Sacto 9-1-1

From Stan Oklobdzija:

A car chase in Sacramento's midtown area ended in a three-vehicle crash Tuesday night, with the driver of a stolen car sent to a hospital with major injuries, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The chase started at 16th and X streets about 8:40 p.m. when a CHP officer in a cruiser saw a car traveling the wrong way on 16th Street, said Sgt. Dan Brito of the CHP. The officer tried to stop the gray early-'90s model Toyota Camry when it accelerated, Brito said.

Because the car was traveling in excess of 60 mph down a residential street, the patrol car stayed back, Brito said. The CHP officer saw the vehicle run a red light at 26th and X streets, where it nearly struck another car traveling through the intersection, he said.

The driver of the Camry swerved to avoid the crash but lost control and began fish-tailing down X Street, Brito said. Near the end of the block, the Camry slammed into a parked Toyota Corolla, mangling the car and sending a Volvo station wagon parked in front of it careening down the street, where it slammed into a nearby apartment building about 100 feet away.

The Camry flipped onto its roof, ejecting two passengers onto the nearby freeway embankment and trapping the driver and front passenger in the car, Brito said. The driver of the car sustained major injuries in the crash, Brito said.

The passengers, described as boys about 16 years old, were apparently uninjured in the crash but were taken to UC Davis Medical Center, along with the driver, as a precaution, Brito said.

The Camry in which the four were traveling was reported as stolen, Brito said.

No bystanders or CHP officers were injured in the incident.

Bee Staff

Size doesn't matter - at least while you are trying to steal a bottle of booze.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies reported that an "extremely large stature man" walked into a liquor store in the 1000 block of Howe Avenue and attempted to intimidate a clerk into letting him steal a bottle of liquor.

The incident occurred about 1 a.m. Saturday, the deputies said.

The man "aggressively walked behind the counter" and grabbed a bottle. However, the clerk and another person in the store fought the 6 foot 4 inch, 350-pound man over the bottle.

Deputies arrived to join the battle. The suspect managed to break free, but was caught and subdued after a brief struggle, deputies said. And lest there be any doubt about intentions, the deputies said the suspect had no money or "any other means" on his person that could have been used to pay for the bottle.

Booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of robbery was Ferett Kurucake, 24.

Bee Staff

Breaking up can be hard to do - especially if you are trying to retrieve a radio with a gun in it in front of Sacramento County sheriff's deputies.

Deputies were called to the 5000 block of Marconi Avenue about 1:45 p.m. Friday to check on a verbal dispute between two people.

The suspect said he was trying to retrieve his personal possessions from his former residence. The current resident then told deputies that the radio the suspect wanted had a gun concealed in it whereupon the suspect tried to run away. He was caught after a short foot chase, deputies said.

Deputies say they recovered a loaded handgun from the radio.

Booked in Sacramento County jail on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and parole violation was Ramon Wilson, 24.

From Bee staff:

A Tehama County man was arraigned today in U.S. District Court in Sacramento on charges that he transported minors across state lines with intent to engage in sexual activity.

Thomas Sherman Endicott, 71, of Richfield was arrested after a grand jury indictment on Thursday. The indictment alleges that between 1988 and June 2006, Endicott repeatedly took four children under the age of 14 to either Oregon or Nevada, or both, for the purpose of sexually molesting them.

According to the Redding Searchlight, Tehama County prosecutors dropped 11 molestation counts against Endicott after a jury deadlocked on the 11 counts and found Endicott not guilty of 14 others in October 2007.

Endicott was arrested Monday afternoon in Tehama County, according to the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence G. Brown.

Bee Staff:

An armed man carjacked a victim at Wilbur Way and Gerber Road, taking the victim's money and cell phone along with the car, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department deputies reported.

The victim was not hurt. The crime occurred about 2 a.m. Friday, according to the deputies' report.

The suspect is described as a black male, 20-25 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 125 pounds. The suspect has black hair and brown eyes. No other description was provided.

The only description of the victim's car was a blue four-door Oldsmobile.

From Associated Press:

Shasta County sheriff's deputies have located a 36-year-old parolee four days after he led authorities on a high-speed chase and fled into the woods.

Chris John Rapozo was found Monday afternoon near Shasta Dam, about 200 miles north of Sacramento.

Deputies say Rapozo was thirsty, hungry and suffering from hypothermia. He was taken to jail after being treated for exposure at a hospital.

Rapozo led deputies on a chase Thursday after they tried to pull over his pickup truck, then ditched the vehicle near the dam.

Records show there was a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear in court for a probation violation stemming from grand theft, burglary and controlled substance charges.

Rapozo's mother says her son suffers from bipolar disorder and has a history of mental and emotional problems.

Bee Staff

UC Davis researchers are developing a program to make it easier to identify drug or alcohol impaired drivers who seek medical attention.

The UC Davis Trauma Prevention Program, when fully developed, will provide education on uniform and consistent reporting procedures at all 11 of the most sophisticated trauma centers in inland Northern California, according to a news release from the UC David Health System.

In addition, the UC Davis Medical Center will develop a standardized hospital procedure for obtaining a legal blood-alcohol level and teaching it to the same trauma centers, the release said.

"Our project aims to help increase the number of DUI convictions for drivers involved in alcohol-related collisions," said Christy Adams, program coordinator for the Trauma Prevention Program. "Increased convictions can ultimately lead to fewer alcohol-related crashes in the future."

The California Office of Traffic Safety is providing funding for the new program, the release said.

The new processes will show how to increase the number of legal blood-alcohol evidence samples obtained by health-care staff. In collaboration with California's Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor, staff from the Trauma Prevention Program will instruct emergency and trauma physicians and nurses on how to report alcohol-impaired drivers to law enforcement agencies, the release said.

California had registered increasing numbers of alcohol-involved traffic deaths for several years prior to a 9.5 percent downturn in 2007, the release said. Even with that decline, 1,155 people died in California in 2007 as a result of a driver with a blood-alcohol content over the legal limit of .08, the release said.

"Currently, California's trauma system has no uniform and consistent system for informing law enforcement agencies of impaired drivers involved in motor-vehicle collisions," said Adams. "As it stands, law enforcement officers learn of collisions through 911 dispatches. After arriving on the scene of a collision, officers determine whether a driver is impaired and if a DUI citation is issued."

However, if the severity of a driver's injuries requires immediate transport to a trauma center, officers may not have time to check if the driver is impaired by drugs or alcohol, the release said.

And the delay caused by medical treatment or officers not being able to get away from the accident scene can make it hard to get a legally admissible blood-alcohol sample, the release said.

In minor collisions, impaired drivers may go to an emergency room without having called 911, the release said. In these cases, officers may not be notified of a collision involving an impaired driver.

One of the first steps that the Trauma Prevention Program will take under the new grant is to collect data on impaired drivers from UC Davis Medical Center, the release said. This data will include the blood-alcohol levels that are drawn automatically for all trauma patients.

The UC Davis researchers will work with the California Department of Motor Vehicles to determine what happened to patients who registered a blood-alcohol level greater than .04. The object of this analysis is to seek evidence of repeat instances of impaired driving, the release said.

From Bill Lindelof:

The Sacramento Police Department will be aggressively enforcing the state's seat-belt laws, according to a statement released Tuesday.

"We want to make sure that all drivers and passengers buckle up on every ride, day and night," said Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel.

The state's seat-belt law mandates that every person in a car wear a seat belt or face being cited by law enforcement.

City police officers will especially be watching teens to make sure they buckle up. A city police press release stated that teens buckle up less often and are involved in more crashes than adults.

Bee Staff:

Roseville police are asking for the public's help in identifying two men who threatened a store clerk with knife when the clerk refused to accept a counterfeit $10 bill. Police also released a surveillance photo (see below) of the suspects.

The crime occurred at 1:58 a.m. March 14 in the 2000 block of Cirby Way.

After the suspects' attempt to pass the fake $10 bill, the first suspect "displayed a knife, swinging it and then pointed it at the clerk, said Dee Dee Gunther, Roseville Police Department spokeswoman.

The clerk returned the fake bill to the suspects who fled from the store on foot," Gunther said in a news release.

One suspect is described as a white male in his 30s, 5 feet10 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds. He has black hair and was wearing a red shirt with white lettering and blue jeans.

The second suspect is described as a Latino male, about 45 years old, 6 feet tall with a medium build. He has black hair and was wearing a blue sweatshirt, blue jeans and a blue ball cap.

Anyone with information on this crime, or any other crime, is urged to call Roseville Crimestoppers at (916) 783-7867. Callers may remain anonymous and are eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

State officials are on the lookout for an alleged con man who scammed Lake County residents out of about $30,000 over four months, the Contractors State License Board said.

Richard John Williams (left photo) had a warrant for his arrest issued March 26 by the Lake County District Attorney's Office on charges of grand theft, elder abuse and contracting without a license, according to Contractors State License Board officials.

Williams had been living in an area motel and operating under the business name "Seal Coat Contractor," according to a news release. Williams allegedly would offer driveway paving services to his victims and then either not finish the job or do it extremely poorly, officials said.

As part of his spree, Williams allegedly twice scammed a man with Alzheimer's disease, said Melanie Bedwell, Contractors State License Board spokeswoman, defrauding him for one substandard job before coming back a few weeks later and offering the same services again after he'd forgotten.

Contractors State License Board investigators believe that Williams has already left the Lake County area. He's believed to be driving a white 2008 Chevy Silverado with Arizona license plates ABN8561, Bedwell said. He may also be towing a trailer with California license plates 4KB5826, she said.

Anyone with information about Williams' whereabouts is asked to call the Contractors State License Board at (916) 802-5418.

From Bee staff:

The Roseville Police Department will conduct a DUI saturation patrol Friday evening, Public Information Officer Dee Dee Gunther said in a press release issued today. The department will have more officers on the streets to patrol for drunken and drug-impaired drivers.

The department investigated 35 alcohol or drug-related collisions during the months of January and February, a 67 percent increase over the same period last year. During that two-month period, one person was killed and 23 injured because of impaired driving.

The Roseville Police Department is battling the problem with increased nightly DUI enforcement, DUI and driver's license checkpoints, saturation patrols, and DUI warrant sweeps, accordign to the press release. In January and February, Roseville officers arrested a total of 173 suspected drunk drivers.

Funding for Roseville's DUI enforcement efforts is provided by a $100,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From Niesha Lofing:

Police are investigating a series of early morning commercial burglaries in Citrus Heights.

Four food businesses have been burglarized in the past few days in the city, the most recent of which occurred this morning, Citrus Heights police Lt. Gina Anderson said.

The Little Caesars Pizza and Starbucks coffee in the 7000 block of Auburn Boulevard were burglarized about 4:53 a.m. today.

Neither of the businesses, which are in the same shopping center, were open at the time.

A few days ago, the Chipotle Mexican Grill at 5851 Sunrise Boulevard and Valencia's Carneceria Taqueria at 8040 Greenback Lane were burglarized, Anderson said.

"It looks like (the suspects) were going for cash registers, but they haven't been successful at this point," she said.

No property was taken from any of the four businesses.

The suspects forced entry to break into the eateries.

Anderson said investigators are looking into the possibility that the burglaries are linked.

From Kim Minugh:

Nearly a dozen vehicles in an El Dorado County subdivision were vandalized early Sunday morning, according to authorities.

About 8 a.m. Sunday, the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of a vandalized car in the Fairchild subdivision in the El Dorado Hills area, according to a news release issued by the Sheriff's Office. Upon arrival, deputies found about 11 cars throughout the subdivision with slashed tires and windows apparently broken by rocks. The damage was estimated to be worth "several thousand dollars," the release states.

Authorities estimate that the vandalism occurred between 2 and 4 a.m. Sunday, according to the release.

Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (530) 621-6600.

Residents who also were victims of vandalism but were not contacted by deputies can file an online report at www.edcgov.us/sheriff.

By Chelsea Phua

Investigators from the Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force are asking the public to help identify two men they say are responsible for a series of armed robberies in Carmichael.

The task force is comprised of detectives from Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and FBI agents.

According to a news release by the sheriff's department, the men are believed to have robbed various businesses - two of them more than once - in 12 incidents since Feb. 4 in the Fair Oaks Boulevard area.

The businesses, located in the area from El Camino Avenue to Manzanita Avenue, include check cashing businesses, liquor stores, hair cutting studios and fast food restaurants.

The suspects are described as two white men between 19 and 20 years old and 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10 tall with average builds. During the robberies, they usually wear dark clothing such as dark hooded jackets, masks, bandannas and sunglasses.

Authorities said the men have been able to avoid store surveillance cameras from capturing their images, but one suspect could be seen wearing a camouflage baseball hat and a black jacket with a white horizontal stripe across the back.

The suspect fired a round into the ceiling with a small revolver.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's department 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.

By Chelsea Phua

Sacramento County Sheriff detectives are asking the public to help identify two burglary suspects who broke into a video game store on Fair Oaks Boulevard.

Authorities said the suspects broke into the Fair Game store at 8214 Fair Oaks Blvd. at about 5:45 a.m. on March 9.

They stole a video game system, the store's cash register box and other merchandise.

One of the suspects is captured on surveillance camera and is described as a white man in his 20s or 30s. He has a medium to heavy build and wears eyeglasses. He has a short scruffy beard and mustache and he was wearing a light-colored Tyvex-style suit with a hood.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's department 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 Chelsea Phua:

WOODLAND -- A 14-year-old Woodland High School student who reported an attempted abduction yesterday made up the incident because she was late for class, police said.

The girl said she was walking between afternoon classes when a very tall man with short curly hair, thick eyebrows and thin moustache tried to grab her. A friend walking with her allegedly fought off the attacker by striking him repeatedly with her backpack.

As it turned out, the girl was startled by an 18-year-old male friend who was not a Woodland High student. She lied to prevent him from getting into trouble for being on campus and to keep herself out of trouble for being late to class, police said.

Detectives arrested the 14-year-old girl on misdemeanor charges of filing a false report and released her into the custody of her mother with a notice to appear in court. The female friend with her was counseled.

Investigation of the incident involved one school resource officer, one crime scene technician, two detectives, three sergeants, an administrative personnel and overtime costs.

From Chelsea Phua:

A 26-year-old Oregon woman who illegally disposed of fetal remains in Roseville in 2007 was sentenced Friday by a Placer County judge to two months in jail, according to a news release by the District Attorney's office.

Hannah Jo Webb, who pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor count in November, was also placed on three years probation and ordered to complete nine months of counseling.

Webb, a former sixth-grade teacher in Oregon, told authorities that she did not know she was pregnant and that the baby was stillborn when delivered on July 23, 2007. She was visiting friends in Roseville at the time and was alone in their apartment when the child was born.

She placed the body in a trash bag and then in a trash bin. A worker storing through trash for recycling items at the Materials Recovery Facility, a waste facility north of Roseville, discovered the body.

Investigators were unable to determine whether the baby died before or after birth or the cause of death.

Superior Court Judge Mark S. Curry said that if there had been any evidence that Webb had a role in causing the baby's death, the woman might be facing a murder charge.

Webb's attorney, Peter Tiemann, said in court that Webb had been a positive role model in her hometown of Pendleton, Ore.

"She's already received a great degree of punishment," Tiemann said. "She's been devastated."

Bee Staff

Twin brothers found double trouble when the Roseville Police Department came calling.

Adam Peter Ralli and Alex Walter Ralli, both 20, were at an apartment in the 2000 block of Sebastian Way when officer arrived to serve a search warrant on Thursday, a police spokeswoman said.

They were arrested on suspicion of a variety of drug charges.

From Niesha Lofing:

Two men are facing criminal charges after allegedly breaking into a landscape supply business and running from police.

A Roseville police officer was patrolling at 1:44 a.m. Wednesday in the 800 block of Galleria Boulevard when he heard an alarm, police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther wrote in an e-mail.

He drove toward the landscape supply business and saw a red Ford Ranger pickup coming out of the parking lot. The truck didn't have its lights on, she said.

The officer turned to try to stop the truck, but it sped onto westbound Interstate 80, exiting at Antelope Road, where it hit a guardrail and stopped, Gunther said.

The driver and passenger ran, but were found nearby and arrested. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's helicopter assisted in the search.

Jose Alfredo Beltran Velarde, 38, of Modesto, is being held on $20,000 bail in Placer County Jail in Auburn on suspicion of recklessly evading an officer, burglary and conspiracy.

Jose Delarosa, 27, of Turlock, is being held on $10,000 bail in jail on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy.

Officers found that the men allegedly had forced their way into the landscape supply business, Horizon. Property was moved around, but the manager said nothing was missing, Gunther said.

From Chelsea Phua:

Woodland police are looking for a man who attacked and attempted to abduct a 14-year-old Woodland High School student Thursday afternoon.

The girl was walking between classes about 2 p.m. on the school campus, 21 N West St., when a man grabbed her and began to pull her away, police said.

She yelled for help and her friend, who was walking ahead of her, turned around and began striking the man repeatedly with her backpack. The man eventually released the girl and fled on foot. The girl was not injured.

The attacker is described as a dark-skinned Hispanic or light-skinned black man. He is 30 to 35 years old, between 6-foot and 6-foot-5, thin with medium to broad shoulders and has very short curly hair, big eyes, thick eyebrows and a thin moustache. He was wearing a white T-shirt, dark jeans and tennis shoes, police said.

Police are planning to release a composite sketch of the attacker when it is available.
Authorities are reminding students to be aware of their surroundings, travel with friends and immediately report any suspicious persons to a school or police official.

From Chelsea Phua:

The Placer County District Attorney's office will seek a third trial in the case of a 27-year-old Granite Bay man accused of killing his childhood friend, department officials said today.

A jury deadlocked two weeks ago, unable to agree unanimously if Caleb Madsen fatally stabbed his friend Christopher Worth on July 9, 2005. They spilt 10-2 to convict, and a mistrial was declared for the second time.

In the first trial, jurors voted 7-5 to convict.

"There is a victim who is dead," District Attorney Brad Fenocchio said. "Based on the evidence, 10 people out of 12 felt that the defendant was guilty. That is very compelling vote and a persuasive argument to proceed for a third trial."

Authorities said Madsen and Worth were drinking the night of July 9, 2005, in the Madsen home on Bella Vista Drive when Madsen's sister, Amber Howes, showed up with family and friends to swim and ride ATVs.

Howes said she arrived at her parents' house about 9:15 p.m. and saw Worth's truck and her brother's vehicle on the property. When the party ended about 12:15 a.m., the vehicles were still there, but no one saw Caleb Madsen or Worth.

Worth's body and truck were found a day later in a field off Cavitt Stallman Road.

A trial date has been scheduled on July 27. But Superior Court Judge Robert P. McElhany also scheduled an April 17 hearing for Madsen's attorney to seek a dismissal of the case, according to a news release by the District Attorney's Office.

From Sandy Louey:

A 54-year-old Colorado man convicted of shooting at bail-recovery agents who were trying to apprehend him for jumping bail has been sentenced to three life terms in prison.

Roberto Barron Jr. was sentenced Friday to 109 years to life, according to a news release from the Yolo County District Attorney's Office.

A court had found that Barron had two prior strikes and therefore was sentenced under California's "three strikes" law.

Barron was convicted Dec. 17 on two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a firearm and a count of possession of a firearm by a felon, the DA's office said.

On Feb. 15, 2006, three bail-recovery agents had tracked Barron to the Golden Motel in West Sacramento. He had jumped bail in Colorado on charges of attempted murder and advocating or creating a facility disruption, authorities said.

The agents had tried to enter Barron's room and were fired upon. No one was injured, officials said.

From the Vacaville Reporter:

Found guilty of first-degree murder by a Solano County Superior Court jury Wednesday, ex-con Tommy Thompson of West Sacramento now faces life in prison for the knife slaying of a Fairfield store clerk three years ago.

The seven-woman, five-man jury deliberated less than five hours before returning the guilty verdict for the March 29, 2006, stabbing death of 26-year-old Taneka Talley inside the Dollar Tree store on North Texas Street. Exact motive was never determined in the apparently unprovoked attack, which occurred within 40 seconds of Thompson setting foot inside the discount store.

In handing down their verdict, jurors also ruled that Thompson was armed with and used a knife in the commission of the crime.

Following the verdict, Superior Court Judge Donna Stashyn set 9 a.m. May 21 for judgment and sentencing in the case. Thompson faces a maximum 51-years-to-life prison sentence for the slaying.

Thompson's defense attorney, Deputy Public Defender Robert Boyle, told the court he anticipated filing a motion for a new trial in the case. That motion also will be heard May 21.

Click here to read the full Reporter story.

From Niesha Lofing

A Sacramento sheriff's deputy killed in the line of duty last year will be among award recipients honored by the sheriff today.

Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness will present 41 medals at the 2009 Awards Luncheon, including a Purple Heart for Deputy Larry Canfield (left photo), a sheriff's news release states.

Canfield was killed Nov. 12 when his motorcycle crashed with another vehicle while he was conducting traffic patrols in Rancho Cordova.

Canfield's wife, Michelle Canfield, will accept the award in her husband's honor, the release states.

The Purple Heart is awarded for serious bodily injuries received in the line of duty.

The other awards will include two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars and 36 Life Saving medals.

The department's awards for employees of the year and managers of the year also will be issued.

The awards ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the Radisson Hotel at 550 Leisure Lane, Sacramento.

From Chelsea Phua:

A 21-year-old man was shot and critically wounded Wednesday night south of Florin Mall in what authorities described as a gang-related drug deal gone bad.

Sgt. Tim Curran, spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, said five men -- ages 21, 26, 31, 37 and 42 -- were shot at when they climbed the fence around the Spartan Village apartment complex.

The 21-year-old was hit in the back, Curran said, and at least one of the other men was injured scaling the chain-link fence.

Curran said the five initially hid from deputies after the shooting, but were found by canines, the department's helicopter and deputies.

He said the men didn't provide a description of who had fired at them, and authorities were canvassing the apartment complex for possible witnesses.

Players at nearby Freelancer's Bingo Parlor on East Southgate Drive were escorted to their cars during the search and later investigation.

From Chelsea Phua:

Plumas County authorities filed a murder charge Wednesday against a 43-year-old woman, alleging that she killed her ex-husband.

Authorities believe Nazira Maria Cross, who has several aliases, may have fled the area or the country.

According to a sheriff's department news release, Nazira Cross returned to the Reno area at end of July 2008, after having divorced Michael Lindsay Cross, 45, in January 2008. They had been married about 8 years.

In the early morning hours of July 31, 2008, neighbors reported that Nazira Cross, who was at her ex-husband's property in the Plumas County community of Chilcoot, called them to help her put Michael Cross into a vehicle. Nazira Cross told neighbors that Michael Cross was having a medical problem and she was going to drive him to a Reno hospital.

Reno police investigators checked area hospitals and learned Michael Cross was never admitted or treated at any of the hospitals.

Nazira Cross initially gave Reno police several accounts of her ex-husband's whereabouts, but in later interviews by homicide detectives she admitted that Michael Cross had died and she had buried him, but did not report his death.

On Aug. 1, 2008, detectives from Reno Police Department and Plumas and Pershing County sheriff departments visited Michael Cross' home in Lovelock, Nev., where Nazira Cross said she had buried him. Authorities found his body in a grave on the property and exhumed his remains.

After months of investigation and waiting for the autopsy results, investigators submitted the case to the Plumas County District Attorney's office, which filed the murder charge against Nazira Cross. The office also alleged a special circumstance, that the murder was carried out for financial gain.

A $1 million arrest warrant was issued for Nazira Cross.

From Chelsea Phua:

The owner of a company that cleans up abandoned and foreclosed homes has pleaded no contest to illegally disposing hazardous waste, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney's office.

Joji "George" Rakabu pleaded on Monday. He faces a 90-day suspended jail sentence and a fine of $5,000. He also agreed to pay restitution for clean up and investigation expenses, according to a press release.

Rakabu's business, George's Clean-up Service, contracted with a property management company and was cleaning at least five properties a day, the release said. Rakabu and his employees attempted to dispose large amounts of hazardous waste without the proper licensing or permits to transport or dispose them, the release said.

Authorities say that on several occasions, Rakabu's rented trucks were leaking hazardous waste and when opened, containers of waste would fall out. The hazardous material included waste oil, antifreeze, latex paint, pesticides, acids, gasoline, flammable solids, propane cylinders and carbon dioxide cylinders, the release said.

Deputy District Attorney Jane Crue said that the situation could have resulted in serious injuries to people and damages to properties.

"With this type activity on the rise due to the economy and the increase in foreclosures, property managers should be aware that if they hire unlicensed waste haulers who practice illegal activities, they are also in violation of the law," Crue said.

Rakabu is scheduled to be sentenced on April 20, the release said.

From Sandy Louey

Authorities arrested two Penn Valley residents Wednesday who allegedly abused a 26-year-old severely mentally handicapped woman.

On Tuesday, an anonymous tip was received about the woman being physically abused and neglected by her father at their home in Penn Valley, according to a press release from the Nevada County Sheriff's Department.

The tip claimed that the woman had been tied up in the past while her father left to go to a casino, the release said. When deputies arrived to check on the woman, her father, Raymond Daniel Gamache Jr., 53, left on foot, the release said.

The woman was sitting in a chair outside unattended, the release said, and the inside of the trailer that she and Gamache lived in had deplorable conditions.

He called the home, but refused to return because he thought he would be arrested, release said.

Deputies collected evidence and took the woman into protective custody. She was taken to the hospital for medical treatment and Nevada County Adult Protective Services helped with placement.

On Wednesday, Gamache surrendered at the courthouse for an unrelated warrant. While there, deputies arrested him on suspicion of dependent adult abuse likely to cause great bodily harm, the release said.

The woman's caretaker, Dawn Renee Anderson, 32, was also arrested on the same charge, the release said.

Both were booked into the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility with bail set at $10,000 each.

From Chelsea Phua:

El Dorado County deputies have arrested a 22-year-old former employee of Union Mine High School for allegedly inappropriately communicating with two underage students.

Jeffrey Steffens was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of sending harmful matter with the intention of seducing a minor, authorities said. He was booked into El Dorado County Jail, but has posted bail. A court date for him is yet to be determined.

Steffens was employed from August 2008 through November 2008 as the coach of the freshman girls' volleyball team, investigators said. The alleged crimes appeared to have occurred after his employment with the school, the said.

The alleged crimes were reported to School Resource Deputy Steve Klang on March 19.

Authorities are not releasing further information about the case because of the ongoing investigation and the age of the victims involved.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Jeff Leikauf at (530) 642-4720.

From Sandy Louey:

Rocklin police have arrested the second theft suspect who allegedly rammed an officer's patrol car head-on earlier this month. A third man was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory.

On Monday, police arrested a 18-year-old man in Santa Cruz County for being the passenger in the stolen vehicle that rammed the patrol car on March 10. The officer, was responding to a burglary call, according to a press release from the Rocklin Police Department.

The incident had taken place in the 5900 block of Tanus Circle. Police had found and arrested the driver that day.

The passenger, who turned 18 the day before his arrest, had the scene and hid in the area for several hours, police said. The Bee is not identifying him because he was a juvenile when he allegedly committed the crimes for which he was arrested.

He was arrested on 25 felony and misdemeanor charges for multiple residential and auto burglaries, thefts, vandalisms as well as the stolen vehicle and injury to the officer, police said.

Damien Joseph Galpren, 19, earlier was arrested suspicion of assault on a peace officer, car theft, receiving stolen property, drunken driving and burglary

On Wednesday, police also arrested 19-year-old Joshua Andrew Esposito of Rocklin on suspicion of being an accessory after the fact. He knew the police were chasing the passenger and hid him at his apartment down the block from the incident for two days, police said.

Officials said Esposito had driven the man back to the Santa Cruz area to avoid being captured.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police arrested a 41-year-old man Wednesday who allegedly became combative and injured a police officer.

At 2:50 a.m., two officers were called to an apartment complex at 1050 Continental Street about a disturbance report. James Wayne Omans of Redding, who had signs of intoxication, was responsible for the disturbance, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.

Omans physically resisted and became combative with the officers. He had a loaded 9 mm handgun concealed on his waistband, police said.

With help from other officers, Omans was taken into custody. He was taken to Shasta Regional Medical Center for injuries he sustained during the altercation. The injured officer was treated and released from the medical center, police said.

Omans was arrested on suspicion of threats and assault upon a peace officer, being in possession of a loaded and concealed firearm and violating probation, police said.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness said he will assign a detective to look into whether a rancher illegally shot a black Labrador retriever to protect his livestock - and whether the shooting occurred in his jurisdiction.

The decision follows much ado over the shooting death of 4-year-old Buddy, who was killed last week while on a walk with his 23-year-old owner, Greg Sutter of El Dorado Hills.

They were walking on a rural trail behind the Stonebriar development off Whiterock Road when, Sutter alleges, rancher Dan Russell shot Buddy in cold blood. Russell, however, says Sutter was nowhere in sight when Buddy crossed a barbed wire fence onto his property and scared his colts. He said he was not able to corral the dog, so he shot him, thinking him a stray.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Department responded to Sutter's 911 call and investigated. Deputies ultimately determined that Russell had acted within his legal right to defend his livestock and closed the case.

However, Sutter's family recently asked the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department to review the case. According to parcel maps, the trail appears to cross from El Dorado County into Sacramento County, and that Buddy might have been killed in the latter.

On Wednesday, McGinness said he has asked a central division detective to look into whether that is the case and, if so, whether a crime was committed. Any findings would be forwarded to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, McGinness said.

However, he's doubtful the review will change much.

"It's a sad story that's probably not going to have a clear resolution at all," McGinness said, "and certainly not one that's going to make any party happy."

From Sandy Louey:

A 31-year-old Sacramento man has been convicted of carjacking a man sitting in his truck at the Merritt Landing boat ramp south of Clarksburg.

Miguel Angel Castillo was convicted March 13 of carjacking with a firearm and faces a maximum of 19 years in state prison, according to a press release from the Yolo County District Attorney's Office. He is scheduled to be sentenced April 13.

During the jury trial, the victim testified that he was sitting in his truck on July 30, 2007 when Castillo approached him with a sawed-off shotgun, the release said. Castillo put the shotgun barrel through the driver's door window and told the man to get out of the truck if he didn't want to die, the release said.

The victim exited the vehicle and Castillo drove away, the release said. The victim waved down two fishermen nearby and used their cell phone to call police.

Officers with the Sacramento Police Department responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle on Aug. 8 and saw Castillo running from the stolen truck, the release said. Officers didn't catch Castillo until Aug. 10 when he was arrested in Sacramento after being contacted in another stolen vehicle, the release said.

A Yolo County jury has convicted a 33-year-old Woodland man in connection with the 2005 murder of his mother-in-law.

Eric Joseph Hudson was convicted Tuesday on second-degree murder, personal use of a weapon in the commission of a felony and first-degree burglary for the slaying of his mother-in-law, Yvonne Powell, according to a press release from the Yolo County District Attorney's Office.

Hudson faces a maximum of 22 years to life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for April 22, the release said.

On July 14, 2005, Hudson went to her home on Fourth Street. He and the victim argued and he used an expandable baton to club her several times in the head, the release said. He then locked the door and left her to die, the release said.

Hudson and his wife, Amy, had been living in a house Powell owned until a few weeks before the murder.

The Hudsons had moved out of the home because of a strained relationship with Powell and they were living out of their car, the release said.

In the week after the murder, Amy Hudson disposed of the clothing that her husband was wearing at the time of the murder by tossing it into trash bins and along the highway between Woodland and Yuba City. She also disassembled the weapon and threw it into irrigation canals, the release said.

Powell's body wasn't found until a week later on July 21 when officers performed a welfare check. Eric Joseph Hudson was at the Woodland Memorial Hospital where he had been treated since July 18 for self-inflicted wounds from apparent suicide attempts, the release said.

Amy Hudson was sentenced Oct. 10 to three years of probation and one year in county jail for her conviction of being an accessory after the fact, the release said.

From Sandy Louey:

The Yuba County Sheriff's Department is investigating an incident in which two men on horseback attacked and stabbed two people in Linda.

About 8 p.m. Monday, deputies received a call about two men on horseback chasing people down Riverside Drive and at the nearby Cedar Lane School, according to a press release from the Sheriff's Department.

Deputies arrived and said they talked to a 27-year-old Marysville man who had been stabbed. He was uncooperative.

Neighbors directed deputies to a man and woman hiding in a nearby home. The man, a 27-year-old Yuba City resident, also had been stabbed, officials said.

Both stabbing victims were taken to Rideout Hospital, where they were treated and released.

Deputies searched the West Linda area and the nearby Yuba River bottoms, but were unable to locate the attackers, the Sheriff's Department said.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested a 20-year-old Sacramento man whose actions delayed a train and closed two major roads.

At 6:13 a.m. Tuesday, Matthew Martin drove his vehicle around several road closure signs at Elk Grove Florin and Campbell roads, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

His vehicle became disabled as it drove over the railroad tracks under construction, police said. A train was delayed and two additional major roads were closed for more than an hour, police said.

Martin was cited for failure to obey road closed signs and barricades.

From Sandy Louey:

Placer County Sheriff's Department deputies arrested a 43-year-old man who allegedly was sitting naked in his car in an Auburn park.

Dirk Foehr (photo left) was arrested at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday on suspicion of indecent exposure, a sheriff's spokeswoman said. He was sitting in his Mercedes sedan on Richardson Drive near the Regional Park's tennis court, Dena Erwin, spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Department, said in a press release.

A woman walking her dog noticed Foehr didn't have a shirt, but saw he was naked when she got up to the car. The woman waved down a sheriff's deputy, who found the car had left, the Sheriff's Department said.

The deputy drove onto Dry Creek Road and spotted the car, which pulled into a parking lot and then had made a U-turn. Foehr was stopped as he pulled back onto Dry Creek, Erwin said.

The woman was taken to the location and identified Foehr, Erwin said. He was taken to the Placer County jail, where posted the $3,500 bail and was released Tuesday night.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

California Highway Patrol detectives and Sacramento Police Department officers arrested a 40-year-old woman who led police on a high-speed chase with her 5-year-old son in the back seat Wednesday morning, CHP officials said.

Vicky Rainone will be booked at the Sacramento County Jail on a variety of charges after she led police on a chase through the narrow residential streets of Oak Park at about 10 a.m., said Lt. Rick Linson of the CHP.

Rainone was a parolee-at-large who was also wanted in connection with a stolen car in northern Sacramento County, Linson said. Detectives had been tracking her at an apartment building on Third Avenue and 32nd Street, he said.

CHP detectives attempted to arrest Rainone as she left the apartment, but Rainone instead used her Ford Expedition SUV to ram one of the CHP cars before speeding away, Linson said. The detectives set up a perimeter, and eventually Rainone crashed her car into a house near First Avenue and San Jose Way.

After crashing into the house, Rainone left her son in the car and fled, Linson said. A police dog caught up with her a few blocks away after she kicked in a fence and tried hiding under a house, Linson said.

Rainone's 5-year-old son sustained minor head injuries and a bloody nose in the crash, Linson said.

California Department of Corrections' agents are seeking Cassius Clay on a felony no-bail arrest warrant for parole violations and fleeing parole, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Clay (left photo), also known as Tyrone Cassius Clay, is described as age 30, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He is transient and is considered armed and dangerous, authorities said.

Anyone with information about Clay 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:

A Woodland woman was arrested late Tuesday after she allegedly stabbed her ex-boyfriend during a domestic dispute.

Woodland police were called at 10:25 p.m. to the 700 block of Fifth Street, where a man told officers his ex-girlfriend stabbed him several times in the arm at another apartment complex earlier that night, Sgt. Frank Ritter stated in a news release.

The man refused medical aid for his wounds, which were not life-threatening.

Officers found the alleged assailant, Amanda Arroyo, at the apartment complex and arrested her on suspicion of domestic battery and assault with a deadly weapon.

She is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail in Yolo County Jail, jail staff confirmed today.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call police at (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800. Callers may remain anonymous.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Anyone who uses the ATM at the Washington Mutual on 11200 Gold Express Drive in the Gold River neighborhood should pay special attention to this:

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is reporting that someone placed a device in an ATM machine at that location that records their card and PIN numbers. The device was discovered by a technician March 17, but authorities are unsure how long the device was there, according to a sheriff's report.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

An 18-year-old North Highlands man was robbed at gunpoint by four men in a car, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department report. The robbers forced the man into the car, took his clothes and his cash and then threw him out as the car was moving, the report said.

The man reported the incident while at the hospital trying to get patched up for injuries he sustained, according to sheriff's officials.

But when deputies arrived, the man told them he "would not testify if the suspects were located," the report said.

From Stan Oklobdzija and Niesha Lofing:

A Citrus Heights boy missing since Monday afternoon has been found, said the boy's father.

Tyler Rexin, 14, was found by a family friend at 9:30 a.m. walking near Auburn Boulevard and Sylvan Road, said his father, Kirk Rexin.

"We're relieved," Rexin said. "I'm really glad he's home and safe."

Rexin was unsure what his son had been doing during the time he was missing, he said.

Citrus Heights police had been searching for Tyler Rexin since about 4 p.m. Monday, following an argument and breakup with his girlfriend, officials say.

Officers had searched several areas of the city, contacted the boy's friends and were scouting MySpace online for information.

Rexin's MySpace page lists his last login as today, but that's because his father logged into the site using his son's information in an effort to try to find out where the boy might be.

Police also were working with Tyler's ex-girlfriend, the father said. After the breakup, Tyler and his girlfriend parted, heading toward their respective homes. Tyler told the girl he would call her that night, Kirk Rexin said.

Rexin said his son likes to spend his free time hanging out with friends and lately has been doing graphic arts work for his friends' bands. "He's a nice kid, very polite," Rexin said.

From Sandy Louey:

Rocklin police arrested a 22-year-old Sierra College student Tuesday in connection with a stabbing on campus that seriously injured a man.

Police received a 911 call at 2:03 p.m. about the incident at the college, 5000 Rocklin Road, said Capt. Dan Ruden.

The incident, on a walking path near Sewell Hall, involved Paul Heintz of Rocklin (pictured) and a 21-year-old former Sierra College student from Auburn, Ruden said.

The two men knew each other, but the motive behind the stabbing is unknown, he said.

Police said Heintz ran up from behind and stabbed the victim four to six times in the upper body and back. The victim also sustained defensive stab wounds on his arms.

He was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center and rushed into surgery, police said.

Officials said a student ran up and pushed Heintz away from the victim, causing Heintz to drop the knife. Heintz then sat down and waited for police to arrive.

He was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide. Police believe the attack was premeditated, based on witness statements.

Police are asking any witnesses to call (916) 625-5400.

From Sandy Louey:

Rocklin police arrested a 22-year-old Sierra College student Tuesday in connection with a stabbing that seriously injured a man.

Police received a 911 call at 2:03 p.m. about the incident at the college, 5000 Rocklin Road, said Rocklin Capt. Dan Ruden.

Paul Heintz of Rocklin was involved in a fight with a 21-year-old Auburn resident who is a former Sierra College student. The incident took place on a walking path near Sewell Hall, Ruden said.

The two men knew each other, but the motive behind the stabbing is unknown. A woman was with them, he said.

Ruden said the stabbing victim suffered multiple stab wounds and was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center. His identity was not released.

Police said Heintz was also taken to the hospital for a condition unrelated to the stabbing.

Heintz was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and was scheduled to be booked at the Placer County Jail, Ruden said. Additional charges may be filed against him, he said.

The college was not locked down, Ruden said.

Police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident to call (916) 625-5400.

From Sandy Louey:

The California Army National Guard will be transferring a UH-1 Huey helicopter over to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District for use as a training craft.

The transfer from the 812th Medical Detachment is scheduled to take place Wednesday at Sac Metro's air operations branch at McClellan Park, according to a news release from Sac Metro.

The helicopter was built in 1970.

Captain Christian Pebbles, spokesman for Metro Fire, said the department currently has one helicopter. The added second helicopter will be used for training.

Sac Metro had applied for and was granted the surplus helicopter at no cost to the department. That was done with help from the California Office of Emergency Management and federal authorities, officials said.

The fire agency serves approximately 600,000 people in parts of Sacramento County, Placer County and the city of Citrus Heights.

From Andy Furillo:

The man who was with Jesse Reiter just before the Woodland resident was shot dead on a Sacramento street testified today that he heard a skirmish and a demand for money before the sound of a shotgun blast sent him into a "panic."

Michael Boyd told a Sacramento Superior Court jury that he and Reiter had gone down to Valley Lark Drive in search of "strippers" after a night of drinking and snorting cocaine.

He said they were seated in his Jeep just before 5 a.m. on March 24, 2007, when they saw a car pull up behind them. He testified that Reiter got out of the Jeep to talk to the people who drove up to arrange the meeting between the strippers and the two men.

Then, Boyd testified, somebody snatched the keys out of the ignition of his car, just seconds before the shooting.

"I was saying, 'This is not good, this is going to end badly,'" Boyd, 33, a former high school teacher, testified under questioning from Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet.

In the next instant, "I heard, 'Give me all your money;' then I heard a skirmish, and then a gunshot go off," Boyd testified.

Boyd testified in the murder trial of Rashad Delrico Mack, 22, the alleged gunman in the shooting death of Reiter, and Ulysses Peter Walker, 21, the defendant who prosecutors say set up the robbery.

Although Boyd said he did not see the shooter, he identified Walker as the man who grabbed the keys out of the car.

He testified that Reiter, 36, had met Walker earlier in the evening, outside the Club Fantasy strip club on Richards Boulevard, which Boyd said that he and the victim had frequented.

After the shooting, Boyd said he got out of his car and ran up the driveway of a house, looking to keep from getting shot himself. He then ran into a backyard before coming back to where Reiter had been shot and calling 911 on his cell phone.

"It all happened so fast," Boyd testified. "I was in shock at the time."

He said he came back to the car after the gunmen left and that "Jesse was screaming, 'They shot me, they shot me.'"

Boyd said he took off his sweatshirt and applied it to Reiter's right thigh, where he had been shot in the femoral artery. He said he took off his belt and tried to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. He said authorities arrived within five to ten minutes of his 911 call to take Reiter to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:59 a.m.

Click here to read previous story.

From Chelsea Phua:

A 52-year-old Folsom woman was sentenced on Tuesday to three years in prison for killing a 15-year-old Granite Bay girl in a 2007 hit-and-run.

A Placer County jury found Anna Elvira Berset (left photo) guilty on Jan. 27 on the charges of hit-and-run driving causing death, and vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence when she hit Courtney Parker, a Granite Bay High School student and former cheerleader on June 13, 2007.

Berset was sentenced to one year in county jail for the vehicular manslaughter charge, which will be served concurrently with her prison term.

Tishika Parker, Courtney's older sister, said, "We are just happy that the judge considered our side."

Parker was with a group of girls who had left a Taco Bell on the night of the accident. She had turned around to get a cell phone she'd forgotten when she was struck by a vehicle as she walked on the side of Auburn-Folsom Road near Douglas Boulevard in Granite Bay.

One of her friends found her on the side of the road.

A California Highway Patrol officer had testified during the preliminary hearing that Berset called June 14 to report she had hit something on Auburn-Folsom Road the previous night, but that it might have been a trash can or deer or perhaps a rock had been thrown at her. Officers who went to her home found damage to the hood, headlight and windshield of her 2002 Toyota RAV4.

Berset's son, Joshua Sanguinetti, spent four years in prison for a fatal hit-and-run in 1999 on Auburn-Folsom Road.

From Niesha Lofing:

Sacramento police are looking for two men who robbed a Del Paso Heights convenience store with a sawed-off shotgun late Monday.

Two men entered the Express Stop at 2365 North Ave. about 9:38 p.m. and demanded money from the clerk, police spokesman Officer Konrad Von Schoech said.

One suspect wielded a sawed-off shotgun.

The suspects took money from the register and other items and left the store, he said.

"The victim wasn't hurt, just scared," Von Schoech said.

Both suspects are described as about 25 years old, 5-foot-8 and 190-200 pounds. One man wore a black-and-gray hooded sweatshirt that had square-shaped designs on it, Von Schoech said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or (800) 222-7463. Tipsters also may send information via text message to 274637. Enter the word "sactip" followed by the tip information in the text message.

Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

California Department of Corrections' agents are seeking Steve Vang on a felony no-bail arrest warrants for suspicion of parole violations and fleeing parole, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Vang (left photo) is described as age 23, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 170 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

He was last known to live in the 3800 block of Seventh Avenue in the Oak Park area of Sacramento, authorities said.

Anyone with information about Vang 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:

A Folsom merchant faces up to 10 years in prison and a $1.2 million fine for trying to sell designer knock-offs instead of genuine articles.

Appearing Monday before U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb Jr. in Sacramento, Ka Kit Lam, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking counterfeit goods and services, a news release from acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence G. Brown's office states.

Lam, from San Jose, imported lower quality purses, wallets, shoes, earrings, chains and charms, affixed designer logos and sold them at elevated prices.

The case began to unfold in December 2006 when a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer examined a shipment of 56 boxes of merchandise sent to Lam's business, Nu Concept Corporation, at 1120 Avon Way in Folsom.

The boxes contained the counterfeit goods with counterfeit trademark-protected logos from Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Coach, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior, Juicy Couture, Tiffany, Disney and Hello Kitty, the release states.

Value of the goods seized was estimated at $58,335. Had they been real designer merchandise, the value would have been about $1.2 million, the release states.

Federal agents executed a search warrant at the Folsom location in July 2007 and found 14 boxes of counterfeit goods and a stamper, which is used to attach counterfeit name tags to items, the release states.

Agents also found shipping documents and other forms connected to Lam's business.

Lam admitted to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that he went to China in May 2006 and bought 400 designer purses, which he sold at a market in San Francisco. He said customers asked if he could acquire designer knock-offs for them.

Lam returned to China later that year and bought $8,000 in merchandise that had counterfeit designer marks. Lam said he knew they were fake and shipped them to the U.S. a month later. The merchandise was seized by federal authorities a few months later. Non-branded items in the shipment were delivered to Lam.

Lam used the stamper to secure counterfeit labels onto the non-branded items to make them appear genuine and included authentication cards to further the ruse. The items were sold at local markets, the release states.

Lam is scheduled to be sentenced by Shubb on June 1. He faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $2 million fine.

From Niesha Lofing:

Folsom police are on the lookout for seat-belt violators.

Officers are enforcing seat-belt laws as part of the state "Click It or Ticket" campaign, which is running through the first quarter of 2009, a police news release states.

The campaign is meant to keep motorists and their passenger safe and help the state obtain the highest seat belt use rate in the nation. The state currently ranks fourth in the nation -- with 95.7 percent compliance -- for seat belt use, the release states.

Officers will be looking for drivers not properly restrained, while trying to ensure that teens and children are belted in correctly.

"We will not accept excuses or give warnings," police Chief Sam Spiegel said in a written statement.

Every passenger in a car is required by California law to wear a seat belt. Tickets for first violations range from $80 to $91 for adults and $330 to $401 for children under age 16, depending on the county, the release states.

The campaign is funded through the state Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From Kim Minugh:

A Sacramento County Main Jail inmate being treated for existing medical conditions died at a San Joaquin County hospital Sunday, according to authorities.

The inmate, whose name has not been released, was booked into the Main Jail on Thursday. The next day, he was transported to the San Joaquin General Hospital for treatment of "several serious existing medical conditions," said Sacramento County sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

The man died in the hospital, Curran said. Though the cause of death will be determined by the San Joaquin County Coroner's Office, authorities believe his death to be related to his health and not any injuries suffered while in custody, Curran said.

Sheriff's authorities will investigate the inmate's death, as required by department policy and state laws, Curran said. The coroner's office will release his name pending identification of family.

According to Curran, the inmate had been booked on charges of performing lewd acts with a child under the age of 14; lewd acts on a child under 14 by force, violence or duress; and penetration by a foreign object by means of force or fear.

The Sheriff's Department has a contract with the San Joaquin General Hospital to provide medical treatment to inmates beyond what can be provided by medical personnel at the Main Jail and the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives are asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect believed to be responsible for two sexual assaults on the Cordova High School campus in recent months.

The attacks allegedly occurred in campus restrooms on Dec. 11 and on Jan. 23, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

The first reportedly took place shortly before 8 a.m., when the 18-year-old female victim told deputies she was pushed into a restroom and sexually assaulted, Curran said. The victim said she blacked out and could not describe her attacker.

The second assault took place about 7:35 a.m., when the 15-year-old female victim said she was pushed into a restroom and assaulted. She described the suspect as a 19-year-old Caucasian man, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing about 180 pounds. He was described as having a thin build, with light brown hair styled in a "spiky" crew cut, Curran said. The suspect also was described as wearing a red t-shirt and blue jeans.

Authorities believe the same suspect is involved in both assaults because the circumstances are similar, Curran said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at (916) 874-5070 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Sandy Louey:

The Roseville Police Department plans to be out in force Wednesday morning enforcing seat belt, cell phone and speeding laws.

Police will be on Fiddyment Road, Blue Oaks Boulevard and other major roads in the western part of the city, according to a news release.

Drivers are reminded of the following:

- Drivers and all passengers must wear seat belts or be in age-appropriate child safety seats.

- Shoulder belts must be worn properly across the shoulder and chest and not tucked under an arm.

- It is illegal for adult drivers age 18 and older to talk on the phone unless using a hands-free device.

- It is illegal for drivers under the age of 18 to talk on the phone at all, with or without a hands-free device.

- It is illegal for any driver to read or type text messages while driving.

From Sandy Louey:

More than 160 vehicles were brought in from throughout Shasta County as part of a vehicle amnesty day offered by law enforcement officials.

The Redding Police Department and the Shasta County Sheriff's Office sponsored Saturday's event in conjunction with Pick-n-Pull, according to a press release from the Police Department.

The program helps residents get rid of vehicles that are no longer wanted, including those cases where the vehicle's paperwork is lost or the removing the vehicle is too expensive for the property owner.

Law enforcement officials provided personnel to make sure none of the vehicles were stolen and to handle the paperwork needed for the disposal.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested three boys over the weekend for allegedly being involved in an attempted burglary.

At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, officers were called out a call at the 9500 block of Timber River Way about three boys knocking on a neighbor's front door, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

A witness saw a 15-year-old boy entering the backyard of the home through a side gate. Two other boys, ages 13 and 15, were also seen trying to gain access into another home, police said.

Officers found and detained the boys a short distance away. Witnesses identified them, police said.

The three boys, all from Elk Grove, were arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary and conspiracy. The first 15-year-old boy was also arrested on suspicion of providing a false identification to the officer and possession of burglary tools.

They were taken to juvenile hall.

From Niesha Lofing:

Three teenagers were arrested Sunday in connection with home burglaries in the Pocket area.

Residents called Sacramento police at 5:30 p.m. to report several suspicious-looking juveniles knocking on doors in the 800 block of Florin Road, police Officer Konrad Von Schoech said.

Officers found the 15-year-olds in Seymour Park and witnesses identified them as the teens who were knocking on doors.

"One kid had a pocket full of women's jewelry," he said.

The teens were arrested and booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of burglary. One of the boys also was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale, Von Schoech said.

The Pocket area has experienced an upswing in residential burglaries in recent months, and police think it's mainly juveniles committing the burglaries, Von Schoech said.

Police have made at least six other arrests regarding these types of burglaries in the past few weeks.

"They knock on people's doors and when no one answers, they run around back and kick in doors or break windows to get in," he said.

Items stolen are typically small electronics and jewelry.

"We don't know why, but we're seeing this occur more and more," he said.

Police are asking residents to be aware of the burglaries and to take precautions to protect themselves and their neighbors.

Residents are asked to lock all doors and windows, consider installing motion-sensitive lights and report any suspicious activity to the police department.

To report a crime, call the police department at (916) 264-5471.

From Niesha Lofing:

A 13-year-old boy was arrested Sunday after allegedly trying to rob a man selling oranges in the Strawberry Manor neighborhood of Sacramento.

The victim, a 30-year-old man, was selling oranges at 12:55 p.m. at Mabel Street and Silver Eagle Road, near Robertson Park, when he was approached by several young men, Sacramento police officer Konrad Von Schoech said.

The youngest of the youths, a 13-year-old, took out a 10-inch knife and allegedly threatened the man with it, he said.

The victim, fearing that the boy was going to stab him in the stomach, defended himself with his belt and ran away.

The man called police and provided officers with a description of the suspect and told them he saw the boy run into a nearby home, Von Schoech said.

Officers set up a perimeter and detained the boy, who was arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery and taken to juvenile hall.

California Department of Corrections' agents are seeking Marvin Holt on a felony no-bail arrest warrant for suspicion of parole violations and fleeing parole, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

On Aug. 13, 2007, Holt (left photo) was sentenced to 16 months in state prison for possession of controlled substances, according to Sacramento Superior Court records.

Holt, also known as Jeff Blake and Melvin Daniel Holt, is described as age 46, 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 155 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

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

Anyone with information about Holt 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:

Citrus Heights police arrested five people for drunken driving during a DUI checkpoint this weekend, while a St. Patrick's Day patrol in Yolo County netted three DUI arrests, authorities report.

In Citrus Heights, officers reported that 1,473 vehicles drove through the checkpoint from 8 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday at Sunrise Boulevard and Oak Avenue, a police news release states.

Of those, five drivers were arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, 43 were cited, two were arrested for outstanding warrants and 18 vehicles were towed, the release states.

All law enforcement agencies in Yolo County participated in the DUI saturation patrol from 6 p.m. to midnight Tuesday, a total of 14 officers, a Davis Police news release states.

The patrols resulted in 82 vehicle stops, three drunken driving arrests, 18 drivers being put through a field sobriety tests, 14 citations for various vehicle code violations, one vehicle being impounded for the driver having a suspended license and two drivers having suspended licenses, the release states.

The checkpoint and the patrols were funded through a grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From Sandy Louey:

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office today identified the first Sacramento homicide victim in 78 days as 25-year-old Fernando Munoz of Sacramento.

The Sacramento Police Department is investigating the fight and shooting in North Sacramento early Saturday that left Munoz dead and another man injured.

Police were called out around 2:30 a.m. to Altos and Eleanor avenues, where a large fight and gunshots had been reported.

Two people were found wounded at an apartment complex. Munoz, who was shot in the upper body, died later at UC Davis Medical Center. The second man, who was in his 30s, also had injuries to his upper body that he apparently got in the fight, police said.

The 78 days is the longest stretch without a homicide since 1998, according to available records.

Before Munoz's death, the police department's last recorded homicide victim was Kyle Ray Smith, 20, who was shot and killed at a Pocket-area party early on New Year's Day.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the information.

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

From Sandy Louey:

Woodland police arrested three men suspected of beating a man Friday night at a bar on Main Street.

Police said they were called to College and Main streets at about 10 p.m. for a reported assault. At 1st and Main streets, they found a 27-year-old Woodland man with lacerations to his face and scalp. He was taken to Woodland Memorial Hospital.

Woodland residents Neil Radford, 21, and Eric Atteberry, 22, as well as Stephenson Atteberry, 24, with no fixed address, were booked into the Yolo County jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious bodily injury, police said.

Anyone with more information about the incident is asked to call the police department at (530) 666-2411.

From Kim Minugh:

California Highway Patrol authorities are looking for a driver who might have been a witness to the Feb. 16 collision that killed Angelique Mayo.

Mayo, a 38-year-old Fair Oaks mother of five, was parked at the entrance of the Rollingwood Commons apartment complex at 9160 Madison Ave., waiting for traffic to clear, when a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban hit her car, according to the CHP. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, which occurred about 7:15 p.m.

The driver of the Suburban, 45-year-old Christopher Sandbach of Orangevale, was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and felony driving under the influence, according to authorities.

Investigators from the CHP are now looking for the driver of a green Honda who might have been in the area, according to a news release. A witness observed Sandbach's vehicle swerve around a green Honda on eastbound Madison Avenue shortly before he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into Mayo's car, according to the release.

The CHP is asking the driver of that Honda - or a similar car - to come forward and make a statement. That driver, or anyone else who observed Sandbach's vehicle on Madison Avenue about the time of the accident, is asked to call the CHP at (916) 338-6710.

From Niesha Lofing:

A Susanville man could face up to 40 years in federal prison after allegedly romancing an Australian teen and swapping sexually explicit images.

A federal grand jury Thursday returned an indictment charging Troy William Nelson, 30, on suspicion of sexual exploitation of a child, according to a news release by the office of acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence G. Brown.

Nelson allegedly began an online relationship with a 15-year-old Australian girl after meeting her in an online chat site in November 2007. Nelson allegedly knew the girl was a minor when the relationship began, the release states.

Nelson and the girl allegedly exchanged sexually explicit images using web cameras, the release states.

Nelson went to Australia in September 2008 to begin a live-in relationship with the girl, who had turned 16. He returned to the U.S. in March when his travel visa expired and was arrested when he returned to the Reno International Airport, the release states.

If convicted, Nelson could face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a lifetime term of supervised release and a $500,000 fine.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Reno and the Queensland, Australia, Police Service investigated the case.

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide effort to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse, the release states.

For more information, go to www.projectsafechildhood.gov

From Sandy Louey:

The Citrus Heights Police Department will be conducting a DUI checkpoint Friday night.

The checkpoint will be from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Sunrise Boulevard and Oak Avenue.

Vehicles will be stopped randomly and be checked to see if they are impaired and/or impaired, according to a news release from the police department.

Money for the checkpoint comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From Chelsea Phua:

In the end, a Placer County Superior Court judge showed leniency toward a 24-year-old Auburn man who was convicted of second-degree murder in a drunken driving accident.

Instead of sentencing William James P. "Billy" Moon to 15 years to life, Judge Larry Gaddis on Thursday placed Moon on a 12-year probation and ordered him to serve 4 years in county jail as a term of his probation.

A jury convicted Moon of the murder charge and of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in October. Jurors determined that Moon was driving drunk and speeding along a winding rural stretch of Bell Road the night of June 3, 2006. The car careened off the road, slammed into several trees and killed his passenger, friend and golfing buddy, 20-year-old Stewart Shapton.

Addressing a standing room only courtroom packed with family members and friends of Moon and Shapton, Gaddis said he was moved by letters from both sides and had to change his mind several times about how to proceed.

He noted the full courtroom and the impact the fatal crash had on numerous lives.

"Clearly this is one of the tragedies of life," Gaddis said. "We have more people here than we have room for."

A sobbing Moon spoke for the first time publicly. He apologized to the Shapton's family, even though he said he has no recollection of the events of that night.

"I feel responsible for what happened that night," Moon said. "I miss Stewart, and I'm so sorry for his family and loved ones."

Patricia Shapton's, Stewart's mother, also spoke publicly for the first time.

She said she was taken aback by the apology because it is the first time she has heard an apology from the Moons.

"I do accept your apology," Shapton said to Moon, who turned his head around to look at her.

From Niesha Lofing:

An Arbuckle man is facing criminal charges after authorities say he followed a midweek routine of exposing himself while his wife wasn't home.

Colusa County sheriff's deputies arrested Andrew Sweet, 31, at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday on suspicion of four counts of willfully and lewdly exposing himself, said sheriff's Lt. Shane Maxey.

Sweet allegedly was exposing himself from the window of his home on Wednesdays for the past month or so, Maxey said.

One of Sweet's neighbors called police, offended and concerned that a child might see the display.

Investigators say Sweet picked Wednesdays for the alleged act because he had his house to himself, Maxey said.

"His spouse made a statement that she was gone every Wednesday," he said. "That may be the reason."

Sweet was booked into Colusa County Jail on Wednesday and posted bail the same day.

The sheriff's department used grant money directed to sexual assault felony enforcement to pay for a deputy staking out the home, Maxey said.

From Kim Minugh:

The Sacramento Police Canine Association is seeking donations to a fundraising raffle at the group's annual K9 Comedy Night later this month.

Tickets for the comedy night are sold out, but association officials are asking for items - such as merchandise and gift cards - for the raffle to raise money for their nonprofit group.

K9 Sgt. Steve Oliveira said the K9 unit's equipment budget has been limited by the department's overall budget constrictions, so the unit has relied heavily on the association for assistance.

The association is trying to raise funds to pay for ropes and harnesses to get police canines to rooftops often inaccessible to dogs, he said.

Anyone interested in donating a raffle item can contact the association at (916) 551-4300. Donations are tax deductible.

The Sacramento City Police Department is seeking Jasmine Marie Hicks on two felony $10,000 bail arrest warrants for suspicion of burglary, possession of completed checks with intent to defraud and unlawful use of personal identifying information, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Hicks (left photo) is described as age 21, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

She was last know to live in the 3900 block of Mack Road in the Parkway area of Sacramento, authorities said.

Anyone with information about Hicks 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:

Sacramento police will be scouting for drunken drivers Friday when they set up a sobriety and drivers license checkpoint downtown.

Officers will check for alcohol and drug-impaired drivers and ensure all drivers have valid drivers licenses, a police news release states.

The checkpoint is meant to promote safety, increase awareness of the dangers of drunken driving and serve as a deterrent, the release states.

Funding for the checkpoint is from the state Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From Niesha Lofing:

A dispute over bowling etiquette grew into a fight, an alleged assault with a bowling ball that knocked out one man's tooth and an arrest in Rocklin early this morning.

The alleged assault occurred about 12:40 a.m. at the Rocklin AMF Lanes at 2325 Sierra Meadows Drive when two groups of bowlers got into a fist fight, Rocklin police Sgt. Terry Jewell stated in a news release.

Two bowlers had approached the lane at the same time, and their dispute over who had right of way grew into a brawl involving six people, Jewell said.

One of the bowlers, Ryan Scott David (above), 24, allegedly hit another man in the face with a 16-pound bowling ball, knocking out one of his teeth, Jewell said.

Several other people helped break up the fight, and the authorities and emergency crews were called to the scene.

The man's tooth came out in one piece, root and all, and paramedics put it in milk in an attempt to save it.

The victim and his tooth were taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where doctors were able to set it back in the man's mouth, hoping it will re-attach itself, he said.

The victim also was treated for other facial injuries.

David was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and is being held on $35,000 bail in Placer County Jail in Auburn, according to online jail information.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Sacramento County Coroner's Office officials identified the man found dead in an Oak Park backyard Tuesday as Michael Dennis Ryan, 63, of Rocklin.

At about 1 p.m., paramedics responded to the duplex, in the 3100 block of Fourth Avenue, and pronounced the man dead at the scene, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong.

Paramedics called police to investigate. Homicide investigators responded, but the man's death has not been officially called a homicide, Leong said.

The circumstances are suspicious, Leong said, because the man did not live at the duplex and the residents told police they do not know him.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police are warning Pocket-area residents to be on the alert after a recent uptick in burglaries in the neighborhood.

On Saturday, there were two burglaries in the Riverwind subdivision on Cork River and Castle River ways. A window was smashed in the back of one house and by the garage and back door in the other, according to a burglary alert from the Sacramento Police Department.

Jewelry and electronics were taken. A group of high school- and college-age boys possibly with backpacks were seen in those burglaries, authorities said.

Police said an alert neighbor interrupted a burglary on Steamboat Way Tuesday, leading to an arrest.

One method of operation with many south area burglaries is the suspects are ringing the doorbell to determine if anyone is home. If someone is home, they will walk about a block away and try it again, police said.

Such activity should be called into police immediately. Neighbors should be alert for odd noises from nearby homes and to call police if something is wrong, police said.

Police are also reminding residents to revisit neighborhood watch strategies or set up a group if one doesn't exist.

From Sandy Louey:

A 47-year-old Sacramento lawn care business owner has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison for Social Security fraud.

Kevin Eugene Rhea was sentenced Tuesday for theft of government property and making a false statement for use in determining Social Security benefits, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton also ordered Rhea to three years of supervised release and restitution of $177,477.90. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 15, 2008, the attorney's office said.

Prosecutors said Rhea applied for and received Title II disability benefits for a back injury suffered in 1994 starting in 1996.

In 2007, the Social Security Administration mailed him a form used to determine continued eligibility for benefits. On Feb. 8, 2007, he returned the form replying "no" or "n/a" to every question asked about work or income earned from work, authorities said.

When asked to provide tax returns from 1996 to 2007, he wrote that he had none. But, all of that was false because he had owned a lawn care business called K&S Gardening Service since 1997. The business charged customers an average of $40 to $60 per month. He also had several employees, the attorney's office said.

Rhea received about $177,000 in disability insurance benefits from Sept. 1, 1997 to Jan. 31, 2008 that he wasn't entitled to, authorities said.

The case resulted from an investigation by the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General.

From Chelsea Phua:

A Placer County Superior Court judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss the case of a former Placer County Sheriff sergeant convicted of killing his wife 26 years ago.

A jury convicted Paul Kovacich Jr. (left photo), 59, in January of first-degree murder of his wife, Janet Kovacich, who was 27 when she disappeared in September 1982. He is scheduled to be sentenced April 24.

Public defender John Spurling argued in a motion his client suffered prejudice and was prevented from having a fair trial because of the delay in prosecuting him. By taking more than two decades after the crime to indict Kovacich, Spurling argued that evidence that may have supported his client's alibi and statements was lost and witnesses who could shed more on the case were dead or have their memories affected by the passage of time.

In the court ruling, Judge Mark S. Curry said the court found that Paul Kovacich did suffer some prejudice, but it was minimal.

"The defendant was able to procure witnesses and present an alibi defense," Curry wrote in his 24-page ruling. "No crucial evidence was lost or destroyed. Much of the prejudice claimed by the defendant is speculative."

Curry also said the police, investigators and prosecutors in the case acted thoroughly and competently and were reasonable in waiting to test a skull found in a dry lakebed until the technology was available. The skull was discovered in 1995, but it wasn't until more than a decade later that sophisticated DNA testing was available to show a high probability that the skull belonged to Janet Kovacich.

Spurling said he was disappointed with the ruling. "I thought there was ample demonstration of prejudice," he said.

Several family members and friends of Janet Kovacich attended the hearing on Wednesday.

Listening to the judge recount the case and the troubled relationship between Paul and Janet Kovacich was rough, said Tom Oby, Janet Kovacich's cousin. The cousins grew up together.

"We were pretty much convinced that Paul was responsible," Oby said, who described his cousin as a fun, outgoing person.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested a 13-year-old boy Tuesday in connection with a robbery.

The incident took place Thursday when a 13-year-old boy was walking home from school in the 9900 block of Sorentino Drive. Another boy walked up behind him and pulled his backpack, forcing him to fall to the ground, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

The boy grabbed the victim's MP3 player and left. Investigative efforts identified the boy as being the one responsible. He was arrested on suspicion of robbery and was taken to juvenile hall, police said.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police announced today a major bust that netted more than $800,000 in drugs from south Sacramento.

In February, detectives concluded an investigation that led to the seizure of more than 10 kilograms of cocaine and three-quarters of a pound of crystal methamphetamine, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong. Detectives also recovered a stolen gun and more than $10,000 in cash.

Five people from Sacramento were arrested in the bust, but police are not releasing their names.

The investigation began in January, when police received information about an organization trafficking large amounts of cocaine into the Sacramento area, Leong said. Police seized the drugs after serving search warrants in the 6600 block of Carnation Avenue, the 3500 block of La Grande Boulevard, the 8100 block of Torrente Way, and the 7100 block of South Land Park Drive, Leong said.

The cocaine was seized in powder form. Sold by the gram on the streets, the total package would have gone for about $835,000, Leong said. If the cocaine had been processed into crack cocaine, the total package would have sold for more than $2 million.

The methamphetamine, sold in grams, would have been worth almost $35,000, Leong said.

Detectives believe the suspects were local drug dealers who would have sold the drugs in the Sacramento area, Leong said.

The bust also resulted in two other arrests - two people who fired at an undercover detective as he carried out part of the investigation, Leong said.

The detective was on Carnation Avenue when he was approached by two neighbors of one of the drug suspects, Leong said. When the detective declined their offer to sell him marijuana, the neighbors went into their house, got a handgun and came outside, firing at the detective as he drove away, Leong said.

Police arrested 22-year-old Albert Vargas and 25-year-old Seggran Pillal in connection with that incident, Leong said. Vargas is being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail on charges of attempted murder, cultivating marijuana and possessing marijuana for sale, according to booking records.

Pillal is being held at the jail on a charge of attempted murder, booking records show. Both men are ineligible for bail.

From Niesha Lofing:

Shasta County coroners officials have identified the body of a man found drowned in a Redding canal as a local college student.

Kevin Ryan Meagher, 25, of Redding, was trying to cross the Calaboose Creek canal Monday when he lost his footing, said Maureen Hern, an administrative assistant to the county's chief deputy coroner.

The water level was high and the force of the water "took him down," she said.

"We had a torrential downpour that day," Hern said, adding that he also got caught on a snag.

Meagher's body was found at 3:30 p.m. in the canal on the north side of the Cypress Street bridge.

Cause of death is listed as drowning, but the victim also suffered blunt force injury.

Meagher was a student at Shasta College.

From Niesha Lofing:

A Redding woman and her mother have been arrested of allegedly stealing $579 in money orders from a dependant adult.

A grand theft report was filed in December with Redding police, accusing a woman of stealing nine money orders from a dependant adult she used to be a caretaker for, a police news release states.

Investigators obtained and served a search warrant on MoneyGram International and obtained copies of the stolen money orders, which had been cashed at an unknown location.

Police learned that Roxanne Watkins, 30, of Redding, and her mother, Patricia Davis, 51, of Redding, allegedly were responsible for writing their names on the stolen money orders, using five of them to open a bank account and cashing the remaining four, the release states.

Police obtained felony arrest warrants and on Tuesday morning arrested Watkins and Davis on suspicion of embezzlement of an elder or dependant adult, grand theft, burglary and possession of completed checks, the release states.

Watkins and Davis were booked into Shasta County Jail and released by the court on their own recognizance.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Sacramento Police are looking for two men who robbed a marijuana dispensary in Oak Park Tuesday night, police officials said.

At about 7:50 p.m., two men entered Green Solutions in the 3300 block of Broadway and held employees at gunpoint, police said. After pistol whipping one of the employees, they made off with money and marijuana, according to Sacramento Police.

The first robber was described as a black man in his 20s standing between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall, police said. He was last seen wearing a black baseball cap.

The second robber was also described as a black man in his 20s standing about 5 feet 9 inches tall, and was last seen wearing a black beanie, a white T-shirt and jeans, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sacramento Police Department at (916) 443-HELP.

From Niesha Lofing:

A Redding man is recovering from surgery after accidentally stabbing himself during a fight with his mother and her boyfriend Tuesday.

Redding police were called at 10:57 a.m. to a home in the 2700 block of Helen Street on a report of a disturbance and a stabbing, a police news release states.

Officers found Spencer Patrick Heddings, 19, of Redding, had suffered a stab wound to the upper right abdominal area.

Investigators learned that Heddings argued with his mother and allegedly threatened to stab her and her boyfriend, John Henry Ford, 39, of Redding.

Heddings allegedly pulled a knife and tried to stab Ford, who grabbed the knife and struggled with Heddings, the release states.

During the fight, Heddings jerked the knife away from Ford and accidentally stabbed himself. Ford suffered cuts to his right hand.

Heddings was taken to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery and is in critical condition in the hospital's intensive care unit.

No one has been arrested. Officers continue to investigate the case.

Anyone with information is asked to call the investigation division at (530) 225-4214.

From Niesha Lofing:

A recent drunken driving patrol in Yolo County resulted in 14 citations and one DUI arrest.

The Yolo County "Avoid the Eight" team conducted a saturation patrol Sunday during the Almond Festival in Esparto, a Davis police news release states.

Eighteen officers participated in the patrol.

Of the 78 vehicles stopped, one person was arrested for drunken driving, three people were arrested for other criminal offenses, 14 drivers were put through the field sobriety test and 14 citations were issued for various vehicle code violations, the release states.

The team also conducted a saturation patrol throughout the county on St. Patrick's Day, but those results have not been released.

The enforcement program is funded through a grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From Niesha Lofing:

Sacramento County residential burglary victims have a chance today to see if their items are among stolen property recovered by the sheriff's department.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies recently arrested two people allegedly connected to a series of home burglaries during the past six months in the Fair Oaks, Carmichael and Orangevale areas, a sheriff's news release states.

The suspects allegedly knocked on doors and forced entry into homes if no one answered, the release states.

Jewelry and other valuables were taken during the burglaries and traded for cash at a local pawn shop, authorities say.

Natale Russo, 28, and Sean Mantle, 28, were arrested and face charges of burglary and receiving stolen property, online Sacramento Superior Court information shows.

Detectives recovered a large amount of jewelry and will make the property available for viewing from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the sheriff's department's Garfield Station, 5510 Garfield Ave., Sacramento.

To claim property, residents must have had property taken, the crime must have occurred in the past six months, and the crimes had to be reported to a law enforcement agency.

Residents also need to bring identification, proof that the recovered items belong to them and a copy of the crime report.

From Sandy Louey:

A 45-year-old Folsom man has pleaded guilty to operating a Ponzi scheme that raked in $13 million from investors during a two-year period.

Stefan Wilson, aka Steve Wilson, entered his plea to wire fraud and income tax evasion in connection with a fraudulent investment scheme conducted under the name CIC Investment Fund, according to a news release issued Tuesday from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations investigated the case against Wilson.

Wilson raked in approximately $13 million from investors during a two-year period, according to an indictment filed in March 2008.

He admitted in the plea agreement that he collected the money by making false and fraudulent statements to investors including telling them he had a long and successful history of investing in the stock market and that he could promise 18 to 24 percent returns whether the market was good or bad, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Many investors were encouraged to refinance their homes or use their life savings to come up with the $100,000 minimum investment required, meaning many of his victims lost their homes or were forced to come out of retirement to search for work, the news release said.

Wilson placed about $6.5 million of investor funds into a brokerage account, but he lost virtually all of it in bad stock trades. Despite those losses, he continued to tell investors that the fund was doing well and sent monthly statements and checks to investors showing they were receiving the promised return even after the fund lost 99.42% of its value, according to documents filed in the case.

The remainder of the investor money was kept in a bank account that Wilson used to make lulling payments to investors and for a lavish lifestyle that included a $400,000 down payment on his Folsom home and a $118,000 down payment on a Lamborghini, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

He also pleaded guilty to filing a false income tax return for 2006 since he didn't declare any of this income on his return, authorities said.

Wilson's sentencing is May 27. He faces a maximum penalty of 23 years in prison.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police on Tuesday afternoon began investigating the suspicious death of a man found in the back yard of an Oak Park duplex, according to authorities.

The fire department initially responded to the call, which came in to emergency dispatchers about 1 p.m. Paramedics arrived at the duplex, in the 3100 block of Fourth Avenue, and pronounced the man dead at the scene, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong.

Paramedics called police to investigate. Homicide investigators responded, but the man's death has not been officially called a homicide, Leong said.

The circumstances are suspicious, Leong said, because the man - described as in his late 40s - did not live at the duplex and the residents told police they do not know him.

The man's identity has not been released, pending notification of family. By Tuesday evening, the coroner's office had not determined his cause of death.

From Sandy Louey:

The Butte County Sheriff's Department on Tuesday arrested a 22-year-old Oroville man for allegedly stabbing his father in the chest with a knife.

At 4:13 a.m., the sheriff's dispatch received a 911 call from a woman in the 5500 block of Lower Wyandotte Road in Oroville reporting that her son had stabbed her husband in the chest, according to a news release from the sheriff's department.

The son, Joshua Stampanoni, was still inside the home with the knife. Deputies responded and secured the perimeter with help from the Oroville Police Department, the sheriff's department said.

Deputies entered the home to bring the father outside to receive emergency treatment. When the parents were outside, a K-9 officer was used to help search the home and property, authorities said.

A K-9 officer alerted to Stampanoni's scent near a large shed in the property's back yard. He was found lying flat on the roof of the shed.

He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. Stampanoni was being held on $30,00 bail at the Butte County jail, the sheriff's department said.

The motive for the stabbing is still under investigation. The father was taken to Oroville Hospital, where he was in stable condition, authorities said.

From Sandy Louey:

Roseville police arrested a 29-year-old man Tuesday for allegedly pointing a laser device at aircraft.

At 11 p.m. Monday, a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department helicopter pilot notified Roseville police that someone on the ground had pointed a laser device at a commercial airliner and at the sheriff's helicopter, Dee Dee Gunther, spokeswoman for the Roseville Police Department, said in a press release Tuesday.

The helicopter crew helped police locate the source of the beam at a home in the 100 block of Elm Street, Gunther said.

Balltazar Valladares (left photo) of Roseville was arrested on suspicion of discharging a laser at a moving, occupied aircraft. The charge is a felony punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to $2,000. His bail was $45,000, police said.

Gunther said officers also seized a high-powered laser device.

Police said pointing a laser at an aircraft violates state and federal law because it poses a danger for flight crews, passengers and people on the ground.

Pilots can suffer a temporary loss of vision while operating their aircraft and vision problems and headaches afterward, authorities said.

On Sunday, The Bee published a story about the perils of shining a light into the cockpit of a helicopter or any aircraft.

From Cathy Locke:

Seniors interested in assisting the Placerville Police Department are invited to attend an informational meeting Wednesday on a program called SHIELD, or Seniors Helping in Enforcement Like Duties.

Program volunteers perform a variety of services, including traffic control, vacation house checks, auto maintenance and inmate worker supervision. They also participate in vehicle patrol duties in SHIELD patrol cars and patrol walking trails using a police scooter.

SHIELD members play key roles in organizing and planning National Night Out, the city's award-winning annual neighborhood crime prevention event.

Applicants must be age 50 or older and willing to volunteer a minimum of 16 hours a month. Participants also are required to purchase and wear the approved SHIELD uniform while on duty.

A valid California Driver's License is desirable, and applicants must pass a background check. An oral interview and fingerprinting also are required.

In addition, SHIELD members must attend the Placerville Police Department's nine-week Citizen's Law Enforcement Academy, which begins in September.

Wednesday's meeting will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. upstairs at the city Recreation and Parks Department, 549 Main St., Placerville.

For more information or reservations, call Cynthia Estes, a community services officer, at (530) 642-5272, or e-mail her at cestes@cityofplacerville.org.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police are investigating a hit-and-run incident in which a car hit a power pole Monday night.

At 11:56 p.m., officers were called to Rancho Road at Alta Mesa Drive. A 1999 VW Jetta traveling south on Alta Mesa failed to stop or negotiate a turn upon reaching the T-intersection with Rancho, according to a news release from the Redding Police Department.

The car hit and snapped off an AT&T power pole as well as a mail box in front of a home. The Jetta, which had major damage, was abandoned. Redding Electric Utility and AT&T workers arrived on scene to replace the damaged power pole, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police at (530) 225-4200.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested two 15-year-old Sacramento boys Monday after a short pursuit.

The incident occurred at 3:45 p.m. in the 8200 block of Crichton Way when an officer saw the boys in a reported stolen vehicle, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

When the officer tried to conduct an enforcement stop, the pursuit ensued. Both boys abandoned the vehicle and left on foot, police said.

After a brief search, both boys were found and taken to juvenile hall. Both were arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest and receiving stolen property. The driver was also arrested on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle, evading an officer and driving without a license, police said.

From Kim Minugh:

Anyone with information about the Nov. 23 killing of Khet Saelee stands to secure a $15,000 reward, authorities announced today.

Saelee (left photo) was 32 when he was found dead that morning in a car parked in an alley between Baker and Roosevelt avenues in the Fruitridge-Pocket area.

Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. The coroner's office was not able to determine whether he had been shot or stabbed.

Sacramento County sheriff's homicide detectives say they have hit a dead-end in the investigation and need the public's help to solve the case.

They are particularly interested in speaking with a potential witness they have not yet been able to identify: An anonymous caller told authorities someone had witnessed the killing, but hung up before they could obtain more information, said Detective Jason Cvitanov.

"We need to know (that person's identity) because right now, it's all we've got," Cvitanov said.

The Carole Sund/Carrington Foundation has offered a $5,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Saelee's killer. That offer has been matched by a $5,000 reward from the Asian Peace Officers Association, a $4,000 contribution from Saelee's family and $1,000 from the Crime Alert organization.

Saelee, a Sacramento native, was a tile finisher who worked hard to provide for his family, according to detectives and his family. He was engaged to his girlfriend of 11 years, Lee Savatdy, and was father to a 15-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter.

"Khet was a warm and gentle man who always (brought out) the best in everyone," Savatdy said. "He was the glue that held us together."

He did not have a criminal record, and detectives do not believe he was engaged in any illegal activity at the time of his death.

Instead, detectives say Saelee had spent the evening with family members and was on the way to his cousin's home when he was killed. They say he likely was in the area of Baker and Roosevelt to buy beer and food at a market he frequented before visiting his cousin.

He likely was killed sometime between midnight and "early morning hours," Cvitanov said. Saelee's body was found and reported to the sheriff's department shortly after 10 a.m.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's department at (916) 874-5115, Cvitanov's direct line at (916) 874-8482 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

California Department of Corrections parole agents are seeking Willis Sinclair on a felony no-bail arrest warrant for suspicion of parole violations and fleeing parole, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Sinclair (left photo) is described age 24, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, authorities said.

Anyone with information about Sinclair 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:

Five people were arrested in Placer County during a recent sting operation against people allegedly purchasing alcohol for minors.

Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln police officers conducted the operation Saturday at 11 locations in Rocklin and Lincoln using police decoys who ask people to buy alcohol for them. The decoys are truthful about their age and tell the subjects that they aren't 21 years old, a Rocklin police news release states.

Officers conducted the operation at eight locations in Rocklin, where three of 25 people approached agreed to purchase alcohol. They were cited on suspicion of furnishing alcohol to a person under 21 years old.

The sting was conducted at three Lincoln locations, and two of 11 people approached agreed to make the buys. One person was cited on suspicion of furnishing alcohol to a person under 21. The other adult was arrested on suspicion of furnishing alcohol to a person under 21 and resisting arrest and booked into Placer County Jail in Auburn.

The operations will continue through June.

So far, police have contacted 494 people at 61 locations and have cited or arrested 37 people.

Police also cited 18 employees of businesses at 145 locations for agreeing to sell alcohol to minor decoys sent in by authorities, the release states.

The police departments are working in conjunction with the state Alcoholic Beverage Control to combat alcohol-related violations in the south Placer County area. The police departments received a grant from the ABC to fund the sting operations.

From Niesha Lofing:

Shasta County coroner's officials are planning an autopsy today for a drowning victim found Monday in a Redding canal.

The body was found at 3:30 p.m. in the canal on the north side of the Cypress Street bridge, a Shasta County Sheriff's department news release states.

Coroner's officials have positively identified the body but are waiting to release the name until the person's family has been notified.

An autopsy to determine the cause of death is scheduled for today, the release states.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police have arrested a 30-year-old woman in connection with a hit-and-run collision over the weekend.

At 5:42 p.m. Saturday, officers were called out to the area of Market and Tehama streets. The victim of the collision had called 911 while following the suspect's vehicle as it fled the accident scene, according to a news release from the Redding Police Department.

The suspect, Shelly Hall of Redding, was driving a Dodge Dakota pickup. She began speeding and driving erratically, driving northbound along the railroad tracks while evading the victim, police said.

Officers located her in the 3400 block of Terrill Street near her home. Her blood-alcohol level exceeded three times the legal limit. Hall was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence and hit and run, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

The Elk Grove Police Department is holding a beat meeting for residents who live west of Highway 99.

The meeting is scheduled at 6 p.m. March 31 in the multi-purpose room at Franklin High School, 6400 Whitelock Parkway.

Representatives from various areas within the police department will be on hand to answer questions from residents who live in Beats 1, 2 and 4.

From Kim Minugh:

Live in northeastern Sacramento County and missing some jewelry? The sheriff's department might have your loot.

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives recently arrested two people in connection with a series of home burglaries in the Fair Oaks, Carmichael and Orangevale areas over the last six months, according to a news release issued by spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran.

In making the arrests, detectives recovered a large amount of jewelry and are offering potential victims on Wednesday an opportunity to reclaim their lost items. Anyone who might have been a victim of this series can go to the sheriff's Garfield station, 5510 Garfield Ave., between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

To claim items, residents must have reported a theft or burglary to a local law enforcement agency - and have a copy of the crime report to prove it - and the crime must have been reported in the last six months.

They must also present identification and be able to prove the recovered items are theirs, the news release states.

Detectives arrested Natale Russo and Sean Mantle, both 28, in connection with the series, according to the release. They face charges of burglary, conspiracy and possession of stolen property, the release states.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with a hit-and-run in which a pickup truck slammed into a garage Monday.

At 3:45 a.m., police were called out a home in the 2500 block of Castlewood Drive. Officers found major damage to the rollup door of a three-car garage that was apparently caused by a motor vehicle hitting it, according to a news release from the Redding Police Department.

A parked SUV inside the garage was severely damaged. It was forced against a gas water heater and wall separating the garage from the living space of the home, police said.

The gas and water lines of the water heater were ruptured, resulting in flooding inside the home. No one was injured and the Redding Fire Department secured the broken gas and water lines, authorities said.

A GMC pickup truck suspected of being involved was found a short distance away on Shasta View Drive. The truck was abandoned and disabled with major front end damage, police said.

About 23 minutes after the collision, the driver of the pickup arrived at a friend's home several blocks away on Freeman Way. The driver, Dustin Galen Benjamin Hemenway of Redding, asked his friend to call police to report the incident.

Hemenway, who had minor injuries from the collision, had symptoms of intoxication. He was eventually arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, police said.

He was booked at the Shasta County jail.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police arrested a 21-year-old Shasta Lake man Sunday for allegedly vandalizing and prowling in a neighborhood.

At 1:15 p.m., police responded to the area of Shasta View Drive and Galaxy Way for a vandalism call. Officers were told someone was using spray paint to vandalize a block wall and wooden fence, according to a news release from the Redding Police Department.

Officers found Adrian Stephen Lopez in possession of a car stereo that was reported stolen from a vehicle at a nearby home. A spray paint can and drug paraphernalia was also found on him, police said.

Lopez was seen prowling in and around the neighborhood trying to get into parked cars, authorities said. He was arrested on suspicion of vandalism, prowling, attempted burglary, possession of drug paraphernalia and violating probation, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

A 16-year-old Elk Grove boy was arrested for allegedly throwing a rock at a man.

At 5:15 p.m. Sunday, a man was walking down the street in the 9400 block of Syrah Court when a rock hit him in the back, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

A witness saw the boy throwing it. Officers arrived and arrested the boy on suspicion of assault with deadly weapon or force. The boy was taken to juvenile hall, police said.

The man didn't require medical attention.

From Niesha Lofing:

Roseville police have arrested a parolee who eluded them for six months after the man allegedly attempted to carjack another vehicle after a traffic stop along Interstate 80.

Officers tried to stop a white Dodge Ram pickup truck on I-80 at the Rocklin Road exit about noon Sunday, believing that Samuel Nathan Duran, 28, of Roseville was in the truck, police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther wrote in an e-mail.

Duran, a validated gang member, has an outstanding arrest warrant for assault with a deadly weapon, and officers have sought him for at least six months, Gunther said.

When the pickup stopped, Duran got out of the back seat and ran over the freeway landscaping and onto Rocklin Road, Gunther said.

Duran allegedly then got into the back seat of a brown Toyota sedan that was stopped at the red light on Rocklin Road and told the female occupants to get out. The two women in the vehicle started screaming, and officers pulled Duran from the Toyota and arrested him.

Duran was arrested on suspicion of attempted carjacking, resisting arrest and a parole violation. He also was re-arrested on a Placer County arrest warrant for assault with a deadly weapon, attempted robbery, infliction of great bodily harm, participating in a criminal street gang and a sentence enhancement for having past prison terms.

The warrant stems from an October incident in which Duran allegedly hit a 34-year-old Roseville man with a pipe and kicked him during what police believe was a robbery. The victim, who was an acquaintance of Duran, suffered a broken jaw, Gunther said.

Duran is being held without bail in Placer County Main Jail in Auburn.

The two people in the Dodge truck were arrested for being accessories to a crime. Margarita Elena Ydrogo, 26, of Roseville and Adam Solis Valdez, 27, of Sacramento were booked into Roseville City Jail and released after posting $5,000 bail bonds, Gunther said.

From Niesha Lofing:

Fire officials are investigating the cause of an early-morning fire that damaged a duplex in south Sacramento.

Firefighters responded to the report of a fire at 4952 Morningstar Drive just before 2 a.m. today, Sacramento fire Capt. Jim Doucette said.

The fire appears to have started in the garage and spread to the kitchen, he said.

The duplex was vacant.

Cause of the fire is suspicious and fire investigators are working to determine what caused it, he said.

Damage is estimated at about $50,000.

From Niesha Lofing:

A Sacramento man who went missing after dropping off his child at school earlier this month has returned home.

Kurt Anderson (left photo), 51, came home on his own accord Saturday, Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong said today.

Further details about why he disappeared and where he was during the absence are not known, he said.

Anderson disappeared March 3 after dropping his child off at school at 8 a.m. and calling his work to tell them he would be late. Anderson is married and has three children.

From Niesha Lofing:

A 23-year-old man is facing criminal charges after allegedly hitting a woman and kicking a Roseville police officer in the face.

Roseville police were patrolling the Old Town area of Roseville at 1:11 a.m. Sunday when a security guard altered them to a disturbance involving a man and four women at Pacific and Lincoln streets, police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther wrote in an e-mail.

Officers went to the location and saw a group verbally fighting and saw a man waving his arms at the women in a threatening manner, she said.

One of the woman yelled that the man, Vincent Richard Rivera, allegedly had hit her.

Officers tried to detain Rivera but he resisted arrest.

As Rivera was being placed in the back of the patrol car, he kicked one of the officers in the face, Gunther said.

Officers used a taser to subdue Rivera, who was taken to the Roseville City Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of felony obstructing or resisting an executive officer, battery on a peace officer and battery, she said.

The latter count was related to the alleged battery on one of the women in the group, Gunther said.

Rivera was released later the same day after posting $35,000 bail.

The injured officer suffered a bloody nose and bruising, but is expected to be OK, Gunther said.

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

These are preliminary crime stats that compare February 2009 to February 2008. They are subject to slight changes but shouldn't change by much - therefore are good for seeing trends with crime in our neighborhoods. I have noted some highlights from the report:

Police District 1A (North Natomas)

• Residential burglaries went down in February (15%) after going up in January.

• Vehicle burglaries went up for 2nd month in a row (19% (41 to 49)

• Stolen vehicles went down 20% (24 to 20)

• Robberies went down from 1 to 0

Police District 1B (South Natomas)

• Residential burglaries went up slightly (4%) after going down in January.

• Vehicle burglaries went down 18% (26 to 22)

• stolen cars went down 39% (23 to 14)

• Robberies went up 300% (1 to 4)

• Assaults went up 400% (1 to 5)

Police District 1C (Gardenland/Northgate)

• Residential burglaries went down for second month in a row (52%).

• Business burglaries went down (3 to 0)

• Vehicle burglaries went down 27% (11 to 8)

• Robberies went down 75% (4 to 1) after going up last month.

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking Brandon Debise on a felony $10,000 bail arrest warrant for reportedly failing to register as a sex offender, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Debise (left photo) is also known as Brandon Ameyr Debise Sr. and Daryl Rogers, authorities said. He is described as age 37, 6-foot-1, weighing 189 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Debise 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 Ed Fletcher and Sandy Louey:

The second of three area teens presumed to have drowned more than a week ago was recovered from the Feather River this afternoon, and authorities identified a body found Saturday night.

The second body was spotted around 3:30 p.m. today by a motorist driving down Garden Highway, said Capt. Dave Samson, of the Sutter County Sheriff's Department. The first body was spotted by a fisherman at around 9 p.m. Saturday.

By late afternoon Sunday, authorities had positively identified the first body as that of 18-year-old Roman Pristupa.

The second body has not yet been identified, but is believed to be one of the three missing teens. The boys, Bohdan Lytvynyuk, 16, Alex Kaplinskiy, 17, and Pristupa went missing March 4 after their vehicle careened into the river near Nicolaus.

Samson said a boat has been out on the water since early this morning resuming the recovery operation.

Click here for the complete updated Bee story.

From Sandy Louey:

Folsom police have arrested a 19-year-old man for allegedly robbing a pizza delivery man.

Detectives arrested Robert Tillman on Thursday in connection with the robbery, which took place Feb. 11 in front of a home in the 100 block of Heaton Way, according to a news release from the Folsom Police Department.

A pizza delivery order had been telephoned in with a name, telephone number and delivery location. When the driver arrived, two men approached him from behind, police said.

One threatened the driver with a home security yard sign, while the other threatened and simulated he had a gun. They stole money from the driver. One robber tried to get into the victim's car, setting off the alarm, while the second one punched the driver in the face, police said.

Both left on foot. Tillman was arrested on suspicion of robbery at the Sacramento County jail, where he was already in custody for unrelated charges.

He was being held on $75,000 bond Sunday and is scheduled to be in court Monday, according to online jail records.

Police are looking for the second robber who had simulated and threatened that he had a handgun. He is described as an African American male in his late teens who was about 5 feet 6 inches tall. He had a thin build and wore dark sweatshirt and jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Jon Lasater at (916) 355-7343.

From Sandy Louey:

Woodland police have arrested a 19-year-old man who allegedly was peeping into apartment windows.

Police were called at about 11 p.m. Thursday about someone peeping into apartment windows at the Crossroad Village Apartments at 555 Matmor Road, according to a news release from the Woodland Police Department.

Edgar Palacios of Woodland was hiding in the bushes near the entrance of the apartment complex. The victim, a female resident, and another resident had detained him until police arrived, authorities said.

Police said Palacios was believed to be under the influence of a controlled substance.

He was taken to the Woodland Memorial Hospital for a routine medical clearance before being booked at the Yolo County jail on suspicion of peeping and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Palacios was also arrested on an outstanding warrant, police said.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to call (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800. Callers can be anonymous.

From Sandy Louey:

A 17-year-old Woodland boy has been arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting in a Woodland park last year.

Gang unit members from the Woodland Police Department, the Yolo County District Attorney's Office and the Yolo County Sheriff's Department made the arrest Thursday night, according to a news release.

The boy is the suspected triggerman in the Sept. 10, 2008 incident, which was at Campbell Park in Woodland. The arrest was at the Lincoln Manner Apartments after Woodland detectives got new information that re-opened the investigation and identified the boy, police said.

The boy was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, shooting from a vehicle and participating in criminal street gang activity with no bail. He was booked into Yolo County juvenile hall, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Woodland police at (530) 661-7880.

From Chelsea Phua:

About two dozen Elk Grove police officers, including at least a dozen SWAT team members, responded Saturday night to what turned out to be a false report of a shooting.

Police Lt. Wayne Kitade said police received a call about 8 p.m. from a service for deaf people saying that a man was reporting he had been shot inside a house on Laguna Lake Way. The service said the deaf man conveyed the message using sign language and a webcam link to the service.

When officers arrived, they said they found a man in his 60s in the back yard of the house where the shooting had been reported. The man lived in the home with his wife and other family members. The SWAT officers entered the home but found no evidence of a shooting. Police also later found the other family members safe outside the home.

The deaf man who allegedly made the report is believed to be an acquaintance of one of the residents of the home, police said.

"It sounds like a hoax," Lt. Kitade said. The alleged prank could be what some would call "swatting," where pranksters fake emergency calls to bring out police SWAT teams, the lieutenant said. But, he said, it was too early to determine yet and that the case remains under investigation.

However, Kitade said, prank calls put real calls for police service on hold.

"It's not only a waste of resources," he said. "It hurts the rest of the citizens of Elk Grove in case they have an emergency."

Bee Staff:

Roseville police have arrested four people over vehicle break-ins in hotel parking lots.

The arrests also recovered suspected stolen property and an unregistered loaded handgun, according to a Police Department press release.

The release laid out this chain of events:

At 4 a.m. on Thursday, police officers responded to a report of a man loitering around vehicles in a hotel parking lot on North Sunrise Avenue.

When officers arrived, they found the suspect gone but an Audi sedan with a broken window. Nothing had been taken from the Audi.

A witness gave officers a description of the suspect's vehicle. Officers began checking the area, and about an hour later, located the suspect vehicle in the parking lot of a hotel on Creekside Ridge Drive. Officers arrested four people and recovered suspected stolen property and a loaded, unregistered handgun.

Sabrina Danielle Brown (photo bottom left), 21, Juan Rodriguez (photo left), 26, and Rigoberto Xavier Serna (photo bottom right), 26, all of Sacramento, and Walter Urian Wood III (photo bottom left under Brown), 24, of North Highlands, were arrested on suspicion of burglary, conspiracy, participating in a criminal street gang, and carrying a concealed, loaded firearm during the commission of a felony, the release states.

Wood was also charged with possessing burglar's tools, and Serna was also charged with DUI and being under the influence of a controlled substance, the release states.

Brown and Wood were released from the Roseville City Jail after posting $25,000 bail bonds, the release states. Rodriguez and Serna remain in custody in the Placer County Jail on $25,000 bail, the release states.

From Chelsea Phua:

Rocklin police arrested an 18-year-old man on suspicion of robbery after he resisted store security personnel who tried to stop him from stealing alcohol, authorities said.

Police said Paul Eugene Bashe, of Rocklin, tried to steal alcohol from the Safeway at 2200 Sunset Blvd. at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. He allegedly hid the alcohol in his waistband and tried to leave the store without paying. When two store security guards stopped him, he resisted, and a scuffle ensued.

One of the security officers suffered scrapes and bruises.

Bashe was booked at Placer County Jail. He has been release on bail.

Police say that a petty theft, which a misdemeanor, can turn into a robbery charge, which is a felony, if the suspect resists lawful detention by store personnel.

From Chelsea Phua:

Roseville police have arrested a woman and three men on suspicion of breaking into vehicles in hotel parking lots.

Sabrina Danielle Brown, 21, Juan Rodriguez, 26, and Rigoberto Xavier Serna, 26, all of Sacramento, and Walter Urian Wood III, 24, of North Highlands, were arrested shortly after 4 a.m. Thursday following a report of a man loitering in a hotel parking lot on North Sunrise Avenue.

Officers arrived to find an Audi sedan with a broken window. Nothing was taken from the Audi, but the suspect had left. A witness gave officers a description of the suspect's vehicle. An hour later, officers found a vehicle matching the description in the parking lot of a hotel on Creekside Ridge Drive. They arrested the four people and recovered from them suspected stolen property and a loaded, unregistered handgun.

Brown, Rodriguez, Serna and Wood were arrested on suspicion of burglary, conspiracy, participating in a criminal street gang and carrying a concealed, loaded firearm during the commission of a felony. Wood was also charged with possessing burglar's tools. Serna also was charged with driving under the influence and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Brown and Wood were released from jail after posing $25,000 bail bonds. Rodriguez and Serna remain in custody at the Placer County Jail on $25,000 bail.

From Niesha Lofing:

A watchful off-duty Sacramento sheriff's detective recently helped authorities catch a man suspected of receiving stolen tires and rims.

On Feb. 6, a parolee, William Stack, allegedly used a fraudulent check to buy new tires and rims worth $3,400 from Les Schwab Tire Center on Fulton Avenue, a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department news release states.

Stack, 36, was arrested March 6 on suspicion of burglary, using personal identification without permission and making, passing or possessing a fictitious check, all felonies, according to online county jail information.

On Wednesday, Detective Marlan Meggers, who is assigned to the north central division, was off-duty and returning home from the Bay area in his personal vehicle when he noticed a vehicle pass him that had rims and tires similar to the ones from the case last month.

Meggers called the on-duty patrol sergeant to confirm the information from the case, and it turned out to be a match, the release states.

Meggers followed the vehicle into Sacramento County while keeping in touch on his phone to coordinate a response. Once inside the county's jurisdiction, the vehicle was stopped and the driver, Jose Bravo, 33, was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

"(Stack) traded or gave (the tires and rims) to the second guy, Bravo," said sheriff's Capt. Scott Jones.

The transfer may have been for drugs, he said. Deputies continue to investigation that angle.

The vehicle was towed, and the tired and rims were recovered, the release states.

Jones praised the detective's attentiveness and dedication.

"It just proves that we're never really off duty," he said.

Bravo was booked into Sacramento County Main Jail and released Thursday.

Stack is being held without bail in the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Sacramento Superior Court.

From Niesha Lofing:

Police are crediting the good quality of surveillance video for helping them nab two juveniles suspected of burglarizing a Meadowview home.

The residents left their home in the 2000 block of John Still Drive about 6 a.m. Thursday and returned about 5:25 p.m. to find that it had been burglarized, Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong said.

Burglars had gained entry to the home through the back of the residence, he said.

An alarm sounded and nothing was taken.

"Basically the alarm scared them off," Leong said.

The residents called police, and the officer who responded reviewed the home's surveillance video.

"It was such good quality that the officer and another unit started checking the neighborhood and located the suspects walking in the area," he said.

Two 17-year-old boys were arrested on suspicion of burglary and taken to juvenile hall.

Leong said home surveillance has become more popular among homeowners as it has become cheaper in recent years. Some systems even allow residents to view the video remotely via computer.

"The technology is there -- you might as well use it to protect your property," he said.

From Niesha Lofing:

Thirty local California Highway Patrol officers were honored in Elk Grove for their fight against drunken driving.

The Mothers Against Drunk Driving's Greater Sacramento Area chapter hosted the annual MADD and AVOID luncheon Tuesday at the Wackford Community Center in Elk Grove, a CHP news release states.

AVOID is an anti-DUI program that teams up law enforcement agencies for saturation patrols and sobriety checkpoints.

The event honored 30 CHP officers who work what is designated as the North Sacramento area. In 2008, officers from that office arrested 2,512 drunken drivers, the release states.

Officer Shon Remington was the top enforcer, arresting 174 drunken drivers, Officer Shawn Andrews was next with 121 arrests, followed by Officer Chris Bunney with 106, the release states.

Here in alphabetical listing are the other officers honored and how many DUI arrests they made:

Chris Abbott, 36; Andy Beasley, 40; Jeff Carlisle, 47; Norm Chavez, 44; Amy Escatel, 66; Erik Ferris, 95; Jason Finn, 39; Harold Garcia, 50; Jeff George, 62; Greg Gomez, 30; Phil Higgins, 35; Aaron Kacalek, 26; Justin King, 48; Jay Mayfield, 79; Chuck Moss, 51; Sean Nichols, 66; Henry Pastoor, 73; Gary Paul, 86; Gabe Potter, 62; Mike Price, 45; Steve Ries, 38; Steve Rutledge, 69; Mark Stevens, 59; Kenji Takahashi, 71; Andy Welsh, 44; JC White, 25; David Woodruff, 30.

From Niesha Lofing:

Law enforcement agencies will be out in droves this weekend, patrolling the streets and highways for drunken drivers getting a jump on the observation of St. Patrick's Day on Tuesday.

In light of parties and other revelry leading up to St. Patrick's Day on Tuesday, Sacramento police will conduct an anti-DUI program called AVOID the 15 as well as a special DUI saturation patrol Saturday, a police news release states.

AVOID the 15 unites law enforcement in an effort to crack down on drunken driving. It is funded by the state Office of Traffic Safety.

The California Highway Patrol also is on high alert and will be looking for drunken drivers this weekend and on St. Patrick's Day.

The CHP is reminding revelers use sober designated drivers.

The number of people killed annually in alcohol-related crashes statewide has risen in recent years from 1,233 in 2000 to 1,489 in 2007.

Last year on St. Patrick's Day, 50 people were injured in 110 alcohol-involved collisions throughout the state, a CHP news release states.

Motorists who see suspected drunken drivers are asked call 911 and report them to authorities.

Callers should be prepared to provide dispatchers with a vehicle description, location and direction of travel.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

A barricaded suspect who caused police to close down an entire block in northern Citrus Heights was found dead by SWAT team members, ending a five-hour standoff, Citrus Heights Police said.

The man, identified only as a white man in his 50s, apparently died of a single self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Lt. Tom Chaplin. Detectives from the Special Investigations Unit were accompanying a code enforcement officer to the house in the 7400 block of Grand Oaks Boulevard about 4 p.m. to investigate complaints of someone stealing power, Chaplin said. The detectives contacted some of the house's residents who allowed them inside, he said.

Once inside, the detectives were told by the residents that a family member was in the back room, Chaplin said, and that he mostly stayed in the room and kept to himself.

Shortly thereafter, detectives heard the sound of a single gunshot, Chaplin said. They left the home and formed a perimeter around the house, he said. Eventually, 18 houses surrounding the house were also evacuated.

Negotiators tried to make contact with the man, but were unsuccessful, Chaplin said. About 8:30 p.m., SWAT units made their way into the home and confirmed the man was dead.

Chaplin said his detectives had no contact with the man before he apparently shot himself.

From Sandy Louey:

Folsom police have arrested a 43-year-old Rancho Cordova man for allegedly breaking into numerous businesses and stealing flat-screen televisions.

Last month, police distributed photos of two men wanted in the burglaries. Media attention led to an anonymous tip and the arrest Wednesday of William Jerry Frear on suspicion of commercial burglary, according to a news release from the Folsom Police Department.

Frear was already in custody in the Sacramento County jail on unrelated charges, police said.

Police are still looking for the second man, who is described as light-skinned, in his late 30s or 40s with a thin build and receding hairline.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Rick Olson at (916) 351-3323.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police arrested a 42-year-old parolee Thursday who allegedly is affiliated with known gang members out of Riverside County.

Police received information about the whereabouts of a wanted armed and dangerous parolee and went to an apartment in the 1000 block of Le Brun Lane.

Officers contacted several people inside the apartment with one of them providing the false name of a person with active arrest warrants, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.

The person's true identity was Christopher DeShawn Butler of Riverside, the wanted parole-at-large, police said.

He was arrested on suspicion of violating parole and booked at the Shasta County jail.

Anyone with information about Butler is asked to call police at (530) 225-4214.

From Sandy Louey:

The Davis Police Department is offering a citizen police academy where residents can learn about the day-to-day operations of the department.

The seven-week program will cover topics such as search and seizure, use of force, traffic enforcement and crime prevention.

The program runs on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., April 21 to June 9.

For more information including an application, contact Michele Reynolds at (530) 747-5411 or at mreynolds@davispd.org.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police are looking for two men who robbed a group of people at a Greenhaven park last week.

At 5:15 p.m. March 4, four people were inside Seymour Park at 6400 Riverside Blvd. when two men went up to them, according to an information bulletin from the Sacramento Police Department.

One man pulled out a handgun and demanded the victims empty their pockets. He took three cell phones and a brown Samsung digital camera, police said.

Both robbers fled on foot.

The armed man was described as an African American man who was 18 to 21 years old. The black revolver had several visible scratches, police said.

He was 6 feet tall and weighed 160 pounds. He had black hair, a black beard with a pointy goatee and his teeth was doubled up on the left side. He wore dark jeans and a dark jacket with an orange and white sweatshirt with skulls on it, authorities said.

The second suspect was an African American man who was 18 to 20 years old. He was 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighed 160 pounds. He wore dark jeans and a gray hooded sweatshirt pulled tight over his head.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police said officers arrested two people Wednesday night, one of whom had a loaded handgun and methamphetamine.

At 11:30 p.m., officers responded to a business at 3050 C Street about a person sitting in the bushes with a handgun. Two people were located walking away from the business southbound on C Street, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.

Souchiem Saeteurn, 21, of Redding was holding a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic handgun in his hand, police said. Methamphetamine was found in his pocket during a search, police said.

A 17-year-old boy was under the influence of a controlled substance and had possession of narcotic paraphernalia, police said.

Saeteurn was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a loaded firearm and possession of a controlled substance. He was booked into the Shasta County jail.

The boy was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance and taken to juvenile hall.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police arrested a 49-year-old man for allegedly dragging a woman by her hair Wednesday night.

At 9:22 p.m., two officers said they heard a woman being assaulted inside an apartment in the 200 block of Boulder Creek Drive. They went into the apartment and stopped Michael Edward Bogner of Redding from assaulting a 33-year-old woman, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.

Bogner was arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment, domestic violence and terrorist threats. He was booked at the Shasta County jail, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police arrested a 46-year-old woman Wednesday night who allegedly was angry about a rock-throwing incident and pointed a handgun at people.

At 10:17 p.m., officers responded to an apartment complex at 140 Masonic Ave. about a disturbance involving a person with a handgun, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.

People in the apartment complex pointed out Lynnette Robinson's apartment, indicating she was hiding inside, police said. Officers saw her coming out as they approached the apartment. Robinson and her roommate were detained, police said.

Robinson was angry over a rock-throwing incident and allegedly pointed a handgun at people in a threatening manner, telling them she was going to shoot them, police said.

Authorities said she had a loaded, stolen handgun and was drinking alcohol before the incident. Robinson was arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen firearm and criminal threats, police said.

She was booked into the Shasta County jail.

Her two children, ages 4 and 7, were taken into protective custody. Robinson's roommate was released, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities said Thursday that a student who was stabbed about 20 times this week at a college campus in Placerville was randomly attacked.

The incident occurred at 8:50 a.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of the Folsom Lake College's satellite campus in Placerville, according to Sgt. Bryan Golmitz of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators initially reported that the stabbing attack took place during a fight.

Matthew Raymond (photo left), 25, of Placerville allegedly used a kitchen knife to stab Samuel Knudson, 27. Both were students at the college, Golmitz said.

Raymond, who was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide, is being held in the El Dorado County jail Thursday. Investigators are looking to see if there are mental health issues involved, Golmitz said.

Knudson, of Coloma, was in fair condition Thursday at Sutter Roseville Medical Center, said Robin Montgomery, spokeswoman for Sutter Roseville.

From Kim Minugh:

Six Hiram Johnson High School students were hauled off to juvenile hall Wednesday morning after fighting on campus, police say.

The fight began about 8:30 a.m., said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong, and involved students who are part of rival gangs that have been feuding in recent days. Wednesday's fight erupted after "words were exchanged," Leong said.

Fight participants suffered minor injuries, Leong said.

All were taken to juvenile hall and booked on battery charges, he said.

Leong said one department police officer is assigned to Hiram Johnson High as a school resource officer, but other SROs came to the campus after the fight to deter further problems.

From Kim Minugh:

Two women were robbed at knifepoint Wednesday afternoon as they sat in a Downtown Plaza movie theater, according to police.

About 4:45 p.m., the two victims had just finished watching a movie at the Century Theatres Downtown Plaza location when two female suspects sat down beside them and demanded money, according to a Sacramento police report.

When the victims refused, one of the suspects pulled a knife from her pocket, police report states. The victims gave up a video camera and some cash.

The first suspect, who had the knife, was described to police as an African American woman about 24 or 25 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 130 pounds. She had black hair that was in a single braid, and she had a piercing over her right eye, according to the report.

The second suspect was described as an African American woman also about 24 or 25 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing about 180 pounds. Her hair was in a ponytail, the report states.

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking Malcolm Drisdon on a felony $40,000 bail arrest warrant for grand theft, attempt theft of personal property and burglary, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Drisdon is described as age 42, 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 140 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, authorities said.

Anyone with information about Drisdon 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 arrested a 60-year-old Auburn man who allegedly was beating a woman in the front yard of his home Tuesday night.

At 9:40 p.m., the Placer County Sheriff's Department received a call from a man visiting friends on Shaunsetta Court. The man reported that Bryan Standish Woodhouse had confronted him with a large knife in his hand and had scratched his face with his fingernails, Dena Erwin, spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Department, said in a press release.

When deputies arrived, Woodhouse was sitting on top of a woman and hitting her on the head, Erwin said. He had a large knife in his other hand, she said.

Deputies drew their weapons and ordered him to stop. Woodhouse threw the knife aside and started to enter his home, Erwin said. A deputy ran wrestled him to the ground, she said.

Woodhouse was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a weapon, domestic violence, battery and resisting arrest. He is being held on no bail, Erwin said.

The woman's condition is unknown. She was taken by ambulance for medical treatment, authorities said.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police said the warning period for red-light cameras at the intersection of Pine and Tehama streets ends Thursday.

Red light cameras were activated on Feb. 10 at the intersection, which has had a high number of violations and serious broadside collisions over the years, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.

The warning period ends at 12:01 a.m. Thursday so citations will be issued to violators.

More information can be found by going to www.reddingpolice.org and click on the red light camera link.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested two 15-year-old Elk Grove boys for allegedly stealing a bike from a garage.

The incident was at 4:54 p.m. Tuesday in the 9000 block of Paso Robles Way. A witness saw the first boy enter a garage and steal a bicycle, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

The first boy met up with the other and they both rode off on the stolen bike. Officers located and detained both boys, police said.

The first boy was arrested on suspicion of burglary, while the second was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property. Both were taken to juvenile hall, police said.

From Andy Furillo:

The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office is now taking applications for its ninth annual Citizens Academy, a 10-week course designed to promote a better understanding of the local criminal justice system.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and the Sacramento Police Department also are partners in the program formed in 2002 by District Attorney Jan Scully and sponsored by her office.

Applications will be taken through March 27 for the course that begins April 14. The classes begin at 6 p.m. and run through 8:30 p.m. Sheriff John McGinness and Police Chief Rick Braziel will join Scully on the opening night of the course.

Defense attorneys and community groups also participate in the program.

To enroll, call Kelley Wilson at the DA's office at (916) 874-6722. For more information go to http://www.sacda.org/citizensacademy.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police said Wednesday that they don't believe foul play was involved in the disappearance of a 51-year-old man who was last seen dropping off his child off at school.

At 8 a.m. March 3, Kurt Anderson (photo left) of Sacramento dropped his child off at school and called his work to let them know he would be late. His last known location was on Highway 99 near Fruitridge Road, according to a press release.

Police said a surveillance video showed Anderson was at a grocery store after dropping off his child. He was trying to get money out of his account.

However, police are still looking for Anderson to conduct a welfare check.

Anderson is married and has three children. He was last seen driving a 2004 white Honda Accord (photo below) with a license plate of 5EBD206, police said.

He is described as a white man with green eyes who is 6 feet tall and weighs 215 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip by texting 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information.

From Niesha Lofing:

Roseville police are warning residents to be on the lookout for phony repairman who recently scammed an elderly woman and stole her safe.

Two men claiming to be repairmen came to the 89-year-old woman's home in the Sierra Gardens neighborhood between 4:45 and 5 p.m. Sunday, police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther said.

"They just told her that they were there to look for cracks in the ceiling," she said.

One of the men went inside the home while the other man talked with the woman inside the garage.

After the men left, the woman discovered that her safe was missing from a bedroom.

Inside the safe were some personal paperwork and other collectable items, Gunther said.

The woman is OK.

A neighbor noticed the truck and told officers that there may have been third suspect who waited outside in a new-looking red Chevy pickup truck with custom chrome rims. There also may have been flames painted on the side of the truck.

The suspects were described as Hispanic and in their 20s or 30s. The pickup driver had a shaved head, stocky build and smoked a cigar, Gunther said. The other two suspects had medium builds and one wore a tan shirt, while the other wore a light-colored baseball cap.

The victim was not able to provide a detailed description of the men to police because of her age, Gunther said.

Roseville police investigated a similar scam a couple of months ago.

In that case, bogus repairmen targeted a 75-year-old man, telling him his roof might be leaking and his ceilings needed to be checked and stole cash from the man's wallet, which was on a table.

Typically, however, the scam artists "don't hit a whole lot of places because they move on to other cities," in an effort to avoid capture, Gunther said.

Gunther said residents should be wary of people who come to homes and claim to be repair workers, especially when they haven't been called.

"A repairman should have ID, a contractor's license number and a reputable worker will not pressure you to have the work done immediately or pay with cash," she said. "They'll give you time to check their credentials."

Utility workers should always have ID from their company and residents should be able to call the utility company to verify that the worker is legitimate, she said.

Police also caution against letting strangers in your home and hiring "drive-by" repair workers.

Scam artists also have targeted the elderly in Sacramento in the past, but police haven't had any cases recently, Sacramento Police Department spokesman Officer Konrad Von Schoech said.

In June, two men claiming to work for the "water department" went to an apartment in the Lemon Hill neighborhood and asked residents for a glass of water so they could inspect it. The men asked the residents to go outside and turn on the garden hose and while the residents were busy, the men ransacked the apartments, stealing cash.

Schoech said the elderly seem to be targeted more because they tend to question things less.

"The elderly seem to be a little more trusting," he said. "Especially when someone comes to their door in uniform or with official looking clothing."

From Niesha Lofing:

A Woodland woman is spending the day after her birthday in jail after allegedly stabbing her domestic partner during a fight early this morning.

Woodland police were called at 3 a.m. to an apartment at 435 Community Lane on a report of a woman threatening her partner with a knife, police Sgt. Frank Ritter said.

When officers arrived, they found a woman with multiple visible injuries, including a non-life threatening stab wound to her hand.

Cynthia Faulk, 21, was arrested on suspicion of domestic battery and assault with a deadly weapon, he said.

Faulk is being held on $20,000 bail in Yolo County Jail in Woodland, a jail staff member said.

The victim was taken to Woodland Memorial Hospital for treatment and released, Ritter said.

"She should be OK," he said.

Police are investigating the incident and asking that anyone with information call officers at (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800. Callers may remain anonymous.

From Niesha Lofing:

The man killed in a fiery two-vehicle crash Monday night in Yolo County has been identified as Jose Jesus Mora Martinez, 65, of Sacramento.

Robert LaBrash, Yolo County's chief deputy coroner, said cause of death remains under investigation.

The crash occurred on Old River Road about 7:15 p.m. just south of County Road 126 and west of the Sacramento River, said Robert Lagomarsino, a California Highway Patrol officer.

Witnesses said a 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck, driven by Martinez, speeding south on Old River Road, failed to negotiate a curve, Lagomarsino said.

The vehicle went onto the shoulder and spun toward the northbound lane and into the path of a 1996 Toyota Corolla carrying four people, including two babies.

The driver of the Toyota was John Ostergaard Jensen, 25, of Woodland. His passengers were Adrienne Day, 24, a 1-year-old girl and a 3-month-old, Lagomarsino said.

Ostergaard Jensen braked when he saw the out-of-control vehicle but struck the truck's right side, causing it to flip onto its roof and burn, killing Martinez.

The Toyota also caught fire, but all four people inside escaped. Ostergaard Jensen and Day complained of pain, and Day suffered an abrasion to her shoulder. The two children suffered minor injuries.

From Niesha Lofing:

A Sacramento man is in jail this morning after allegedly stabbing two people in Galt Monday night.

Galt police were called at 9:18 p.m. Monday to the 700 block of Elm Avenue on a report of a stabbing.

The victims told officers that a man had caused a disturbance earlier that night and was run off by several neighbors. The man came back about 9:18 p.m. with a second person and approached a resident on Elm Avenue, police said in a news release.

The resident yelled and a second neighbor ran out to help him.

The man allegedly took out two knives and stabbed the first resident, then during the fight stabbed the neighbor.

The alleged assailant and the person with him fled the area.

One of the victims was treated at a local hospital and released and the other suffered minor injuries, the release states.

Officers searched the area and arrested the man suspected of stabbing the residents, police said.

Stanleon Kimbrough, 22, is being held on $15,000 bail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and exhibiting a deadly weapon in Sacramento County Main Jail, online jail information states.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Two men who robbed a Domino's Pizza at gunpoint in the Town and Country Village area remain on the loose this morning.

The men entered the Domino's about 10 p.m. Tuesday in the 3400 block of El Camino Avenue, demanded money from the register and fled, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said.

No one was injured in the robbery, officials said.

The men are described as heavy-set black men, about 6 feet tall and in their 20s. Both had bandannas over their faces and were last seen wearing jeans and black hooded sweatshirts.

From Sandy Louey:

The Nevada County Sheriff's Department is offering a way that citizens can view the calls for service that the department receives.

The online mapping software program allows users to select the information by area and date. The data for the site goes back to Nov. 1, 2008, according to a news release from the Sheriff's Department.

The site can be viewed by going to www.mynevadacounty.com/sheriff. Once on the site, go to online services then click on the crime mapping icon.

From Chelsea Phua:

Valentina Pristupa says she continues to pray to God for the safe return of her 18-year-old son, Roman.

She prays for a miracle - that authorities would find her son and his two friends, Bohdan Lytvynyuk, 16, and Alex Kaplinskiy, 17, alive, she said.

The Sacramento area teenage boys went missing near Nicolaus last Wednesday after their vehicle crashed into the Feather River in Sutter County.

The Sutter County Sheriff's Department continued its search Tuesday along a five-mile stretch of river downstream from the accident site, a sandy beach off of Garden Highway and Lee Road.

From dawn to dusk, a patrol boat crew combs the area with a depth-finder. On Tuesday, the searchers had help from a cadaver dog from the California Rescue Dog Association.

Capt. David Samson said citizen volunteers have also searched the riverbanks on horses.

Samson said authorities plan to continue the search efforts until the boys are found, which could take weeks.

"It's always frustrating when you're trying to find someone but haven't," Samson said. "But it's even more frustrating for the families."

Samson said the families have been very helpful.

"We are trying to do everything we can for them," Samson said.

Valentina Pristupa said her husband has been scouring the riverbanks for days.

"We are still waiting," she said.

From Sandy Louey:

Roseville police are looking for a man who likely was responsible for two interrupted burglaries Monday.

At 8:13 a.m., a resident in the 1800 block of Bottlebrush Circle heard scraping noises at her backyard window. She saw the window screen fall off her window and a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt standing outside, according to a news release from the Roseville Police Department.

She barricaded herself inside the home and used her cell phone to call for help. The man left without entering the home, police said.

The second incident was about an hour later and five miles away. At 9:25 a.m., a resident in the 2500 block of Tradewinds Drive heard a banging sound on the side of his home.

When he heard someone downstairs, he went down and found a man holding a crowbar, police said.

Police said the burglar ran out the front door. A witness saw the man get into the passenger's side of a silver compact sedan, which sped away toward Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard.

The person in the Tradewinds Drive incident was described as a clean-shaven African American, Latino or mixed-race man, 6 feet 1 inches tall with a medium build. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black jeans with red markings.

The burglar in the Bottlebrush Circle incident was described only as a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, but police said they believe he is the same man from the Tradewinds Drive attempted break-in.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police department's investigations unit at (916) 774-5070.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police arrested a 20-year-old woman who allegedly hit two people with her vehicle Monday night.

At 8:57 p.m., officers were called out to the 2500 block of Wyndham Lane about a disturbance call. Officers found Eden Edwards of Redding had allegedly struck Anthony Capucine, 31, and Rachella McMillan, 28, both of McCloud, with her vehicle, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.

Edwards had gotten into an argument with the pair, who had been visiting her and the argument spilled over into the driveway of the home, police said.

Edwards backed her vehicle out of her driveway and intentionally hit McMillan, police said. Capucine was also intentionally hit when he came to McMillan's assistance, police said.

McMillan's injuries were minor, while Capucine had significant injuries to his head and ribs, police said. Both were going to seek care at Shasta Regional Medical Center.

Edwards left the scene, but later went to the Redding police to provide a statement, police said. She was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and taken to the Shasta County jail, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested a 21-year-old Sacramento man in connection with a hit-and-run accident Monday.

The incident was at 4:04 p.m. at Elk Grove Florin Road and Williamson Drive. Ricco Thomas was involved in a collision and fled the scene in his vehicle, according to an Elk Grove police report.

Thomas eventually parked his vehicle a few blocks away and got out with his 6-month-old child, police said.

He then began jumping over fences with his child, police said. Officers said they detained Thomas, who they said was identified as the driver in the hit and run.

A records check revealed Thomas had an outstanding felony warrant, police said.

He was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run with injury, endangering the health of a child and the warrant, police said.

He was being held Tuesday on $20,000 bail, according to online records with the Sacramento County Main Jail.

Police said the child was released to the mother. The injuries in the collision were minor.

Sacramento Police Capt. Daniel Hahn shares updated Natomas crime news with residents via Robslist, a listserv about crime in that area. He reports that Sgt. Lisa Hinz has detailed some tips to prevent residents from becoming burglary victims:

The Natomas area has recently seen an increase in property related crimes. The Police Department is seeking your assistance in reducing this problem in your neighborhood. Most importantly call the police if you happen to see any suspicious activity.

Secondly, you need to make your residence unattractive for the potential burglar. This can be accomplished by the following:

• Develop a relationship with your neighbors.

• Have plenty of lighting around the perimeter of your residence.

• Install a burglar alarm that rings inside/outside your residence.

• Turn on your alarm when you leave.

• Lock up your house when you are not home.

• Dogs are a good deterrent.

• Install screws in the track above the sliding door frame.

• Have solid doors with strong locks and strike plates at all entrances.

• Install door viewers with wide-angle lenses.

• Use deadbolt locks that extend at least one inch from the edge of the door.

• Use padlocks of hardened steel shackle with a double locking shackle at the toe and heal.

Remember to look for clues that someone may be casing your neighborhood. A stranger at your door asking for someone you don't know may be checking to see if someone is home. Don't open the door, but make sure they know someone is home.

Keep your hedges and trees trimmed away from your house.

If you're gone for extended periods don't make it obvious. Use timers on lights inside and outside the home. Stop the mail and the newspaper. Have a family member or friend keep an eye on your residence while you are away.

Keep your valuables in an unlikely place. Most burglars go directly to the bedroom.

For more detailed information please review crime prevention tips on www.sacpd.org.

From Loretta Kalb:

A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide this morning after allegedly stabbing another man during a fight at a college campus in El Dorado County, authorities said.

The victim was identified as Samuel Knudson, 27, of Cool. Knudson, a student, was taken by helicopter to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with multiple stab wounds to his torso, head, neck and arm. His condition was not available late Tuesday.

The suspect, identified as Matthew Raymond (left photo) of Placerville, also is a student at Folsom Lake College's satellite campus in Placerville, said Sgt. Bryan Golmitz, an El Dorado County Sheriff's spokesman.

The 8:50 a.m. stabbing occurred in a staff parking lot on the north side of the campus at 6699 Campus Drive near a two-story classroom building, said campus spokesman Scott Crow.

Golmitz said a teacher driving into the parking saw the fight and grabbed or kicked away the knife.

"The suspect came back and re-attacked the victim with the knife," Golmitz said.

Three passers-by subdued the attacker until help arrived.

Golmitz said the motive for the fight is not yet known.

From Niesha Lofing:

Police have linked two alleged thieves who rammed an officer's patrol car head-on this morning with six vehicle burglaries in a Rocklin neighborhood.

A resident called 911 about 3:19 a.m. and reported seeing two people rifling through a parked car on the 5900 block of Tanus Circle, Rocklin police Lt. Lon Milka said.

As officers responded to the area, a Lexus sedan with its lights off was heading in the opposite direction.

"In order to avoid capture, it rammed into one of our patrol cars head-on," Milka said.

The two men in the stolen Lexus got out and ran in opposite directions.

Officers, with the help of K-9 units and other agencies, found the driver and arrested him.

Damien Joseph Galpren (left photo), 19, is being held in lieu of $60,000 bail in Placer County Jail in Auburn on suspicion of assault on a peace officer, car theft, receiving stolen property, drunken driving and burglary.

The second suspect has not been caught.

The officer involved in the collision was taken to a local hospital for treatment. His injuries were not life-threatening.

Milka said the officer will undergo more X-rays today.

The airbag in his patrol car deployed during the crash, Milka said.

The officer's identity has not been released.

Milka said the two men are thought to be responsible for at least six other vehicle break-ins in the neighborhood.

"They were out doing that for quite a period of time," he said.

Police are searching for the second suspect, described as a white male in his early 20s, about 5-foot-10, and possibly suffering from a head injury.

"It looked like his head may have impacted the windshield," Milka said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Rocklin police at (916) 625-5400.

From Niesha Lofing:

Police are looking for information about an armed robbery at a Citrus Heights restaurant.

A woman employee of Black Angus was taking a break outside the restaurant about 9:21 p.m. Saturday when a man with a bandanna over his face approached her with a gun and demanded money, a Citrus Heights police news release states.

When the woman refused, the man struck her with the gun several times and attempted to take money from her apron.

The woman was did not give up her money, the assailant fled in a white vehicle with a license plate beginning with 5HW.

The victim declined medical treatment.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call police at (916) 727-5500.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police are investigating a two-car collision Monday in which a 77-year-old woman died.

At 11:20 a.m., police responded to an accident at South Market and Grange streets involving a 2005 Ford Taurus and a 1988 Jeep Cherokee, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.

The Ford Taurus made a left turn from northbound South Market to westbound Grange in front of the Jeep Cherokee, which was headed south on South Market, police said.

The driver of the Jeep Cherokee didn't see the Ford Taurus cross into his path until just before the collision, police said. The Jeep Cherokee collided with the right side of the Ford Taurus, police said.

The passenger in the Ford Taurus, Vivian Lee Lewis, sustained major injuries from the accident. She was taken to Mercy Hospital for her injuries, where she died, police said.

The two drivers and Lewis were wearing seatbelts. The accident is under investigation and anyone who may have witnessed it is asked to call the police's traffic unit at (530) 225-4230.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

Roseville police arrested a 17-year-old Sacramento boy after he allegedly tried to run down a police officer and rammed into another person's car Friday night while escaping arrest after a drug deal, a Police Department spokeswoman said.

At about 6:41 p.m. on March 6, Roseville police detectives said they saw a drug transaction going down in the parking lot of the Walgreen's store at the corner of Foothills and Junction boulevards, according to a press release.

When they approached the group, the 17-year-old, who was at the wheel of a Lincoln sedan, gunned the engine and drove at one of the officers, who had to dive out of the way to avoid being hit, according to a police spokeswoman.

The officer suffered minor injuries. He was treated and released at a local hospital, she said.

As the boy drove through the parking lot, he hit another car that was also trying to exit the lot and rammed it repeatedly until he'd moved it out of his way, she said. The driver of the rammed car complained of back pain and was treated by paramedics at the scene. He declined transport to a hospital, the spokeswoman said.

The Lincoln sped through a nearby neighborhood until its passengers bailed out at the corner of Springfield Drive and Sawtell Road, police said. The driver was arrested a few blocks away on suspicion of attempted murder, police said.

A 16-year old passenger was arrested on nearby Kingswood Drive, police said. He was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and possession of ecstasy for sale.

Two others were arrested in the parking lot of the Walgreen's. They were Timothy Alan Scanlon (photo left), 18, of Sacramento and Cody Allen Youngblood (photo right), 18, of Roseville, police said. Both were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to sell ecstasy. Youngblood was also arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police are investigating a shooting that injured two people Friday night.

Around 11:47 p.m., police were called to Timkir and Frank Greg ways and found an 18-year-old girl who had been hit in the buttocks, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

Paramedics also responded to the Shell gas station at Elk Grove Boulevard and Auto Center Drive about a 17-year-old girl who had a gunshot wound to the back.

The 17-year-old girl also was in the area of Timkir and Frank Greg when she was shot, police said. Both girls were taken to the hospital for injuries that were not life threatening, police said.

The girls were outside a party being held at the 10200 block of Frank Greg Way when the shooting occurred, hitting both of them, said Officer Christopher Trim, spokesman for the Elk Grove Police Department.

Police said a home in the 6600 block of Timkir Way and an unoccupied vehicle were also hit.

Trim said it is unclear if there were one or two shooters involved in the shooting, which took place on Timkir Way.

The first shooting suspect was described as an African American man from 18 to 20 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall with a slim build. He wore a black hooded jacket with dark baggy pants.

The second suspect was described as an African American man who was 18 to 20 years old who wore dark clothing.

Police said the suspects fled in an unidentified vehicle.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police arrested a 16-year-old Sacramento boy who allegedly placed a loaded handgun outside the Strikes Family Entertainment Center Saturday night.

At 11:44 p.m., security at the center, 3443 Laguna Blvd., spotted the boy walking near an electrical box at the east end of the parking lot. The boy placed something on the ground then walked back towards the entrance, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

The object was a loaded handgun, which police officers secured. Strike security directed officers towards the boy, who was a passenger in a vehicle leaving the parking lot, police said.

Officers stopped the vehicle and detained the boy, whom security positively identified. A search of the vehicle found a box of ammunition matching the ammunition in the handgun, police said.

The boy was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed firearm, carrying a loaded concealable firearm on person, in vehicle or in public place and participating in a criminal street gang. He was taken to juvenile hall.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police are investigating a stabbing at a restaurant Sunday.

At 1:38 a.m., police were called to the El Delicioso Restaurant at 1647 Hartnell Ave. about a disturbance. Several people had been in a physical fight, with one of them stabbing a 39-year-old Anderson man in the abdomen with a knife, according to a press release.

The suspect fled in a dark-colored, new model Scion sports utility vehicle.

The Anderson man was taken to Mercy Medical Center for treatment. His injuries didn't appear to be life threatening, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (530) 225-4200.

From Sandy Louey:

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified a man killed in a single-car accident Monday as 55-year-old Ricky Gilmore of Elk Grove.

At 10:25 p.m. Sunday, the Elk Grove Police Department were called to the accident on Whitelock Parkway just west of Big Horn Boulevard, according to a press release.

Officers found an overturned black 1997 Mercedes on Whitelock. Gilmore died at the scene, police said.

The vehicle was traveling east on Whitelock when it crossed over the center median into the westbound lanes for an unknown reason. Gilmore lost control of his vehicle then collided with several fixed objects before coming to rest upside down, police said.

From Bill Lindelof:

A stabbing at a Redding trailer park has resulted in a man's arrest on suspicion of attempted murder.

Redding Police officers called to the Shady Acres Mobile Home Park, 5812 Cedars Road, at 4:35 p.m. Sunday found 19-year-old Redding resident Anthony Wade Varela suffering from a stab wound in his neck.

Officers learned that Varela was stabbed during an argument with a man identified as Thomas Crossland, 20, of Redding. Police say Crossland fled and was not found during a subsequent search

At about 6:30 p.m. Crossland's relatives drove him to the Shasta County Jail so he could surrender. He was booked into on suspicion of attempted murder, a news release states.

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking Perry Dean Pickett on a felony $100,000 bail arrest warrant for reportedly failing to register as a sex offender with a new address within five working days with prior offenses, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Pickett (left photo), who has the word "Lovely" tattooed on his chest, is described as age 46, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing 165 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, according to authorities.

Anyone with information about Pickett 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 Bill Lindelof and Niesha Lofing:

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department has identified one person involved in an alleged kidnapping that ended with a deputy shooting a suspect this morning.

Ronnie Rentie (left photo), 18, the suspect in the alleged kidnapping who was not hit by gunfire, has been arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, carjacking and conspiracy. He has been booked into Sacramento County Jail.

The injured suspect, whose identity has not been confirmed by deputies, is under arrest and is hospitalized. He is continuing to receive treatment for his wounds.

Once released from the hospital, he will be booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of kidnapping, carjacking, false imprisonment and conspiracy.

The suspect was shot after he ignored deputies' orders to surrender and began to flee for a second time, a department news release states. At the time, one of the deputies searching for the suspect had a "reasonable belief the suspect had committed a violent crime involving the threat of death or great bodily injury," the release states.

The deputy then fired his department-issued shotgun at the suspect to prevent his escape. A handgun was found where the suspect had been laying on the ground after being shot, a sheriff's spokesman said.

A series of incidents leading to the shooting began when deputies were called at 1:47 a.m. by a woman who said her boyfriend had been kidnapped at gunpoint. She said the man was taken by two other men driving a white Toyota Tercel, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran.

A deputy responding to the scene saw a vehicle matching the witness' description and stopped it near the intersection of Larchwood Court and Walnut Avenue.

One of the occupants identified himself as the victim of a kidnapping, Curran said, and was removed from the car.

More deputies arrived, but when they approached the vehicle, the two suspects ran away.

"The guy they pulled out of the car also told deputies that one of the men is armed with a large-caliber handgun," Curran said.

The 39-year-old Sacramento man was taken to a local hospital and is expected to survive.

The deputy, who is 40 years old and has been with the sheriff's department for 20 years, was placed on paid administrative leave, following department policy for officer-involved shootings.

The shooting will be investigated by the department's homicide unit, Internal Affairs and the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

Sheriff's deputies are not yet sure what may have prompted the kidnapping.

"The victim said he does not know the suspects and has never seen them before," Curran said.

From Sandy Louey and Andy Furillo:

A parolee who had been out of prison barely two weeks crashed his car into two other vehicles along the Capital City Freeway, then slugged a California Highway Patrol officer into unconsciousness before he was subdued with Taser guns Sunday, authorities said.

Andreas Tillman, 39, had been to prison three times since 2002 before his most recent release, all on convictions for driving under the influence, according to Sacramento County court records.

CHP officials said they received several calls around 12:55 p.m. Sunday of a reckless driver behind the wheel of a Mazda Tribute, swerving across all the lanes of the eastbound freeway south of Watt Avenue before rendering his car inoperable after colliding with the two other vehicles.

When they arrived, officers found Tillman and his father, Junius Andrus Tillman, 59, walking down the freeway with a pit bull, arguing with each other, CHP spokeswoman Lizz Dutton said.

The officers took the elder Tillman into custody. The younger man then ordered his dog to attack the officers. They responded by shooting him with a Taser, according to the CHP.

Unfazed by the jolt, Andreas Tillman pulled the prongs out of his body and then went after one of the officers and knocked him out, the CHP said. Several more officers who then arrived shot Tillman again with their Tasers and subdued him.

He was treated at Sutter Roseville hospital for a cut to the head and later was booked into the Sacramento County Jail on felony assault on an officer and other charges, Dutton said release.

The officer who Tillman struck was treated at a local hospital and released. Another CHP officer also was injured when he accidentally struck himself in the hand with the Taser device, the CHP said.

Tillman's mother, Terry Tillman Brown, said in an interview that her son is an Army veteran who served during Operation Desert Storm, the first Iraqi war. She said her son has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that he also suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Brown said her son had not slept in the two weeks since he was released from the Deuel Vocational Institute in Tracy, where he had been most recently incarcerated on a parole violation. She said he was driving from his grandmother's house in Oak Park to his own residence off Auburn Boulevard when he began his erratic driving spree.

She said he has talked about suicide and that the family had been trying to get him committed into a Veteran's Administration hospital.

"He was not in his right mind," Brown said.

From Sandy Louey:

The Redding Police Department and the Shasta County Sheriff's Department are holding a vehicle amnesty day March 21.

The effort is an attempt to reduce the number of vehicles abandoned on private property.

The free event will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pick-N-Pull at 19919 Viking Way in Redding. Anyone dropping off a vehicle will get a $50 gift certificate for any Pick-N-Pull.

Standard vehicles up to 18 feet will be accepted, but no boats, motor homes or trailers. No ownership documents will be required.

Free tows are available from Redding, Shasta Lake and Lakehead by calling (866) 520-9749.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police have arrested a 30-year-old man in connection with a hit-and-run accident that injured three people.

The incident took place at 6:16 p.m. Thursday at Cypress Avenue and Oxford Road. A Dodge Stratus headed east on Cypress made a left turn, colliding with a Buick Skylark traveling west on Cypress, according to a news release from the Redding Police Department.

The male driver of the Dodge fled the scene, parking the vehicle near Regal and Hartnell avenues before leaving on foot, police said.

The driver and two passengers in the Buick Skylark suffered minor injuries.

Shortly after the accident, a vehicle was reported stolen from the 2200 block of Oxford Road. Officers went there and found Raymond Rawls II hiding in the bathroom of his home, authorities said.

He told officers that he had been driving the vehicle at the time of the collision. He told his wife to call it in as stolen, police said.

Rawls was arrested on suspicion of felony hit and run causing injury, driving on a suspended license and on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant. He was booked into the Shasta County jail.

From: Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police are investigating a robbery in which a group of juveniles assaulted and chased two 13-year-old boys.

The incident took place at 6:25 p.m. Thursday at the Monterey Trail High School campus, 8661 Power Inn Road. The boys were walking on the campus when several juveniles approached them, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

A teenage boy took one of the 13-year-old's hat by force and assaulted him. The other 13-year-old was also assaulted and his property stolen, police said.

Police said the juveniles chased the boys into a residential neighborhood.

From Bee Staff:

A pharmacist has been arrested for allegedly stealing prescription painkiller medicine from a Sacramento County-operated pharmacy, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said Friday.

Marvin G. Gibson, 61, of Folsom (photo left) allegedly stole the medication while he was employed as a pharmacist at a the county's Primary Care Center Pharmacy in the 4600 block Broadway in Sacramento, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gordon Taylor said in a press release. Gibson surrendered at the DEA office on Friday, Taylor said.

"We are seeing an increasing trend of prescription drug abuse take hold across the country," Taylor said. "This case is a perfect example of how addiction to pain medications can affect people in all walks of life, even those working in the medical industry."

The DEA started the investigation in June 2008 with an audit of the pharmacy, Taylor said.

Investigators determined between August 2007 and January 2008, Gibson allegedly stole Hydrocodone on three occasions, Taylor said.

He said court documents show Gibson admitted to stealing approximately 60 Hydrocodone pills for his own personal use while working at the pharmacy.

Hydrocodone is commonly prescribed for moderate pain, Taylor said. Hydrocodone is one of the most frequently prescribed opiates, and the number one abused pharmaceutical drug in the United States, he said.

Hydrocodone is marketed, in its varying forms, under a number of trademarks, including Vicodin, Lorcet, Lortab and Norco, Taylor said.

The DEA's Sacramento office conducted the investigation with assistance from the Folsom Police Department and the California Board of Pharmacy, Taylor said.

By Andy Furillo:

Sacramento prosecutors have declined to refile charges against three men in the beating of a bicyclist in North Sacramento earlier this year.

A jury last month acquitted Andre Dwayne Stephens, 25, David Gallegos, 42, and his nephew, Mario Paul Gallegos, 21, on robbery charges. The panel hung up on felony battery charges against all three defendants and assault with a deadly weapon charges against the two Gallegos men.

They were accused in the beating of bicyclist Edward Iglesias on May 26. Two juveniles have admitted their guilt in the beating.

The case gained attention when Superior Court Judge Ronald W. Tochterman instructed the jury it could consider in its deliberations what he called the "bad attitude" of key prosecution witness Cheryl Fueston.

The judge said it was his impression that he overheard Fueston discussing her trial testimony with another witness, in violation of his admonitions. Fueston denied it.

For a previous story that details the case, click here.

From Kim Minugh:

Hazardous material crews are on scene at the central office of the Franchise Tax Board on Butterfield Way, according to authorities.

The office received an envelope today containing yellow powder that was burning through the envelope, said Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Capt. Christian Pebbles.

The tax board office is located at 9646 Butterfield Way, near Folsom Boulevard.

There were no reports of injuries.

Details were sketchy. Check back later for more information.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

If there are no homicides by 1 a.m. Saturday, the city of Sacramento will have recorded the longest stretch - 65 days - without a homicide since 1997. Even if there is a homicide in the meantime, the city is seeing extraordinary reduction in homicides.

The last recorded homicide for the Sacramento Police Department was Kyle Ray Smith, 20, who was shot and killed at a party in the 400 block of Camelia River Way, early in the morning on New Year's Day. Nicholas Moreno, 18, was arrested in connection with that killing on Feb. 21.

The 64-day record was set in June 1998 after Jesus Morales, 36, was shot and killed on the 3300 block of Ramona Avenue by Martin Vega, 30, according to coroner's data. Benjamin Carbajal, 22, died three days later from wounds sustained in the same shooting.

An examination of all homicides dating back to 1997 shows 2009 to be unusually slow as far as murder goes. On average, someone is killed in the city of Sacramento every 7.01 days, according to the data from the Sacramento County Coroner's Office examined by The Bee.

"It's a great thing," said Sgt. Norm Leong, Sacramento Police spokesman. "We can't explain it, but we'll take it."

It's not that Sacramento hasn't seen people hurt in violent crime in this period.

For example, three people were stabbed on the 3900 block of 12th Avenue on Feb. 26, but all recovered from their injuries. On Feb. 23, a man was shot in the leg after being robbed of less than $1 at Brookfield Drive and Franklin Boulevard, according to Sacramento Police. His wound was not life threatening.

Leong said the downtime was a good thing for the department's homicide squad.

"Hopefully, it'll continue through the year and allow us to work on some old cases," Leong said.

Sacramento police have reported arrests or the issuing of arrests warrants this year in at least two homicides from a year or more ago.

From Sandy Louey:

Authorities say what appeared to be pipebomb in Carmichael was a piece of scrap metal.

At 5:10 p.m. today, a call came in from the 5500 block of Robertson Avenue. A man reported finding what he thought was a pipebomb on the front lawn of his home, said Sgt. Tim Curran, spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

The bomb squad checked the item, which turned out to a piece of metal that was shaped like a pipebomb, said Capt. Christian Pebbles, spokesman for Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District

From Sandy Louey:

Truckee police have arrested an H&R Block tax preparer for allegedly stealing the tax refunds from two clients.

Valerie Crystal Guerrero, 31, of Sparks, Nev., worked as a tax preparer for H&R Block offices in Truckee and Reno, Sgt. Tim Hargrove of the Truckee Police Department said Thursday.

Two Truckee residents went to the H&R Block in Truckee to file their taxes for 2008 and found their tax returns had been filed without their knowledge, Hargrove said. Their refunds, which amounted to thousands of dollars, were issued as H&R Block prepaid debit cards in the victims' names, he said.

The investigation by Truckee police and the Northern Nevada Fraud Task Force into Guerrero began after the residents reported the crime to Truckee police in early January, Hargrove said.

Reno police arrested Guerrero Tuesday on a warrant issued out of the Nevada County District Attorney's Office for grand theft, embezzlement, and forgery of a credit card, Hargrove said.

Guerrero, who has since bailed out of the Washoe County jail, still works as a tax preparer for H&R Block, police said. It appeared that the victims weren't people she had prepared taxes for, Hargrove said.

Hargrove said the investigation is still ongoing and other potential victims have come forward.

Guerrero allegedly used the Truckee victims' prepaid debit cards at a 7-11 in Sparks on Jan. 29 and Feb. 1 without their consent or knowledge, said Sgt. Greta Woyciehowsky of the Sparks Police Department.

On Feb. 24, Sparks police arrested her on suspicion of two counts of burglary, two counts of fraudulent use of a credit card, possessing a credit card without the owner's consent and receiving property as a result of unlawfully using a credit card, Woyciehowsky said.

Anyone who may have used the H&R Block branches in Truckee or Reno and are concerned about their tax returns should check with their local Internal Revenue Service office to see if a tax return was fraudulently filed on their behalf, Hargrove said.

If they find a return has been fraudulently filed, they should contact their local law enforcement agency, he said.

From Sandy Louey:

A federal court judge sentenced a 35-year-old man Thursday to 3 1/2 years in prison over using re-encoded Starbucks gift cards to make cash withdrawals at a casino in Lincoln.

U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England also sentenced Claudiu Hotea of Riverside to five years of supervised release and $17,000 in restitution, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento.

Hotea was arrested on Jan. 25, 2006, for using Starbuck gift cards to make withdrawals from ATMs at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln. The cards apparently had been altered to function like ATM cards.

A jury found him guilty of bank fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft on April 4, 2008, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Hotea, who was on supervised release from a federal court sentence in Riverside at the time of the crime, may face up to two additional years in prison on top of the Sacramento sentencing, authorities said.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police said a fingerprint database helped crack a burglary case that was more than two years old.

The burglary took place Oct. 1, 2006 at a home in the 1300 block of Mountain Shadows Boulevard. Someone had forced open a kitchen window and stole items from the home, according to a news release from the Redding Police Department.

Several fingerprints from the burglary were lifted. The evidence was scanned into a statewide database maintained by the California Department of Justice. The database stores the fingerprints and automatically checks them as those of convicted criminals are entered, police said.

Redding police were notified in July 2008 that the database matched the prints from the burglary to Erin M. Reese, 26, of Redding. Reese, who was in state prison for theft related offenses at Chowchilla, was interviewed about the burglary in November 2008.

The Shasta County Superior Court issued an arrest warrant charging her with the residential burglary. The warrant was served on Reese in late February before her release from prison, police said.

Police said she was transported from Chowchilla to the Shasta County jail.

Reese was arrested on suspicion of burglary. She is being held on no bail, according to online jail records.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police said officers have arrested two Nevada men who led police on a chase at the Arden Fair mall.

At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, mall security called police about the men, who were driving a possible stolen vehicle. The vehicle was in the north parking lot behind Nordstrom, said Sgt. Norm Leong of the Sacramento Police Department.

When police arrived, the vehicle took off and a pursuit occurred in the parking lot. The vehicle rolled over after trying to navigate a turn.

The vehicle was stolen out of Nevada, Leong said.

Arden Fair's high-tech surveillance camera system, which can zoom in on a license plate, was used to help track the vehicle, Leong said.

Jose Dominguez, 29, and William David Glenn, 26, were arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy.

Dominguez was also arrested on suspicion of evading a police officer by driving in a reckless manner, according to Sacramento County online jail records.

Dominguez was being held on $25,000 bail Thursday, while Glenn was being held on $15,000 bail. Both are scheduled to be in court Friday.

From Sandy Louey:

The Grass Valley Fire Department will be receiving a grant that will help pay for high-tech software and new fire hose.

The $28,660 grant is scheduled to be presented at 9 a.m. Friday at the Fire Department, 213 Sierra College Drive in Grass Valley.

The money is coming from the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company. Networked Insurance Agents helped direct the grants to the Fire Department, according to a press release.

The Fire Department will use the money to buy software that stores pre-fire plans in mobile computers. The plans provide information such as building layout, construction type, utility shut-offs and hazardous materials that may be inside.

The grant will also be used to buy 2,200 feet of segmented 5-inch fire hose, replacing segments of hose that are 15 to 21 years old.

This is the third grant that the Fire Department has received from Fireman's Fund through Networked Insurance in recent years.

A $26,000 grant in May 2007 was used for special operations equipment, while $10,000 donated in June 2008 was used to buy nearly two dozen fire nozzles.

Since 2004, Fireman's Fund has provided grants to more than 1,100 fire departments totaling more than $21 million. The money is used for needed equipment, training and education tools.

Independent insurance agencies selling Fireman's Fund products direct the grants to support fire stations in their communities.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police have arrested a 38-year-old man for allegedly committing a lewd act in public while in his vehicle, according to information released Thursday.

At 4:55 p.m. Wednesday, officers from the Redding Police Department investigated a person parked in a vehicle on Collier Drive west of Shasta College, according to a press release.

The vehicle's occupant, Christopher Williams of Redding, was found committing a lewd act, police said. Pictures of a teenage girl were in his possession, police said.

William is on parole for theft with a prior conviction, police said.

Williams was arrested on suspicion of a lewd act in public, indecent exposure and violating parole, police said.

He is being held on no bail, according to online records from the Shasta County jail.

From Niesha Lofing:

Sacramento police will be on the lookout for drunken drivers Friday.

Officers plan to conduct a sobriety and drivers license checkpoint in the north area of the city, a police news release states.

Uniformed officers will check drivers for alcohol or drug impairment and also to ensure drivers have valid drivers licenses.

The checkpoint is funded through a grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

From Niesha Lofing:

Sacramento police plan to announce several news ways residents can relay crime tips and obtain criminal information.

Under new guidelines, citizens will be able to text message or use the Internet to give a anonymous tips to police through Crime Alert, a program to help law enforcement identify criminal suspects and reward people for information leading to arrests, a police news release states.

Residents have had to call in crime tips. Crime Alert's phone tip line also will remain available.

Police spokesman Officer Konrad Von Schoech said the text program will be run by a third-party company which will keep the text messenger's identity anonymous.

Comcast on Demand customers in Sacramento and surrounding communities will be able to view criminal suspect profiles 24 hours a day. The service will include information on how viewers who know something about the suspects can contact police anonymously, the release states.

Von Schoech said information such as suspect descriptions and photos will be available through the new feature.

"It'll also give you instructions on how to contact Crime Alert," he said.

Further details about the new Comcast service and additions to Crime Alert will be released at the news conference this afternoon at police headquarters on Freeport Boulevard.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police on Wednesday arrested a 30-year-old Ono man on suspicion of molesting two Redding children.

The Redding Police Department began investigating Ronald Winchester for the alleged molestation in August 2008. The Shasta County Superior Court issued an arrest warrant for Winchester on five counts of felony child molestation, Sgt. Bruce Bonner said in a news release.

The victims were known to Winchester, Bonner said.

Winchester turned himself in Wednesday after learning that officers were looking to arrest him on the warrant, police said.

Winchester was arrested on suspicion of lewd acts with a child 13 and younger and 9 and younger, according to online records with the Shasta County jail.

He was being held on $100,000 bail, online records show.

From Sandy Louey:

Woodland police are offering a way that residents can find out what crimes have been reported.

The Woodland Police Department has implemented an online crime mapping program on its Web site. The information is updated every 24 hours and a 90-day history of crimes can be reviewed, according to a news release from the department.

Fifteen different crimes, such as arson, assault, robbery and vandalism, are depicted by icons. The crimes displayed are incidents in which there is a case number.

The information provided includes date and time, a description of the crime and the block number of the incident, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police arrested a 23-year-old Anderson man Wednesday after a vehicle pursuit that lasted 25 minutes.

At 1:59 a.m. Wednesday, an officer tried to stop a Mercury sedan for an equipment violation in the area of Cypress Avenue and Interstate 5, according to a news release from the Redding Police Department.

The driver refused to yield, leading the officer on a pursuit that ended on southbound I-5 about a mile south of Hooker Creek Road in Tehama County. The pursuit reached a maximum speed of 80 mph, police said.

A spike strip forced the Mercury sedan to a safe stop. The Shasta County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol provided help, police said.

The driver of the sedan, Daniel Paul Morris, was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence, misdemeanor evading, driving under a suspended license and resisting arrest. He was booked at the Shasta County jail, police said.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police say they are searching for a man believed to be responsible for two bank robberies since Jan. 27.

The first robbery, reported about 5:45 p.m. Jan. 27, occurred at a Bank of America inside the Save Mart at 5600 Folsom Blvd, a Sacramento Police Department news release states. The suspect (left photo) demanded money from a teller, placing a white plastic bag on the counter. The suspect indicated he had a gun, though no weapon was seen, police said. The teller complied.

The suspect was described as a Hispanic man 25 to 30 years old, 5-foot-7 and weighing between 170 and 180 pounds, the release states. The man, who had a dark mustache and a goatee, was wearing a yellow-and-white baseball cap, a light-colored jacket, a blue plaid button-up shirt and white tennis shoes.

The next robbery occurred about 2:45 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Bank of America at 4740 Freeport Blvd., police reported. The suspect (right photo) demanded money from a teller and produced a white plastic bag. The teller filled the bag from the cash drawer, and the suspect left, police said.

In that robbery, the suspect was described as a Hispanic man, in his late 20s, 5-foot-10, about 200 pounds. He had black hair and a thin mustache and wore a black jacket and a black and white baseball hat with a cross emblem on the front. The logo might have been a West Coast Choppers logo, according to the release.

Anyone with information about the robberies, which police believe to be related, 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 Bill Lindelof:

In less than a week, workers at recycling centers at opposite ends of the county were shot in armed robberies - but Fred Ehly, who operates a redemption center off Marysville Boulevard, said he's not too scared.

"We are a target," Ehly said. "But I'm not worried. I've got this."

With that, he picked up a bullhorn and siren attachment he keeps on his desk. As the siren howled, he shouted: "Get down on the ground, now!"

Ehly is the longtime proprietor of Fred's California Recycling Center. He said he's broken up many fights at his place with his trusty Mega-mite bullhorn.

"They think it is the cops," he said. "They take off running."

Short of scaring robbers with a bullhorn, Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said there are several measures that recycling center workers can take for their protection.

Leong said recyclers should keep very little money on hand, shouldn't open a cash register in view of the public, and should not give customers their redemption money in a spot visible to street traffic.

The latest attack occurred at 9 a.m. Wednesday at a recycling center in south Sacramento in the 7600 block of Stockton Boulevard.

The Sheriff's Department said a worker in his early 20s was shot in the arm but his injury was not life-threatening.

Deputies said they could only provide a vague description of the suspect: an African American male in his 20s, 5-foot-9, wearing a black puffy coat.

Last Thursday, a female employee at a recycling center near a Citrus Heights bowling alley was shot four times in the arms and leg by a robber, Citrus Heights police said.

In that case, however, police arrested a man and his girlfriend as suspects in the shooting. They were described as being homeless.

Ehly said some recycling centers pay in cash, while others reimburse customers with a paper receipt that can be redeemed at a grocery store.

Ehly said he keeps very little money in the till so that there is meager cash for any robber to take.

"Another thing I got going for me is that I have the Police Department right down the street, and officers are driving by all the time," Ehly said. "And anybody who drives by can see right inside the bay doors of this place."

He said the economy may be causing people to do desperate things.

"You never know what's going to happen," Ehly said. "This place is the same as a gas station or a liquor store. If some jerk walks in with a gun, you are going to give them the money unless you want to get shot."

From Niesha Lofing:

A Loomis man is facing felony charges after allegedly trying to hit a Rocklin police officer with his car, leading the cop on a brief high-speed pursuit and slamming the vehicle into a tree.

A Rocklin officer spotted an erratic driver, later identified as Shane Robert Keller, 38, about 1 a.m. today near Granite and Sierra Meadows drives, police Lt. Lon Milka stated in a news release.

When the officer tried to stop the vehicle, it sped away, spun out and came to rest bumper-to-bumper with the officer's patrol car, Milka said.

The officer tried to contact the driver but had to jump out of the way to avoid being run over after the driver allegedly tried to speed away again, this time onto eastbound Interstate 80.

A five-mile pursuit ensued and lasted for about eight minutes, with speeds topping 80 mph on the wet freeway, Milka said.

The vehicle exited at Horseshoe Bar Road in Loomis, and the driver lost control of the car and struck a tree on the 7000 block of the road.

The vehicle caught fire, but officers on scene extinguished the blaze, he said.

Loomis firefighters extracted Keller from the car. He was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, treated and released.

He is being held in Placer County Main Jail in Auburn on suspicion of assault with deadly weapon and felony evading a police officer.

His bail has not been set.

Police are investigating whether alcohol played a role in the incident, Milka said in a phone interview.

California Department of Corrections' agents are seeking Ricardo Perez Ortiz on a felony no-bail arrest warrant for suspected parole violations and fleeing parole, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Ortiz (left photo) served prison time for grand theft, authorities said.

A transient also known as "Ricky," Ortiz is described as age 43, 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 175 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Ortiz 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 Stan Oklobdzija:

A case of nerves doomed a possible bank robber, authorities report.

At about 5 p.m. Feb. 24, a man walked into the Wells Fargo Bank on 9407 Madison Avenue in Orangevale, according to a report from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. The man stood in the middle of the lobby for about five minutes looking nervous, the report said.

The man's behavior started to worry the tellers, who all took the money in their drawers and locked it in a vault, the report said. Then, one teller called over to the man, who said he wanted to make a deposit. The teller asked the man for his Social Security number, at which point he fled the bank, according to the report.

The teller told police that the man had written something on a deposit slip and had kept the note with him the entire time, taking it with him when he fled, the report said.

The man is described as a white male between the ages of 35 and 45, standing about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing about 175 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes, the sheriff's department said.

From Stan Oklobdzija:

An alleged south Sacramento stickup artist received a little surprise in the stack of cash he reportedly stole from a local convenience store last week.

At about 12:30 a.m. Feb. 25, Anthony Jones, 20, entered a Circle K on Vintage Park Drive near Elk Grove-Florin Road and pulled a gun on the clerk, demanding money, according to a report from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

The clerk gave Jones the money in the register, along with an electronic tracking device, the report said. Jones fled into a car driven by Candice Bryant, 23, the report said. A short time later, deputies stopped the car and after a brief foot chase, arrested the duo.

Deputies recovered the money and Jones' gun, which turned out to be a BB pistol, according to the report.

From Sandy Louey:

A 42-year-old Sacramento man pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing gold coins stolen from the U.S. mail.

David Allen Gibson also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors said Gibson admitted that on Oct. 31 and Nov. 8 he pawned gold coins stolen from the U.S. mail. The coins were stolen Sept. 26 from a registered mail bag taken from a locked U.S. Postal Service truck.

The stolen mail bag contained sports memorabilia, cremated human remains and historic gold coins.

On Nov. 18 a search warrant was executed for Gibson's home. Gibson, who previously was convicted of robbery, was found to be in possession of a loaded .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol. Some of the stolen items were recovered, authorities said.

He faces a maximum of 15 years imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 when sentenced May 26. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case.

From Sandy Louey:

Folsom police on Tuesday released surveillance photos (below) of two men suspected of passing forged checks at a Smart & Final in Sacramento.

On Feb. 9, a man contacted police to report an unauthorized access on his checking account. Detectives learned that a check that he used to pay his housecleaning service was stolen from the cleaning service provider's car in December 2008, police said.

Police said the thieves used the account information from the check to access the victim's account and buy items at the Smart & Final at 1730 Watt Ave. on Dec. 16, 2008.

The two suspects are white men. One was in his late 40s to early 50s with short brown hair and a possible beard. He wore a black sweatshirt jacket, a black T-shirt and black pants, police said.

The second man was in his late 20s to mid-30s with short dark brown hair. He wore a black and red jacket, a black shirt and black sunglasses, authorities said.

Anyone with information is asked to call (916) 930-1098. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.

From Sandy Louey:

Folsom police have arrested an 18-year-old Folsom High School student who allegedly planned to sell marijuana-laced brownies to his classmates.

Around 12:30 p.m. Friday, a vice principal at Folsom High contacted police after being alerted by a student. The student indicated that Kevin Michael Droese (photo left) had made brownies laced with marijuana, Officer Michelle Beattie said in a news release Tuesday.

Police said Droese was going to sell the brownies at school. All the brownies that he was suspected of baking were recovered.

On Friday, Droese was arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale.

From Sandy Louey:

Rocklin police arrested a 42-year-old Roseville man Monday night who allegedly shot at his brother during a fight over money.

Around 9 p.m., police responded to 911 calls from Village Parkside Apartments at 3300 Parkside Drive about a fight between two brothers, said Rocklin Police Lt. Lon Milka said.

Steve Clark Reynolds had gone over to his older brother's home. The two fought over money and got into a physical fight. Reynolds allegedly pulled out a gun and fired a round at his brother and missed, Milka said.

When police arrived, Reynolds was seen leaving in a vehicle. He was pulled over a couple of blocks away and officers smelled alcohol on his breath, Milka said.

Reynolds was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, burglary, threatening to commit a crime, willful cruelty to a child and driving while under the influence.

From Sandy Louey:

Davis police have arrested a 33-year-old man for reaching under a woman's skirt as she walked in the downtown area. Police say he is a suspect in two similar sexual assaults last week.

Mario Reynosa, a Yolo County resident, was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of sexual battery in connection with an incident that took place early that morning, Davis Police Sgt. Paul Doroshov said Tuesday.

At 1:40 a.m. Sunday, Reynosa allegedly went up to a 23-year-old woman at 2nd and G streets from behind. He reached under her skirt and sexually assaulted her, Doroshov said.

Reynosa fled and within minutes was following a 21-year-old woman near the downtown area. He grabbed the woman by the arm. She yelled for help and some men walking by detained him until police arrived, police said.

Doroshov said Reynosa is a suspect in the two Feb. 26 attacks based on the similarity of the incidents and other evidence.

Both those victims were college-age women, with one incident reported at 2:30 a.m. in the 300 block of G Street. The second was shortly afterward in the 200 block of G Street, police said.

In both cases, a man approached the victims from behind and reached under their skirts.

Police believed that the man was targeting young women wearing skirts and who had been at restaurants and bars in downtown Davis.

From Sandy Louey:

Redding police have arrested two men for allegedly trying to steal an air compressor worth $1,500.

At 12:14 a.m. Tuesday, an officer saw a suspicious pickup truck along the 1200 block of Twin View Boulevard next to the Ramada Inn Motel, according to a news release from the Redding Police Department.

The officer's attention was diverted by a man who came out from behind a bush south of the motel and north of the neighboring Redding Harley-Davidson dealership. The man, David Bryon Brushett, 44, of Old Shasta, claimed to be the truck's owner, police said.

Brushett was found with tools including bolt cutters, wire cutters, a flashlight and several wrenches. The officer saw a man hiding in the cab of the truck, who was Daniel Dewayne Luster, 34, of Redding, authorities said.

More discarded tools were found where Brushett was first seen. Also found was a partially dismantled air compressor mounted along the north side of the Harley Davidson dealership, police said.

Brushett and Luster were arrested on suspicion of attempted grand theft and conspiracy. They were being held in the Shasta County jail Tuesday on $10,000 bail.

From Kim Minugh:

A 13-year-old girl reported that she was kidnapped and raped Monday evening in the Laguna Creek area, according to police.

The girl told police she had been walking through an apartment complex on Calvine Road about 6:30 p.m. when she was grabbed by two men, dragged to a car and driven to an unknown home in the Laguna Creek or Elk Grove area, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong.

The suspects raped her and then left, the girl told police. She then went to a family member's house, and police were notified.

The suspects are described as two African American male teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17, according to police. The girl told police both had dreadlocks, but that one suspect had dreadlocks with green tips.

The car was described as an early 1990s bright blue Oldsmobile, according to police.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward.

From Niesha Lofing:

Police are hoping to identify a man suspected of breaking into an auto repair shop by cutting through the wall of an adjoining business last month.

The burglary occurred about 6 p.m. Feb. 13 at Schatz and Krum, an automotive shop at 8460 Belvedere Ave., Sacramento police spokesman Officer Konrad Von Schoech said.

Schatz and Krum is an independent BMW and Porsche repair shop, according to the business' Web site.

Von Schoech said the suspect broke the window of an adjoining empty business, entered that building, then broke through a common wall.

Another suspect drove up in a U-Haul truck and backed the truck up to the automotive repair shop. The suspects stole about $30,000 in specialty tools, Von Schoech said.

"They just loaded them up and left," he said.

The main suspect (top right photo) is described as white, with dark hair and a receding hairline and last seen wearing a black jacket, gray pants and white shoes. He drove a gray 1996 to 1998 model Chevy Z-71 (top left photo) with a lumber rack on the back.

The U-Haul truck was described as having New Hampshire state plates and a distinctive graphic on the side of the truck.

Investigators are hoping surveillance photos of the main suspect taken at the shop may provide leads in the case.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or (800) 222-7463. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Andy Furillo:

Fresno County authorities have identified the Sacramento-area man slain in his cell at Pleasant Valley State Prison last week as 35-year-old Jason Shawn Cannon of Folsom.

The coroner's office said that Cannon died of a ligature strangulation. Sheriff's investigators identified Cannon's cellmate in the prison's administrative segregation unit, Marcus Faulk, 27, of San Bernardino County, as the suspect in the homicide.

Sacramento County court records show that Cannon has a criminal history that dates back at least to 1992. He was serving a 32-month sentence at the time of his death after pleading no contest in July 2007 to felony resisting arrest.

Cannon also had done prison time in the past for assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, receiving stolen property and drug convictions. He was accused of murder in 1993 but the charge was dismissed. He pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon in the same case, according to court records.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department robbery detectives are seeking information leading to the identity of the subjects responsible for a January home invasion robbery in Rancho Cordova, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

According to authorities, here's what transpired Jan. 11:

Two elderly residents living on Rhine River Court were victims of a home invasion robbery in which a wallet was stolen. Detectives said the victim's credit card was used at a Quik Stop convenience store on Antelope Road in Citrus Heights shortly after the robbery.

The store's surveillance camera captured images of the two subjects using the victim's credit card. They also matched the description of the robbery suspects.

One suspect (top left photos) is described as a white male adult in his 20s, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall with blond hair.

The second suspect (bottom left photos) is described as a white or Latino male in his 20s with short brown hair.

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:

Authorities are looking for a man (photo below) who robbed a Cameron Park bank this morning.

The man entered the Wells Fargo Bank at 3291 Coach Lane at 9:20 a.m. and verbally demanded money, said El Dorado County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Bryan Golmitz.

The man did not brandish a weapon or mention a weapon during the robbery.

He got away with "an undisclosed amount of cash," Golmitz said.

The man left the bank on foot.

Sheriff's deputies are working with the FBI to identify and locate the robber, who is described as white, in his 30s, last seen wearing a camouflage jacket and gray baseball cap.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police released surveillance photos Monday in hopes of finding people involved in two separate burglaries at the Sam's Club in Natomas.

On Feb. 11, a man and woman entered the store at 3671 North Freeway Blvd. and went directly to the computer section, according to a news release from the Sacramento Police Department.

They selected computer equipment and left through the back emergency exit. The pair fled in a waiting red four-door sedan with dark tinted rear windows and oxidized paint on the roof, police said.

One suspect was described as a black man (see photo below left and right) from 22 to 28 years old. He was 6 feet tall and weighed 225 pounds. He wore a white and black hat, a black T-shirt with white lettering, a black puffy jacket and black pants.

The second suspect was described as Latino woman (see photo below left) from 22 to 26 years old. She was 5 feet 8 inches tall with dark hair. She wore a red zip up sweatshirt.

The second burglary was Feb. 14 when a man (left photo) went into the store and took a 40-inch LCD TV. He left through the back emergency exit and placed the TV in a waiting vehicle. The vehicle was a 2-door white car, possibly a Honda Civic or Honda Accord with rear tinted windows, authorities said.

Police said the TV, which didn't fit entirely in the car, was hanging partially out of the passenger side door.

The burglary suspect was described as being a white man in his early 20s with short dark hair. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed between 170 to 180 pounds. He wore a dark hooded sweatshirt.

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

From Sandy Louey:

A Yreka girl, believed to have been taken from her home during an early morning burglary, was found Monday afternoon and her alleged abductor is in custody. The 911 call about her disappearance came in at 4:37 a.m. Monday, according to a news release from the Yreka Police Department.

An Amber Alert was issued and the search expanded statewide for the 3-year-old girl.

Her alleged abductor, Kody Kaplon, 22, of Hornbrook, attended a party at the girl's home the night before, police said.

About 2 p.m. Monday, Kaplon called Yreka police through the Amber Alert line and asked why they were looking for him. Authorities located him in Hornbook and arrested him on suspicion of kidnapping.

Kaplon was booked into the Siskiyou County jail, where he remained Monday night. Yreka police said the investigation revealed that Kaplon may have been in the remote Hawkinsville Humbug area west of Yreka.

Officers were dispatched to the area.

Shortly after 3 p.m., local residents found the girl, who was dirty and was not wearing any clothes, walking down a dirt road in mountainous terrain about 15 miles west of Yreka, police said.

A California Highway Patrol officer searching the area saw a Jeep approaching him with the girl. She was taken to Fairchild Medical Center in Yreka to be treated for minor injuries, authorities said.

Kaplon's vehicle was found in the general area as the girl, police said.

From Sandy Louey:

Sacramento police arrested a 24-year-old Anderson man Sunday who allegedly arranged to meet for sex with a 15-year-old girl whom he met on the Internet.

William Ambord was arrested on suspicion of contact of minor with intent to commit a sexual offense. The arrest took place at the Motel 6 at 1415 30th St. in Sacramento, said Officer Konrad Von Schoech, a spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department.

Rocklin police received information Saturday that the Rocklin girl was having Internet conversations with Ambord, who had traveled to Sacramento.

On Sunday, Rocklin police learned that Ambord allegedly had made arrangements to meet with the girl at the motel where he was staying. At the same time, Sacramento police received information about Ambord's location and details about the case were shared between the two departments, authorities said.

Von Schoech said the girl's mother contacted Sacramento police.

Ambord was being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail on Monday on $50,000. He is scheduled to be in court Tuesday.

From Sandy Louey:

Elk Grove police are looking for people who drove by a home and shot at a man over the weekend.

The incident took place at 9:41 p.m. Saturday when people in a four-door silver vehicle drove by a home in the 9200 block of Los Torres Drive. Several rounds were fired toward a 46-year-old man, according to a report from the Elk Grove Police Department.

Several rounds struck two parked vehicles, while one round struck the home. No suspect information was available, police said.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies have detained two men in the area of Auburn Boulevard and Manzanita Avenue after the two men fled from deputies, according to authorities.

Just before 9 a.m., a resident of Woodleigh Drive called the Sheriff's Department to report two men sitting in a parked car that the resident thought to be suspicious, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

When deputies arrived, the two occupants got out of the car and fled on foot, Curran said.

One of the men, a 22-year-old parolee, was detained on Woodcreek Drive; the other, a 27-year-old on probation, was detained near Auburn and Greenback Lane, Curran said.

Deputies searched the car and found a shotgun, Curran said. He did not know whether it was a legal firearm.

It is unclear whether either man will face charges, Curran said.

Sacramento Police Department robbery detectives are seeking information leading to the identity of the subject responsible for the Feb. 17 robbery of Bank of America at 4740 Freeport Blvd. in Sacramento, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

At 2:44 p.m. that day, the suspect entered the bank, approached a teller, produced a bag and demanded money. After receiving the money, the suspect fled.

According to authorities, the suspect is described as a Latino male in his late 20s, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds, wearing a black and white baseball cap with a iron cross-style emblem on the front and a black jacket.

Anyone with information about the suspect 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:

Three men are facing felony charges today for allegedly assaulting and robbing a man in Citrus Heights last month.

Anthony Charles Rositani, 20, Thomas Michael Hoover, 22, and Marcus Oneal Kidd, 19, are scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. today in Sacramento Superior Court for their alleged roles in the incident.

Citrus Heights police said a man was walking near Sunrise Boulevard and Sunhill Drive about 1:50 a.m. Feb. 21 when three men grabbed him and pulled him into an adjacent parking lot.

The men punched and kicked the victim, stole his wallet and money and fled, a police news release states.

At 9 p.m. Thursday, police arrested Rositani, Hoover and Kidd at a business in the 7900 block of Arcadia Drive where they are reported to work.

Rositani is being held without bail on suspicion of felony robbery and assault and a warrant in Sacramento County Main Jail.

Hoover is being held on $60,000 bail on suspicion of felony robbery and assault in the jail.

Kidd is being held on $50,000 on suspicion of felony robbery in the jail.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the police watch commander at (916) 727-5522.

From Sandy Louey:

The Shasta County Sheriff's Department found $25,000 worth of stolen property during a search today.

At 9 a.m., the sheriff's department's major crimes unit served a search warrant at the Shea Sand and Gravel plant at 3119 Trade Way in Cottonwood, according to a news release from the sheriff's department.

Several pieces of stolen property valued at $25,000 were found. The items had been reported missing after residential burglaries in Shasta and Tehema counties, the sheriff's department said.

Curtis Olson, 45, works as a night watchman and lives on the plant. Det. Troy Clegg said Olson is suspected of being in possession of the stolen property.

Authorities said they plan to seek a warrant for Olson's arrest on the possession of stolen property charge.

Olson told deputies that another person brought over the stolen items to him and the investigation is ongoing, Clegg said.

No other worker associated with Shea Sand and Gravel is involved in the case, the sheriff's department said.

From Niesha Lofing:

An El Dorado Hills man wounded in what is believed to have been a murder-suicide this weekend has died of his injuries.

Sean Paul Rioux, 32, died at 10:55 a.m. Sunday of a gunshot wound to the head, a Sacramento County Coroner's official said this morning.

Rioux had been in critical condition at UC Davis Medical Center after the shooting Saturday night.

Residents of the Valley View Apartments at 2100 Valley View Parkway called 911 around 6:15 p.m. Saturday about gunshots, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies who responded found Cecilia Rivera, 27, of El Dorado Hills, who died at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds, a sheriff's news release states.

Deputies also found Rioux, Rivera's estranged husband, with a gunshot wound to his head, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Bryan Golmitz.

The shootings are believed to be an isolated incident between the couple, who had a history of domestic violence, Golmitz said.

The shooting was the first homicide of the year in El Dorado County.

From: Sandy Louey

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified a 70-year-old man who was killed while crossing a street in North Highlands Friday night.

The man who was hit by a car was Ronald Cummins of North Highlands, the coroner's office said.

Cummins was struck about 6:40 p.m. as he crossed Elverta Road outside of a crosswalk near Walerga Road, the California Highway Patrol said.

The CHP said the motorist driving westbound on Elverta Road didn't see the pedestrian.

From Sandy Louey

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is looking for a missing 69-year-old woman.

Mary Mangan was reported missing from the area of 4700 Florin Road around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the sheriff's department.

Mangan has dementia, heart and blood pressure problems and diabetes , and other health issues, the sheriff's department said.

She is described as a white woman who is 5 feet 11 inches tall and 195 pounds. Mangan has grey hair and blue eyes.

She was last seen wearing a yellow shirt with polka dots, brown slacks and white tennis shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's department or call 911.

From Sandy Louey:

Woodland police arrested a 23-year-old man after a car chase Saturday night.

Shortly after 9 o'clock, an officer tried to stop an older model sedan in the area of Woodland and Maryland avenues, but the driver took off, police said.

The pursuit ended at an apartment complex at 186 Muir St., according to a news release from the Woodland Police Department.

The driver ran from the vehicle, leaving two passengers behind, police said. Officers, with help from the California Highway Patrol, found their suspect about a block away.

A vehicle search found a small quantity of narcotics in the vehicle.

John Cobos, of Woodland, was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol with a suspended license, a misdemeanor warrant, possession of a controlled substance and evading police, authorities said.

The two passengers were determined to have no involvement and were released at the scene.