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The Daily Racing Form reports that trainer Julio Canani was arrested in Sierra Madre Sunday on suspicion of DUI.
Canani's horse 3-year-old The Pamplemousse, won Saturday and is considered a top 3-year-old contender with Kentucky Derby aspirations.
Art Wilson profiled Canani in a piece that discusses some of the trainer's superstitions:
Ridden by veteran Alex Solis, whose son, Alex II, is part owner of the colt, The Pamplemousse went gate to wire as the 1-2 favorite to win the 1 1/8-mile race on Pro-Ride by six lengths in 1:47.86 - the fastest running of the Sham in its nine-year existence.
"Listen, time only counts to get out of jail," colorful winning trainer Julio Canani said. "So whatever happens, slow track or fast track, it's life."
The Pamplemousse, who lost his first two starts last year before breaking his maiden in his first try around two turns at Hollywood Park on Dec. 14, has won three of five lifetime.
*Here's what the Sierra Madre PD is saying about the arrest:
Canani, 70, was arrested for vehicle code violations, according to Sierra Madre police Capt. Larry Giannone.
"When officers made contact they further determined he was driving under the influence," Giannone said.
Canani did not pass a field sobriety test that contained "standard exercises," Giannone said.
The trainer was taken to the Pasadena City Jail, booked and released on $5,000 bail with a promise to appear on May 6.
The Kentucky Derby will be run on May 2, so that gives him plenty of time to get back to town.
This from Capitol Weekly:
"Thank goodness we weren't in lockdown last night."
Those were the words of freshman Assemblyman Curt Hagman, who pulled two people from a burning car in downtown Sacramento at 8:30 p.m. Monday evening. Moments later, the vehicle exploded.
Hagman, R-Chino Hills, said he was in his apartment near 5th and N when he heard a crash outside.
He went downstairs to investigate and saw that a car had struck a parked pickup truck The car's doors were jammed shut, and two people were trapped inside.
Hagman helped the male driver and his female passenger from the car. The driver immediately ran off, and the woman was found later to have a blood-alcohol level of .33, Hagman said, about four times the legal limit for a driver in California
Another young Hollywood star has had a run in with the law. This time it's former Disney Channel star Shai LaBeouf, who recently appeared in an Indiana Jones flick.
Here's what Associated Press has to say:
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Indiana Jones" co-star Shia LaBeouf was arrested for drunk driving Sunday after an early morning car accident in which he was injured, police said.
LaBeouf was the driver of a vehicle that was involved in a 3 a.m. collision in Hollywood, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. S. Wolf said.
"It was immediately apparent to officers responding on the scene that LaBeouf was intoxicated and he was subsequently placed under arrest," Wolf said.
LaBeouf and his passenger were injured, as was the other driver. Wolf didn't know the extent of their injuries.
Wolf said he didn't know if LaBeouf, 22, would face felony or misdemeanor charges.
This from reporter Amanda Baumfeld:
AZUSA - A man in a wheelchair was struck and killed by a vehicle while crossing the Gladston Street Monday night. The man supposedly had a beer in his hand at the time of the accident and officers believe he was under the influence. The collision occured around 8:45 p.m. on Gladstone Street, just west of Barranca Avenue. The man remains unidentified.
Bethania Palma writes the latest chapter in the Sergio Corona story:
The District Attorney's office Monday filed misdemeanor charges against a school board member who was Tased and arrested last month, authorities said.
Sergio Corona, 34, was charged with three counts stemming from a May 22 incident in which police Tased him twice and took him into custody, authorities said.
He faces one count each of vandalism, resisting or obstructing an officer and driving without a license.
Corona allegedly admitted to smoking marijuana and methamphetamine earlier that night, according to a police report.
The DA's office last month sent a toxicology report back to police to confirm results but did not file drug-related charges.
Mayor's son questioned in car theft case.
An unidentified person was detained at Mayor Ron Beilke's home Wednesday as part of an auto theft investigation, authorities said.
<snip>
Beilke said deputies questioned his 17-year-old son, who visited the same house as Sonny Costello, a 19-year-old transient, who is accused of stealing a 2002 Chevy Suburban on Tuesday night.
Monrovia plans outside investigation of claims against PD.
MONROVIA - Police Chief Roger Johnson said Wednesday that an outside agency would investigate sexual harassment allegations contained in a lawsuit filed against a Monrovia police officer.
Rudy Ramirez, 25, a former Monrovia jailer and member of the Monrovia police Explorer program, filed the lawsuit last month. He claims Sgt. Dan Verna sexually abused and harassed him beginning in 2000 while he was a minor until November 2006 when Ramirez was terminated by the department.
"Any of these allegations are going to be reviewed by a law enforcement agency independent of the Police Department to determine if there's been any wrong-doing," Johnson said.
<snip>
To bolster claims in his lawsuit, Ramirez states that Verna helped a suspected gang member, Salvador Parra, get released from Monrovia city jail on two occasions in 2006.
Sheriff's officials on Wednesday said a deputy saw Verna and Parra in 2006 inside of a parked car in Fish Canyon.
On patrol May 2, 2006, Deputy Mike Silva spotted the pair, authorities said. When he saw a gun in the car, the deputy detained Verna and called for backup, said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Capt. Richard Shaw.
Man shot and killed in Hacienda Heights.
Police responded to the 1100 block of Finegrove Avenue to reports of shots fired around 9:50 p.m., according to Deputy Aura Sierra of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
They found a Latino man, 30, with multiple gun shots wounds in his torso, Sierra said.
CHiPs OIS follow up; woman identified.
Two CHP officers patrolling the eastbound 10 Freeway just after 11 p.m. initially noticed the woman as she passed them in her car, driving at a high rate of speed, Dolson said.
The officers thought she might have been under the influence, so they pulled her over at Hellman and Garfield avenues, just off the freeway, Dolson said.
When one of the officers approached the vehicle, the woman pulled out the replica handgun, prompting the officer to fire one round, he said.
The fake handgun was later recovered at the scene, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Oscar Butao.
"It looked exactly like a righteous firing gun," Dolson said. "You would probably have to handle it and examine it for a short time to realize it wasn't real."
Police arrested Baldwin Park School Board member Sergio Corona this morning on suspicion of driving under the influence and felony vandalism. He was apparently breaking windows at a home in the 13900 block of Standstone Street in Baldwin Park.
Police said when they pulled Corona over, he confronted them "shirtless and sweaty" and had to be Tased.
This letter comes from the mother of Ondrea Alvarez, who was killed in a fatal traffic accident on Pathfinder Road in Rowland Heights. The family, and police are still seeking answers in the case. THe top photo is from the family's Bellflower backyard. The bottom from a memorial at the site of the accident. Here's the letter:
Thank you for following up on the story of our wonderful daughter/sister. We thought we would send you some pictures of Ondrea and of the memorial which is at the site of the accident and of the one at her home in Bellflower. If you could please post one or two of them with your "Trace" artical as well as any future updates we would be very greatful.
We know very little about what happend on the night of the accident and the CHP have said that no information would be available until they complete their investigation (which we were told could take up to 3 or more months) so we are thankful to you and the crimescene site for the comfort we have found in the information you have porvided us.
Thank you so very much!
Ondrea's Mother - Robin Hoskins
The state's ABC TRACE team is investigating the traffic collision that killed 20-year-old Ondrea Alvarez of Bellflower in Rowland Heights on Pathfinder Road March 2.
The team does back track investigations whenever there is a major incident involving an underage drinker.
"They are going to find where the kid who was driving got the booze," says reporter Brian Day who is following this story.
There's been several blog comments on the case. There is also an Internet guest book for grieving friends of Ondrea to recall her life.



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