Recently in Pomona Category

Police discovered 1600 doses of ecstasy, 1.5 pounds of coke and 1.5 pounds of pot from a home int he 300 block of East Harrison just after midnight, officials said.

They also found a firearm and $1,500 at the location.

Arrested were Francisco Soto, 22, of Pomona; and Michael Bravo, 29, of Pomona.

Brian Wunk, 21, remains at large.

Former Pomona teacher Steven Petralia is set to be sentenced in Superior Court *tomorrow.

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.

Busy couple of days in the SGV and surrounding neighborhoods:

• In La Puente a man was killed following a dispute near Stimpson and Fairgrove.

LA PUENTE - Deputies responding to a 9-1-1 call reporting a fight in a residential neighborhood Sunday discovered the body of a man lying in the street, authorities said.

The incident was reported about 4:30 p.m. on Stimson Avenue, just south of Fairgrove Avenue, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Dan Jackson.

Two men believed to be participants in the fight were stopped leaving the area in a pickup truck and taken to the sheriff's Industry station for questioning, Jackson said, however it was not known if they were suspects in the attack.

It was not clear how the man died, Jackson said, though witnesses who reported the fight told officials there was a knife involved.

A sheriff's press release put out Monday morning indicates the man died as the result of blunt force trauma and may have been run over.

• An officer involved shooting in El Monte left a suspect wounded and in custody:

EL MONTE - Police shot and wounded a parolee Friday who allegedly tried to run down officers in a stolen van, authorities said.

A police officer suffered minor injuries in the incident, sheriff's officials said.

The suspect, a San Bernardino County man in his 20s whose name was not released, was reported to be in stable condition at an area hospital, said Sgt. Bill Marsh of the sheriff's Homicide Bureau.

He was wounded in both arms, said El Monte police Lt. Dan Burlingham.

The suspect was later determined to be a parolee with a felony warrant for his arrest, Marsh said. The specific nature of the warrant was not known Sunday.

• A suspected copper thief is believed responsible for a small brush fire in Industry.

The blaze was reported about noon near the freeway's Valley Boulevard off-ramp, said Los Angeles County Fire Department Supervising Dispatcher Bryan Webb.

No structures were damaged or threatened by the flames, and no injuries were reported, said Firefighter Jayson Mendoza.

The fire was sparked by Edison electrical equipment after someone apparently tampered with it earlier, Mendoza said.

• Pomona people protest police checkpoints:

POMONA - A weekend checkpoint caused residents to express concern and accusations to fly at a City Council meeting on Monday.

Councilwoman Cristina Carrizosa said residents were frightened and that the behavior of officers reminded her of movie scenes depicting the Gestapo.

Several people spoke at the meeting about Saturday afternoon's DUI checkpoint at Mission Boulevard and San Antonio Avenue.

Police Chief Joe Romero said the remarks about the Gestapo were offensive to the officers at the checkpoint and that they were owed an apology.

Pomona businessman Francisco Espinoza said the checkpoints targeted Latinos and urged the council to "take control of the city."

"Take it back. You control the Police Department, and you work for us," he said.

 

The Daily Bulletin reports a brush fire that began in Phillips Ranch Friday about 11 a.m. was 50 percent contained at press time last night. Brush clearance intended to prevent fires apparently caused the blaze.

The photo comes from Bulletin reporter Will Lester with this caption:

Maria and Avsencio Reyes watch a fire burn from the roof of their home on Friday May 16, 2008 in the Phillips Ranch area of Pomona, Calif. (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Will Lester)

 

Here's an excerpt from an AP story about brush fires and the heatwave:

MOUNT BALDY VILLAGE, Calif. (AP) _ Firefighters braced for more hot and dry weather Saturday as they worked to surround a wildfire that has burned 460 acres of parched brushlands in the San Gabriel Mountains.

The Bighorn Fire on the flanks of Mount Baldy was 72 percent contained, with full containment expected Sunday evening, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Matt Corelli said. No injuries or building damage were reported.

It was among several small but dangerous wildfires that broke out in five Southern California counties this week as the region withered under the influence of a high- pressure system expected to last into the weekend. The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory Saturday warning of temperatures reaching up to 105 degrees in some areas.

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Blogged at Foothill Cities

Story at Daily Bulletin

This comes from Monica Rodriguez at the Daily Bulletin:

POMONA - It's now difficult, if not impossible, for registered sex offenders to move here.

City Council members have unanimously approved an urgency ordinance that essentially prevents additional registered sex offenders from moving into the city.

Under the new regulation, just about every part of the city would be excluded.

Last week in this spot I wrote about some wonderful historical pictures.

Many of the shots can be found on the Web either through the Los Angeles Public Library, UCLA or at fototeka.com, an art site devoted to ancient LAPD crime scene photos.

There's a reason I'm writing about these photos again this week: I made a mistake describing my favorite one of the bunch.

The picture in question, shot in 1921, depicts a funeral procession for a 106-year-old man. Santo Juncio's casket is being escorted just beyond the walls of an unrestored San Gabriel Mission.

A group of cars is parked alongside a dirt path next to the mission. I described the cars as Model A's.

They were, in fact, Model T's.

Almost 100 years later, that doesn't seem like a huge distinction. But to several of you who called, wrote and e-mailed me it was a glaring error.

Here's an example, written by Bill Ruh of Montclair:

"The Ford Model A was not around in 1921. Ford did(n't) produce the Model A until late 1927. The cars had to be the Ford Model T. The Model T speaks even more volumes about the photo - the first mass-production motor car along the final road of a man who was born when all humans relied on horses."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Thanks, Bill.

A couple others were less complimentary. And, quite honestly, I should know better.

In case you didn't know, or if I haven't  said so before, I was born in Detroit and have lived most of my life on the Los Angeles freeway system.

By default, the American automotive industry is in my blood, and I should know the entire history of Henry Ford, assembly lines and how the Model T's DNA runs through the cars we drive today.

So, excuse the mistake. By the way, there's a great Detroit photo Web site called "Ruins of Detroit." Take a look; you'll be glad you live here.

Since we are on the subject of these wonderful archives, I can take the time to point out a few other Los Angeles-area photos that are quite interesting.

This past week has been filled with talk about the possibility of billionaire developer Ed Roski Jr. bringing professional football back to Los Angeles by building a stadium in Industry.

A search of "pro football" in the public library archive went as far back as 1927.

None of them mention Industry, but there is a great 1944 photo of a guy named Roy

"Bullet" Baker, a USC left halfback who racked up 107 yards in the 1923 Rose Bowl - the first played in the "new" stadium.

Roski's proposed stadium will be built where the 57 and the 60 freeways come together. A search of the library archive for "Pomona Freeway" revealed a 1969 shot titled "Pomona Freeway Mudslide."

Here's the caption:

"Mudslide covering all eastbound and two of the westbound lanes of the Pomona Freeway, 2 1/2 miles east of Pico Rivera."

What's fascinating about the shot is that there is a car atop the massive pile of mud. The car has obviously been pushed from the fast lane into oncoming traffic.

I tried hard to figure out the make and model of the car, but no such luck.

One thing for certain: it's not a Model T.

Four members of a Walnut church youth group were killed on the Pomona Freeway Friday morning as they traveled to an ice rink for an outing.

Here's a link to the Walnut Blessing Church, where photos of the four young men have been posted. The church Web site identifies them as David Chung, Daniel Kim, Richard Kim and Kevin Na. There are several other photos on the site showing young people engaged in a variety of worship activities.

There is this note on the site:

For condolences and donations please send to the address below.
We will make sure the families of the youth that died receive it.
Please keep their parents in your prayers and please pray
for Stanley Na (whose brother did not make it)
who is currently in serious condition. Thank you

There is video and a photo gallery on the Web as well as the complete story here.

Here's an excerpt from our coverage:

POMONA - Four members of a Walnut youth group died and another one was seriously injured in a crash Friday morning on the 60 Freeway.

The collision occurred just before 11 a.m. on the eastbound 60 Freeway west of Reservoir Street, said California Highway Patrol Officer Joe Zizi.

The unidentified occupants of the Toyota Camry - five young men who ranged from 17 to 21 years old - were following a caravan of three other vehicles traveling from Walnut Blessing Church to an ice skating rink when they fell behind, Zizi said.

In an attempt to catch up with a silver Dodge Neon in front of them, CHP officers believe the driver of the Camry sped up, then lost control.

Daniel Chung, a cousin of one of the victims, witnessed the crash from inside a Dodge Neon and said the Camry driver attempted to cut in front of the Neon but there wasn't enough space.

This from the Associated Press:

POMONA, Calif. (AP) - Security has been stepped up at Cal Poly Pomona after a campus stabbing and a parking lot assault.

Campus police said a 21-year-old woman was stabbed Wednesday morning in a second-floor bathroom. The woman told authorities that she was grabbed from behind and was stabbed in the abdomen with her own pocket knife during a struggle. She was taken to a hospital and was expected to recover.

There is extensive coverage in the Ontario Daily Bulletin here:

Women walking to and from classes Thursday afternoon said they were concerned about campus safety.

"I don't feel safe at night and I have a class (that ends) at 10," said Freshman Diana Argueta. Argueta explained that her class ends at 10 p.m.

Argueta said she does feel safe during the day when there are other people around her.

 

 

Yesterday, I asked to cover a press conference called by the CHP as part of their effort to find clues in the search for a killer who shot a woman to death on the 10 freeway late Wednesday night.

I worte a version of the story for the Tribune, which didn't appear in the newspaper-- but is online here.

That same version of the story was put in a common folder used at our sister paper the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Here's that version.

What's interesting to me (and my reason for sharing the stories) is to point out how news can vary from community to community -- even when those communities are only a few miles apart. The Pomona story absolutely needed the context of pointing out that two shootings occurred there in a short period of time. On the other hand, the story for SGVN didn't really need the context of Pomona, but is important because of the San Bernardino Freeway connection.

Here's the original photo caption:

California Highway Patrol commander Bill Siegl (cq) asks for the help of any witnesses to a freeway shooting on the eastbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway at White Avenue in Pomona at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday March 12, 2008.   The victim, Deborah Lynn Lepper, 54, of Montclair, died at an area hospital a few hours after the shooting.  Siegl is pictured at a press conference at the Baldwin Park CHP station March 13, 2008.(SGVN/Staff photo by Leo Jarzomb/SVCITY)

According to the state's Megan's Law Web-site there's at least four convicted sex offenders living at the Stardust Motel 433 East. Foothill in Pomona, BTW that's just across the border from La Verne. Meet the crew:

ROLAND JAY GEORGE

288(a) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS

ROBERT LEE HOWARD 

288 CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN/LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS

RICHARD ORONA 

288(a) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS

CHARLES CALVIN SWOGGER 

288(a) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS

Here is some more information about the "person of interest" in Eileen's murder.

 From the story:

POMONA - A parolee gang member relative of the husband of a Covina woman who was found murdered in her van on Saturday has been named a "person of interest" in the case by Pomona Police.

Police said Joseph Orta, 34 has not been officially named as a suspect in the murder of 22-year-old Eileen Ponce-Orta, who was found fatally stabbed in the neck on Saturday.

Orta, a former gang member out of Azusa, was convicted for the 2001 attempted murder of his step-father, according to family members of the victim.

Other notes from reporters Brian Day and Dan Abendschein:

County probation officer picked up in parole sweep with a dozen felons.

Here's a snippet:

Among those named in the indictment is a reputed leader of the Crips street gang, 27-year-old Jerron Johns of San Bernardino, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. His girlfriend, Crystal Dillard, a Los Angeles County Probation Officer, is also named. Both were arrested late last month after Johns sold more than 2 pounds of crack cocaine to a police informant, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Meanwhile, police say they are hunting another high-profile gang leader with ties to the operation. They say Raymond King, 37, is the main source of crack cocaine in Pomona.

"We will continue to work with local authorities to go after the worst street gangs that traffic in narcotics and terrorize neighborhoods with their violence," U.S. Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien said in a written statement.

NY man upset with daughter for text messages; suspected of killing her.