleading guilty today to obstruction of justice, the District Attorney’s Office announced.

East Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Henry Barela, who imposed the sentence, further indicated that Hugo Argumedo, 49, may not hold public office while on his three-year probation term.

Deputy District Attorney Sandi Roth of the Public Integrity Division said the defendant pleaded to a misdemeanor count of obstructing justice. A felony count of perjury by declaration was dismissed at sentencing.

The case, filed Dec. 14, stems from a false affidavit that Argumedo certified as true, filed in a civil lawsuit between the City of Commerce and the former city attorney, Francisco Leal.

The false affidavit, signed by Argumedo, was filed by Leal in an attempt to defend allegations that he failed to pay a settlement owed to the City of Commerce after a contractual dispute.

Argumedo’s conduct caused the city to incur additional legal fees and resulted in a miscarriage of justice to the city, the prosecutor said.

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Forget about Pechanga or Vega$ there’s slots right here in the SGV

Who knew?

This from reporter Ben Baeder, who chronicles a growing trend right here int he San Gabriel Valley — illegal slot machines:

It’s the long arm of the law versus the one-armed bandits.

Area police are increasingly finding illegal gambling machines at area businesses, such as restaurants, liquor stores and laundromats.

Officers in El Monte and Covina have confiscated 11 machines since Dec. 6.

The discoveries have officers wondering how widespread the practice is.

“We weren’t really looking for them, but after these last couple weeks, we are now,” Covina Police Sgt. Gregg Peterson said.

Covina police since Dec. 6 have confiscated four slot machines, including two last week at a laundromat on Azusa Avenue.

And El Monte Police on Tuesday found seven video games converted into gambling machines. The games were llegal gambling machines seized by El Monte Police from businesses.

(SNIP)

Even children’s games that give out redemption tickets are technically forbidden. If they desired, officials could enforce the law at Chuck E. Cheese’s or similar establishments.

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Bank robbed in Whittier, authorities suspect serial bandit

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It appears the FBI is yet to name this newcomer to the field of serial bank robbery. Based on his height and M.O., I’ve already heard “Little Bomber Bandit” suggested. Any ideas?

WHITTIER — A man threatened to have a bomb while robbing a U.S. Bank branch in Whittier Saturday in what police suspect was the second area bank robbery carried out by the same bandit in three days.
The crime took place about 11 a.m. at the bank at 13525 E. Whittier Blvd., Whittier police Lt. Bill Webster said.
A robber walked into the bank and approached a teller, Webster said, “threatening to have bomb and demanding money.”
The demand was made verbally, as opposed to in a note, officials said.
After receiving an undisclosed amount of cash, the robber was last seen leaving the area on foot, police said.
He was described as a white man in his 50s, between 5 feet 1 inch and 5 feet 4 inches tall, with a thin build and wearing dark clothing and a dark beanie.
The tactics used in the robbery and the description of the suspect were strikingly similar to those reported in a Wednesday robbery at another U.S. Bank branch in Norwalk, Webster said.

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“It’s very similar to the one in Norwalk recently, so we believe it may be the same suspect,” he said.
In Wednesday’s crime, a man of a similar description entered the bank branch at 13928 Pioneer Boulevard in Norwalk, Sgt. Glenn Emery said.
He handed a teller a note in which he claimed to have a bomb and demanded money, official said.
In both crimes, the robber carried a brown, zippered portfolio.

PHOTOS: Above – surveillance image from Saturday’s robbery in Whittier.(Courtesy of the Whittier Police Department) Below – a surveillance image from Wednesday robbery in Norwalk.(Courtesy of the FBI).

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Fire destroys warehouse in Montebello

MONTBELLO — A massive fire caused more than $1 million worth of damage to a commercial facility early Saturday, officials said.
The fire was first reported at 12:34 a.m. at a business at 760 S. Vail Avenue, Montebello Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin Collinge said.
The building was full of wooden furniture, pallets and cardboard boxes, providing ample fuel for the flames, he said.
“The fire was very well involved when we got there and it spread very, very quickly,” Collinge said.
The 150-foot by 300-foot building on Vail Avenue was completely destroyed, he said. A second adjoined building of about 150-feet by 150-feet sustained about $100,000 worth primarily water and smoke damage, though firefighters managed to keep the fire itself from spreading into the second building.
“They were able to do a pretty good stop,” Collinge said.
The first firefighters on the scene called for backup, officials said, and a total of about 60 firefighters from several fire departments extinguished the blaze in about two hours.
Firefighters remained at the charred ruins Saturday afternoon watching for possible flare-ups, Collinge said. They were expected to keep an eye on the scene throughout Saturday night.
One firefighter was treated by paramedics for exhaustion during the firefight but did not need to be hospitalized, officials said.
Authorities were concerned about large embers being emitted by causing other nearby buildings to ignite.
“The (burning) cardboard was getting airborne and just flying all over the place,” Collinge said. “The wind was carrying some of those embers (south) probably a good quarter-mile away.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

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“Grim Sleeper” suspect’s laywer attacks LAPD release of photos

From the Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES — The attorney for a mechanic accused of the “Grim Sleeper” serial killings criticized Los Angeles police Saturday for releasing photographs of women seized at the suspect’s home.
Louisa Pensanti said the photos include family and friends of suspect Lonnie Franklin Jr. who are now under intense public and police scrutiny. She also said investigators’ comments at a recent news conference were “jeopardizing Lonnie Franklin’s chance for a fair trial.”
“Those are family photos,” she told The Associated Press, adding that Franklin’s relatives are upset that the photos were released publicly.
LAPD spokeswoman Norma Eisenman said investigators could not immediately be reached for comment.
Last week, police released the photos of about 160 women in the hopes of finding out who they are and if anything happened to them.
Police said they’ve received hundreds of calls. Several callers told investigators they were among the women in the photographs, but police must interview them individually to be sure.
Before the photos were released, investigators contacted Pensanti asking that Franklin’s wife come down to the police station to view the photographs, the lawyer said. When Pensanti instead requested a copy of the photos so she could review them privately, investigators refused, she said.
“There’s no reason she had to come down to the police department,” Pensanti said.
Franklin is accused of killing 10 women beginning in 1985, and he has pleaded not
guilty. The photos and videos were found in Franklin’s home and garage during a search after his July arrest. None of the photos depicted the alleged victims.
Investigators spent years trying to crack the case. Franklin’s arrest finally came after his son was swabbed for DNA after being arrested on an unrelated matter, and the sample connected the father to evidence from the killings.

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Have you seen this bank robber?

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The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI are seeking a serial bank robber dubbed “The Trojan Horse Bandit.” With at least five bank robberies on his resume in Bellflower and Downey, the bandit earned his moniker because of his affinity for sporting USC Trojan apparel. During the crimes, according to a written statement from the sheriff’s department, “He has been described by witnesses as having worn University of Southern California (USC) Trojan team apparel.”

Here’s an alert sent out by sheriff’s officials regarding the bandit.

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Posted in 211

Stabbing, carjacking, kidnapping, chase, 100-foot plunge in stolen patrol car — Santa Clarita man accused of one-man crime spree

As the Associated Press details below, sheriff’s deputies had their hands full Friday with a man accused of a rampage that started with the stabbing of his own mother and ended with the fiery crash of a stolen sheriff’s patrol car and a fight with deputies. In between — carjacking, kidnapping, hit-and-run and a chase. And all within about an hour:

SANTA CLARITA — A man stabbed his mother Friday, carjacked a car with a 4-year-old boy inside and crashed and was arrested only after he tumbled 100-feet down an embankment in a stolen sheriff’s patrol car and fought with deputies, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
The suspect, identified as Aaron Clay Tanner, 30, of Santa Clarita, stabbed his mother several times and pushed her out of their car on State Route 14 near the Mission Hills area of Los Angeles, sheriff’s Capt. Michael Parker said. He then drove to Newhall where he allegedly crashed into another vehicle in a parking lot and fled.
Deputies were called to the scene on a report of a hit-and-run. When deputies arrived, a woman told them she had been assaulted, her PT Cruiser had been stolen and her 4-year-old son who was in the car had been kidnapped, Parker said. The suspect also had collided with another driver in the parking lot before stealing the PT Cruiser, injuring the driver, Parker said.
A deputy spotted the PT Cruiser about four miles away. The suspect had rear-ended another vehicle, then backed into a tree, Parker said. As the deputy ran to rescue the child, who was still in the crashed car, the suspect somehow got into the deputy’s patrol car and took off.
Deputies spotted the stolen patrol car and began pursuing the suspect. The suspect crashed the patrol car into a 4-foot-high block wall, went over an embankment and down a 100-foot drop. The car rolled several times and came to rest at the bottom of the drop where it caught fire.
As the deputies rushed to reach the suspect, they saw him reach for a shotgun which had been dislodged from the burning car, Parker said.
The suspect fought with and bit deputies as they tried to take him into custody, Parker said. Deputies used a stun gun on the suspect and he was ultimately arrested.
The entire sequence of events took place in less than an hour, Parker said.
The child was seat-belted in the PT Cruiser and received only minor injuries from the crash, Parker said. The child’s mother was treated at a hospital for injuries to her face.
The suspect’s mother was stabbed multiple times in the upper body, but her injuries
were believed to be non-life threatening, Parker said.
Tanner was taken to a hospital for his injuries suffered during the crashes and fight with deputies and is listed in serious condition, Parker said. He will be booked on suspicion of attempted murder, kidnapping, carjacking, attempted carjacking, auto theft, assault with a deadly weapon and felony hit-and-run with injuries.
Several deputies also were treated for various injuries, including bites they received on the legs and hands while handcuffing the suspect.

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San Dimas residents arrested, Santa Fe Springs warehouse searched after bust at Mentone medical marijuana dispensary

From Staff Writer Janisse Johnson:
MENTONE — San Bernardino County Sheriff’s investigators arrested six people, including two San Dimas residents, and raided a Santa Fe Springs warehouse — Thursday following an investigation into medical marijuana sales at the Mentone Patients Association.
Investigators served five search warrants and made six arrests in relation to activity at the Mentone Patients Association, sheriff’s officials said in a written statement.
Narcotics Investigators conducted surveillance over two months on the dispensary and saw several people purchase marijuana at a specified price, not based on a donation. Some people were sold marijuana without the proper verification of a medical marijuana recommendation. 
Investigators arrested business owner Shannon Troncoso, 38 of San Dimas; Gail Marie Shea, 38 also of San Dimas; Luis Albert Hernandez, 40, of Mentone; Jason Craig Ramsey, 40, of Yucaipa; Mayra Agueda Godoy, 25, of Corona; and Tod Lee McDonald, 43 of Mentone. 
The operation led investigators to a warehouse in Santa Fe Springs where they served a search warrant.
There they found a marijuana growing operation with plants in various stages of growth, officials said.
Investigators also found about 10 pounds of marijuana, $15,000 in cash and firearms.
The suspects were all booked on suspicion of conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
Those arrested also failed to report income and pay proper taxes to the State Board of Equalization, according to the release.
The investigation is continuing and investigators expect to make more arrests.
Anyone with any additional information pertaining to this investigation is asked to call Deputy Donald Patton at 909-890-4840.
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Man sentenced in fatal El Monte DUI crash

From City News Serice:
POMONA — An Orange County man was sentenced Friday to five years in state prison for a DUI crash that killed a woman on the San Bernardino 10 Freeway in El Monte five days before Christmas last year.
omona Superior Court Judge Jack Hunt imposed the term on Thomas Earl Vanauken, 44, of Anaheim, who pleaded no contest last month to one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
anauken was behind the wheel of a 2009 Acura MDX that rear-ended Edelmira Guardado’s 1995 Mitsubishi around 2:45 a.m. Dec. 20 after the 42-year-old Ontario woman slowed for traffic on the eastbound side of the freeway, just east of Santa Anita Avenue, due to construction work.
nvestigators said shortly after the crash that he may have been traveling at more than 120 mph.
uardado died of extensive head trauma. One of her passengers suffered lacerations, and the other escaped injury.
anauken kept driving after the crash and got into the carpool lane, where the Acura hit the center divider and overturned, according to the California Highway Patrol. He was arrested after being treated at a Baldwin Park hospital.
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Posted in DUI

Pasadena gets $370,000 to combat gangs

PASADENA — Pasadena will receive nearly $370,000 in state grant money to combat gangs, officials said Friday.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that $9.2 million would be distributed to 24 California cities under the Governor’s California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Initiative.
Pasadena will receive $369,309 in grant money, according to a written statement issued by the governor’s office.
Other Los Angeles County cities to receive CalGRIP fund include Hawthorne and Long Beach, which are both also to receive $369,309, as well as Los Angeles, which is slated to receive $1 million in CalGRIP funds.
“My administration is committed to fighting violence with a comprehensive approach that will keep our youth on the right track with early intervention and coordinated anti-gang efforts,” Schwarzenegger said.
The grants announced Friday are the fourth round of CalGRIP funds to be distributed since the program was started in 2007, officials said.
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