Octo-neighbor: “ever since the babies there’s been a lot of commotion”

A neighbor of Octomom Nayda Suleman used a shotgun to threaten paparazzi outside Suleman’s Whittier home, officials said Tuesday.

WHITTIER – A neighbor of Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets last month, brandished a shotgun and yelled threats last night, prompting Whittier Police to come to the cul de sac. 

<snip>

Sally Ramirez said she lives next door to the man, who she said is usually a quiet neighbor.

“He’s a nice man,” she said. “Maybe he was just trying to scare them off.”

Ramirez said the usually sleepy neighborhood has been busier and louder since the announcement that Suleman, who lives in her mother’s house at the end of the street, was adding octuplets to her brood of six children younger than 7. The family’s home on Sunrise Drive is headed toward foreclosure, according to documents.

Ramirez said Suleman told her she would soon be moving to a large house owned by a friend. She said she hopes that when her neighbor leaves, the street will be quiet again.

“Ever since she had the babies, there’s been a lot of commotion,” Ramirez said.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Tuesday’s Column — “The Amazing Octomom”

Octomom.

You have to love the New York Post-style name that’s come to represent Whittier resident and mother of 14 Nayda Suleman.

It sums up the grotesqueness and the truly bizarre nature of something none of us can understand on so many levels.

It also sounds like the handle of a lame comic book villian. The kind writers come up with when the Joker or Magneto have challenged Batman or the X-Men one too many times.

“The Amazing Octomom!”

“Watch as she and her innocent brood take over the state welfare system.”

“Is Batman powerless to stop her?”

“Octomom” might make a great movie title too.

As others have pointed out there is a striking similarity between Suleman and actress Angelina Jolie. You can see Hollywood types jumping all over this one, praying for the opportunity to cast Jolie as the overwhelmed mother of 14 (count `em 14!) very active babies.

There’s other possible titles.

Comedy? “Cheaper by the Dozen, plus 2”

Tragedy? “Oceans 14”

The tragedy of course being that the franchise didn’t end at “Oceans 12.”

That said, Suleman denies she’s made any conscious effort to look like Jolie.

Jolie, on the other hand, reportedly said she’s “totally creeped out” by Suleman and the whole, sad tale.

I guess reality television might find a way to profit off this. But on the other hand, who wants to watch eight screaming babies for an hour? Or witnessthe endless diaper changes?

As the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons might say: “Worst villian ever.”

Back in the real world, the true villian may not be Suleman.

But, the thing is, there is villany here.

I think we all have to wonder what role Beverly Hills fertility specialist Dr. Michael Kamrava plays in this story.

Is he the mad scientist, whose experiments have gone horribly wrong?

Or is he an opportunist seeking his 15 minutes in the hopes of bolstering his questionable practice?

Fortunately Kamrava is under investigation by at least two state boards for what appear to be questionable ethics.

He has so far declined to comment on the whole sordid mess.

There are estimates that Octomom’s hospital stay and providing the necessary care for her children will cost California taxpayers upward of $1 million.

Who knows how much health care for the children will cost after they arrive home in Whittier?

Food stamps?

Social workers?

Foster care?

Numerous state investigations and hearings?

And we, each and every one of us taxpayers, are on the hook for each and every dime.

That said, the real tragedy is that these 14 innocent children are pawns in some larger game that has yet to make itself apparent.

There’s nothing that we can do but sit back and watch the story unfold and hope the children are somehow saved from the craziness.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Teen taggers taken down

A couple of Whittier teens are in hot water after being picked up by the police and charged felony vandalism after tagging around town. Damage estimates for the pair’s handiwork top $50,000. That’s a lot of tagging. Here’s the scoop:

WHITTIER – A 13-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl face felony vandalism charges after allegedly tagging all over the city causing a combined $51,000 in damages.
Police said the teens worked on their own. The boy is believed to be responsible for 66 tagging incidents that led to $23,000 in damages. The girl allegedly tagged 126 times causing more than $28,000 in damages.
Whittier police spokesman Mike Dekowski said the District Attorney’s Office hasn’t yet filed charges against the teens, who were arrested Feb. 2 and 3.
Both were cited out after their arrests. They will return to juvenile court at a later date.
Dekowski said the girl, who lives in the unincorporated Whittier area, tagged also in Pico Rivera and La Habra. Officers are working with other agencies to determine how much the damages were in these communities.
He said the boy, who lives in Whittier, scribbled and scrawled on signs, curbs, walls and sidewalks in the east end of town.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Getting closer in Friendly Whittier

This comes from a story budget proposed for today’s Whittier Daily News:

City Council Tuesday approved new laws — one that sets standards for new cell towers and a second that rewrites the existing adult business ordinance. The rewrite of the adult business ordinance adds some new restrictions — less hours, but also will allow dancers to be closer to patrons. City officials say the changes are needed to make sure the law is legally defensible.

My question, “are there strip clubs in Whittier?”

 

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Seeking answers

Every now and then I’ll get mail asking if I remember a particular crime, or if I can find out some information about it. Usually I promise to get back to the author, but find myself swamped in the events of the day and put it aside.

I hoping that by sharing these two letters with Crime Scene readers, you all can help me provide some facts. Here’s the first:

How u doing Frank, Won’t take to much of your time. I grew up in Pico and graduated from EL RANCHO in 1979. As a kid I lived on Olympic blvd near North Ranchito. Address was 8726 Olympic blvd. I’m currently a 21 year LAPD police officer, I’m trying to find an old 1970’s murder/suicide case which occurred at my next door neighbors on Olympic. I believe it involved a police officer who lived there. I was only a kid maybe 3rd or 4th grade. Thanks for your time,

Anyone remember this?

Here’s the second letter, which I received earlier this week:

I have contacted you before on some of your stories/articles in the past.
The purpose of my email to you is due to a horrific event that occurred in
Whittier which I don’t think I will ever forget. Around 2000 or 2001 a
young lady was murdered by being set on fire in a Whittier alley behind a
auto shop. She was kidnapped by a father and his stepson after they robbed
her of her paycheck, tied her up and then set her on fire, alive. For some
reason I wish to remember her by her name and/or picture and not as a Jane
Doe.

So, can we help these guys?

Thanks.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Cuevas drug trafficking organization dealt a blow

WHittier PD, the DEA and the Orange County regional narcotics supression team served federal search warrants at three southland locations as part of an ongoing effort to bring down a viscous group of drug traffickers, officials said Thursday.

The group, known as the Jorge Cuveas-Mares DTO, was targeted by the Whittier PD, but hte investigation quickly became national in scope, a Whittier PD official said.

Warrants were also served in LA, San Francisco, Detroit, Indianapolis, Philly and Dodge City, Kansas.

The investigation ultimately resulted in the seizure of 300 kilos of coke, 160 pounds of meth and $3 million in cash.

Arrested were Jennifer and Nicolas Sendis of Whittier. They are in federal custody. 

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

A busy morning for the daily fishwrap

GLENDORA — A Glendora man turned himself in Tuesday morning in connection with a stabbing that occurred Monday night on the patio of a Starbucks, authorities said.

Jacob Westin, 18, was arrested on suspicion of stabbing a man on the patio of a Starbucks on the 1800 block of East Route 66 last night around 10 p.m., Glendora police Lt. Ernie Didier said.

WHITTIER – Sheriff’s deputies are searching for an attempted burglary suspect in Whittier, authorities said.

The deputies responded at 8:45 a.m. Tuesday morning to a “burglary in process” at the 11500 block of Havenwood Drive, said Sgt. Della Walls of the Pico Rivera sheriff’s station.

HACIENDA HEIGHTS – Officials have released the name of a 20-year-old La Puente man found dead at the scene of a shooting Sunday.

Paulo Orozco Campos was pronounced dead at 9:30 a.m. in the driveway of a house in the 15400 block Los Robles Avenue, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Chief of Operations Craig Harvey said.

MONROVIA – Hazmat* 720 E Huntington, Monrovia; Battalion 10 Incident Commander, large
amount of toxic cloud from closed up metal commerical structure. Req Hazmat
units. Mutual Aid: Burbank and Glendale. Red 2@10:03PM CABN01 ### 

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Bar fight case will go to trial

This from our newest blog, the Whittier Dispatch:

WHITTIER – A judge ruled Wednesday there was sufficient evidence to try a woman for allegedly stabbing another woman at a Whittier bar after an argument.

A preliminary hearing was held at Whittier Superior Court for Kathleen Cottle, 44, charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon.

She will be arraigned Oct. 29 at Norwalk Superior Court.

Cottle fled in her mobile home after the Sept. 13 stabbing at the Embers Lounge, 11332 Washington Blvd.

Whittier Police said the victim was attacked when she went to the bathroom.

Police tracked down the mobile home to Guirado Park on Pioneer Boulevard on Oct. 1 and arrested Cottle when she showed up.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Thursday Fish Wrap

WHITTIERDetectives are looking for additional victims of a former Marine accused of having sex with a 15-year-old in 2007 and of committing lewd acts on a 13-year-old in 2006.


LA MIRADA –Deputies are looking for three men who robbed a driver of $300.

The robbery happened at 10:47 a.m. Monday in a parking lot in the 11500 block of La Mirada Boulevard.

LOS ANGELES –Authorities say two bodies pulled from the waters off the coast of Los Angeles are the missing brother of two Southern California congresswomen and his girlfriend.

ARCADIA –An 83-year-old pedestrian was killed Wednesday by a vehicle that struck him at Duarte Road and Golden West Avenue, police said. The vehicle was driven by an 88-year-old.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email

Doctor denies sexual assault allegations

A Rowland Heights doctor is accused of sexually assaulting patients at a Whittier Hospital. he denies the charges. Here’s our story so far:

WHITTIER – A doctor denied sexually assaulting patients during office visits.

Dr. Wazir Nadir Ali, 44, of Rowland Heights pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual penetration by a foreign object and two counts of sexual battery by fraud at his Tuesday arraignment at Whittier Superior Court.

He will return to court Nov. 6.

The charges stem from an incident in 2005 and a second incident 2007 at a Bright Medical Associates facility on Whittier Boulevard in Whittier. Two women alleged Ali sexually assaulted them under the guise of a medical examination.

Ali resigned from Bright Medical last year.

Sheriff’s booking records show he is out on bail.

Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Linkedin Email