Sacto 9-1-1

From Bill Lindelof:

A traffic stop in Shingle Springs led to some unexpected discoveries and the arrest of a Mariposa County woman Friday in El Dorado County, investigators said.

Sheriff's deputies said they stopped Kimber Thompson of Coulterville on Red Hawk Parkway about 1:30 a.m. Friday for a vehicle code violation and discovered she had an outstanding warrant for her arrest. It was also determined that she was driving without a license, the deputies said.

A search of her vehicle allegedly turned up marijuana and methamphetamine, deputies said. But what really got their attention was a gas canister that had been modified into a small pipe bomb, deputies said.

The bomb squad closed access to the Red Hawk casino for a short time and the device was destroyed at the scene due to the danger of moving the item, which could have had lethal consequences, according to an El Dorado County Sheriff's department press release.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento Police have arrested a man who they believe killed his brother in 2007.

The decomposing body of Lawrence Dean Lynn, 54, of Sacramento was found behind a home in the 1200 block of South Avenue in Del Paso Heights Aug. 22, 2007. Lynn appeared to have died from blunt force trauma.

Detectives said they were able to establish that Lynn had an ongoing dispute with his brother, Calvin Lynn (photo left), over the ownership of their late mother's home.

Based on evidence and statements, detectives said they obtained a murder warrant for Calvin Lynn. Lynn was taken into custody Thursday without incident and booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of murder, police said.

From Bill Lindelof:

The family of a slain correctional officer and the California Correctional Peace Officers Association have once again joined to increase the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the slaying of Correctional Officer Steve Lo.

The family and the union is offering $90,000 for information leading to the capture, arrest and conviction.

Lo was shot to death Oct. 15 in front of his South Sacramento home as he prepared to leave for work. Lo, 39, is survived by a wife and five children.

"The Lo family hopes that the increased reward will encourage members of the public to come forward with information on this heinous murder so that this case can be resolved and hopefully bring some peace to our family," said Lo's widow Sia Vang in a press release.

A former Sacramento County Sheriff's Department deputy, Chu Vue, 43, has been named as a "principal" in the investigation into the Lo's slaying, according to an investigator's search warrant affidavit filed in Sacramento Superior Court.

Vue has not been charged in the Lo slaying. He has been charged with possession of an unregistered assault weapon and with converting the gun into something other than its manufacturer's design.

It was during the service of a search warrant that investigators found the unregistered .223-caliber assault weapon, court documents said.

Vue, who is free on $500,000 bail, has since been fired from the Sheriff's Department.

Anyone with information in the Lo case should call the Sacramento Police Department's tip line at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous

From Bill Lindelof:

Citrus Heights Police Friday morning arrested two people for the shooting of a woman at a recycling center.

Arrested in the case was Anthony Platz, 39, who was booked on suspicion of attempted murder, attempted robbery and firearms violations. Also arrested in connection with the crime was his girlfriend, Christina Duette, 31, who was booked into jail for attempted robbery and petty theft.

The arrests occurred in the 4400 block of Oak Hollow Drive in Sacramento, said Lt. Jeff Mackanin. Both of the suspects were described as "transients."

Detectives with search warrants were also able to retrieve what they believe is the handgun used in the shooting at the recycling center near Fireside Lanes bowling alley on Auburn Boulevard.

The incident occurred shortly before noon Thursday when a man tried to rob the woman at the recycling center, police said. In the attempt, the woman was shot four times in the arms and leg, police said.

She was taken to Mercy San Juan Hospital and was last reported in stable condition.

Detectives who gathered information at the scene worked through the night and were able to make arrests in the early morning hours, police said.

2 men arrested after stabbing at Carmichael restaurant

From Niesha Lofing:

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies have arrested two men in connection with a stabbing at a Carmichael restaurant early this morning.

Deputies were called at 12:26 a.m. to the Habibi Cafe at 7336 Fair Oaks Blvd. on a report of a stabbing, Sgt. Tim Curran said.

Witnesses gave deputies a description of the vehicle seen leaving the parking lot and a license plate number.

Deputies found a 31-year-old man had been stabbed in the upper body. He was taken to a local hospital and treated for his injuries.

"He is expected to survive," Curran said.

Deputies do not know what prompted the stabbing.

Another deputy patrolling the area spotted a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle and stopped the car at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Sutter Avenue.

The driver, Kuriyakose Pallipurath (photo below left), 20, of Sacramento was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. He is being held on $100,000 in Sacramento County Main Jail.

"We believe he was the stabber," Curran said.

Pallipurath is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

The passenger, Mudasar Abid (photo below right), 19, of Sacramento was arrested on suspicion of being drunk in public. He was booked into Sacramento County Main Jail and released today.

The Habibi Cafe is a Mediterranean restaurant and hookah lounge. They are open until 2 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, the resaturant;'s Web site

From Niesha Lofing:

Two Folsom police officers and their equine partners are planning to shave their heads and manes in support of childhood cancer research.

The department's mounted patrol unit is working with the St. Baldrick's Foundation to raise money for research to help end childhood cancer, a police news release states.

The officers and their horses will hold a meet-and-greet event at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the department's headquarters at 46 Natoma Street, where their heads and manes will be shaved.

The head-shaving launches two local fundraising events hosted by the Keaton Raphael Memorial, a local nonprofit organization that raises funds for pediatric cancer research and support services for families facing childhood cancer.

Representatives from the organization will be at the Tuesday event to provide information about their events, which are scheduled for March 12 at the UC Davis Cancer Center and March 14 at the Westfield Galleria at Roseville.

For more information about the Keaton Raphael Memorial, go to www.childcancer.org or call (916) 784-6786.

From Niesha Lofing:

Woodland police are looking for two people who tried to steal frozen food from a local high school early this morning.

Police and Woodland Joint Unified School District employees were called at 1:12 a.m. to Woodland High School on a report of a commercial burglary alarm.

When the district employee arrived at the school on North West Street, he saw two people in dark clothing running toward the football field, Sgt. Anthony Cucchi said.

Officers unsuccessfully searched the area for suspects.

The investigation revealed that the people broke into the high school's walk-in freezer and tried to steal an undisclosed amount of food before they were interrupted by the district employee, Cucchi said.

The freezer was padlocked shut.

"There were two locks they had to get through," he said.

Police are not sure whether any food was stolen.

"They still have to go through the inventory," Cucchi said.

The freezer housed food served during school meals.

Cucchi said similar burglaries have happened in the past at the school.

Police do not have a description of the suspects.

Officers are investigating the burglary and asking anyone with information to call police at (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800.

Callers may remain anonymous.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Three people were stabbed Thursday night during a brawl in Oak Park, Sacramento Police said. None of the injuries was fatal.

Police responded to a call of shots fired in the 3900 block of 12th Avenue about 7:15 p.m, according to Lt. Jim Hose. When officers arrived, they found three males, between the ages of 15 and 20, who had suffered stabbed wounds, he said.

According to police, the stabbing sprang from a dispute between two households on the block, Hose said. It's believed that all three victims were stabbed by one or more assailants who have yet to be identified, Hose said.

Learning more about the incident was difficult, Hose said, because police were not getting the "best cooperation" from witnesses.

After the stabbings, someone stepped out from a home on the block and fired a shotgun, Hose said. Pellets from the shotgun struck cars on the block, shattering some windows.

The three victims are being treated at UC Davis Medical Center, where they're all listed in stable condition, Hose said.

No suspect descriptions were available, Hose said. Police are still looking for others involved in the stabbing, as well as the weapons used, he said.

From Sandy Louey:

Davis police are seeking a man who allegedly sexually assaulted two women in separate incidents Thursday.

Both victims were college-age women. The first reported incident took place at 2:30 a.m. in the 300 block of G Street. A woman was standing in a parking lot talking with a friend when a man approached from behind. He reached under her skirt and sexually assaulted her, Lt. Thomas Waltz said in a news release.

The man fled after the victim's acquaintance confronted him.

The second incident occurred shortly afterward in the 200 block of G Street when a woman was walking to her car. The man approached her from behind, reaching under her skirt and sexually assaulted her, Waltz said.

Police said the woman confronted the man, who fled.

The suspect is described as a 25-year-old Latino man who was 5 feet 3 to 5 feet 5 inches tall. He had black hair and wore a dark-colored jacket with a hood and blue jeans, police said.

Police believe the man is targeting young women who are wearing skirts and have been at restaurants and bars in downtown Davis.

They advise people who are out at night to not walk alone, be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (530) 747-5430.

From Sandy Louey:

Davis police are searching for a man who robbed a US Bank on Thursday.

At 11:24 a.m., a man went into the bank at 304 F St. He handed an employee a note demanding money. The man told the teller that he had a weapon, but none was seen, Lt. Thomas Waltz said in a news release.

The robber left the bank with money. He is described as a white man between 39 to 49 years old. He was 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall with a medium build and a scruffy beard, police said.

He wore a red baseball cap with no writing or logos on it, black sunglasses and a gray sweatshirt.

Anyone with information is asked to call Davis police at (530) 747-5430.

From Sandy Louey:

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office on Thursday identified the man found floating in Lake Natoma the day before as 54-year-old Timothy Allan Hecht of Fair Oaks.

Folsom police recovered Hecht's body Wednesday after bicyclists riding along the trails surrounding the lake spotted a body floating near the south shoreline, according to the Folsom Police Department.

Police said Hecht's body was located about 15 feet from shore. There is an investigation into his death, but there were no apparent signs of foul play.

The coroner's office has conducted an autopsy, but the cause of death is still pending.

From Sandy Louey:

A Sacramento food market has been permanently banned from accepting food stamps and has been put on three years probation involving liquor sales, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

The department posted liquor license suspension notices Thursday at the market and at an Amador County hotel, a spokesman said.

The alcohol beverage licenses of Shoppers Market in Sacramento and the National Hotel in Jackson are being suspended because they violated the state Alcohol Beverage Control Act, said John Carr, a spokesman for the department.

Shoppers Market, 1400 G Street, will serve a 40-day suspension. The violations were an employee buying purported stolen property from an investigator and an employee illegally trafficking food stamps, Carr said.

The employee's illegal buying of food stamps in exchange for cash is a violation of federal food stamp regulations. It is also a criminal offense that means the market is permanently disqualified from accepting food stamps, according to a press release from the department.

The department also has put the store on probation for three years and informed the store owner that its license could be revoked if there are similar violations.

Carr said the license of National Hotel, 2 Water Street, will be suspended for 20 days.

The violations were serving alcohol to a minor, adulterated bottles of alcohol and not serving food as required by their license type, the department said.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police arrested a 20-year-old man who allegedly damaged a park by driving in circles in his pickup truck.

At 5:20 p.m. Wednesday, police were called to a vandalism report to Cascade Park on Girvan Road.

The responding officer learned that a truck had drove in circles on the park lawn. A search of the area found a truck parked in front of a home in the 6400 block of Creekside Street that matched witness descriptions, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.

The truck's owner, Benjamin Holmes, was on court-ordered home electronic confinement, police said. Holmes admitted to the vandalism and another person inside the home confirmed that Holmes was responsible, police said.

Holmes was arrested and booked in the Shasta County Jail for violating his home electronic confinement.

Police plan to file a complaint with the Shasta County District Attorney seeking a felony vandalism charge against him.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police have arrested a 41-year-old Citrus Heights man believed to be a serial bank robber nicknamed "Flannel Guy" who has hit four banks in eight days.

At 5 p.m. Wednesday, police received information that John Sandretto, a wanted parolee, would be at a home in the 5500 block of Laguna Park Drive in Elk Grove, Officer Christopher Trim said in a press release.

Officers began a surveillance of the home and Sandretto was taken into custody on a felony warrant and narcotic charges, police said.

An investigation found that Sandretto was responsible for four bank robberies in the Sacramento region: the Union Bank of California at 1850 Douglas Blvd. in Roseville on Feb. 17; the Downey Savings & Loan at 5000 Laguna Blvd. in Elk Grove on Feb. 20; the Washington Mutual Bank at 3601 Fair Oaks Blvd. in Sacramento on Monday; and the Wells Fargo Bank at 2000 Douglas Blvd. in Roseville on Wednesday.

During the robberies, Sandretto handed tellers a note and demanded money. He had been nicknamed the "Flannel Guy" because of the plaid flannel jacket that he wore during the first two robberies, authorities said. (Bank surveillance photos from Elk Grove robbery below.)

Sandretto is being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail and is ineligible for bail. Trim said the robbery charges will be added later.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department's detective bureau at (916) 478-8060.

From Bill Lindelof:

Citrus Heights police were searching for a man who shot a woman worker at a recycling center today on Auburn Boulevard.

The woman was shot at least twice shortly before noon while working at the center near Fireside Lanes bowling alley on Auburn Boulevard in what was first described as a robbery attempt.

She was taken to Mercy San Juan Hospital with bullet wounds to the arm and leg, a preliminary reports shows. She is in stable condition.

Officials say the suspect hopped a fence into Rusch Park after shooting the woman.

Three schools nearby -- Mesa Verde High School, Carriage Elementary and Grand Oaks Elementary -- were locked down as a precaution. They were reopened about 12:30 p.m.

The shooter was described as a thin white male, about 6 feet tall with a goatee. He was wearing a grayish hooded sweatshirt jacket and dark jeans.

"We are not discounting that it was a robbery, but we can't confirm it yet," said police spokesman Sgt. Eric Mattke.

Mattke said it was not known if the shooter and the victim knew each other.

From Bill Lindelof:

Citrus Heights Police are investigating a shooting and robbery outside a bowling alley Thursday morning on Auburn Boulevard, according to dispatchers.

The incident occurred outside Fireside Lanes, 7901 Auburn Boulevard. Police were searching the suspect in the area around the bowling alley.

Details of the shooting were not immediately available.

From Bee Staff:

Fast work by the Auburn Police Department apparently caught an armed robbery suspect before he could act, according to Police Chief Valerie Harris.

Michael Francis Brown, 25, of Sacramento was arrested while in line Wednesday night at a pharmacy at a Longs Drug store in a shopping center at 388 Elm Ave. in Auburn, a news release said. Officers found in Brown's possession a loaded .38-caliber handgun and a note demanding Oxycontin, a prescription painkiller, the release said.

Brown did not possess a prescription for Oxycontin, officers said.

Harris detailed how the arrest transpired:

Brown was in and out of the store several times and asked about Oxycontin.

Brown's actions made a store employee suspicious. The employee called the Placer County Sheriff's Department, and the information was relayed to the Auburn Police Department.

Officers also found on Brown "controlled substances, drug paraphernalia, illegal drugs and a switchblade knife," Harris said in the release.

Officer found Brown's vehicle in the parking lot.

Brown was booked into the Placer County Jail. He is being held on $100,000 bail, the release said.

From Niesha Lofing:

Roseville police arrested three men Wednesday after they allegedly were spotted prowling and peeping into cars at a hotel parking lot.

Police were called at 2:20 a.m. to the Orchid Suites at 130 North Sunrise Avenue on a report of the men looking into parked cars, said police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.

Officers detained the men and found that one of the parked vehicles had its trunk open.

"They had popped the trunk open but hadn't taken anything," she said.

Officers also discovered that a Hyundai sedan the suspects were driving had been reported stolen from Sacramento last week.

When officers searched the car, they found suspected stolen property, methamphetamine, other drug paraphernalia and burglar's tools, Gunther said.

Officers arrested Aleksandr Nikolayevi Khavrenko (top left photo), 22, Vladimir V. Martynov (center), 23, and Devin Daniel Reed (right), 21.

Reed, of El Dorado Hills, was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine for sale, possession of stolen property, tampering with a vehicle, possession of burglar's tools, prowling, possession of drug paraphernalia, conspiracy and an arrest warrant for stolen property out of Sacramento County. He is being held without bail in Placer County Jail in Auburn.

Martynov, of Sacramento, was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, possession of methamphetamine for sale, using a false name, possession of burglar's tools, prowling, resisting arrest, conspiracy and a warrant for auto theft out of Sacramento County. He is being held without bail in Placer County Jail.

Khavrenko, of North Highlands, was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine for sale, possession of stolen property, prowling, possession of burglar's tools and conspiracy. He was booked into Placer County Jail and later released after posting a $15,000 bail bond.

California Department of Corrections' agents are seeking Sangkhom Phaisongkham on felony no-bail arrest warrants for suspected parole violations, fleeing parole and failing to register as a sex offender, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Phaisongkham (left photo) has served prison time for lewd acts with child under 14 years of age using force or violence, authorities said. He is described as age 37, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

He was last known to live in the 3800 block of Clay Street in the Del Paso Heights area of Sacramento, authorities said.

Anyone with information about Phaisongkham is urged to contact Crime Alert at (800) AA-CRIME or (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities are looking for a serial bank robber nicknamed "Flannel Guy" who has hit four banks in the Sacramento area in the last eight days.

The latest robbery was at 2:39 p.m. Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Bank at 2000 Douglas Boulevard in Roseville.

The robber (photos below) handed a bank employee a note demanding cash, He took the money and left without incident. No weapons were used, said Dee Dee Gunther, spokeswoman for the Roseville Police Department, in a press release.

The man has been nicknamed "Flannel Guy" because of the plaid flannel jacket he wore during the first two robberies.

Police believe he is responsible for three other bank robberies: the Union Bank of California at 1850 Douglas Blvd. in Roseville on Feb. 17; the Downey Savings & Loan at 5000 Laguna Blvd. in Elk Grove on Feb. 20; and the Washington Mutual Bank at 3601 Fair Oaks Blvd. in Sacramento on Monday.

Gunther said the robber is described as a white man in his 40s who is 5 feet 7 inches tall with short graying brown hair, a mustache and goatee.

In Wednesday's robbery, he wore a black Adidas ball cap, a black and white synthetic material T-shirt with a triangular emblem on the front and blue jeans, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call any of the following agencies: the Roseville Police Department at (916) 774-5070, Roseville Crime Stoppers at (916) 783-7867, the FBI's Sacramento office at (916) 481-9110 or the Sacramento Violent Crime Task Force at (916) 874-5115.

From Sandy Louey:

A Sacramento Superior Court judge has sentenced a 24-year-old man to 120 days in county jail and four years of probation for filing a false police report and fraudulent insurance claim.

Judge David De Alba sentenced Nicholas Stanfield Friday after a jury convicted him, according to a news release issued Wednesday from the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

The release gave this account:

On Dec. 17, 2007, Sacramento police responded to a 911 call about the carjacking of Stanfield's Dodge Ram truck.

Stanfield's face was bruised and his shirt torn. He told officers he was walking to his truck in downtown Sacramento when two men assaulted him, took his keys and drove off in his truck.

Stanfield filed an insurance claim with Ameriprise Insurance and claimed there was more than $4,000 in personal property inside the truck.

He also wanted payment for the truck including $20,000 in customization that he had put into the truck. He also wanted the insurance company to pay for a car rental, towing and storage fees.

Sacramento Police Detective Bryce Heinlein discovered Stanfield had made up the carjacking, asking two friends to beat him up so it looked like he had been attacked.

Stanfield later admitted to the fake carjacking, saying he had financial problems. He missed the $500 monthly truck payments for November and December.

At trial, he testified that he spent $500 on a PlayStation 3 as a Christmas present for himself instead of making the December truck payment, the DA's office said.

From Niesha Lofing:

Authorities released a sketch this afternoon of a man who allegedly tried to kidnap a teenager as she walked to school in Auburn this morning.

The 16-year-old girl was walking along Richardson Drive on her way to school at Maidu High School, said Dena Erwin, a spokeswoman for the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

The girl said that as she walked by a red, four-door pickup, a man asked her for the time, Erwin said.

"She looked down for her cell phone and he grabbed her and threw her against the truck," she said.

The girl said she elbowed the man in the stomach and ran.

"He got back in his truck and fled," Erwin said.

The girl ran home and called 911.

The girl described the man as white, in his 30s, with a muscular build and a goatee, wearing a black hooded, zip-up sweatshirt, Erwin said.

Deputies have searched the area and issued a "be on the lookout" to other law enforcement agencies. They also are "looking at potential suspects," Erwin said.

From Sandy Louey and Niesha Lofing:

Folsom police said a body found floating in Lake Natoma Wednesday was that of a 54-year-old man.

Emergency crews were called about 10:30 a.m. to the lake on a report of a body found floating in the water.

"Several cyclists were riding along the south shore of Lake Natoma Crossing by the Lake Natoma Inn when they spotted a human body in the water," said Folsom police spokeswoman Officer Michelle Beattie.

The man, who was in the water for at least 24 hours, is from the Sacramento region. Property was found on him that helped identify him, Beattie said.

She said the man's name is not being released until the next of kin is notified.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

From Sandy Louey:

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control plans to post license suspension notices at two businesses Thursday, including a Sacramento market.

The alcohol beverage licenses of Shoppers Market in Sacramento and the National Hotel in Jackson are being suspended because they violated the state Alcohol Beverage Control Act, said John Carr, a spokesman for the department.

Shoppers Market, 1400 G Street, will serve a 40-day suspension. The violations were an employee buying purported stolen property from an investigator and an employee illegally trafficking food stamps, Carr said.

Carr said the license of National Hotel, 2 Water Street, will be suspended for 20 days.

The violations were serving alcohol to a minor, contaminated bottles at the bar and not serving food as required by the license type, he said.

From Sandy Louey:

The California Highway Patrol arrested the wife of the Marysville mayor for allegedly driving while under the influence of prescription medicine, the CHP reported.

At 2:05 p.m. Tuesday, Petra Sligman-Harris, 47, was driving east on 22nd Street near the intersection of Boulton Way in Marysville, the CHP said.

The CHP gave this account:

Sligman-Harris' 1999 Plymouth Voyager crossed the westbound side of the road and traveled off the road. She struck a chain link fence, entering the side yard of a home and struck a tree.

Marysville police responded, but requested the CHP take over the investigation after determining Sligman-Harris was the mayor's wife, the CHP said, to avoid any conflicts of interest.

Sligman-Harris was in respiratory distress and was taken to Rideout Hospital for treatment. She also had a bruised forehead and right knee and chest pains, the report said.

The CHP investigating officer believed she was under the influence of prescription medication at the time of the accident, the report said. She was placed under arrest for driving while under the influence and released at the hospital for treatment, the report said.

The arrest report will be turned over to the Yuba County District Attorney, the CHP said.

From Andy Furillo:

Officials at Pleasant Valley State Prison are investigating as "questionable" the death of an inmate from Sacramento County whose body was found in his cell early Wednesday.

A California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation press release said officials were withholding the name of the inmate until his next-of-kin could be notified.

The inmate's body was found at 2:45 a.m. in his administrative segregation unit cell, according to the press release. The Fresno County Sheriff's Department is investigating his death under a mutual aid agreement with the prison.

The inmate had been at Pleasant Valley since August 2007 on a two-year, eight-month term for resisting an officer with force, the release said.

He had served prior terms in 1994 for assault with a deadly weapon and 2002 for receiving stolen property, according to the release.

From Sandy Louey:

The Yuba County Sheriff's Department has identified the Linda woman who died in a kitchen fire Saturday night.

Diane Elizabeth Daniels, 46, died at her home on Nichols Lane. Neighbors helped to extinguish the fire, according to a press release from the Sheriff's Department.

An autopsy on Daniels was inconclusive and further tests are being conducted, the release said.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police are conducting a sobriety and drivers license checkpoint on Friday in the east area of the city.

Officers will be checking for alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers. Officers will also be making sure that all drivers have a valid driver's license, according to a press release from the Sacramento Police Department.

The location and length of the operation will be released about two hours before the checkpoint is implemented, the release said.

Funding for the checkpoint comes from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police on Wednesday released surveillance photos of a man who robbed the Downey Savings & Loan last week.

The robbery occurred at 4:49 p.m. Feb. 20 at the bank at 5000 Laguna Blvd. A man approached the teller and handed her a note demanding money. She complied and the man left the bank in an unknown direction, according to police.

The robber was described as a white male adult from 40 to 50 years old. He was 5 feet 7 inches tall and 170 pounds. He had dark brown/gray hair and a goatee. He wore a dark baseball cap and a green and tan Pendleton type jacket with light colored blue jeans, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police department's detective bureau at (916) 478-8060 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

Callers to Crime Alert can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Tips can also be sent via SMS text message by entering CRIMES (274637) on a cell phone, followed by Tip732 and the message.

From Bill Lindelof:

A prisoner who escaped more than a week ago when he was being treated at an Oroville hospital has been found Wednesday hiding under a bed in a mobile home.

Michael Dean Nunley II, 52, was being guarded by a private security company 3:30 a.m. Feb. 14 when he slipped his restraints, ran past the security officer and out of the Oroville Hospital.

Nunley was arrested July 6, 2008 by Butte County Sheriff's deputies on suspicion of rape and failure to register as a sex offender. He had been held at Butte County Jail while awaiting trial but on Feb. 12 was transported to the hospital for medical attention and was a patient until his escape.

Acting on a tip, Butte County Sheriff's Deputies went to a mobile home in the 700 block of Oro-Dam Boulevard West in Oroville. The deputies found Nunley hiding under a bed in a rear bedroom, according to a press release.

From Bill Lindelof:

Police hope that the recent incarceration of a criminal in Missouri will solve a 16-year-old cold case homicide in Sacramento.

Sacramento Police on Tuesday obtained an arrest warrant for Michael Peterson (left photo), 44, in connection with the 1992 murder of John Arana.

Arana died from stab wounds Nov. 5, 1992, at his home in the 5400 block of 10th Avenue. A few days after his death, his stolen truck was found about a mile form his home.

No progress was made on the case, but a review of evidence from the Arana homicide resulted in a DNA profile being developed in 2003. That DNA was compared to state and national DNA databases, but there was no match.

Then, last month, cold case detectives received a call from Sacramento County Criminalist Jeff Herbert, who told them that a DNA match with Peterson and the Arana case had been made. Peterson had recently been convicted and sent to prison in Missouri, causing his DNA profile to be entered into a database.

Peterson, according to a news release, has an extensive criminal history in California and Missouri. He was on parole at the time of the Arana murder. Sacramento Police have issued a photo (at right) of Peterson as he looked in 1992, hoping someone remembers him or details about the case.

Detectives and the Sacramento District Attorney's office are working to bring Peterson to California for prosecution.

Arana, a part-time driver for a print shop who lived alone, was discovered by a friend who dropped by the victim's home.

From Niesha Lofing:

Redding police are urging residents to lock up firearms and offering free gun locks to residents in hopes of preventing firearm theft, accidents and unintended use.

In the past four months, 42 firearms were stolen during residential burglaries in the city limits, a Redding police news release states.

The police department has partnered with Project Childsafe, a nationwide gun violence prevention group, to promote safe firearm handling and storage practices and provide free gun locks to residents. The program is funded by the firearm industry, the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Gun locks also help keep firearms unavailable to children. In recent months, the Redding community "has experienced tragic events involving the intentional and accidental deaths of children which could have been prevented with proper storage and security of the firearms involved," the release states.

Redding police Officer Jason Rhoads's 4-year-old son died in November after the boy accidentally shot himself in the head with his father's service weapon.

For more information, view www.reddingpolice.org

Agents from the California Department of Corrections and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department are seeking Reginald Jerome Robinson on a felony no-bail arrest warrant for suspected parole violations, and fleeing parole, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Robinson (left photo) is also wanted on a felony $15,000 bail arrest warrant for failing to register as a sex offender, authorities said. He is described as age 37, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 205 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Robinson is urged to contact Crime Alert at (800) AA-CRIME or (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities are investigating the severe alcohol poisoning of an 18-year-old Chico State freshman from Sacramento last week.

Police responded just before midnight Thursday to a 911 call about an alcohol overdose in the 600 block of West Fourth Street.

Bethany Dixon was taken to Enloe Medical Center, where her blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit, Lt. John Carillo said Tuesday.

Dixon, who has been released from the hospital, is a pledge for Sigma Kappa sorority and attended a sorority function before going to a friend's home where the alcohol was consumed, Carillo said.

Carillo said investigations are being conducted by police, the California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control and the university about who provided the underage student with the alcohol and where.

Both the university and Sigma Kappa's national organization have suspended the sorority. The university's action, which took place Friday, is indefinite, said Joe Wills, director of public affairs for California State University, Chico.

Wills said the university's action was based on the belief the drinking occurred at what was essentially a sorority function since Sigma Kappa members bought and served alcohol.

From Sandy Louey:

A 34-year-old Sacramento man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Tuesday for producing and possessing child pornography.

U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez sentenced Daniel Aram Zablocki, who pleaded guilty on Sept. 9, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. Mendez also imposed 10 years of supervised release after Zablocki leaves prison, the release said.

Zablocki had gathered a collection of child pornography that included 1,175 videos and 2,003 still images, the release said. He also engaged in unlawful sexual conduct with the victim in the case for two years, starting when she was 15 years old. He photographed her engaged in sexually explicit conduct with him, the release said.

The case against Zablocki is a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Sacramento office.

From Sandy Louey:

West Sacramento police are looking for help in locating a man who may be involved in an attempted kidnapping of a 5-year-old girl at the Capitol Bowl over the weekend.

Police Lt. Tod Sockman said Tuesday that the man may have critical information about the case and released surveillance photos in hopes someone may recognize him.

Police want to talk to him to find out what role, if any, that he may have had in Saturday's incident, Sockman said.

Late Saturday night, the girl was standing with family and friends in the lobby of Capitol Bowl at 900 West Capitol Avenue.

A man grabbed her by the arm and started to pull her towards the front door. Witnesses yelled and the man let go and ran away, police said.

The suspect was described as a white man in his 30s, who was 5-foot-5 and 200 pounds. He left in a vehicle similar to a silver Toyota 4Runner, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police detectives at (916) 617-4902 or (916) 617-4955 or the 24-hour dispatch center at (916) 375-6474.

From Sandy Louey:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking for a serial bank robber dubbed the "Goat Bandit."

Authorities said the man is believed to be behind eight bank robberies in the Sacramento region during a four-month spree from October to February.

The robber is described as a white man about 30 to 40 years old with blue eyes and a goatee, which is why law enforcement gave him the nickname. He is 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds. He has a stocky to medium build, according to a press release issued by the FBI's Sacramento office Tuesday.

In each of the robberies, he has worn a black baseball cap and often places the money in a manila type envelope, the FBI said.

Here are the dates and locations of the eight bank robberies that the robber is wanted in connection with:

-Oct. 3, Wells Fargo Bank, 781 Pleasant Grove Boulevard, Roseville

-Oct. 23, US Bank, 30 High Street, Auburn

-Oct. 23, Washington Mutual Bank, 5801 Sunrise Blvd., Citrus Heights

-Dec. 11, Wachovia Bank, 8477 Auburn Blvd., Citrus Heights

-Dec. 13, US Bank, 2360 Grass Valley Highway, Auburn

-Dec. 23, Bank of America, 900 High Street, Auburn

-Jan. 6, Bank of America, 2221 Douglas Blvd., Roseville

-Feb. 17, Bank of America, 3901 Park Drive, El Dorado Hills

(Photos below are from the Auburn, Citrus Heights and El Dorado Hills' robberies, respectively.)

The Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force is investigating the robberies. Task force members include FBI agents, detectives from the Auburn, Roseville and Citrus Heights police departments and the El Dorado, Placer County, and Sacramento County sheriff's departments.

Anyone with information is asked to call any of the following agencies: The FBI in Sacramento at (916) 481-9110, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115, Roseville police at (916) 774-5000, Auburn police at (530) 823-4237, Citrus Heights police at (916) 725-2448, Placer County Sheriff's Department at (530) 889-7800 or the El Dorado County sheriff's department at (530) 621-6600.

Two of the banks that were robbed have offered rewards. Anyone providing information leading to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a reward of up to $10,000.

From Andy Furillo:

Sacramento County is in line to get funding for a new courthouse under a deal that is near "substantial completion," according to a press release from Assemblyman Dave Jones.

Jones, D-Sacramento, will announce details of the courthouse in a press conference Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. on the 9th Street steps of the Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse.

County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, Sacramento Superior Court Presiding Judge James M. Mize and other officials will join Jones for the announcement.

The new courthouse is expected to cost $550 million, officials said. The old courthouse is overcrowded, officials say.

Courthouse Executive Officer Dennis B. Jones said officials do not have a site for the news building yet. Jones said the court officials would like to build the new courthouse on the site of the two-story parking lot that is located across 8th Street from the existing facility. It would house 35 to 49 new courtrooms for criminal proceedings. An earlier report mistakenly said the parking-lot site was already decided on.

The old courthouse would be designated for civil matters, according to Jones.

Funds for the new courthouse will come out of $5 billion lease revenue bond enacted by the Legislature last year.

The press release from Assemblyman Jones' office said the construction plan is part of an effort to transfer responsibility for 500 courthouses all over California to the state.

Bee Staff:

The three people in photos released by the Sacramento Police Department Tuesday over alleged use a stolen card have contacted investigators and have been cleared, a police spokesman said Wednesday.

The people in the photos saw news coverage and contacted police, said Sgt. Norm Leong. The people "have now been eliminated as being involved," Leong said in a press release.

The card, which investigators wouldn't say it was a check or credit card, was used at a store in Antelope, police said.

The card was stolen in a home invasion that took place on Dec. 17 at about 3:50 a.m. in the 8000 block of Rush River Drive, the release said.

Once in the entryway, the four suspects rushed the victim, knocking him to the ground and assaulting him. The victim was held at gunpoint while the other suspects ransacked his apartment, the release said.

The victim believes there were two male suspects and two female suspects.

The Sacramento Police Department urges anyone with information to contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or (800) AA-Crime. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Editor's note: Notebook is an occasional series on slices of life found by The Bee's police reporters.

Should drugs be legal?

It's a debate that's lasted years on Capitol Hill, funded a ballot initiative in California and even filled five seasons of "The Wire" series on HBO television.

And recently the topic came up again in a dingy parking lot in Del Paso Heights.

On one side was Sgt. Scott Hays, a 16-year-veteran of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department whose spent the last two years of his career at the helm of the Sheriff's Department's street drugs task force.

On the other was Percy Spence, a 51-year-old parolee who'd just been arrested along with his girlfriend on suspicion of helping sell a $20 crack rock to an undercover cop.

Hays had been bristling over the subject all night after seeing reader comments in a Bee news story about an arrest his team had made the day before, (). Drugs, he says, are behind a lot of the crime and almost all of the violence we see in our society.

So he put the question to Spence, a confessed crack-addict who had just come out of prison a couple of months ago. Killing time before they took him and his girlfriend into jail, Spence had laid his story.

He'd just lost a job three months ago as a woodworker, he said. A week before, he'd lost his place and had been sleeping in his van. Clean for "near a year," he'd started smoking rock again three days before, he said.

"Let me ask you," said Hays, "should drugs be legal?"

Spence shook his head.

"I don't think they should legalize it," he said.

Hays asked whether he thought more cops should be going after drugs.

"They should be going after more serious crimes," Spence said. "Murder, rape, robbery...I could go on and on... sick people out there, desperate people with this economy like it is. The (biggest) priority should be (people) out there killing."

"But you know what some rock heads are willing to do for a rock?" Hays asked.

Spence paused for a second.

"Some people are bottomless," he said.

"You know what," said Hays. "I wish cocaine had never been invented."

"Me too," said Spence. "It makes people do stupid (expletive deleted) like I just did here."

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Don't call Guinness just yet, but the City of Sacramento is only eight days from setting a record for homicides.

The city has gone 55 days without a homicide, just eight days shy of breaking the record of 62 days set more than 10 years ago.

The last homicide in the city of Sacramento was on New Year's Day, when Kyle Ray Smith, 20, was shot and killed at a party on the 400 block of Camelia River Way.

On Saturday, Nicholas Moreno, 18, was arrested in connection with that killing.

An examination of all homicides dating back to 1997 shows 2009 to be unusually slow as far as murder goes.

The last time the city went this long without a homicide was in June of 1998, when Ricky Lee Shaw, 44, of Sacramento was beaten to death in the 7200 block of Stockton Boulevard, according to reports from the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

Even if someone is killed between now and March 5, this will be the longest period without a homicide in the city of Sacramento since 1999, records show.

On average, someone is killed in Sacramento every 7.01 days, according to the data examined by The Bee.

From Niesha Lofing:

Police are looking for a gunman who shot a man after he handed over less than $1 in change during a robbery in south Sacramento on Monday night.

The two men were talking near Brookfield Drive and Franklin Boulevard about 8:15 p.m., said Sacramento police spokeswoman Officer Laura Peck.

The suspect held up the man, but he "didn't have much money to give him," she said.

The assailant shot the man with a small-caliber handgun, Peck said.

The shooter escaped with less than $1.

The victim suffered a gunshot wound to the leg that was non-life threatening.

The assailant was last seen wearing black clothing and a red scarf over his face, police said. He was last seen in a gray or black Nissan Maxima.

Police are continuing to investigate the shooting.

From Niesha Lofing:

A probation officer who long worked with juveniles has been promoted to second in command of Yolo County's probation department.

Yolo County Chief Probation Officer Don L. Meyer announced Monday that Marjorie Rist (left photo) will serve as assistant chief probation officer for the county.

Rist is taking over the position after the recent retirement of Robert Gonzales, who served in probation for more than 30 years, a county news release states.

Rist has been working in the probation field since 1995, when she began her career in Butte County as an extra-help juvenile hall counselor. While in Butte County, Rist served as a juvenile hall counselor and supervisor and as a probation officer for the adult court, juvenile supervision and juvenile placement units, the release states

Rist was hired by Yolo County in 2004 as the assistant juvenile hall superintendent and was promoted two years later to serve as program manager for juvenile probation.

Rist has a bachelor's degree in management from St. Mary's College.

"Ms. Rist's energy, intelligence and ability to communicate and manage effectively will continue to benefit the department as well as the residents of Yolo County for years to come," Chief Probation Officer Meyer stated in the release.

Sacramento Police Capt. Daniel Hahn shares updated crime statistics with Natomas residents via Robslist, a listserv about crime in that area:

Between 2/1/09 and 2/19/09 there have been 49 reports of vehicles burglarized in all of Natomas. This number is probably lower then actual burglaries because all of the reports have probably not made it through the computer system or been reported yet. In January during this same time frame there were 39 auto burglaries.

So, what does this mean.....we are seeing an increase recently in vehicle burglaries (in addition to other property crimes such as residential burglaries). Please remember to keep an eye out in your neighborhood for suspicious activity and call it in. I have listed a few facts about the recent auto burglaries in Natomas ...

• 31 have occurred in N. Natomas

• 15 have occurred in S. Natomas

• 3 have occurred in Gardenland/Northgate

• Most frequent day they occur is Sunday (18)

• Second most frequent day has been Tuesday (9)

• Most occur while it is dark

Reminders:

• Keep valuables out of sight in your car (ie keep in trunk, glove box, etc.)

• Park in well lit locations

• Park in your garage if possible.

• Call in suspicious people in your neighborhood that might be casing homes or cars.

• Keep your porch light, side light or any light on or on motion detector

For a map of the reported vehciles, click here: 459autosect1.doc

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police arrested a 15-year-old boy in connection to a hit-and-run accident involving a parked vehicle.

At 12:59 a.m. Saturday, police were called out to a collision near the intersection of West Street and 9th Street.

Witnesses saw three people leaving a red 2007 Ford Mustang, which had struck a parked vehicle. Shortly afterwards, an 18-year-old Redding man attempted to report the Mustang as stolen, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.

The driver was identified as a 15-year-old boy, while the two passengers were a boy and girl, both 16. The passengers, who had minor injuries, declined medical attention and were released to their parents.

The 15-year-old driver was traveling northeast on 9th Street and attempted to turn left onto northwest West Street. Because he was speeding, he was unable to negotiate the turn and struck the parked vehicle, police said.

The driver, who was located at a nearby home, was arrested on suspicion of felony hit and run and driving without a license. He didn't require medical attention for his injuries and was booked at the Shasta County Juvenile Hall, police said.

Police said alcohol may have been a factor in the collision.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police on Monday arrested two boys who allegedly burglarized a home last month and stole items including firearms.

A home in the 3700 block of Alma Avenue was burglarized Jan. 17. Items stolen included two shotguns, a large caliber rifle, a small caliber rifle, a leather jacket and food, Sgt. Bruce Bonner said in a news release from the Redding Police Department.

On Jan. 26, a resident spotted two stolen rifles in the bushes by the Redding Area Bus Authority terminal. The weapons, which had their serial numbers removed, were identified by the homeowner as being his weapons, police said.

Police received a tip on Jan. 30 about a 14-year-old boy who lived near the homeowner as having the leather jacket. A probation search of the boy's home found stolen items from Enterprise High School and clothing belonging to the burglary victim, authorities said.

A bulletin was issued asking law enforcement to be on the lookout for the boy, who was a runaway, and a 15-year-old boy, who was another runaway from Redding.

On Sunday night, Anderson police officers spotted the two boys walking on a street in Anderson. The boys were taken to the Redding Police Department.

Redding police interviewed the boys, who admitted to the burglary and said they had traded most of the stolen property for marijuana, Bonner said.

Both boys were booked into the Shasta County juvenile hall on suspicion of residential burglary, possession of stolen property and misappropriation of found property. The 14-year-old boy was also arrested on suspicion of violating probation, Bonner said.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities on Monday found a wanted 22-year-old woman outside the Shasta County Superior Court courthouse in Redding.

Detectives from the Portland Police Department had contacted the Shasta County Marshal's Office about a woman named Danaris Rose Dunn who might be in Redding at the courthouse with her boyfriend, according to a press release from the marshal's office.

Dunn had a felony warrant for her arrest for aggravated theft stemming from an alleged fake robbery in the Portland area, the release said.

Marshal deputies spotted the boyfriend going into the courthouse alone around 9:40 a.m. When he left, deputies followed him to his vehicle, where they saw a woman matching Dunn's description arrive at the vehicle on foot, authorities said.

Dunn was taken into custody and taken to the Shasta County jail. She will be extradited to Oregon.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police are investigating a burglary at an auto dealership.

At 2:26 a.m. Friday, police responded to a burglary at Roger Funk Auto Sales at 5460 Westside Road. A private security company on patrol discovered four travel trailers had been burglarized and another 10 had damaged doors and windows, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.

An investigation revealed stereos and TVs were taken from several vehicles. The door from a trailer was removed from the hinges and taken from the property. Officers were unable to find suspects or the stolen property, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police department's investigations division at (530) 225-4214.

From Sandy Louey:

More details were available Monday about the man who robbed a Downey Savings Friday afternoon in Elk Grove.

The robber was described as a white man between the ages of 40 and 50, according to the Elk Grove Police Department.

He was 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed 170 pounds. He had dark brown hair that had begun to gray and a moustache. The man wore a dark baseball cap, a green and tan Pendleton-type jacket and light colored blue jeans, police said.

His getaway car was described as a black 1990s era Ford F-150, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (916) 714-5115.

At 4:49 p.m., a man walked into the bank at 5000 Laguna Blvd. and handed the teller a note. The teller gave the man money. The man left in an unknown direction, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested two 17-year-old Sacramento boys who allegedly verbally threatened security staff at the Strikes Family Entertainment Center.

At 12:45 a.m. Sunday, police responded to a report about a physical disturbance at Strikes, 3443 Laguna Blvd. The boys verbally threatened the staff who were escorting them out, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

Officers detained the boys, who were arrested on suspicion of providing false information to police, making criminal threats, being in a criminal street gang and a warrant.

A 16-year-old girl was detained for violating curfew. A consent search of her purse revealed narcotics. She was arrested on suspicion of violating curfew and possession of cocaine base for sale, police said.

The three teens were taken to juvenile hall.

From Ed Fletcher:

In hindsight, maybe an Indian casino isn't the spot to celebrate a bank heist.

A Thunder Valley Casino employee earlier this month was presented with a $500 reward after his tip lead to the arrest and conviction of a local bank robber dubbed the "Stuffed Shirt Bandit."

So named because of his practice of stuffing his shirt with his bank loot, Scott Stewart Singewald, 42, of Roseville, on Sept. 5 pled guilty to robbing seven Northern California banks.

The banks hit included:

• The June 11 robbery of River City Bank in Roseville,

• The June 20 stick up of the Bank of the West in Carmichael and,

• The June 23 robbery of the Well Fargo Bank in Lincoln.

After seeing media coverage of the Lincoln robbery where a man wearing a dark hat and a loud Hawaiian shirt (right photo) made off with $11,375, the tipster rushed back to work.

"He just stuck in his mind from the day before," said Dee Dee Gunther, a spokeswoman for the Roseville Police Department. "There was something that just made him remember him."

It's unclear whether Singewald gambled with his ill-gotten gains.

Using casino surveillance footage, the unnamed tipster and casino staff identified the suspect's vehicle and turned the information over to the police.

The local and federal officials teamed up to arrest Singewald on June 26 without incident at a Roseville hotel.

Singewald pleaded guilty to seven counts of bank robbery and was sentenced to 97 months in prison.

Roseville Police chief Mike Blair called the case a "great example" of law enforcement partnership."

"We are indebted to Thunder Valley Casino for their outstanding cooperation in this case, to their employee who went beyond the call of duty to help identify a criminal," Blair said.

From Niesha Lofing:

A Lincoln woman was arrested last week after allegedly using a sword to slash the tires of several vehicles.

Lincoln police were called at 7 a.m. Friday to the 400 block of Joiner Parkway on a disturbance call, a police news release states.

Police found Ashley Belisle, 19, and spoke with her. During their investigation, officers learned that Belisle allegedly had punctured the tires of several cars in the city. When officers checked the surrounding neighborhood, nine cars were found with punctured tires, the release states.

Officers also found a large sword near the vandalisms and believe Belisle allegedly used the sword to puncture the tires.

Belisle was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism and was taken to Placer County Jail in Auburn. She has since been released.

Lincoln police are continuing to investigate the case.

Agents from the California Department of Corrections and the Sacramento Police Department are seeking Clifton Wayne Keene on a felony no-bail arrest warrant for suspicion of parole violations and fleeing parole, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Keene (left photo) is also wanted on a felony $50,000 bail arrest warrant for suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism, authorities report.

Keene is described as age 59, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 230 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Keene is urged to contact Crime Alert at (800) AA-CRIME or (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Chris Bowman:

West Sacramento police are seeking the public's help in finding a man who they say attempted to kidnap a 5-year-old girl late Saturday as she stood with family and friends just in the lobby of Capitol Bowl on West Capitol Avenue.

The suspect, described as a white man in his 30s, 5-foot-5 and 200 pounds, grabbed the girl's arm and started to pull her toward the building's front door, police said. When witnesses yelled, the man let go and ran away.

"It happened so fast," police Lt. Derek Brummett said. "As soon as he grabbed her, everybody saw him. Some people gave chase, but he was too fast."

The suspect's vehicle was said to resemble a silver Toyota 4Runner.

Anyone who has information about the incident is asked to call the West Sacramento Police Department at (916) 617-4900.

By Sandy Louey

The Yuba County Sheriff's Department is investigating the death of a Linda woman who was found on fire in her kitchen and died there.

Authorities were called out just before 8 p.m. Saturday about the incident. The woman was in her 40s, said Melanie Oakes, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's department.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday. The victim's name is not being released until the autopsy confirms her identity and her family is notified, she said.

Oakes said neighbors tried to put out the fire.

By Sandy Louey

The Shasta County Sheriff's Department arrested a 51-year-old man who allegedly deliberately sent his pit bull after deputies.

Jason Gregory was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and obstructing an officer Saturday, according to a news release from the sheriff's department.

Deputies were at a home on Lassen View Lane to serve a felony arrest warrant on Gregory on Saturday morning. Gregory opened the door to his trailer and released a pit bull that charged aggressively at a deputy, the sheriff's department said.

The deputy used a Taser to subdue the dog.

By Sandy Louey

Galt police are looking for a man who robbed a Quik Stop Market at gunpoint.

Around 6:22 p.m. Thursday, a 911 call came in about a robbery at the market at 602 Fourth St. The suspect was seen fleeing the store west on F Street, according to a news release from the Galt Police Department.

Witnesses described the robber as a man with a thin build, from 5 feet 3 to 5 feet 6 inches tall. He wore a black hooded sweatshirt, a black hat and a black mask covering his face, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (209) 366-7000.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Elk Grove Police are investigating a bank robbery at Downey Savings on 5000 Laguna Blvd that took place late Friday afternoon, Elk Grove Police Department officials said.

At 4:49 p.m., a white man between the ages of 40 and 50 walked into the bank and handed the teller a note, police officials said. He was wearing a dark colored baseball cap, a green and white flannel jacket and jeans, according to police.

His getaway car is described as a black 1990s era Ford F-150, police said.

From Chelsea Phua:

Sacramento police say they have captured a man they believe is a serial prowler.

The man's identity is not being released because detectives are investigating if he is linked to other cases, department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said.

The man was caught Friday morning at a midtown assisted-living facility on Capitol Avenue near 27th Street.

The facility's staff members were conducting routine checks at about 5:30 a.m. when they came across a vacant room that was locked when it was supposed to be open, Leong said. Suspecting that something was wrong, staff members called police.

When police arrived, they noticed the man trying to escape by jumping from balcony to balcony.

"The suspect began to evade officers by acrobatically jumping and climbing from floor to floor of the exterior of the building," Leong said.

When the man returned inside, a K-9 dog captured him.

Leong said that police were familiar with similar type of incidents that had happened in the past few months. A prowler had reportedly been sneaking into such facilities and going into rooms to steal small items.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Placer County Sheriff's detectives have arrested a 29-year-old Lincoln on charges that he stole other people's identities to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars in luxury products, sheriff's officials said.

Jerry Le (photo left) is currently in the Placer County Jail on $200,000 bail after being arrested Thursday, according to sheriff's officials. Detectives allege that Le used a business called Le Investments to create false lines of credit and obtain loans.

Seized at his home on Thursday were a $100,000 BMW, a $90,000 Mercedes Benz and several luxury watches, sheriff's officials said.

From Chelsea Phua:

Sacramento police will be conducting a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint on Saturday in the north area, a police spokesman said Friday.

Officers will check if drivers are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and if they have a valid license.

The program, funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is to promote public safety.

The program aims to increase awareness of the dangers associated with drinking and driving and to deter drivers from driving under the influence, the spokesman said.

About two hours before the start of the checkpoint, the department will release information specifying the location and duration of the operation.

From Andy Furillo:

A judge sentenced Paso Deshawn Harrison to 36 years to life in prison today for the July 8, 2007, stabbing death of Laura Yvonne "Vonnie" Steward outside Methodist Hospital in south Sacramento.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael T. Garcia found Harrison guilty of second-degree murder in a court trial last month. He doubled the 15-to-life term as a result of Harrison's previous rape conviction, added another year for use of a knife and five more as an enhancement for his conviction on a serious felony.

Garcia called Harrison's knifing death of the 31-year-old Steward "horrific," an "extremely violent act" that caused his victim "pain and suffering" and one that "devastated" her family.

About 30 relatives of the victim appeared in court today, many of whom took the witness stand to tell Harrison, 32, the impact of the slaying on their family.

The victim's brother, Toreign Waters, told Harrison that his crimes against women figure to bring him trouble among his fellow prisoners when he goes to the penitentiary.

"You'll know when they come," Waters said.

From Bill Lindelof:

Roseville Police are requesting help in identifying a man who robbed a Union Bank of California this week and made off with cash.

The bank at 1850 Douglas Blvd. was robbed at about 4 p.m. Tuesday. The robber (see photos below) handed the teller a note demanding money.

No weapon was used by the man who was described as wearing a baseball cap, a plaid flannel jacket over a hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. He was described as a white man in his mid 40s with graying hair and a goatee.

Anyone who recognizes the suspect from bank security camera photos is asked to call the Roseville Police Department Investigations Unit at (916) 774-5070 or Roseville Crime Stoppers at (916) 783-7867. Crime Stoppers pays rewards for anonymous tips leading to arrest.

From Andy Furillo:

Former Sacramento sheriff's Deputy Chu Vue tried to create an alibi for himself in the shooting death of a state correctional officer by making six phone calls in the 13 minutes before the slaying, according to a police search warrant affidavit unsealed in Sacramento Superior Court.

The calls were all made to his wife, who confirmed to police detectives that she was having an affair with correctional officer Steve Lo, 39, who was gunned down in the garage of his south Sacramento home on Oct. 15.

Along with the six calls made before the 4:59 a.m. shooting, Vue (photo left) called his wife, Chia Vue, three more times in the hour afterwards, the affidavit said.

The police investigation also found that Vue had accessed confidential sheriff's computers 17 times in the two months prior to the homicide to get information on Lo, according to the affidavit.

"It is apparent that Deputy Chu Vue had both the motive and the means to commit this murder," Sacramento police Detective Eric Schneider said in the affidavit served on Vue's residence in Elk Grove the day of the Lo homicide.

"It also is apparent that he took steps to identify and locate the victim prior to his murder," according to Schneider in the affidavit. "At this juncture of the investigation, it appears that he has an alibi as to his whereabouts at the time of the murder - but it also appears that he took great pains to establish this alibi by making multiple phone calls from two phones - including his work phone - immediately before and after the murder."

Schneider said he thinks "there is probable cause to believe that Deputy Chu Vue acted with an associate" in the shooting death of Lo.

However, Vue is not charged in Lo's death. Vue, who is free on $500,000 bail, was ordered today by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lloyd A. Phillips to stand trial for illegal possession of an assault weapon and the alteration of the weapon from the manufacturer's design.

Police found the weapon in the Oct. 15 search of his home. The gun was not used in the shooting death of Lo.

The former deputy also has been charged in a separate case with the illegal computer access.

Investigators have named him as a "principal" in their ongoing probe into the Lo homicide. They also have said that he is "not the perpetrator" of this homicide.

Tom Johnson, the attorney who is representing Vue, said today that "a motive alone does not equate to a crime."

Johnson also cited a statement from his client's wife, Chia Vue, in the affidavit that "I don't think he would do anything like this."

Vue and his wife have since reconciled, Johnson said, and she accompanied him today on his court appearance.

From Sandy Louey:

The Butte County Sheriff's Department arrested a 46-year-old Oroville teacher Thursday for allegedly having sex with a female student.

Glenn Bruce Blakey, a ROTC teacher at Las Plumas High School, was arrested at the school on suspicion of five counts of felony statutory rape and two counts of oral copulation with a minor, said sheriff's Sgt. Steven Pelton.

Blakey is being held on $125,000 bail at the Butte County jail, Pelton said.

Pelton said the investigation began after a tip in late January about the relationship between Blakey and a 15-year-old female student in his ROTC class.

Blakey is not believed to be involved with other students, Pelton said.

Blakey is a gunnery sergeant, who is retired from the Marine Corps, according to the Las Plumas High Web site.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Detective Tom Dryan at (530) 558-7671.

From Sandy Louey:

Deputies with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department helped save a 31-year-old inmate who had stopped breathing at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center.

At 8:43 a.m. Wednesday, deputies assigned to the center's Honor Facility were told by an inmate about another inmate in a barrack having a medical emergency, according to a press release from the Sheriff's Department.

The release gave this account:

The inmate was lying on the floor and had stopped breathing. Deputies performed CPR and center medical staff used an automatic external defibrillator on the man. The devices are used on heart attack victims to help shock the heart back into a regular rhythm.

Six deputies performed CPR for more than 20 minutes until paramedics from the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department arrived.

The inmate was taken to Methodist Hospital, where he was reported in stable condition.

From Chelsea Phua:

The Placer County Sheriff's Department is providing a new warning system that allows crime victims and the public access to timely information about the custody status of offenders.

The Victim Information and Notification Everyday system, or VINE, is free and callers can remain anonymous. Registered callers will be alerted whenever an offender is released, escaped, transferred, is unsupervised, home incarcerated or on work release.

When a custody change occurs, VINE service will keep trying to reach registered callers until a PIN is entered to stop the notification calls. But authorities advise the victims or concerned citizens not to rely solely on VINE or any single program for their safety.

VINE can be reached at (877) 411-5588 or at www.vinelink.com .

To register, callers can enter the phone number, including area code, where they want to be reached. They will then be asked to enter a Personal Identification Number.

More information is available at www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/Sheriff/vine.aspx

From Sandy Louey:

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is looking for two men believed to be responsible for a Rancho Cordova home invasion robbery.

On Jan. 11, the men robbed two elderly residents on Rhine River Court. The residents weren't injured, but the men took the wallet from one of them, according to a news release from the Sheriff's department.

Shortly after the robbery, the victim's credit card was used at a Quik Stop convenience store near Antelope Road in Citrus Heights. Surveillance photos from the store showed two men matching the description of the home invasion robbers, the Sheriff's Department said.

The first man is described as a white male adult in his 20s. He is 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 10 inches tall and has blonde hair. The second man is a white or Latino man in his 20s with short brown hair, authorities said.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Sandy Louey:

Two horses died after escaping their fenced pasture and colliding with two separate vehicles in Yuba City Wednesday night. One driver suffered minor injuries.

The accident took place at 6:35 p.m. at Garden Highway south of Star Bend Road. The driver of an Isuzu was traveling south on Garden around 55 mph. There are no streetlights in the area, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP gave this account of the accidents:

A woman boarded numerous horses at her private stables on Shannon Road near Garden Highway. The horses escaped from their pasture and two of them walked toward Garden Highway.

The driver of an Isuzu said a horse suddenly appeared in front of the vehicle, which struck and killed the horse.

The driver of a Dodge Durango "well behind" the Isuzu reported striking the second horse after it crossed the vehicle's path. The horse, which had a broken rear leg, was euthanized.

Garden Highway was shut down for about 30 minutes so that the horses could be removed. The driver of the Isuzu and his passenger had minor injuries and were taken to Rideout Hospital.

The driver of the Dodge Durango wasn't injured.

From Sandy Louey:

The Nevada County Sheriff's Department arrested a 19-year-old man Thursday for allegedly stabbing his older brother.

David Paul Bledsoe was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and public intoxication, according to online records from the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility.

Around 1 a.m., deputies said they were called to the Maidu Ridge Road area in North San Juan in response to a report about a suspicious man who had jumped in front of a vehicle, according to a news release from the Sheriff's Department.

Bledsoe, who was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, was found walking along the Tyler Foote Road area near Sages Road, deputies said, and taken into custody.

While booking Bledsoe at the jail, a call came into dispatch about a stabbing victim at the emergency room at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital. The victim had the same last name as Bledsoe, the Sheriff's Department said.

The victim, who was Bledsoe's 43-year-old brother, had multiple stab wounds. He was in stable condition at the hospital Thursday afternoon, said Nevada County Sheriff Keith Royal.

Royal said the older brother was at his North San Juan home when he got up to turn up the heat and noticed his front door was open.

David Paul Bledsoe then allegedly attacked his brother and stabbed him, Royal said. The older brother was able to fend off the attack and get a neighbor to take him to the hospital.

The reason for the attack is still under investigation, Royal said.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police have arrested a 15-year-old boy for a burglary, according to a police report released Thursday.

Detectives contacted the boy, who was in custody for another incident at juvenile hall.

He was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of burglary and vandalism for a burglary that took place in September 2008, the report said.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Sacramento man was found guilty of having sex with a minor despite his defense that a birth defect prevented him from having sex without pain.

Henry James Fluker Jr., 35, was convicted Feb. 13 by a Yolo County jury of multiple offenses that included statutory rape. The victim was identified as a 17-year-old developmentally disabled girl.

At trial, the jury heard evidence that Fluker met the teen in Sacramento, according to a press release from the Yolo County District Attorney's office.

The release gave this account of the case:

The girl would often run away from her Davis home to stay with Fluker on the streets in Sacramento.

She was eventually placed in a foster home in Marysville. However, Fluker took a bus to Marysville and brought her to live with him in Sacramento.

The teen testified the two had sex in a motel and an abandoned house in West Sacramento, but at trial Fluker denied her account.

Fluker submitted that he was born with a birth defect that made the act of sex extremely painful. However, an urologist with the Woodland Health Clinic said that the defect Fluker claimed does not normally cause pain during sex.

Fluker is scheduled to be sentenced March 16. He faces a maximum of six years and eight months in state prison.

From Bill Lindelof:

A fight involving about 25 people armed with knives and baseball bats in an unincorporated part of Placer County near Auburn resulted in the injury to at least five people, including three who were apparently hit by someone fleeing the scene in a car, a sheriff's spokesman said Thursday.

The fight broke out about 8 p.m. Wednesday when two groups gathered in parking area between fourplex residences in Auburn Greens, a housing area located near Highway 49 between Dry Creek Road and Bell Road. During the confrontation, shots were fired into the air, the spokesman said.

No one sustained injury from the shots but a driver struck three people in an effort to speed away from the scene.

"The two groups know each other and apparently have some past disagreements," said Placer County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jeff Ausnow. "For unknown reasons, those disagreements came to a head. These groups began yelling and fighting with each other."

At one point, one person fired two shots with a .45-caliber handgun into the air to scare away one group.

"That didn't work," said Ausnow. "People continued to fight. There were people hit with baseball bats. At least two people had superficial knife wounds."

One of the three hit by the car was severely injured and was taken Sutter Roseville Medical Center. He underwent surgery for injury to one of his hands, while the other two injured were treated and released.

Deputies believe that most of the participants live in the general area of Auburn Greens. The investigative process was slowed as deputies obtained translators to interview witnesses who spoke only Spanish, Ausnow said.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Sacramento Police are investigating a shooting in midtown, where two people were wounded while allegedly attempting to break into an apartment Wednesday night at 17th and O streets, police said.

The shooting took place at about 9:51 p.m. at the Cove Apartments, 1708 O St., said Sgt. Laura Chase. Police arrived and found two men in their early 30s shot in the upper body. Both men's wounds are not life-threatening, police officials said.

The two men and another accomplice were allegedly trying to break into an apartment when someone inside shot them, Chase said. All three men were wearing masks, she said.

Police are continuing to investigate the shooting.

From Sandy Louey:

Woodland police are searching for a man who on Wednesday robbed a River City Bank.

At 3:53 p.m., a man (top photos) entered the bank at 199 Main St. He approached a teller and demanded money. The man said he had a gun, but none was seen, Sgt. Dan Letamendi said in a news release from the Woodland Police Department.

About 10 people were inside the bank, but no one was hurt. The robber was last seen walking away with money westbound on the south side of Main Street, Letamendi said.

The robber is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall with a medium build. He was clean shaven, had brown hair and wore black framed glasses with clear lenses, police said.

He wore dark-colored pants, a black shirt and a dark colored blazer.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (530) 661-7800.

From Sandy Louey:

A Yolo County jury on Wednesday convicted a 52-year-old West Sacramento man for molesting a friend's 6-year-old daughter.

The jury found Anatoly Kadoshnikov guilty on two counts of child molestation. During 1996 to 1997, he was staying at a friend's home in Yolo County, according to a press release from the Yolo County District Attorney's Office.

The girl kept the molestation a secret until she was 15, the DA's office said.

During the same time frame, Kadoshnikov was also molesting a 12-year-old girl in Sacramento County, the DA's office said. The girl didn't report it to authorities until 2003 when she was 17.

Her case wasn't prosecuted, but she was allowed to tell the jury about the attacks, authorities said.

Kadoshnikov is scheduled to be sentenced March 30. He is facing up to 10 years in state prison and will have to register as a sexual offender, the DA's office said.

From Sandy Louey:

Roseville police plan to crack down on drunken drivers Saturday.

Officers are scheduled to be out patrolling for drunk and drug-impaired drivers as part of a DUI saturation patrol, according to press release from the Roseville Police Department.

The Police Department has been conducting routine nightly DUI enforcement, DUI and driver's license checkpoints, saturation patrols and DUI warrant sweeps.

Roseville police's DUI enforcement efforts are funded by a $100,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From Sandy Louey:

The Shasta County Sheriff's Department are investigating whether carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator killed a father and daughter found Tuesday in their Castella home.

The two were identified Wednesday as Dale Raymond Vaughn, 59, and Haley Lynn Vaughn, 16. The cause of death is pending an autopsy, according to a press release from the Sheriff's Department.

Emergency personnel were called out to a home on Main Street around noon Tuesday. The Vaughns were found dead inside the home, the Sheriff's Department said.

Authorities believe that the two succumbed to emissions from a generator that had been used due to a power outage during the weekend.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities said two men have been charged in connection with a spree of armed robberies in South Lake Tahoe.

Garrett Jay Churchill (photo left), 25, and Logan Sheldon Sharp (photo right), 27, were charged in El Dorado County Superior Court Tuesday for suspected armed robbery in connection with three convenience store robberies that occurred between Jan. 31 and Feb. 8, according to a press release from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

In each robbery, a gunman entered the store and held the clerks at gunpoint while the cash was placed in a black plastic bag, police said.

Churchill was also charged in committing an unrelated armed robbery in 2003 in which a Swiss Mart Gas and Convenience store was robbed at gunpoint. A black plastic bag was used to collect the money, police said.

Police said the two were arrested Friday.

Anyone with information is asked to call Sgt. Jeff Reagan or Detective Chuck Owens of the South Lake Tahoe police at (530) 542-6110.

From Andy Furillo:

A Sacramento jury today convicted Robert Ray Hon of second-degree murder in a retrial on the death of Vicki Jo Harris, a prostitute he had strangled in the back of his van.

It took the panel a little less than five days to return a verdict on Hon, 33.

Superior Court Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard scheduled his sentencing for March 27.

Deputy District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert argued that Hon killed the 25-year-old victim in North Highlands on Jan. 30, 2003, in the fight that erupted in the back of his van after she told him she was finished with the trick and the transaction was over - before he had completed the sex act.

"I appreciate the hard work of the jury and am confident they made the right decision," Schubert said.

Defense lawyer Donald Masuda tried to convince the jury that Hon killed Harris in a heat of passion during the argument in the van and that the verdict should have been a voluntary or involuntary manslaughter.

A jury in 2005 acquitted Hon on first-degree murder charges but could not reach a verdict on the second-degree charge, with the panel hung up then on an 11-1 vote for conviction.

From Chelsea Phua:

The Sacramento County Jail inmate killed Tuesday and his cellmate accused of killing him in a fight were both in custody as first-time offenders in the county, a Sheriff's Department spokesman said Wednesday.

Their limited criminal history may have been the reason they were assigned the same cell, spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said.

Richard Harden, 44, who was initially arrested Monday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, was rebooked into the jail on a murder charge on Tuesday. His 25-year-old cellmate, whose name is being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin, was strangled, according to the coroner's office.

The younger man was arrested on a drunk driving charge, but was held in custody because he was in the country illegally, Curran said.

Inmates go through a screening process when they are arrested to determine where they are housed, but there aren't enough cells to house each violent offenders individually, Curran said.

"We don't have the luxury," Curran said. "We make every effort to house inmates with similar criminal history together, but many times it's not possible."

When suspects are arrested, they are routinely asked by the arresting officers if they have problems getting along with a certain type of person, Curran said.

The officers make note of the responses. Later, during a "classification process," jail deputies conduct a more exhaustive interview with the inmate.

During this stage, the inmates would be asked a series of questions, which include inquiries into their gang affiliations, sexual orientation and past custody history. Rival gang members would be separated.

"We want to maintain jail harmony, we don't want this type of instances to occur," he said.

Deputies also conduct cell checks every hour and each cell contains a button for emergency calls.

Monday's killing is the second inmate-on-inmate homicide since the downtown Main Jail was built in 1989. The first was in September, when a man convicted of killing two people - his one-time girlfriend and her mother - allegedly killed his cellmate, who was in jail for drug-related and misdemeanor battery charge.

Authorities said later that the convicted murderer, Jose Guadalupe Barrera-Rodrigu, had been diagnosed with "schizoaffective disorder," and had told sheriff's psychiatrists he felt like killing himself or hurting somebody else.

Investigation into Monday's homicide is ongoing, and it is not clear what prompted the fight between Harden and his cellmate, Curran said.

Harden was under psychiatric evaluation and housed alone on Wednesday.

From Sandy Louey:

A second pedestrian was killed by an Amtrak train in the Sacramento area on Monday, but the death only came to light after a West Sacramento Police Department report was released Wednesday.

The accidents occurred within hours of each other.

At 2:51 a.m., an Amtrak passenger train traveling east near Jefferson Boulevard and Sacramento Avenue struck a pedestrian, according to the West Sacramento Police Department.

The pedestrian, Florentino Flores, 49, of West Sacramento, was dead at the scene, police said.

The train conductor saw Flores, but it was too late because of the heavy rain and darkness. The conductor said Flores tried to jump out of the way of the oncoming train, authorities said.

The second accident was just before 7:30 a.m. in the area behind the B Street Theatre north of B and 28th streets in midtown Sacramento, authorities said.

Dane Plunger, 51, was struck by a westbound train. He was believed to be homeless, authorities said.

From Sandy Louey:

A 22-year-old man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for killing a West Sacramento man whom he fought with, police said.

Ira Lee Daniel, who has no fixed address, pleaded guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter in the Yolo County Superior Court, according to a press release from the West Sacramento Police Department.

He was sentenced to 11 years in prison plus an additional one-year sentence for the use of a deadly weapon while committing the crime, the release said.

Police arrested Daniel after a May 17, 2008 incident in which he struck Keith Wyman Murdock, 21, in the head with a blunt object following an argument, the release said.

Officers responded to a call about a man down in the street in the 2000 block of Manzanita Way. Murdock, who had a severe head wound, was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where he died, police said.

Daniel, who was a parolee, was arrested on May 18 at the intersection of Sacramento Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested two teens Tuesday for allegedly burglarizing a home.

At 1:08 p.m., police responded to a burglary at a home in the 8400 block of Tragus Way. Officers saw two male teens fleeing the home on foot, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

Officers detained the boys, ages 15 and 16, after a foot pursuit and confirmed they were involved in the burglary. Property taken from the home was found on the 16-year-old, police said.

Both were arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken to juvenile hall. The Bee is not identifying the suspects because they are minors.

From Sandy Louey:

A 79-year-old Sacramento man was arrested for allegedly dealing heroin.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's street team arrested Donaciano Rivera (photo left) on Tuesday. The arrest was the result of a month-long investigation of Rivera, who was identified by a confidential source as a heroin dealer, according to a news release from the Sheriff's Department.

When arrested at his home, Rivera was found to have more than a pound of tar heroin with a street value of more than $36,000, a loaded handgun and $7,100 in U.S. currency, the Sheriff's Department said.

Rivera was arrested on suspicion of possession for sale of a controlled substance, carrying a concealed firearm not registered to owner, possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and violating probation.

Rivera, who is ineligible for bail, is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail. He is scheduled to be in court Thursday, according to online jail records.

Since Jan. 1, the street team has arrested 61 people for selling narcotics and other narcotics-related activities, the department said. The team has also seized more than $30,000 in drug money, 26.57 pounds of marijuana, 50 grams of methamphetamine and taken six guns off the streets.

From Denny Walsh:

A former employee of one of the nation's largest growers and processors of tomato products admitted Wednesday in Sacramento federal court she engaged in the years-long distribution and mislabeling of tomato paste that contained unlawful levels of mold and was "unfit for food."

Jennifer Lou Dahlman, who was dismissed this week as a reports and business analyst at California-based SK Foods, L.P., pleaded guilty to one count of the "introduction of adulterated and misbranded food into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead."

She admitted that for more than three years - from Nov. 23, 2004 to Jan. 21, 2008 - she caused the shipment of tomato paste with legally excessive mold content from SK Foods to customers in Wisconsin, Utah, Pennsylvania, New York, Kentucky, Maryland and Ohio.

She also admitted attaching false labels to the paste showing mold counts far below the actual levels and percentages of "natural tomato soluble solids" materially higher than the actual percentages.

Dahlman, 48, admitted these practices were carried out "at the direction of senior leaders and directors of SK Foods.

Her plea introduces a new element in the government's ongoing investigation of SK Foods. Before Wednesday, there were no public charges pertaining to adulterated food.

The plea belies a primary plank in the company's previous public statements: that the investigation has nothing to do with the quality of its products.

SK immediately issued a prepared statement through its attorney, Malcolm Segal.

"There was no problem with the commercial products Dahlman reviewed and no need for any recalls," the company insisted. "The ultimate products were all appropriately labeled and of excellent quality.

"The guilty plea ... is disappointing news. She was previously suspended and now has been terminated."

Segal, who was in the courtroom Wednesday observing the plea hearings, said, "Tomatoes come from Mother Nature, not from Barbie dolls. They are not all perfect. Commercial labeling is often the subject administrative disputes with the government, but it is important to appreciate that the government itself has said there were no health hazards with these products."

A prepared statement issued by Dahlman attorney Robert Wilkinson, says his client "apologizes to her family and the public for here involvement in the wrongs set forth in the plea and cooperation agreement."

"She is saddened that the leadership of SK Foods set a course for the company that was unlawful and that she was compliant in that course," Wilkinson's statement says.

SK Foods is headquartered in Monterey and has plants in Williams, 50 miles north of Sacramento, and Lemoore, south of Fresno. It is one target in an ongoing nationwide federal investigation of bribery and price-fixing that could be jacking up the cost of groceries.

In the matter just before Dahlman's on U. S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton's Wednesday calendar, a former Frito-Lay Inc. employee pleaded guilty and admitted taking bribes from a former SK Foods broker to rig bidding and hike prices in connection with SK Foods' sales to Frito-Lay.

James Richard Wahl Jr. admitted receiving $160,000 "on behalf of SK Foods" from former SK broker and director Randall Lee Rahal between 1998 and April of last year.

In return, Wahl admitted, he ensured that Frito-Lay purchased SK's products and he provided SK with information that allowed it to sell certain products to Frito-Lay at inflated prices.

Wahl, 58, is the second senior purchasing manager for a national company who has admitted receiving bribes to steer contracts to SK Foods and to buy its processed tomato and other food products at inflated prices.

Robert L. Watson, 59, of White Plains, N. Y., once a senior purchasing manger at Kraft Foods, pleaded guilty last month to receiving $158,000 in bribes from Rahal.

Kraft and Frito-Lay were unaware of the scheme.

Rahal, 59, of Ramsey, N. J., pleaded guilty in December to racketeering, price fixing, bid rigging and contract allocation conspiracies, all allegedly on behalf of SK.

Anthony Ray Manuel, 57, of Turlock also pleaded guilty last month to embezzling $975,000 from Morning Star Packing Co., where he was a sales representative and packaging manager before going to work for SK Foods in 2005. He was terminated at SK the day before his guilty plea.

Morning Star is a manufacturer and marketer of bulk tomato products with facilities in Williams and Los Banos, in western Merced County. The company is one of SK's competitors.

Rahal, Dahlman, Wahl, Watson and Manuel have all agreed to cooperate with prosecutors and agents in the ever-widening probe.

From Bill Lindelof:

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with a robbery last month that left a man stranded at the side of the road after he befriended a woman at a Placer County casino.

Roseville Police have arrested Travis Aaron Fincher, 30, of Roseville and Cora Lee Allo, 22, of Carmichael on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy.

Police said that on Feb. 2 a 56-year-old Elverta man agreed to drive a woman he met at Thunder Valley Casino to her home in Roseville. While driving on Fiddyment Road near Angus Road at about 2:30 a.m., she asked him to stop the car.

At that point a male suspect drove up and robbed the Elverta man of his wallet, car keys and cell phone. The robber and the woman then drove away, leaving the Elverta man stranded.

The victim hailed a passing motorist and then was able to call police.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

A 44-year-old man was arrested Tuesday on charges that he killed his cellmate in a fight, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said.

Deputies were serving dinner to the men's cell about 3:40 p.m. on the eighth floor of the main jail when they found the man lying unresponsive in the cell, according to sheriff's officials.

After investigating, sheriff's detectives believe the victim's cellmate, Richard Harden (left photo), fatally injured the 23-year-old man in a fight earlier that day, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran.

Harden was rebooked into the jail on murder charges, sheriff's officials said.

Harden had been in custody since being arrested Monday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

The deceased inmate also had been in jail since Monday, sheriff's officials said.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

A man was found Tuesday night in the South Natomas area with a gunshot wound in his leg, Sacramento police said.

The man, who police say is in his 20s, was found at an apartment complex at River Plaza and Oak Harbour drives about 8 p.m., police officials said. He was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center and was in stable condition, said Sgt. Norm Leong, Sacramento police spokesman. He'd apparently stumbled from a nearby gas station, where he was dropped off, police said. Police are unsure where the shooting took place, Leong said.

The suspected shooter is described as a black man in his early 20s, about 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighing about 300 pounds, police said. He was last seen wearing a turban and possibly had dreadlocks, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Department is searching for a man (top photos) who is suspected of robbing a Bank of America in El Dorado Hills.

At 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, a man entered the bank at 3901 Park Drive. He waited his turn in line and approached an open teller window. He told the teller he wanted money, Sgt. Bryan Golmitz said in a news release.

The suspect, who didn't use a note or indicate that he had a weapon, left the bank with money. No one was injured, Golmitz said.

Authorities said the suspect is described as a white man about age 40, 6 foot tall, weighing 240 pounds. He was unshaven and wearing a heavy blue jacket and blue hat.

He had a blue-colored tattoo on the left side of his neck that possibly depicted flames. His voice was described as scratchy or raspy, the sheriff's department said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's department at (530) 621-6600.

From Sandy Louey:

A 28-year-old Sacramento gang member pleaded guilty Tuesday to bank fraud.

Charles Barksdale entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr., according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Barksdale, also known as Sho, is a member of the G-Mob gang in Sacramento, the release said.

Prosecutors said the scheme caused $1 million to $2 million in losses to financial institutions in late 2007 and early 2008.

The fraud unfolded as follows, the release said:

The schemers - operating from California - sent runners to places such as Alabama, Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas to use pre-paid credit cards for cash advances at banks.

The cards had only small amounts of money available, but the runners would convince bank tellers to call a toll-free number controlled by a co-schemer.

The co-schemer, posing as a card services representative, would say there were thousands of dollars available on the card and then tell the teller what buttons to press on the card terminal to make the transaction go through.

The runner would keep a portion of the funds and remit a portion, typically half, to Barksdale and others in the Sacramento area. Runners sent money by Federal Express, by wire or by depositing funds into bank accounts controlled by Barksdale and others.

The case against Barksdale was an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with help from local law enforcement agencies around the nation, the release said.

On July 7, 2008, search warrants were executed at multiple locations in Sacramento. Barksdale was in the Sacramento County Main Jail on unrelated charges, the release said.

Upon learning of the searches, he called a woman he knew and used coded language to instruct her to destroy a computer, withdraw funds from a bank account and remove expensive merchandise from a residence, the release said.

The maximum penalty for a bank fraud violation is 30 years in prison. Barksdale's sentencing is April 27.

From Sandy Louey:

A 54-year-old Isleton woman was sentenced Tuesday to two-and-a-half years in prison and ordered to pay more than $468,000 in restitution for embezzlement.

U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez handed out the sentencing for Judith Kaye Power, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Power pleaded guilty on Nov. 25, 2008 to a single count of making and uttering a forged instrument, the release said.

Prosecutors said Power was the bookkeeper for Steamboat Orchards, a pear-farming operation in Walnut Grove, and prepared the business' payroll checks.

Starting in October 2001, she wrote herself extra payroll checks in addition to the one that she was entitled to receive. She forged the name of an authorized signatory on the checks, the release said.

Between Oct. 16, 2001 and May 31, 2006, she wrote to herself and cashed and deposited $468,498 in extra payroll checks from Steamboat Orchards, the release said.

Authorities said Power prepared fraudulent time cards, adding more hours to her work schedule than she had actually worked.

From Sandy Louey:

Roseville police are looking for two men who allegedly robbed two pizza delivery drivers and hit them with a metal cane or crutch.

The robberies involving bogus deliveries were within an hour of each other on Friday night.

At 8:24 p.m., two men confronted a driver from Roseville Family Pizza who delivering a pizza to a home in the 200 block of Irene Avenue, Dee Dee Gunther, spokeswoman for the Roseville Police Department, said in a news release.

One of the robbers struck the driver in the head with a metal cane or crutch and demanded money. The driver yelled for help and the two men left on foot with his wallet. Paramedics treated the driver at the scene, police said.

The second robbery was at 9:28 p.m. in the 400 block of Greenridge Avenue. The driver from Pizza Hut contacted the person who supposedly had made the order, but was told no one had ordered pizza, Gunther said.

When the driver returned to his car, he saw someone inside apparently tampering with the car stereo. As he approached the car, a second man struck the driver in the face with a metal crutch or crane, she said.

The driver ran back to the house and yelled for help. The resident came outside. The two men left without taking the driver's property. He was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he was treated and released, police said.

Police said the robbers were black or Latino men in their late teens. Both had thin builds and wore dark colored hooded sweatshirts and dark pants.

One was between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet tall. The second was 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 9 inches tall with a thin mustache.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police's investigations unit at (916) 774-5070 or Roseville Crime Stoppers at (916) 783-7867. Callers may be anonymous and may be eligible for cash rewards.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested four people Monday for allegedly robbing and assaulting teens who were playing basketball at an elementary school.

At 2:07 p.m., two boys, ages 15 and 17, and an 18-year-old man were playing basketball at John Ehrhardt Elementary School at 8900 Old Creek Drive, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

Four people interrupted the game, including a 15-year-old boy who picked up a cell phone and camera belonging to one of the players and began walking away. When another player confronted the suspects, they began to punch and kick him. The four also took money from the 17-year-old's wallet, police said.

Officers responded and located the four suspects. The officers verified their involvement based on witness information. A search warrant was obtained for one of suspects' home. The stolen property was located in the home, police said.

Police arrested three boys, a 15-year-old and two 16-year-olds, and Alexander Wyn, 18, on suspicion of robbery and assault.

Wyn was taken to the Sacramento County Main Jail, while the boys were taken to juvenile hall.

From Sandy Louey:

Two Sacramento City Unified School District employees were injured Tuesday morning from an arcing transformer at Kit Carson Middle School.

The incident was at 10:50 a.m. at the school, which is at 5301 N Street. The two painters were in a mechanical room and one of them dropped a spray paint can into the transformer, said Capt. Jim Doucette, spokesman for the Sacramento Fire Department.

One painter was taken to a hospital to be treated for minor first-degree burns. The other painter declined treatment at the scene, Doucette said.

Doucette said students were not nearby when the accident took place.

District Police Sgt. Vince Matranga said the electricity was quickly restored after a short period of time.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police are looking for two armed robbers.

The robbery was at 6:25 p.m. Saturday at Illusion Novelties at 4809 Laguna Blvd. The men, one of whom had a shotgun, entered and ordered customers to the floor, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

The robbers demanded money. One robber took money from the register and a wallet. The two then left on foot, police said.

Police said the robbers were described as black men who were ages 18 to 20 and wearing dark clothing.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (916) 714-5115.

From Sandy Louey:

Woodland police are investigating a hit-and-run accident that critically injured a pedestrian over the weekend.

The accident occurred around 6 p.m. Sunday in the 500 block of Matmor Road. A pedestrian was hit by a vehicle in the northbound lane of Matmor, according to a press release.

The vehicle left the scene and was last seen northbound on Matmor. The vehicle should have damage to the front. The vehicle was described as a light gray car, possibly a Nissan, police said.

The pedestrian, who suffered numerous injuries, was taken to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. The victim was listed as critical but stable and was expected to survive, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (530) 666-2411.

From Andy Furillo:

One jury is out and two more are deep into the testimony in three murder trials that resume today in Sacramento Superior Court.

Jurors began deliberations Wednesday in the case of Robert Ray Hon, who is accused in the Jan. 30, 2003, asphyxiation death of Vicki Jo Harris.

Meanwhile, the panel in the Kier Leelani Anderson trial will begin hearing its seventh day of testimony.

Anderson is accused of killing his wife, Jennifer Anderson, in February 2005 and trying to make it look like a suicide.

The Roland Gallego jury will go into its 18th day of work in his murder trial.

Gallego is accused in the 1991 slaying of his aunt, Leticia Estores.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department seeks the public's help in locating a 57-year-old Arden Arcade woman.

Cornelia Furey (left photo) was last seen at 2:15 Sunday walking from her home in the 3600 block of Kings Way, according to a sheriff's department news release.

According to authorities, Furey is 5-foot-8, weighs 180 pounds and has green eyes and black hair with a little bit of gray. She was last seen wearing a dark green raincoat with a red shirt and gray sweatpants.

Furey has been categorized as at-risk because she is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic and investigators do not believe she has been taking her medications.

If anyone has seen, or knows the whereabouts of, Cornelia Furey they are urged to call the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115.

From Bill Lindelof:

When is counterfeiting like money laundering?

When a counterfeiter washes away the face of Abraham Lincoln and replaces it with Benjamin Franklin.

Five people from Lodi have been indicted on suspicion of conspiracy to counterfeit currency and possession of counterfeit currency. A federal grand jury earlier this month returned an indictment charging Joseph Deanda, 48, Tami Kishi Deanda, 41, Clinton Earl Irons, 32, Holly Armada Haworth, 29 and Shelie Louise Radotic, 30.

The case resulted from an investigation by the Lodi Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service. The two agencies executed a series of warrants Thursday, leading to arrest of the suspects.

The indictment alleges that between Jan. 7, 2004, and July 10, 2008, the suspects conspired to make counterfeit money. It is alleged that the defendants scanned, photographed, digitized and possessed images of U.S. currency.

A press release from the office of acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence G. Brown said that the suspects "used a computer and printer to print counterfeit images of $100 bills onto $5 bills that had been washed clean with various solvents, removing the ink from the bills, leaving behind the unique parchment upon which Federal Reserve Notes are printed."

Officials also noted that despite the washing, other security features embedded in the paper and unique to $5 bills were left intact, including security strips and watermarks.

The indictment alleges that the defendants possessed, passed or attempted to pass many of the bills between January 2007 and June 2008. The defendants face up to 20 years in prison.

From Denny Walsh:

Acting U.S. Attorney Larry Brown said Friday federal agents seized gold coins estimated to be worth $413,000 from a Phoenix safe deposit box belonging to former fugitive Christopher J. Warren of Sacramento, who fled the country in the face of a major fraud investigation.

Some of the coins date to the time of the California Gold Rush.

Warren, 26, was captured Tuesday night attempting to re-enter the country at the U.S.-Canadian border in Buffalo, N.Y. He had two keys to the safe deposit box and told agents it contained approximately $750,000, according to Brown.

Days before he absconded from Las Vegas on a private jet to Ireland and then on to Lebanon, Warren rented the box under the name Mark A. Seagrave, the same alias he was traveling under when arrested, Brown said.

Warren is accused by federal authorities of being a key player in one of the nation's largest mortgage and investment scams, with $100 million in losses to lenders and investors calculated thus far. He is charged in a criminal complaint in Sacramento federal court with conducting a continuing financial-crimes enterprise based at Loomis Wealth Solutions in Roseville.

Warren was one of three fugitives under scrutiny in the federal probe. Garret Griffith Gililland III, 27, of Chico, and Scott Edward Cavell, 25, of Sacramento, also fled the country as investigators closed in. Gililland is in custody in Spain, fighting extradition. Cavell is still on the lam.

"We are firmly committed to tracking down the proceeds of Warren's brazen fraud," Brown said. His office will seek forfeiture of the proceeds "and work to have the funds made available to his victims."

Warren's investment portfolio was nothing if not diversified - coins, platinum, gold and cash.

According to prosecutors Russell Carlberg and Matthew Stegman, FBI and IRS agents on Friday recovered 276 gold coins from the safe deposit box, "consisting of both Saint Gaudens Liberty 'Double Eagle'" coins minted between 1907 and 1932, and "Liberty Head" coins minted between 1849 and 1907. They also recovered $7,500 in cash, the prosecutors said.

"The gold coins bear the face value of $20, but their market value today is estimated to be $413,000, due to their weight and their status as collector's items," Carlberg said.

Warren told the crew of the private jet that he was carrying $5 million in gold and showed them some gold. He had arranged to be met in Beirut by armed escorts. The gold has not been recovered.

When he was picked up in Buffalo, Warren had $70,000 in cash stashed in a shoe he was wearing and four ounces of platinum worth nearly $6,000.

From Andy Furillo:

The biological parents of a 4-year-old girl killed in a house fire apparently set by a Molotov cocktail last year have filed a lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court against the county's Child Protective Services agency.

Curtis Crenshaw and Anisha Hill's lawsuit charges CPS with failing to properly monitor the foster care residence of their daughter, Amariana Crenshaw.

The girl died on Jan. 11, 2008, in the fire in the 3400 block of Sweat Pea Way in North Natomas.

CPS officials were not immediately available to respond to the suit that was filed Wednesday.

The suit also names as a defendant the foster parent, Tracy Dossman, who also could not be reached early this afternoon.

No arrests have been made in the girl's death, Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said today.

From Niesha Lofing:

A Pollock Pines man is in custody this morning for allegedly kidnapping and raping two women during the past year.

Sacramento police arrested Shane Wilson (photo left), 36, at his home in the 5400 block of Shooting Star Road in Pollock Pines Thursday night, police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said in a press release.

On two separate occasions over the last year, Wilson allegedly picked up a woman on Stockton Boulevard in Sacramento, took her to an industrial area and forcibly restrained her. The two female victims were both taken against their will to a home where they allegedly were sexually assaulted, he said.

The victims were then driven back to Stockton Boulevard and released.

Leong said he couldn't disclose when the women were assaulted or the duration of time between the two alleged crimes because of the ongoing investigation.

Police also will not disclose how they uncovered Wilson's connection with the alleged assaults or what was found at Wilson's home.

"There's a lot of follow up to do," he said.

Police are not commenting on why the women were on Stockton Boulevard, but said that "they voluntarily got into the vehicle."

"We think there could be other victims out there," Leong said.

Wilson is being held in Sacramento Main Jail on $500,000 bail, according to online jail records. He is being held on suspicion of oral copulation by force, rape, sodomy and forcibly taking someone out of the city or state and false imprisonment, all felonies, records show.

He also is being held on an arrest warrant from the California Highway Patrol.

Wilson is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police are searching for a 43-year-old Shasta Lake man who allegedly stabbed a man during a fight Thursday.

At 3:19 a.m., officers were called out a home in the 3200 block of Quartz Hill Road. A female caller reported a man was bleeding from his side, according to a news release.

Joshua William Darley, 31, of Redding, had a stab wound to the chest. He and others in the home were uncooperative with officers, the release said. Darley was taken to Mercy Medical Center, where he was in critical condition, police said.

Investigators learned that Darley and his girlfriend, Ann Marie Hernandez, 37, of Redding, were involved in a heated argument and fight in the home. Darley was stabbed during the fight, police said.

Investigators said they obtained an arrest warrant for attempted murder for Lee Everett Lightfoot (photo left), who is believed to be responsible for stabbing Darley.

Lightface should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

He is described as a white man who is 6-feet-2-inches tall and weighs 230 pounds. He has brown hair and eyes, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department's investigations unit at (530) 225-4214.

From Sandy Louey:

Folsom police are warning motorists about a scam in which a man tried to stage a car accident three times in the same day.

Police believe the same man was behind the incidents on Tuesday.

Around 11:30 a.m., a man was seen lying behind a parked car in a parking lot at 370 Plaza Drive. He got up and ran away when a customer saw him, according to a press release.

About two hours, he was laying down on the street in the area of Wales Drive and Riley Street as a motorist pulled out of the parking lot.

Police said the third incident was at 5:40 p.m. at the Folsom Premium Outlets.

The man positioned himself under the driver's side tires of a parked car and accused the motorist of hitting him. When he pounded on her window, she sounded her horn and called police. The man ran into the stores area, police said.

Police believe the incidents were an attempt to stage an automobile-pedestrian collision in order to collect money from the motorist in lieu of filing an insurance claim. The man didn't try to grab any motorists and didn't threaten them, Lt. Sheldon Sterling said in the release.

The suspect is described is a white man between his 20s and 30s. He was 6-feet-1 to 6-feet-2 inches tall and weighed between 220 and 250 pounds. He was balding and was dressed in all black clothes, police said.

Police encourage people to be aware of their surroundings. They should have their keys in hand and check the area around their cars.

They should call 911 if they see anyone or anything around their vehicles.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at (916) 930-1098.

From Sandy Louey:

A 31-year-old Sacramento man pleaded guilty Thursday to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Michael Lamb made the plea before U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

In 2007, Lamb and two co-conspirators used stolen identities to obtain online car loans in the amounts of $83,863 for a Callaway Corvette and $50,000 for a Mercedes SCL 600, prosecutors said.

They also created a fictitious corporation, opened a bank account in its name and put money in it with a $25,000 transfer from another account in an identity theft victim's name, authorities said.

When Lamb was arrested, he had a California driver's license with his photo and the personal information of an identity theft victim as well as a credit card in the victim's name, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Investigators were able to tie Lamb, who had worked as a sales manager at a car dealership, to a computer containing identity information and tools for creating and altering drivers' licenses, authorities said.

The case was an investigation between the California Highway Patrol and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lamb faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for April 30.

From Sandy Louey:

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said an 18-year-old teen missing since Monday has been located.

Nicole Preblich was last seen at 10 a.m. Monday when she left Mercy San Juan Medical Center on foot. Family members had brought her to the hospital after she tried to commit suicide, the sheriff's department said.

Preblich was located Thursday. Detectives no longer consider her to be a danger to herself and have removed her from the missing person system, the sheriff's department said.

From Sandy Louey:

A 38-year-old man convicted of murdering a man at a Davis park was denied parole for five years.

Timothy Wilson was denied after a hearing Tuesday before the Board of Parole Hearings at Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, according to a news release from the Yolo County District Attorney's Office.

The five-year denial was done under Proposition 9, which voters approved in November. The proposition allows corrections authorities to put off parole hearings for those serving life sentences by up to 15 years in some cases.

In 1994, a jury convicted Wilson of second-degree murder and sentenced him to 15 years to life in prison.

He beat to death John O'Friel, a 46-year-old Bay Area software salesman, at a Davis park July 8, 1993. Wilson dumped O'Friel's body in a rural part of Yolo County, authorities said.

He then took the victim's vehicle and personal property to the San Francisco area, where Wilson lived. Wilson was arrested almost a month after the murder, the District Attorney's Office said.

From Sandy Louey:

The Sacramento Police Department is working with the California Highway Patrol to lower the gang activity, robbery and burglary rates in the city.

Starting today, 16 CHP officers and two CHP sergeants have been assigned to help the police department's Problem Oriented Police Officers and detectives to deter crimes in south Sacramento, according to a news release.

The partnership is expected to be a long-term effort where CHP officers will be working hand-in-hand with Sacramento police throughout the city, police said.

Areas of deployment will depend on current crime trends or crime series that have been identified, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Department is expanding the crimes that can be reported online.

Increasing the number and type of crimes that can be reported will allow patrol deputies to respond more efficiently to priority calls while enabling the public to report criminal activity, according to a news release.

Crimes that can be reported online include theft, vehicle burglary, identity theft, annoying phone calls, vandalism, lost property and Internet fraud.

The online crime reporting system should not be used for emergencies or crimes in progress, the release said. It should not be used to report these crimes: violent crimes, sexual misconduct, stolen vehicles, lost or stolen license plates, domestic violence and assaults and battery.

For more information about the online crime reporting system, go to www.edso.org.

From Sandy Louey:

The Rancho Cordova Police Department called off a sobriety checkpoint scheduled for Friday night because of the wet weather.

The checkpoint was scheduled to run from 8 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday. The checkpoint will be rescheduled, according to a news release.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police are investigating a crash in North Sacramento between a Regional Transit bus and a van Thursday afternoon that injured two people.

The accident occurred at 11 a.m. at Arden Way and Colfax Street. There were no reported injuries from the bus. The two people in the van were taken to a hospital for treatment, said Officer Laura Peck, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Police Department.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested a 17-year-old boy Wednesday for allegedly burglarizing a home.

The boy was arrested at 2:25 p.m. at a home in the 10200 block of East Taron Drive. He was arrested on suspicion of burglary in connection with an October 2008 burglary, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

The boy was taken to juvenile hall.

From The Times-Standard in Eureka:

An explosion at a Eureka residence Wednesday morning sent three burn victims to the hospital and a fourth was arrested on charges of allegedly maintaining a residence for the production of a controlled substance, the Eureka Police Department reported.

After a preliminary investigation, EPD officers suspect the laboratory was probably used for hashish production, which is manufactured in highly flammable environments.

At just before 7:30 a.m., a citizen reported a possible explosion at the 1900 block of Hilfiker Avenue. While police and fire personnel responded to the scene, a police dispatcher learned a burn victim had driven himself to the emergency room for treatment.

Click here for the full Times-Standard story.

Sacramento police have released this surveillance video (below) and are asking for the public's help in identifying two armed robbers who stole hundreds of OxyContin pills.

On Jan. 26, two men entered Knott's Pharmacy at 4819 J St. and robbed the clerk at gunpoint. The two ordered the clerk to give them all the OxyContin pills, police said.

Police said both robbers were white men in their early 20s who were from 5 feet 9 to 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed between 180 to 200 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Sacramento Police Department burglary detectives are seeking Damond Lee Alldritt on a felony $50,000 bail arrest warrant for suspicion of burglary, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Alldritt (left photo) is described as age 35, 5-foot-10, weighing 185 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

He was last known to live in the 7000 block of Sprig Drive in the Foothill Farms area of Sacramento, according to authorities.

Anyone with information about Alldritt is urged to contact Crime Alert at (800) AA-CRIME or (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Hudson Sangree:

The parents of Ricardo Abrahams, a man they say was mentally disturbed, sued the city of Woodland and four of its police officers Wednesday, claiming police killed Abrahams during a struggle.

Rosemary and Cecil Abrahams of Davis claim officers killed their son by beating him with batons, shooting him with Tasers and tackling him without cause.

Police were called to check on Abrahams after he walked out of a voluntary treatment facility. The officers said he disobeyed them and acted aggressively.

Abrahams, who was attending law school, was an intern in the Yolo County District Attorney's office. His parents say he was suffering from stress-induced mental disturbance.

The lawsuit names officers John Perez, Omar Flores, Anthony Cucchi and Amanda Waldeck as defendants. The officers decided to take Abrahams into custody even though he had done nothing illegal, the suit says.

An internal Woodland police investigation and a review of that investigation by the state Attorney General's office found no evidence of wrongdoing. The Yolo County coroner concluded Abrahams died of asphyxia under restraint.

The lawsuit, which asks for an unspecified amount of damages, also names Taser International as a defendant.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police have released a composite sketch of a man believed to be involved in a South Land Park home invasion in which an elderly man was assaulted.

On Feb. 5, two men forced their way into the home of an elderly couple in the 4400 block of Mead Avenue, Sgt. Norm Leong said in news release.

One of the men struck the 88-year-old husband in the head with an object, causing moderate injuries. The couple were kept in a room for several hours while the men ransacked their home. The men got away with a small amount of cash, a handgun and other items, police said.

One suspect was described as a white man in his 30s with a medium build and short, neat blonde hair. He wore all black clothing, black gloves and black shoes with wraparound stitching on the top, authorities said.

Police said the second suspect was described as possibly a Latino man who was 6 feet tall and weighed 200 pounds. He had dark hair and wore a two-tone jacket and gloves.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or 1-800-AA-CRIME. Callers can be anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Sandy Louey:

Woodland police are asking for helping in finding a 44-year-old man who has been missing since Sunday.

Edward Graydon Chavannes left his Woodland home between midnight and 3 a.m. Sunday in his fiance's vehicle, a green 2006 Toyota Camry, license 5NZZ934, according to a news release.

Chavannes was last seen near Lake Tahoe on Sunday. He has various physical ailments, including a heart condition and asthma. He doesn't have his medication and is not known to have any resources, police said.

He is described as a white male, 5-feet-8, 165 pounds with short brown hair and hazel eyes. He was last seen wearing blue sweatpants and a green sweater, police said.

Anyone with information about Chavannes is asked to call (530) 661-7879.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police are asking for the public's help in identifying two armed robbers who stole hundreds of OxyContin pills.

On Jan. 26, two men entered Knott's Pharmacy at 4819 J St. and robbed the clerk at gunpoint. The two ordered the clerk to give them all the OxyContin pills, police said.

Police said both robbers were white men in their early 20s who were from 5 feet 9 to 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighed between 180 to 200 pounds.

One man, armed with a black handgun, was wearing baggy pants, a black hooded jacket, black gloves, large dark sunglasses and a brown handkerchief covering his mouth.

The second man wore black baggy pants, a black hooded jacket and dark sunglasses, which was removed at one point, revealing blue eyes.

Police said they may have been driving a late 1980s' or early 1990s' black two-door Honda Civic. The car, which was lowered and had front-end damage, was described as looking like a race car.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Sandy Louey:

Auburn police are reminding residents to take precautions when dealing with door-to-door solicitors. One solicitor in Auburn was arrested this week on outstanding warrants.

Some residents have recently called police to complain about solicitors who were selling magazine subscriptions or vacuum cleaners acting pushy and rude, said Sgt. Dave Lawicka in a press release on Wednesday.

At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to residents' complaints about a group of suspected solicitors in the area of Auburn Folsom Road and Herdal Drive to check to see if they were properly licensed to solicit in Auburn, Lawicka said.

An identity check revealed that Omar Sharif (photo left), 47, of Newark, N.J., had 80 outstanding warrants out of North Carolina related to fraudulent selling magazine subscriptions, police said.

Sharif, who has several alias, also had a warrant from El Dorado County for failure to appear, Lawicka said.

Sharif was arrested on the warrants and booked into the Placer County jail, police said.

Police said solicitors must obtain a business license from the city and register as a solicitor. They must provide valid identification and identify the item they're selling.

The solicitors' permits are issued for specific days and times. Each solicitor is given a copy of their individual business license, which they must have while soliciting and present to residents and law enforcement officers.

Police recommend that residents ask solicitors to show their proper documents from the city. If they don't have or fail to show the information, report the solicitor to the police, Lawicka said.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police said they arrested two people Tuesday for allegedly burglarizing a home.

At 12:42 p.m., police responded to a burglary at a home in the 8500 block of Bishops Cap Court. A witness described the suspects and a vehicle involved, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

The unoccupied vehicle was located nearby and a check revealed it was a stolen, police said. Police contacted two people matching the suspects' descriptions as they approached the vehicle, police said.

Police said a search of Danny Wallace, 23, revealed burglary tools, women's jewelry and the keys for the stolen vehicle. A search of a 14-year-old boy found women's jewelry.

The property that the two had was reported stolen from the burglarized home. Wallace and the boy were arrested on suspicion of burglary, stealing a vehicle, possession of stolen property, and possession of a stolen vehicle, police said.

Wallace was taken to the Sacramento County Main Jail and the boy was taken to juvenile hall.

From Sandy Louey:

Woodland police are investigating the burglary of a local business - for the second time in about two weeks.

At 10:10 p.m. Tuesday, police were called out to Sterling May at 209 West Main St. for a commercial burglary alarm, Sgt. Frank Ritter said in a news release.

Officers found the front door was forced open and $7,000 worth of power equipment was stolen.

Sterling May, which has been in business since 1946, specializes in all-terrain vehicle sales and other power equipment.

The store had $13,000 worth of power equipment stolen during a Jan. 26 burglary.

Police are asking anyone with information to call (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800.

From Sandy Louey:

The Rancho Cordova Police Department is conducting a sobriety checkpoint Friday night.

The checkpoint will run from 8 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday. Officers will be checking drivers for signs that they are driving while under the influence.

The operation is using funds from a traffic safety grant that the department received from the California Office of Traffic Safety.

From Kim Minugh:

Yolo County sheriff's deputies are investigating the discovery of a body in a park west of Rumsey, according to authorities.

Dispatcher received a call just before 8:30 a.m. reporting a possible dead body found in a vehicle at the "upper site" campground in the Cache Creek Canyon Regional Park, located in Rumsey Canyon, said sheriff's Lt. Martin Torres.

Deputies found a man's body, which shows no indications of foul play, Torres said. However, the cause of death won't be known until an autopsy is completed.

Torres said the car does not belong to the deceased person, but that the car is involved in the case of a missing person from outside of Yolo County.

The coroner's office is in the process of identifying the person, Torres said.

Sacramento Police Department burglary detectives are seeking Ciara Dickson a felony $50,000 bail arrest warrant for suspicion of burglary, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Dickson (left photo) is also known as Danielle Walsh, Ciara Sierra, Ciara Doerner and Clara Dixon, according to authorities. She is described age 25, 5-foot-4, weighing 115 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes.

Dickson was last known to live in the 5400 block of College Oak Drive in the Foothill Farms area of Sacramento, according to authorities.

Anyone with information about Dickson is urged to contact Crime Alert at (800) AA-CRIME or (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police are investigating a woman's discovery of a family living in her supposedly empty, for-sale Meadowview home.

When contacted by police Tuesday, the occupants produced a rental agreement they entered into with a man who posted an ad for the Highbridge Way home on Craigslist, said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

They reported paying more than $1,000 a rent per month to the man, Leong said.

The homeowner agreed to give them until Feb. 15 to pack up their things and leave, but called police to have the incident documented.

Leong said officers have no information indicating that the family knowingly participated in any wrongdoing.

"It appears at this point that the occupants were victims of this scam," Leong said.

Unsuspecting renters, beware. Such schemes, in which fraudsters rent out vacant homes that do not belong to them, are "nothing new," Leong said. They might be prevalent these days, however, with the abundance of foreclosed homes on the market, he said.

Before entering into a rental agreement, police advise that the potential renter do some homework.

"The best thing is to do research on the place," Leong said.

Keys are not a sign of legitimacy, as a scam artist could have had the locks changed.

Instead, potential renters can go online to the county recorder's office to see who owns the house. They also can ask the alleged landlord for a property deed.

And if the landlord keeps his or her distance - refusing to offer a phone number, for example, or giving a P.O. Box - "that should be a red flag, too," Leong said.

Then there's the West Natomas case.

The rental scam model took on a new twist earlier this month when police began investigating the apparently illegitimate rental of an upscale West Natomas home.

Police recently issued arrest warrants for Phillis Powers, a 54-year-old real estate agent who police say rented the home without the legal ability to do so, and her illegal tenants: Carver Barney, 57, and Sandra Barney, 54. An arrest warrant also was issued for 49-year-old Dennis Eugene, who is a sibling of Powers and Sandra Barney.

They all face misdemeanor criminal trespass charges, according to police.

From the Associated Press:

A Gridley couple has been arrested after being caught on tape smoking marijuana in front of their two children.

Luke Abraham Duran, 23, and Angie Lynn Gerst, 25, face charges of marijuana possession and child endangerment.

Police in Butte County say their two sons, ages 7 and 1, tested positive for marijuana after their parents were arrested Jan. 30. The children have been placed in protective custody.

Police say a visitor caught Duran and Gerst on camera, taking turns smoking from a glass marijuana pipe. The older boy was reportedly seen standing with the couple, while the younger child was in his mother's arms.

Gerst and Duran were booked at the county jail and released.

From Sandy Louey:

Seven years after Heather Lee Ann Hibbs was found beaten to death, her mother is still waiting for answers. (Photo below shows Hibbs at age 20.)

Hibbs, 21, was found beaten to death Feb. 10, 2002 in a remote area outside of Vacaville, said her mother Wendy Burton of Citrus Heights.

On Tuesday, the seventh anniversary of Hibbs' body being found, Burton announced a new tip line and Web site in hopes to drawing attention to the unsolved case.

"We have no answers," said Burton, 47. "We want to know who did this to her."

Hibbs, a Vacaville resident, was reported missing in late January 2002. The last known sighting of her was at the Solano Mall in Fairfield on Jan. 23, Burton said.

The Solano County District Attorney's cold case unit is looking into the case. Burton hopes a Web site and tip line will assist their efforts.

There is an outstanding $50,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in Hibbs' death.

The Web site is at www.myspace.com/justiceforheather. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-866-997-TIPS.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police said a 48-year-old Reno man arrested for a bank robbery has been linked to additional ones in California.

On Jan. 30, Redding police arrested Robert Todd Bruce and Joseph Anthony Tagliamonti, 46, of Phoenix in connection with the robbery of the North Valley Bank at 880 E. Cypress Ave., according to a press release issued Tuesday.

After the pair's arrests, Redding investigators sent out a nationwide flier with information about their arrests and photographs.

Police departments from Northern California, Central California, New Orleans, Phoenix, Philadelphia and the Sacramento office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation contacted investigators.

Authorities said Bruce has been identified as a suspect in five additional bank robberies: one in Sacramento, one in Auburn and three in San Luis Obispo County.

On Friday, the Sacramento FBI office executed a search warrant on a motel room and vehicle in Reno. The findings from the warrant linked Bruce to the Auburn bank heist and one of the San Luis Obispo County robberies, Redding police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department's investigations division at (530) 225-4214.

From Sandy Louey:

Firefighters from Lincoln will be accepting donations for their annual "Fill the Boot" event to raise money for burn victims.

The firefighters will be at the intersections of Joiner Parkway and Ferrari Ranch Road and Joiner Parkway and Sterling Parkway from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 21 and Feb. 22.

Firefighters from the Placer County Fire Department and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are scheduled to be collecting donations on Saturday and Sunday.

On both days, they will be at Thunder Valley Casino from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and at the Bel Air Shopping Center on Lincoln Way in Auburn from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All the donations will go to the Firefighters Burn Institute.

From Denny Walsh:

One of three fugitives with ties to a Roseville firm under federal investigation has been captured in Spain and is fighting extradition to the United States.

Garret Griffith Gililland III (left photo) fled last summer after his indictment by a federal grand jury in Sacramento. The indictment has since been recast, and Gililland is now charged with mortgage fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to manufacture marijuana.

Acting U. S. Attorney Larry Brown said Tuesday that Gililland, 27, was captured Oct. 16 in a suburb of Barcelona.

"He should be back here by late spring," Brown said. "We are confident we will prevail on extradition. As the adage goes, 'You can run, but you can't hide.'"

A citizen informant in Barcelona contacted the Butte County district attorney's office in October, saying he learned of Gililland's status as a fugitive from something he had seen on the Internet, knew where he was hiding, and wanted money for the information, Brown said.

The investigation of Gililland, who is from Chico, was initiated in Butte County, the top prosecutor said.

Around that same time, however, federal agents had independently tracked Gililland to Barcelona.

"The informant was just a little too late" to collect a reward, Brown said.

Cristopher Jared Warren, 26, and Scott Edward Cavell, 25, fled the country last week as IRS and FBI agents closed in on Loomis Wealth Solutions, suspected of one of the nation's largest investment and mortgage frauds.

Brown said he is "absolutely optimistic" the pair will be apprehended.

"It's just a matter of time," he said.

From Sandy Louey:

Roseville police are investigating a traffic accident that killed a 27-year-old Citrus Heights man Tuesday.

At 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Roseville police and fire responded to an accident in which a 1994 Nissan four-door sedan occupied by two people hit a tree on Hickory Street at Church Street, said Dee Dee Gunther, spokeswoman for the Roseville police, in a press release.

The passenger, Joseph Carrel Cowles, was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he died Tuesday morning from his injuries. The driver, a 19-year-old Yuba City woman, is listed in serious condition at Sutter Roseville, police said.

Roseville police suspect that drug impairment was a factor in the crash, the release said.

From Andy Furillo:

A Sacramento jury today convicted Jonathan Andrew Hampton of second-degree murder in the Feb. 15, 2007, shooting death of Jonathan Paul Giurbino in South Land Park.

Prosecutors had sought a first-degree conviction on grounds that Hampton murdered Giurbino during the course of a robbery.

Evidence in the case indicated that the defendant and the victim were in the midst of a drug deal at the time of the shooting that took place inside Hampton's car on Fordham Way.

Conviction on a robbery murder could have resulted in a life term with no chance of parole for Hampton.

Deputy District Attorney Kevin Greene was not available for comment after the verdict.

The panel found an added allegation to be true that Hampton, 20, used a handgun during the course of the murder. The enhancement figures to add 10 years to the maximum 15-to-life sentence Hampton faces for second-degree murder.

Judge Robert C. Hight scheduled Hampton's sentencing for March 13.

Defense attorney Michael Long said he was "disappointed" in the verdict, even though the jury did not find that Hampton robbed the 19-year-old Giurbino.

George Giurbino, the victim's father, said of the jury's verdict, "Unfortunately, this is the justice that happened. I'll never know the truth of what happened in the car that day."

From Sandy Louey:

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is asking for the public's help in locating an 18-year-old woman who has been missing since Monday.

Nicole Preblich was last seen at 10 a.m. Monday when she left Mercy San Juan Medical Center on foot. Family members had brought her to the hospital after she tried to commit suicide, according to a press release from the Sheriff's Department.

Preblich, who is considered at-risk because of her attempted suicide, frequents the Rusch Park area in Citrus Heights, authorities said.

She is described as a white female who is 5-feet-3 inches tall and weighs 105 pounds. She has brown eyes and short reddish brown hair.

Preblich was last seen wearing a tan shirt, green pants and black boots, the Sheriff's Department said.

Anyone with information is asked to call (916) 874-5115.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police detectives arrested a 47-year-old man today on suspicion of inappropriate sexual behavior with at least eight different young girls over an eight-year period, authorities said.

Daniel Caldwell (photo left) sexually assaulted or inappropriately touched the girls, ages 7 though 17, while out camping, as they slept over at his house or while employed at his business, Big D's BBQ on Grand Avenue, said police Sgt. Norm Leong. The victims were girls who trusted Caldwell, Leong said, including employees and family friends or acquaintances.

The incidents reportedly occurred between 2000 and 2008, Leong said.

Caldwell was arrested at Big D's BBQ, Leong said. He was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on eight charges of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, and his bail is set at $350,000, jail booking records show. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.

Sexual assault detectives are investigating and want to talk to anyone with information or who believe they were a victim of Caldwell. Detectives can be reached at (916) 808-0584.

From the Stockton Record:

San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Bernard Garber sentenced Udit Narayan, 43, of Elk Grove to 150 years to life in state prison Monday - over the strong objections of his attorney - for impersonating a police officer in Stockton to lure young women into his vehicle for the purpose of taking them to a secluded area and sexually assaulting them.

Narayan (left photo) was declared guilty Dec. 11 in San Joaquin County Superior Court on 10 counts including rape, kidnapping, forcible oral copulation and digital penetration of three victims, including an 18-year-old woman and two girls ages 14 and 15.

Authorities suspected Narayan of sexually assaulting four additional victims over a three-county area, but only the Stockton victims stepped forward to testify, Deputy District Attorney Michael Rasmussen said outside the courtroom. Most of the crimes occurred in 2006.

Click here for the full Record story.

From Bee Staff:

Two women were caught by a surveillance camera (photos below) as they allegedly used stolen debit or credit cards at local businesses, the Roseville Police Department said.

Both suspects are described as heavyset Hispanic females. One, who appeared to be in her 40s, was about 5'5" tall, had dyed reddish hair pulled back on a ponytail, and wore large square sunglasses, according to a Police Department press release.

The other suspect, who appeared to be in her teens or 20s, had dark hair and wore prescription glasses, the release said. Police suspect the two may be related.

The release gave this account:

Sometime between 9 a.m. and noon on Jan. 23, two wallets were stolen in two separate incidents in Roseville. One wallet was stolen from an unlocked employee break room in a retail store; the other was stolen from a grocery store checkout counter after the victim inadvertently left it behind.

Soon after the thefts, the suspects attempted to use the victims' credit or debit cards to purchase merchandise at nearby businesses.

Anyone who recognizes the women in the attached surveillance photos is asked to call the Roseville Police Investigations Unit at (916) 774-5070, or Roseville Crime Stoppers at (916) 783-7867.

Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward, the release said.

From Niesha Lofing:

Lincoln police are investigating a fight at a house party that resulted in moderate injuries early Sunday.

Officers were called at 1:51 a.m. to the 800 block of B Street on a report of a fight between several people, a police news release states.

The officers contacted three Sacramento men who said they were assaulted while attending a party at a home. One of the men had a bruise on his face, a result of having been struck with a glass bottle, police said.

The other two men had been hit with blunt objects and suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Two of the men were taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center for treatment and later released.

Officers interviewed several people at the party, but no one was arrested.

The incident remains under investigation.

From Niesha Lofing:

An Auburn man is facing theft charges after allegedly breaking into cars in Lincoln early Monday morning.

A resident called police at 3:20 a.m. Monday and reported that a suspicious man wearing camouflage clothing was looking into his neighbor's vehicle in the 1800 block of Sixth Street, a Lincoln police news release states.

The man was gone when officers arrived, but they checked the neighborhood and saw a man wearing camo clothing near Seventh and G streets.

Officers tried to contact the man, but he fled on a bicycle through a business, the release states.

Officers detained the man in a nearby alley and found that he had a backpack with several stolen items taken from vehicles in the neighborhood, the release states.

Anthony Russell Taylor, 18, of Auburn, was arrested on suspicion of grand theft, possession of stolen property and possession of burglary tools.

He is being held on $5,000 bail in Placer County Jail in Auburn, according to online jail information.

From Bee Staff:

A woman tried to rent a car using a fake Michigan driver's license and a stolen credit card at a Roseville business, but an alert clerk stymied her, police said.

On Jan. 27, the woman (photo left) asked the clerk in a rental agency to call a toll-free number to verify the credit card, rather than swiping it, according to a Police Department press release.

The clerk became suspicious and decided to call the issuing bank's published number instead, the release said. At that point, the suspect fled and the clerk notified Roseville Police.

The suspect used her own photo on the driver's license, but used the name of a Bay Area woman, a Roseville Police detective determined.

Anyone who recognizes the woman is asked to call the Roseville Police Investigations Unit at (916) 774-5070, or Roseville Crime Stoppers at (916) 783-7867.

From Niesha Lofing:

A Sacramento man who donned a cape and allegedly robbed an adult store with a wooden sword is facing criminal charges in court today.

David William Hadeen (left photo), 36, entered L'amour Shoppe at 2531 Broadway about 4 p.m. Sunday and went straight to an area of the store that features sexual-enhancing devices, said Sacramento police Officer Konrad Von Schoech.

Hadeen was wearing an American flag sequin hat, green shirt, blue jeans, tennis shoes and red cape.

"He was carrying a 2- to 3-foot wood sword," Von Schoech said.

Hadeen allegedly took one of the enhancing devices, worth about $200, and waved the sword at a clerk "as if to ward him off," he said.

"The clerk didn't approach him," Von Schoech said.

Hadeen walked out of the store. The clerk saw the direction Hadeen left in and called police.

"Officers checked the area for the suspect and observed a man matching the description," Von Schoech said.

They stopped Hadeen at Broadway and 28th Street. Hadeen was still wearing the cape and hat. The sword was lying on the ground, along with the apparatus, which appeared to have been opened, he said.

Hadeen was arrested on suspicion of robbery and a misdemeanor arrest warrant for vandalism.

He is being held on $35,000 bail in Sacramento County Main Jail.

Hadeen is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. today in Sacramento Superior Court.

From Sam Stanton:

A 46-year-old Sacramento woman pleaded no contest Monday to charges that she embezzled $224,000 from a company that provides round-the-clock assistance to people with developmental disabilities, officials said.

Donna Joe Goodenough (photo left) was a bookkeeper for the firm and between January 2007 and May 2008 embezzled the money by writing fraudulent checks and using the company credit card for personal expenses, the state Franchise Tax Board said.

The tax board also said Goodenough failed to report the $177,000 she embezzled in 2007 on her state income tax return.

She faces sentencing April 20 and could be sent to prison for three years and four months. She also may be sentenced to pay restitution to her former employer and the tax board.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities said Monday that they are investigating a fight that broke out Sunday between adults attending a youth basketball tournament in Rocklin.

Around 3:30 p.m., several 911 calls were made about people fighting at the Hardwood Palace Sports and Events Center at 1091 Tinkler Road, said Dena Erwin, spokeswoman for the Placer County Sheriff's Department

The youth basketball teams were from Folsom and Rocklin. Initial reports were that 50 people were involved, but the fighting involved a couple of parents from both teams, Erwin said.

A 14-year-old Rocklin boy who was injured was taken to the hospital and released. It is unclear how he got hurt, Erwin said.

No arrests have been made and detectives are interviewing dozens of witnesses. The results will be turned over to the Placer County District Attorney's Office to determine if any charges will be filed, she said.

From Sandy Louey:

A fire Monday afternoon caused $125,000 in damages to an Elk Grove home.

The single-alarm fire began about 11:30 a.m. at a home in the 8600 block of Zircon Crest Court, a fire dispatcher said.

The fire began in the garage. The cause of the blaze is under investigation, said Steve Capps, spokesman for the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department.

There were no injuries, Capps said.

From Sandy Louey:

A solo-vehicle accident forced a lane of Highway 70 near Linda to be shut down Monday.

At 9:55 a.m., a 53-year-old Linda woman was driving her Ford F150 truck north on North Beale Road. She was merging onto northbound Highway 70, but traffic was heavy, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol.

She tried to stay close to the right-hand curb, but the right tires of her truck struck the curb on the overpass. The truck jumped the curb and traveled across the sidewalk and struck the guardrail, the CHP said.

The truck spun out of control, blocking a northbound lane of Highway 70 for about 20 minutes until the accident was cleared. Traffic was allowed through another lane, but there was considerable backup, the CHP said.

The woman, who was wearing her seatbelt, complained of pain to her head. She refused treatment at the scene and was seeking her own medical aid, authorities said.

The CHP said neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the accident.

From Ramon Coronado and Niesha Lofing:

The 39-year-old motorcyclist killed Sunday in a Placer County crash has been identified, officials said.

Placer County Coroner's officials have identified the victim as Mark James Diddy, of Granite Bay, sheriff's spokesman Lt. Jeff Ausnow said.

Diddy and a friend were headed west in the 19000 block of Foresthill Road at 3:30 p.m. Sunday when for an unknown reason, Diddy allowed his bike to leave the roadway and was killed, said CHP Officer Dave Montijo, public information officer for the Auburn office.

Diddy's riding companion, Elias Cox, 29, of Fair Oaks, stopped to help, but Diddy died at the scene, Montijo said.

Cox was arrested for driving under the influence. The case remains under investigation, Montijo said.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police have arrested a 17-year-old boy Sunday night for allegedly burglarizing a home, a police spokesman said today.

At 10:20 p.m., a witness called police about a burglary in progress in the 9100 block of Rancho Drive. Officers arrived and detained the boy as he tried to flee on foot, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

Officers confirmed the home where the boy was seen had been burglarized. He was arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken to juvenile hall, police said.

From Andy Furillo:

The Sacramento man who shot and killed a teenager during a robbery in a south side park four years ago has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

Sirtice A. Melonson, now 23, received the term Friday from Sacramento Superior Court Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard, for the death of Navnil Chand, 17.

Melsonson's co-defendant in the case, Sarah Weeden, 17, is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3.

According to prosecutors, Weeden had set up Chand to be robbed at the time of the Caymus Park shooting on Aug. 5, 2005.

An earlier headline mistakenly said Melonson was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

From Niesha Lofing:

Police cold case detectives have linked a prison inmate to the 1995 slaying of a Sacramento man.

Sacramento police detectives obtained an arrest warrant Tuesday naming Kevin Dunigan (left photo), 45, as the alleged assailant in the death of Gary Veirs, police Sgt. Norm Leong stated in a news release.

Veirs, 36, was found stabbed to death about 6:14 p.m. Aug. 29, 1995, in front of his home in the 7300 block of Stockdale Street.

Veirs (right photo) was killed after chasing and hitting a man who had commented to Veirs' girlfriend, who was in the front yard when the man walked by, according to a past Bee article.

Veirs died at UC Davis Medical Center.

The assailant was described as a black man in his early 30s, between 5-foot-10 and 5-foot-11, Leong said.

In September 2006 cold case Det. Pat Keller reviewed the case and requested that foreign DNA found on the victim be examined. In December, the DNA match was found, and Dunigan was identified as the alleged assailant, he said.

Dunigan was on parole at the time. He is in state prison on unrelated charges.

From Niesha Lofing:

A Woodland man accused of engaging in sexual activity with a minor four years ago is scheduled to answer to the charges against him today.

Brett Philip Pedroia, 30, is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. in Department 9 of Yolo Superior Court, according to online court information.

Pedroia is the older brother of Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, the American League's 2008 Most Valuable Player.

Brett Pedroia was arrested in January on two counts of felony oral copulation and lewd acts with a child under age 14. The court issued the arrest warrant based on a Woodland police investigation.

The alleged misconduct occurred about four years ago, but the victim only recently told his parents, a police news release stated.

Pedroia no longer is in Yolo County Jail, a jail employee confirmed today. He was being held there in lieu of $50,000 bail.

From Niesha Lofing:

Sacramento police are trying to determine who shot two people in the Tahoe Park area this morning.

Sacramento police were called about 1:40 a.m. today to 65th Street and 14th Avenue, where two people had been shot, a police dispatcher said.

The victims and shooter had gotten into an argument that led to the shooting, police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said.

Police are following leads to determine the shooter's identity, he said.

The victims both received minor injuries and took themselves to the hospital, Leong said. They are expected to recover.

From Sandy Louey:

A man and a woman driving at 3:30 a.m. today near Wilton crashed when their Ford Thunderbird hit a horse in the road and rolled over, the California Highway Patrol said.

Officer Michael Bradley, a CHP spokesman, said the people in the crash at Colony and Blake roads were taken to UC Davis Medical Center for major injuries.

No further information about their condition -- or the condition of the horse -- was available.

From Sandy Louey:

Citrus Heights police have arrested a 29-year-old man in connection with a series of indecent exposure incidents.

Ivan Larshin (left photo) was arrested Friday on a warrant for indecent exposure and annoying or molesting a child. He would seek out female pedestrians, many of them whom were high school age, as his victims, said Sgt. Eric Dias of the Citrus Heights Police Department.

Police said Larshin is responsible for numerous incidents in Citrus Heights and Sacramento County in which he would pull up to the side of the road in his green Ford Windstar and expose himself.

Anyone with information is asked call the investigations unit at (916) 727-5500.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

El Dorado County sheriff's deputies arrested a 43-year-old Somerset man on suspicion of attempted homicide after he shot a 20-year-old man earlier today, sheriff's officials said.

Kenneth Baxter was arrested today about 2:10 p.m. after he shot Jonathan Lemaire of El Dorado at Lemaire's residence on Strickland Mine Road in El Dorado, according to a press release.

Baxter allegedly drove up to Lemaire's home and shot him multiple times as he left the house, the release said. Lemaire was flown to a local trauma center, where he's listed in stable condition, the release said.

Investigators are still investigating the incident, but sheriff's officials are speculating that the shooting stemmed from a prior domestic violence incident, according to the release.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Two men, believed to be gang members, were shot in North Highlands this afternoon in what appears to be a gang-related incident, sheriff's officials said.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputies were called to the shooting at the corner of Ramsey Drive and Cortright Way a little after 3 p.m. today, Sgt. Tim Curran, sheriff's spokesman said.

There they found a 17-year-old Hispanic male shot in the neck and face with what appeared to be shotgun pellets, Curran said. Deputies also found an 18-year-old Hispanic male who suffered a shotgun wound to his hand and leg, he said.

Both were transported to a local hospital, Curran said. The 17-year-old's wounds are described as life-threatening, while the 18-year-old has been declared stable, Curran said.

Neighbors said they saw a red Mitsubishi Eclipse with up to five occupants leaving the scene, Curran said.

Both victims were validated gang members, Curran said.

From Chelsea Phua:

Call it good instincts. Whatever it is, something compelled a Roseville police officer to check on two men and a woman who had stopped to put gas in their car at a gas station at Auburn Boulevard and Whyte Avenue Thursday night.

The officer discovered that the vehicle, a 1992 Honda Accord, had a punched ignition and had been reported stolen out of Vacaville on Feb. 4, according to a Roseville police press release.

One of the men tried to run away, but officers soon caught him, police said.

Dennis Lee Valdez, 36, of Roseville and David Oliver Spradlin, 29, of Citrus Heights, were arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft and conspiracy, police said.

Spradlin was also charged with resisting arrest, and Valdez was also charged with being drunk in public, police said.

Joni Michelle Cisneros, 37, of Sacramento, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a hypodermic syringe and unprescribed prescription medication, police said.

From Chelsea Phua:

A 20-year-old Roseville man trying to escape police on his dirt bike ended up in jail on a $30,000 bail, police said.

Thursday afternoon, a Roseville police officer notices a white Suzuki dirt bike speeding on Junction Boulevard. The officer followed it and the driver sped off. At Porter Drive and Lawton Avenue, the rider failed to negotiate a curve and the bike went down.

The rider, Michael Wayne Morte, was not injured but was arrested on suspicion of evading a police officer with reckless disregard for public safety and riding the motor bike on a suspended license. His bike was impounded for 30 days.

From Chelsea Phua:

Placer County Sheriff's deputies arrested the owner of a Granite Bay spa and salon on Friday afternoon for allegedly fraudulently charging her customers for services and products and double- or triple-billing them after their visits.

Authorities said Heather Lynn Collins (photo left), 33, was arrested at her business, the Radiance Spa and Salon at 1895 East Roseville Parkway on suspicion of three felony charges - identity theft, fraudulent use of an access card and grand theft.

Forty former spa customers have filed complaints that their bank cards were double- and triple-billed after they visited the spa, according to a press release from the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

Collins also allegedly charged customers for services and products using two non-existent companies, Balance Body Works and Enchanted Skin Services, the release said.

The loss to customers is unknown, authorities said. Anyone who thinks that they may have been charged improperly at the spa is asked to contact Detective Jim Hudson at (530) 889-7800

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police on Friday arrested a 23-year-old man on suspicion of killing his mother's boyfriend, according to authorities.

The victim, 42-year-old Gerardo Valdez (photo bottom left), was reported missing by family members Nov. 20, according to Sacramento police. A decomposed body discovered in Butte County on Friday is believed to be that of Valdez; however, police are awaiting verification through forensics, said police Sgt. Norm Leong.

Later that day, police arrested Rueben Larez (photo bottom right) as he was leaving a north Sacramento home, Leong said.

Valdez had been dating Larez's mother on and off for about four years, according to interviews documented in a search warrant affidavit filed by police with the Sacramento County Superior Court.

In January, police searched the home of Larez's mother on Costa Brase Court, where Valdez was last seen, according to the search warrant affidavit. Police recovered several items, including paperwork, from that residence and dug up the backyard, but found no body.

Larez and Larez's mother told police that Valdez and Larez had physically fought in April 2008, but Larez told investigators the two had gotten along fine since then, according to the search warrant affidavit. He told detectives he did not know Larez's whereabouts.

On Friday, Leong said detectives suspect Larez killed Valdez "as a result of his dislike for him."

Leong said information obtained by detectives led them to a rural area of Butte County, where they found what they say is Valdez's body.

From Chelsea Phua:

Roseville residents have been hit with a spate of vehicle burglaries in the past few weeks, including at least six Thursday night, police said.

Authorities are asking residents to remove electronic items like portable GPS navigation systems and other valuables from their vehicles. Police are also asking residents to park their vehicles inside locked garages at night if possible and to remove garage door openers from vehicles parked outside.

Most of the burglaries occurred at night in residential areas, but thieves have also hit the parking lots of hotels, fitness centers and golf courses during daytime and nighttime hours.

Police say the thieves will steal from unlocked vehicles when they can find them, but are frequently breaking windows to steal from inside the vehicle.

At least six vehicles parked in the Cirby Side and Cresthaven neighborhoods south of Cirby Way Thursday night had their windows smashed and property taken. The thieves were apparently targeting portable GPS navigation systems, even some that had been stashed out of sight in the vehicles.

Residents are asked to report any suspicious activity or persons immediately.

From Bee Staff:

The return of rain to the area also has brought back a familiar scam - bogus roof repairmen who use a homeowner's concern for their property to rob.

Recently two suspects posing as repairmen talked their way into a home and stole money from a 75-year-old Roseville resident, said Dee Dee Gunther, Roseville Police Department spokeswoman.

Such "home repair" scam artists steal from senior citizens at least once or twice a year in Roseville, Gunther said. Bee archives show this home repair scams reported almost annually across the region.

In one case in 1999, a "handyman" rode up on a bicycle and talked a Sacramento homeowner into allowing him to do home repairs. Over the next year and a half, he stole more than $200,000 from the 80-year-old victim before he was caught.

Gunther gave this account of the roof repair scam:

At about 4 p.m. on Jan. 30, two men knocked on the door of a 75-year-old man on Cedar Street, and told him they needed to check the condition of his roof. The resident had not noticed any problems with his roof, and had not called anyone to make repairs, but he let the two men into his home anyway.

The men walked around the house, purportedly looking at the ceiling for spots where the roof might have leaked. The two "repairmen" went into different areas of the house and yard, so that the resident could not watch them both at the same time.

The suspects then told the resident they needed to go to their truck to get a warranty form, and would be right back. They then got into their pickup and left. The resident then noticed his wallet was lying open on a coffee table, and the cash inside his wallet was gone.

The suspects were both described as olive-complexioned males in their 20s, 6'1" tall, with black hair. One weighed approximately 150 pounds and wore a dark shirt; the other weighed approximately 200 pounds and wore a light colored sweatshirt.

They drove a white extended-cab pickup with a short bed. The pickup did not have any business name or logo on it.

Roseville Police Chief Mike Blair said: "This is an unfortunate reminder not to let strangers into your home. You should be suspicious of anyone claiming to be a repairman or utility worker, especially if you haven't requested services. If you feel uneasy about someone, tell them to leave your home, and then call police."

The National Crime Prevention Council advises residents not to accept offers from "drive up" workers who "just happen" to be in the neighborhood. If they're reliable, they'll come back after you check them out. Always ask for identification and a contractor's license number, and never pay with cash.

Bee archives show that sealing driveways or foundations rank with roof repair as the top bogus offers. Sometimes the con men take money for repairs that are not done or sometimes, as in the recent Roseville case, use the repair offer a ruse to gain entry for a robbery or sometimes they do both.

Sometimes "contractors" claim to have just completed a job in the victim's neighborhood, say they have leftover materials and offer a cut-rate price to do a similar job. However, the con artists either leave the victim's "down payment" or try to extort a much higher price after doing the work, which is often substandard.

A similar scam has the con artist show up in a fake utility worker's uniform and talk the victim into standing in the backyard while the con artist stays inside, free to rob.

From Niesha Lofing

Law enforcement officers in Yolo County arrested three people during a drunken driving saturation patrol effort on Super Bowl Sunday.

Thirteen officers from several law enforcement agencies in the county conducted the DUI patrols, working for paid overtime funded through the state Office of Traffic Safety, a Davis police news release states.

Of the 79 vehicles stopped, 13 field sobriety tests were administered. Officers arrested three people on suspicion of drunken driving, suspended one license, issued 27 citations for various violations and impounded one vehicle for 30 days, the release states.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police are investigating a South Land Park home invasion Thursday afternoon in which an elderly man was assaulted.

Around 3:30 p.m., two men forced their way in through the back of a home in the 4400 block of Mead Avenue. The husband and wife are in their 80s, said Sgt. Norm Leong, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department.

The men assaulted the husband and forced the couple into a back room in the house while they ransacked the home, Leong said.

The husband, who sustained head injuries, was taken to a local hospital. He is expected to recover, Leong said.

The two robbers are described as white men in their 30s. One was of average build and wore all black clothes. The second man wore a two-tone colored jacket and was heavier set, he said.

Anyone with information is asked call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

From Chelsea Phua:

A solo-vehicle collision Thursday morning in Placer County brought down power lines on Bell Road, closing it for two hours and sending the driver to hospital with minor injuries, authorities said.

According to a California Highway Patrol news release, Harold Hawkins, 85, of Auburn, was driving his silver Ford Windstar minivan on Bell Road near Sunset Terrace in unincorporated Auburn when, for unknown reasons, his vehicle veered off the road.

The front of the minivan struck a utility pole, shearing it off and causing power lines to fall onto the road. The minivan continued into a field, coming to a rest about 45 feet from the roadway.

Hawkins was transported to Auburn Faith Hospital for minor injuries. Agencies that responded included Placer County Fire and Sheriff's departments. PG&E and AT&T crews also responded.

With the returning rains, CHP spokesman Dave Montijo warned motorists to slow down.

"Getting to your destination safely is well worth a few more minutes on the road," Montijo said. "We all need to be more mindful of the wet roadways and adjust our driving habits accordingly."

From Sandy Louey:

The Shasta County Sheriff's Department arrested two men Thursday for allegedly robbing a Tri-Counties Bank.

At 9:58 a.m., dispatch received a silent alarm from the bank at 9125 Deschutes Road in Palo Cedro. A minute later, bank officials called 911, reporting a bank robbery, according to a press release.

The robber was believed to have fled in a green minivan. Deputies spotted a similar vehicle and a pursuit ensued.

The pursuit stopped at the Anderson Prime Outlets after the van collided with a patrol vehicle, authorities said.

Charles Albert Kesselring III, 42, was taken into custody without incident, the release said.

Nathanial Patrick Smith, 32, ran from the van and was taken into custody with help from a K-9 unit, the release said.

Smith, who was identified as the bank robber, and Kesselring were arrested on suspicion of robbery, the release said.

The Anderson and Redding police departments and the California Highway Patrol air operations provided help.

From Sandy Louey:

Rocklin police arrested a 48-year-old man Thursday after finding methamphetamine during a probation search.

Police went to the home of David Douglas Benson (photo left) in the 3000 block of Westwood Drive for a probation search.

A search found two ounces of methamphetamine hidden in a bathroom. Cash and other items indicating drug sales were also found in the home, Lt. Lon Milka said in a news release.

The drugs had a street value of $5,000. Benson was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine, possession for sales of methamphetamine and violating probation, police said.

He was booked into the Placer County Jail with bail set at $35,000.

From Sandy Louey:

A 44-year-old Carmichael man was sentenced Thursday to four years and three months in prison for bank fraud and identity theft charges.

U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England also sentenced Jack Wynne Morrison Jr. to five years of supervised release and full restitution, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

From March through September 2007, Morrison used stolen identity information and negotiated checks stolen from the mail, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Prosecutors said he washed, altered and forged checks to suit the identity he was employing to perpetuate each fraudulent transaction. He then cashed and attempted to cash the checks at banks.

Morrison assumed the identities of at least four people, even posing as reverend to steal money meant for the Oak Hills Church in Folsom, authorities said.

He was arrested after an investigation where bank and post office surveillance images were analyzed. On June 12, 2008, he pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud, a count of aggravated identity theft and a count of possession of stolen U.S. mail. He was on parole during the time of his felony fraud offenses, authorities said.

The case was a joint investigation of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Roseville Police Department and the Sacramento Police Department

From Sandy Louey:

The Yolo County bomb squad was called in to deal with a suspicious package at the University of California, Davis campus Thursday.

At 9:30 a.m., campus police received a call about a woman acting delusional who walked into Mrak Hall.

Around 11:20 a.m., the same woman walked into the Human Resources Administration at Orchard Park Circle and Atrium Circle, said Lt. Matthew Carmichael of the UC Davis Police Department.

The woman had a large hunting knife at her waist and was carrying a package wrapped in a blue towel. She also admitted to having a handgun in her vehicle, Carmichael said.

The bomb squad used to a robot to dismantle the package, which was filled with electronic equipment, he said.

Carmichael said the woman was placed on a mental health hold. Police are looking what charges to seek against her.

The incident wasn't wrapped up until 1:30 p.m. The package was isolated on the road.

As a precaution, employees in the Human Resources building were asked to stay in the back of the building or to leave by rear exits, he said.

From Sandy Louey:

Galt police arrested a 53-year-old man who allegedly went into his home Thursday morning with a shotgun.

At 6:30 a.m., police received a 911 call about a man who went into a home in the 1100 block of Stormwood Avenue, according to a news release from the Galt Police Department.

There was a domestic dispute and the man made threats with the shotgun. It was the man's home, which was occupied by his spouse, two other adults and two juveniles, police said.

Galt police arrived and talked with the man, who left the home and relinquished the shotgun. There were no injuries, authorities said.

Arlan Winn (left photo) was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, false imprisonment and child endangerment.

From Andy Furillo:

A Sacramento jury today convicted an Oak Park gang member for murder in the southside shooting death of one of his friends four years ago.

Denishio Demmetrius Collins, 27, faces a sentence of at least 25 years to life in prison in the June 27, 2005, slaying of David A. Perkins, 22. Judge Kevin J. McCormick scheduled his sentencing for March 20.

Perkins had led a group of eight Oak Park Blood gang members on a retaliatory shooting raid on suspected Crips gang members they believed were living on Della Circle, authorities said. One of the 30 bullets fired by the Oak Park gang members struck and killed Perkins.

Authorities said the Oak Park gang members were attempting to avenge the slayings of two members of their gang, including Perkins' brother.

Witnesses said they saw Collins hide from sheriff's deputies a few blocks from Della Circle a few minutes after 911 calls lit up the sheriff's dispatch center.

Although Collins eluded authorities, detectives recovered an assault weapon a witness said he threw on a roof near his hiding spot.

Forensic experts found his DNA on the magazine of the gun, testimony revealed. Detectives also found a tee shirt in a trash can that contained his DNA.

Some of the 15 or so members of Collins' family who were in the courtroom erupted into anger after the verdict was announced. Nobody was arrested, but sheriff's deputies escorted the jury out of the courthouse.

Deputy District Attorney Anthony Ortiz welcomed the verdict and said the jury "did a good job."

Defense lawyers William R. White said, "We're not happy, but certainly we accept their judgment."

From Niesha Lofing:

Sacramento police are looking for information about three men who stole more than $200,000 in gold jewelry from an area jewelry store Tuesday.

The men entered Phuc Thanh Jewelry Store around 3:43 p.m. Tuesday, broke the glass display cases and stole gold bracelets and necklaces, Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong stated in a news release.

The men's faces were not seen so their ethnicity isn't known. They were described as either black or Asian, between 5-foot-8 and 6-foot, wearing hooded sweatshirts, jeans and possibly driving a mid-1990s champagne-colored or gray two-door Acura Integra that had been lowered, he said.

Police are hoping surveillance video from the robbery will help identify a female witness who entered the store before the robbers went inside.

The woman left the scene before officers arrived, Leong said.

Detectives also are asking the public to be on the lookout for anyone selling or in possession of large amounts of gold jewelry, he said.

Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or (800) 222-7463.

Callers may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Kim Minugh and Niesha Lofing:

Two North Highlands school teachers were arrested Wednesday in connection with a case of inappropriate conduct with two female high school students.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies arrested Eric Charles Gladden, 34, and Monica Maldonado Alarcon, 29, both teachers at Futures High School, on felony and misdemeanor counts.

Gladden was arrested on suspicion of 34 counts of distribution of lewd material to a minor, contributing to the delinquency of minors, child annoyance and falsifying documents.

The charges stem from text messages Gladden allegedly sent to two of his female students, ages 16 and 17, that included lewd comments and sexual photographs between March 2008 and January 2009, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

The text messages were sent during and after school hours, Curran said.

Gladden also is accused of supplying the students with alcohol at his home on more than one occasion, Curran said.

During the course of the investigation, three other of Gladden's students were identified as victims of his inappropriate behavior, and he could face more charges in connection with those victims, Curran said.

Alarcon was arrested on suspicion of a felony count of falsifying documents to be used in evidence, Curran said. The investigation revealed that she allegedly helped Gladden forge and plant evidence in an attempt to clear him of the accusations against him, Curran said.

Gladden is being held on $300,000 bail and Alarcon is being held on $50,000 bail in the Sacramento County Main Jail.

Both are scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (916) 874-5070 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357.

From Niesha Lofing:

An attempted kidnapping reported Monday in Cameron Park was bogus, law enforcement officials said this morning.

El Dorado County Sheriff's deputies investigated the alleged incident and determined that the attempted kidnapping did not occur and was falsely reported by the 13-year-old girl who claimed to be a victim, sheriff's Sgt. Bryan Golmitz stated in a news release.

The girl reported to deputies that she was walking at 10:10 a.m. on Greenwood Road when a man in a Mustang drove up next to her and began talking to her, then stopped the car and ran after the girl, chasing her into an apartment complex.

The sheriff's office received dozens of calls of possible suspect sightings after the incident was reported by various news outlets.

The office "... extends its appreciation to community members for their assistance in this case," the release states.

California Department of Corrections' agents are seeking three suspected gang members on felony no-bail arrest warrants for reportedly violating parole, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Anthony Avitia (above left photo) is described as age 31, 5-foot-11, weighing 130 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Avitia is also known as John Epps, Anthony Rosario or Anthony Martinez.. According to authorities, he is a member of Norteno gang.

Christopher Kammerer (center photo) is described as age 41, 6-foot, weighing 215 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. Kammerer is also known as Alan Thomas, J. Christopher Jeff Ladd or "Gorgeous." According to authorities, Kammerer is a member of the Sacramaniac gang.

James McCoy (right photo) is described as age 32, 6-foot tall, weighing 200 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. McCoy is also known as James Walker and Jason Cason. According to authorities, McCoy is a member of the Crips gang.

Anyone with information about the suspects is urged to contact Crime Alert at (800) AA-CRIME or (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Niesha Lofing:

Woodland woman was arrested on suspicion of drug possession after she crashed into a pole late Wednesday.

Woodland police officers were called at 10:30 p.m. to North East Street just north of Kentucky Avenue on a report of a single vehicle crash and found Danielle Deal, 38, sitting by her vehicle, Sgt. Anthony Cucchi stated in a news release.

Deal didn't respond to officers and was very upset, he said.

She complained of minor pain and was taken to a local hospital, where she was treated and released.

Officers also allegedly found Deal in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

She was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving under the influence.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Woodland police at (530) 661-7800. Callers may remain anonymous.

From Hudson Sangree:

Yolo County prosecutors unveiled a grand jury indictment Wednesday against a woman accused of running down two West Sacramento girls on Halloween and fleeing the scene.

Jennifer Michelle Moran, 34, of West Sacramento was indicted on three felony counts: vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated; hit and run; and driving under the influence, along with enhancements for causing great bodily injury, fleeing and harming multiple victims.

Jessica Fraire, 17, died several days after being struck while walking along Sacramento Avenue about 9:40 p.m. Her friend Rosa Zaragoza, 19, suffered serious injuries.

Witnesses described a red pickup truck hitting the girls as they walked along the shoulder then speeding away.

Police said Moran turned herself in the following day and admitted that she had been drinking.

The grand jury indictment replaces similar charges filed earlier in the case by prosecutors.

Moran remains free on bail and must wear an ankle bracelet that alerts authorities if she drinks alcohol.

From Sandy Louey:

The Elk Grove Police Department is holding its 3rd annual crab feed on March 14.

The event will be at the S.E.S. Hall at 10427 East Stockton Blvd. in Elk Grove with no host cocktails at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Elk Grove Police Activities League, a non-profit that helps youth in Elk Grove and the surrounding areas.

Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door. Checks should be made out to Elk Grove PAL and sent to: Elk Grove PAL, 10044 Bruceville Road, Suite 100, Elk Grove, CA 95757.

For more information, call Officer Manuel Saenz at (916) 502-2105 or Tangela Campbell at (916) 478-8123.

From Carlos Alcalá:

To Erik Bell, Sacramento's fixed-gear cycling community is like a family, even though he just moved here, and his family helped him out in time of need.

Bell's Bianch Pista bike was stolen from in front of a friend's house Sunday evening.

"My friend had seen a mysterious person wandering around, then when we came back he was gone and so was my bike," Bell said in answers to e-mailed questions.

Bell had built the bike himself out of parts that would've collectively cost hundreds of dollars. It was his only means of transportation.

"I was devastated," he wrote. "I just moved here and can't afford another bike."

This is where his "family" came through.

"I got a call from one of the guys I ride with," Bell said. "He said he saw a guy with my bike at Pieces on 21st and Capitol."

Bell ran from O Street to confront the guy, who claimed he'd bought the bike.

"It would've been easy for the seven of us to grab hold of our bike locks and teach this guy not to mess with us and our bikes," Bell said. But they didn't. "I knew that aggression or violence was not the right approach."

Instead, Bell walked away from his friends with the suspected thief. He saw the guy was in need and offered to buy him a burrito.

Ultimately, he gave the guy $20. "He gave me back my bike without an admission of guilt, but that's OK with me," Bell said.

"I was glad to be an example in front of those other riders," Bell said. We are not violent or disrespectful."

From Sandy Louey:

State officials announced Wednesday that dozens of Northern California residents have been arrested for auto insurance fraud.

Since Jan. 28, the California Department of Insurance's Fraud Division and the district attorneys from El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Yolo counties have executed nearly 40 arrest warrants as part of Operation Cover Me, according to a news release.

Alleged auto insurance fraud was investigated during a two-month period, resulting in 28 cases with 38 suspects.

Twenty-eight suspects have been arrested, with another five issued notices to appear and outstanding warrants for the remaining five, the insurance department said.

Twelve of those arrested were from the Sacramento region, while another four from the area were issued notices to appear.

The insurance department began the operation after detecting a rising number of fraudulent cases in which a claimant is uninsured or inadequately insured at the time of the loss.

The person then obtains an insurance policy and allegedly lies about the date, time or circumstances of the loss in order to get benefits they're not legally entitled to, officials said.

In some cases, the suspects allegedly conspired with or solicited friends, family members and other drivers involved in the accident to help with the fraud.

The district attorney offices in the individual counties are prosecuting the cases.

Conviction of insurance fraud, which is felony, carries up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $50,000 on each count.

Here are the 16 people from the Sacramento region who were arrested or issued a notice to appear:

EL DORADO COUNTY CASES

-Shawn Patrick Pollard, 29, El Dorado Hills

-Ryan Mitchel Walters, 24, Sacramento

PLACER COUNTY CASES

-Jessica Ramos, 28, Yuba City - issued notice to appear for arraignment

-Michelle Rene Bill, 40, Auburn - issued notice to appear for arraignment

SACRAMENTO COUNTY CASES

-Manjit Pegany, 27, Sacramento

-Blake Brown, 27, Davis

-Susan Stroup, 37, Sacramento

-Jaime Michelet, 26, Elk Grove

-Gary Detinne, 43, Orangevale

-Kristy Geri Lunardelli, 44, Roseville

YOLO COUNTY CASES

-Jose Angel Dera Sandoval, 47, Woodland

-17-year-old Woodland girl - issued notice to appear for arraignment

-Maria Mersedez Nuno, 51, Woodland

-Vidal Gerald Mercado, 37, Woodland

-Daniel Scott Beal, 21, Woodland - issued notice to appear for arraignment

-Donald Dee Cardoza, 30, Woodland

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police are looking for an armed man who robbed a Jamba Juice and then snatched a woman's purse as he left the store.

Both robberies happened Monday but police initially didn't know they were related because the woman had reported the purse snatching later, said Officer Christopher Trim, spokesman for the Elk Grove Police Department.

At 6:36 p.m., a man went into the store at 4720 Elk Grove Blvd. He pointed a black handgun at the employees and demanded money, according to a report from the police department released Wednesday.

He was given money and left on foot. When he was out of the store, he robbed a woman who was walking in front of the outlet, police said.

Police said the robber, who was unarmed, grabbed her purse and pushed her to the ground.

The robber was described as a Latino man in his 20s, 5-feet-5 to 5-feet-10 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds. He wore a black hooded sweatshirt with blue jeans, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police at (916) 714-5115.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police said they arrested a 18-year-old man for allegedly trying to burglarize a home Monday.

At 12:30 p.m., a witness saw the man attempting to pry open the front door of a home in the 9000 block of Wild Willow Court.

He left on foot after the witness confronted him, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department released today.

Officers located Walter Dawson and the witness confirmed he was involved, police said.

Dawson was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, police said.

He was being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail Wednesday on $85,000 bail, according to online jail records.

From Sandy Louey:

A 27-year-old Orangevale man died after he fled from an California Highway Patrol officer and crashed into an utility pole Tuesday night, the CHP said today.

At 10:47 p.m., Jarrett Goddard was driving a Yamaha R1 motorcycle east on Greenback Lane and Filbert Avenue in Orangevale around 70 mph in a posted 45 mph zone, CHP Officer Lizz Dutton said in a news release. (An earlier version mistakenly listed the Goddard's first name as Jamie.)

Dutton gave the following account:

A CHP unit tried to make an enforcement stop, but Goddard sped away and turned north onto Chestnut Avenue.

Goddard failed to stop for a stop sign at Central Avenue and sideswiped a blue Plymouth Voyager. The Voyager was west on Central and had turned north onto Chestnut.

Goddard, who was wearing a helmet, was ejected from the motorcycle and struck a wooden pole. He suffered fatal injuries from the collisions.

The driver of the Voyager complained of pain to her right shoulder. Both Goddard and the driver of the Voyager were driving on suspended driver's licenses.

She said a court-ordered restriction required Goddard to have an ignition interlock device, which the motorcycle didn't have.

The CHP is investigating the accident, but alcohol appears to be a factor in Goddard's actions, Dutton said.

Results are pending from a toxicology report.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities are asking for help in locating a man believed to be responsible for a series of bank robberies in Sacramento County.

The man (photo below) has been dubbed the "Mullet Junkie" based on the mullet hairstyle seen in photos and by witnesses, according to the Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force. The task force comprises FBI agents and robbery detectives with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

A mullet is a type of haircut that leaves hair long in the back of the head but cuts it short in the front.

On Nov. 13, 2008, an Asian man went into the Bank of America at 7707 Laguna Blvd. in Elk Grove. He brandished a black handgun and demanded money from the teller. He fled on foot, according to a news release.

The FBI believes he is the same person who robbed the Washington Mutual Bank at 9165 Kiefer Blvd. in Sacramento on Nov. 14, 2008 and Dec. 9, 2008.

From Denny Walsh:

A Lodi woman pleaded guilty Tuesday in Sacramento federal court to stealing from
the government by collecting $36,982 in disability benefits for periods when she was
living in Syria.

Only residents of the United States are eligible for the Social Security supplemental benefits.

Under the terms of her plea bargain, Maha Jamil Baroody, 64, has agreed to reimburse the government. She is scheduled to be sentenced April 28.

Baroody admitted that between Nov. 6, 2002, and Aug. 28, she failed to report five
times - each for approximately nine months in duration- when she was living in Syria and receiving disability payments.

On trips to the United States, Baroody visited a Social Security office to update her eligibility, ensuring the payments would continue by concealing her sporadic Syrian residency, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rodriguez.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police are looking for three armed men who robbed a jewelry store Tuesday afternoon.

At 3:45 p.m., three men with handguns entered Phuc Thanh Jewelry at 6665 Stockton Blvd. and broke the glass display cases.

They stole jewelry worth several hundred thousands dollars, said Sgt. Norm Leong, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department.

The only people in the store were the two store owners. No one was injured, Leong said.

The only description of the robbers were black men in their 20s. They left in a lighter colored sedan, he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

From Sandy Louey:

Lodi police have arrested a couple who allegedly beat and burned the husband's 6-year-old daughter.

The girl was repeatedly beaten with a stick and burned with a clothes iron over a period of time, police said.

School officials saw the injuries and reported the incident to police on Friday, said Officer Dale Eubanks, a spokesman for the Lodi Police Department.

The father, Javier Velazquez (photo right), 29, and stepmother, Maria Lupian (photo left), 28, were arrested Friday on suspicion of child abuse with great bodily injury, Eubanks said.

Both were arraigned Tuesday in San Joaquin County Superior Court. Velazquez remains in custody, while Lupian made bail and was released, Eubanks said.

Eubanks said the investigation revealed that Velazquez was responsible for the burns and beatings on his daughter. Lupian was aware of the abuse, but didn't do anything to stop it, Eubanks said.

The burns were severe and appeared to be in layers, indicating the same areas on the child were repeatedly burned, Eubanks said.

From Sandy Louey:

The Nevada County Sheriff's Department arrested a 36-year-old man Monday for an alleged sexual assault.

On Sunday, detectives from the Sheriff's Department responded to the Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital in Auburn about a female who was seeking medical attention for a sexual assault, according to a press release.

A search warrant was issued for a home in the Chicago Park area, where the assault occurred sometime early Sunday. Evidence was seized from the residence, the Sheriff's Department said.

On Monday, deputies from the Nevada County and Placer County sheriff's departments stopped a vehicle on Interstate 80 at Placer Hills Road near Colfax. Alan Morgan Rey, was arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual battery and oral copulation, officials said.

Bail was set at $75,000. Rey has posted bail and been released, the Sheriff's Department said.

From Sandy Louey:

The Butte County Sheriff's Department deputies have arrested a 22-year-old Oroville man who allegedly challenged people to fight and ended up hitting a man who died, according to a press release.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, the Sheriff's Department received a 911 call about a man walking around a trailer park in Yankee Hill. The man had hit another man who was unconscious and bleeding, the release said.

Leslie Alan Bond, Jr. was identified as the person who hit the man, the release said. The victim, Adam Sigler, 24, of Yankee Hill, ended up at Enloe Medical Center in Chico on life support.

Sigler died at the medical center Tuesday, said Detective Christopher Nicodemus.

Bond was arrested on suspicion of homicide and violating probation, the release said. He was being held on no bail, the release said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Christopher Nicodemus at (530) 538-7321.

From Sandy Louey:

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department on Monday found two teenage mothers and a remaining baby reported missing Friday.

Deputies found the two teens, identified as 16-year-old and a 14-year-old, and the 14-year-old's 9-month-old boy Monday afternoon. They were staying with the 14-year-old's mother in south Sacramento, according to a news release.

The two teens will be taken to the Sacramento Children's Receiving Home. The baby will be taken to the UC Davis Medical Center for a checkup and then returned to Shaylee's foster parents, the Sheriff's Department said.

The teens were last seen about 8 a.m. Thursday walking away from their Queenwood Drive home with their babies.

A detective was notified Saturday that the 16-year-old had left her 2-month-old baby girl with the baby's paternal grandparents in Citrus Heights on Thursday.

The teens' full names haven't been released because it is against the department's policy of identifying juveniles.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities arrested a 21-year-old man Tuesday for allegedly trying to set fire to a Sacramento home after the residents asked him to leave.

Arson investigators with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District arrested Cole Alan Nelson on suspicion of arson of an inhabited structure or property, possession of a firebomb and possession of a destructive device with intent to terrify, according to a news release.

Nelson was being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail Tuesday on $400,000 bail. He is scheduled to be in court Thursday, according to online jail records.

Sacramento Metro firefighters responded at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday to an extinguished fire at a home in the 2700 block of Adriatic Way.

Nelson had been a guest in the home Monday night where he visited with three residents and an additional guest.

He had been asked to leave, but refused to do so. When the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department was called at 10:35 p.m., Nelson fled. Deputies looked for him without success, the release said.

Just before 12:09 a.m. Tuesday, the three residents and the guest heard knocking at the front door. When they got there, they saw flames coming from the exterior entryway, Sacramento Metro officials said.

The four fled through a back patio door. While one of them called 911, the other three went to the front of the home, where they confronted Nelson.

Fire officials said the residents wrestled Nelson to the ground and held him until deputies arrived. A resident used a garden hose to extinguish the fire at the front door and threshold.

Deputies said they found a gasoline can and wicking material in Nelson's backpack. They also recovered two disposable lighters.

Arson investigators found items consistent with a Molotov cocktail in the exterior entryway to the home. Wicking material matched that found in Nelson's backpack, officials said.

There was no estimate available on damage to the property.

From Sandy Louey:

A pedestrian was killed early Tuesday morning as he was crossing Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights.

Citrus Heights police were called at 5:48 a.m. to a traffic accident at Sunrise and Sungarden Drive involving a vehicle and two pedestrians.

A 28-year-old man and a woman were crossing Sunrise at Sungarden when a vehicle heading south on Sunrise hit them, said Sgt. Eric Mattke of the Citrus Heights Police Department.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District took both pedestrians to Mercy San Juan Medical Center. The man, who had severe injuries, died at the hospital. The woman, who complained about back pain, is expected to be treated and released, police said.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the man as Jayson Echevarrieta of Citrus Heights.

Police said the driver, who was traveling at or near the posted speed limit of 40 mph, was questioned and released.

The accident is still under investigation. Police want to remind people who walk when it is dark to wear light-colored clothes since drivers may not see you in the road

From Kim Minugh:

An 18-year-old Sacramento man attempted suicide this morning while conversing with another man via live webcam, according to authorities.

The man witnessing the attempt, whose name has not been released, knew the teen's name and that he lived in Sacramento and immediately called Sacramento police, said Sgt. Norm Leong.

Police responded to the teen's home on Kesner Avenue in Del Paso Heights and found the young man alive and not seriously hurt, Leong said. He was transported for psychological evaluation.

Leong said the teen and the other man, who lives on the East Coast, met through MySpace and had been talking via the Internet for about a month. He said the relationship between the men does not appear to have been the reason for the 18-year-old's attempted suicide.

From Bee Staff:

An alert citizen and tiptoeing Roseville police officer led to an arrest for DUI and the recovery of a stolen vehicle early this morning.

The citizen reported a driver passed out behind the wheel of a green Honda Accord just after midnight. The car was parked on the sidewalk on westbound Cirby Way near Vernon Street, said Dee Dee Gunther, Roseville police spokeswoman.

Roseville officers responded and gently removed the driver from the Accord, which still had its engine running, Gunther said.

"The officers didn't want to disturb him while he was sleeping in the car that was still in drive," Gunther quoted a sergeant as saying.

The Honda Accord had been reported stolen from the 1400 block of Cushendall Drive in Roseville sometime Sunday night or early Monday morning, Gunther said.

The driver, Koby Roy King (photo left), 41, of Citrus Heights, was awakened and then arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, driving under the influence, driving on a suspended license, and parole violation, Gunther said.

He is being held without bail in the Placer County Jail.

Placer County Crime Stoppers, which helps solve crimes by offering cash rewards for anonymous tips, has paid out two rewards this year for information that led to arrests, Placer County Sheriff's officials report.

Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous and receive up to $1,000 can call Crime Stoppers 24 hours a day at (800) 923-8191. If that information leads to an arrest or arrests, a cash award will be paid by the nonprofit group, according to a department news release. All information remains confidential.

Click here for more details about the Crime Stoppers program.

From Niesha Lofing:

The California Highway Patrol is looking for information from witnesses about a fatal motorcycle crash Thursday on Gerber Road.

Jared Randall Williams, 20, of Sacramento, was driving his 2003 Honda 600 west on Gerber Road near Power Inn Road at 7:49 a.m. when he collided with a woman driving a 1999 Honda Accord, CHP Officer Michael Bradley said.

The female driver was attempting to make a left turn onto Gerber out of a mobile home complex when the crash occurred, he said.

According to witnesses, Williams was possibly weaving through traffic on Gerber before the crash, Bradley said.

The driver of the Honda Accord and a child in the car were not injured.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call the CHP's South Sacramento office at (916) 681-2300 during business hours Monday through Friday or (916) 861-1300 after hours or on weekends.

.

From Bill Lindelof:

An opportunity to meet a police officer without first seeing flashing red lights in a rearview mirror is being offered by the Lincoln Police Department.

The friendly gathering at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 is titled "Meet Your Officer," a chance for Lincoln citizens and police to collaborate to solve crime problems. The meeting will take place in the community training room at police headquarters, 640 Fifth St.

"The goal of these meetings is to build partnerships with neighborhood residents and create innovative strategies to help solve any problems that may be identified by area residents," said Police Chief Brian Vizzusi.

From the Contra Costa Times:

A regional team of law enforcement specialists that helped crack high-profile Bay Area crimes by digging into cell phones and computer hard drives shut its doors last week, another victim of severe budget cuts that threaten similar teams across the state.

The Northern California Computer Crimes Task Force, which included agencies from Contra Costa, Solano and 11 other counties north to the Oregon border, was among five teams statewide that lost more than 40 percent of their funding in a freeze on public safety grants that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered this month. No new funding was projected for next fiscal year.

The Sacramento-area task force helped in the Laci Peterson probe, said Marin District Attorney Ed Berberian, who oversaw the task force that closed Friday.

The high-tech task forces are scrambling for new funding to save the $12 million-a-year program. Deputy Attorney General Robert Morgester, who helped found the Sacramento-area task force in 1995, said the state does not have its own computer forensics laboratory for cases ranging from identity theft to gang killings to child exploitation.

"If you don't have an officer that understands how to investigate it or recover information off a suspect's computer," he said, "you don't have a case."

Click here to read the full Times story.

From Sandy Louey:

During a weekend traffic stop, a Butte County sheriff's deputy discovered 81 pounds of marijuana, according to a news release.

The deputy was on patrol on Highway 99 about 8 a.m. Saturday when he spotted a southbound Ford F-150 pickup truck in which the GPS unit was mounted on the windshield and obstructing the driver's view, according the Sheriff's Department news release.

During the stop, the deputy's K-9 partner walked around the truck and alerted the deputy to the rear license plate area, where bags of processed marijuana were hidden, the release said. The Sheriff's Department estimated the street value of the 81 pounds of marijuana at $324,000.

The driver of the truck, Leland Lapham, 58, of Lititz, Pa., was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale and transportation of marijuana. Lapham was booked in the Butte County Jail with bail set at $100,000, authorities said.

Anyone with information about this case can call the sheriff's department at (530) 538-7389.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested two 16-year-old boys, one of whom was spotted driving recklessly on Interstate 5 Friday night.

A witness saw a vehicle southbound on Interstate 5 near Laguna Boulevard near midnight. The person followed the vehicle and called police, according to a police report.

A computer check revealed it was a reported stolen vehicle. Officers located it in the parking lot of Strikes Family Entertainment Center, at 3443 Laguna Blvd., police said.

The boys, who were in the vehicle, were arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft and receiving stolen property. They were taken to juvenile hall.

From Sandy Louey:

California Highway Patrol officers arrested 32 people Friday in connection with alcohol and drug-related offenses in Sacramento and El Dorado counties.

The arrests are a result of the CHP's Rapid Apprehension of Impaired Drivers, or RAID, program in Rancho Cordova and El Dorado Hills.

In addition to the 32 arrested for alcohol and drugs, there were 82 traffic citations, according to a news release.

The RAID program uses grant-funded overtime from the state Office of Traffic Safety to help increase the number of officers on patrol.

The officers are deployed at times and locations where there has been a high number of DUI-related traffic accidents, the CHP said.

From Niesha Lofing:

Authorities are looking for a man who tried to kidnap a girl in Cameron Park this morning.

The attempted kidnapping occurred about 10:10 a.m. in the area of Greenwood Road, El Dorado County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Bryan Golmitz stated in a news release.

A man driving a dark blue Mustang drove up next to a 13-year-old girl and started talking to her.

The man stopped the car, got out and ran after the girl, chasing her to an apartment complex, where he then lost sight of her.

The girl was not harmed.

The man is described as white, between 25 and 30 years old, with a slight build and clean shaven. His height and weight are not known.

The man was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black hooded sweatshirt and dark-colored baseball cap. The hood of the sweatshirt was pulled over the cap, Golmitz said.

The man's car is described as a dark blue Mustang with a black top and tinted back windows. The license plate is believed to have a "4" in it, he said.

The vehicle is thought to have been seen in the area over the past two weeks.

Anyone with information is asked to call deputies at (530) 621-6600.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities on Monday released an 18-year-old Stockton woman who had been arrested after her car slammed into a tree in Elk Grove, killing one of her passengers.

The California Highway Patrol had arrested the driver, Jia Hui Chen, Saturday on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. She was released Monday after a further investigation found that she lost control of her car because of speed and not a street race, Officer Michael Bradley, spokesman for the CHP, said in a news release.

Chen was southbound at a high rate of speed at 9:40 p.m. Saturday on Highway 99 near Grant Line Road when she lost control of the 2000 Honda Civic, the CHP said.

Chen's car left the west shoulder of the freeway, broadsiding an oak tree. The CHP said the car split in half, ejecting the passenger in the right rear seat. Twenty-eight-year-old Koob Vang of Stockton was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office recommended Chen be released from custody and to wait until the investigation was completed and seek a warrant for the appropriate charges then, Bradley said.

Bradley said neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the accident.

Chen was not injured. The 19-year-old woman sitting in the front passenger seat had minor injuries.

Both were taken to UC Davis Medical Center, the CHP said.

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call the CHP at (916) 861-1300.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police are investigating a rash of residential burglaries in the South Land Park area in recent weeks, according to authorities.

The spate of break-ins - which don't appear related - could be part of a slight uptick in burglaries seen across the city in January, police said.

Thirteen homes have been burglarized in the South Land Park and Greenhaven neighborhoods since Jan. 14, according to police. In the most recent burglaries, five homes were hit on Jan. 27.

The same area might see four or five burglaries in a typical month, said spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

In all but one case, the robbers broke in when nobody was home, Leong said. Once, the burglar fled after realizing the home was occupied.

There is no consistent time frame for the burglaries, and police have no information on a suspect.

The burglar, or burglars, have been entering homes primarily by force to the side garage door, breaking sliding glass doors, or through unlocked doors, police said. The loot has included televisions, electronics, cash and jewelry.

Capt. Dan Schiele, who oversees the city's southern end, said the South Land Park burglaries mirror a recent citywide increase.

It's too early to tell whether the souring economy is a factor, Schiele said, but police are taking that into consideration.

"We're definitely much more concerned about the possibility of crime rising because of that," he said.

Leong said burglaries were the "No. 1 topic" in last week's crime strategies session - a weekly meeting in which police officials discuss crime trends and allocate resources.

January's citywide burglary statistics are down from 2008 but have climbed slightly in recent weeks, Leong said.

Schiele said burglaries are most often solved when neighbors keep an eye out and report suspicious activity to police.

"Don't be afraid to call us," he said. "If you don't call and you don't give the officers the opportunity to check out something suspicious, we don't have the opportunity to solve the crime."

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police arrested a 29-year-old woman this weekend after she reportedly beat a man whose wheelchair got in her way, according to authorities.

About 7:15 p.m. Saturday night, a woman allegedly got into a verbal fight with the victim, a 43-year-old man, about the man's wheelchair being in her path on K Street between Seventh and Eighth streets, said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. The woman then began hitting the victim with her hands, purse and phone, Leong said.

A Regional Transit security guard saw the suspect at Eighth and O streets and notified police, who identified the suspect as Yasmeen Pugh and arrested her. She was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on charges of abuse of a dependent adult, assault with a deadly weapon and violating parole, according to booking records. She remains in custody.

The victim was treated for minor injuries at UC Davis Medical Center, Leong said.

From Niesha Lofing:

A Citrus Heights woman helped police net five arrests after seeing her stolen property on Craiglist this weekend.

The woman's apartment was broken into Saturday and property, including a camera, was stolen, said Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

The woman saw that her camera had been posted for sale for $70 on Craiglist and arranged to buy it, he said.

"She had her mother go to the house to buy the property back," Leong said.

The woman also called police.

While looking at pictures on the camera, officers saw a photo of what appeared to be a machine gun, he said.

Sacramento police officers went to the home in the 2700 block of Macon Drive in North Natomas.

Officers knocked on the door after talking to one man outside the home and knew more were inside, but the people wouldn't come out, Leong said.

Police surrounded the home and the occupants came out after an unknown amount of time.

Five people were arrested and booked into Sacramento County Main Jail.

Christian John Morrow, 25, is being held without bail on suspicion of felony receiving stolen property and a parole violation.

Nichole Rachelle Duncan, 22, is being held without bail on suspicion of felony receiving stolen property and a probation violation.

William Martin, 25, is being held without bail on suspicion of felony receiving stolen property and a warrant from the California Highway Patrol.

Nikolas Dominguez, 29, is being held without bail on suspicion of violating parole.

Amanda Elaine Hernandez, 25, is being held on $5,000 bail on a warrant for being under the influence of a narcotic.

Leong said police often advise burglary victims to check Web sites like Craiglist for their stolen property and to call police if their sleuthing efforts turn up information.

"It's safer to call us and let us try to work it ourselves," he said, adding that police manpower may inhibit immediate response, however.

The Citrus Heights burglary victim "took some risk by going there themselves," but in this case ended up aiding police, Leong said.

"She was smart in setting it up to look at it and ensure that it was her property," he said. "It gives us more leverage to get into the house."

From Niesha Lofing:

A Woodland man is facing child endangerment and assault charges after allegedly kicking a teenager in the face.

The 15-year-old boy was sitting on a curb in a parking lot on West Main Street about 10:10 p.m. Sunday talking to Troy Parrish, 45, of Woodland, when Parrish allegedly kicked him in the face, Woodland police Corp. Jack Schubert said.

Parrish was wearing heavy construction-type boots during the alleged assault, he said.

"We have no idea why he did it," Schubert said. "He didn't even know him."

Officers found the boy with a bloody mouth and nose and swollen face. He was taken to a local hospital and later released.

"He's doing all right," Schubert said.

Parrish has been arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and assault with a deadly weapon.

He is being held on $50,000 bail in Yolo County Jail, according to jail staff.

Woodland police are asking that anyone with information call officers at (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800. Callers may remain anonymous.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested two men Friday suspected of burglarizing a vehicle.

At 1:58 a.m., police were called out to the 8900 block of El Mirador Drive about a vehicle break-in. A witness indicated a silver vehicle was possibly involved and provided a description, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

Officers located a silver-colored Honda and a white Honda leaving the area. Officers stopped both vehicles and detained the occupants. Omar Zambrano, 21, was driving the silver Honda, while Jesus Rodriguez, 19, was driving the white Hona, police said.

Burglary tools, a stolen car stereo and a child's bicycle were found in the silver Honda. The white Honda was an unreported stolen vehicle, police said.

Zambrano and Rodriguez were arrested on suspicion of burglary, stealing a vehicle, receipt of a stolen vehicle, conspiracy, participating in a criminal street gang, buying or receiving stolen property, and violating probation, according to online jail records.

Zambrando was being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail Sunday on $25,000 bail, while Rodriguez was being held on $30,000 bail.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities are asking for help in locating two men who shot and robbed an elderly man who was on the American River bike trail in Fair Oaks.

A man and his wife were on the trail near Sunrise and Fair Oaks boulevards at 8 a.m. Saturday when two men approached them, said Sgt. Tim Curran, spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

One of the men shot the husband in the leg. He had non-life threatening injuries, Curran said.

The two suspects demanded the couple's car keys. One drove off in the victims' silver Infiniti I30, while the other man left in a green pickup truck., he said.

Deputies said Sunday morning didn't release much description about the suspects or the clothing they were wearing.

Anyone who has information is asked to call the sheriff's department at (916) 874-5115.

From: Sandy Louey

Authorities arrested an 18-year-old Stockton woman Saturday night after her car slammed into a tree in Elk Grove, killing one of her passengers.

The driver, Jia Hui Chen, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. She was being held Sunday on $30,000 bail in the Sacramento County Main jail, according to online jail records.

Officer Michael Bradley, a California Highway Patrol spokesman, said a street race may be the possible cause of the accident.

Chen was traveling at a high speed at 9:40 p.m. Saturday on southbound Highway 99 near Grant Line Road when she lost control of the 2000 Honda Civic, the CHP said. A white Honda CRX also was seen, the CHP said.

Her car left the west shoulder of the freeway, broadsiding an oak tree. The CHP said the car split in half, ejecting the passenger in the right rear seat.

The 28-year-old Stockton man was pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said. On Sunday, the Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified him as Koob Vang.

Neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the accident, Bradley said.

Chen was not injured, while 19-year-old woman sitting in the front passenger seat had minor injuries.

Both were taken to UC Davis Medical Center, the CHP said.

Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call the CHP at (916) 861-1300.