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WEST COVINA - A jury on Friday convicted a Hollywood man of beating his 62-year-old father to death with a dumbbell in an Irwindale storage facility.
Jonathan Martinez Pedraza, 26, was found guilty of first-degree murder, felony vandalism and two misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run driving, according to Deputy District Attorney Stacy Okun-Wiese.
The jury also found true an allegation that he personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon, the dumbbell.
Pedraza faces a maximum sentence of 27 years to life in prison at his Feb. 10 sentencing in West Covina Superior Court.
Miguel Pedraza of Glendora was killed Sept. 3, 2010 and his body was discovered inside a storage locker at A-1 Mini Storage, 4391 Irwindale Avenue.
The younger Pedraza delivered at least five powerful blows to his father's head fracturing the skull and causing 10 lacerations, according to authorities.
He then rammed his car though a security gate at the facility to escape before becoming involved in another collision in Baldwin Park.
He crashed into two other cars at a parking lot in the 14500 block of Ramona Boulevard and fled. Baldwin Park police found him hiding on the roof of a apartment complex in the 14400 block of Pacific Avenue and arrested him.
A judge in October 2011 ruled that Jonathan Pedraza was mentally competent to stand trial.
- Ruby Gonzales
WEST COVINA -- Trial began Wednesday for a Glendora man accused of murdering his father with a dumbbell in a storage facility in Irwindale in September.
Jonathan Pedraza, 26, is charged with Sept. 3, 2010 killing of his father, 62-year-old Miguel Pedraza of Glendora.
The body of the elder Pedraza was discovered inside of a storage locker at A-1 Mini Storage, 4391 Irwindale Avenue, beaten to death with a free weight, investigators said.
After the killing, Jonathan Pedraza allegedly rammed his car though a gate at the facility to escape before becoming involved in another hit-and-run crash in Baldwin Park.
A judge in October ruled that the son was mentally competent to stand trial. Authorities have not disclosed a motive in the killing.
After completing jury selection Wednesday in Pomona Superior Court, the jury listened to opening statements and the prosecution began laying out its case, court officials said.
According to county booking records, Jonathan Pedraza was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
PHOTO courtesy of the Irwindale Police Department
LOS ANGELES -- A federal grand jury indicted a Pomona man the FBI calls the "Puffy Coat Bandit" on suspicion of carrying out a three-week, three-county bank robbery spree that included a heist in Glendora, authorities said.
Steven Dwayne Paulson, 46, was indicted on seven counts of bank robbery for the alleged string of crimes, which took place between Dec. 20 of last year and Jan. 9, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
On Dec. 30, Paulson paid a visit to a Glendora Union Bank branch, 601 W. Route 66.
In the Glendora heist, as in the others, the bandit presented the teller a note while claiming or motioning as if he was armed, according to Glendora police and FBI officials.
The Puffy Coat Bandit earned his moniker because of the heavy ski jackets he wore during some of the heists.
He's also accused of robbing the same bank branch in Chino twice, as well as other bank robberies in Cerritos, Rancho Cucamonga, Corona and Lake Elsinore, according to the indictment.
"Paulson was arrested on January 10, 2012, after a detective with the Upland Police Department detained a driver matching the description of the suspect who was driving a vehicle described by witnesses as a getaway vehicle used by the suspect," Eimiller said.
"Further investigation resulted in Paulson's arrest and he is currently being held in federal custody."
The FBI joined the local police and sheriff's agencies where the robberies occurred in the investigation, and Paulson's case will be prosecuted by the Central District Office of the United States Attorney's Office.
SURVEILLANCE photo of Dec. 30, 2011 bank robbery linked to the "Puffy Coat Bandit" courtesy of the FBI.
GLENDORA -- A woman's tip Tuesday led police to arrest three teenagers in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant on suspicion of breaking into a home in Azusa, officials said.
Brian Ibarra, 18, of Anaheim, a 17-year-old boy from Anaheim and a 17-year-old boy from Santa Ana were arrested on suspicion of residential burglary and possession of stolen property, Glendora police Lt. Jamie Caldwell said.
A woman called police about 12:20 p.m. to report seeing something suspicious -- three young men going through women's purses while sitting in a car parked at In-N-Out, 1261 Lone Hill Ave., he said.
Officers arrived and found the men still in the parking lot, Caldwell said.
They were found to have items in the car that had just been stolen in a break-in at a home in the 1100 block of North Pasadena Avenue in Azusa, according to Glendora and Azusa police officials.
The homeowner was at work and was not aware her home had been burglarized, police added. All of her allegedly stolen property was recovered.
Caldwell commended the tipster who first reported the suspicious activity.
"That's the stuff I really want to impart on people," he said. "The public -- that's our eyes and ears out there."
Ibarra was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail and was due for arraignment Thursday in Covina Superior Court, according to county booking records.
The juvenile suspects were released to their parents with written promises to appear in court, officials said.
GLENDORA -- In a new twist on an old scheme known as a "distraction burglary," two swindlers used a young girl to help them empty an elderly woman's home of valuable Tuesday, police said.
The burglary took place about 11 a.m. in the 1600 block of Suffolk Place, Glendora police Lt. Jaime Caldwell said.
An 89-year-old woman was in front of her home when she was approached by a woman, described only as a white woman in her 60s, who asked if she had housekeeping work available and kept elderly resident engaged in conversation, the lieutenant said.
As the victim was occupied by the woman, a white man in his 20s got out of a vehicle with a girl of about 5 years old, Caldwell said.
The man asked if he and his daughter could use the resident's bathroom, and the complied, Caldwell said. They were inside the house for about 10 minutes.
Once the man, woman and child had left, the resident discovered that about $1,700 worth of cash and jewelry were missing from her home, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Glendora Police Department.
GLENDORA -- Police jailed a man and woman Friday after they were spotted driving a stolen car, authorities said.
Falecia Pinces, 33, of Pomona, who was driving the car, and Shannon Mendoza, 45, of Glendora, who was a passenger, were both booked on suspicion of possession of stolen property, Glendora police Lt. Rob Lamborghini said.
Pinces, who was already on parole, was also booked on suspicion of possessing metal knuckles, possessing methamphetamine and an outstanding grand theft auto warrant, police said.
A parking enforcement officer was checking on cars parked in the 100 block of North Wildwood Avenue when he noticed a parked car that had been reported stolen from Fullerton, Lamborghini said.
Patrol officers secretly watched the car until two people, later identified as Pinces and Mendoza, got in and drove off, the lieutenant said.
Police stopped the car as it looped back around to the same neighborhood where it was first spotted and arrested the suspects without a struggle, Lamborghini said.
UPLAND -- Detectives jailed a Pomona parolee Tuesday they believe to be the "Puffy Coat Bandit" -- responsible for a spree of seven bank robberies in three counties over the past three weeks.
Steven Dwayne Paulson, 46, was expected to appear in court to be charged in connection with the bank robberies today, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
Paulson is suspected in a string of seven bank heists reported between Dec. 20 and Jan. 9, officials said.
They include robberies in Glendora, Chino, Rancho Cucamonga, Cerritos, Corona and Lake Elsinore, officials said.
The "Puffy Coat Bandit" earned his name because of bulky jackets he was seen wearing during some of the crimes, according to the FBI.
A break in the case came Tuesday afternoon in Upland, Eimiller said.
"A detective with the Upland Police Department detained a driver matching the description of the suspect, who was driving a suspected vehicle," she said. "Further investigation by the Upland PD and the FBI resulted in the arrest of the suspect."
Authorities have previously said an accomplice may have acted as a getaway driver in the robberies.
"With regard to theory that a second suspect/getaway driver may have been involved, an investigation will continue to determine whether an accomplice was knowingly involved in the bank robberies," Eimiller said.
ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- Two men died and two other people were hospitalized Sunday following a crash between a car and an SUV on San Gabriel Canyon Road, authorities said.
The crash took place just before 4:30 p.m. about three miles south of East Fork Road, in the forest north of Glendora, according to California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles County Fire Department officials.
Two men who were riding in a Nissan 240SX when it collided with a Nissan Xterra SUV containing a man and woman, officials said.
The two men in the car were pronounced dead at the scene, CHP Officer Patrick Kimball said.
The man and woman who were in the SUV were flown by helicopter to an area hospital in unknown condition, fire officials said.
Officials from the Baldwin Park office of the CHP were investigating the cause of the crash.
CERRITOS -- A serial bank robber who robbed in Glendora last week struck for the fifth time in Cerritos Tuesday, officials said.
The "Puffy Coat Bandit" remained true to his moniker as he robbed the Chase branch at 11900 South Street in a winter coat and beanie, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
He is also suspected in a robbery at a Glendora Union Bank branch in the 600 block of West Route 66 Friday afternoon; a Dec. 28 robbery at Mission Oaks Bank in Lake Elsinore; a Dec. 22 robbery at Premier Services Bank in Corona; and Dec. 20 robbery at U.S. Bank in Chino, FBI officials said.
He generally passes tellers a note demanding money while motioning as if armed, authorities said. He's described as a white man in his late-30s to mid-40s, of thin or medium build, between 6 feet 1 inch and 6 feet 4 inches tall.
A light-colored sedan, possibly a Ford or Mercury, has also been spotted in connection with the robbery spree.
Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI's 24-hour tip line at 310-477-6565, or 9-1-1.
PHOTO courtesy of the FBI
GLENDORA -- A green laser light that hit a police helicopter Tuesday also led Glendora officers to the alleged culprit who was riding in a car.
But police also carted off the driver to jail after a small amount of drugs was found.
The helicopter that Azusa police contracts for was over Barranca Avenue and Route 66 around 6:15 p.m. when a passenger of a Chrysler Sebring shined a green laser at it three to four times, according to Glendora police Lt. Joe Ward.
He said Glendora officers stopped the car, recovered the laser pointer and arrested Jerrod Ferren, 31, of Glendora on suspicion of using a laser light at the helicopter.
But during the investigation, Ward said police also arrested the driver, 26-year-old William Dixon of Los Angeles, on suspicion of being under the influence and possession of a controlled substance. He said officers discovered less than a gram of methamphetamine.
Both men were being held at Glendora jail. Ferren's bail is $20,000 while Dixon's bail is $10,000.
Sheriff's online booking records show the two will be arraigned Thursday at West Covina Superior Court.
- Ruby Gonzales
GLENDORA -- A serial bank robber dubbed the "Puffy Coat Bandit" robbed a bank of an undisclosed amount Friday, authorities said.
The robber entered the Union Bank in the 600 block of West Route 66 at about 4:30 p.m.
Glendora police Lt. Jamie Caldwell said the suspect presented a note demanding money to one of the tellers. He also simulated having a weapon during the heist.
The suspect took the cash and left.
The robber was believed to be a serial bandit the FBI is calling the "Puffy Coat Bandit" due to the ski jacket-type outerwear he's sported during several area heists in recent weeks, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
The bandit has been linked to three other bank robberies since Dec. 20, FBI officials said in a written statement. They include: A Dec. 28 robbery at Mission Oaks Bank in Lake Elsinore; a Dec. 22 heist at Premier Services Bank in Corona; and Dec. 20 at U.S. Bank in Chino.
Officials described the Puffy Coat Bandit as a white man in his late-30s to mid-40s, of thin to medium build and standing 6 feet 1 inch to 6 feet 4 inches tall. He's been seen wearing a black ski-type jacket and a black beanie.
A light colored sedan, possibly a Ford or Mercury, has been witnessed in connection with the crimes, according to the FBI. In the Glendora case, the car was described as brown or maroon.
He's considered armed and dangerous, and anyone who sees him is advised to call the FBI's 24-hour tip line at 310-477-6565, or 911.
- Brian Day and Ruby Gonzales
PHOTOS courtesy of the FBI
GLENDORA -- Two San Dimas men were behind bars Friday on suspicion of badly beating another man earlier this week, police said.
Mark Hachem, 18, and Gabriel Ojeda, 18, were both arrested Thursday and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in connection with Wednesday night's alleged attack, Glendora police Lt. Rob Lamborghini said.
Officers responded to reports of a fight about 8:40 p.m. Wednesday at Gladstone Street and Willow Avenue, the lieutenant said.
Police found no combatants when they arrived, but soon received word that a victim -- a 22-year-old Glendora man -- was en route to a local hospital, he said.
The alleged victim had been punched in the mouth and kicked while he was on the ground, resulting in a broken jaw and other injuries, Lamborghini said.
Detectives tracked down and arrested Hachem and Ojeda the following day, police said.
Police were investigating the possibility the victim was targeted because he was a potential witness in an unrelated assault case, the lieutenant said. Details of that investigation, which was being handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, were not available.
Hachem and Ojeda were being held in lieu of $100,000 each pending their arraignment Tuesday in West Covina Superior Court, officials said.
Two men pleaded not guilty Monday and another is awaiting a court date on suspicion of carrying out eight robberies during a one-day spree in Glendora, Azusa and Covina early this month.
Domonique Evans-Knowles, 19, of Glendora and Dominique Carr, 19, of Riverside pleaded not guilty in West Covina Court to charges in connection with the spree, which took place in both the early morning and nighttime hours of Nov. 1, Glendora police and Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office officials said.
The third suspect, 19-year-old Vaughn Autry of Los Angeles, was awaiting arraignment after being released from jail in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to county booking records.
The three men are accused of robbing, and in some cases attacking, pedestrians in their alleged two-day crime spree, Glendora police said in a written statement. In some cases, victims were threatened with a handgun.
"Armed street robberies of this type are unusual for Glendora and we knew we had to act quickly before the suspects struck again," Glendora Police Chief Rob Castro said. "These types of crimes can turn deadly, so the capture of these suspects was a high priority for us."
According to the police statement, "The suspects targeted young adult victims walking or riding a bicycle alone in the street after dark." Items such as wallets and cell phones were stolen.
They would often follow the victims and wait for an opportunity to corner them, Lt. Brian Summers said. Two young man were beaten though not seriously injured, during robberies.
The Nov. 1 robberies linked to the trio include early-morning robberies in the 500 block of East Fifth Street in Azusa; the 500 block of E. Gladstone Street in Azusa; and the 400 block of West Arrow Highway in Covina; as well as nighttime robberies in the 20000 block of East Stephanie Street Drive in an unincorporated county area near Covina; the 1500 block of South Glendora Avenue in Glendora; Gladstone Street and Conchord Lane in Glendora; Gladstone Street and Glencroft Road in Glendora; and the 100 block of West Meda Avenue in Glendora, Summers said.
Authorities were continuing the investigation to see if the men could be linked to additional crimes, Summers said.
An investigation launched immediately after the robbery spree led detectives to arrest Evans-Knowles, the main suspect in the crimes, Thursday at his home in the 400 block of West Gladstone Street, police said. He was found after a car matching the description of one used in the robberies was discovered parked at a Glendora apartment complex.
After further investigation, investigators arrested Carr in Glendora later in the day, and Autry was arrested Friday at his Los Angeles home.
"Evidence linking the men to the crimes was located and some of the stolen property has been recovered," according to the police statement.
...FULL STORY
Domonique Evans-Knowles, 19, of Glendora and Dominique Carr, 19, of Riverside pleaded not guilty in West Covina Court to charges in connection with the spree, which took place in both the early morning and nighttime hours of Nov. 1, Glendora police and Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office officials said.
The third suspect, 19-year-old Vaughn Autry of Los Angeles, was awaiting arraignment after being released from jail in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to county booking records.
The three men are accused of robbing, and in some cases attacking, pedestrians in their alleged two-day crime spree, Glendora police said in a written statement. In some cases, victims were threatened with a handgun.
"Armed street robberies of this type are unusual for Glendora and we knew we had to act quickly before the suspects struck again," Glendora Police Chief Rob Castro said. "These types of crimes can turn deadly, so the capture of these suspects was a high priority for us."
According to the police statement, "The suspects targeted young adult victims walking or riding a bicycle alone in the street after dark." Items such as wallets and cell phones were stolen.
They would often follow the victims and wait for an opportunity to corner them, Lt. Brian Summers said. Two young man were beaten though not seriously injured, during robberies.
The Nov. 1 robberies linked to the trio include early-morning robberies in the 500 block of East Fifth Street in Azusa; the 500 block of E. Gladstone Street in Azusa; and the 400 block of West Arrow Highway in Covina; as well as nighttime robberies in the 20000 block of East Stephanie Street Drive in an unincorporated county area near Covina; the 1500 block of South Glendora Avenue in Glendora; Gladstone Street and Conchord Lane in Glendora; Gladstone Street and Glencroft Road in Glendora; and the 100 block of West Meda Avenue in Glendora, Summers said.
Authorities were continuing the investigation to see if the men could be linked to additional crimes, Summers said.
An investigation launched immediately after the robbery spree led detectives to arrest Evans-Knowles, the main suspect in the crimes, Thursday at his home in the 400 block of West Gladstone Street, police said. He was found after a car matching the description of one used in the robberies was discovered parked at a Glendora apartment complex.
After further investigation, investigators arrested Carr in Glendora later in the day, and Autry was arrested Friday at his Los Angeles home.
"Evidence linking the men to the crimes was located and some of the stolen property has been recovered," according to the police statement.
...FULL STORY
GLENDORA -- Five pedestrians were robbed at gunpoint Tuesday in what was believed to be crime spree carried out by a single group of suspects, police said.
"Between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., we had five armed robberies at various locations throughout Glendora," Glendora police Sgt. Scott Strong said.
All of the victims were walking, on a bike or on a skateboard, he added.
The robberies occurred in the 700 block of South Hunters Trail; the 200 block of East Gladstone Street: Barranca Avenue and Gladstone Street; Meda Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue; and Glendora and Juanita Avenue, Strong said.
In one of the robberies, a man was punched but not seriously injured, police said.
Police initially described the robbers only as a group of black men in their 20s, one of them armed with a handgun.
Officials were also reportedly investigating a similar robbery that occurred early Tuesday morning in Azusa.
"Between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., we had five armed robberies at various locations throughout Glendora," Glendora police Sgt. Scott Strong said.
All of the victims were walking, on a bike or on a skateboard, he added.
The robberies occurred in the 700 block of South Hunters Trail; the 200 block of East Gladstone Street: Barranca Avenue and Gladstone Street; Meda Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue; and Glendora and Juanita Avenue, Strong said.
In one of the robberies, a man was punched but not seriously injured, police said.
Police initially described the robbers only as a group of black men in their 20s, one of them armed with a handgun.
Officials were also reportedly investigating a similar robbery that occurred early Tuesday morning in Azusa.
CONTRIBUTORS
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| Frank Girardot, Metro Editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspapers, brings you behind the yellow tape with takes on true crime, cold cases and more. This is also your forum to discuss crime, its impact on your neighborhood and how we cover it. Have any questions or tips? You can leave a comment here or e-mail Frank. |
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Brian Day is the crime reporter for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper group. E-mail Brian. |
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