Recently in Glendale Category

GLENDALE -- A young Alhambra man has pleaded not guilty to allegations of molesting 8-year-old and 3-year-old Glendale brothers he babysat over the course of eight months, authorities said.
Jordan Liu, 19, appeared in Glendale Superior Court Monday to answer to eight charges of child molestation, court officials said.
The allegations came forward as the children's mother was discussing the ongoing child molestation investigation at Pennsylvania State University, police said.
He was arrested Nov. 22 after the older boy told his mother 11 days earlier that he's been sexually assaulted by Liu, who the family had hired as a babysitter through the Website "Sittercity.com," Glendale police officials said in a written statement. "The suspect provided babysitting services and took the child on outings at least once a month for the past eight months."
The boys' mother did not suspect any inappropriateness involving Liu when she began discussing a news story about the ongoing child molestation investigation at Pennsylvania State University as a form of educating her 8-year-old son and raising his awareness, according to the police statement.
"The mother soon learned that her 8-year-old son had been victimized by the babysitter," the statement said.
After launching an extensive investigation, detectives found evidence of sexual abuse of both the 8-year-old boy and his 3-year-old brother.
Sittercity.com has been cooperating with detectives, officials added. In addition to Sittercity.com, Liu also advertised his services on another similar Website, "Care.com," according to Glendale police.
Sittercity.com's Website features the slogan, "We focus on safety, so you can focus on finding the right fit."
"Sittercity was deeply saddened to learn of this situation," Sittercity spokeswoman Mary Schwartz said in a written statement. "As soon as it was brought to our attention, we terminated Mr. Liu's account and notified anyone who may have had contact with him about the termination."
"Sittercity takes safety very seriously," Schwartz said. "Each caregiver who registers on Sittercity is pre-screened to verify his (or) her identity and the caregiver's information is checked against state sex offender registries. "In addition, we allow members to run background checks on the site through LexisNexis. Background checks include identification verification and a national criminal search of local, state and federal criminal records."
Before advertising with Sittercity.com, sitters must acknowledge a pledge to "put safety first," and "be professional and uphold my commitments," according to the Website.
Because of the ongoing investigating, Schwartz said, Sittercity.com deferred all further comments to police investigators.
While police were unaware of any additional victims tied to Liu, "the investigation indicates he may have conversed with over 100 parents through the web service, but it is unknown how many actually may have hired him as a babysitter," the police statement said.
After pleading not guilty Monday, Liu was ordered held in lieu of $2.7 million bail, police said.
He's due in Burbank Superior Court Jan. 5, when a date for his preliminary hearing will be selected, court officials said.
Liu faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted as charged.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Glendale police at 818-548-3106.

From the Associated Press:

A Monterey Park man who stabbed his doctor repeatedly during a routine medical exam, leaving the cardiologist paralyzed, has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
Mike Du Trieu was also sentenced Friday to five additional years for permanently paralyzing physician Mohamed Latif. The Pasadena Superior Court judge called the 74-year-old Trieu a "continuing threat to the victim and society."
Trieu was arrested in 2006 after he attacked Latif, then 60, with a pocket knife at his Glendale office. The physician sustained wounds to his neck, hands, back and chest.
Prosecutors said Trieu claimed Latif killed his mother in 1994, and Trieu attacked him in retaliation.
"There was no evidence, however, that the doctor ever treated the defendant's mother," District Attorney's officials said in a written statement.

GLENDALE -- Sheriff's deputies assigned to the Crescenta Valley and Altadena sheriff's stations arrested two men Wednesday after allegedly finding 10 pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in Glendale, authorities said.
Noe Virgen and Jose Pelayo -- both 24-year-old Van Nuys residents, were booked on suspicion of possession and transportation of narcotics for sales, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Larry Landreth said.
The arresting deputies were members of the sheriff's Community Oriented Policing, or COPS, bureau, Landreth said.
They spotted the car about 12:45 p.m. and pulled it over on the 5 Freeway near Colorado Street for having tinted windows, he said.
Deputies searched the car with the consent of Virgen and Pelayo and found the methamphetamine inside a backpacks, the lieutenant
Landreth said the ten pounds of methamphetamine seized had an estimated value of more than $140,000, and likely more.
"It's a good find," Landreth said. "It's good to get that much (methamphetamine) off the street."
The investigation will be continued by sheriff's narcotics detectives, he added.

This from the DA's office:

LOS ANGELES - The District Attorney's Justice System Integrity Division announced charges today against a former Glendora police officer accused of taking money.

Timothy Radogna, 33 (dob 07/10/75), is charged with one count each of possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, possession for sale of a controlled substance and grand theft exceeding $400.

Radogna could be arraigned as early as tomorrow in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. The defendant was charged in a felony complaint for arrest warrant on May 14. Radogna is being held on $150,000 bail.

If convicted as charged, the defendant faces a maximum term of nine years and eight months in state prison.

Less than a week after what may have been a shooting between rival motorcycle gangs on area freeways, thousands of bikers are descending on Palm Springs this morning as part of the American Heat rally. The shooting resulted in the death of Manuel Martin, of Venice.

In wake of increased violence between outlaw motorcycle gangs, Palm Desert is prepping for a weekend orgy of motorcyclists to descend on the Riverside County Community, according to the Desert Sun:

Palm Springs Police Chief David Dominguez told merchants this week that while there have been recent incidents around the state between rival motorcycle gangs, he does not expect violence during this weekend's event.

"They (the motorcycle groups) have let us know they are coming and they just want to have fun," Dominguez said.

Earlier this year, Dominguez warned the City Council that he was concerned about rising incidents among the Mongols, Vagos and Hells Angels motorcycle gangs.

He said this week that there is always a chance that something could happen, but his department will be prepared.

There will be a heavy presence of uniformed officers throughout the weekend, as well as volunteer and off-duty law enforcement officers who will be in town showing off their own bikes, Dominguez said. Burke said he will also have security on hand to ensure a family-friendly event.

"I think we will be fine," Dominguez said.

Here's a photo of Manuel Martin supplied by the DMV. Martin was apparently shot and killed at the 210 2 connector on the Glendale La Canada border early Wednesday morning, officials said. He was 30. 

A motorcyclist who was shot to death on a freeway in Glendale may have been a member of the Montebello-based Mongols motorcycle gang, authorities said Wednesday.

From the San Francisco Chronicle: 

Guardado was killed about a mile from the Hells Angels clubhouse on Tennessee Street, where he lived as head of what the group calls the Frisco chapter.

Police say murder charges were filed against Ablett in San Francisco earlier this week. He is considered armed and dangerous, and is being sought on a $5 million arrest warrant.

Homicide Inspector Karen Lynch declined to elaborate on a possible motive for the killing, other than to say Guardado and Ablett apparently argued on the street before the shooting.

Ablett is a freelance electrician who lives with his parents in a suburban neighborhood of Modesto.

* Ablett turned himself in to authorities in Oklahoma yesterday, according to the Associated Press:

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) - The man police think killed the leader of the San Francisco Hells Angels motorcycle gang last month surprised a smalltown police force in Oklahoma by turning himself in.
Bartlesville Police Chief Tom Holland says Christopher Ablett showed up to surrender Sunday.
A check of Ablett's name and fingerprints turned up nothing tying him to any case in Oklahoma. He suggested they might want to expand their search, and that's when a California warrant for his arrest popped onto the screen with a $5 million bond attached. Ablett told the officers, "That would be me."
Holland says Ablett was "as polite as could be," and not someone you'd think killed anyone.
Ablett is said to be part of a rival motorcycle gang fueding with the Hells Angels.

** The official Mongols Web site is here.

Firefighters from several local agencies left for Mariposa County Sunday to help officials there battle the "Telegraph Fire," officials said.
A strike team led by Pasadena Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Dandridge was called to the fire Sunday afternoon, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
The strike team includes one engine from the Pasadena Fire Department, two engines from the Glendale Fire Department, one engine from the Monrovia Fire Department and one engine from the Monterey Park Fire Department, Derderian said.
The fast-spreading blaze has charred more than 18,000 acres since Friday as wooded slopes ignited amid hot, dry conditions that have plagued California for months. The fire was completely uncontained Sunday morning.
The wildfire led officials to order the evacuations of 170 homes under immediate threat. About 2,000 homes faced at least some danger from the fast-spreading flames.
Most of the evacuated homes are in the town of Midpines, located along Highway 140, about 12 miles from the park.
Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said the southern edge of the blaze was as little as two miles from Mariposa, a town of about 1,800 residents.

Here's the top of a story I just filed for tomorrow's newspaper:

The District Attorney's Office added 29 more charges Wednesday to its case against a Covina man accused of using Craigslist and eBay to scam renters and potential investors.

Prosecutors accuse Pardeep Singh, 30, of defrauding 22 potential renters of $2,400 each. Wednesday's filing follows a seven-count criminal complaint brought against Singh last week. He remains at large.

Two of the counts in the amended complaint involve the suspected theft of $185,000 from Kenneth Yandoli, a Glendale man.

"I hope something comes of it," said Jennifer Yandoli, who along with her husband loaned Singh $100,000 in September in exchange for a trust deed on Singh's Covina home at 5441 N. Calera Ave., according to public records.

Pardeep Singh has left quite a trail of financial destruction in his wake.

You might remember Singh as the Covina man who rented out his home to several unsuspecting tenants via Craigslist.

Turns out he may have taken a friend for at least $100,000 as well. The friend, Kenneth Yandoli, of Glendale, said he gave Singh $100,000 in return for a deed of trust in the home at 5541 Calera Avenue in Covina.

Then we stumbled upon this great discussion of Singh and his LLC on a couple of websites including the TUG BBS, a group for Timeshare users.

Perhaps the best tidbits of information came from Singh's user profile on eBay. As well as this auction for a nonexistent property near the Las Vegas strip.

We're going to stay on top of this for the rest of the week. I'm still waiting for calls back from eBay, the Las Vegas PD, IC3 and the FBI, no doubt Singh is on all their radar screens.

 

This time in Glendale, where again an officer attempting an arrest was shot. The suspect in this case was also shot and died at the scene. The AP provided this photo of the investigation.

Here's a brief synopsis of the gunbattle:

GLENDALE - An officer was shot and a man was killed following a series of gun battles between the man and several officers Monday evening, police said.

The wounded officer was struck in the chest but was wearing a bullet-proof vest and is expected to survive, said Sgt. Tom Lorenz, with the Glendale Police Department.

The shooting occurred around 9:30 p.m. near Colorado Boulevard and Adams Street after an officer chased a suspect who then turned and began firing a weapon at the officer, Lorenz said.

The rest of the story is here.

Meanwhile, Monrovia police and Sheriff's detectives continue to investigate the OIS that occurred there early Sunday morning. Police have identified the Monrovia officer wounded in the incident, but have yet to provide a name for the suspected shooter, who remains in the hospital.

Star-News reporter Melissa Pamer filed an update in the case, which includes this information:

The 50-year-old, 320-pound suspect allegedly shot veteran Monrovia police Sgt. Dan Verna during a gun battle in the southwest corner of the city just after midnight.

The man, whose name is being withheld pending his discharge from a hospital and booking, was shot several times after he fired on Verna, authorities said.

Officials believe he was the same man wanted in connection to recent crimes in Arcadia, Monrovia spokesman Dick Singer said.

"He's suspected of being responsible for a whole string of burglaries in Arcadia," Singer said. "If it's this guy, then he's been getting very aggressive recently."

It's interesting that city spokesman Dick Singer apparently knows more than the police department in regards to this case.