Sacto 9-1-1

From Li Lou:

Three off-duty Sacramento Police officers caught a suspected burglar who reportedly stole a video recorder and a tripod stand early Saturday from a building used by a golf course.

The officers were hitting golf balls at Haggin Oaks Golf Course about 1:30 a.m. Saturday after working a patrol swing shift, according to a news release by Sacramento Police Department.

Officers Chris Shippen, Luis Canela and Todd Culp met at the Haggin Oaks Golf Course, whose driving range operates 24 hours a day during summer. They had just purchased a bucket of golf balls and were standing next to the pay kiosk when a burglar alarm rang from nearby building, which is used by the golf course to study and analyze players' swings and overall performance, and houses golf clubs, video equipment, computers and other electronics.

The officers saw a man running out with a large object in his hands. They confirmed with the kiosk attendant that no one was supposed to be in the building and began to run after the man, who they suspected had just committed a burglary.

After a short pursuit, the officers caught up with the man and detained him. On-duty officers responded to assist.

The man later was identified as Nicholas Heiser (top left photo), 25. He was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of burglary and violation of probation charges.

From Hudson Sangree:

Sacramento police are looking for witnesses to an accident early today that killed a pedestrian near North 12th and Sitka streets, north of downtown.

At about 2 a.m., police were called to the area and found the victim, who had suffered fatal head injuries, lying near the light rail tracks. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement by police.

Police say a blue 2006 Dodge Stratus was traveling southbound on North 12th Street and struck the victim, who was crossing the street. He was thrown on to the light rail tracks.

Police say they contacted the driver at the scene and that alcohol did not appear to be a factor. Police did not identify the driver or the victim.

Investigators are asking anyone with information about the collision to call 808-3776.

Cops: Angry mom tries to drive son's car - while it's being towed

Bee Staff

As Sacramento County sheriff's deputies tell it, a mother was so enraged that her son was being arrested for DUI and his vehicle towed, that she jumped into the car and tried to start it - while it was hooked to the tow truck.

Here's how deputies said the incident transpired earlier this month:

At about 11 p.m. Aug. 20 at Ellenwood Avenue and Routier Road, a tow truck driver had hooked up the son's vehicle when the mother burst onto the scene, shoved the tow truck driver aside and jumped into the vehicle and tried to start it.

She refused to exit the vehicle and continued to try and start it, an officer tried to grab her. She hit and kicked the officer.

Pepper spry failed to subdue her and she ended up on the sidewalk gutter fighting with the officer for about three minutes until more officers arrived. One officer sustained minor injuries.

Lyubov Gaponova, 37, was booked into jail, the summary states. Sacramento Superior Court records show she faces a felony charge of resisting or deterring an officer.

Bee Staff

Woodland police are looking for a robbery suspect who dragged his victim for nearly a mile as the man hung onto the getaway vehicle's steering wheel.

A Police Department news release gave this account:

At about 7:41 a.m. Saturday, officers answered a call of a hit-and-run in the area of Court Street and Ashley Avenue. There they found a 23-year-old man with abrasions on his body who said he had been robbed at the Big Lots Store near Court and West Streets.

As the robber tried to flee in a vehicle, the victim said he grabbed the steering wheel through the driver's window and was dragged from the Big Lots Store to Court Street and to Ashley Avenue before being dislodged.

The victim was taken to UC Davis Medical Center.

Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call the police at (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800. Callers can remain anonymous.

Bee Staff

A blind woman waiting for a bus was beaten and her purse stolen, but a suspect was arrested shortly after the assault, according to Sacramento police.

The victim was knocked unconscious in the attack at about 5:10 p.m. Friday in the 2500 block of Franklin Boulevard, police said.

The 50-year-old blind victim was sitting at the bus stop waiting for the bus when a suspect came up from behind her and struck her in the head with a large log, police said.

A passer-by witnessed the attack and followed the suspect as he continued east on Second Avenue, police said.

The witness led officers to the suspect. Joseph Webb, 39, was arrested.

Bee Staff

If they gave golf-like handicaps for crime-fighting, several Sacramento Police Department officers would be ready for the Masters Tournament of Crime Fighting.

The officers were "enjoying a few hacks at the driving range after finishing their shift" about 1:30 a.m. Friday in the 3600 block of Fulton Avenue, according to a crime report, when they heard a burglar alarm.

They spotted a subject from the pro shop area. The off-duty cops chased and caught the suspect, who was found to be carrying a video camera and tripod from the pro shop. The shop's window was broken.

The suspect was arrested.

Bee Staff

Woodland police are looking for witnesses to a vehicle-pedestrian accident that happened late Friday night around East Street and Lemen Avenue.

The pedestrian suffered an apparent head injury, according to a news release. The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene and was calling 911 to report the accident when officers arrived.

The injured man was taken to UC Davis Medical Center. His identity and the extent of his injuries were not available, the release states.

The driver of the vehicle, a 28-year-old Woodland resident, was questioned and released.

If anyone was a witness to this collision, or has any information about this event, contact the Woodland Police Department at (530) 661-17800, or dispatch at (530) 666-2411.

Bee Staff

The West Sacramento Police Department is accepting applications for its first citizens' academy, where participants will be introduced to the wide variety of police work, according to a news release.

The eight-class academy begins on Sept. 24, in the West Sacramento Police Department's Community Room, 550 Jefferson Blvd. Classes will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning at 6 p.m. and ending at approximately 9 p.m., the release states.

To qualify, participants must be at least 18 years old, live or work in West Sacramento and have no felony convictions.

To apply, e-mail Martha Griffin, administrative aide at marthag@cityofwestsacramento.org or (916) 617-4921. Deadline to apply is Sept. 14.

Bee Staff

Robert Bencomo, 47, and his 9-year-old nephew, who had been reported as at-risk missing persons, returned home Friday after their canoeing trip, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

A miscommunication regarding the duration of the trip led to the young boy's mother reporting them missing, a sheriff's spokesman said.

From Li Lou

A 25-year-old Roseville man was arrested Friday by a local-federal task force child-pornography charges.

Detectives with the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children took Yevgeniy Igorevich Maslov in custody at his home, according to a news release.

Maslov was identified in December 2008 by the task force's detectives as having received child pornography over the Internet, the release states.

During a federal search of the suspect's residence on Feb. 3, Maslov's computer was seized, the release states.

An examination of the computer showed Maslov has received hundreds of photographs and videos depicting child pornography, the release states.

On Thursday, a federal grand jury handed down an indictment charging Maslov with possession of child pornography, the release states.

The task force, founded in 1998 and managed by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to online enticement and child pornography cases, the release states.

Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department is asking the public's help in identifying a man responsible for a smash-and-grab convenience store burglary where cigarettes were the loot.

On July 11 at about 1:56 a.m., the suspect used a rock to break the front window of the convenience store located at 402 12th St., according to a Police Department news release.

He then entered the store and stole several packs of cigarettes before fleeing on foot (see photo), the release states.

He is described as a black male in his 50s, with salt and pepper colored hair. He was wearing a white tank top with a dark short sleeve shirt and dark pants.

Anyone with information is asked to call (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Chelsea Phua

A 31-year-old Sacramento woman died in a traffic collision Thursday evening that police say they believe was caused by reckless driving.

Authorities say they are also looking for the driver of a red pick-up truck who was involved in the crash and may know the victim, who was identified as Renee A. Hines.

Sacramento police investigators said they believe that Hines, who was driving a white van, and the pick-up truck were driving recklessly and "at speeds unsafe for traffic conditions" on westbound Fruitridge Road shortly before 5:10 p.m.

As they approached 62nd Street, the white van collided with a car that was stopped at the red light at the intersection, police said.

The collision caused Hines to lose control and flip over. She was partially ejected from the van and suffered major injuries. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene, authorities said.

Investigators said the van had been reported stolen out of Sacramento and at the time of the collision, Hines was driving on a suspended license and had an active misdemeanor no-bail warrant.

Police are urging the driver of the red pick-up truck to come forward to help find out what led to the crash.

Anyone with information is asked to call (916) 808-3776. Callers can remain anonymous.

From Hudson Sangree:

Woodland police have arrested a suspect in a 2007 church break-in that netted the thief $20,000 in cash and checks.

Jose Luis Rangel, 62, was arrested at his Woodland home Wednesday on two counts of burglary and one count of safe cracking, Sgt. Dan Letamendi wrote in a press statement.

On Nov. 26, 2007, the Rev. Terry Fulton of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Woodland found a broken window and an empty safe at the house of worship on Walnut Street.

It was just after the long Thanksgiving weekend, and the safe was filled with donations, Fulton said at the time.

Detectives say they believe Rangel broke in through a second-story window and used a cutting torch to open the safe, the statement states.

They searched Rangel's home shortly after the burglary and found evidence linking him to the crime.

Authorities have not said why it took 21 months to find and arrest the suspect.

Rangel was booked into the Monroe Detention Center and is being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, the statement shows.

From Andy Furillo

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided to rescind furloughs for the nearly 900 dispatchers who work in the California Highway Patrol's dispatch system that has been plagued this year by heavy declines in its response times, a gubernatorial spokeswoman said today.

Spokeswoman Rachel Cameron said the furloughs will be rescinded as of Sept. 1.

"The California Highway Patrol has been working very hard to manage furloughs operationally and we have been monitoring this very closely," Cameron said. "The governor decided he is not willing to take the risk of 911 calls not being answered and has exempted 911 CHP dispatchers effective Sept. 1."

The governor's decision follows reports in The Bee earlier this year that CHP dispatchers in centers that handle 75 percent of incoming 911 calls fail to meet national standards in answering the emergency requests within 10 seconds 90 percent of the time.

Assemblywoman Norma Torres, D-Pomona, who has sought to exempt the dispatchers from the furloughs, welcomed the governor's decision.

"Furloughing dispatchers never made sense," Torres, a Los Angeles police dispatcher herself who is on leave while in office, said in a written statement. "I have had months of discussions with officials in the Highway Patrol and the administration. I am happy that the people of California can count on improved emergency response and a greater degree of safety when there is an emergency."

Tina Brazil, president of the California Highway Patrol Public Safety Dispatchers Association, an affiliate of the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association, said in a prepared statement that "we will now be able to improve the performance of the 911 system."

Bee Staff

A Citrus Heights structure fire produced "raining fire" Thursday afternoon, hampering efforts to fight a structure blaze.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters quickly determined that multiple palm trees more than 50 feet tall were producing the rain of fire, according to a news release. Also complicating the fire battle was burning vegetation, fences, an outbuilding, a power pole and a propane tank, the release states.

A second alarm was called to keep the blaze from spreading.

Children from Grand Oaks Elementary School were sheltered in place due to the threat of an explosion from a propane tank, the release states.

It took 25 minutes to bring the fire under control. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians, the release states.

Cause of the fire is undetermined.

Bee Staff

The Placer County Sheriff's Department has identified the woman whose body was found in a Loomis park Thursday morning as Alyse Rachelle Conk, 21, originally from the Rocklin area.

Her body was found by a 16-year-old boy in the Loomis Basin Community Park at 10:40 a.m. Thursday, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

No foul play is suspected in her death, the release states.

It appeared that Conk had been camping in the park, the release states.

An autopsy will be performed today, the release states.

From Andy Furillo:

Two teenagers admitted in a videotaped interview with Sacramento police played in court today that they beat a 90-year-old woman to death during the course of a robbery of her North Sacramento house.

Daniel Alan Russell and Calvin Eugene Pearson said they used money from the fatal break-in to get "hella drunk" after they paid "a bum" $20 to buy them alcohol at the Shell station on Del Paso Boulevard. They said they also bought clothing. Russell said he had planned to use some of the cash to pay for a tattoo for his girlfriend.

The two are charged with the April 15, 2006, bludgeoning death of Marie Oliver in her home in the 2700 block of Ellen Street.

In the second day of their murder trial in Sacramento Superior Court, Deputy District Attorney Kevin Greene played a videotape of detectives' conversations with the two in an interview room at police headquarters on Freeport Boulevard. The camera also kept running and captured candid conversations between the two defendants when detectives walked out and left them alone.

"We doing at least a year, you know, knock on wood that we don't," Russell told Pearson in the videotape that was taken three days after Oliver's death.

Russell said both the defendants used Oliver's cane to beat her to death. Pearson said he didn't remember using the cane, but he admitted to holding her down during the break-in while his partner ransacked the residence.

"He hit her a couple of times, I hit her a couple of times," Russell said.

Russell said he grabbed Oliver and threw her to the ground when the two broke into the victim's house.

Russell said they beat Oliver because she resisted them and at times kicked at them while they had her pinned on the ground.

"And she started fighting with us and stuff," he said. "Then we started like hitting her and stuff, trying to get her to stop."

Asked if Russell's recollection was correct, Pearson replied, "Kind of, like what, yeah."

Russell, now 18 years old, and Pearson, also 18, were both 16 at the time of the attack.

The two defendants at time are seen on the tape laughing and appear to be preoccupied with the crime's consequences.

"How long do you think we're going to do for this?" Pearson asked detectives at one point.

Asked by investigators what the defendants thought the sentence should be, Pearson replied, "Anything, but not no CYA (California Youth Authority)." They both also said they did not think they deserved time in adult prison.

Two county DNA experts testified today that the victim's blood was found on the defendants' shoes while Russell's genetic material was discovered on gloves left in Oliver's house.

Footprints lifted from the house also showed strong similarities, if not outright matches, to the defendants' footwear. In the interview, Pearson said the detectives had offered to show him pictures of the footprints to get him to talk.

"I was planning on wearing my brother's black Reeboks, too, fool," Pearson said.

"We should have been smarter about it," Russell replied. "Man, I knew I should have been smarter about it."

From Bill Lindelof

Jaycee Lee Dugard, an 11-year-old girl abducted from her South Lake Tahoe home in 1991, has been found alive in the Bay Area and two people reportedly have been detained in connection with the case.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office this morning confirmed the identity of the 29-year-old woman who walked into a Bay Area police station claiming to be Dugard.

Further, in an extraordinary sequence of events today, federal and local law agencies renewed their focus on the 18-year-old mystery surrounding what happened to the blond, blue-eyed girl who was abducted while walking to school June 10, 1991.

Reports out of the Bay Area indicated a man and a woman were in custody in Martinez and that a search warrant was being executed at a home in Antioch.

El Dorado County sheriff's officials were preparing to release details on the case at a 3 p.m. press conference, but the girl's stepfather confirmed to The Bee early today that Jaycee had resurfaced and was being reunited with her mother today.

Carl Probyn, Jaycee's stepfather, said his wife and daughter were flying to Northern California to meet Dugard and that his wife, Terry, spoke with the young woman by phone Wednesday night.

The Probyns, who are separated, live in Southern California, Carl in Orange County and Terry in Riverside. Terry Probyn and their daughter, Shayna, 19, boarded a 6 a.m. flight to the Bay Area to meet with Dugard, Carl Probyn said.

Probyn said he is elated.

"I'm just pleased that she is alive and well," said Probyn, a 60-year-old Orange County wallpaper contractor.

Probyn, who has yet to speak with his stepdaughter, said he believes suspects who might have been involved with the abduction are in custody.

Dugard's disappearance prompted a massive search, nationwide publicity and one of the largest police investigations in the region.

Dugard was on her way to school when authorities said she was pulled into a stranger's car just a block away from her South Lake Tahoe home.

Probyn said he heard her scream and saw a man and a woman drive his stepdaughter away in a gray two-tone sedan.

Despite several false sightings, Dugard was never seen again.

One person in the car was described as a 30-year-old woman with long, dark hair. Jaycee was last seen dressed in a pink windbreaker, white T-shirt and pink stretch pants.

The stepfather said Shayna Probyn called Wednesday about 4 p.m. and said, "Mom has something to say to you. Are you sitting down?"

His wife told him: "They found Jaycee. She is alive."

The couple then cried for about 10 minutes as they spoke to each other. Probyn said agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation called his wife at work and told her that they had Jaycee. Thinking it was a joke, she told the caller she did not appreciate what she thought was a ruse.

The FBI then put the young woman on the telephone.

"My wife said that who she spoke to remembers everything," Carl Probyn said. "My wife and Jaycee were joined at the hip."

He said he followed media accounts of a young woman walking into an Antioch police station and then was taken to the Concord Police station.

Probyn was the last person to see Jaycee on the day she disappeared. He took four lie detector tests and endured suspicion of involvement in the abduction for nearly two decades.

"The FBI put me through the wringer, being questioned and having people say the stepdad did something," he said. "I have been kind of the villain these past 18 years."

Probyn said he has always had a spotless record.

"I'm an Vietnam vet and have never spent a day in my life in jail," he said. "My last speeding ticket was in 1977."

Probyn said he eventually lost hope that they would ever see his stepdaughter alive.

"Then you pray that you get her body back so there is an ending," he said. "To have this happen where we get her back alive, and where she remembers things from the past, and to have people in custody is a triple win. It's like winning the Lotto."

Terry Probyn took a 6 a.m. flight to meet her daughter somewhere in Northern California. Carl Probyn said he wants his wife and their daughter, Shayna, to have time with Jaycee before he meets her again.

"It's a shock for Shayna to meet the half-sister she never knew," he said.

Probyn said that about three weeks ago, Shayna told him that two sheriff's deputies, presumably from El Dorado County, who work on cold cases, had visited his wife. It was his understanding that they were going to re-open Jaycee's case.

"To have this happen, where she walks into a police station, is really a miracle to get her back," said Probyn. "And she sounds like she is doing okay. I don't know if she is married. I don't know if a cult took her, or if a couple who didn't have kids took her. I'll find out today all these answers."

Bee researcher Pete Basofin contributed to this report.

From Cathy Locke

Thieves in El Dorado County are stealing water backflow valves, apparently looking to resell the devices, which are made from copper and brass.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office reported that eight backflow valves have been stolen from businesses, including six in the El Dorado Hills Business Park off Latrobe Road and two from the Barnett Business Park off Durock Road in Shingle Springs.

The thieves turn off the water supply, then cut the backflow valves out with a metal saw, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

Detectives are working with the affected businesses and the El Dorado Irrigation District in investigating the thefts. No suspects have been identified.

From Kim Minugh

Placer County Sheriff's deputies are investigating the discovery of a young woman's body this morning in Loomis, according to authorities.

A 16-year-old boy found the woman's body just after 10:30 a.m. near a creek running through Loomis Basin Community Park, said sheriff's spokeswoman Dena Erwin.

There are no obvious signs of trauma on the body, and she was found fully clothed, Erwin said.

Authorities are working to identify the woman, who appeared to be a young adult, Erwin said.

Detectives believe the woman's body had been there at least since Tuesday night, Erwin said. They suspect she had been camping in the area before her death.

Bee Staff

Sacramento police are looking for an armed female bandit who has hit two south area shops - one yogurt and one ice cream.

A Police Department news release gave this timeline and released the photos below:

On Aug. 14 at 8:40 p.m., the suspect robbed an employee at gunpoint in a yogurt shop in the 1300 block of Florin Road.

On Aug. 17 at 9:44 p.m., she robbed an employee at gunpoint in an ice-cream shop in the 6300 block of Riverside Boulevard. ) and robbed an employee at gunpoint.

In both robberies she fled on foot after obtaining cash, the release states.

The suspect was described as a female White adult, in her 20s. She was wearing a black or blue hooded sweatshirt and had her face covered with a blue and white bandana, the release states.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Andy Furillo:

"They didn't have to kill her," Deputy District Attorney Kevin Greene told the first of two juries he addressed in his opening statements today in the murder trials of two Sacramento teenagers accused of beating 90-year-old Marie Oliver to death three years ago with her own cane.

The prosecutors delivered his brief but dramatic remarks in front of a backdrop of autopsy photos on the courtroom screen of Oliver, who was killed by blunt force trauma in a burglary-robbery attack that authorities say was administered by Calvin Eugene Pearson, 20, and Daniel Alan Russell, 19.

The defendants were both 16 at the time of Oliver's April 15, 2006, death inside her home in the 2700 block of Ellen Street.

"The evidence will show they did not have to kill her," Greene told the Russell jury. The prosecutor said "they killed Miss Oliver for one reason and one reason only: because they could. Simply because they could. They beat her, they beat her and they beat her....They beat her to death simply because they could. Simple case, simple facts, first-degree murder."

Greene told the Pearson jury, "They beat her with her own cane." Then he said it again, "They beat her with her own cane. They punched her. They kicked her, and killed her."

The prosecutor said the defendants planned the killing "a few days before" they executed it.

"They took her money, her jewelry and her briefcase," Greene said. "They laugh about it, talk about it, how they should have been more careful. They do everything but say they're sorry for what they did."

Russell's lawyer, Jo Ann Harris, asked her jury to "keep an open mind" in the case and to "listen closely to the evidence." She said she will ask the panel to acquit her client at the end of trial.

Pearson's attorney, Russell W. Miller, withheld his opening statement.

The Sacramento Superior Court case is being held in front of Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard.

From Bill Lindelof:

Yolo County authorities have cited another store clerk as part of a series of stings to stop the sale of cigarettes to minors.

The arrest of a clerk at Wayside Market, 9515 Locust St., in Knights Landing was the eighth such citation since October. In the most recent incident, a 16-year-old bought a pack of cigarettes at the store Saturday while being supervised by Yolo County deputies.

The decoy teen handed over an identification card after being asked for it by the clerk. The card showed the teen did not turn 18 until 2011, but the sale was made anyway.

The sting operations are funded by licensing fees collected from businesses that sell tobacco in Yolo County, according to Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig.

The clerk at the Wayside Market faces a fine of up to $200 and the store could have its tobacco selling privileges revoked.

From Kim Minugh

Two good Samaritans saved a man from a burning car in Davis this morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Ernesto Guzman, 39, was driving westbound on Interstate 80 east of Olive Drive when witnesses called the CHP to report seeing his car weaving and then spin out - erratic driving that apparently stemmed from a medical condition, according to a CHP news release.

Guzman got back on the Interstate and was exiting at Richards Boulevard when his car again veered off the road and into a tree, the release states. His car burst into flames.

Two passing drivers stopped at the scene and pulled Guzman out of the burning car, according to the CHP. They assisted him until paramedics arrived.

Guzman was transported to UC Davis Medical Center with only minor injuries.

The CHP reported that Guzman was experiencing medical problems, which contributed to the crash.

Bee Staff
The Sacramento Police Department has released a composite sketch of a suspect who attacked a woman on July 31.

Around 7:24 p.m. on that date, the suspect, see sketch, was standing near the 3rd and T streets in Sacramento, watching the 26-year-old victim unload items from her car, according to a police news release.

After the victim entered her residence, the suspect twice approached her door. On the second approach, the suspected "used a ruse" to get her to open the door and he then forced his was inside, the release states.

The suspect reached under the woman's shirt. She screamed and the suspect fled, the release states.

No other description of the suspect was available.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento police on Tuesday asked for help in identifying a man who threatened a downtown bank manager and escaped with a large amount of money.

Police released a photograph of the man Tuesday who robbed the Wells Fargo Bank, 525 J St., about 9:39 a.m. Monday. Police said the man threatened the manager and demanded money.

Police said the manager handed over a large amount of cash and the white man in his late 20s or early 30s fled from the bank on foot. He is described as about 6-feet tall, weighs about 175 pounds, has short dark hair and a bleached goatee that may have been fake. He was wearing blue jeans, a blue and white plaid short-sleeved shirt, brown cowboy boots and a white or tan cap.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating other robberies in North California and Washington that might have been committed by the same person.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357.

Sacramento County coroner officials are seeking the public's help in identifying a man found dead by a passing motorist on Sept. 1, 1989.

Authorities said the man had been shot and his body dumped in a ditch on Sheldon Road, west of Bradshaw Road.

Efforts to identify him through traditional forensics over the years did not lead to a positive identification, authorities said.

Forensic artist Barbara Anderson recently completed a sketch of the man. Her work resulted in the positive identification of another man in 2006.

Anderson believes the 1989 victim may be Hispanic, about 25 to 35 years of age, 6-feet tall and 178 pounds. He had brown eyes, dark-brown curly hair, sideburns, a thin mustache and beard. He had gold caps on his lateral upper incisors and a 14-inch healed scar on his left lower leg.

He was found wrapped in a tan comforter decorated with jungle cat pictures and wearing a red long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans and off-white cowboy-style boots.

He was carrying a rake-style comb in his left front jeans pocket and wearing a gold wedding ring. A business card from Cal Worthington Chevrolet was found on his body. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sacramento County Coroner's office at 916-874-9320.

-Chelsea Phua

Sacramento police are looking for a man that they say broke into a woman's home last week near Fruitridge Road and Ortega Street.

Police said they believe 34-year-old Stephen Dyser attacked a woman on Aug. 18, at 3:15 a.m. The woman told police that she woke up to a man being on top of her holding a knife and fearing that she would be sexually assaulted, started to scream and fight back. The man struck her but she continued to fight. The man then fled the area, police said.

Authorities believe that Dyser committed the assault with the intention of committing a sexual offense.

Dyser is described as a black man, 5-feet-10 tall and 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Alert at 916-443-HELP or text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

-Chelsea Phua

From Chelsea Phua

A fugitive who was featured in 2008 on "America's Most Wanted" for a 2001 murder in Iowa has turned himself in to law enforcement authorities in Sacramento.

Mark Anthony Wilson, 50, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Joni Lee Anne Manning, 43, according to Webster County sheriff officials in Iowa.

Manning was found dead on July 8, 2001, in her home in Clare, Iowa, by one of her sons. An autopsy showed that she died of head injuries caused by blunt force by an unknown object.

Webster County authorities said Wilson approached a California Highway Patrol officer in Sacramento last Tuesday and told him he was wanted in Iowa. He also told the officer that he had been living near Loaves and Fishes and had been supporting himself by doing landscaping and yard work.

Wilson also said he had spent time in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and this area, authorities said.

Wilson had lived with Manning, who was a registered nurse in Des Moines. Before her death, she had been out of contact with her family for several days. Within days of her body being found, law enforcement offices in Iowa and Missouri began seeking Wilson, who was last seen on July 8, 2001, in Kansas City, Mo., with Manning's missing 2000 Ford Mustang.

"It's good that at some point we'll have closure in this case, especially for the family," Webster County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Luke Fleener said.

Deputies from Iowa are scheduled to be in Sacramento this week to extradite Wilson, FBI Special Agent Steve Dupre said.

Authorities are asking that anyone who has had contact with Wilson or knows about his whereabouts in the past eight years to contact the local FBI office, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Pat Barron at 818-834-3110 or the Webster County Sheriff's Office at 515-573-1410.

From Chelsea Phua:

A former Sacramento payroll clerk who pleaded no contest to felony charges of grand theft and filing a false state income tax return has been sentenced to three years and four months in state prison, Franchise Tax Board officials said.

Penny J. Blackburn, 44, worked for a Sacramento construction firm. Authorities said that from March 2004 to December 2008, Blackburn wrote extra payroll checks to herself totaling more than $300,000. She also did not report the embezzled funds on her state income tax returns, they said. Income from illegal sources is also taxable, officials said.

Blackburn was also ordered to pay $376,591 in restitution.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento firefighters removed a 55-year-old construction worker today from a deep trench at the former McClellan Air Force base.

The man fell into the trench shortly before 11 a.m. and never lost consciousness, said Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Capt. Christian Pebbles.

The trench, about 48 inches wide and 28 feet deep, is at a construction site in the 4800 block of Urbani Way. Emergency personnel from Sacramento Metropolitan and Sacramento city fire departments responded to the incident, and the man was removed from the trench in about an hour.

The man was placed on a litter lowered into the trench and then pulled to the surface. He was transported to Mercy San Juan Medical Center with back and shoulder pain.

"It was a heckuva fall," said Pebbles.

From Peter Hecht:

Tylar Marie Witt, the 14-year-old El Dorado Hills girl accused with her boyfriend of killing her mother, will face a Nov. 17 hearing to determine whether she can stand trial as adult.

Shackled at the waist and ankles and dressed in a juvenile hall-issue purple sweat shirt, baggy pants and white sneakers, Witt listened quietly in a Placerville court room as Judge James R. Waggoner set the November hearing and a Sept. 21 conference for lawyers in the case.

Witt and Steven Paul Colver, also of El Dorado Hills, were arrested June 17 outside a San Bruno cell phone store after days on the run. They are being held for the killing of Joanne Witt, 47, who was stabbed to death between June 11 and June 12 in the upscale home where she had lived with her daughter and gave Colver a place to stay.

El Dorado County Deputy District Attorney Lisette Suder said authorities are attempting to establish that the "gravity" of the crime and the "degree of criminal sophistication" require that Witt face trial as an adult.

Authorities allege that Colver, 19, killed Witt with a knife after she filed a report with the sheriff's office, alleging he had committed statutory rape in encounters with her daughter. Deputies had earlier responded to a service call at the house May 18 for a report of a 14-year-old girl assaulting her mother but couldn't confirm the girl was Tylar because the case was handled in juvenile court.

A hearing for Colver is scheduled for this afternoon.

From Cynthia Hubert:

A judge today has ordered a Feb. 1 trial date in San Joaquin Superior Court in the case of four people accused of ritualistically torturing a teenage boy.

Michael Schumacher and his wife, Kelly Lau, are accused of chaining, beating, burning and otherwise abusing the teen known publicly only as Kyle Doe while he lived in their home in Tracy.

Also facing charges are the couple's neighbor, Anthony Waiters; and Caren Ramirez, with whom the youth previously lived in the Sacramento area.

In a 1,000-page grand jury transcript released in June, dozens of witnesses described horrific neglect and abuse inflicted on the teen.

The boy freed himself in early December and, with a shackle still dangling from his leg, ran to a nearby Tracy health club, where employees phoned authorities.

From Bill Lindelof:

An observant Sacramento police officer and his canine partner paired up to catch a man suspected of vehicle theft, though the officer was hurt in the process.

Shortly before midnight Saturday, an officer noticed that he was following a stolen car. The officer -- accompanied by police dog Bandit -- broadcast information that he was trailing the vehicle.

The officer planned to stay close and await arrival of additional police units, but the suspect fled in his car and the officer pursued. In an alley near Pinell Street and Grand Avenue in Del Paso Heights, the car stopped and the suspect got out and ran, a police activity log states.

Bandit chase and caught suspect Justin Materio, 24, in the street. The officer, who was not identified, fell while making the arrest, suffering a head injury. He received medical treatment but was determined to be OK.

Materio was arrested on suspicion of resisting in arrest resulting in injury to a police officer, probation violation and auto theft.

From Bill Lindelof:

A man who fell into the Sacramento River while helping friends load a boat onto a trailer has apparently drowned, fire officials said.

The man was at the Elkhorn Boat Ramp under the Interstate 5 overpass just west of the Sacramento River about 9 p.m. Sunday when he fell off the boat or the dock. Witnesses to the incident say they saw the man fall into the water and then go under.

Members of Sacramento County's Drowning Accident Rescue Team (DART) searched for the man but could not find him.

From Gina Kim:

Authorities apprehended a 33-year-old Elk Grove man they suspect car-jacked a pick-up at an Elk Grove motel, shot a father of two while he was driving with his family, and then led police on a five-minute car chase -- all within an hour Sunday.

Sacramento police spokesman, Sgt. Norm Leong said the suspect -- whose name wasn't available Sunday afternoon -- likely would be booked into the Sacramento County jail on attempted murder and other counts linked to the alleged crime spree.

Sheriff's dispatcher Jennifer Boechen said a man showed a gun in the parking lot of the Fairfield Inn & Suites on Orchard Loop just after 11 a.m. and car-jacked a 2001 GMC pick-up with Washington plates.

Leong said a family in a minivan noticed a man driving next to them westbound on Florin Road just before Tamoshanter Way.

The wife in the front passenger seat saw the man waving a gun as he shouted at them trying to get their attention, Leong said.

Frightened, the family -- which included 10- and and 14-year-old children in the back seat -- sped away but heard gunshots and pulled over. The man drove next to them and pointed the gun at the car, so the family drove away again, Leong said.

They stopped the car on Stockton Boulevard near Yosemite Avenue and called police at 11:49 a.m. when they noticed the father had been shot in the back. The bullet likely went through the passenger side, into the back of the driver's seat and into the father's back. The wound was not life-threatening, Leong said.

"Because of all the adrenaline and fear, you don't feel things right away," Leong said. The 42-year-old father was transported to Kaiser Permanente's South Sacramento Medical Center.

At 11:51 a.m., the suspect pulled up behind a sheriff's deputy patrol car at Florin Road and Stockton Boulevard, said Boechen. When the suspect noticed the deputy turn around to follow him, he started a car chase that ended with his arrest.

Editor's note: This is another report in an occasional series on unusual events or people found by The Bee's police reporters and editors.

Bee Staff

Here's a case of a suspect's growl thankfully being worse than his bite.

A resident in the 800 block of Cordoza Court, Woodland, walked into her garage from inside her home about 5:20 a.m. today and surprised two men who shouldn't have been there, police reported.

One of the males was outside her side garage door and the other was inside her garage and standing within two feet of where she was, according to a police news release.

The woman reported that the man growled at her and then ran out of the garage. The woman retreated back into her house and called the police, the release states.

Officers were on scene within minutes, but a search didn't locate the suspects.

The two suspects were described as about 5 feet, 9 inches to 6 feet tall, wearing dark clothing and dark hats or beanie caps, and one was possibly wearing blue jeans, the release states.

No further description was available, except one may identify with being a dog.

Bee Staff

The Roseville Police Department is accepting applications for the next Citizen's Police Academy, according to a news release.

The academy is open to those who live or work in the Roseville area and are at least 18 years old.

Participants will learn about the operations, organization and policies of the Roseville Police Department.

The six-night academy begins Sept. 29 and continues Sept. 30, Oct. 1, Oct. 6, 7 and 8. All classes are held from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Roseville Police Department, 1051 Junction Blvd.

For more information, call the Roseville Police Department Community Services Unit at (916)774-5093, or download a brochure and application by clicking here.

Space is limited and early registration is encouraged.

From Kim Minugh:

The man killed in an early-morning trattic accident in south Sacramento has been identified as Dan Trung Thai, 45.

Thai died in the collision of his vehicle and a big rig at the intersection of Elder Creek and Florin roads, Sacramento police say.

The collision occurred about 2:30 a.m. when Thai, driving a sports utility vehicle west on Elder Creek, struck the rear of a tractor-trailer heading south on Florin Perkins, a police report shows.

Thai might have failed to stop at a stop sign before the collision, the report states. He died at the scene.

From Chelsea Phua and Bill Lindelof

The mother and father of the 22-month-old boy who died Thursday have been arrested on suspicion of the child's murder, Sacramento police said.

Paul G. Harper (photo left), the 28-year-old father of the boy, Paul G. Harper Jr., was booked this morning in the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of child abuse.

The mother, Theresa Harper (photo right), 24, was arrested later in the day and is being booked, Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said early this evening.

Leong said Theresa Harper was aware of the continued "pattern of abuse" her husband inflicted on the child but failed to report it.

Leong said the boy died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Leong said UC Davis Medical Center personnel notified police about 5:30 p.m. Thursday that the boy, who had been transported by paramedics from his South Avenue home after his mother called 911, had died at the hospital.

Early Friday morning, after detectives completed interviews, the child's father was arrested. Leong said that detectives found evidence that the child had been beaten sometime prior to his death, resulting in the father's arrest.

Police called county Child Protective Services to the scene to take another child in the home into protective custody, Leong said. That child was uninjured, he said.

From Kim Minugh

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's south bureau is holding a meet-and-greet the public event next week for the Wilton community.

Members of the Sheriff's Department, the California Highway Patrol and the Wilton Fire Department will be on hand Tuesday night from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Wilton Service Center, 11080 Jeff Brian Lane, according to a department news release.

Also expected are the area's county Supervisor, Don Nottoli, and representatives from the offices of state Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan and Sen. Dave Cox, the release states.

The event also will feature free barbecue, ice cream, a bounce house, and games for children. The sheriff's K9 unit, the Marine Enforcement Detail, the CHP and the fire department will provide demonstrations and displays.

Anyone is welcome. For more information, contact sheriff's crime prevention specialist Laura Grossman at (916) 776-4682.

From Kim Minugh

The public is invited to attend a motorcycle officer competition being held in Rancho Cordova on Saturday.

The Rancho Cordova Police Department and the Western States Motor Officer Association are hosting the 1st annual Larry Canfield Memorial Training and Skills Challenge. The competition is named for Canfield, who was killed in a collision last fall while enforcing traffic laws as a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy assigned to the Rancho Cordova police motor unit.

Motorcycle officers from as far away as Florida will be participating in the event, which will take place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Hagan Community Park in Rancho Cordova. As part of the competition, the officers will be testing their skills on timed courses.

From Andy Furillo

Tamekca Walker told the court today she was sorry for the death of a 17-month-old girl in her foster care home two years ago, but she still received a 25-to-life prison term for child abuse that resulted in death.

Jurors last month also convicted Walker of second-degree murder in the Oct. 22, 2007, death of Tamaihya Moore, a girl who was born with cocaine in her system and placed in the foster care system a month before her death, after her father was arrested.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Greta Curtis Fall gave the defendant a 15-to-life term for the murder conviction, but stayed that term because the offense took place in the course of the same act that resulted in the child abuse count.

In a brief and tearful address to the court, Walker said that "not a day goes by that I don't think about" Moore, who was placed in her care by Sacramento County Child Protective Services.

Walker had been in the foster care business about two years before CPS placed Moore in her Meadowview home, according to the defendant's probation report.

The report said Walker told police the little girl had been "restless" and that she "would put her hand over (the toddler's) face to keep her quiet, which she had done before. She held her hand on the victim's face but did not know for how long. The victim stopped crying and then the defendant wrapped her in a blanket. She stated she tried to give the victim CPR and then put her 'in the corner.'"

Sacramento police investigators later developed information that Walker "expressed frustration" over caring for Tamaihya Moore "due to the amount of attention she required, which was affecting her ability to care for the other children," the probation report said.

A coroner's autopsy never conclusively established the girl's cause of death, although it suggested that the fatality resulted from "asphyxiation, probably by smothering."

The girl's relatives have since filed a lawsuit against Sacramento County over the CPS placement of the girl in Walker's home and the agency's failure to remove the child despite pleas from her relatives.

The civil case had been suspended until the conclusion of the criminal matter. Bruce G. Fagel, the Beverly Hills attorney who is representing the Moore family, said the civil case will resume in Sacramento Superior Court on Sept. 24.

From Ed Fletcher:

A 27-year-old Roseville man was sentenced to 30 years and eight months in state prison Thursday after pleading no contest to molesting his former partner's adolescent daughter.

He also received a tongue lashing from the victim's mother.

"Other than murder, I believe this is the most horrific news to a mother," the victim's mother told Guillermo A. Quintanilla Jr. during sentencing.

"For many years, I took (the victim) from specialist to specialist, doctor to doctor, trying to figure out where the pain was coming from. And all along, there was a predator in my home," the mother said, a press release from the Placer County District Attorney's office shows.

The crimes began in 2005 when the victim was 8 years old. The girl, now 12, was among spectators at Quintanilla's sentencing.

From Chelsea Phua

A Sacramento County licensed vocational nurse faces felony charges for allegedly stealing medication from the county jail's dispensary.

Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said Erika Youngs was arrested in July. She was on a list of nurses that the jail would use whenever the facility had a shortage of nurses, Curran said.

Curran said the inmates never went without their medication.

Her next court appearance is scheduled for Monday.

From Chelsea Phua

A 39-year-old Antelope man has been arrested in connection with a series of sexual assaults on minors in the Sacramento region, Sacramento County Sheriff and Auburn police officials said.

Anthony Eugene Martin (photo) was arrested in Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday and booked early Thursday morning into the Sacramento County Main Jail, according to online jail records.

Authorities said they believe that Martin is responsible for the July 27 sexual assaults at a public pool in Auburn and at Antelope Crossing Middle School. They also believe Martin was involved in an attack on Aug. 12 in the area of North Loop Boulevard and Mulrany Way in Antelope.

Martin was seen on a surveillance video running away from the middle school, authorities said. Detectives later searched Martin's residence and found evidence tying him to the attack at the middle school.

They also discovered he had traveled to Portland and tracked him to a Portland marina, where police arrested him without incident.

Detectives booked Martin into jail on suspicion of lewd act on a child by means of force, child molestation and indecent exposure, according the sheriff officials.

Auburn police said Martin was additionally booked on a $1,100,000 arrest warrant for the July 27 assault at the pool in the Auburn Recreation District Park. The warrant accuses him of sexual acts with a child 10 years or younger and lewd acts on a child.

Martin is scheduled for arraignment on his Sacramento charges Friday.

Auburn police and Sacramento Sheriff officials said they are investigating to determine if Martin is tied to other recent sexual assaults that have occurred in the Sacramento region.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Child Abuse Bureau detective Tom Koontz at 916-874-5194 or Auburn police's investigation division at 530-823-4237 ext 207.

Bee Staff

A truck knocked over two power poles in West Sacramento Thursday afternoon, causing a power outage, but power was largely restored several hours later, police say.

The accident occurred at about 1:40 p.m., according to a news release from the West Sacramento Police Department.

The boundaries of the outage were south of West Capitol Avenue, east of Harbor Blvd, north of Stone and Industrial boulevards, and west of Jefferson Boulevard, the release states.

"Power is now only out on Evergreen just east of Harbor Boulevard for approximately 500 yards," a police spokesman said around 5 p.m.
.

From Andy Furillo

Two Rio Linda men convicted of voluntary manslaughter for shooting a man to death at a Natomas party two years ago were sentenced to prison today in Sacramento Superior Court.

Anthony Franklin "Bubbles" Pruitt, 22, received a three-year term from Judge Michael W. Sweet as a result of the negotiated plea while co-defendant Gerald Villalobos, also 22, was sentenced to 10 years.

The two pleaded no contest last month to the 1:38 a.m., Jan. 27, 2007, killing of Alejandro Villalobos, 23, who was no relation to the defendant with the same last name.

Relatives of the victims decried the plea in their statements to the court today, saying they believed the two gunmen should have received stiffer prison terms.

Deputy District Attorney Shauna Franklin said a murder case would have been "extremely difficult to prove." She said that one of the victims' two brothers who was with him at the party had pulled out a handgun prior to the shooting and had threatened to kill Pruitt.

Just before he was killed, Alejandro Villalobos had intervened in the dispute between his brothers and Pruitt and had "tried to calm things down," Gilbert Villalobos' lawyer, Al Combatalade, told the court.

Judge Sweet said that "people arming themselves at parties" was "inexplicable" to him that the result in this case was that an innocent person was killed.

From Hudson Sangree:

A West Sacramento woman pleaded guilty today to vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving after running into two teenage girls last Halloween with her truck, leaving one dead and the other badly injured, according to Yolo County prosecutors.

Jennifer Michelle Moran, 35, entered her plea after prosecutors agreed to a 9-year prison sentence, said Jonathan Raven, assistant chief deputy district attorney.

Moran has remained free on bail since she turned herself in to police the morning after her pickup truck allegedly plowed into Jessica Fraire, 17, and friend Rosa Zaragoza, 19.

Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 25, at which time Fraire's relatives and Zaragoza are expected to make statements, Raven said.

Police said Moran admitted she had been drinking.

The young women were struck about 9:40 p.m. as they walked home along Sacramento Avenue in West Sacramento.

Fraire died of massive head trauma four days later in UC Davis Medical Center.

Zaragoza suffered a broken pelvis and head injuries.

Moran's trial had been scheduled to start next week.

From Bill Lindelof:

Fire officials say full containment of the wild-land blaze in Yuba and Nevada counties near the community of Dobbins is within sight.

All evacuations have been lifted, and the fire that has burned 3,891 acres is 85 percent contained, a Cal Fire spokesman said today.

The fire, which has burned brush and timber since Friday, is expected to be totally contained Saturday.

Rugged terrain has impeded firefighters battling the blaze, but they continue to patrol for signs of smoke and remaining smoldering spots.

Cal Fire officials said investigators have confirmed that the initial fire was started by a bird that hit a power line, but cause of another fire in the area remains under investigation.

From Bill Lindelof:

A man who was beaten by the family of a 14-year-old girl he allegedly met online and planned to film having sex has been released from Sacramento County Jail.

Sacramento police today announced the release of Christopher Michael Guzman, 25, and said no charges have been filed against him pending further investigation.

Guzman was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Sacramento County Jail on one felony count each of child molestation and knowingly using a minor to engage in obscene film, according to booking records.

Police had alleged on Wednesday that Guzman, 25, arranged to meet a 14-year-old girl at Garcia Bend Park for sexual acts -- acts he wanted to catch on film.

The two met on a social networking site, police said. Police alleged that Guzman knew the girl was a minor when he proposed the meeting.

But when Guzman arrived at the park about 6 p.m., the girl was accompanied by her family, who had found out about the rendezvous. Police said they had advised the family not to go to the park.

But the family failed to heed that advice and family members assaulted Guzman, police said. Police were then called to the scene.

Sgt. Norm Leong said Guzman suffered bumps and bruises in the fight. No charges have been filed against any members of the girl's family involved in the attack on Guzman.

From Bill Lindelof:

A disturbance outside a downtown nightclub led to gunfire that wounded a young woman early this morning in downtown Sacramento.

The victim, 18 or 19 years old, was shot in the foot after patrons left Zokku Restaurant and Lounge, 419 J Street, about 1:05 a.m., police said. No suspects have been arrested.

Sacramento police said that when a large crowd was leaving the nightclub, a group of people began arguing. Several shots were fired at the intersection of 5th and J streets, wounding the young woman, who was not involved in the argument.

Suspects then fled the scene, police said.

From Bill Lindelof:

Roseville police are warning area residents to be on the lookout for phony fire inspectors.

The alert comes after two men, who were not in uniform, visited a Roseville therapy business and falsely identified themselves as fire inspectors. While one man stayed outside and talked on a cellphone, the other wandered about inside.

He advised the manager that there were several fire safety violations and that he would issue a list of items to correct. He did not ask for any money.

The manager called the Roseville Fire Department several days later to obtain a copy of the promised report only to learn that the inspectors were bogus. They were described as white, in their mid-30s, 6 feet tall, with medium builds and short brown hair. One of them displayed some sort of badge.

Roseville police advise that fire inspections in the city are conducted by uniformed Roseville firefighters carrying photo identification. In nearly all instances, inspectors will be driving a fire engine or a marked fire department vehicle.

Anyone with information about the phony fire inspectors is asked to call police at (916) 774-5070.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento firefighters have called off their search for a man who on Wednesday night jumped off the Howe Avenue Bridge into the American River and is presumed dead, authorities said today.

Sacramento Fire Department spokesman Capt. Jim Doucette said that about 9 p.m. the man told a family member that he was feeling hot and wanted to cool off in the water.

When he did not surface, the family member called 911.

Fire crews, members of the Drowning Accident Rescue Team and two boat units have been deployed.

The incident possibly is the third drowning near the Howe Avenue Bridge this summer, including a man who tried to ford the river on his horse.

From Chelsea Phua

Sacramento police say they have arrested a 56-year-old man in connection with the theft of a tractor from a local cemetery.

Terry Williams (photo) is suspected of stealing a John Deer tractor from the storage room of the cemetery at 6100 Stockton Blvd on Aug. 9, police said.

Detectives found the tractor in the backyard of a residence in the 4300 block of 35th Avenue, police said.

Williams has not been booked into the county jail because of medical complications, but will be formally charged at a later date, police said.

From Chelsea Phua

A Placer County Superior Court judge has banned a 45-year-old Lincoln man from entering any Fry's Electronics store.

Douglas Wayne McCauley (photo) was convicted by a jury for stealing electronics equipment from the Fry's store in Roseville and admitted to four prior theft convictions that included two at Fry's in Sacramento.

"He is not to go to any Fry's - worldwide," Placer County Superior Court Judge James D. Garbolino said.

McCauley was placed on five years felony probation and ordered to serve 60 days in jail. The judge also suspended another 120 days of incarceration.

Garbolino called McCauley's shoplifting crimes a "psychological problem" and said McCauley can be helped through counseling.

"The conduct in this case is pretty much inexplicable," the judge said, also noting that everything else in the defendant's life seemed to be "mainstream or above."

The latest theft occurred July 7, 2008, at the Fry's store in Roseville. McCauley took keyboard components, authorities said.

The jury convicted McCauley on felony charges of commercial burglary and petty theft with a prior.

Prosecutor Carl Mayhew of the Placer County District Attorney's Office said a lifetime ban from an entire chain of stores is "very unusual."

"But this case certainly cried out for it," he said.

From Kim Minugh

Two dozen non-firefighting employees were laid off from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District today as part of $11 million in cost-cutting by the organization.

The 24 layoffs targeted administrative and support staff members from divisions such as fire prevention, finance, facilities and public education, said spokesman Capt. Rusty Dupray. The district will save about $4 million by eliminating those positions, bringing officials to the $11 million goal they needed to meet to make up for declining property tax revenue.

All the cutbacks represented about 4 percent of the district's total work force, Dupray said.

Managers notified the affected employees today of the layoffs, which are effective immediately, he said.

Previously, the district had cut about $7 million by closing three fire stations, moving eight captains from administrative roles back to stations, demoting 27 captains and engineers and implementing an "exit incentive program," in which eight employees left the district voluntarily, Dupray said.

Today's layoffs will have no direct impact on fire station operations, he said.

"There are no line firefighters being laid off," Dupray said. "So where the rubber meets the road, the fire engines will continue to run, as will the ambulances."

Dupray said that should positions become available again within the next five years, employees laid off today will be eligible to return to their jobs.

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

From Chelsea Phua

A 12-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of arson after authorities said they believed he set his 13-year-old friend on fire this afternoon.

The 13-year-old suffered severe burns to his legs and less severe burns to his arms and abdomen. Firefighters treated and transported the boy to hospital.

Earlier reports had investigators checking if some teens had set the boy on fire or if he had set himself on fire.

The incident happened at about 2 p.m. in the 100 block of Nedra Court in south Sacramento, investigators said.

The boys were playing with rubber balloons filled with lighter fluid when one of the balloons broke and soaked the 13-year-old, Sacramento Fire Department spokesman Capt. Jim Doucette said.

As the boys were walking home to change clothes, the 12-year-old boy lit his friend on fire, Doucette said. The 13-year-old was trying to extinguish the flames on him when his friend lit him on fire a second time, Doucette said.

It's not clear if the 12-year-old intended to hurt his friend or was being playful, Doucette said.

From Bill Lindelof:

Lincoln police have arrested 19-year-old Trevor Anderson on suspicion of stabbing another man Tuesday night.

Anderson was apprehended about 10 p.m. Tuesday after police responded to reports of a stabbing near Teal Hollow and Swallowview drives and found him there. Believing he was responsible for the stabbing, police arrested Anderson.

Police later learned that the apparent victim, Dustin Brown 19, was at Sutter Roseville Hospital where he was treated for several stab wounds. Brown was reported in stable condition today.

Police said that the two men previously quarreled, and both were driving in the area of Teal Hollow and Swallowview drives when they saw each other. The stabbing occurred in the street after both men had exited their vehicles, police said.

From Cathy Locke:

The Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals who tortured and killed two kittens and left their bodies in front of the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Placerville last week.

The kittens were found the morning of Aug. 12. A veterinarian examined the animals shortly afterward and determined they were about 4 months old.

"It's appalling and disturbing that these kittens had to suffer such a horrific death," Lt. Warren Candler, supervising animal services officer, said in a written statement. "We are concerned about the seriousness of this crime against animals and are actively collecting evidence."

Anyone with information about the death of the kittens or the individual responsible is asked to call Animal Services Officer Heather Gildersleeve at (530) 621-7641.

From Kim Minugh

If the law wasn't reason enough to stay away from 14-year-old girls met on the Internet, here's another: Family.

Sacramento police arrested 25-year-old Christopher Michael Guzman on Monday night after he allegedly arranged to meet a 14-year-old girl at Garcia Bend Park for sexual acts - acts he wanted to catch on film, said Sgt. Norm Leong.

The two met on a social networking site, Leong said. Police allege that Guzman knew the girl was a minor when he proposed the meeting.

But when Guzman arrived at the park about 6 p.m., the 14-year-old was accompanied by her family, who had found out about the rendezvous, Leong said. The family members assaulted the suspect, and police were called to the scene.

Leong said the suspect suffered bumps and bruises in the fight. The case is being reviewed, Leong said, to determine whether the family members' actions "were reasonable."

Guzman was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on one felony count each of child molestation and knowingly using a minor to engage in obscene film, according to booking records. He was being held in lieu of $200,000 bail.

From Kim Minugh

A woman woke up this morning to find a man sitting on top of her and holding a knife to her throat, according to Sacramento police.

The woman screamed and fought off her attacker, said Sgt. Norm Leong. Before he left, she managed to smack him in the head with a cooking pot.

The victim suffered minor cuts on her hand from grabbing the knife's blade, Leong said.

The home invasion occurred shortly after 3 a.m. on the 6400 block of Sabo Drive in the Tallac Village neighborhood, Leong said.

The suspect was described to police only as an African American man between the ages of 25 and 35, wearing dark clothing. Leong said an investigation is on-going.

"We don't know what his intent was," he said.

From Kim Minugh:

The break-ins have been targeting cars parked along the Winding Way corridor in Old Fair Oaks and southeast Fair Oaks, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. Nearly all of them have occurred on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, and more than half were carried out during the day.

The break-ins began in early July and have continued into August, department officials reported.

Some victims' credit cards have been used at local gas stations after the theft, and later at other businesses, according to officials.

Neighborhood watch groups in the area have been distributing the warning to residents, advising them not to leave valuable items in parked cars, and to lock their vehicles.

That's good advice, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran. He also recommended parking cars in garages when possible, or in well-lit areas.

From Andy Furillo

A Sacramento jury today convicted one defendant of first-degree murder and acquitted another in a 2007 shooting death that took place in a south area strip mall.

Jim Cage, 29, was convicted in the March 2007 killing of Michael Lamar Barron, 27, in the 6600 block of Valley Hi Drive. Authorities believed Cage shot Barron, who was sitting in a car when he died, because the victim had previously shot him.

There was no evidence of Barron's involvement in the earlier shooting, prosecutors said.

The jury acquitted Darryl Cedric Jackson Jr., 21, in the verdicts that were read in Sacramento Superior Court. Jackson had been prosecuted on the theory that he aided and abetted Cage in the shooting of Barron.

Judge Russell L. Hom scheduled Cage's sentencing for Sept. 15. Deputy District Attorney Jeff Hightower said Cage is facing a likely term of 50 years to life.

From Bill Lindelof:

The death of mass murderer John Linley Frazier at Mule Creek State prison in Ione is being investigated as a suicide.

A correctional officer found Frazier's body in his cell at 1:33 p.m. Thursday.

Frazier (left) was convicted of the Oct. 19, 1970, murders of Victor Ohta, a prominent Santa Cruz County ophthalmologist; his wife, Virginia, 43; two sons, Derek, 12, and Taggart, 11; and the physician's secretary, Dorothy Cadwallader. All were slain at the Ohta family residence in Soquel, Santa Cruz County.

Frazier, a Soquel resident, was arrested shortly after the murders. Wire service reports at the time identified Frazier as a "24-year-old dropout mechanic with a grudge against materialism."

The Ohta family and Cadwallader were tied up with silk scarves, shot to death and dumped in the swimming pool at the Ohta home, United Press International reported. Sheriff's deputies credited hippies in the Santa Cruz hills with providing help in finding Frazier.

He was convicted in 1971 of the murders and sentenced to die in San Quentin's gas chamber.

However, when the state Supreme Court abolished the death penalty, his term was changed to life in prison in 1974.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Sacramento police officer, Christopher Hughes, 39, was booked into Sacramento County Jail over the weekend after being arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said.

Hughes' vehicle was noticed in a traffic lane at Hazel Avenue and Piedra Way in Orangevale on Saturday afternoon, said CHP officer Lizz Dutton. Hughes was slumped over the steering wheel.

CHP officers suspected Hughes had been drinking and arrested him, Dutton said.

From Bill Lindelof:

A third-strike convict's long sentence is not cruel and unusual, an appeals court has ruled.

Jack L. Mecum, 58, had asked the Third District Court of Appeal to significantly cut his sentence for drunken driving, but the court trimmed just two years off the original sentence because of a technical error, leaving a 26-years-to-life sentence.

Mecum had appealed because he thought his sentence for drunken driving was cruel and unusual punishment, according to a Placer County District Attorney's office press release.

But the court said the sentence was just considering Mecum's extensive and violent criminal history, including three DUIs from 1999 to 2004 before picking up a fourth in 2005.

The appeal court noted that Mecum accumulated eight felony and 12 misdemeanor convictions between 1969 and 2005. Among the crimes: two assaults with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, receiving stolen property and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.

Mecum's last DUI resulted from a 2005 traffic stop on Interstate 80 in Placer County. Police said they observed him driving 10 mph and that his blood alcohol level was 0.19 percent -- more than twice the legal limit.

From Bill Lindelof:

A Yolo County jury has convicted a man of causing the death of a passenger in his car while driving drunk.

Jose Mendiola, 29, of Esparto was convicted Friday of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and other charges in connection with the Aug. 10, 2008, death of Fabian Perez. Perez, a front-seat passenger in a vehicle driven by Mendiola, was fatally injured when Mendiola fell asleep behind the wheel.

Mendiola's vehicle struck a tree on State Route 16 just west of Woodland.

The jury heard evidence of Mendiola's two prior drunken-driving convictions in Yolo County. Mendiola was found guilty in 2002 of crashing his vehicle and injuring his passenger on the same stretch of State Route 16. In 2006, he was convicted of DUI after a police officer saw him driving erratically down Woodland's Main Street.

Mendiola is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 13 at 9 a.m. He could be sentenced to 15 years to life because of his prior DUI convictions, a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release states.

From Hudson Sangree:

Roseville police are investigating a suspicious death in the 8300 block of Cortina Circle.

Police were called to the home at about 12:30 p.m. Monday.

Spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther said Monday night that the body of a 30-year-old man discovered in the home showed obvious signs of "trauma."

She said she could provide no other details. "Detectives are not releasing the method of death yet," she said

She said investigators continued to work the case, but had made no determination of whether the trauma was self-inflicted or whether foul play was involved.

From Hudson Sangree:

Folsom police say they arrested a serial burglary suspect after residents responded to a "reverse 911" call.

Weeks ago, police sent out a message to residents warning them of a rise in area burglaries, Officer Jason Browning said in a news release.

On Cascade Falls Drive, a neighbor heading to work Monday morning spotted a suspicious person driving through the neighborhood and called police, the release said.

A second neighbor called and reported the same vehicle, police said.

Police said they responded, found the vehicle parked between two homes and waited until Vadim Zhurko (left photo) exited a side yard and put items into his sport utility vehicle.

Investigators found Zhurko, 29, of Antelope was carrying a .22 caliber pistol stolen from a burglary in Napa; his vehicle was stolen; and he was possessing stolen property from Manteca, Lodi, Sacramento, West Sacramento and Dixon, according to police.

Zhurko was out on bail after being arrested in July by Roseville police for possessing controlled substances and driving a stolen vehicle, Folsom police said.

He was booked into the Sacramento County jail on suspicion of burglary, grand theft, committing a felony while on bail, possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony, vehicle theft and possession of controlled substances, police said.

From Cathy Locke:

A Sunnyvale man was arrested Sunday after a South Lake Tahoe-area campground host observed him contacting underage female campers.

An El Dorado County Sheriff's Office investigation led to the arrest of Kraig Smith (left photo), 54, who was later identified as a registered sex offender, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

After watching Smith, deputies carried out a sting operation with the cooperation a member of the public. Smith was arrested after he entered a women's restroom and peered through a crack in a shower stall door, the news release says.

He was booked into the South Lake Tahoe Jail on suspicion of disorderly conduct under a section of the Penal Code that refers to loitering around a public toilet for the purpose of "engaging in or soliciting any lewd or lascivious or any unlawful act."

El Dorado Superior Court Judge Suzanne Kingsbury set bail at $100,000, pending review of the investigation by the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office.

The sheriff's investigation indicated Smith may have visited other public campgrounds and day activity spots in the South Lake Tahoe area.

At the time of his arrest, Smith had a white Toyota Tundra pickup truck with a camper shell. He also had a Chihuahua dog that he used to engage underage girls in conversation, according to the news release.

The Sheriff's Office asks anyone in the community who may have witnessed or experienced similar situations involving Smith to call the Secret Witness line at (530) 544-6767 or Detective Matt Harwood at (530) 573-3015.

From Chelsea Phua:

A 47-year-old Amador County man was apparently shot dead after he reportedly drove a tractor through a locked gate and damaged his neighbor's property, authorities said.

Sheriff officials have identified the victim as John Michael O'Sullivan and arrested O'Sullivan's neighbor, Kenneth John Zimmerman (left photo), 56, of Fiddletown, on suspicion of murder.

According to a news release, Zimmerman and O'Sullivan have had a longstanding dispute. About 7:45 p.m. Sunday, Zimmerman called 911 to report that O'Sullivan had driven a tractor through his gate, struck him in the face with his hand and tried to run him over with the tractor. Authorities said Zimmerman told the emergency dispatcher that sheriff officials "better hurry up" and respond to the scene "before I shoot him."

About 15 minutes later, O'Sullivan's wife called 911 to report that she heard several gunshots and could not find her husband.

When deputies arrived, they found Zimmerman blocking the roadway with a vehicle. Zimmerman reported that O'Sullivan was near the gate he had damaged.

Deputies found O'Sullivan dead on his tractor, which was off the roadway in a brush near Zimmerman's residence. Authorities said preliminary investigation showed O'Sullivan died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Zimmerman's property was searched and the investigation is ongoing, authorities said. Zimmerman is being held without bail at the Amador County Jail.

From Chelsea Phua:

Sacramento County Sheriff's officials say they believe that suspects who fired gunshots at the downtown county jail Sunday night were trying to launch an inmate escape.

Sacramento police are working to identify the suspects, who were trying to shoot out the bullet-proof jail windows at about 10:25 p.m., department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said.

The suspects drove past the jail at 651 I St. and fired several shots, which drew the attention of a deputy standing outside the building on the second-floor terrace. After the shots were heard, the deputy saw a light-colored vehicle leave the scene and drive westbound on I Street toward Interstate 5.

About an hour later, Sacramento police found a stolen vehicle near Arden Way and Evergreen Street matching the description of the vehicle that the deputy saw leaving the shooting scene.

Meanwhile, deputies ordered an inmate lockdown at the jail and informed the police department of the shooting. Outside the building on Sixth Street, investigators found shell casings.

Windows on fifth and sixth floors were struck by the gunfire, but no bullets penetrated the windows and no inmates or jail staff were injured by the shots, authorities said. During a search of the common areas accessible to inmates on both floors, deputies discovered items that led them to believe that the shooting was linked to an escape plan by some inmates, Curran said. The jail's intelligence unit is investigating and Curran said arrests of several inmates involved in the reported scheme are imminent.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Alert at 916-443-HELP or send a text message tip by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

A Sacramento divorce lawyer pleaded no contest today to four counts of felony sexual battery and one additional count of attempted sexual contact, also a felony, on his clients and could be in line for a state prison term, according to his lawyer.

Gary Appelblatt, 58, had been charged in 13 counts involving five different victims. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary E. Ransom set Appelblatt's sentencing for Oct. 16.

Appelblatt's plea exposes him to a maximum of eight years in prison, according to his attorney, Tom Johnson. But under the terms of the plea, the Sacramento County district attorney's office agreed to suspend time on the four sexual battery counts. Also, the judge cannot take any of the information on the dismissed counts into consideration in sentencing Appelblatt, Johnson said.

Johnson said the most Appelblatt can be sentenced under the plea is to the 18 months in prison for the attempted sexual "touching" count. If the judge wants to sentence Appelblatt to more time, he must reject the plea agreement, Johnson said.

Appelblatt also faces a five-year term on probation, Johnson said.

Deputy District Attorney Keith Hill could not be reached for comment earlier today.

At Appelblatt's preliminary hearing last year, Sacramento County sheriff's detectives testified that Appelblatt improperly touched his clients during consultations on their divorce cases under the guise of performing medical procedures on them. He told the women he had a pharmacy degree, according to testimony at the preliminary hearing.

In one instance, he offered to reduce a client's bill by $5,000 if she would have sex with him, the testimony showed.

Appelblatt declined to comment today on the plea agreement.

--Andy Furillo

Two more men were convicted today in the murder conspiracy in which a Sacramento man paid hitmen $4,000 to shoot and kill his father.

Separate juries returned the convictions today against Isaiah Dupree Barron, 22, and Arthur Battle, 21.

Dupree was convicted of taking the money from 45-year-old victim Norik Abramyan's son and giving $500 to Battle, 21, one of two gunmen who carried out the fatal shooting attack. A second gunman, Jason Dillingham, has already been convicted and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.

The victim's son, Vardan Abramyan, 22, was convicted last Friday. Sentencing for him and Barron and Battle has been scheduled for Sept. 14 in front of Sacramento Superior Court Judge James L. Long.

--Andy Furillo

From Bill Lindelof and Chelsea Phua

A man in South Sacramento came to the aid of a woman by shooting and killing a dog that was mauling her pet, Sacramento police said.

A 62-year-old woman was walking her small white dog Saturday about 8 a.m. on Standish Road near 25th Avenue when a large pit bull ran toward her and attacked her pet. The woman's dog had to be put down later that day.

The pit bull had escaped from a backyard by breaking through a fence board, police said. The woman screamed as the pit bull repeatedly bit the small dog, drawing the attention of a neighbor who left his house to help.

The man tried to separate the dark brown pit bull from the smaller dog by kicking it as hard as he could but his efforts were in vain, police said. The neighbor then ran back into his house and returned with a gun

By this time the little dog was in the pit bull's mouth and the larger dog was violently shaking the animal. At that point, the man fired his gun, killing the pit bull.

The small dog was taken to a veterinarian and put down on Saturday night, Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong said. No charges have been filed in this case.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento police and deputies are investigating several gunshots that were fired at the downtown county jail about 10:30 p.m. Sunday night.

While releasing few details, a Sacramento police spokesman said the shots were fired at an upper floor window of the jail, 651 I St.

"We responded when we had multiple citizens reporting sounds of shots fired," said police officer Konrad Von Schoech.

Rifle casings were found at the scene and a witness reported a vehicle in the area at the time of the shooting.

A car that may be connected to the shooting was located on Arden Way near Evergreen Street in North Sacramento. No suspect was arrested.

"Investigators are trying to figure out what connection there is between the vehicle and the incident, if any," said Von Schoech.

From Loretta Kalb

Woodland police arrested a 22-year-old man after finding a homemade explosive device in his car near a public park, authorities said today.

Police questioned Woodland resident Christopher Lee Garcia at Harris Park, 100 Imperial St., on Friday night and found that he had been smoking marijuana in the park restroom.

Garcia, on probation, was searched and found to possess a small amount of marijuana, police said. A search of his car parked nearby also revealed an illegal knife and the explosive device.

Members of the Yolo County Bomb Squad were summoned. They found that the device was capable of exploding if the attached fuse had been lit, authorities said.

Garcia was booked at the Yolo County Jail on charges of possessing an explosive device, possession of a switchblade knife, possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and violation of probation.

From Julie Johnson:

Sacramento County Sheriff deputies are searching for a man (left) who sexually assaulted a woman Wednesday night in Antelope.

A 23-year-old woman reported that when she was walking down the street an unknown man grabbed her from behind and sexually groped her, according to a news release. She said she screamed and was able to get away. The attacker then fled.

Detectives are investigating a possible link to a similar assault. A 13-year-old girl reported she had been sexually groped July 27 at Antelope Crossing Middle School, according to the report.

Anyone with information about the suspect can contact the Sheriff's Sexual and Elder Abuse Bureau at (916) 874-5070, or (916) 874-5115. Callers may also contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP; or send a text message tip by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information.

Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00.

Sheriff's officials also offered safety tips to reduce the risk of being attacked while walking or jogging outdoors:

**Always be alert to your surroundings and the people around you.

**Don't walk or jog alone, especially at night, and always avoid areas were there are few people.

**Try to stay in well-lit areas.

**Walk or jog confidently at a steady pace on the side of the street facing traffic.

**Avoid bushes and alleys.

**Wear clothes and shoes that give you freedom of movement.

**Be careful when people stop you to ask for directions. Always reply from a distance.

**If you are in trouble, attract attention any way you can. Scream or yell for help.

*If you feel you are being followed, walk or run to a well-populated area.

From Kim Minugh:

A man whose body was found in a motel room on Northgate Boulevard this afternoon appears to have died naturally, according to authorities.

An employee of the motel, located in the 3700 block of Northgate, found the man's body shortly before 2 p.m., said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. Officers waited at the scene for the arrival of the coroner, who ultimately determined that the death did not appear suspicious, Leong said.

Homicide detectives were not called to the scene.

From Andy Furillo:

A Sacramento jury today convicted Vardan Abramyan of first-degree murder for arranging the shooting death of his father three years ago outside a Watt Avenue video store.

Abramyan, 22, will face a life term with no chance of parole at his scheduled Sept. 14 sentencing in front of Superior Court Judge James L. Long. The jury sustained the special-circumstance allegations that the murder was carried out for financial gain and that the victim, Norik Abramyan, 45, was killed by gunmen lying in wait.

Two other juries have reached verdicts against two other defendants in the case, Isaiah Dupree Barron, 22, and Arthur James Battle, 21. Judge Long had held the reading of those verdicts until the Abramyan panel finished its deliberations. The Barron and Battle verdicts are scheduled to be announced on Monday.

Abramyan was accused of paying Barron $4,000 to kill his father.

Norik Abramyan was gunned down July 30, 2006, outside the Hollywood Video store near the Del Paso Country Club. Barron is charged with sub-contracting the murder to Battle and another defendant, Jason Dillingham, who was convicted of first-degree murder in an earlier trial.

Relatives of the victim sobbed inside the courtroom even before the jury came in to announce the verdicts. "He's never coming home," one of them screamed in the hallway outside the courtroom after the panel gave its decision.

Abramyan testified in his own behalf that he arranged the shooting death of his father to stop what he described as years of violence that he said the victim had directed at himself, his mother and his sisters.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies released a sketch today of a man suspected of fatally shooting an Arden Arcade resident in front of an apartment complex on Aug. 8.

Deputies were called to a report of a shooting in the 2700 block of Corabel Lane, south of Marconi Avenue, where they found Michael Branner, 30, lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his neck. Paramedics arrived a short time later and pronounced the man dead.

Sheriff's homicide detectives were told the shooting occurred while Branner and a male roommate were standing outside their apartment. A man they did not know approached them, pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded money. Before either of the roommates could respond to the demand, the gunman shot the victim, the news release says.

The suspect was described as a dark-skinned African American male adult with short braids or dreadlocks, about 5 feet, 11 inches tall, 210 pounds and about 19 years old. Authorities said he left in a light-colored Chevrolet HHR-type vehicle.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. A text message tip may be sent by texting to 274637 (CRIMES), then entering SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento police suspect a young mother carved the first letter of her name into her 15-month-old daughter's buttock.

Sergaye Lafeyette, 23, was booked into Sacramento County Jail on several charges, including willful cruelty to a child.

Police said that on July 13, Lafeyette had a visit with her children before they would be permanently placed with a foster family. However, police said, Lafeyette did not return the children to the foster parent.

On Aug. 10, she was stopped and arrested. The children were taken into custody and a medical exam by UC Davis Medical Center staff discovered what looked like an "S" cut into the toddler's backside.

"The first initial of the name the mom is giving is 'S,'" said Sgt. Norm Leong, police department spokesman.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District officials need the public's help with information on five arsons that occurred overnight in Carmichael.

The fires, all on Fair Oaks Boulevard or nearby, burned buildings, a mailbox and dry grass.

At 1:51 a.m. firefighters responded to a fire at a medical office at 6437 Fair Oaks Blvd. where most of the damage from the series of arson fires occurred. The fire at the medical office threatened an adjacent furniture store, prompting a second alarm.

"The medical office had significant fire in the attic so we had to cut holes in the roof," said Metro Fire Capt. Christian Pebbles. "The building was partially damaged."

Prior to the medical office fire, several other deliberately set fires were handled by firefighters: two grass fires at Fair Oaks Boulevard and North Avenue, a mailbox outside the Carmichael Post Office, 6929 Fair Oaks Blvd., and a building in the 5800 block of Robertson Avenue.

"These were all deliberately set fires," said Pebbles. "Somebody is walking around this neighborhood torching property."

Anyone with information is asked to call (916) 566-4000.

From Julie Johnson:

A suspect in a 2001 Iowa homicide ended eight years the run Tuesday.

Mark Anthony Wilson (left photo), 51, walked into the California Highway Patrol's south Sacramento office just after 4 p.m. and told an officer that there has been an outstanding warrant for him in Iowa.

"He came up to the window and he told me he wanted to turn himself in," said CHP Officer Joseph Pickar. "He looked in pretty good physical condition at least, but he looked like he was a little tired and worried."

Wilson had been charged in an Iowa court with the killing of his girlfriend, Joni Manning, in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Manning had been found dead in her home by her son July 8, 2001, according to reports from The Messenger newspaper in her hometown. She had been killed by blunt force.

Wilson was the focus of two episodes of the television program "America's Most Wanted."

Pickar said it seemed that Wilson didn't know he was wanted for murder.

"He was aware that he was wanted, but he wasn't aware that it was an actual murder charge," Pickar said.

Wilson told him that he'd been on the run for eight years and he "wanted to make amends and take responsibility," Pickar said.

He also said he'd been living near Loaves and Fishes, and he had been supporting himself doing handiwork, such as landscaping and yard work.

Authorities in Iowa said they were going to take Wilson back to the Midwest state the middle of next week, Pickar said.

Click here to read more about the case on the "America's Most Wanted" Web site.

From Andy Furillo:

A Sacramento man was sentenced to seven years in prison today for stabbing a former Merchant Marine to death two years ago.

Armand Marcello Powers, 25, received the term from Sacramento Superior Court Judge James L. Long for the Aug. 16, 2007, stabbing of Julian Maisonet, 61, who died eight days later.

A jury last month convicted Powers of voluntary manslaughter in connection with the stabbing death in south Sacramento that city police investigators initially thought may have been a case of self-defense.

From Bill Lindelof:

A former Yolo County sheriff's deputy suspected of firing a weapon at his West Sacramento home and wounding one of his dogs has been charged with two felony counts.

Jonathan Key 36, has been charged with firing a weapon in a grossly negligent manner that could result in injury or death to a person and a second count of wounding animals.

The incident happened Aug. 2 while Key, a veteran sergeant and had worked as a bailiff in the Yolo County courthouse, was off duty. He subsequently was placed on administrative leave. Today, Sheriff Ed Prieto said Key no longer was employed with the department.

Key is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Superior Court, a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release states.

One of Key's two dogs was wounded, Prieto said. Both animals were placed at the Yolo County Animal Services Shelter, which is run by the Sheriff's Department. The dog's wounds are not believed to be life threatening, Prieto said.

From Kim Minugh:

A 43-year-old man is in custody in the 2007 killing of Sofia Marta Marquez, whose body was found dumped on a highway onramp in south Sacramento, according to authorities.

Bryan Cordel Johnson, of Sacramento, was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on Wednesday night on one count of murder, according to booking records. He is accused in the death of Marquez, 26, also of Sacramento, whose body was discovered Nov. 26, 2007 in the bushes along the southbound Highway 99 onramp from Martin Luther King Boulevard, said Sacramento County Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

She had been strangled, according to Sacramento County Coroner's records. Officials determined she had been killed the day her body was found.

Evidence collected at the scene was submitted for DNA testing, and last month, the evidence was matched to Johnson, Curran said. Detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest this week.

Johnson is scheduled to be arraigned Friday.

The year before Marquez's death, Johnson pleaded no contest to one felony count of domestic violence and a misdemeanor count of resisting arrest, according to Sacramento Superior Court records. He was sentenced to 94 days of jail time and four years of formal, searchable probation, records show.

Johnson was first convicted of domestic violence in 1995, when he pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count, according to records. He was given 90 days of Sheriff's Work Project and three years of formal, non-searchable probation.

From Julie Johnson:

Elk Grove Police Department officers arrested two people in Elk Grove on Wednesday in connection with a trio of marijuana growing operations.

Dalshawn Boson (left photo), 36, and Jovanna Johnson (right photo), 28, were booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of marijuana production and possession, conspiracy to sell drugs and for possession of drugs while armed with a loaded firearm.

Police officers arrested Boson at a residence in the 8100 block of Drais Way in Elk Grove. They found and arrested Johnson after she left the Elk Grove residence.

A department investigation led detectives to three marijuana growing operations -- at the Elk Grove home and two Sacramento residences, in the 7900 block of Stevenson Avenue and the 5200 block of Village Wood Drive.

The department's narcotics and special weapons teams confiscated two semiautomatic firearms, 681 marijuana plants and more than 10 pounds of processed marijuana.

Boson and Johnson are allegedly connected to all three residences, according to Officer Christopher Trim, spokesman for the Elk Grove Police Department. Trim said they were still determining if the suspects lived in one of the homes.

From Bill Lindelof:

Two teenage boys are suspected of spray painting cars, signs, diving boards and walls this morning in Auburn.

Auburn police said the 13- and 15-year-old boys spray painted a wall at the Taco Tree Restaurant, 180 Oakwood Drive, various surfaces, including signs, at the Auburn Recreation District Park pool, a wall at Placer High School and two vehicles at Metritage Motors, 1145 Lincoln Way. The vandalism happened between midnight and 5:37 a.m.

The boys were "referred to the Placer County Juvenile Probation Department," a news release states. Evidence linking them to the graffiti was found in their possession, police said.

From Bill Lindelof:

Deputies from Minnesota have delivered a registered sex offender wanted on suspicion of committing lewd acts on a child to Sacramento authorities.

Michael Clouse, 38, was booked into Sacramento County Jail on multiple sex charges involving a child, failure to register as a sex offender and possession of narcotics. He is being held without bail.

Deputies from Otter Tail County, Minn., turned Clouse over to members of Sacramento County's Sexual Asault Felony Enforcement team on Tuesday at San Francisco International Airport.

Clouse was arrested in Otter Tail County by state troopers for a vehicle code violation. When troopers discovered Clouse had outstanding warrants for his arrest from Sacramento County, he was booked into Otter Tail County Jail and extradition proceedings were began.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento police are investigating an unusual number of robberies this morning but say they don't see a common thread to connect them all.

The robberies began about midnight and continued until about 3 or 4 a.m., keeping officers busy in various neighborhoods, including the Pocket, midtown and Oak Park.

"Two or three of them appear to be similar," said Sgt. Norm Leong, a Sacramento Police Department spokesman. "Suspects in a couple of the robberies wore bandannas over their faces."

Robbers accosted victims in parked cars, while they were walking down the street and outside a bank. In most of the holdups, the robbers exhibited handguns.

These are robbery locations:

• Stockton Boulevard and Y Street.

• Stockton and Broadway.

• 19th and P streets.

• 6200 block of Riverside Boulevard.

• Rivergate Way and Gloria Drive.

• 7200 block of Greenhaven.

Leong said officers might normally see as many robberies in an entire day, not in a four-hour span.

From Bill Lindelof:

Authorities in Placer County this morning arrested a man they say killed his girlfriend as she worked in her toll booth on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge along with another toll taker Tuesday evening.

Police say they believe Nathaniel Burris (left), 46, shot and killed the female toll collector, Deborah Ross, 51, after fatally shooting another transit employee who was sitting in a parked vehicle at the toll plaza about 6 p.m. Tuesday.

After the killings, authorities said, Burris headed toward Sacramento, where his mother lives. Police do not know if he stopped in Sacramento, but he was found by the California Highway Patrol today on Interstate 80 about 65 miles east of Sacramento near Baxter.

"A little after 3 a.m., CHP officers on the 80 corridor located a vehicle on the side of the road," said Sgt. Bisa French, a Richmond Police Department spokeswoman. "They subsequently arrested Burris without incident."

Burris will be booked into Placer County Jail on two counts of homicide, French said.

"We still believe it was domestic-related," said French. "We don't know his relationship with the man who was shot."

The first victim, whose identification has not been released, was sitting in a vehicle in a parking lot where toll collectors park when he was shot to death, French said. The killing occurred before Ross was gunned down inside her toll booth.

Ross worked as a Caltrans toll collector for eight years. Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff in her honor, a statement from the governor's office said.

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking information that would lead to the identity of the man wanted for suspicion of armed robbery, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

About 8:56 a.m. July 5, the suspect (left photo) entered the Shell gas Station at 5551 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and demanded money from the clerk at knife point, authorities said. He fled after receiving cash from the employee.

The suspect is described as age 23-24, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with a red shirt underneath and dark jeans. The jeans had a design on the right rear pocket.

The suspect should be considered armed and dangerous, officials said.

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 Julie Johnson:

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking help to identify the people responsible for two robberies at a Sacramento cemetery during the past week.

Thieves broke into the cemetery at Sacramento Memorial Lawn in the 6100 block of Stockton Boulevard and took brass trimming and a 15-foot tractor, according to a police department press release.

The thieves cut a hole in a wrought iron fence Aug. 4 and took brass trimming from several crypts.

Thieves trespassed onto the cemetery property again Sunday and stole a 15-foot John Deer tractor with an attached loader from a storage closet. The thieves drove the tractor through the storage door and the wrought iron fence to escape.

The Sacramento Police ask that anyone with information contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Kim Minugh:

A Sacramento area family was arrested earlier this month after they allegedly - and fraudulently - reported that their Range Rover was stolen from outside their house while they were at mosque, according to authorities.

The car turned up in San Jose, where it was found with fire damage, according to a news release issued by the state Department of Insurance.

Amjad Javaid, 53, and his wife, Zarina Javaid, 43, both of West Sacramento, and their son, Fahad Javaid, 24 and his wife, Fatima Javaid, 23, both of Sacramento, have been charged with conspiracy, presenting a false oral or written statement to the insurance company, and knowingly presenting a false claim to an insurance company, the release states. All suspects except Zarina Javaid face an additional charge of arson.

On Oct. 3, 2006, Amjad Javaid filed a claim with The Hartford Insurance Company for the alleged theft of his 2003 Range Rover, which was found burned out in San Jose a few days later, according to the news release. All family members told insurance agencts that the sports utility vehicle was taken from in front of their Elk Grove while the family was at the mosque.

During the investigation, investigators discovered that the Javaids allegedly were not where they said they were at the time of the theft, according to the release. Additional information suggested the Javaid family may have been experiencing financial difficulties, the release states.

The insurance company denied the vehicle loss claim, and the Javaids were arrested Aug. 5, the release states. The case is being prosecuted by the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office. If convicted, each family member could face up to five years in prison and/or $10,000 in fines.

The case was investigated by the Sacramento County Urban Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force, composed of representatives from the state Department of Insurance, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office and the California Highway Patrol.

From Kim Minugh and Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento police say they issued more than 50 citations today to motorists who didn't stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

They also towed four vehicles in the operation, said Officer Konrad Von Schoech, police spokesman.

The operation involved plainclothes officers who attempted to cross between the white lines of crosswalks at different intersections across the city. Motorcycle officers and officers in patrol cars idled nearby to catch any motorists who failed to stop for the crossing pedestrians.

Police periodically carry out such operations to reduce the number of pedestrian-involved accidents. In 2008, 229 accidents were reported in the city involving vehicles and pedestrians -- resulting in 204 injuries and seven fatalities.

Police officials said that each week the department receives complaints of drivers not yielding to pedestrians trying to cross the street.

From Kim Minugh:

A 22-year-old Roseville man has been ordered to stand trial for the 2007 beating death of his stepfather, according to authorities.

David Harrison Buzzetta, 22, will be arraigned Friday on one count of murder with special circumstances that he was lying in wait for 47-year-old Paul Gregory Bonomo, according to a news release from the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

Buzzetta also will be arraigned on two charges of residential burglary.

The arraignment was scheduled after Superior Court Judge Mark S. Curry ruled today that there is sufficient evidence to support the charges against Buzzetta, according to the release.

Authorities accuse Buzzetta of beating his stepfather to death with an aluminum baseball bat after Bonomo had separated from Buzzetta's mother, the release states.

Buzzetta was arrested in 2007 and went through a preliminary hearing at that time. But the District Attorney's office later decided to refile the murder charge, adding the special circumstance of lying in wait, according to the release.

If convicted of the murder charge and the special circumstance, Buzzetta could spend life in prison.

From Bill Lindelof:

Galt police have arrested two people at a home where authorities say they found chemicals used for making methamphetamine.

John Franklin Beathard (far left), 44, and Katherine Ann Culbertson (left), 32, were arrested on suspicion of possession of chemicals to make drugs, unlawfully making methamphetamine and possession of narcotic paraphernalia.

Police served a search warrant at the residence in the 600 block of E Street on Monday afternoon. It was during the search that detectives say they found components and chemicals commonly used in a clandestine methamphetamine lab.

From Bill Enfield:

The man whose body was pulled from the Sacramento River was identified today by Yolo County Coroner's deputies as Michael Brendon Fenton.

There were no signs of trauma to the body.

Fenton, 54, of Sacramento was found Monday afternoon floating in the Sacramento River near Sand Cove Park, Sacramento Fire Department officials said. Cause of death had not been determined.

Fenton was found near the Garden Highway close to the Interstate 80 bridge over the river about two miles west of Discovery Park.

Fenton was reported as missing last Friday. Detectives found his vehicle parked along on Garden Highway.

From Bill Lindelof:

Shasta County's crackdown on marijuana gardens has topped last year's eradication effort.

Early today deputies from the Shasta County Sheriff's Department's Marijuana Eradication Team destroyed 8,444 marijuana plants. The marijuana was believed to have been planted by growers from Mexico, although no arrests were made.

The plants found and destroyed in the Backbone Creek area at Shasta Lake brings the total number of marijuana plants eradicated this gowing season to 474,596. Last year, 472,000 were eradicated.

From Bill Lindelof:

A twice-convicted burglar's decision to flee from authorities and lead them on a dangerous chase along streets in south Sacramento and Elk Grove has put him in prison for 25 years to life.

James Lee Blake, 30, was sentenced by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny on Friday for felony violations of evading police, driving in a reckless manner and driving on the wrong side of the road. He also was sentenced for misdemeanor resisting a peace officer.

A three-time convicted felon, Blake was prosecuted and sentenced under the state's "three-strike" guidelines, which accounts for the long prison stretch.

Two years ago, officers stopped Blake on suspicion of driving a stolen car. A press release from the Sacramento County District Attorney's office stated that Blake momentarily pulled to the side of road as officers exited their patrol cars.

Blake then accelerated and drove away, leading officers on a 52-mile pursuit that lasted more than a half hour and reached speeds higher than 100 mph in south Sacramento and Elk Grove. At one point Blake drove on the wrong side of the road, forcing citizens to swerve to avoid collision.

Blake eventually lost control of his car and ended up in a ditch.

"This is a just sentence for a repeat convicted felon who once again showed complete disregard for the safety and well-being of the people in our community," said Deputy District Attorney Kristi Tungesvik.

From Chelsea Phua:

A federal judge in Sacramento has tossed out a lawsuit that a Livermore publisher filed against the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department for banning the distribution of his magazine in the Main Jail.

U.S. District Court Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. ruled that the sheriff department's policy of not allowing unsolicited bulk mail to be distributed to inmates, are "reasonably related to legitimate penological interests."

Ray Hrdlicka, publisher of Crime, Justice & America, had argued that the ban violated his First Amendment right to reach his readers when he filed the suit in February 2008.

According to a ruling on Aug. 3, Damrell agreed with sheriff officials' argument that an increase in unsolicited bulk mail would cause additional administration, staffing and security issues for the jail.

Damrell also said jail regulations that allow for the distribution of the magazine to inmates when it is properly addressed and mailed to those who voluntarily request it allows for the publisher's First Amendment right to be exercised.

In a 2008 interview with The Bee, Hrdlicka said since he started his magazine in 2002, he has distributed more than 1 million copies in jails in California, Oregon, Washington state, Arizona and Maryland.

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking an at-risk a 61-year-old woman.

According to a deaprtment news release, Carol Lee (left photo), who is at risk because she suffers from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, manic depression and type-1 diabetes, left her residence on foot three days ago in 3000 block of Gardendale Road in the Meadowview area. Police officials said she does not have her medications with her and has suffered a diabetic coma in the past.

Lee is 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a maroon blouse, khaki shorts and blue socks, according to police. Lee was last seen today in the area of 16th and North C streets. She may also be in, or near, Discovery Park, police officials said.

The police department urges anyone with information about Lee's whereabouts to contact non-emergency dispatch (916) 264-5471 or the missing persons unit at (916) 808-0560.

-- Bee staff

From Chelsea Phua:

A 27-year-old Roseville man has pleaded guilty to 12 counts of child molestation and one count of making threats to dissuade a victim or witness from testifying, the Placer County District Attorney's office says.

Guillermo A. Quintanilla Jr. (left), who made the plea on Friday in Placer Superior Court, faces 30 years, eight months in state prison, a department news release stated today.

Quintanilla originally was charged with 45 counts of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 14. The crimes occurred over a four-year period that began in 2005 when the girl was 8 years old. Two other original counts included threats made to the victim and the exhibition of harmful matter to a child.

He would have faced 271 years, four months in prison if convicted on all counts, but prosecutor Jeff Wood said the guilty plea spared the 12-year-old girl from a trial and having to testify about the details.

"With the plea, she will not be further traumatized by the defendant," Wood said. "She will not have to testify to the unspeakable things he did to her. She can be done with him."

Quintanilla is scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 20.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento police will conduct a plain-clothes operation Tuesday to catch motorists who don't stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

Plain-clothes officers will be attempting to cross between the white lines of the crosswalk at different intersections in the city. Nearby, motorcycle officers and officers in patrol cars will be watching for citizens who don't yield the right of way to the pedestrian cops.

The goal is to reduce the number pedestrians who are killed or hurt when sruck by vehicles. In 2008, 229 accidents were reported in the city involving vehicles and pedestrians -- resulting in 204 injuries and seven fatalities.

Police officials said that each week the department receives complaints of drivers not yielding to pedestrians trying to cross the street.

From Bill Lindelof:

A funeral service for the veteran Sacramento County sheriff's deputy killed in a traffic collision last week is scheduled for Thursday, and the public is welcome to attend.

Sgt. Kelley Lynne Allen Lara (left), 43, died in a crash on Interstate 80 last Thursday. The woman authorities say caused the wreck, then fled the scene, faces felony charges.

The funeral for Lara, a 15-year department veteran, is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church, 11427 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks. The public also is invited to a viewing from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Price Funeral Chapel, 6335 Sunrise Blvd., Citrus Heights.

Memorial donations may be sent to the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs' Association, Sgt. Kelley Lara Memorial Account, c/o Exchange Bank, 1420 Rocky Ridge Drive, Suite 190 Roseville, 95661; or the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff's Association, 1700 I St., Suite 100, Sacramento, 95811.

Stacy Lynn Taylor, 22, is suspected of causing the deputy's death. She was arrested on suspicion of felony manslaughter and felony hit and run.

Lara was westbound on Interstate 80 in her personal vehicle, a black Toyota MR2, when the collision happened about 1 p.m., CHP and sheriff's officials said.

Witnesses told authorities that a vehicle made an unsafe lane change into the Toyota's path near the Longview Drive overcrossing, officials said.

While evading the vehicle, Lara lost control of her car, which spun clockwise and struck the left rear of a big rig that was merging onto the highway from the right shoulder into the slow lane.

From Bill Lindelof:

Police suspect a 32-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the leg after leaving a home where gunshots were fired Sunday night in Meadowview.

Sacramento police were called to a home in the 1600 block of 71st Avenue when citizens reported hearing gunfire about 9:07 p.m. Sunday. While investigating that call, officers were told that a man had arrived at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center with a gunshot wound in his leg.

About the same time, police stopped a vehicle that matched the description of a car seen leaving the scene of the disturbance on 71st Avenue. Inside the car, police found blood and bullets.

Police say they believe the two men in the car, Donyae Nase, 34, and William England, 28, had transported the wounded man to Kaiser South so that he could be treated.

Police say they suspect that the injured man, Andre Love, accidentally shot himself after fleeing the 71st Avenue scene with Nase and England.

Nase and England were booked in Sacramento County Jail on numerous charges, including assault with a deadly weapon, participation in a street gang and possession of ammunition by a felon.

Love was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

From Gina Kim:

Police believe a 19-year-old from Manteca was the shooter who injured a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy after a Rocklin bank robbery over the weekend.

Jordan Elijah Latour is expected to appear in court Monday and will be formally charged with attempted murder, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Two others - 34-year-old Loureece Clark and a 17-year-old juvenile, both from Manteca - were turned over to the Rocklin Police Department in relation to the bank robbery.

The injured deputy, Duke Lewis, is expected to recover from a single gunshot wound to his left shoulder.

The incident began about 1 p.m. Saturday when a Wells Fargo on Granite Drive in Rocklin was robbed by three people. With Rocklin police officers in pursuit, the suspects fled west on Interstate 80 and exited at Madison Avenue.

Lewis was shot just before 1:30 p.m. while investigating a citizen's report of some masked people behind the businesses at 5222 Hillsdale Blvd..

Police arrested two of the suspects as they were crossing the I-80 overpass at Madison Avenue. The third suspect was found just before 3 p.m. hiding in a backyard shed.

From Gina Kim:

A 25-year-old motorcyclist from Yuba City was killed Saturday when he struck a vehicle while riding at a speed in excess of 100 mph.

Matthew C. Griffin was going east on Reed Road east of George Washington Boulevard in Yuba City just before 7 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. He struck the left rear of a westbound pickup driven by a 59-year-old Yuba City man and was flung about 180 feet into an agricultural field where he died, according to Sgt. Dan Canalia.

Police are investigating why Griffin hit the pickup, which was driving at about 25 mph, about 10 mph less than the speed limit on the rural road.

"At high speeds, you have no reaction time," Canalia said.

From Gina Kim:

Two Bay Area women had their car stolen Saturday evening while they were stopped for gas along Northgate Boulevard.

The driver of the car - a 24-year-old Vallejo woman - had gone into Northgate Liquor and Food in the 3000 block of Northgate Boulevard at about 7:30 p.m. while her passenger - a 31-year-old woman from San Francisco -- waited in the car, said Officer Konrad Von Schoech, city police spokesman.

A man got into the car and demanded the passenger get out. When she refused, the man pulled out a handgun, Von Schoech said. The woman got out and the car, a 2004 Dodge Charger, pulled away just as the driver came out of the market, Von Schoech said.

"Most of these crimes are random and these criminals are out there looking for opportunity," he said.

From Gina Kim:

A 21-year-old woman was robbed at gunpoint early Sunday after being dropped off at her Natomas home.

The woman had been dropped off by a friend just after 2:30 a.m. Sunday in the 5500 block of Hoyt Street, when she noticed a car stopped in front of the house, said City Police spokesman, Officer Konrad Von Schoech.

One of the two men in the gold four-door sedan got out, pointed a gun at her and demanded her purse. The woman gave him her personal property and the men left, Von Schoech said. She was not injured.

From Cathy Locke:

Four Newcastle residents have been arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property and mail theft.

The arrests, announced today by the Placer County Sheriff's Department, followed an investigation that began July 28, when a citizen reported seeing individuals in a new green BMW with out-of-state license plates taking mail from people's mail boxes.

A deputy on Tuesday stopped a vehicle matching that description on Interstate 80 at Ophir Road. The vehicle had a cracked windshield, and occupants Aaron Renfro (far left), 32, and Rebecca Carrillo (left), 25, were found to possess stolen credit cards, drivers licenses and checks, a sheriff's department news release states.

A parole search conducted at Renfro and Carrillo's residence in Newcastle revealed trash bags full of stolen mail, credit cards, checks and a large amount of property stolen from a burglary a week earlier, sheriff's officials reported.

Arrested at the residence were Elijah Murray (far left), 38, and Eziekiel Rutledge (left), 37.

Items recovered at the home included furniture, clothing, two motorcycles, lawn furniture, kitchen appliances, household items, children's birth certificates and sporting equipment. Value of the stolen property recovered was approximately $15,000.

When arrested, Murray was wearing a victim's T-shirt and Rutledge was wearing a victim's baseball cap, according to the news release.

Renfro and Carrillo were held without bail. Bail for Murray was set at $45,000, for Rutledge $5,000.

From Cathy Locke:

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies are searching for the person who fatally shot a man in front of an apartment complex in the Arden Arcade area shortly after midnight.

Deputies were called to report of a shooting in the 2700 block of Corabel Lane, south of Marconi Avenue, at 12:24 a.m. today. They found a 30-year-old man lying on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his neck. Paramedics arrived a short time later and pronounced the man dead, a Sheriff's Department news release states.

Sheriff's homicide detectives were told the shooting occurred while the victim and a male roommate were standing outside their apartment. A man they did not know approached them, pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded money. Before either of the roommates could respond to the demand, the gunman shot the victim, the news release says.

Investigators believe the suspect, who was described only as a dark-skinned African American male adult with short dreadlocks, left in a late-model, light-colored Chevrolet HHR-type vehicle.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. A text message tip may be sent by texting to 274637 (CRIMES), then entering SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Chelsea Phua:

Sacramento police said they arrested a parolee-at-large after a brief vehicle pursuit in the south area ended in a crash Friday night.

Spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said Michael Arthur, 39, has a felony warrant for evasion. He suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries and was being charged on suspicion of evading an officer on Friday after allegedly failing to stop for a traffic violation, then struck another sedan and a pole, Leong said.

Three other people involved in the crash complained of pain, Leong said.

The chase started shortly before 7:50 p.m. on Meadowview Road and Tamoshanter Way and ended a short distance away at Meadowview Road and Amherst Street, police said.

From Ed Fletcher

An 18-year-old Granite Bay woman likely will have plenty of time to think about her role in a 2008 drive-by shooting that wounded a 16-year-old boy, after her no contest plea Friday.

Kelsey Mariah Brace will face three to four years in state prison when she is sentenced in September after her no contest pleas to two charges of assault with a firearm, according to a news release from the Placer County District Attorney's office.

Brace's co-defendant Justin Mathew Wittkop, 19, of Granite Bay, is accused of wounding the 16-year-old as he walked on Sierra College Boulevard near Douglas Boulevard, Nov. 5, according to the release. A second boy, 17, dove out of the way of the gunfire, according to the release.

Wittkop has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and assault with a firearm charges.

Under the plea agreement, Brace must cooperate in the investigation and the prosecution is expected to call her as witness, according to the release.

Brace was 17 at the time of the shooting, but was prosecuted as an adult because of the gravity of the crime.

The 16-year-old victim has recovered from his wounds.

From Ed Fletcher

The March robbery of the prescription painkiller OxyContin from Roseville Walgreens and an assault led to a three-year sentence after a 21-year-old man pleaded no contest to the charges.

Pierre Jovan Williams, pleaded no contest to the theft of $5,000 worth of the painkiller and battery of a correctional officer, according to the release from the Placer County District Attorney's office.

Williams received a three-year sentence for the robbery and a two-year sentence for the battery, which will run concurrently.

During the robbery, Williams wore a hooded sweatshirt and while holding something in his pocket twice whispered to the pharmacist "I have a gun," according to the release.

From Ed Fletcher

A former California Highway Patrol officer is facing up to one year in jail after pleading guilty to two misdemeanor counts of child molestation and one misdemeanor count of possessing child pornography.

In the guilty plea made Wednesday, Wayne Robert Alger, 37, of Roseville, confessed to molesting a 16-year-old girl at in home in July 2008 and committing a lewd act upon a 12-year-old Rocklin girl inside a vehicle in 2007, according to a news release from the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

As part of the plea agreement, other charges against Alger, who was a CHP sergeant at the time of his Oct. 2008 arrest, will be dropped, the release states.

Alger also faces a probation sentence of five years and will be required to register as a sex offender, said Jeff Wood, a Placer County district attorney.

CHP officials said the incidents did not occur while he was on the job. He was a 10-year veteran of the CHP at the time of his Oct. 24 arrest by Rocklin police.

His sentencing is expected to take place Sept. 2.

From Ed Fletcher

The attorney representing the Penryn man at the center of an alleged Placer County methamphetamine ring said in his opening statement Friday that his client was not pulling the strings as prosecutors suggest.

Donald Hugh Sherman, 44, and Peter Daniel Schoemig, 32, of Reno are being tried simultaneously, but with separate juries, in the 2006 murder and torture of Guy Edward Farmer.

Sherman is not a "criminal mastermind," his attorney Kyle Knapp, told The Bee shortly after opening statements concluded.

Placer County prosecutors alleged that Farmer, 38, was tortured and then died at the hands of his drug-dealing cousin, Sherman, and accomplices.

"The facts will show that the vast majority of the witnesses the (prosecution) will use will be criminals that used and abused Donny Sherman's trust," Knapp said. "They were only out for themselves."

"Mr. Sherman was not in control of the situation," Knapp said. He added that Sherman was not on the property when the fatal drug dose was administered.

The prosecution, which also wrapped up their opening statements Friday, painted a different picture.

Set on extracting the whereabouts of missing chemicals used to cook methamphetamine, the men working for or with the defendants punched and kicked Farmer, beat him with a hammer and burned him with a torch over several hours the evening of Sept. 5, 2006.

The scene climaxed as the three men, two of which are unidentified, allegedley brought in by Sherman prepared to torch Farmer's genitals.

Knapp said Sherman didn't want it to happen.

"He did not want or intend harm to come to his cousin," Knapp said.

The trial is expected to include numerous witnesses and last several weeks.

From Bill Lindelof and Chelsea Phua:

The mother of a young woman suspected of causing a traffic accident that killed a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy Thursday said today that her family has been shaken by the incident and offered condolences for the victim's family.

Stacy Lynn Taylor (far left) was booked into Sacramento County Jail shortly before midnight where she was held in lieu of $30,000 bail, a sheriff's department news release shows. The jail Web site indicates Taylor was released from custody this morning.

Reached by telephone, the suspect's mother, Judy Taylor, said her family grieves for the family of Sgt. Kelley Lara (left), 43, a 15-year sheriff's department veteran who died Thursday in the accident.

"We are just so, so sorry," Judy Taylor said. "We are just really broken up about it. This whole thing, it was an accident. We are just so, so sorry. The family is in our thoughts and prayers. That is all I can say at this point."

Stacy Taylor, 22, was arrested by the California Highway Patrol, suspected of causing the crash that killed Lara, who was on her way to work. Taylor was booked into jail on charges of felony manslaughter and felony hit and run, a sheriff's spokesman said.

Taylor is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Monday in Sacramento Superior Court.

Lara was westbound on Interstate 80 in her personal vehicle – a black Toyota MR2 – when the collision happened about 1 p.m. Thursday, California Highway Patrol and sheriff's officials say. Lara was en route to her job at the Sacramento International Airport.

Near the Longview Drive overcrossing, witnesses reported that a vehicle made an unsafe lane change into the Toyota's path, officials said.

While evading the vehicle, Lara lost control of her car, which spun clockwise and struck the left rear of a big rig that was merging on the highway from the right shoulder into the slow lane.

The 2009 Freightliner tractor/trailer was driven by a 38-year-old Connecticut man.

Lara suffered severe injuries and died at the scene.

CHP dispatchers report receiving calls of a red vehicle driving recklessly in the area before the collision. It is not clear if the red vehicle is the same one that moved into the Toyota's path, CHP Officer Lizz Dutton said.

Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness described the loss as devastating.

"She was a very likeable, pleasant, high-energy person," McGinness said.

Lara's father worked in law enforcement, as does her husband, Don, also a Sheriff's Department sergeant.

Lara also is survived by four young children.

The Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs' Association and its STAR 6 Foundation have set up a memorial fund in Lara's name.

Donations made to the Sgt. Kelley Lara Memorial Account can be sent to the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs' Association, 1700 I St., Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95811 or Exchange Bank, 1420 Rocky Ridge Drive, Suite 190, Roseville, CA 95661. The account number for the fund is 1200015061.

From Chelsea Phua:

A former employee of the American Red Cross who was assigned to help victims of the 2007 Angora fire has been arrested on suspicion of stealing and embezzling $16,574 meant to aid victims, El Dorado County District Attorney's officials said.

John Stephen Hellman was arrested Thursday afternoon in Texas by officials from Texas' Department of Public Safety.

Supervising District Attorney Investigator Bob Cosley said Hellman embezzled the money over a two-week period when the Red Cross was administering aid to victims of the fire, which scorched 3,100 acres and destroyed more than 250 homes.

When Red Cross security personnel performed an audit of the books, they discovered some discrepancy and contacted the El Dorado County District Attorney's office six months ago, Cosley said.

Investigators conducted numerous interviews and reviewed financial documents. They filed ten counts of grand theft by embezzlement and one count of embezzlement against Hellman, alleging that he stole from the American Red Cross.

He was booked into Travis County Criminal Justice Center in Austin, Texas, on a $150,000 arrest warrant and is being held pending extradition to El Dorado County.

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct the amount of the suspected embezzlement.

Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department is looking for a man they suspect of sexually assaulting several minors.

A Police Department news release said an arrest warrant accuses Odis Williams (photo), 51, of committing the illegal sexual acts from 2001 to 2009.

In July 2009, the Sacramento Police Department was notified by the victims that they had been sexually assaulted by Williams since they were 8 and 9 years old, the release states.

The investigation showed that he also sexually assaulted a teenage friend of the victims, the release states. The last incident of sexual assault occurred in early 2009, the release states.

"It is believed that Odis Williams is aware that he is wanted and is on the run," the release states.

Williams is described as a black male, 6'2", 215 lbs with black hair, and dark eyes.

The Sacramento Police Department urges anyone with information pertaining to this crime to contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Cynthia Hubert

Police have arrested a former Elk Grove resident and charged her with murder in the death last year of her 3-year-old adoptive daughter.

Sabrina Banks, 42, called 911 on May 2, 2008 and reported that her daughter Lavender was "unresponsive," said Officer Christopher Trim of the Elk Grove Police Department.

Medical personnel were unable to revive the girl, and pronounced her dead at the scene. Lavender had visible injuries that "were not consistent with an accidental death," said Trim.

An autopsy report lists the probable cause of death as "asphyxiation by smothering" and "multiple blunt force injuries," according to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

Trim said it took detectives more than a year to gather the evidence necessary that led to charging Banks with murder, assault resulting in the death of a child under 8 years of age and endangering the life or health of a child.

"It was a very long process of interviewing the mother, her friends, checking her history, working with the coroner's office," he said. The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office issued an arrest warrant for Banks, and she was located in Visalia on Wednesday and taken into custody, said Trim.

She will be transported to Sacramento County within the next few days, he said.

Banks had one other child in her Elk Grove home when Lavender's death occurred, and that youngster has been in protective custody since then, Trim said.

The family had previous involvement with Child Protective Services in Kern County, Sacramento County CPS Director Laura Coulthard previously told The Bee. She did not provide details.

Trim said he was unaware of any further CPS involvement with Banks.

Bee Staff

Grading equipment caused the six-alarm fire that burned more than 1,000 acres in southeastern Sacramento County on Wednesday, according to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

The fire burned mostly open land but did burn one out-building and several old vehicles, a news release states. No one was hurt by the blaze.

The fire investigation is ongoing, Capt. Rusty Dupray, fire district spokesman, said Thursday. What liability, if any, the operator of the grading faces is yet to be determined, he said.

The fire started near the intersection of Florin and Knox roads in Sacramento County, the release states. The windy conditions spread the fire towards Bradshaw and Elder Creek roads as the blaze grew to more than 1000 acres before over 40 grass rigs, engines, water tenders and a bulldozer brought it under control, the release states.

The fire was extinguished by fire units from Metro Fire, the cities of Sacramento and Folsom, and from the Consumnes and Wilton fire districts, the release states.

Some homes were threatened, but fire units were able to save them from any damage, the release states.

Bee Staff

A juvenile playing with matches started a fire in a vacant building in the Foothill Farms area, according to a Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District news release.

A neighbor suffered minor injuries while trying to kick open one of the doors in the four-plex apartment building in the 5700 block of Blachly Way, the release from Capt. Rusty Dupray states.

The fire was put out as 28 firefighters from five engines and two truck companies rolled on the call, the release states.

A male juvenile later admitted to starting the fire while he was playing with matches, the release states.

Bee Staff

Auburn Police Department investigators say they have cracked a burglary and stolen-check ring composed of three adults and two juveniles, according to a police news release.

The adults arrested were Steven French, 20, of Auburn; David Brocker, 21, who police say is homeless; and Richard Herrera, 21, of Auburn, the release states. Also arrested were two juvenile females who were turned over to juvenile authorities.

Police investigators initially were working separate burglary and stolen-check cases when they realized the cases involved the same suspects, the release states.

An Auburn police detective learned that one of the suspects had stolen checks from a residence in Auburn. The checks were given to three other subjects who cashed the checks at the Union Bank of California in Auburn, Auburn Food & Gas and the Safeway in Auburn, the release states.

French faces possible burglary and conspiracy charges, the release states.

Brocker, who was already in custody in another case, faces possible forgery, conspiracy and burglary charges, the release states.

Herrera faces possible conspiracy and possession of stolen property charges, the release states.

The investigation is ongoing and "there may be additional charges relating to these and other cases," the release states.

Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking the public's help in identifying two burglary and theft suspects.

On Saturday, July 4, a woman's purse containing her wallet and credit cards was stolen in a residential burglary.

The victim was later contacted by her bank informing her that her stolen credit cards had been used at local grocery stores and fast food restaurants.

The suspects were caught on camera using one of the stolen credit cards, police said.

One suspect (see photos) is described as a white female adult of average height with a thin build. She has dark hair pulled into a bun and wore a black T-shirt and blue jeans.

The other suspect is described as a black male adult, tall with an average build. He was wearing a black T-shirt with red writing and blue jeans.

They fled the scene in a white Pontiac Grand-Am or a similar vehicle.

Anyone with information pertaining to this crime or these persons is asked to contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sheriff's deputies are searching for three men who held up residents in an Arden Arcade apartment and then shot a man in the apartment complex parking lot as they made a getaway.

"We don't believe they were targeting drugs or drug money," said sheriff's department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran. "They were just random victims."

When deputies were called to the apartment on the 2500 block of Edison Avenue at 5:30 a.m. they found a 39-year-old man in the parking lot who had been shot in his upper body. His wound was not considered life-threatening, Curran said.

While investigating that shooting, deputies were told there had been a home-invasion robbery at the complex. In that robbery, three women and a small child were inside an upstairs apartment when three men forced their way inside and ordered the residents into a bathroom.

The armed suspects threatened the apartment residents and took some of the women's personal property, Curran said.

"We believe that these suspects then committed the shooting in the parking lot," said Curran. "(The victim) was being robbed as well. For whatever reason, he was shot."

From Chelsea Phua:

Sacramento police are looking for a man who is suspected of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend in North Sacramento.

Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said a friend of the victim jumped out of her car at a stoplight near Del Paso Boulevard and El Camino Avenue shortly before 7 p.m. to hail a patrol car.

Leong said the friend reported that the man had arranged to meet with the victim in North Sacramento. When the pair met, they argued and the man forcefully took the victim, the friend told police.

Police are looking for a 29-year-old man driving a forest green Geo Prizm with a 29-year-old woman with him.

Bee Staff

The Roseville Police Department is asking for the public's help identifying four suspects in a July 30 robbery of two boys, one of whom was struck with a baseball bat or rod.

A Police Department news release gives this chronicle of events:

At 9:37 p.m. on July 30, two teenage boys were in Kaseberg Park, 1151 Rand Way, when they were robbed by four older teenage boys. The suspects threatened the victims with a bat or rod, and demanded their property.

When one of the victims tried to run away, a suspect struck him with the bat or rod, causing minor injury to his arm. The suspects took an iPod from one of the victims, and left the area.

The suspects were all described as white males, 16 to 17 years old and 5'9" to 5'10" tall. One was described as having a skinny build and black spiky hair. He wore a dark blue button-up flannel shirt and blue pants. No further description was available for the other three suspects.

The suspects were seen leaving in a dark colored compact vehicle, possibly a hatchback, westbound on Main Street.

Anyone with any information about this crime is asked to call Roseville Crime Stoppers at (916)783-7867. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.

Bee Staff

Two men are in jail on suspicion of the July 21 slayings on Seavey Circle of two men, perhaps over a perceived lack of respect shown to a female acquaintance of the suspects, Sacramento police said today.

Arrested were Phillip Gonzales (photo bottom right), 26, and Michael Armstrong (photo bottom left), 21, a Police Department release states.

Police gave this chronicle of events:

On July 21 at 10:14 p.m., officers responded to a report of a shooting on Seavey Circle near 5th Street. Officers arrived and found Deshawn Holloway, 35, dead at the scene from gunshot wounds. Everette Taylor, 28, was transported from the scene to the UCD Medical Center in critical condition. Taylor died the next morning from his injuries.

Based on the investigation, detectives believe that suspects Gonzales and Armstrong went to Seavey Circle looking for Taylor, the release states.

The suspects believed that Taylor had mistreated a female acquaintance of theirs, the release states. The suspects confronted Taylor and Holloway, the release states.

The confrontation turned physical and one of the suspects shot the victims, the release states.

On July 30, Gonzales was arrested at police headquarters without incident on suspicion of murder, the release states.

On Sunday, Armstrong was arrested after he turned himself in at police headquarters, the release states.

From Jillian Keenan

Two suspects in a Woodland homicide have been arrested in Azusa in Southern California, according to a Woodland Police Department news release.

Marcelino Michel Jr., 28, and Rachelle Pease, 19, were arrested in the shooting death of William "Billy" Martinez, 17, on July 26 at the Crossroads Village apartment complex, the release states.

Two detectives from the Woodland police department are currently in Southern California to interview the suspects, police said. They will then make arrangements to bring them back to Yolo County.

"We're happy we found them," said Sgt. Dan Letamendi. "It gives some closure to the family and peace of mind to the community."

Woodland police officers found Martinez lying in the parking lot of the apartment complex where his sister lived. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the head, and later died at UC Davis Medical Center.

A motive for the murder remains under investigation.

Martinez was the youngest of five children and would have been a senior at Cache Creek High School in Woodland.

From Bill Lindelof:

Folsom Police officers said they arrested a store clerk who stabbed a customer in the side after she complained about a non-functioning soda fountain.

Samirrah D. Walton (left photo), 24, of Folsom was arrested on assault with a deadly weapon Tuesday night. Police said that she stabbed a customer with a two- or three-inch knife.

Police said they were contacted about 7 p.m. Tuesday by a woman who said that while she was in the Circle K Store, 95 Natomas St., she had been stabbed by the clerk.

The customer said when she complained that the drink machine was out of syrup, the clerk refused her service.

That led to a fight that ended with the customer being stabbed in her right side. The victim's injuries were not life-threatening.

Walton is being held on $25,000 bail in Sacramento County Jail.

Bee Staff

Call it the Five Faces of Crime.

That's how many IDs and cash access cards in different names a fraud suspect had when arrested recently, according to Sacramento County Sheriff's investigators.

The investigators said they were tracking a $1,000 bad check used to buy vehicle tires when they found the suspect, according to a crime summary.

When the detectives looked in the woman's purse, they said they found two driver's licenses and three cash access cards in five different names, none of which were the suspect's name.

Colleen Maroney, 30, was booked into jail on suspicion of more than a half dozen charges.

Officials from the California Department of Corrections and the Sacramento Police Department are seeking John Hernandez (left photo) on a felony no-bail arrest warrant for suspicion of parole violation and another for suspicion of attempted murder, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Hernandez is described as age 35, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

He was last known to reside in the 2100 block of Kirk Way in the Meadowview area of Sacramento, officials said.

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

From Hudson Sangree and Chelsea Phua:

A Yolo County Sheriff's deputy is on administrative leave pending an investigation into a shooting incident at his home early Sunday, authorities said.

Sgt. Jonathan Key, 36, discharged a firearm at his West Sacramento home and struck one of his two dogs, said Sheriff Ed Prieto.

The veteran sergeant - who has worked as bailiff at the Yolo County courthouse - was off duty at the time, the sheriff said.

West Sacramento police responded and are performing a criminal investigation, Prieto said. Authorities have not filed charges against Key, pending a review of the investigation by the Yolo County District Attorney, West Sacramento Lt. Derek Brummett said.

In the meantime the sheriff's department will perform an internal review of the incident, the sheriff said.

Prieto said Key's dogs were placed at the Yolo County Animal Services Shelter, which is run by the sheriff's department. The wounded dog's injuries are not believed to be life threatening, he said.

Brummett said neighbors reported hearing gunshots from the house at about 12:35 a.m.

Officers tried to make contact with Key, and later called in a SWAT team.

An officer then saw Key lying on the floor. He was found intoxicated and unconscious, and taken to a hospital, Brummett said.

West Sacramento police later found a handgun at the scene that belonged to the Yolo County Sheriff's Department.

From Chelsea Phua and Bee staff:

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Child Abuse Bureau detectives have recovered surveillance video (below) of the suspect in the July 27 sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl at Antelope Crossing Middle School.

According to sheriff's officials, the video was captured by the school's video surveillance cameras and shows the suspect running from the scene after the attack. Detectives are releasing the video and asking for the public's help in identifying the suspect responsible for the attack.

On Friday, sheriff's detectives released a sketch of a suspect (top left).

He is described as a "very tan" white man in his mid-40s, 5-feet-6 to 6-feet tall, with a medium build, short gray hair and a noticeable belly. He was wearing a gray T-shirt with red trim, blue jeans and black shoes.

Sheriff officials said the attack happened shortly after 5 p.m. at the middle school. The victim had gone to the school, which was not in session, with two friends, a 14-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy.

They separated briefly. The victim was on the west side of the campus when the attacker appeared behind a classroom, grabbed her from behind and sexually assaulted her.

The suspected fled on foot toward Palmerson Drive after the victim struggled and yelled for help. The 14-year-old girl saw the attack from a short distance away, authorities said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Child Abuse Bureau detectives at (916) 874-5194 or (916) 874-5191, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

From Jillian Keenan:

Sacramento resident Gary Eugene Goethe, 45, was indicted today for allegedly demanding more than $100,000 total in bribes from the owners of two rehabilitation clinics that were seeking state certifications.

Goethe inspected drug and alcohol treatment centers throughout California for the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, which receives millions of dollars of federal funding each year.

FBI special agents arrested Goethe on July 9 as he left a meeting at which he allegedly accepted a $3,500 payment of a $10,000 bribe. He has been charged with four counts of "honest services" wire fraud, four counts of extortion, and two counts of bribery.

Goethe is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in a United States District Court in Los Angeles.

From Hudson Sangree

Vardan Abramyan, 22, who admitted hiring hitmen to kill his father, told jurors Tuesday how Norik Abramyan, a 45-year-old unemployed church pastor, had spent a decade beating and berating him and his mother and sisters.

The family had emigrated from Armenia, settling first in Los Angeles, then Fresno and Sacramento, he said.

Under questioning by defense lawyer Donald Levinson, Abramyan said his father would slap and kick his sisters for not doing their homework or wearing the wrong clothes.

The man would deliver savage beatings to his wife and then beat his son when he tried to intervene, he said.

Abramyan showed jurors a scar where he said his father had slashed him with a kitchen knife as he tried to pry him off his mother.

He testified he believed it was only a matter of time before his father killed someone.

Abramyan said he had been terrified to go to the police - fearing his father's retribution - but wanted his family to be free of what he described as a life of physical and emotional torture.

At 19, he said, he could see no alternative: His father had to die.

"As much as I wanted him gone, I couldn't bring myself to do it," he said.

In July 2006, he said he paid an acquaintance, Isaiah Dupree Barron, $4,000 to arrange the hit. Prosecutors allege Barron hired two other men - Arthur Battle and Jason Dillingham - to kill Norik Abramyan, paying them $500 each.

Barron and Battle are on trial with Abramyan before Judge James L. Long. Each defendant has his own attorney, and three separate juries are hearing the case.

Dillingham has already been convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

He told jurors he'd helped the killers by luring his father to a Hollywood Video store off Watt Avenue, near Del Paso Country Club, under the pretense of renting a video.

While he went into the store, the gunmen approached father's white Kia and shot him, he said. Abramyan said he didn't want to watch the killing.

After the hit, when he saw his father dead, Abramyan said he felt sadness but also relief.

"I felt like there was hope now," he testified.

Abramyan's matter of fact admission left prosecutor Anthony Ortiz little to do on cross examination but hammer at the defendant about details of the case - such as whether the suspects had worn blue bandanas around their faces the night before the killing.

Ortiz undermined the defendant's assertions that his father would take most of his wages as a nursing assistant and leave him only a small amount of money to live on each month.

Abramyan and his sister lived in an $1,100 a month apartment, drove a new Nissan Maxima, and Abramyan had bought a new Yamaha motorcycle and a big-screen TV, Ortiz pointed out.

Abramyan - clean cut and wearing glasses, a tie and a sweater vest - often spoke so softly the judge had to remind him to speak up.

In response to many of the prosecutor's questions, Abramyan said he couldn't remember details of conversations or specific bank transactions.

But Abramyan didn't shy away from the most important point.

"I just wanted him gone," he said.

From Chelsea Phua

Sacramento County Sheriff officials have arrested a 25-year-old mother in connection with the death of her 5-year-old son.

According to online jail records, Amber Christine Ingram (left photo) was arrested Tuesday afternoon on a charged of endangering the life or health of a child.

Braeden James Gardner, Ingram's child, died in June at UC Davis Medical Center. He was severely bruised and doctors found feces in his mouth.

On Thursday, authorities arrested Ingram's live-in boyfriend, 31-year-old Eduardo Zamora on suspicion of murder and assault resulting in the death of a child under 8.

Initially, authorities did not believe that Ingram was a suspect, but that changed with further investigation, department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said.

"Detectives believe that she was responsible for allowing the child to be placed in a situation that endangered his life," Curran said.

Ingram is being held on a $100,000 bail at the Sacramento County Main Jail.

Bee Staff

The idea of a designated driver or taxi ride home from a bar never looked better in Roseville.

The Roseville Police Department said it is adding two extra officers for DUI enforcement every night throughout the Labor Day Weekend to the month.

The department normally has one DUI officer on weeknights and two on weekends, said police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunter.

"We've seen a troubling increase in DUI-related collisions in Roseville, and those collisions tend to increase in the summer months," Roseville Police Chief Mike Blair said in a news release. "We're putting extra officers on the road to keep our roadways safer for all, and to prevent needless injuries and death."

From Chelsea Phua:

Communities throughout the country today will celebrate the 26th annual National Night Out event.

National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness by encouraging partnerships between local police departments and neighborhood communities.

During the event, participating communities organize a variety of activities for the evening, ranging from block parties, cookouts, visits from local law enforcement agencies, parades, exhibits to contests and other programs.

In Sacramento, police officers and city officials will be visiting some of the dozens of neighborhoods participating in the event. Click National Night Out 2009 ext.xls for a list of neighborhood events in the city of Sacramento.

Starting at 5:30 p.m., Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully is scheduled to visit the following locations: Phoenix Park, Roberts Family Development Center, Robla Community Park and Ben Ali Elementary School.

The Placer County Sheriff's Department and other Placer County agencies will parade a convoy of vehicles from West Roseville to Auburn, allowing children to explore patrol cars and fire engines as the vehicles make their stops.

Other participating cities and counties include Sacramento County, Roseville, Folsom and Elk Grove.

From Bill Lindelof:

Police have apprehended a man they suspect of ramming his girlfriend's car 20 times during an early-morning chase from south Sacramento to midtown.

Angel Pagan (left), 20, of Sacramento was arrested by police today on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.

Police said Pagan rammed his girlfriend's car during a chase that started at Stockton Boulevard south of Mack Road and continued to 16th and P streets. The woman's car struck another car at that location, police said.

The woman suffered minor injuries, police said.