A San Gabriel Valley man was indicted today for allegedly using
social networking sites on the Internet to convince high school-age girls to have sex with him and pose for pornographic pictures.

Gregory Scott Serrano, 33, of Monrovia, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles on charges of production of child
pornography, using the Internet to entice minors to produce child
pornography and to meet for sex, receipt of child pornography,
possession of child pornography and attempted destruction of evidence.

The indictment lists 10 teenage girls as victims. However, authorities believe there are other girls who may have been victimized by Serrano.

The investigation into Serrano began in March after a 15-year-old girl reported that Serrano had taken pornographic photographs of her. According to court documents, Serrano posed as a 19-year-old and contacted the teenager after reading her profile on netlog.com and MySpace.com. After courting her via emails and cellular telephone conversations, Serrano pressed the teenager to meet him in person.

Some of serrano's usernames included: Greg Scott, Purein10citi, citigreg1116, serranogreg, and latinoload1116.

*Serrano is charged with 23 counts in state court and 22 federal counts. Bail in the case has been set at $820,000. He's residing at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic.

*Here's what Serrano listed on his resume at LinkedIn.com

Gregory Serrano's Experience

• Owner

  Primerica Financial Services

  (Public Company; Financial Services industry)

  Currently holds this position

• Culinary Delivery Specialist

Chili's Grill and Bar

(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; eat; Restaurants industry)

1994 -- 2001 (7 years)

**Here's an excerpt from the 

SAFE_-_Serrano_indictment.pdf: 

Beginning in or about January 2007, and continuing until in or about March 12, 2008, in Los Angeles County, within the Central District of California, and elsewhere, defendant GREGORY SCOTT SERRANO knowingly used a facility of interstate commerce, namely, the Internet and the telephone, to attempt to persuade, induce, and entice an individual who had not attained the age of 18 years, namely, S.A., a 13 and then 14-year-old girl, to engage in a sexual activity for which a person could be charged with a criminal offense, namely, lewd acts on a child, in violation of California Penal Code Section 288(C)(1), and production of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a). 

***Here's some of Greg Serrano's Web sites:

WIndows live here.

MySpace here.

Friendster here.

LinkedIn here. 

****Netlog site here.

The move is one of several delays in the case since Man-ling Williams was arrested in connection with slaying of her husband Neal and children Ian and Devon. 

This small note comes from Jan WIlliams, mother of Neal grandmother of Ian and Devon. Jan attends each hearing in the case and reports to Crime Scene readers on the state of the case:

At a hearing today it was determined that they need to set another date in order to set a date for the preliminary.  Next check in hearing date is June 26.  Jan

My comment: Sounds like something from the court of the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland.

A wrong way crash on the Southbound 605 kills a driver.  Just minutes before the accident, Anissa Rivera, our "Mom's the word" blogger describes her family's close call.

APU students are causing a parking problem in the neighborhood.

The search for more Manson Family victims at Barker Ranch in Inyo was a big zip.

Sheriff's Department about to release more information in the March slaying of a Covina Hills woman who was on the phone with 9-1-1 when she was shot to death.

This is one fat coyote. Believe it or not he was prowling Los Feliz Monday night at the intersection of North New Hampshire and Finley Avenue.

I pretty sure he had at least one friend, but the other coyote was sneakier and didn't want his picture taken.

Now I know why there's no stray cats in the neighborhood. I'd been wondering recently what happened to  this crazy homeless woman that hangs out nearby. She must be smarter than I thought. Who wants to sleep outside with these guys on the prowl? 

Apparently this has been reported before on an Atwater Village blog and may be fall out from the Griffith Park fire.

As for other sightings, coyotes make regular appearances in Arcadia. This from a city Web page dealing with animal control:

There are regular sightings of coyotes in the foothill areas of Arcadia, and along the horse trail and wash.  Residents should report sightings wherein a coyote seems to be unusually aggressive, sick or injured to the Pasadena Humane Society at 792-7151, extension 110, or to the Arcadia Police Department at 574-5150.

 

Here's her description of the photo:

Two lovely, cuddly dogs kept watch on Woodland Avenue Saturday morning. One of the streets affected by mudsliudes and hail that occurred Thursday. 

It's a really simple test and applies to stories that have a certain gore factor.

Here's the rule: If you are writing something for the newspaper that you wouldn't want to read over a bowl of Cheerios, find a way to make it more palatable.

The rule applies to photos too, and ultimately makes for some interesting decisions. I've been thinking about the breakfast test for the better part of the last week, especially after seeing a pair of brutal photographs and reviewing a video of a child molestation.

The photos depicted dead bodies.

One was a picture of Glenn Patrick Rose, who was shot to death on May 13 after a confrontation with Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers. The shooting occurred in an alleyway off First Avenue in Covina just north of Puente Avenue.

Investigators left Rose's body uncovered for several hours after the shooting. Reporter Amanda Baumfeld and photographer Walt Mancini each took several disturbing pictures of the scene.

Both said later it was nearly impossible to photograph the investigation without getting a picture of Rose's body. Investigators said they left the body uncovered because they didn't think any children would happen across the scene.

Mancini ultimately came up with a photo of several police cars blocking a garage that served as our illustration of the story in the next day's newspaper.

The second series of photos came from reporter Brian Day, who used a point-and-shoot to get photos from a crime scene in the 1100 block of North Stimpson Avenue in La Puente.

Day's photos depicted the body of Gabriel Guzman Martinez, 19, who was dragged to his death on May 18 by a runaway pick-up truck. The next day, Day returned to the scene and grabbed some photos of a memorial to Martinez. Ultimately we used those to illustrate the story.

I did alter one of Day's photos and posted it on the Crime Scene blog. There I asked for reader input. Here's a reader's comment on that post:

"Altered it slightly? It's an entirely different picture without the body. Imagine if photos from every battle since the Civil War were altered, we'd never know what really happened, their history would be in question," wrote someone identified as "Patrick." "A journalistic photo should be shown exactly the way it was taken, unaltered. If you don't want to offend anyone don't show the picture."

As for the videotaped molestation, it occurred inside a bookstore at the Santa Anita mall in Arcadia. A man, identified by police as registered sex offender Jaime Elvis Elizondo, 33, of San Gabriel can be seen in the tape sizing up a young girl several times prior to the molestation.

Again, Brian Day wrote the story; here's how he described the attack:

"Elizondo is suspected of 'touching his exposed genitals up against a young female child' ... , according to Arcadia police Lt. Ron Buckholtz."

Several minutes later, I viewed the videotape and a handful of screen captures that accompanied it on a disc provided by the Arcadia Police Department.

Based on what I read in Day's story, I elected not to put the video on the Internet even though it was not visibly explicit.

I learned later that several local television news outlets chose to air the video. Perhaps they didn't know the details, but it didn't pass my breakfast test.

From Reporter Dan Abendschein:

ROSEMEAD-- A Rosemead man was stabbed to death in his home early Monday morning.

Alfonso Castro, 51, was found by police after someone made a 911 call requesting help at his home, said Sheriff's Deputy Denise Fuchs.

The stabbing occurred around 12:30 a.m. at Castro's home in the 3200 block of Burton Avenue, said Fuchs. Castro was found with multiple stab wounds to the upper torso.

The home showed signs of forced entry, but Fuchs said police do not yet know if killing happened as part of a home-invasion robbery or if the killers had other motives.

Apparently it's an actual craze. According to Fox News, people actually hunt the maps for bizarre images.

Here's their story ... if you've found an interesting image in the SGV or Whittier you'd like to share, post a link in the comments section. I'll put all the links together in a post later today (that is if there are any).

A 20-year-old man was stabbed to death Saturday night behind a Covina apartment complex. Detectives have little information, no suspects or motives. Here's an excerpt:

COVINA - A local man was found stabbed to death late Saturday behind a Covina Boulevard apartment complex, authorities said. Frank Montes, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene, said Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Lt. Cheryl MacWillie.

Sheriff's deputies responded to a call reporting a fight about 9:30 p.m. in the 19500 block of Covina Boulevard in an unincorporated county area near Covina when they found Montes suffering from multiple stab wounds, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Aura Sierra.

Montes was pronounced dead at 9:45 p.m. in a parking lot, MacWillie said.

COVINA - A man and teen were arrested late Saturday on suspicion of tagging 22 different locations on Azusa Avenue, police said.
Adrian Mejia, 18, and a 17-year-old boy, whose name was not released due to his age, were arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism and possession of vandalism tools, said Covina police Sgt. Gregg Peterson. Both are from El Monte.
Both admitted to the graffiti, which totalled nearly $2,000 in damage, Peterson said.
The suspected taggers were arrested about 9:30 p.m. in the 900 block of North Azusa Avenue after scrawling graffiti on a business in plain view of a police officer, Peterson said.
Both admitted to the graffiti spree, he added.
Mejia is being held in lieu of $5,000 bail, Peterson said, and the juvenile was cited and released to his parents. 

Happy birthday to Dylan, who turned 67 on Saturday. Some of his jokes are even older than that. Personally, I think they're a scream, but even if most of you disagree, I expect Ontario politicos Paul Leon and Gary Ovitt will be repeating them for years.
"I got a friend who's learning to become a ballerina. She's improving by leaps and bounds."
"Getting married's a lot like getting into a tub of hot water. After you get used to it, it ain't so hot."
"I once had a cross-eyed teacher who couldn't control his pupils."
"You know, I sleep at the edge of the bed. It doesn't take long for me to drop off."
"Two dogs talking. One says to the other: `You're crazy. You ought to go see a psychiatrist.' The other dog says: `I'd love to, but I'm not allowed on the couch."'
"I was having dinner with our announcer, Pierre Mancini. The only difference between Pierre Mancini and a canoe is that sometimes a canoe will tip."

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Dick Martin, the zany half of the comedy team whose "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" took television by storm in the 1960s, making stars of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin and creating such national catch-phrases as "Sock it to me!" has died. He was 86.
Martin, who went on to become one of television's busiest directors after splitting with Dan Rowan in the late 1970s, died Saturday night of respiratory complications at a hospital in Santa Monica, family spokesman Barry Greenberg said.
"He had had some pretty severe respiratory problems for many years, and he had pretty much stopped breathing a week ago," Greenberg said.
Martin had lost the use of one of his lungs as a teenager, and needed supplemental oxygen for most of the day in his later years.
He was surrounded by family and friends when he died just after 6 p.m., Greenberg said.
"Laugh-in," which debuted in January 1968, was unlike any comedy-variety show before it. Rather than relying on a series of tightly scripted song-and-dance segments, it offered up a steady, almost stream-of-consciousness run of non-sequitur jokes, political satire and madhouse antics from a cast of talented young actors and comedians that also included Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson, Jo Anne Worley and announcer Gary Owens.

As for the photo caption:

** FILE ** This Oct. 1968 file photo shows comedians Dan Rowan, left, and Dick Martin, hosts of "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" flanking then Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon during a rally at Burbank Calif. Richard Nixon, running for president in 1968, dropped in on the show to shout a befuddled sounding, "Sock it to me!" His opponent, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, was offered equal time but declined because his handlers thought it would appear undignified. Dick Martin, the zany half of the comedy team whose "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" took television by storm in the 1960s, making stars of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin and creating such national catch-phrases as "Sock it to me!" has died. He was 86. (AP Photo, File)

Apparently someone named derboti was thinking the same thing and uploaded some shots of the chase to Flickr. Not sure if he watched the Laker game or Smackdown.

In any event, his post also discusses the finer points of being an Angelino:

 As I opened the window I heard another helicopter. I went to the other side of my room to see another helicopter. While I was getting my camera, I thought that two helicopters above my heads, between an oil refinery and an airport, are.. well,.. a little bit uncomforting. I tried to snap a picture, but didn't have my zoom lens attached. The two helicopters are now standing in the air. Uh-oh.

I keep watching the helicopters. Wait, there's a third one! And there's a fourth! Holy crap, there's five! At this point I'm walking back and forth to the window with a mixed feeling of sensationalism and uncertainty about what to do. I see that one of the five is flying quite low and has a spotlight directed down.

And it was then that I remembered what the Angelinos' most favorite pastime is: watching car chases.

Officials at Sierra Madre City Hall declared a state of emergency and planned to seek state and federal assistance to cope with mudslides flowing through neighborhoods that had been assaulted by wildfires less than a month ago.
"At this point the mud has not flowed into people's homes," said Sierra Madre City Manager Elaine Aguilar, who added voluntary evacuations had been declared for residents along Woodland and Skyland drives.
But many ignored the evacuation requests and chose to stay and weather the torrential rains that fell on the area Thursday and Friday, hoping that the runoff from the denuded hillsides would be contained to the streets.
John Stillman said at one point Thursday the mud had reached up to the hood of his white Honda Accord in front of his Skyland Drive home. Down the street, a neighbor's pool was flooded with the brown, sticky stuff.
"I hardly got it out," said Stillman of his car. He chose to stay put as city crews worked until early Friday using a skip-loader to clear the mud flows in front of his home.