Recently in Alhambra Category

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.

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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.

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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."

We're following this story as it develops. Officers told reporter Tania Chatila that the woman is still not identified. But somehow they know she was 52-years-old:

ALHAMBRA - Authorities are investigating the shooting death of a woman by a California Highway Patrol officer Tuesday night after the woman allegedly brandished a fake handgun.

The incident occurred about 11 p.m. off the 10 Freeway near Hellman and Garfield avenues.

Authorities believe the woman - who has not been identified - pulled out a replica handgun prompting the officer to fire back.

The woman died at the scene, according to reports.

No further details were immediately available.

This from the Associated Press:

ALHAMBRA, Calif. (AP) _ A California Highway Patrol officer has shot and killed a woman during an Alhambra traffic stop after she pulled what turned out to be a replica handgun.

Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Aura Sierra says the shooting just off Interstate 10 east of downtown Los Angeles occurred shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Sheriff's investigators remained on the scene Wednesday morning at Hellman and Garfield avenues.

KTLA television says the CHP officer spotted the woman's red BMW speeding on the freeway and made a traffic stop just off the interstate.

Investigators say the woman pulled out what appeared to be a handgun and the CHP officer, fearing for his life, shot her. Sierra says the woman was declared dead at a nearby hospital.

The woman's name hasn't been released.

Brian Day is set to report the existence of a serial robber who is targetign area beauty stores. THe robber has apparently hit five beauty supply locations in recent weeks.

The latest victim .com Beauty Supply in Walnut.

Aslo targeted were stores in Alhambra and Monterey Park. Link to the story when it comes in.

The residents of 1300 Date Avenue in Alhambra, all registered sex offenders, are in the spotlight this week. Alhambra police have been getting the word out about these guys and plan a community meeting 7 p.m. at Fremont Elementary School.

Name:  Drane, Michael Carven
DOB:  September 14, 1954.
Additional DOB=s: August 18, 1954; September 14, 1956.
Physical: Male, Black, 5-09, 250 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.  He also wears glasses.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Aliases: Jones, Marvin; Brown, Michael; Jones, Melvin; Jones, Michael; Green, Michael; Drone, Michael.
Offense: 314.1PC - Indecent Exposure.

Name:  Hobbs, Donn Carroll Jr.
DOB:  March 25, 1970.
Physical: Male, Black, 5-11, 254 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Aliases: Hobbs, Don Carrol.
Offense: 264.1PC - Rape etc. in concert with force violence. 

Name:  Mollinedo, Leonard William
DOB:  June 8, 1972.
Physical: Male, Hispanic, 5-10, 230 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Aliases: Mallinedo, Leonard W.
Offense: 288(A)PC - Lewd or Lascivious acts with child under 14 years.

Name:  Wynn, Eddie Herman
DOB:  September 8, 1961.
Physical: Male, Black, 5-09, 180 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Aliases: Smith, Dwayne; Thomas, Dave; Spencer, Terry; Smith, Thomas; Guy, Earl; Franklin, Tony.
Offense: Lewd acts / Indecent Exposure (Out of State).

Name:  Elliott, Mario
DOB:  October 8, 1968.
Physical: Male, Black, 5-08, 140 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Aliases: Elliott, Mario Dionne.
Offense: 243.4(A)PC - Sexual Battery.

Name:  Wilson, David Haliburton
DOB:  September 4, 1980.
Physical: Male, Other, 5-11, 185 lbs., black hair, brown eyes.
Residence: 1300 South Date Avenue, Alhambra.
Offense: 261(A)(2)PC - Rape by force etc.

A residence at 1300 Date Avenue in Alhambra is home to as many as 6 sex offenders registered under the terms of Megan's Law, officals said.

A forum to discuss the house will be held Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Fremont Elementary School at 2001 E. Elm Street, Alhambra police Sgt. Sigfredo Villegas said.

Police have passed fliers in the neighborhood warning residents of the presence of the sex offenders, Villegas said. They are also stocking copies of the men's mug shots at the police station. Those mugs shots are awailable at the station's front counter, Villegas said.

The state's Megan's Law website does not list any registered sex offenders on Date Avenue. Police became suspicious of the house late last week when two sex offenders apparently called the station (one right after the other) to report their new address.

Arraignment for Isaac Campbell, 32, accused of killing his girlfriend Liya "Jessie" Lu, ,31,  then stuffing her body in a trash can filled with kitty litter was postponed again Tuesday, officials said.

Apparently the Los Angeles Department of Coroner is having a difficult time determining the cause of Lu's death, and therefore Campbell cannot be arraigned, according to officials who spoke to Pasadena Star-News reporter Fred Ortega at the Alhambra courthouse. The arraignment was continued until the end of next month, officials said.

Students at PCC, where Lu was a nursing student have been folowing the case via the PCC Courier, which carried this report by Franco Sui Yuan:

One time PCC student Isaac Campbell, suspected in slaying former PCC student Liya Jessie Lu, will make a new appearance on court, after his arraignment was postponed today at the Alhambra Courthouse.

Superior Court Judge Carlos Uranga postponed the arraignment to May 6 due to the tardiness in receiving the Coroner’s report.

The report contains the information of Lu’s cause of death.

“We still don’t have a copy of the [Coroner’s] report,” said Deputy District Attorney and Prosecutor Steve Ipson. “Hopefully it will be available soon.”

Campbell spent several weeks on the lam in connection with the Aug. 11 disappearance and death of Lu before he was captured in Minneapolis in September.

Lu had been reported missing on Aug. 11 after she was dropped off at Campbell's apartment in San Gabriel, authorities said. Her car, a Mazda Miata, was also reported missing.

The car was recovered in the same Arcadia back yard where Lu's body was found, according to a friend of the homeowner who asked to remain anonymous.

Just prior to Campbell's capture, detectives held a news conference asking for assistance locating him. Among the information released at the news conference were details that indicated Lu's body was covered with kitty litter after being stuffed in a 90-gallon plastic trash can.

That information combined with several Internet posts on this blog and Usenet newsgroups helped lead investigators to Campbell, Sheriff's homicide Lt. Gil Carrillo said.

It's called Rate My Cop and essentially it allows users to rate their interaction with the cops on the beat or at the station.

Seems to have a lot of potential, but it's not really being hit -- yet.

I attempted to look up officers from Covina, Alhambra and the LAPD without much success. I'm sure the size of the database will grow as it gets more use.

The site is here.

*After a little more searching of the site I came across some ratings for El Monte Police officers. Of the 148 listed officers, four have been rated, including Chief Weldon. There's also this gem from user "flores666":

"This officer helped me with my problems even though he has arrested me in the past. He is fair."

This photo, from the LA Daily News, came with this caption:

 Gino Sesto operates his RateMyCop.com website out of his Culver City  

This from MyFOX LA:

A man suspected of killing his estranged wife and stepson more than nine years ago was returned to Southern California Tuesday, according to a broadcast report.

Fu Lin Wang reportedly arrived on a flight to Los Angeles International Airport.

Wang was arrested by Chicago police last Monday after his picture and description were publicized on the Web site of the Fox Broadcasting series  "America's Most Wanted"  and in Chinese newspapers throughout the United States and Canada, Alhambra police Sgt. George Flannagan said.

So much for FOX.

Here's what my new favorite Chinese language newspaper, the World Journal is saying about the flight from Chicago to LA and the paper's role in Wang's capture (notice they refer to Wang as Wong):

Mr Wong hand and the shackles on the freedom of movement so that he can not only its own activities room for the diet drink. A year ago, Mr Wong stroke symptoms, a slight inconvenience action, with the entire flight performance.

(Alhambra police Detective) Black stressed that Mr Wong on the tattoo, especially the legs Houwang logo for the Chicago police to determine his identity play a crucial role. He also once again on the "World Journal" to play in the case of express my sincere thanks.

Black said that no Chinese media, in particular the World Journal timely reports and cooperate with, it would be impossible to suspect arrested.

 

This from the wires and the "My LIfe of Crime Blog:"

A man wanted for the murder of his wife and son on Dec. 6, 1998, was arrested today in Chicago, Alhambra police said.

Fu Lin Wang was busted by Chicago PD after his picture and description were appeared on the America’s Most Wanted Internet Web page, and in Chinese newspapers throughout the United States and Canada, Alhambra police Sgt. George Flannagan said.

Wang, who has some pretty unmistakable body ink, was taken into custody without incident, Flannagan said.

 This comes from a friend of Sammantha Salas, 16, of Alhambra. Salas was shot to death outside her father's apartment in Monrovia. No arrests have been made. Her mother and others are hoping that a reward will be established to help capture the killers, who used a machine gun in the attack.

  In Loving Memory of Sammantha Salas
                                         December 19, 1991 - January 26, 2008
 
 
                                     You left us loving memories
                                      your love is still our guide.
                                      Although we cannot see you,
                                      You're always by our side.
 
These are a few phrases of "The Chain of Family" quoted on Sammantha's prayer card at her funeral.
Sammantha Salas in her 16 years on this earth left beautiful memories, she was a great student at Alhambra High School. She was a member of Saint Vincent de Paul Society at All Souls Catholic Church in Alhambra, serving the most needy in our Community. She along with her mother Jeanette help serve Thanksgiving dinner to All Souls Community last November.
She help care for her Grandmother who is ill and loved both her Grandparents, Great Grand Mother Mercy and the rest of her family.
She looked after her little sister Brittney, who does not quite understand the impact of the most cruel thing that happened to her big sister.
She loved to knit, sew and design hand bags.
So please join us in the gathering scheduled for March 18, 2008, Tuesday night at 7:00 PM at Pamela Park, 2236 Goodall Ave, Duarte, Ca 91010
Mr. Edmund Chavez, Sammantha's stepfather will give a speech to the Community.
Let's not fail Sammantha's memory and for all the children that were victims of crime.

On Wednesday, KFI' s John and Ken devoted their 6 p.m. hour to the sex offender clown house in Altadena. The began by taking issue with us for a "wimpy" headline -- "Residents decry halfway house." But also praised reporter Elise Kleeman's story.

A few members of the Altadena Town Council appeared on the show and discussed their opposition to the Sober Living residence for sex offenders in their neighborhood. They also said there's not much they can do without the help of County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, since Altadena is unincorporated.

Antonovich's spokesman Tony Bell called in to discuss the issue as well.

Nobody's heard from state officials nor the management of the house "New Horizions Sober Living", which appears to be branching out into the sex offender housing market.

There are a couple of Altadena blogs discussing the clown house too. They are The Meadows Blog, which originates from the neighborhood where the clown house is located. There's also the Altadena Blog, a more general blog about the unincorporated Los Angeles County community, which has this post on the subject.

An Altadena reader took offense with Thursday's column on the subject. Here what he had to say:

Re "High time to fix the system," in the Feb. 27th Pasadena Star-News:

I assume your piece is just an opinion piece, rather than what most would consider straightforward news. I haven't read your column before, so maybe I'm wrong. The situation of the convicts in Altadena is definitely alarming (I almost bought a house up there in '05) and deserves balanced coverage.

I think your article, & future reporting on this situation, would be more useful without the terrified editorializing. It's fine for you to quote residents, but you ought to trim your outrage. Give your readers facts and let them decide what to think.

E.g., have you done any legwork (phone calls, interviews, research, etc) to discover whether there's any correlation between the "groups of these men living together" and an increase in those areas in similar crimes? Or did you just sit down and bang this column out?

That seems a basic question. Without examining it, your article is half reporting (the residents' reactions) and half fear-mongering (your reaction). So far, fifty percent of your job remains undone. I'm probably not the only reader who wants more from the Star-News.

Regards,

John Sandel

Van shot at in Pasadena.

Suspected thief caught hiding in back yard.

Astronomy "teacher" accused of touching.

Man dead after torching home following domestic dispute.

Issac Campbell, accused of killing his girlfriend, stuffing her body in a trashcan and dumping the can in a friend's backyard appeared in court in Alhambra Friday ostensibly to enter a plea in the case.

There was no plea. Instead there was some in chambers discussions about the case, before Campbell was removed from court and returned to jail.

Campbell is accused fo killing Liya Jessie Lu, a nursing student who he met at PCC. Lu's family and friends have been following the case closely in both the local Chinese media and through the PCC student newspaper.

The photo is by Star-News staffer Walt Mancini. If you steal it, credit him.

At least he wasn't dressed in a clown suit.

An update on this from Pasadena Star-News court reporter Molly R. Okeon:

ALHAMBRA — A 42-year-old Fullerton man accused of inappropriately touching five girls during a San Gabriel elementary school assembly Monday was charged Friday with five felony counts of lewd acts on a child.
Daniel Roy Smith was scheduled to be arraigned in court late Friday afternoon, said Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons. Smith is being held on $500,000 bail.
Gibbons said she believes Smith is facing a maximum of 16 years in prison, if convicted.
Smith, an outside vendor hired by Washington Elementary School to give an astronomy presentation, was arrested Wednesday amidst the allegations, which allegedly occurred while teachers and parents were present but went undetected because of the large crowd of students watching the planetarium exhibit, school district officials have said.