Covina: February 2012 Archives

COVINA -- Police are seeking a gunman who robbed a young woman in front of her 7-year-old son inside a garage earlier this week.

The crime took place about 6:30 a.m. Thursday in a garage at an apartment complex in the 1100 block of West Badillo Street, Covina police Sgt. Matt Eddings said.

A 28-year-old woman had just gotten into her car with her young son when a man with a gun in his hand walked in the open garage door and approached her, the sergeant said.

The robber told the woman, "I don't want to hurt you, all I want is your purse," Eddings said. The woman complied, handing over her designer Michael Kors handbag.

"As the suspect was leaving, he said he was going to lock her in her garage and don't move," Eddings said. He then exited the garage and closed the door.

The terrified woman was still waiting inside the garage when Officers arrived, Eddings said. Neither she nor her son was injured.

Police described the robber as a black man in his late 20s, about 5-feet 10-inches tall and unshaven. He had a raspy voice and wore a hooded flannel shirt, dark pants and a dark beanie.

Anyone with information is asked to call Covina police at 626-384-5808.

"From that tragedy, God still had a plan for this family. And this family has taken hold of that calling," the mayor said.
"This is the kind of place where kids can come and see a different path," King said. "A place to go to train both their minds and their bodies."
The 3,700-square-foot 212 Training Center, 542 N. Second Avenue, offers a synthetic turf covered sports training facility, complete with a batting cage, weight training system and other equipment, and professional athletic trainers have volunteered to staff the gym.
The center also houses a classroom-style study lab, complete with computers and white boards.
Each center member is required to complete one hour of study for every hour of athletic training, Robert Moreno explained.
The center, which espouses Christian principals, is also designed to provide positive mentoring and encouragement to young people, he added.
The name of the center, "212," is taken from the center's motivational philosophy, Moreno family members said.
At 211 degrees Fahrenheit, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils, Moreno said. 212 is a symbol for putting in "that extra degree" of effort, whether it's in sports, academics or daily life.
Many family members of other homicide victims attended the grand opening to support the center.
"We're behind them 100 percent," said Tina Yamashiro, aunt to 16-year-old Sammantha Salas, who was fatally shot on Jan., 26, 2008, near her father's home in an unincorporated county area near Monrovia.
She attended the event with her husband, Ernie.
"They do a really fantastic job for the young generation," she said.
Moreno thanked the city, Covina police and sponsors such as Home Depot, Pregra Artificial Grass and and TRX Suspension Training for their support.
"We're not going to live in the past, we're going to go after our future," Robert Moreno said. "This is just the beginning. We look forward to expanding the facility and reaching more kids."
For more information on the 212 Training Center, call 626-407-3989, or e-mail info@man-efoundation.org.

WEST COVINA -- Sentencing was postponed Friday for a former Covina Police Department records clerk convicted of stealing parking funds from the city and hiding an arrest report of a relative.

Mary Louise Wasilchin, also known as Louise Vance- Wasilchin , 58, of Upland, admitted to stealing at least $140,000 from the police department and hiding a police record during a December arraignment in West Covina Superior Court.

Police allege she actually stole more than twice that amount, and the exact amount to be repaid to the city will be determined at Wasilchin's sentencing hearing.

The sentencing was scheduled for Friday, but continued to March 28, court officials said.

Under a plea agreement she made with prosecutors, Wasilchin is expected to receive a sentence of two years and eight months in state prison, according to police and Los Angeles County District Attorney's officials. 

In addition to stealing the money, Wasilchin also admitted to hiding the report related to the DUI arrest of her son-in-law to prevent his prosecution.

COVINA -- A nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping kids away from gangs, violence and drugs invites the community to take part in the grand opening of an athletic and academic teen center later this month.

The Man-e Moreno Foundation's "212 Training Center" opens its doors Feb. 18, and a block party is planned to celebrate, organizers said.

The party will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at the center, 542 N. Second Ave.

The teen center has been the dream of Man-e Moreno Foundation organizers for years, and and is designed to give guidance and direction to youths throughout the San Gabriel Valley.

Food and live entertainment will be provided.

For more information or to RSVP, call the Man-e Moreno Foundation at 626-407-3989, or e-mail info@man-efoundation.org.

COVINA -- The arrest of a man on suspicion of drug possession at a motel Tuesday led police to arrest two other people on suspicion of stealing copper wiring, authorities said.

Richard Hughes, 43, was jailed on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine, while Laura Wohlhueter, 47, and Keith Kessler, 41, were booked on suspicion of receiving stolen property, Covina police Lt. John Curley said. All three are West Covina residents.

Officers were on patrol near the Radisson Suites, 1211 E. Garvey Street, when they spotted Hughes in the parking lot rifling through a car, the lieutenant said.

Police questioned the man and quickly discovered he had a small amount of what appeared to be methamphetamine with him, police said. He told officers that the car he was seen in belonged to a friend who was renting a room.

After arresting Hughes, police went to the hotel room he indicated to verify his story, Curley said. Once in the room, officers noticed a box full of copper wiring which they believed to be stolen and arrested Wohlhueter and Kessler.

According to county booking records, all three suspects were being held in lieu of $20,000 bail and were due due for arraignment Thursday in West Covina Superior Court.

COVINA -- Covina police are asking for the public's help in finding a 64-year-old woman with Alzheimer's who has been missing since Monday.

Leiza Margarita Ochy left her home in the 500 Block of S. Eremland Drive Monday afternoon after an argument with her daughter over the possibility of being placed into an adult care facility, Covina police said.<p>

Officials said the Covina woman also has bipolar disorder, a history of schizophrenia and other medical conditions. She didn't have medications or money with her when she left.

Ochy is Panamanian, speaks English with a Spanish accent, stand 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 200 pound. She was last seen wearing a lime green sweater, white pants and brown bowling-style shoes. She was carrying a blue-and-grey backpack and had a white purse with pink stripes.

Anyone with information is asked to call Covina Police at 626-384-5656 or Detective Anthony Zavala at 626-384-5622.

- Staff report

PHOTO of Leiza Ochy courtesy of the Covina Police Department

COVINA -- A Covina woman died late Wednesday after being struck by an SUV while crossing the street, authorities said.

Elsa Giron, 68, was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the 6:26 p.m. crash at Cypress Street and Ellen Drive, in an unincorporated county area near Covina, according to Los Angeles County Department of Coroner and California Highway Patrol officials.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation, however nothing criminal was initially suspected, said CHP Sgt. C. Fusco, who declined to give his first name.

The woman was crossing in the intersection when she was struck by a passing Ford SUV. The directions of travel and other circumstances of the crash were not available Thursday.

A 64-year-old Covina man who was driving the SUV was not injured, Fusco added.