Recently in San Dimas Category

COVINA -- More details regarding the ongoing investigation of a deputy-involved crash that sent both the deputy and a 72-year-old racehorse trainer to the hospital with major injuries.

Officials now believe the patrol car drove through a red light at 40-50 mph prior to the crash while responding to report of a man with a gun.

Here's an excerpt from a story running in tommorrow's Tribune:

COVINA -- A horse trainer well known within the Southern California racing circuit remained hospitalized Sunday after his car was hit by a sheriff's patrol vehicle.
Arthur Lerille, 72, of San Dimas suffered broken bones and other serious injuries after the patrol car drove through a red light at Arrow Highway and Sunflower Avenue while responding to an emergency call Saturday morning, officials and family members said.
Deputy Brian Harper, 39, of the Los Angeles County sheriff's San Dimas Station also suffered serious injuries, including possible broken bones around his spinal column in the crash, sheriff's and California Highway Patrol officials said.
Sheriff's officials said Sunday Harper's condition was improving, though his prospects for recovery remained uncertain.
"We're hoping for the best obviously," Sgt. Richard Ramirez of the sheriff's San Dimas Station said. "I don't think anyone can say at this point in time what the outcome's going to be."
He added Harper has been with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for more than a decade, and described him as, "an excellent deputy," and, "a good example to follow."
Lerille, a longtime racehorse trainer, was taking his usual route to work at Santa Anita Park when the crash occurred, his wife of 13 years, Cindy Lerille, said.
He suffered a serious injury to his arm which would require surgery, she said, as well as a head injury that's caused significant memory loss.
Arthur Lerille's injured arm, his wife added, had not fully recovered from a previous injury suffered at Santa Anita Park during the Sierra Madre Earthquake in 1991, in which a beam fell on his arm and killed another woman.
"Whether his arm can be repaired, I don't know," Cindy Lerille said.
She added her husband has no memory of the crash, and even has difficulty recognizing her at times.
He is expected to be transferred from an intensive care unit to Arcadia Methodist Hospital today, Cindy Lerille said.

A preliminary hearing for former Rams kicker Tony Zendejas is underway today in Pomona. Sources tell me the woman who accuses Zendejas of raping her in a motel room earlier this year has testified.

I'll have an update when there's more information to post.

*Zendejas will face trial in the rape case.

City News Service reports:

Former Los Angeles Rams placekicker Antonio "Tony" Zendejas was ordered today to stand trial on four charges alleging that he drugged a woman at his San Dimas sports bar and sexually assaulted her.

Zendejas, 48, is accused of giving a woman at his restaurant/bar a drink that made her groggy either late Jan. 25 or early Jan. 26. She told authorities that she woke up in a nearby motel room and had been raped.

Pomona Superior Court Judge Charles Horan found sufficient evidence to require the former National Football League player to proceed to trial on one felony count each of rape by use of drugs, rape of an unconscious person, sodomy by anesthesia or controlled substance and sodomy of an unconscious person, according to Deputy District Attorney Rouman
Ebrahim.

Channel Seven is on Bear Watch 2008!

The station is reporting that a bear is on the prowl in Horsethief Canyon above San Dimas.

Their helicopter has had some interesting shots of the bear at work digging through a dumpster.

The bear looks like a cub, and obviously he's hungry.

Picnic basket anyone?

* A scanner transmission from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department indicated "it's a little bitty bear that's not harming no one. He's just going through some trash cans up there behind the nature center." 

This is what we are reporting this morning:

SAN DIMAS - A woman was found shot to death inside a house Sunday, authorities said.

A witness discovered the body about 5 p.m. inside a house in the 500 block of 3rd Street and called for help, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Gary Lindenmayer.

The woman, whose name was not available, was pronounced dead at the scene, fire officials said.

It was not immediately clear how long before the discovery the woman was shot, Lindenmayer said.

A group of visibly upset teenagers and young adults consoled each other in front of the crime scene tape, which blocked access to the street around the home.

The homicide, which is the first reported in San Dimas since 2005, left the neighborhood uneasy.

Fox 11 reported Monday that there has been a history of calls to police from the home.

The latest from reporter Bethania Palma:

Speaking through an attorney Thursday, former Rams placekicker Tony Zendejas maintained his innocence.

"The charges are utterly false," attorney Tim Younger said.

Lunch time traffic at Zendejas' plush sports bar was light Thursday.

A manager identifying himself as "Marty" said he could not comment and referred all questions to Younger.

Zendejas is charged in an ugly rape case and was arrested Thursday morning at his home in Yorba Linda. A woman claims he drugged her and raped her in a motel room on Jan. 26. The criminal complaint alleges the the woman suffered great bodily harm as a result of the rape.

The photo comes from Zendejas' MySpace

Most nights, the night editor Kate Kealey, or the night cops reporter Brian Day will send me notes on criminal activity in the SGV and Whitter that we need to check on in the morning.

Here's last night's note:

Monrovia seems to be in a lot of news stories these days. From NBC in San Diego:

Authorities want to talk to the mother of one of two girls, ages 12 and 8, who disappeared from San Dimas with their foster parents' car.

Two girls, ages 12 and 8, were reported missing Monday from their foster home in San Dimas, along with their foster parents' car, which the older girl may be driving, the sheriff's department reported. Sheriff's investigators said the girls may have been abducted, and since the older girl's mother, identified as Iris Pineda Zavala, of Monrovia, cannot be located, that may be a possible lead in the case

 

Fred J Robledo is all over this on his prep sports blog, where there are some interesting comments, including one casting aspersions on Fred's reporting ability.

For the record, we ran the story on the news side after Fred got a tip about Coberly. The same story ran in the Daily Bulletin. We weren't "scooped."

This from Tania Chatila's story in today's paper:

LA VERNE - Police are investigating allegations that a Bonita High School girls volleyball coach behaved inappropriately with a player, police and school officials said Wednesday.

La Verne police Lt. Jim Strona confirmed a complaint was filed, but declined to give more specific information.

School officials said the allegations were made against Morgan Coberly, who is also listed as a coach at the Claremont Colleges and at a private club in La Verne.

Reached by phone Wednesday, Coberly, who is from La Verne, denied the allegations.

"No, they are not true," he said, "and I don't want to talk about anything until the investigation is over."

 

Here's video from the web featuring Coberly and some of the Bonita players:

And don't forget this famous shot from the Bonita-San Dimas Volleyball game:

**The coach has been identified as Trib's 2007 volleyball coach of the year, Morgan Coberly.

**Coberly also girls volleyball at Claremont Colleges and for a travel team based in La Verne.

**The travel team is also investigating allegations.

**The allegations apparently involve text messages between Coberly and a freshman member of the Bonita team.

La Verne Police are investigating allegations that a coach at Bonita High School had inappropriate contact with a student (perhaps a player) during the school year. The coach is on leave from the school, sources said.

This is from an article I wrote last April regarding the district's attempts to stem sexual abuse allegations (hardly seems like a year ago):

In 2006, Allen Avenue Elementary School teacher Debra Lynn Pence, 48, of La Verne pleaded no contest to one count of molesting Matthew Wanamaker. She received five year's probation and was required to register as a sex offender.

Just two weeks before Pence's arrest, Bonita High School math teacher Walter Babst was arrested in an Internet sting for soliciting sex from what he thought was a girl under 14.

Babst, 43, of Corona continued to teach at Bonita High for several days after his arrest by Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies. Officials said they had no idea Babst had been arrested until his attorney notified the district.

In February, Babst pleaded guilty to attempted lewd acts with a minor under 14, and possession of child pornography. He will be sentenced May 11, according to Ingrid Wyatt, spokeswoman for the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

"I think should have known who these teachers were," Cheryl Wanamaker said. "Whatever's happened to all stems back to (the molestation)."

In the 1990s the district lost two lawsuits after teachers Dave Dangleis and Jack Kelley, a soccer coach, were charged with molesting students.

The Kelley settlement ultimately cost the district $3.5 million in damages, according to court documents and published reports. Both Dangleis and Kelley served criminal terms. Dangleis now lives in Indio and is a registered sex offender. Kelley is a registered sex offender living in San Diego.

This from the Daily Bulletin:

SAN DIMAS - An Asian man was stabbed in the face and torso during a hate crime attack at Lone Hill Middle School on Tuesday evening.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies said the attackers - a 15-year-old boy and a man in his 20s - shouted racial epithets while stabbing the man. "They were shouting out 'White power' or something like that," said sheriff's Lt. Roxanne Hart.

A white man who was walking with the victim at the school at 700 South Lone Hill Avenue about 8:30 p.m. received cuts and bruises from being punched by the pair, Hart said.

Paramedics flew the Asian man to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center where he was listed in critical condition.

Deputies identified the 15-year-old suspect and arrested him. The man in his 20s was not in custody, Hart said.

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4:55p.m. UPDATE Missing man identified as Frank Wykofka, 60, a Vietnam veteran.

A car has been pulled from the reservior and a body recovered.

SAN DIMAS -- A sheriff's underwater search and rescue team continued to search the murky waters of San Dimas Reservior Thursday for a man reported missing earlier in the day, officials said.

Family members reported the man missing at 11 a.m. when he failed to return from a trip to the Angeles National Forest. Officials believe the man had gone to the forest to release a feral skunk.

Divers apparently have located a car in murky waters of the San Dimas reservoir. They have also found other evidence consistent with a car accident at a paticularly dangerous curve on San Dimas Canyon Road, officials said.

The search is underway at the dam

The man's name has not been released.

http://www.insidesocal.com/sgvcrime