Sacto 9-1-1

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

An 18-year-old man was in custody this morning in connection with the shooting death of Mathew Maurizzio, who was found lying in the front yard of a residence near Dixieanne Avenue and Cambridge Street in North Sacramento last week.

Sheriff's inmate online records show the homicide suspect, Ricardo Lynn Hall, was still taken into custody at 7:09 a.m. By midday, he still was being booked on a felony homicide count.

Officer Konrad Von Schoech, Sacramento police spokesman, said he had no immediate additional information in the case.

Maurizzio received at least one gunshot wound in the upper body, police reported last week after responding to the shooting. He was declared dead shortly before 2 a.m., Jan. 24.

Call The Bee's Loretta Kalb, (916) 321-1073.

The 36th charity football Pig Bowl between the Sacramento Law Enforcement Hogs and the Sacramento Area Firefighters Dogs faced off in a packed Cordova High School stadium. The Dogs and Hogs traded the lead multiple times before Fire Quarterback Eric Garside clinched the victory 29-22 over Law to earn MVP honors. Video from Access Sacramento with Announcers Walt Gray, Doug Kelly and Quinn Gregory.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

A man died Saturday evening when his upstairs apartment caught fire on Carro Drive in unincorporated Sacramento County, a firefighter spokesman said.

Neighbors said they heard the man yelling for help, but attempts to save him were unsuccessful.

Firefighters suspect there were no working fire detectors in the "severely damaged" apartment in the 900 block of that street and just north of Swanston Park, said Capt. Christian Pebbles, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District spokesman.

The man, described as in his 50s, is believed to have lived alone. Pebbles said the man had caregivers, but he was unsure whether he was disabled.

"I saw the flames and I just ran over," said Patrick Worley, 21. "I wrapped a shirt around my face and got inside. I heard him say 'Help me.'"

But, Worley said the fire and smoke were too much and he had to get out.

"I yelled 'Go to the window,'" said Worley, who was visiting a friend on Carro Drive and did not know the victim.

The fire also displaced two families in the fourplex. The unit below the fire scene was unoccupied.

Angel Salazar, 27, was one of those displaced.

Salazar said his apartment was not damaged and just smelled like smoke. He said his brother-in-law's apartment next to his had some minor damage.

Salazar was outside when he heard someone yelling about the fire. He said his first reaction was to run to his apartment and get his toddler and girlfriend out.

"It was scary," he said.

A call to 911 was placed at 5:12 p.m. and firefighters arrived three minutes later, Pebbles said. The fire was put out at 5:23 p.m.

This was the second fire on Carro Drive since 2001, when 18 people were left homeless after a fire destroyed a fourplex on the same block.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

A 52-year-old man was taken into custody Saturday evening following a 5 1/2-hour standoff with Sacramento County sheriff's deputies.

The man exited the home he shares with his parents in Carmichael after deputies shot tear gas into the residence, said spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran.

The man, who has a history of mental illness, was taken into custody at 5:15 p.m. outside the home in the 5600 block of Rolling Oak Drive, Curran said.

The man's father called the sheriff's department from a neighbor's home at 11:39 a.m. following an argument that escalated when the son pointed a gun at his mother.

Deputies were able to get the mother out of the house safely and began talking to the son by phone trying to get him to surrender.

Curran said he wasn't sure whether the man, who was not identified, would be arrested or put on a mental-health hold.

An Elk Grove woman admitted in federal court Friday that she conspired with her husband to distribute methamphetamine.

United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Olivia Wimmer, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with her husband, Eric Brooks, 29, also of Elk Grove, to distribute methamphetamine in late December 2007 and early January 2008. Brooks pleaded guilty to the same charge on Jan. 8 of this year, a U.S. Department of Justice news release states.

Federal prosecutors said Brooks was one of nine people arrested Dec. 13, 2007, on charges stemming from a federal wiretap investigation into methamphetamine dealing in the Stockton area. Brooks was held in Sacramento County jail pending trial.

When inmates make phone calls from the jail, they are informed that all calls may be recorded or monitored, the Justice Department news release states. Despite that warning, prosecutors said, Brooks continued to run a drug-dealing business, using coded language in telephone calls to Wimmer, directing her to move methamphetamine, currency and firearms out of their home.

In one such call, the news release says, Brooks asked Wimmer whether she had "got everything out of the red tool box, all." Wimmer replied that she had, but added, "I didn't know how to open it, so I bent it up."

Prosecutors said Brooks also used coded language to direct Wimmer to move items from a storage locker on Charter Way in Stockton, and Wimmer subsequently tried to deliver and collect payments for Brooks' methamphetamine.

On Jan. 3, 2008, law enforcement officers searched the Elk Grove home that Brooks and Wimmer shared and a storage unit on Charter Way, which agents learned was rented in Wimmer's brother's name.

In the garage of the residence, the news release says, officers found a large red tool box with a drawer near the bottom that was bent at the corner. In the storage locker, they found items bearing Brooks' name, marijuana grow lights, two separately wrapped one-pound packages of methamphetamine, an SKS rifle, a loaded banana clip with additional ammunition, and two bullet-proof vests.

The methamphetamine was analyzed by the Drug Enforcement Administration laboratory and found to be 100 percent pure, the news release states.

When Wimmer was arrested, prosecutors said, she gave officers a false name and presented a California drivers license bearing her photo and the false name.

Brooks and Wimmer are to be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. on March 26 and April 16, respectively. The maximum penalty is a lifetime term in prison, the news release states.

Justice Department officials said the case resulted from a joint investigation with the Drug Enforcement Administration; San Joaquin County Metropolitan Narcotics Task Force; Stockton Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Western El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Task Force; Elk Grove Police Department; and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

From Cathy Locke:

In an incident that occurred about 11:15 p.m. Friday, a man reported that he was approached by three men in the 2900 block of South Meadows Place, south of Florin Road and west of Franklin Boulevard.

They asked to use his cell phone, and when he refused, one of the men pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded the phone, according to the Sacramento Police Department's daily activity log. The victim told police he gave them his phone and then ran away.

From Cathy Locke:

Cell phones played a role in a robbery and a carjacking Friday.

About 3:45 a.m., a driver heading west on Calvine Road was flagged down by a man at Franklin Boulevard.

The man asked to use the driver's cell phone. When the driver gave it to him, the man told the driver to get out of the car and reached for his waistband, the Sacramento Police Department's daily activity log shows. The driver thought the man had a gun, so got out of his car.

The carjacker drove the car south on Franklin and crashed it into a ditch just south of Calvine Road, then ran away.

The carjacker was described as African American, about 20 years old, 6 feet tall and weighing about 125 pounds, with long black dreadlocks, and wearing a black hoodie and light blue jeans.

From Cathy Locke:

A motorist reported being the victim of a carjacking Friday morning.

The victim told police he was driving out of a gas station parking lot at Florin Road and South Land Park Drive in Sacramento shortly after 9 a.m., when his vehicle was rear-ended. At the same time, another vehicle pulled in front of him, blocking him in, the Sacramento Police Department's daily activity log shows.

The man said the driver of the rear vehicle got out with a gun and so did the driver of the front vehicle. One then got into the victim's vehicle and told him to drive.

The victim told police he drove to Truxel Road in the Natomas area, where he was dropped off by the carjacker.

From Cathy Locke:

A vehicle collision that sent a vehicle into a building early Friday morning is being investigated as a felony assault.

The incident occurred shortly before 2 a.m. in the 2000 block of Del Paso Boulevard in the North Sacramento area. All parties were gone when officers arrived, the Sacramento Police Department's daily activity log shows, but store employees provided the license plate number of the vehicle involved.

From Cathy Locke:

Sacramento police are looking for individuals involved in a shooting early Friday morning in the in the South Natomas area.

Police received a report about 1:30 a.m. that an individual had been shot in the 3400 block of Pony Express Drive. Officers found an 18-year-old man on the front lawn with a gunshot wound to his upper body, according to the police department's daily activity log. The man was taken to an area hospital with what police described as serious but not life-threatening wounds.

The police log states that a party was held at the residence, and before the shooting, a group of people got into an argument. Shortly after the argument, shots were fired, the report states.

No arrests have been reported.

From Cathy Locke:

More than 100 cadets from the California Highway Patrol Academy are participating in community service projects today, assisting the Sacramento Children's Home and Sacramento Habitat for Humanity.

Until 3 p.m., more than 50 cadets will be landscaping, refinishing cabinets and baseboards and painting living quarters at the Sacramento Children's Home at 2750 Sutterville Road in Sacramento.

Another group of approximately 50 cadets will spend the day planting trees, installing irrigation and drip systems, painting and doing general cleanup for Habitat for Humanity projects at 3824 Mahogany and 2773 Forrest streets in Sacramento.

The academy's 27-week instructional program helps reinforce the CHP's mission of providing safety, service and security to California residents, as well as contributing to the community in which they serve, an agency news release states.

From Cathy Locke:

Woodland police are looking for a man who robbed a motel late Friday night.

The man, who was wearing a ski mask, robbed the Valley Oak Motel, 596 N. East St., about 10:55 p.m., a Woodland Police Department news release states.

The motel clerk told officers that the man indicated he had a gun under his jacket and demanded money. After the clerk gave him money from the cash register, the man ran away, heading south on North East Street.

The man was described as Hispanic and about 24 or 25 years old. He was between 5-feet, 8-inches and 5-feet, 10-inches tall with a medium build, and was wearing black clothing and black gloves, as well as the ski mask, the news release states.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Woodland Police Department at (530) 661-7800.

From Bill Lindelof:

Investigators have arrested a former El Dorado County car dealer and his general manager today on suspicion of grand theft, embezzlement and money laundering.

Larry Carmean, 61, former owner of the now-defunct Carmean Dodge in Shingle Springs and El Dorado Hills Dodge, and former general manager John Catalano, 38, were arrested on 34 felony counts that allegedly resulted in losses to customers and financial institutions.

The El Dorado County District Attorney's Office and the California Department of Motor Vehicles say the arrests concluded an 18-month investigation.

The DMV said the investigation revealed that Carmean Dodge defrauded Chrysler Financial of $6.1 million in new-car inventory and $750,000 in used-car inventory.

Also, a DMV news release stated that 92 transactions between May and July 2008 had possible violations, including failure to transfer title and registration, failure to return down payment and failure to pay for warranties, extended service contracts and gap insurance policies.

Carmean and Catalano are being held without bail in El Dorado County Jail.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento police arrested two parents Thursday morning after they found two toddlers in a south Sacramento home cluttered with dirty dishes, piles of garbage, medication and marijuana plants, according to authorities.

The Sacramento Fire Department arrived at the home on the 6800 block of Buena Terra Way for a medical call related to one of the children, said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. Firefighters then asked Child Protective Services to respond, who then called police.

Officers found a 1-year-old boy and a 2 year-old-girl living in "extremely deplorable" conditions, according to a police report.

Those conditions included dishes that appeared to have been stacked for months, piles of garbage, beer bottles "throughout the kitchen floor," numerous prescription medications, an unloaded shotgun, marijuana plants and marijuana - "all accessible to the kids," the report states.

Rodrigo Torres (photo below left), 27, and Kimberly Keevers (photo below right), 24, were arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of felony child endangerment, according to the police report and jail booking records. Torres is ineligible for bail because of another case, and Keevers is being held in lieu of $1 million bail, records show.

Neither Torres nor Keevers has a criminal history in Sacramento County, according to Superior Court records.

Fox40 Video

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A trial date still appears to be at least several months away for the man accused of murder in the killings of UC Davis sweethearts John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves more than 30 years ago.

Seated in a wheelchair, defendant Richard Joseph Hirschfield made a brief appearance today in Sacramento Superior Court while lawyers discussed the DNA testing process now under way for dried blood found in Riggins' van.

Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet and defense attorney Linda Parisi said they expect the testing to be completed soon.

Judge Michael W. Sweet continued the case to March 12 for a trial setting.

Hirschfield (photo below from a 2004 court hearing), 61, who had been imprisoned in Washington state on a rape conviction, was identified as a suspect in the Riggins-Gonsalves slaying in 2002 when his DNA turned up on a cold-hit submission by the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, prosecutors said.

He was extradited from Washington in 2004 and charged in Sacramento with murdering the 18-year-old victims.

The couple was abducted after attending a presentation of "The Nutcracker" ballet in Davis. Their bodies were later found in a ravine 35 miles away outside Rancho Cordova.

Four other suspects had initially been arrested and charged in the Dec. 20, 1980, slayings.

Yolo County prosecutors, however, dismissed those charges just before trial in 1992 when a DNA test on a semen stain on a blanket found in the van did not match any of the defendants.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.co

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives have arrested two men in connection with Tuesday night's fatal shooting in a fast-food restaurant's parking lot.

Cort Parnell Milgrim, 21, and Joel Satchell, 19, are accused in the death of 26-year-old Shawn West at the Jack in the Box at the corner of Stockton Boulevard and Elsie Avenue, just off Highway 99 in southern Sacramento County, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran.

They were booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail this morning on suspicion of one count each of murder, robbery and accessory after the fact, according to jail booking records. Milgrim also faces a charge of endangering the life or health of a child, the records show.

West, who authorities say lived in Sacramento, was standing near a car in the parking lot with his brother and a friend when a car pulled up near them. Someone from the car fired at West from close range and struck him at least once, Curran said.

Witnesses said two men were in the car.

No other details were available.

Bee Staff

A Sacramento County vehicle/gasoline theft suspect made his arrest all the easier by falling asleep at the crime scene, according to a Sheriff's Department crime summary released this week.

Here is the chain of events laid out in the crime summary:

At about 5:50 a.m. on Jan. 22, deputies responded to a report of subjects stealing gasoline from a vehicle in the 3900 block of Bainbridge Drive.

Deputies found a 29-year-old male suspect asleep in a vehicle that had been reported stolen.

The vehicle also had license plates that were stolen from another vehicle, a practice law enforcement officials call "cold plating" in an effort to avoid detection of the vehicle as stolen.

Three full cans of gasoline also were found in the vehicle.

The suspect, identified as Robert Jones, had keys to the vehicle in his pockets, deputies said.

Deputies said they also found in the vehicle a flashlight and tool box with Jones' initials.

Jones was booked into jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and probation violation, according to the summary.

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento County coroner's deputies today released the name of a man shot to death outside a south Sacramento fast-food restaurant earlier this week.

The slain man has been identified as Shawn Adam West, 26, of Sacramento.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies are searching for two men suspected of killing West at the Jack-in-the-Box restaurant near Stockton Boulevard and Elsie Avenue shortly before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Deputies found West lying in a pool of blood in the restaurant's parking lot, suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body. West died at the scene.

Deputies have not released a possible motive for the killing. A sheriff's department news release states that the victim, his brother and a male friend were talking in the parking lot near their car when a dark sedan approached.

Someone inside the sedan then fired a handgun more than once, striking the victim. Neither West's brother nor his friend was wounded.

Witnesses reported seeing the two men drive away from the scene westbound on Elsie Avenue.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (916) 874-5057 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers can remain anonymous and may earn a reward up to $1,000.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A 50-year-old Sacramento woman died Thursday evening from injuries allegedly inflicted by her former boyfriend in a domestic violence incident over the weekend, police said.

Authorities arrested Donald Joseph Fernandes (left photo), 35, Sunday evening on suspicion of attempted homicide and a parole violation.

Earlier that day, police officers arrived in the 2300 block of Boxwood Street to find Karen Curtin suffering from critical injuries on her head that appeared to be caused by blunt force.

Curtin, described by neighbors as the "cat lady," was taken to U.C. Davis Medical Center.

Investigators say they believe Fernandes assaulted Curtin. Detectives say they will now charge Fernandes with homicide.

A murder trial got under way in Sacramento Superior Court today for a 25-year-old man accused in the death of his live-in girlfriend's 3-year-old son who died of blunt force injuries to the head.

Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet said in her opening statement that jurors are going to have to make their decision on defendant Joseph Phillip Skates based solely on circumstantial evidence surrounding the Nov. 9, 2008, death of Manuel "Manny" Maciel.

The boy died in UC Davis Medical Center two days after he sustained his injuries in a North Natomas apartment on Zurlo Way. An autopsy showed that Manny sustained multiple contusions to the frontal scalp, brain bruising and contusions to an arm, leg, his small bowel and stomach, Bladet told the jury.

Skates told detectives he came home from taking another one of his girlfriend's three young boys to school and found Manny in distress while lying near the doorway of their home, the prosecutor said.

Skates told authorities the boy appeared to have fallen off a couch, possibly after choking on some chips.

Bladet told the jury that Skates moved in with his girlfriend, Rosalie Uribe, about six months before Manny's death. Skates, the prosecutor said, acted as the primary child care provider in the home while Uribe worked a fulltime job at Sam's Club.

"And then the injuries started happening," Bladet said.

The prosecutor said Manny had been observed suffering from assorted bruises and injuries two months before he died. One of his older brothers also was taken to the hospital with a broken leg, Bladet said.

Skates never called 911 the day that Manny was fatally injured, Bladet said.

"Facts don't lie...and at the end of the evidence, I will ask you to conclude that Joseph Skates inflicted injuries on Manuel Maciel that caused his death," Bladet said.

Rosalie Uribe, meanwhile, pleaded no contest to child endangerment charges last Thursday during the trial's jury selection process. She is expected to testify in the case next week.

She is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 26.

Defense attorney Jesse Ortiz said in his opening statement that Skates was not responsible for Manny's death and that his injuries resulted from an accident or that they were inflicted by somebody else.

Another adult relative of Uribe's was living in the apartment at the same time, Ortiz said.

"The issue is how he died, whether it was accidental or intentional, and who did it," Ortiz said.

Skates, Ortiz said, "loved those children. He referred to them as 'my boys.' In his mind, those three children were his boys."

The defendant never called 911, the defense attorney said, because he "panicked" and because his cell phone was going dead.

"He wasn't in his right state of mind," Ortiz said.

Ortiz suggested that some of the bruising documented in Manny's autopsy reported resulted from life-saving efforts performed on the boy by a California Highway Patrol officer.

The case, being heard by Judge Timothy M. Frawley, is expected to last about two weeks

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police want help in identifying two robbery suspects whose images were clearly captured on security cameras.

Both suspects (see photos below) looked directly at the surveillance camera, police said.

The suspects entered a video game store in the 3600 block of Northgate Boulevard about 3:30 p.m. Saturday and demanded cash at gunpoint from an employee.

The employee complied with the robbers' demands and the suspects then fled in a four-door, beige, 1990s Buick.

One suspect was described as a black male in his early 20's, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 130-180 pounds. He wore a gray hooded sweatshirt.

The other suspect was described as a black male in his late teens, 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing about 140 pounds. He was wearing a black jacket, dark jeans and a black knitted hat with a snowflake design.

Police ask anyone who may recognize the suspects to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

Bee Staff

A bicycle owner who tried to stop thieves from taking his bike in Sacramento County was beaten unconscious, but two suspects were later caught, according to a Sheriff's Department crime summary released this week.

Here's the chain of events laid out in the summary:

At about 1 p.m. Jan. 19, two juveniles stole the victim's bike from in front of his place of employment in the 2700 block of Mills Park Drive.

As one thief rode off on the bike, the victim tried to stop him. A second juvenile hit the victim, knocking him down and continuing to punch him.

The victim lost consciousness. He was taken to a hospital with a head injury.

He survived but further details on his health were not available.

A 14-year-old juvenile, who stood 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 154 pounds, was booked into juvenile hall. He is the suspected attacker.

A 15-year-old juvenile also was booked into juvenile hall and is the suspected bike thief.

From Bill Lindelof:

A teen has been convicted by a Yolo County jury of four counts of child abuse and inflicting great bodily injury upon an infant.

Richard Andrew Schirnhofer, 19, of Woodland, was convicted Tuesday in Superior Court on the charges involving his girlfriend's baby. The little girl suffered broken ribs during one of the abuse incidents.

On Oct. 20, 2008, the child, then 7 months old, was taken into custody by Yolo County Child Protective Services. While in custody, a social worker noted bruises on the baby.

Experts at the UC Davis Medical Center determined the bruising probably was caused by the child being slammed on a hard surface. UCD personnel also determined the infant had suffered broken bones.

On June 17, 2009, the baby's mother, Jessica Carpenter, was sentenced to six years and eight months in state prison, admitting she failed to protect her daughter from Schirnhofer, a news release from Yolo District Attorney Jeff Reisig's office states.

The release said that although Schirnhofer was convicted of child abuse and breaking the infant's ribs, he was found not guilty of torturing the baby or of personally inflicting great bodily injury to other parts of the infant's body.

Schirnhofer faces a sentence of 16 years in state prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 26.

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking the community's help for information leading to the identity of the persons responsible for a robbery last month in the Robla area, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

On Dec. 12, two unidentified male suspects entered the Jack in the Box restaurant at 4128 Norwood Ave. Both suspects jumped the counter (right photo) and forced the employee at gunpoint to open the safe. Cash was taken from the safe, along with a laptop and cell phone.

According to authorities, one suspect is a black or Pacific Islander man, age 18 to 21, 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 210 to 240 pounds. He had wavy black hair under a black hooded sweatshirt and wore black pants with a white shirt over his face. He was armed with a black semiautomatic handgun and appeared to have white socks over his hands, officials said.

The second suspect is a black or Pacific Islander man, age 18 to 21, 5 feet 6 to 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 175 to 200 pounds, officials said. He wore a black hooded sweatshirt, white pants and had a white scarf over his face.

Authorities say the suspects should be considered armed and dangerous.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A gunman wearing a ski mask killed a man as he ate at a south Sacramento County restaurant this afternoon, a slaying called gang related by a sheriff's spokesman.

The gunman shot the unidentified 22-year-old man multiple times about 2:15 p.m., said Sgt. Tim Curran.

Three others at the table with the victim, two females and male, were not hurt nor were three restaurant employees. No one else was in the restaurant.

No words were exchanged between the gunman and the victim, Curran said. The gunman escaped on foot.

The slaying took place at the Pho Ga Hung Vietnamese Cuisine restaurant inside a strip shopping mall at 53rd Avenue and 65th Street.

Detectives believe the victim was targeted, Curran said

Detectives also believe the slaying was gang related because the victim was a validated gang member and the area is known for gang activity, he said.

The gunman was described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, medium build, 28 to 35 years old and wearing a dark jacket and ski mask.

He used a black semi-automatic handgun to kill the victim.

Bee Staff

A 38-year-old man has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Sacramento to illegal drug distribution and cash smuggling, according to a news release.

Robert James Fox, 38, of British Columbia, Canada, entered the plea Tuesday and will be sentenced March 23, according to the joint release from U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner and Dan Lane, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant special agent-in-charge.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Thomas, who is prosecuting the case, Fox was a tow truck driver for a Canadian truck company.

On May 16, a California Highway Patrol officer stopped Fox for a traffic violation as he was traveling through Woodland on Interstate 5. The officer spotted irregularities under the bed of the truck and suspected the truck had a hidden compartment, the release states.

A police dog indicated the presence of illegal drugs in the truck and a subsequent search turned up a hidden compartment containing drugs and cash, the release states.

Fox admitted to carrying more than 225 pounds of Ecstasy pills and $435,000 in cash, the release states. Another $2,670 was found in the cab of the truck.

From Bill Lindelof:

The Placer County coroner has identified the driver of an SUV who died Sunday when he lost control of his vehicle and hit a tree near Highway 65 and Interstate 80.

The motorist was identified as Fernando Emmanuel Ortega, 20, of Auburn.

The accident was reported at 12:10 a.m. Sunday after Ortega, driving a 2000 Chevy Trailblazer, failed to negotiate the curve on the westbound I-80 connector to northbound Highway 65, left the roadway and hit a tree.

The SUV caught fire and was engulfed in flames.

Q: What happened in the case of a man who was killed by a sniper near Blue Diamond while on a walk in the late 1980s? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: The slaying of Stephen McDonald on May 13, 1988 by a sniper's bullet remains unsolved.

McDonald, 32, was killed as he walked with more than 100 co-workers outside their midtown Sacramento employer, Blue Diamond Growers, according to Bee reports.

The sniper left behind few clues: a witness report of a man running from an apartment building in the 1800 block of D Street and five bullet holes in a the bedroom window screen of a second-floor apartment.

Investigators said they believed the shooting was a random attack. One theory was the sniper may have been one of the many transients who frequent the neighborhood on the northern edge of midtown beside the Southern Pacific railroad tracks.

McDonald, who began working full time at Blue Diamond less than six weeks earlier, was strolling with other employees on a fitness walk at about 11:45 a.m. near the company at 18th and C streets when he was shot.

Police released a composite sketch of a man wanted as a witness or suspect in the slaying. The man, who was seen running from the scene after an ambulance arrived, was described as white, 25 to 30 years old, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and 175 pounds.

The man had long, dirty blond hair loosely tied in a ponytail and a clean appearance. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt, tan trousers, a cap, possibly a homemade sun visor and metal-rimmed sunglasses with teardrop-shaped lenses.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

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.

This is the text of a letter that a woman wrote recently to Christian Pebbles, the public information officer for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

Jan. 15, 2010

Dear Mr. Pebbles,

On 4/23/09, Station 25 was called to the Walmart on Antelope Road. The call was for a 3-year-old boy with a head injury. That little boy is my son Beau, who is now 4.

When the fireman got there, they jumped right in to help Beau. What I didn't know was that a bond was beginning with two strangers.

Paramedic Derrick Sheetz was on duty and started accessing Beau. They wrapped his head and put him on a stretcher to transport him to the ER.

Derrick spoke to Beau the whole time and explained everything to him. They gave Beau a handmade blanket. He tells everyone that he got it from Paramedic Derrick.

Derrick checked on Beau a few times before leaving the hospital.

Every day that went by since then Beau has mention Paramedic Derrick. He talks about him to everyone and mentions him in his night time prayers for God to keep him safe.

His 4th birthday had to be designed around fire trucks.

A police officer gave Beau a sticker once and he asked, Do you want to be a police officer when you grow up? He replied by no, I want to be a Fire Fighter like Paramedic Derrick.

We were in the grocery store once and he walked away from me because he saw a fireman. I told him to stop and asked him what he was doing. He replied looking for Paramedic Derrick.

When Beau gets a normal boo boo or gets sick, I try to comfort him and he replies take me to Paramedic Derrick, he will know what to do.

In Beau's eyes Paramedic Derrick is a cross between his Hero and his Guardian Angel.

We got to visit Derrick and the other fireman at Station 25 on Tuesday of this week.

Beau went right to Derrick and gave him a hug. They spent time together and Derrick showed Beau around. It was a great experience for Beau.

This is a bond that I think will keep on growing.

The visit with everyone was so nice. They were all so kind.

I feel that this story should be shared with others. That is why I am asking that this story of two strangers becoming friends should be shared with the media.

Firefighters risk their lives every day to keep us safe. I never knew that one special fireman would give my son the goal and enthusiasm at such a young age to become a fire fighter himself.

Who would know that one injured little boy and one fire fighter would become such good friends.

Derrick Sheetz may just be a firefighter/paramedic for Sacramento Metro Fire District. But to Beau he is his Hero, guardian angel and mentor.

Thank you for letting me share their story.

Dina Brinkley

P.S. I hope to hear from you soon!

From Bill Lindelof and Chelsea Phua:

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies are searching for two men suspected of killing another man in a drive-by shooting in a south Sacramento fast food parking lot.

Deputies responded to reports of a shooting at the Jack-in-the-Box restaurant near Stockton Boulevard and Elsie Avenue shortly before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. There they found a 26-year-old man lying in a pool of blood in the parking lot, suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body.

The deputies performed cardio pulmonary resuscitation, but the victim died at the scene.

Deputies reconstructed the shooting, but so far no motive has been established. A sheriff's department news release states that the victim, his brother and a male friend were talking in the parking lot near their car when a dark sedan approached.

Someone inside the sedan then fired more than one shot with a handgun, striking the victim. Neither the victim's brother nor his friend was struck by gunfire.

Witnesses reported seeing the two men then drive away westbound on Elsie Avenue.

Coroner's deputies have not yet reached next-of-kin to notify them of the young man's death.

A woman at the scene Tuesday night identified herself as a cousin of the victim and said the dead man had a 1-year-old daughter.

"He was a good dad, a good son," she said.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (916) 874-5057 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers can remain anonymous and may earn a reward up to $1,000.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A medical technician at two facilities for the elderly - one in Granite Bay and another in Citrus Heights - allegedly stole cash and jewelry from dozens of victims to feed her gambling addiction, authorities said.

Placer County Sheriff's detectives on Tuesday afternoon arrested Sasi L. Raj (left photo), 46, of Antelope, at Eskaton Lodge in Granite Bay, where she has worked since August 2007, Det. Sgt. Brian Whigam said.

Raj, who was arrested on suspicion of burglary and financial elder abuse, also worked at Merrill Gardens in Citrus Heights, Whigam said.

Raj admitted to spending the money on gambling, Whigam said.

Detectives searched Raj's home Tuesday afternoon and said they found 400 pieces of jewelry she has taken over the years. She admitted to stealing $5,000 to $10,000 in cash, investigators said.

Whigam said Raj dispensed medication to the senior residents at the facilities and had a master key to their rooms. When they left their rooms to eat or see a doctor, she would enter the room to steal from them, Whigam said.

"They trusted her," he said.

Sometimes, after a resident has died of natural causes, Raj would steal from the person, avoiding detection because the resident's relatives did not know what was missing, Whigam said.

She apparently pawned the jewelry for gambling money, Whigam said.

Both facilities had numerous complaints of theft for years but no one suspected her until two days ago, when staff at the Eskaton Lodge informed detectives it could be her.

Whigam said investigators checked area pawn shops and found that Raj visited one in Sacramento County more than 80 times. Using property pawned there, detectives identified a victim that lives at Eskaton Lodge.

So far, detectives say they have identified a dozen victims, but believe that more will come forward.

"There are many, many more," Whigam said.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Twenty one years after Ilene Misheloff went missing, authorities are still looking for answers.

A candlelight walk and prayer service will be held in honor of Ilene on Thursday, two days before the 21st anniversary of the girl's disappearance, according to a Dublin police news release. The walk will begin at 7 p.m. at Wells Middle School in Dublin (Alameda County) and proceed to Saint Raymond's Church.

Ilene (left photo) was walking home from Wells Middle School on Jan. 30, 1989 when she was abducted. There is a $100,000 reward being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of Ilene's kidnappers.

A glimmer of hope came in the case last fall, when Jaycee Lee Dugard, missing for 18 years, turned up alive. Authorities searching the Antioch home of her alleged abductors, Phillip and Nancy Garrido, looked for clues in several missing child cases, including Ilene's, but never found evidence of a link between the Garridos and the disappearance of other young girls.

For more information about Ilene's case, call the Ilene Mischeloff Recovery Center at (925) 829-6682 or visit www.find-ilene.org.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A nearly two-decades-long search for an alleged killer ended this week when authorities in suburban Philadelphia realized an assault suspect they had in custody was wanted for a 1991 double homicide in Sacramento.

Ricky Van Tran, 37, is accused of fatally shooting Quon Tran and Huy Nguyen, both 23, outside the Craven Club in the 5200 block of Stockton Boulevard on Oct. 25, 1991, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong.

A third man also was shot but survived. Tran faces an attempted murder charge for that man's injury.

Leong said detectives believe the shooting resulted from "gang involvement."

Authorities thought they had Tran in custody 15 years ago, but after taking the case to court realized it was Tran's little brother in custody, claiming to be his older brother, Leong said.

The case was dismissed and, on the same day, a new warrant was issued for Tran's arrest.

It finally came last week, when police in Montgomery County's Cheltenham Township arrested Tran during an assault call. After running his fingerprints, police realized there was a warrant out of Sacramento for Tran's arrest.

Tran, who was being held in lieu of $2.5 million bail, waived extradition and is awaiting the arrival of California authorities.

Leong said Tran is expected to return to Sacramento next week.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The suspect in the baseball-bat beating death of a fellow student in a Sacramento State dorm room got a new lawyer today when his privately retained attorney dropped out of the case.

Quran Mahammed Jones (see photo), 20, is accused of murder in the Oct. 21, 2009 attack on Scott Gregory Hawkins, 23.

Jones, who also is charged with assault on a police officer, had been represented by Linda Parisi, a longtime public defender who recently went into private practice.

In a brief session today in front of Sacramento Superior Court Judge Marjorie Koller, Parisi dismissed herself from the case in favor of Assistant Public Defender Jeffrey Barbour.

Barbour declined to comment on the case, saying he has yet to meet with his client.

Jones was shot and seriously wounded by campus police when he approached the officers with a knife in his hand after they descended on the dorm suite where the defendant and the victim shared rooms.

The injuries put Jones in the UC Davis Medical Center for nearly three months. He appeared in court today in a wheelchair.

Deputy District Attorney Kevin Green has been assigned to prosecute the case.

Previous coverage:

CSUS slaying suspect moved from hospital to jail - Jan. 13, 2010

Murder, assault charges filed in CSUS student's killing - Nov. 7, 2009

CSUS vigil remembers slaying victim - Oct. 29, 2009

CSUS rampage may have started before victim arrived - Oct. 24, 2009

No sign of conflict before CSUS killing - Oct. 23, 2009

Editorial: CSUS ponders an inexplicable tragedy - Oct. 23, 2009

Accused killer talked of LSD, other drugs, roommate says - Oct. 23, 2009

Father of accused Sac State killer says, 'That's not his way' - Oct. 23, 2009

Marcos Breton: University's anguished president seeks answers - Oct. 23, 2009

Slain student was 'gentle, sometimes a target,' dad says - Oct. 22, 2009

Portrait of alleged Sac State assailant begins to emerge - Oct. 22, 2009

Sac State beating victim is identified - Oct. 22, 2009

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Twin Rivers Unified School District police say a missing 14-year-old girl has been found safe.

The girl failed to show up for classes on Monday and had no history of running away, police said.

Police found the girl after following up leads from the community, said Officer William Cho, Twin Rivers police spokesman.

In an e-mail, Cho credited "the persistence of the officers just knocking on doors of her friends and acquaintances until she was found."

There were no indications of foul play and she will be released to her parents, Cho said.

He also thanked the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and the Sacramento Police Department for their assistance.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

El Dorado County authorities announced Monday that they had made an arrest in the case of a homeless man shot to death Saturday in Placerville.

According to a news release from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office:

Investigators arrested Kenneth Sharonoff (left photo), 42, a transient, as a suspect in the homicide at a homeless camp behind the K-Mart store in Placerville.

They did not identify the victim, pending notification of next of kin. The statement described him as a white male, approximately 60 years old.

About 1 a.m. Sunday morning, deputies were dispatched to the site behind a shopping center on the 3900 block of Missouri Flat Road after the report of a possible homicide.

The caller told sheriff's dispatchers that one of the transients living at the property was shot and killed by another person residing at the site, the department said in a news release.

The victim was located and pronounced dead at the site with a gunshot wound to his upper torso.

Lt. Bryan Golmitz said the shooting was apparently the result of an argument over personal property between the two men.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A judge sentenced a Rocklin man to four years in prison Friday for aiming a laser beam at a Placer County sheriff's helicopter.

According to a news release by the Placer County District Attorney's office:

Jamie Allen Downie (left photo), 35, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of discharging a laser at an aircraft.

Downie pointed the laser twice at the helicopter as it flew over his neighborhood July 16.

Two weeks earlier, a laser had been pointed at the copter as it flew over the same neighorhood. The pilot broadcast a warning over the helicopter's public address system.

On July 16, the FBI was summoned and Downie admitted the act and handed over his laser device.

Pointing a laser at an aircraft is a federal offense, but federal authorities gave the Placer County District Attorney's Office permission to prosecute the case,
according to the news release.

The statement said that pointing lasers at aircraft is a growing trend with the potential for blinding pilots and causing crashes.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A man whose decomposed body was found in Folsom last month likely died a natural death, although the cause has not yet been officially determined, according to authorities.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office recently identified the man as 44-year-old Earl Barrett Jr., according to a Folsom Police Department news release.

Three young boys riding bikes in the Briggs Ranch neighborhood last month found Barrett's body. Barrett suffered from medical issues that could have lead to his death, and there were no obvious signs of trauma to his body, according to the release.

Barrett's family and friends described him to police as a "roamer" who would disappear without notice for lengths of time, traveling to Oregon, Nevada and throughout California, the release states. He frequently visited a home in the Briggs Ranch residence, although his family had not been in touch with him since September, according to the release.

Folsom police will continue their investigation into Barrett's death until an official cause of death is determined.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Folsom Police Department's Criminal Investigations Bureau at (916) 585-4110 or email crimetip@folsom.ca.us.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

An argument over proper headwear in the kitchen led one cook to stab another at a Sacramento hotel, police said.

The cook accused of not wearing a hat in the kitchen stabbed his colleague, police said.

The incident occurred about 4 p.m. Sunday at the Radisson Hotel on Leisure Lane in Sacramento, police said. The 40-year-old victim was stabbed in the upper torso and his injuries were described as non-life threatening.

The cook suspected in the stabbing, described only as 37 years old, fled and is still being sought.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The driver of an SUV died when he lost control of his vehicle and hit a tree near Highway 65 and Interstate 80.

The name of the driver has not been released, the California Highway Patrol said today.

The accident was reported at 12:10 a.m. Sunday after a man driving a 2000 Chevy Trailblazer failed to negotiate the curve on the westbound I-80 connector to northbound Highway 65, left the roadway, and hit a tree.

The SUV caught fire and was engulfed in flames.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A convicted murderer who shot and killed a woman during a drug robbery two years ago was sentenced today to life in prison with no chance of parole.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge James L. Long imposed the term on Albert Arthur Dennis, 29, for the April 12, 2008, shooting death of 27-year-old Amber Manoa.

The judge gave Dennis a second term of 25 to life for the use of the firearm in the shooting at an apartment complex on Southwest Avenue and Nina Way in the Fruitridge-Stockton Boulevard area.

Call The Bee's Andy Furillo, (916) 321-1141.

Previous coverage:

Jury delivers guilty verdict in meth robbery turned killing - Dec. 24, 2009

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have released a sketch they hope will lead to the arrest of a sexual assault suspect.

He is described as 30 years old, 6-feet-2 inches tall, 180 pounds. He had thinning, shaggy, brown hair and wore a black, zip-up hooded sweatshirt, blue baggy jeans and white tennis shoes with a black stripe.

He is suspected of attacking a woman on Dec. 29 at 12:30 a.m. Police say he grabbed the woman and dragged her into Jacinto Creek Parkway in South Sacramento, near the corner of West Stockton Boulevard and Melville Drive.

The woman, who had been walking on West Stockton Boulevard, was then sexually assaulted.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Sacramento mother was arrested for suspicion of child endangerment and drunken driving after officers followed up on what they said were traces of blood in her abandoned car.

Officers responded to the area of Santa Ana Avenue and Dry Creek Road in the Robla area about 10:30 p.m. Saturday where a car had hit an embankment. Nobody was near or in the car, but officers noticed blood inside.

Their investigation took them to a residence in the 1000 block of Claire Avenue in Robla where they found Tiffany L. Jones, 23, who they said was intoxicated but not hurt.

According to a police report, officers learned that Jones' 5-year-old daughter had been in the front seat between her mother and a passenger at the time of the crash. The girl was wearing only a lap belt.

Children must be in a children's car seat or booster seat in the back seat of the vehicle until they are at least six years old or weigh at least 60 pounds, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officers said that the girl complained of pain and had a small cut on her forehead. Sacramento fire paramedics took her to the hospital for evaluation.

Jones was booked in Sacramento County Jail. Her bail was set at $50,000.

By Bill Lindelof and Bobby Caina Calvan
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have arrested a man suspected of severely beating a 50-year-old North Sacramento woman.

The woman, described by neighbors as the "cat lady," was in critical condition Sunday night at UC Davis Medical Center, police said.

The woman's 35-year-old former boyfriend was at her home in the 2300 block of Boxwood Drive when police arrived, said Sgt. Norm Leong, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department.

Donald Joseph Fernandes was questioned and arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide and a parole violation.

The woman's name was not released by police.

Her injuries were due to "trauma to the head," resulting from being struck with an object, Leong said.

Police said they were summoned to the scene by a phone call at 2:15 p.m., but declined to elaborate on who alerted officers.

Neighbors contacted Sunday night said they heard nothing and were surprised to see police cars in the neighborhood and their neighbor being wheeled out on a gurney.

Norman Silva, who lives next door, said his television was tuned to a football game with its speakers blaring when the beating apparently occurred.

Though she moved into the neighborhood less than a year ago, neighbors were well acquainted with the victim.

"We just knew her as the cat lady. She was a tiny little thing," Silva said. Neighbors said the woman has several cats.

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From Bobby Caina Calvan

A 50-year-old North Sacramento woman, described by neighbors as the "cat lady," was in critical condition Sunday night at UC Davis Medical Center after being severely beaten, police said.

The woman's 35-year-old former boyfriend, who was at her home in the 2300 block of Boxwood Drive when police arrived, was being detained for questioning, said Sgt. Norm Leong, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department.

Neither the woman's name nor the identity of her former boyfriend was released by police.

Her injuries were due to "trauma to the head," resulting from being struck with an object, Leong said.

Police said they were summoned to the scene by a phone call at 2:15 p.m., but declined to elaborate on who alerted officers.

Neighbors contacted Sunday night said they heard nothing and were surprised to see police cars in the neighborhood and their neighbor being wheeled out on a gurney.

Norman Silva, who lives next door, said his television was tuned to a football game, its speakers blaring, when the beating apparently occurred.

Though she moved into the neighborhood less than a year ago, neighbors were well acquainted with the victim.

"We just knew her as the cat lady. She was a tiny little thing," Silva said, describing the woman as a petite brunette.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

One man was found dead and another person was detained for questioning Sunday after a fatal pre-dawn shooting at an apparent transient camp in Placerville.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Department said the identity of the 60-year-old shooting victim would be withheld until family members could be notified.

Officers were dispatched to the site behind a Kmart store at the 3900 block of Missouri Flat Road at about 1 a.m. after a report of a possible homicide. The caller told sheriff's dispatchers that one of the transients living at the property was shot and killed by another person residing at the site, the department said in a press release.

The victim was pronounced dead at the site with a gunshot wound to his upper torso.

Call The Bee's Loretta Kalb, (916) 321-1073.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Coroner's office today identified the victim of a fatal North Sacramento shooting early Saturday as Mathew Maurizzio, 39, of Sacramento.

Sacramento Police found Maurizzio lying in the front yard of a residence near Dixieanne Avenue and Cambridge Street after responding to a 1:33 a.m. Saturday report that a person in the area had been shot.

Maurizzio had at least one gunshot wound in the upper body, according to a department release. He was declared dead at 1:49 a.m.

Officer Konrad Von Schoech, spokesman for the department, said police are continuing to investigate and to seek tips. No suspect is in custody.

Officers said Maurizzio may have been involved in a dispute with several people just before the shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or text 274637 (CRIMES) and enter SACTIP followed by the information.

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

Call The Bee's Loretta Kalb, (916) 321-1073.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Four people have been arrested in connection with a residential burglary in El Dorado Hills last week, breaking up a ring responsible for more than 20 break-ins, according to Sheriff's Department investigators.

Arrested on suspicion of burglary were (photos from left below) Aaron Duarte, 27, of Folsom; John Giltner, 28, of Citrus Heights; Max Hill, 24, of El Dorado Hills; and Nicole Chance, 20, of North Highlands.

El Dorado County sheriff's deputies responded about 5 a.m. Jan. 20 to a home in the 6000 block of Creekberry Way, in the gated Four Seasons community. A caller reported that the garage door of the home was open, which was not normal.

Deputies saw lights moving around inside the residence, and a believed burglary was in progress, according to a news release. They set up a perimeter around the home when they heard noises coming from the garage area.

A vehicle started to back from the garage. Deputies saw four people inside and ordered them to stop, but the driver disregarded the commands and drove off. Deputies pursued the vehicle through the gated community, and when the vehicle came to a stop, the occupants jump out and ran.

Two of the suspects were captured within the hour in a nearby area. The other two were located about six hours later.

One had called for a ride and made his way to a residence on Westgate Lane in Citrus Heights, investigators said.

Sheriff's detectives, however, got there ahead of him and watched as he arrived and began loading stolen property from the El Dorado Hills residence into a vehicle, according to the news release. When he began to drive off, he was arrested by local law enforcement, and the stolen property was recovered.

The fourth suspect, who had been hiding in the bushes, broke into a residence and the homeowner located him in the garage, sitting in a vehicle. The suspect fled and walked to the Creekberry residence where he surrendered to deputies.

During the investigation, two residences were identified as possibly storing stolen property, according to the news release.

A warrant search of a Citrus Heights residence on Westgate Lane and a probation search of an El Dorado Hills residence on Berkshire Drive together turned up large quantities of stolen property. Recovered property included power tools, guns, furniture, household items, art work, computers, electronics, sports memorabilia and jewelry, investigators said.

Detectives believe the suspects are responsible for more than 20 burglaries in the El Dorado Hills area, and they are attempting to return the property to their rightful owners, the news release says.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are looking for two burglary suspects in the Glen Elder area of south Sacramento on Friday night, authorities said.

The burglary took place in the 6900 block of Bridle Trail Way, police said.

The resident returned home to find two teens stealing his guns. One of the teens pointed one of the victim's guns at the victim and the two teens took off with two of the victim's guns, police said.

Police described the suspects as black. One of them is about 6-feet-2 tall, with a thin build and wore a dark cap.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A 44-year-old Penryn man was sentenced Friday to two consecutive life terms in prison without parole for ordering the torture and murder of his cousin, according to the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

Prosecutors say Donald Hugh Sherman (left photo) and his accomplice, Peter Schoemig (right photo), 32, of Reno, killed Guy Farmer, 37, during the Labor Day weekend of 2006. Sherman apparently suspected Farmer of stealing bottles of chemicals Sherman used to manufacture methamphetamine.

Schoemig received a 25-years-to-life prison sentence for injecting Farmer with a fatal dose of crushed prescription pills.

Prosecutors David Tellman and Doug Van Breeman told jurors that Farmer was tortured in Sherman's garage. Sherman hired three "enforcers" from Stockton to tie up Farmer, beat and kick him. They also used a hammer to strike him on the knees and legs and an acetylene torch to burn one of his boot-covered feet.

At one point, Farmer made an unsuccessful attempt to escape from the garage by trying to start a vehicle inside the garage to drive through the doors. He was also yelling that he would go to the police and "tell on all of you."

Concerned that Farmer would turn them over to the police, Sherman decided to poison Farmer with a solution of crushed prescription pills.

Farmer's body was dumped in a mine shaft outside of Reno and found a month later by two men driving around the mines in a Jeep.

Sherman's attorney, Kyle Knapp, argued during the trial that his client was under duress and unable to control the "enforcers" and other men on the property, who were the ones who orchestrated the crimes, not Sherman.

Schoemig's attorney, Richard Corbin, said his client was made a scapegoat and followed orders to prevent he and his family from being harmed.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

A standoff between Placer County sheriff's deputies and a Loomis man who barricaded himself alone in a relative's home ended peacefully after about six hours with the man surrendering, authorties said.

Clinton Culpepper, 29, was already facing several warrants totaling $50,000 before the day began.

The Sheriff's Department received a 911 call around 10:30 this morning from a witness, reportedly seeing a man assaulting his girlfriend in around his car. But when deputies arrived Culpepper ran and barricaded himself inside the Margaret Drive home.

Lt. Jeff Ausnow initially said they believed Culpepper to be unarmed, but a later news release notes that Culpepper has a history of weapons possession and that there may be weapons.

Neighbors were moved as a precaution, officials said.

The alleged domestic violence victim suffered minor injuries, officials said.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are still searching for a man suspected of robbing a Bank of America at gunpoint this morning, according to authorities.

The robbery has police particularly concerned, said Sgt. Norm Leong, because the suspect (see photo) was "confrontational," holding an employee at gunpoint and ordering people inside the bank to the ground.

The suspect was described as a Hispanic male about 25 years old, clean shaven with long sideburns. He was wearing a dark or royal blue hooded pullover sweatshirt with a white emblem on the left chest area and black jeans.

About 9:30 a.m., police responded to the Bank of America on the 8300 block of Folsom Boulevard, near Granite Park, after callers reported people lying on the ground inside the bank, Leong said.

Officers quickly determined a robbery had taken place. Witnesses reported that a man armed with a gun grabbed an employee, entered the bank and demanded money, Leong said. He then took the employee's car keys and fled in the employee's car, Leong said.

The car was found abandoned nearby, at Occidental Drive and Great Falls Way. Police K9s tracked the suspect's scent to an apartment complex, but then lost the scent, Leong said.

Leong said part of the robbery was caught on surveillance video and some of that video likely will be released to the public later.

"It was a unique robbery in that it was a takeover," Leong said. Typically, bank robbers are more "discreet" and demand money by passing notes to tellers, he said.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Woodland police arrested a Sacramento man Thursday in connection with an armed robbery of a fabric store in December 2008, authorities said today.

Anthony David Urbano, 32, was taken into custody at the Sacramento County courthouse after he arrived for a hearing in an unrelated case, according to a Woodland Police Department news release.

Urbano is suspected of committing an armed robbery at a Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts store in Woodland in December 2008, the release states. Urbano was identified as the suspect through physical evidence at the scene and through witness statements, according to the release.

Urbano was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he is being held without bail, according to booking records.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are investigating a report of a sexual assault on Arden Way on Wednesday night, authorities said today.

A woman told police that she was on the 1900 block of Arden Way near Cal Expo when she was contacted by two men she did not know, said Sgt. Norm Leong.

They allegedly grabbed the woman, took her to nearby location and then sexually assaulted her, Leong said.

She was not sure where she was taken, Leong said.

The woman described her attackers only as white male adults, Leong said.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A 13-year-old Leroy Greene Middle School student was booked into juvenile hall Thursday morning after he allegedly brandished a knife at school, according to Sacramento police.

The boy and another student had gotten into a fight on the West River Drive campus when the 13-year-old pulled out a knife, said Sgt. Norm Leong. The boys were held at the vice principal's office until police arrived, and authorities confiscated the knife.

Officers arrested the 13-year-old and booked him into juvenile hall on suspicion of possessing a weapon at school, Leong said.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A judge today sentenced Brandy Sherrie Foreman to 25 years to life in prison for the 2006 neglect-related murder of the defendant's 12-year-old daughter, Daelynn.

"This is a particularly egregious case given the vulnerability of the victim and the help that was available to the defendant," Sacramento Superior Court Judge Marjorie Koller said from the bench, just before she imposed the term on the 36-year-old Foreman of Orangevale.

During the 15-minute sentencing hearing today, Foreman pulled a T-shirt over her mouth and shielded her face from news cameras by holding up her hand.

Authorities responded to the defendant's 911 call on July 31, 2006, and found the defendant's withered daughter who had suffered since birth from cerebral palsy dead in her bed. Foreman was arrested seven months later. She pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Nov. 16 right before her case was scheduled to go to trial.

The coroner found that Daelynn Foreman she died of bronchopneumonia complicated by malnutrition and neglect. A sheriff's report said the girl was "morbidly thin" with her skeletal features "clearly outlined under her skin." She also had bed sores in which bones showed "through several open holes in the skin."

According to police reports, Foreman had not taken her daughter to the doctor for more than a year before she died, and she also stopped sending Daelynn to a school for the severely physically disabled some 11 months earlier.

In her comments from the bench today, Judge Koller said that Brandy Foreman had been receiving SSI disability checks and also was being paid through the In-Home Support Services program and that she had been taking advantage of assorted programs for years.

Foreman also had access to free food, medical services, therapy and medical equipment, according Deputy District Attorney Rick Miller's trial brief.

Given the services available to Foreman, Judge Koller said, "The degree of neglect and indifference to her child is hard to understand." The judge also noted that Foreman even refused to answer the door when Child Protective Services employees tried to visit her house.

Miller's court papers, however, suggested that Foreman was heavily involved in methamphetamine. They also said that Foreman also was the trustee of a $175,000 trust account in which her daughter was the beneficiary. The funds came from a toxic-mold case they had won against a previous landlord.

In her trial brief, Assistant Public Defender Sue Karlton said that Foreman had been "a dedicated and concerned parent. For all intents and purposes, she did nothing but care for the child."

From Ed Fletcher:

The four dogs awaiting possible death for their September mauling of a Weimar teen will have at least another week to live after today's scheduled hearing over their fate was delayed another week.

During a pre-trial hearing today to assign the case, objections to proposed judges by the defense and prosecution led to the one-week delay.

The delay also might allow the defenses' star witness, celebrity dog rescuer Tia Maria Torres, to testify. She is expected to testify that one of the dogs, Otis, can be retrained. She was unable to attend today's proceedings because of the inclement weather, said Dean Starks, attorney for the dog's owner, Daniel Coverston.

Coverston appeared in court with a new look today, wearing a suit and neatly trimmed hair, which replaced the long hair to the middle of his back he previously wore. The hearing has been reset for Jan. 29.

From Bill Linelof:

A 10-month-old boy recovered unconscious from a south Sacramento swimming pool earlier this month was reported in good condition today at UC Davis Medical Center, hospital officials said.

The boy was discovered in the pool at a residence on the 8200 block of Tevrin Way about 10 a.m. Jan. 11. Paramedics found the boy's father performing CPR, but the boy had no pulse and was not breathing, a fire official said.

Paramedics took over CPR as they transported him to the hospital. The child had been out of sight only briefly before he was found in the water, his parents told officials.

From Peter Hecht:

An El Dorado County prosecutor announced today that authorities will not seek the death penalty for 19-year-old Steven Paul Colver who is accused in the stabbing death of the mother of his 14-year-old lover.

"The district attorney's office will not be seeking the death penalty against Mr. Colver," prosecutor Lisette Suder said in a Placerville court this morning as Colver and Tylar Marie Witt, now 15, appeared for a scheduled arraignment on murder charges.

The teens are accused of carrying out a plot to kill Witt's mother, Joanne M. Witt, the woman who stood in the way of their relationship and who reported Colver to authorities for alleged statutory rape.

Witt and Colver sat with their attorneys at opposite ends of a jury box -- separated by orange-clad El Dorado County jail inmates awaiting court hearings -- as Suder made her announcement before Judge Kenneth J. Melikian.

"I'm happy with the decision, obviously," said Colver's attorney, Dain Weiner, after Melikian postponed an arraignment in the case until Feb. 1.

Suder said a district attorney's office committee reviewing the case made the decision not to seek the death penalty but declined to elaborate.

Weiner said he believed prosecutors decided against the death penalty for Colver "due to his youth and his complete lack of a prior record."

Witt, who was not eligible for the death penalty, could face 25 years in prison in her mother's June 12 killing in the master bedroom of their home in El Dorado Hills. Authorities allege that Witt summoned Colver to stab her mother to death after the woman fell asleep.

Suder said outside of court that she will seek special-circumstance sentencing enhancements for Colver for lying in wait and killing a witness, meaning he could get life in prison without parole if convicted.

She contends that the pair wanted to stop Joanne Witt from testifying or working with authorities in the statutory rape claim against Colver over his relationship with her daughter. The judge in a recent preliminary hearing, Douglas Phimister, suggested there wasn't sufficient evidence to support the prosecution's claim.

Weiner said defense lawyers will file motions to try the teen lovers separately. Suder said prosecutors want them tried together.

Previous coverage:

El Dorado County murder trial ordered for teens - Jan. 8, 2010

Teenager charged with killing mom in El Dorado Hills to be tried as adult - Nov. 25, 2009

El Dorado judge to decide how girl will be tried in homicide case - Nov. 20, 2009

Prosecution outlines lurid murder plot in El Dorado Hills mom's stabbing - Nov. 18, 2009

El Dorado judge to decide whether to try girl as adult in mom's killing - Aug. 25, 2009

Teen fugitives planned suicide, search warrant states - June 24, 2009

Girl, 14, boyfriend charged in slaying of her mother in El Dorado Hills - June 23, 2009

Teen charged with murder in killing of girlfriend's mom - June 20, 2009

Did teen love lead to mom's stabbing death? - June 18, 2009

Bee Staff

The Folsom Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday and running until 3 a.m. on East Bidwell Street, according to a news release.

Twelve Folsom police officers, a Folsom police community service Officer, and four volunteers from the Citizens Assisting Public Safety will conduct the checkpoint. Members from Mothers Against Drunk Driving will also be in attendance, the release states.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A woman said that she was forced behind a building in North Sacramento and sexually assaulted by a stranger Wednesday night, according to Sacramento police.

The woman, who is in her 20s, told police she was waiting for a friend near the light-rail station at Arden Way and Del Paso Boulevard shortly after 8:30 p.m. when an unknown man approached her and physically forced her behind a nearby building, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong.

The woman said the man sexually assaulted her and fled, Leong said.

The suspect was described to police as a black man in his late 20s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing about 185 pounds, Leong said.

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

By Kim Minugh

kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento police released a video today of two suspects who police say robbed an Arden Way department store and threatened employees with a hammer.

The robbery occurred about midnight on Saturday at the jewelry counter of a department store on the 1800 block of Arden Way, according to Sacramento police.

While one suspect left to retrieve the getaway car, the second suspect jumped on the counter and threatened employees with a hammer, police said.

The suspect then grabbed several valuable rings from the jewelry case, according to police. The suspects fled together in what was described as a light-colored 1997-2003 Lexus ES300 or similar vehicle.

The robbery was caught on surveillance video. Police say they have identified the first suspect, whose identity has not been released, and are trying to locate him.

The second suspect (see photo left) was described as a white male in his late 20s, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 150 to 160 pounds. He has blonde or red hair and a goatee. He was wearing a black hat, black leather coat, a light green shirt with a white collar and brown leather shoes, police said.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Two men are in custody after a fight over money took a more violent turn.

Shortly before 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, 53-year-old Daniel Hagg rammed his Suburban vehicle into the Las Palmas Avenue home of 33-year-old Gary Neely, with whom Hagg was having a dispute over money, according to Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong.

Neely ran out of the home and fired a shotgun into the Suburban, missing Hagg.

Hagg drove home and called police to report the incident, only to find himself on the hook as well. Police arrested both men on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, according to a police report.

By Kim Minugh and Chelsea Phua
kiminugh@sacbee.com

Roseville police have released a more detailed description of a man suspected of shooting another man in strip mall parking lot Wednesday night.

The shooter was described to police as a Hispanic man of an unknown age, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds, according to Roseville police. He was wearing a dark-colored, possibly red or dark-orange hooded sweatshirt and jeans.

Authorities said the victim, a man in his 50s, was taken to Sutter Roseville Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Sgt. Jason Bosworth told The Bee on Wednesday night that the man may have been an employee at a weight-loss clinic at a shopping center at Sunrise Avenue and Cirby Way. He was leaving the clinic shortly before 7:45 p.m. when another man confronted him.

Bosworth said the men briefly exchanged words before the shooter fired twice at the victim, hitting him in the mid-torso. Witnesses told police the gunman ran toward Sunrise Avenue.

The victim went into a nearby TV repair store to ask for help.

Roseville police, with assistance from Sacramento and Citrus Heights police officers, cordoned off the area for about 40 minutes to look for the suspect but did not find him.

Detectives do not yet know whether the suspect and victim knew each other, nor have they determined a motive.

Q: What happened to the people who were in a right-wing Christian group who were accused years ago of illegally selling car insurance? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: Eight Northern Californians were indicted in 2005 on charges of money laundering and selling illegal car insurance after the FBI and the state's insurance regulator investigated the operations of a self-styled right-wing Christian organization, The Bee reported.

According to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento, the government asked for the charges against Sherwood Rodrigues, Blanche Hassall, David Polnoff and Louise Renfro to be dismissed in exchange for their testimony.

Here is the disposition of the other cases, according to the spokeswoman:

Amy Polnoff pleaded guilty on May 7, 2009 and was sentenced to 36 months in prison. She is in the Dublin federal prison.

Kurt Lakota pleaded guilty on May 14, 2009 and was sentenced to 21 months in prison. He is in federal custody.

James Sydney Kalfsbeek and Donna Rowe were found guilty on June 10, 2009 and are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 17. They are not in custody.

According to Bee reports of the indictment, the suspects, who operated Puget's Sound Agricultural Society Ltd., conspired to tell 2,500 members, state regulators and accident victims that the group offered an alternative to automobile liability insurance that complied with laws everywhere.

The society, which associated with an entity called the Jesus Christ Administrators, denied it sold car insurance, insisting that what it offered was "a financial responsibility program" for moral Christians.

The criminal indictments, filed June 23, 2005 in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, followed a probe that began in 2000 when insurance regulators in 11 states and two Canadian provinces started investigating the firm. The society was incorporated in British Columbia but operated primarily in the United States, including offices in Carmichael, Georgetown, Garden Valley, Winters, Sunnyvale and Arbuckle.

Besides charges of money laundering and conspiracy, the 42-count grand jury indictment alleged mail fraud, wire fraud, engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property, and aiding and abetting.

The indictment states that the society's managers, who collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from members, failed to warn consumers they might be arrested for failure to have valid proof of insurance if they were ever involved in a car accident.

Between 1994 and its closure in 2002, the FBI and the California Department of Insurance alleged, the society advertised its products on the radio and in magazines and regional newspapers the grand jury described as "predominantly anti-government."

It offered clients insurance cards that looked like those issued by licensed insurers for glove compartments, authorities said.

Members paid $500 for a lifetime membership in the society, plus an extra $250 for each vehicle owned, the grand jury stated, and the society generally paid members' smaller claims but denied large ones.

Before the group was shut down in 2002, it was slapped with 11 cease-and-desist orders and four warnings by several states, including Minnesota and Indiana.

The society ignored the orders and operated illegally until it was closed, authorities said.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department has released a video of a Sacramento pizza restaurant robbery.

Detectives are hoping someone will recognize a robber by the distinctive clothing he was wearing (see video below).

On Dec. 15 at 9:50 p.m., the suspect entered a pizza restaurant in 2200 block of 16th Street and walked behind the front counter where he confronted two employees.

The robber demanded money at gunpoint. The employees complied by opening their cash register drawers.

The robber stuffed cash from the drawers into his pockets and jumped over the counter to the lobby area where he dropped some of the money. The robber put the money back into his pockets and fled on foot.

The robber was described as a male black in his late teens, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds. He was wearing a purple shirt and a black hoodie with a distinctive logo on the back. His face was partially covered with a black and white bandana.

Anyone with information 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 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

The California Department of Corrections is seeking Albert Fernandez (left photo), who has 15 aliases, for suspicion of violating his parole, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Fernandez has numerous tattoos, including a bass player on his back, owl on his chest, women and roses on left arm and a peacock on upper left arm. According to authorities, he is also known as Bill Carly, Alec C. Cadorette, James Edward Cleveland, Al Fernandez, Alberto Fernandez, Albert Carl Fernandez, Phillip Michael Fernandez, James Fernandez, Ray A. Hanlin, Frederick Carl Hunter, Albert Petrie, Robert Schoenwale, Wayne Shuman, Wayne Suman and Albert Carl Williams.

Fernandez is described as age 63, 6 feet tall, weighing 180 pounds with gray hair and hazel eyes. He is considered a transient. He has been known to frequent the Sonoma County and Calaveras County areas.

Anyone with information about Fernandez 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.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Police are still searching for at least one more suspect involved in a home-invasion robbery in Meadowview last weekend in which a homeowner shot and detained one of the suspects.

Authorities declined to release the name of the 19-year-old man shot by the homeowner and said they do not have any further information to release about the identity of the outstanding suspect or suspects.

Late Sunday, two suspects broke into a home on the 7800 block of Ann Arbor Way, said Sacramento police spokesman Officer Konrad von Schoech. They were confronted by the homeowner, who fired at the suspects, striking one, von Schoech said.

The other suspect fired back at the homeowner, but missed, von Schoech said. That suspect fled the scene in a car that police later discovered abandoned and found to be stolen.

The 19-year-old suspect that was injured by the homeowner was detained and arrested by police, then taken to a local hospital. Von Schoech said police are searching for the other suspect while also trying to determine whether any one else was involved.

It does not appear that the homeowner will be arrested and charged in connection with the shooting, von Schoech said.

Detectives suspect robbery was the motive for the initial break-in, but von Schoech declined to discuss what the would-be robbers might have been after.

By Kim Minugh
kiminugh@sacbee.com

A security guard who shot a man at North Sacramento bar last weekend likely won't face criminal charges, according to police.

It appears the man acted in self defense and fired his gun because he "felt his life was in danger" during an assault at a Del Paso Boulevard bar, said police spokesman Officer Konrad von Schoech.

The man shot by the security guard fled the scene and has not been positively identified. Von Schoech said a shooting victim later arrived at a local hospital, but detectives are still investigating if he is linked to the early Monday morning shooting on the 1000 block of Del Paso.

The security guard had just broken up a physical fight when one of the men involved pointed a gun at the guard, Von Schoech. The guard fired his own weapon and hit the man, whose injuries were not life-threatening.

The man then fled the bar. He was described to police as a 23-year-old Hispanic man, 5-foot-7-inches tall and wearing a white t-shirt and dark jeans. Von Schoech declined to say whether that man faces charges once he is identified.

Bee Staff

Eric Martin Minchak, accused of using a knife in the death of a woman at a Roseville gas station in 2006, has been placed under the conservatorship of Placer County and sent to Napa State Hospital for continued mental health care, the Placer County District Attorney's Office announced today.

Minchak (photo left), 31, of Pennsylvania has spent the last three years in Atascadero State Hospital after a judge ruled that he was mentally incompetent to stand trial on charges of robbery and the first-degree murder of the victim, a DA's news release states.

Prosecutor David Broady of the Placer County District Attorney's Office said that defendants who are declared mentally incompetent to stand trial can be held for a maximum of three years in a state hospital.

"At the end of those three years, the person would either have to be released or held civilly under a conservatorship, which means that the government steps in on the person's behalf to provide for his care," Broady said.

Broady said the action taken Jan. 13 by a conservatorship judge in Placer County Superior Court "ensures the public safety by keeping the defendant locked up."

The Placer County Public Guardian, under the office of the county's Health and Human Services, has been appointed the conservator, Broady said.

Each year, Minchak, who is represented by the Placer County Public Defender's Office, will be entitled to a hearing to determine if he should remain under the conservatorship, Broady said.

"If and when he is deemed mentally competent, he could be ordered to stand trial for the murder and robbery," he said.

Broady said the latest action presents "a very difficult aspect" for the members of the slain victim's family.

"Unfortunately, there is no closure for the family because the case and the criminal charges against Mr. Minchak remain pending," he said.

Minchak is accused of stabbing to death Tammy Lynn Texiera, 45, of Folsom, who was pumping gas into her car at Joe's Market at North Sunrise Avenue and Lead Hill Boulevard on April 2, 2006.

The defendant allegedly then took $20 from her purse.

Bee Staff

A bank robber has left investigators confused about his/her gender.

The Sacramento Police Department said in a news release that witnesses' description of the robber varied; some thought the suspect was a man, others thought the robber was a woman (see photos below).

The release gives this account:

On Jan. 5 at 9:25 a.m., the robber entered a bank in the 1300 block of Florin Road. The robber demanded money from a teller.

The robber handed a white envelope to the teller, who put cash in it and handed it back. The robber fled in a gray or silver Dodge Magnum.

The robber is either a female black adult or a male dressed as a female. The robber is believed to be 40-50 years old, 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighing 200-220 pounds with blond hair or a blond wig, and a dark complexion.

The robber wore a black scarf over his/her head and face, a black jacket over a pink dress, and white tennis shoes.

Anyone with information 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 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Bee Staff

Amtrak was not the way to go for a suspected drug courier, the Placer County Sheriff's Department said today in a news release.

A Colorado man was arrested last week after a Placer County Sheriff's K-9 found a large stash of marijuana aboard an Amtrak train in Colfax, according to the release.

The release gives this account:

Sheriff's deputies were called to assist Amtrak police officers while the train was stopped in Colfax on Jan. 12.

K-9 Okar (photo bottom right with what deputies say are the seized drugs), who is trained in finding drugs, pointed officers to the luggage of Daniel Ray Vialpando (photo bottom left), 27, of Colorado. Inside the luggage, deputies found five pounds of packaged marijuana.

Vialpando, who was traveling alone from Sacramento to Colorado, was arrested and booked into the Placer County Jail on suspicion of marijuana sales and transportation, the release states.

His bail was set at $110,000. He was also wanted on a warrant from Mariposa County.

Online jail records indicate he is no longer in jail.

Q: What are the details of a bizarre road rage incident perhaps five years ago along Highway 50 where one man was killed and another man committed suicide? - Anonymous, Carmichael

A: Donald Rodger Bell shot himself to death on May 20, 2001, near the roadside memorial on Highway 50 to the man he was accused of killing in a road-rage incident about three weeks earlier, The Bee reported.

Investigators said Bell, 52, of Elk Grove called 911 on his cell phone about 10 a.m. to tell police he intended to shoot himself. He asked them to relay a message to his wife, and then fired one shot to his head.

Bell had returned to the Hazel Avenue offramp to meet with an investigator working on his criminal defense, investigators said. He faced voluntary manslaughter charges in the shooting death of Timothy Michael Mann, 53, of Orangevale on May 6, 2001. Bell was out on bail.

The fight between Mann and Bell started just before 11:30 a.m. when both motorists were traveling east on Highway 50 near Bradshaw Road. Sheriff's officials said Bell, who was driving a small white pickup truck, pulled into traffic in front of Mann's four-door sedan.

The two exchanged angry words and gestures while continuing eastbound before exiting at Hazel Avenue. Mann pulled into the left-hand turn lane. Bell was behind him in his truck.

While they were sitting at the light waiting for it to change, Bell allegedly got out of the car and gestured to Mann. Mann left his car and the two men began arguing. Witnesses said Mann took a swing at Bell, who then shot Mann.

Mann's wife and their 28-year-old son looked on in horror, as did Bell's 15-year-old son, who was in the pickup.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

Q: In 2006, two men were attacked at Hagan Park in Rancho Cordova. What was the outcome of the investigation? - Beth, Sacramento

A: The Bee's Crime Q&A published incorrect information about the convictions in a 2006 attack on two men in Hagan Park in Rancho Cordova.

According to the prosecutor who handled the case, here is the correction information:

Alexander S. Kent, now 23, was found guilty sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Jeremy Lee Strain, now 23, was found guilty of two felony counts and sentenced to 7 years to life in prison.

Robert Anthony Nelson, now 20, was convicted and was sentenced to 31 years to life in prison.

Joseph Holloran, now 20, was convicted and sentenced to 13 years to life in prison.

The Bee obtained the incorrect information from the Sacramento Superior Courts online records.

A 38-year-old maintenance worker and a park 32-year-old park volunteer were beaten and stabbed in a melee at Hagan Park the evening of May 11, 2006, The Bee reported.

The attack occurred after the maintenance worker and the parks volunteer responded to a woman's call for help.

The maintenance worker, the father of four children, was severely disabled by the attack, The Bee reported.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A public forum featuring candidates for Sacramento County Sheriff is scheduled for Wednesday night.

The forum, moderated by the Sacramento League of Women Voters, takes place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors chambers, 700 H St.

The event is hosted by the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff's Association and the Law Enforcement Manager's Association.

Access Sacramento will broadcast the forum at 9:30 p.m. Jan. 27 and 5 p.m. Jan. 31.

Sheriff's Capt. Scott Jones and Capt. Jim Cooper have been campaigning since last summer. The two, along with announced candidate Bret Daniels, a former sheriff's deputy, are seeking to replace Sheriff John McGinness, who is retiring after one term.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

Previous coverage:

Former Sacramento police chief Najera won't run for sheriff - Jan. 18, 2010

It's official - Cooper is running for sheriff - Oct. 23, 2009

Daniels joins fourth race for sheriff's position - Oct. 7, 2009

Editorial: Wanted: More candidates for the sheriff's job - Sept. 27, 2009

Sacramento County sheriff's race heats up - Sept. 22, 2009

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

I have attached crime statistics for our Natomas Neighborhoods for 2009. These are preliminary crime statistics and are subject to slight changes ... but, they should not change significantly (if at all) so they are good for observing trends in our community.

Homicides:
* Citywide - 49 in 2008 compared to 30 in 2009 (38% decrease)
* Police Sector 1 (1A, 1B & 1C) - 7 in 2008 compared to 5 in 2009 (28% decrease)
* Homicide locations: 600 block of Garden Hwy (7/20/09), 2600 block of Stonecreek (10/2/09, 3600 N. Freeway (Center Court - 10/24/09), San Juan/Azevedo (Woodbridge Apts - 12/15/09), 1850 Del Paso Rd (Studio 18 - 12/31/09).
* All the homicides are solved with arrests except the last one at Studio 18.
* This is the lowest (5) number of homicides in Natomas (Police Sector 1) since 2006 (3).

Police Beat 1A (N. Natomas)

* Residential burglaries went up 5% (228 to 240)
* Business burglaries went down 5% (102 to 96)
* Vehicle burglaries went up 40% (358 to 503)
* Stolen cars went up 3% (270 to 280)
* Robberies (unspecified) went down 47% (42 to 22)
* Assault (no firearm) went up 30% (23 to 30)
* Assaults (w/ firearm) went up 25% (4 to 5)

Police Beat 1B (S. Natomas)

* Residential burglaries went up 4% (207 to 216)
* Business burglaries went up 22% (31 to 38)
* Vehicle burglaries went down 7% (269 to 249)
* Stolen cars went up 3% (208 to 216)
* Robberies (unspecified) went down 26% (52 to 38)
* Assault (no firearm) went down 13% (36 to 31)
* Assault (firearm) went down 14% (7 to 6)

Police Beat 1C (Northgate/Gardenland)

* Residential burglaries went down 5% (136 to 128)
* Business burglaries went down 42% (47 to 27)
* Vehicle burglaries went up 12% (91 to 102)
* Stolen cars went up 2% (128 to 131)
* Robberies (unspecified) went down 29% (47 to 33)
* Assault (no firearm) went up 60% (20 to 32)
* Assault (firearm) went down 33% (12 to 8)

For monthly 2009 and 2008 Natomas crime statistics, click crimestatsdist1dec2009.xls

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A security guard working at a bar on Del Paso Boulevard shot and wounded a patron who assaulted him and pulled a gun on him early today, Sacramento police said.

The man who was wounded in the 1:23 a.m. shooting in the 1000 block of the boulevard left the scene and was not identified in the police report.

Authorities also did not provide any information on the security guard or the name of the bar. The bartender working late this afternoon at The Silk, the only bar on the 1000 block of Del Paso Boulevard, said he didn't know anything about the shooting.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

Sacramento sheriff's detectives have arrested a second suspect in Thursday's shooting deaths at an apartment complex in the 3100 block of Trussel Way in the Arden Arcade area.

Detectives arrested 20-year-old Ronnie Brown III about 1:20 a.m. today in Stockton, according to a department news release.

The first suspect in the case, Dominique Amos, 20, was arrested by sheriff's detectives on Sunday in Stockton.

Both suspects are Stockton residents, the statement said.

The shooting victims appeared to have been innocent bystanders, authorities said. Marcus Thompson, 18, and Eleea Langley 29, were shot and killed, and an 18-year-old was wounded.

They were hit by a spray of gunfire at the Villa Capri apartments as they stood in the complex's breezeway just before 8 p.m.

Friends and relatives described Langley as a new father working long hours to get his family out of the seedy complex.

Others said Thompson was a teenager full of laughter and athletic prowess.

The third victim was hit in the arm and survived.

Both suspects have been booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on murder charges.

Sheriff's detectives believe Amos and Brown went to the complex to retaliate for a fight a few days earlier in which someone pulled a gun.

Call The Bee's Hudson Sangree, (916) 321-1191.

Previous coverage:

Arden Arcade slaying victims called innocent bystanders - Jan. 16, 2010

From Jim Wasserman:

An unidentified man was hospitalized Sunday night after being shot during a home invasion robbery in south Sacramento, Sacramento Police reported.

Police said an unidentified resident of the home in the 7800 block of Ann Arbor Way shot one of three suspects who broke into the home.

The incident occurred shortly after 8:30 p.m.

The gunshot victim was taken to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in South Sacramento. Police said the wound was not life-threatening.

An investigation is continuing.

- Jim Wasserman

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Authorities are searching for the person who fired a gun through a closed garage door in North Natomas on Saturday night, injuring a teenager.

City police said a 16-year-old boy was grazed in the neck by the bullet, and he was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

Police said they were called to a house in the 5300 block of Nickman Way after the shooting. The injured youth had thrown a party and he and other teenagers were dancing in the garage, which was closed.

Police said the bullet penetrated the garage door, struck the victim and lodged into a wall.

Call The Bee's Loretta Kalb, (916) 321-1073.

From Cathy Locke:

A 13-year-old boy reported that he was assaulted Friday evening as he was walking home on a bike trail in the North Sacramento area.

The youth reported that three boys, about 16 or 17 years old, came up behind him on the trail near Sonoma and Altos avenues about 6:40 p.m., according to the Police Department's daily activity log. The three were described as African American all wearing black hoodies and wool caps with ear flaps.

The reason for the attack was not known, according to the police report.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The popular crime-fighting show "America's Most Wanted" is scheduled to air an episode tonight highlighting one of Sacramento County's most horrific unsolved cases.

No suspects have been arrested in the September 2007 killing of 21-year-old Sean Aquitania and his infant son, Sean Jr. (left photo)

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies suspect Aquitania and his son interrupted a robbery gone bad. They have not been able to identify any suspects.

"America's Most Wanted" has aired episodes about the Aquitania case twice before. Tonight's episode is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. on Fox 40.

For more information, click here.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Family, friends and coworkers of Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Kelley Lara (left photo) gathered at Sacramento International Airport on Friday morning to dedicate a memorial stone in Lara's honor.

Lara died in a fatal traffic collision last August as she headed to work at the airport. She was 43.

Among those attending the memorial dedication was Capt. Doug Lee, who oversees the Sheriff's Department's airport division, and Lara's husband, sheriff's Sgt. Don Lara.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A 70-year-old Sacramento man is hospitalized in critical condition after being involved in a head-on collision Friday morning in Placer County, authorities said.

California Highway Patrol officials said Rex W. Smothers was northbound on Highway 65 near Nader Road in his burgundy 2009 Honda Odyssey at about 11:30 a.m. when, for reasons still under investigation, his vehicle started to drift into the southbound lane.

Kenny Rister, 40, of Sacramento, was southbound in his 2007 Peterbuilt cement mixer. Both men were driving at about 55 mph, officials said.

The Honda drifted directly in front of the mixer and caused a head-on collision. Smothers was transported by helicopter to Roseville Medical Center with major injuries, officials said. Firefighters had to extricate Smothers from his vehicle.

Rister suffered minor injuries and was taken to Kaiser Roseville, officials said.

Q: What happened to Bruce Phan? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: Bruce Huy Phan and Lamson Trong Pham were convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the Oct. 27, 2002 slayings of a 17-year-old boy, according to Sacramento Superior Court records.

Phan (2002 photo bottom left), now 24, and Pham (2002 photo bottom right), now 25, were among four to six people who fired more than 25 rounds after crashing a house party in the 6000 block of Pomegranate Avenue, just east of Highway 99, The Bee reported.

When authorities arrived, they found Alan Ting Khamphoumy dead in a ditch across the street from the house. They also found a 17-year-old boy shot in the hand and a 17-year-old girl shot in the lower body.

The two injured 17-year-olds survived their wounds.

Pham was hit during the shooting, probably shot by one of his partners in the shooting, investigators said.

Pham was shot twice in the chest and once in the hand. He recovered from his wounds to stand trial.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

By Melody Gutierrez

An F.C. Joyce Elementary School third-grader outsmarted a would-be abductor Thursday afternoon near Watt Avenue and Don Julio Blvd in North Highlands.

The boy reported to police that a gray truck pulled up alongside him while he walked home from school around 3 p.m., said Twin Rivers spokeswoman Trinette Marquis.

A man inside the truck told the boy that he was asked by the boy's mom to pick him up. The boy asked the man for his family's secret password. When the man did not know it, the boy turned around and ran toward the school.

Another parent saw the boy running and walked him and other nearby students home.

Twin Rivers Police Department is doing additional patrols in the area. Anyone with more information can call Twin Rivers Police Department at 916-286-4875.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

An Elk Grove Unified School District substitute bus driver was arrested earlier this week under suspicion of molesting a child.

Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner described the investigation as ongoing, but said the arrest is not related to the driver's duties for the school district.

"It is related to events sometime prior," Wegner said.

He said the department would offer more details Tuesday.

The arrested bus driver was identified by other media outlets as Mark Tindal, whom officials confirmed is in custody at the county jail.

Elk Grove Unified spokeswoman Liz Graswich said the driver had only been with the district for six days when he was arrested Wednesday morning. The man had passed all required background checks, Graswich said.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

When a man with a gun appeared in the back seat of a couple's minivan Thursday night in North Sacramento, it set off a furious fight that ended with the robber's arrest.

Sacramento police said the couple started to drive away after visiting a check cashing business near Arden Way and Del Paso Boulevard about 8 p.m. when they were surprised by an armed man who demanded their cash.

The robber ordered the couple to drive to West Sacramento as he counted the bills and waved his gun at them, police said. When they reached Jibboom Street along the Sacramento River, the driver decided to fight back.

He grabbed the handgun and fought with the robber as he drove, police said. His wife jumped out of the van, while the husband hit the brakes and battled the suspect over the gun.

The robber fled, but the husband was not done. He fought him in the street before the robber fled again, leaving behind much of the cash and the weapon, which turned out to be a BB gun.

Sacramento police and California Highway Patrol officers surrounded the area, eventually arresting Jeffery Elder (left photo), 26, of Sacramento on suspicion of kidnapping and robbery.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Five Sacramento-area men have been convicted in Colusa County of poaching white sturgeon from the Sacramento River.

California Department of Fish and Game wardens made the arrests in April in Sacramento after around-the-clock surveillance on the group for weeks.

All the sturgeon were caught in the Sacramento River in Colusa County.

The men were accused of consistently catching more than the legal limit and making efforts to conceal their catch from wardens. Two of the men were also observed selling sturgeon.

The harvest of white sturgeon in California for commercial purposes has been against the law for a century.

"The commercial poaching of sturgeon was the cause of the species' near-extinction in the early 1900s," said Lt. Kathy Ponting of Fish and Game in a press release. "One of these defendants sold a poached sturgeon for a mere $120."

She said that's a small price for the substantial adverse biological, social and economic effects from the catching and sale of the fish.

Those sentenced in Colusa County Superior Court were:

Ivan Banatskiy of Citrus Heights pleaded guilty to conspiring to sell sturgeon, illegally catching and possessing sturgeon and sale of sturgeon. Banatskiy, considered the ringleader of the operation, received a $19,480 fine and three years of probation.

Andrey Bukaty of Sacramento pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell sturgeon and unlawful possession of illegally caught sturgeon. He received a $950 fine and three years of probation.

Sergey Solkalskiy of Citrus Heights pleaded guilty to possession of illegally caught sturgeon and conspiracy to sell sturgeon. He received a $8,050 fine and three years probation.

Serhiy Omelchuk of Sacramento pleaded guilty to fishing without a license, various poaching-related offenses and failure to show a fish upon demand of a warden. He received a $1,200 fine.

Petr Kolosov of Rancho Cordova entered a no contest plea to two counts of littering and possession of illegally caught sturgeon. He was given a $2,510 fine and three years probation.

Fish and Game officials said they may seek to permanently strip the men of their right to fish.

Fisheries experts say the state's sturgeon population is just strong enough to maintain a limited recreational fishery. Sturgeon fishing is allowed all year but there are limits: sturgeon can be kept only if they are between 46 and 66 inches in length. Any fish longer or shorter must be released.

Sturgeon are poached for the meat and roe. The eggs are processed into caviar.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Sentencing for Brandy Sherrie Foreman, who allowed her paralyzed 12-year-old daughter to slowly starve to death in July 2006, has been postponed for a second time.

Foreman, 35, pleaded guilty to murder in November just as she was about to begin trial in the death of Daelynn Foreman, an Orangevale girl with cerebral palsy who slowly withered away. When authorities discovered Daelynn's body, she weighed only 23 pounds and had sores that went down to the bone.

Foreman was scheduled to face sentencing this morning but it was postponed until next Friday because her attorney was out sick today.

Daelynn's death came despite six reports of suspected abuse over a four-year period that were made to Sacramento County's child protective services agency, and the case was one of the first warning signs of how troubled CPS had become.

Since then, a series of deaths of children known to the agency spawned several investigations, including a harshly critical grand jury report and a shakeup in CPS management.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A report of shots fired in Woodland brought officers to an apartment complex Thursday night where they arrested two suspects for recklessly discharging firearms.

Woodland police responded to several calls of shots being fired in front of an apartment in the 500 block of Matmor Road about 11 p.m.

When officers arrived, they saw three men fleeing on foot. One was seen discarding a gun.

Michael Herrera and Ramiro Cordova were arrested on suspicion of reckless discharge of a firearm. A third man, German Martinez, was arrested for giving false information to a police officer and being drunk in public. All of the men are 18 years old and are Woodland residents.

A handgun was recovered and nobody was injured. Discharging a firearm within Woodland city limits is against the law.

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By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento County coroner's deputies today identified one of two men killed in a shooting in the Arden Arcade area, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department officials report.

He is Eleea Gellennin Langley, 29, of Sacramento.

Sgt. Tim Curran, department spokesman, said residents reported hearing gunshots shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday in the 3100 block of Trussel Way.

When deputies arrived, they found an 18-year-old man in front of a breezeway at an apartment complex. He was taken to a hospital, where he died shortly after.

Langley was found in the parking lot next to the building and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Curran said deputies found a third man inside his nearby apartment with a minor gunshot wound to his arm. He wasn't able to provide investigators with details about the gunmen.

Witnesses reported hearing six to eight gunshots and saw two men in dark, hooded sweatshirts leaving the area. Investigators have learned that the victims were in the apartment building breezeway when they were shot.

Curran said the motive for the shootings is unknown.

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The Sacramento Police Department is Kendell Williams (left photo) on a felony arrest warrant for suspicion of transporting, selling and distributing a controlled substance, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Williams is described as age 23, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

He was last known to live in the 1800 block of Club Center Drive in the North Natomas area of Sacramento.

Anyone with information about Williams 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.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A shooting Thursday night left two men dead and one injured in the Arden Aracde area, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department officials report.

Sgt. Tim Curran, department spokesman, said area residents reported hearing multiple gunshots shortly before 8 p.m. in the 3100 block of Trussel Way. When deputies arrived, they found an 18-year-old man in front of a breezeway inside an apartment complex. He was taken to an area hospital, where he died shortly after. A second man was found in the parking lot adjacent to the building where the 18-year-old was found. The 29-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Curran said deputies found a third man inside his nearby apartment with a minor gunshot wound to his arm. The injured man wasn't able to provide investigators with details about the gunmen.

Witnesses reported that they heard six to eight gunshots and saw two men in dark hooded sweatshirts leaving the area. Curran said the motive for the shootings is unknown.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A 23-year-old Lincoln woman was sentenced Thursday to one year in jail and five years probation for pulling off the ear of another woman during an attack in a bar early last year, according to the Placer County District Attorney's office.

Gabrielle Cordova (left photo) was also given a suspended four-year state prison term, authorities said.

Prosecutors said on Jan. 18, 2009, Cordova lured the 24-year-old victim, whom authorities are not identifying, to the restroom of a Lincoln bar. Cordova told the victim that she wanted to tell the victim that a man at the bar had expressed interest in her. Cordova then attacked the victim, ripping off her ear.

Prosecutors have maintained that the attack was unprovoked, but it could have been over Cordova's belief that the victim was showing interest in a man Cordova was with at the bar.

Surgeons were unable to reattach the ear. At the sentencing hearing, the victim said that she is reminded of the painful incident every day when she puts on her prosthetic ear. At one point, her daughter was afraid of her because of the bandages on her head, the victim said.

Prosecutor Stephanie Macumber said Cordova had previously attacked a cab driver and a police officer and constitutes a danger to society.

"It appears that no one can control her," Macumber said.

Placer County Superior Court Judge Larry D. Gaddis banned Cordova from any contact with the victim and ordered her to refrain from drugs and alcohol and to stay out of bars. He also ordered her to attend anger management classes, perform 20 hours of community services and submit to search and seizure by law enforcement.

Q: Was anyone caught in the murder of Jason Frost at the Bread Store downtown in 1997? - Kristine, Sacramento

A: The man who killed Frost, who was assistant manager of the Sacramento eatery, was convicted by a jury and sentenced on Oct. 25, 2001 to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Sacramento Superior Court records and Bee reports.

Richard Anthony Brewer, now 37, killed Frost, 23, two days before Christmas in 1996 at the Bread Store.

Two other men were convicted in the slaying; a third pleaded guilty to manslaughter and testified for the prosecution.

Frustrated that Frost didn't have a key to the safe, Brewer shot Frost in the abdomen twice with a 12-gauge shotgun, leaving softball-size holes. The employee was shot a third time in the buttocks as he lay reeling in pain on the floor.

During the five-month trial, three separate juries heard how Brewer and three other masked accomplices stormed into the restaurant at closing time.

Brewer, who wore a mask with a devil's face, cornered Frost behind a counter in an enclosed space and shot him from three to five feet away.

Frost was hospitalized for 10 days before he died of a massive infection from his wounds, the shotgun pellets and the shell's wadding, which were recovered from inside his body.

Brewer was convicted of murder with the special circumstances of attempted robbery, which carries a mandatory life term in prison with no parole.

But the trial judge elected to stack an extra 25 years on top of the life term for Brewer's other five charges, including the use of a firearm and of the robbery of the same J Street eatery a month earlier.

Also convicted with Brewer was Bobby M. Dixon, 27, the getaway driver, who was sentenced to 32 years and eight months in prison. Records indicate he is still in prison.

James Glica and Rickie Antonio Martinez Jr. were convicted of their roles in rounding up the other four employees as Brewer looked for the money.

Glica, now 29, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Martinez, also now 29, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Glica is still in prison. The Bee was unable to determine the status of Martinez.

Trevor Shea Garcia, now 36, an accomplice who testified for the prosecution, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The Bee was unable to determine his status.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

West Sacramento police have arrested a 30-year-old Cameron Park resident who they allege killed a man at a nightclub last fall, according to authorities.

Jesus Ventura Solis was booked today into the Yolo County jail on suspicion of murder, according to a Police Department news release. He is being held without bail.

Police are still searching for the other suspect in the Sept. 13 fatal shooting of Jesus Cortez-Heredia: 32-year-old Rocios "Rosie" Ibanez. Ibanez is described as 5 foot-5 inches tall, 135 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, the news release states.

Police say Cortez-Heredia was shot in the parking lot of Ortega's West Night Club after an argument in the early morning of Sept. 13.

A security officer returned fire on the suspects as they fled in a getaway car - described at the time as a red or burgundy sports utility vehicle with large chrome rims.

On Tuesday, police developed information that helped them identify one of the suspects. They obtained a search warrant and an arrest warrant and took Solis into custody in Cameron Park, the news release states.

By Kim Minugh
kminguh@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office indicated in Superior Court this morning that prosecutors would be seeking life without parole for Gary Vue, one of four defendants charged with murder in the September 2008 shooting death of correctional officer Steve Lo.

Vue (left), 28, appeared in court for proceedings this morning that were continued until Feb. 1. But before the hearing ended, the prosecutor in the case announced the District Attorney's Office's intention to seek life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Vue is the brother of co-defendant Chu Vue, a former Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy who is accused of conspiring to kill Lo, who was having an affair with Chu Vue's wife. A third brother, Chong Vue, remains in Minnesota, where he is being tried in an unrelated murder case.

Gary Vue already has been convicted in that Minnesota murder case, and was extradited to Sacramento earlier this month. His attorney in the Lo case, Donald Manning, said this morning that his client intends to appeal his murder conviction.

The fourth co-defendant is Lang Vue, who is not related to the Vue brothers but authorities described as a friend of the Vues.

Lo was gunned down in the garage of his south Sacramento home as he prepared to leave for work at the California Medical Facility at Vacaville, where Chu Vue's wife, Chia Vue, also worked.

Previous coverage:

Sacramento judge reschedules ex-cop's murder trial - Jan. 7, 2009

Suspect in California prison guard's killing is convicted of Minnesota murder - Dec. 12, 2009

Death penalty ruled out in ex-Sacramento deputy's murder trial - Nov. 21, 2009

Fired Sacramento County sheriff's deputy to face murder trial - Sept. 24, 2009

Elaborate scheme to kill correctional officer, judge told - Sept. 23, 2009

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A woman found dead in a Woodland motel died from strangulation, the Yolo County Coroner's office said today.

The body of Aretha Goldine McDonald, 46, was found Wednesday in Room 14 of the Dunton Motel, near the intersection of West and Main streets.

An autopsy revealed that McDonald was strangled with a ligature, said Yolo County Chief Deputy Coroner Robert LaBrash. She also sustained blunt force injury to her head.

Two people have been arrested in connection with McDonald's death. Susan Sheppard, 31, and Fillemon Aragon Jr., 40, both of Woodland, were arrested on suspicion of homicide and booked into Yolo County Jail.

Sgt. Anthony Cucchi said a man walked into the police station about 8:30 Wednesday morning and asked officers to perform a welfare check on a woman in a room at the Dunton Motel.

Officers found McDonald's body a short time later and obtained a search warrant.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A pedestrian died Wednesday when he bolted in front of a car on Highway 49 in Placer County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A 63-year-old Auburn woman was driving southbound on Highway 49 south of Atwood Road about 5:40 p.m. when witnesses said a pedestrian suddenly ran directly in front of her car.

The pedestrian, Michael Johnston, 53, of Colfax was struck and killed.

Johnston died at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate him. The driver was not injured or charged.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Two people have been arrested in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found in a Woodland motel, police said today.

Susan Sheppard, 31, and Fillemon Aragon Jr., 40, both of Woodland, were arrested on suspicion of homicide and booked into Yolo County Jail.

Sgt. Anthony Cucchi said a man walked into the police station at about 8:30 Wednesday morning and asked officers to perform a welfare check on a woman in room 14 of the Dunton Motel, near the intersection of West and Main streets.

Officers found the woman's body a short time later and obtained a search warrant.

Yolo County coroner's officials have identified the woman as 46-year-old Aretha Goldine McDonald.

The cause of death has not been determined, pending completion of an autopsy.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have detained three people from an apartment along Broadway near Tahoe Park as part of an investigation into an early morning shooting.

About 5 a.m., police arrived at the 100 block of Fairgrounds Drive where a person had been shot. The victim, a man in his 20s, was shot multiple times and was taken to the hospital by a private party.

The victim was last reported in critical condition, said police spokesman Officer Konrad Von Schoech.

When officers arrived, they discovered that somebody in a residence in the 100 block of Fairgrounds might be involved in the shooting. They tried to contact the person but were not successful.

Police negotiators and SWAT officers are on the scene and nearby residents have been evacuated.

About 8:45 a.m., the three people exited the residence. Police intended to interview them to learn if they were involved in the shooting.

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Bee Staff

The Rancho Cordova Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint on Friday from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. at an undisclosed location in Rancho Cordova.

Officers will be checking drivers for signs of impairment, providing educational materials outlining the dangers of driving while impaired, and checking for driver's licenses, according to a news release.

The operation is funded by a grant through the state Department by the Office of Traffic Safety.

By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com

A Folsom man has been accused of running an investment fraud scheme.

Luis Fernandez was indicted Monday by a federal grand jury on fraud charges following an investigation by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service.

Prosecutors said Fernandez's company, Fernandez Financial Inc., took in $7.5 million from investors by promising 36 percent annual returns. Investors wound up losing a total of $2.1 million, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

According to the indictment, Fernandez took some of the investors' money - $168,000 - to buy a home in Folsom.

He was released after pleading not guilty in U.S. District Court in Sacramento, according to court records.

Call The Bee's Dale Kasler, (916) 321-1066.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

The extortion of $1,100 from two Roseville businesses earned a 51-year-old man his third strike and a 54-years-to-life sentence in state prison the Placer County District Attorney's office announced today.

Raymond Richard Whitall's attorney argued that the sentence was unreasonable given the monetary amount of the crime. But citing his long criminal record, which includes a murder conviction, Superior Court Judge Charles Wachob said the state's "three-strike" law was appropriate.

In February 2006 while wearing a badge and presenting himself as a state health and safety officer, Whitall duped two Roseville businesses into giving him cash to not report health violations he found.

Authorities say Whitall, used this scam up and down the state - targeting people whose first language is not English.

The first business, a Mexican-food restaurant, paid him $1,000. The second, a Vernon street café, paid him $100.

Whitall was previously sentenced to 25 years to life for a Fresno County extortion scheme. If the recent crimes are enough to trigger a violation of his probation, which is likely, Whitall is facing 97 years to life, the DA's office said.

After his sentencing Wednesday, Whitall was returned to his cell at Folsom State Prison.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

Woodland police are investigating a body found in a motel this morning as a possible homicide.

Sgt. Anthony Cucchi said a man walked into the police station at about 8:30 this morning and asked officers to perform a welfare check on a woman in room 14 of the Dunton Motel, near the intersection of West and Main streets.

Officers found the woman's body a short time later and obtained a search warrant.

Investigators and coroners are at the scene now, Cucchi said.

They have not identified the victim yet nor determined her age, he said.

Cucchi said he couldn't discuss what led police to treat the case as a homicide.

"We don't have much to go on right now," he said

Q: What happen to the killers who murdered the people in the Good Guys store? - Anonymous, Carmichael

A: The only survivor of the four gunmen who conducted the bloody 1991 siege and shootout at the Good Guys store on Stockton Boulevard is in prison, according to records.

Loi Khac Nguyen (left at a court hearing in 1995), now 34, is serving 41 consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, according to court records and Bee reports.

Three gunmen, two store employees and a customer died and 11 others were wounded in the eight-hour standoff at the retail electronics store on April 4, 1991.

According to Bee reports, the ordeal began on a Thursday afternoon when Loi Khac Nguyen and his brothers Pham Khac Nguyen, 19, and Long Khac Nguyen, 17, and their friend, Cuong Tran, 16, all Vietnamese refugees, stormed the store waving automatic pistols.

They took more than 40 hostages and presented to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department negotiator a wild array of demands, including providing them millions of dollars and a large helicopter.

They eventually killed three hostages and wounded 11. Dead were store employees Kris Edward Sohne and John Lee Fritz and customer Fernando Gutierrez.

The standoff ended that night when the gunmen began shooting hostages, prompting officers to storm the store. The gunmen were flattened by a hail of gunfire, stopping the massacre. The Loi Khac Nguyen was seriously wounded.

As for a motive, information that surfaced at Nguyen's trial revealed the men were frustrated by their inability to learn English and find jobs.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

By Bee Staff

A 15-year-old theft suspect flirted with losing his life after he pulled a replica firearm on a Citrus Heights police sergeant.

Fortunately for the juvenile, the officer, who had drawn her weapon in response, did not fire after seeing that the juvenile had lowered the weapon and was fleeing, a Citrus Height Police Department spokesman said today.

Here's the chain of events as described by the spokesman:

On Tuesday, officers were searching for juveniles who had been stealing liquor from stores in the Greenback Lane-Sunrise Boulevard area.

The officer confronted two male juveniles on Sun Hill Drive, ordering them to halt. One juvenile complied but the other pulled a firearm from his waistband.

The officer drew her weapon but by then the juvenile had lowered his weapon and was fleeing.

A K-9 unit tracked the juvenile to a residence where the juvenile and what turned out to be a replica firearm were found. The replica firearm fit the description of the weapon the officer said was pulled on her.

The juvenile was arrested and booked into juvenile hall. Also arrested and booked into juvenile hall were two boys, 14 and 16 years old.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Citing personal reasons, Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Scott Triplett, left, announced Wednesday he's dropping out of the race to be Placer County's next district attorney.

"The past eight months have been exciting, and I value the tremendous support I have received from family, friends, community leaders and most of all the citizens of Placer County. However, for personal reasons I have decided to end my candidacy," Triplett, who lives in Roseville, wrote in a prepared statement.

Triplett's departure leaves Placer County's Assistant District Attorney Ronald "Scott" Owens as the only announced candidate to succeed the retiring Brad Fenocchio.

The filing deadline is in March.

Last month, Triplett raised the possibility of delaying a high-profile death penalty trial so he could campaign for the district attorney's job. Outside the courthouse following the Dec. 1 hearing,Triplet told The Bee he's "got a lot of time and money invested in this" and needed the time off.

Previous coverage:

Prosecutor's bid for Placer DA could stall trial for double killing - Dec. 2, 2009

Sacramento prosecutor joins Placer County DA's race - May 21, 2009

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

An arraignment scheduled this morning for Sacramento Kings player Andres Nocioni (left) has been continued for a second time and is now scheduled for February.

Nocioni was arrested Nov. 5 on suspicion of driving under the influence in downtown Sacramento.

Nocioni is scheduled to appear in court again Feb. 3.

He faces two counts of driving under the influence and one count of driving without a valid license, according to Sacramento County Superior Court records.

Previous coverage:

Nocioni's DUI arrest extends Sacramento Kings' streak of bad news - Nov. 6, 2009

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento police on Monday arrested a 30-year-old man they say was sexually harassing teenage girls in the downtown area.

According to a police report, officers saw Robert Bausley (left photo) brushing up against 15-year-old girl, who was visibly scared.

After Bausley's arrest, the other girls came forward to report that the suspect was following them from Third and K streets through the Old Sacramento tunnel to a store near First and K streets. He made inappropriate remarks to the girls before walking away, police said.

Online jail records show Bausley is being booked for sexual battery and molesting a child under age 18. He is being held on a $30,000 bail.

From Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A 22-year-old Roseville man convicted of bludgeoning to death his stepfather withdrew his insanity plea Tuesday and agreed to serve 26-years-to-life in prison for first-degree murder, according to the Placer County District Attorney's office.

As part of the agreement, prosecutors will ask the court to dismiss a special circumstance charge that David Harrison Buzzetta was lying in wait when he killed Paul Bonomo with a baseball bat in 2007.

The lying in wait special circumstance carried a life sentence without the possibility of parole. A second special circumstance finding, that Buzzetta used a deadly weapon, added a year to the sentence.

Buzzetta would have faced life in prison without the possibility of parole or an indeterminate term in a state hospital if a jury determined he was insane when he committed the crime, prosecutors said.

He is now eligible for parole in 23 years, authorities said.

During a Monday's hearing to determine if Buzzetta was insane, two psychologists testifying for the defense said Buzzetta was abused by this stepfather and mother growing up.

Steve Dragland, the District Attorney's felony unit supervisor, called those conclusions "bizarre" and "imaginary" in a news release on Tuesday.

"Mr. Buzzetta was not insane nor was there any evidence that he was abused by his parents," Dragland said, adding that the prosecution was prepared to call a psychiatrist to refute claims by the defense's expert witnesses.

But the deal was made to bring closure to the victim's family, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Buzzetta had resented his stepfather for previously kicking him out of the house for drug use and suspicion of stealing jewelry from the home.

On March 18, 2007, following a relative's birthday party, Bonomo decided to allow his stepson, then 19, to stay at his home for the night so he wouldn't have to fin another place to sleep. Bonomo is separated from Buzzetta's mother.

The next day, Bonomo's body was discovered inside the home and police arrested Buzzetta when he walked up to the house.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are investigating an instance of anti-Mormon vandalism found in a Natomas neighborhood Sunday night, authorities said today.

A man walked out of his home Sunday evening to find his Mini Cooper car vandalized with black permanent marker, said police Officer Konrad Von Schoech. He said the message read, "Damn Mormons."

Von Schoech declined to say whether the victim was Mormon, but said police are treating the incident as a hate crime because the message was derogatory to a religious group. They have not identified any suspects.

From Bill Lindelof:

Quick response led to a suspected robber being arrested minutes after a holdup at a Woodland bank this morning.

Leighton James Dupree, 52, of Woodland was arrested on suspicion of robbing the North Valley Bank, 630 Main Street, at about 10 a.m.

Responding officers got a good description of the robber, who took $300 in the holdup. The suspect, who did not display a weapon, walked into the bank and announced he was committing a robbery.

After the robbery, two Woodland Police Department detectives stopped Dupree, who police said matched the suspect's description, at College and Main streets. Dupree had $300 in his possession, police said.

From Bill Lindelof and Kim Minugh:

A 10-month-old boy pulled unconscious from a south Sacramento swimming pool remains in critical condition today, hospital officials said.

The boy was discovered in the pool at a residence on the 8200 block of Tevrin Way about 10 a.m. Monday, said Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Capt. Christian Pebbles. Responding paramedics found the boy's father performing CPR, Pebbles said. The boy had no pulse and was not breathing.

Paramedics took over CPR as they transported him to Methodist Hospital. His pulse was revived, and his breathing was aided with the help of a ventilator, Pebbles said.

The child had been out of sight only briefly before he was found in the water, his parents told officials. Pebbles said there is no indication of foul play.

Pebbles said drowning is the leading cause of child death, injury and disability in the state and the second-leading cause in the country.

From Bill Lindelof:

Within seven hours Monday, Sacramento police suspect that three people in separate situations hid weapons from them in an effort to avoid gun charges.

One gun found was wrapped and hidden in a towel. Another was tossed in a yard in the course of a police pursuit. A third was thrown into ivy where police recovered it.

"Most of the time the guns are seized because they are stolen weapons or they are evidence, having been used in committing a crime," said Officer Konrad Von Schoech, a Sacramento Police Department spokesman.

In the first instance, officers responded to a family disturbance in which a handgun reportedly was brandished. The suspect left before officers arrived.

About 12:45 p.m. in the 3300 block of 19th Avenue in Oak Park, officers found the suspect's vehicle. After detaining several suspects, police said a man was observed running to a back yard and hiding something in a yellow towel.

Police said they found a loaded handgun inside the towel. They arrested Tyree Maurice Watkins, 27, on suspicion of committing three felonies, including possession of a firearm by an ex-felon or addict.

In the second incident, at 4:33 p.m., officers said they tried to stop Ryan Moreno, 33, near Los Robles Boulevard and High Street in the Hagginwood neighborhood. Police said Moreno, who had outstanding warrants, was chased and caught.

Returning to the yard where Moreno is said to have begun his sprint, police found a loaded gun in some ivy. He was arrested on suspicion of carrying loaded firearms and other charges.

At 7:42 p.m., officers attempted to stop a car near Sonoma Avenue and Callecita Street in the Hagginwood neighborhood. As soon as police switched on the squad car overhead lights, the suspect vehicle slowed and a man bolted from the car.

Trailing the fleeing man in their car as he ran, police eventually captured the suspect. A search of the yard near where he was caught revealed a loaded handgun.

Michael Sengphinith, 22, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and other gun charges.

Von Schoech said officers know that even the most routine police call can turn deadly.

"It is dangerous out there, and we have to be on alert," he said. "We have to consider that the people who we contact may be armed and may use that weapon against us."

Q: A woman was shot to death in the doorway of her Orangevale home in 1995. What the status of that case? - Anonymous, Orangevale.

A: The unsolved murder case of Carol Blake is a haunting one. Blake, a 45-year-old mother of three, was found by her husband and daughter shot dead in the doorway of her Orangevale home on May 20, 1995.

Sacramento County Sheriff's homicide detectives have not given up on the case, however, Sgt. Tim Curran recently told The Bee.

The case is in line for review to see if any evidence can be reprocessed with new technology, Curran said.

Detectives were never able to determine a motive for the murder; they do believe the victim may have known her killer, Curran said.

According to Bee reports from the time of the slaying, the door to the home had not been forced open and there were no signs of a struggle. The house had not been ransacked or burglarized. Investigators told The Bee that it appeared Blake's attacker never entered the home.

Blake had worked as a counselor for troubled children and, shortly before her death, had started a job doing background checks for adoptions.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

From Kim Minugh:

The 20-year-old student accused of fatally beating his roommate to death in a California State University, Sacramento, dorm room in October has been booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, booking records show.

Quran Mahammed Jones (left) is being held without bail on suspicion of murder and three counts of assault with great bodily injury on a peace officer, the records show.

Sacramento police officers arrested Jones this morning after he was released from the UC Davis Medical Center, where he has been held for treatment since his alleged Oct. 21 rampage, said police Sgt. Norm Leong.

He was booked into the Main Jail about noon.

Sgt. Tim Curran, spokesman for the Sheriff's Department, which runs the jail, said Jones is using a wheelchair and will be housed in the jail's medical unit because of his medical condition.

"Whether his medical condition is permanent, we don't know," Curran said.

Jones was not using a wheelchair prior to the Oct. 21 attack, when police say he fatally beat and stabbed 23-year-old Scott Hawkins in the dormitory suite that Hawkins and Jones shared with three other students. Campus police say Jones wielded a knife when they arrived, and they shot him after he allegedly lunged at officers.

The assault charges stem from that action, authorities said.

Jones is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, booking records show.

Previous coverage:

Murder, assault charges filed in CSUS student's killing - Nov. 7, 2009

CSUS vigil remembers slaying victim - Oct. 29, 2009

CSUS rampage may have started before victim arrived - Oct. 24, 2009

No sign of conflict before CSUS killing - Oct. 23, 2009

Editorial: CSUS ponders an inexplicable tragedy - Oct. 23, 2009

Accused killer talked of LSD, other drugs, roommate says - Oct. 23, 2009

Father of accused Sac State killer says, 'That's not his way' - Oct. 23, 2009

Marcos Breton: University's anguished president seeks answers - Oct. 23, 2009

Slain student was 'gentle, sometimes a target,' dad says - Oct. 22, 2009

Portrait of alleged Sac State assailant begins to emerge - Oct. 22, 2009

Sac State beating victim is identified - Oct. 22, 2009

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

In some rural communities, being a good neighbor means firing your gun in a different direction.

El Dorado County sheriff's deputies reported that they contacted two neighbors on Ant Hill Road in the Mount Aukum area Sunday. One neighbor had a firing range on his property, and the other had bullet holes in his shed, according to the sheriff's log.

Deputies asked the owner of the firing range to change its location because it posed a danger to his neighbor, and the range owner obliged.

The Elk Grove Police Department is accepting applications for its next Citizens' Academy.

According to a department news release, the Citizens' Academy is a 16-week program designed to inform and teach interested residents about the various aspects of municipal policing.

The program details procedures from patrol and investigations, vehicle operations, arrest and control techniques, 911 communications, code enforcement and animal control.

The Citizens' Academy is free and will meet from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays beginning Feb. 10 at the Elk Grove Police Department, 8400 Laguna Palms Way.

Participants must be at least 18 years of age, live or work in Elk Grove and have no felony convictions (a background check will be completed on all applicants before entering the Citizens' Academy).

For more information, contact Officer Jason Jacobo (916) 478-8126 or go to www.elkgrovepd.org.

-- Bee staff

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A 17-year-old boy faces 15 years to life in prison for the rape and kidnap of a 14-year-old girl he knew from junior high school, according to authorities.

Yolo County Superior Court Judge Thomas L. Warriner handed down the sentence to Alejandro Alfonso Sanchez of Woodland last week, according to a news release from the District Attorney's Office. The Bee is naming Sanchez, a juvenile, because he was prosecuted as an adult.

One year ago, Sanchez kidnapped the 14-year-old girl and told her he was going to rape her, according to the news release. The girl resisted, so he choked her until she lost consciousness, the release states.

The girl woke up later in the backseat of Sanchez's car as he was driving, according to the release. She jumped out of the moving car. A passing motorist picked her up and took her home to her parents, who then took her to the hospital, the release states.

The victim suffered severe injuries, according to the release, as well as a broken ankle and abrasions to her neck and body.

Sanchez will be eligible for parole in 12 years and nine months, the release states.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

A texting argument in Redding escalated into a shooting that left a man dead and another man and woman in the Shasta County Jail accused in his killing.

The victim's name is being withheld pending notification of relatives.

Vanessa Kay Williamson, 24, of Redding, and Robert Lee James IV, 22, also of Redding, are being held in lieu of $1 million each in connection with the Friday night shooting that police believe came after a verbal and texting argument just before the shots were fired.

Redding police at 9:21 p.m. Friday received reports of shooting near West and Gold streets in the city's downtown, officials said. Minutes later, officers were called to a traffic accident in the 2000 block of West, police officials said. There, officers found the man dead behind the wheel, shot at least once in the upper body, police said.

The discovery launched a manhunt that stretched into Saturday and led officers to a home on Cherwell Court north of downtown Redding where Williamson and James were arrested.

An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.

Call The Bee's Darrell Smith, (916) 321-1040.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

A Sacramento County sheriff's deputy and a suspect each were injured Saturday night after a pursuit in which a sheriff's vehicle was rammed, the Twin Rivers Police Department reported today.

The chase began after officers, in the process of locking gates at Hamilton Street Park, approached a man in a vehicle in the park at Hamilton Street and Myrtle Avenue in Sacramento at 8:45 p.m. The occupant fled in his car.

The California Highway Patrol and the county Sheriff's Department joined the pursuit. At one point during the chase, the fleeing suspect rammed a sheriff's vehicle, Twin Rivers officials reported.

At the 4200 block of Main Street in Fair Oaks the suspect, identified as 40-year-old Jaime Santos, attempted to ram a second sheriff's vehicle and then crashed into a fence, suffering a cut to his head, Officer William Cho of the Twin Rivers department said.

During the struggle to apprehend Santos, a deputy injured his elbow. Officers used a Taser to subdue the suspect, according to Cho's report.

Santos' injuries were not life threatening, the report said. He was taken to a local hospital.

After his release from the hospital, he was going to be booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of felony evasion of a peace officer, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, resisting arrest, illegal possession of prescription drugs, possession of a loaded firearm and violation of probation.

The Twin Rivers Police Department is under contract with the Arcade Creek Recreation and Park District to provide law enforcement services.

Call The Bee's Loretta Kalb, (916) 321-1073.

By Cathy Locke
clockek@sacbee.com

The city of Sacramento's Animal Care Services seized nine live pit bulls and one dead dog Friday at an Oak Park home.

Rhea Serran, a public information officer for Animal Care Services, said today that the occupants of a home at San Jose Way and Santa Rosa Avenue were cited for 13 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and neglect.

She didn't have the name of the people cited or information on the health of the seized animals.

Serran said the residence was in deplorable condition. The carcass of the one dog was found in an abandoned vehicle on the property.

Animal Care officers summoned police and code enforcement officers, who declared the house uninhabitable.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Animals, including loose dogs and cows, were among traffic hazards reported to the California Highway Patrol today, but Nevada County offered something a little more exotic.

About 2:40 p.m. the CHP received a report of an emu or ostrich running in the roadway at Highway 20 and Lowell Hill Road.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man who had car trouble and stopped along the roadside in Sacramento became the victim of a carjacking Friday evening.

The man pulled over on the north side of Folsom Boulevard near Bicentennial Circle, just east of Howe Avenue, shortly before 8 p.m. to listen to his engine, according to the Sacramento Police Department's activity log. He was crouched down in the driver's seat with his window open when he felt something hard against his head.

A man ordered the victim out of the car, then got in the car and drove away, according to the report.

The vehicle was found abandoned at Folsom Boulevard and Jackson Highway.

The man described the carjacker as black, about 30 years old, about 6 feet tall, muscular, and wearing a blue beanie, black windbreaker and blue jeans.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man shot Friday during a fight with a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy at a Carmichael apartment has been booked into Sacramento County Jail.

Nolan Kerfeld, 28, was deemed medically fit for incarceration, according to a sheriff's department news release issued today. Kerfeld was hospitalized for a gunshot wound to the shoulder on Friday. He has since been booked on outstanding warrants, as well as resisting a peace officer by use of violence or force.

He is to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court.

Kerfeld was arrested Friday after deputies, acting on a tip, went to an apartment in the 7100 block of Fair Oaks Boulevard looking for Kerfeld, who was suspected of burglary and domestic violence. Several weeks earlier, he had fought with and injured a deputy who had gone to a different apartment on a welfare check, sheriff's officials said.

When deputies arrived Friday, Kerfeld was not in the complex. He later returned, however, and was met by a deputy who had stayed behind to interview residents.

Associated Press

VALLEY SPRINGS -- Authorities are offering a $10,000 reward following a series of drive-by shootings in the Sierra foothills of Northern California.

Calaveras County sheriff's Sgt. Dave Seawell says there have been 15 incidents in Valley Springs since Dec. 17. No injuries have been reported but the random shots have been fired at vehicles and into homes.

The latest shooting happened Thursday as a man was driving home and passed a white pickup truck with its high beams on.

Seawell says the driver didn't hear gun shots at the time, but found a bullet hole in the driver's side fender when he got home.

Authorities are looking for more information about the pickup truck. The community, about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento, is asking for help to solve the crimes.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol is investigating two single-vehicle accidents that occurred this morning, one on eastbound Interstate 80 at Longview Drive and the other on southbound Highway 99 at Arno Road.

According to a CHP dispatcher, minor injuries were reported when a Ford Explorer rolled over on Highway 80 near Longview Drive in the North Highlands area about 8:25 a.m. The number of passengers involved was not available. The roadway is now open.

At 8:39 a.m., the CHP responded to a report of a vehicle that ran off Highway 99 near Arno Road south of Elk Grove and landed in water about 50 feet off the roadway. A dog was the only occupant remaining in the vehicle at the time of the report. Officers were still on the scene about 9:20 a.m.

The CHP issued a fog advisory for motorists early this morning, but it has not been determined whether these accidents were fog related.

The Sacramento Police Department Homicide Unit is seeking for the community's help for any information leading to the identity of the person(s) responsible for the homicide of Dominic Campos (left photo), Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

At 7:01 a.m. Sept. 30, 2009, the Sacramento Police Department responded to a call at a Jiffy Lube in the 2900 block of Florin Road of an unresponsive man lying in a planter box. The 21-year-old male victim was killed during the incident.

According to authorities, Sacramento homicide detectives believe that the suspect(s) in the homicide possibly live in the Sacramento area.

Anyone with information about the homicide 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.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Placer County Sheriff's deputies have arrested a 30-year-old Roseville man they say bilked an 87-year-old Auburn woman of $13,500.

Leron Anthony Stephenson (left photo) was arrested Wednesday on charges of elder abuse, operating without a contractor's license, grand theft and burglary.

Authorities said Stephenson had cashed six checks from the victim's account that totaled $13,500. Employees at the victim's bank became suspicious and alerted authorities. Deputies contacted the victim, who said she had given Stephenson four blank checks, to be cashed at $500 each, after he had removed trees from her property. She said the work has not been done and she did not know how Stephenson obtained the extra checks.

Authorities said Stephenson endeared himself to the victim by giving her a picture of his family and buying her a plant.

On Wednesday, deputies found Stephenson working on a property next to the victim's. He admitted to not having a contractor's license, but would not tell deputies what he had done with the victim's money. He is being held at the Placer County Jail on a parole hold, sheriff officials said.

Authorities cautioned senior citizens to verify whether a person offering to do work around their homes has a contractor's license. Before making payments, they should check with family members or a trusted friend, authorities said.

By Anna Tong
atong@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Sheriff's deputy shot a domestic violence suspect in the shoulder as the pair struggled in a Carmichael apartment Friday afternoon, a sheriff's spokesman said.

Nolan Kerfeld, 28, was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound but is expected to survive.

The deputy was not seriously injured.

The events started when deputies, on a tip, went to an apartment complex in the 7100 block of Fair Oaks Boulevard, looking for Kerfeld.

Kerfeld was not at the complex. Kerfeld had fought a deputy who had gone to an apartment on a welfare check several weeks ago, said Sgt. Tim Curran. Kerfeld injured the deputy and escaped, Curran said.

On Friday, one deputy stayed behind in the apartment to interview residents.

The deputy heard the apartment doorknob rattle and opened the door, expecting to find another deputy. However, it was Kerfeld and the pair fought before the deputy shot Kerfeld, Curran said.

By Bee Staff

A 63-year-old West Sacramento man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, the Yolo County district attorney said today.

Louis Charles Romano received the sentence Thursday for the April 12, 2008, assault on the girl, DA Jess Reisig said in a news release. Romano also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, Reisig said.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict on a charge that Romano also assaulted the 10-year-old sister of the 15-year-old girl and acquitted him of possessing child pornography, Reisig said.

"The family, whose trust Romano violated, should find some satisfaction knowing that Romano will be in prison for a long time," said Deputy District Attorney Tiffany Susz, who prosecuted the case.

Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department today released a composite rendering (left) of a of a cat burglar who assaulted a woman.

On Jan. 1, at 5 a.m. in the 2700 block of 5th Avenue, the victim heard her dogs barking in the backyard, according to a news release.

She didn't see anything in the backyard and brought her dogs inside the residence.

After taking a shower, the victim noticed a door in the kitchen area had been closed when she had previously left it open. She opened the door and discovered a man standing on the other side.

The man grabbed the victim. She screamed, pushed the man away, and ran towards the front door. The man ran out the back door.

The victim believes the man gained entry via a large doggie door.

The man is described as a white male, 20-25 years old, 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds with a skinny build.

He had blue eyes and no facial hair. He was wearing a blue and grey beanie, light colored clothing, possibly a wind breaker and khaki pants.

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.

Q: A high school acquaintance of mine, Ray Brewer was shot and killed by plain clothes police officers in the early 1970s. What became of the three officers involved and Ray's companions? I lost track of the outcome and this has long haunted me. - Dan, Spencer, New York

A: For those who don't remember the case, Ray Brewer, 15, was among a group of black teens on Dec. 3, 1972, in north Sacramento who police mistook for members of a band of robbers who had struck repeatedly in the area, The Bee reported.

The unarmed youths were carrying sticks, which police said they mistook for firearms. The teens ran after plain-clothes officers ordered them to stop.

Police fired on the group, killing Brewer. A second youth was arrested. It was later determined that Brewer and the second youth had nothing to do with the robberies. They were carrying the sticks to ward off dogs.

Brewer's death triggered a heated public debate and protest marches.

A Sacramento County grand jury indicted for manslaughter the officer who shot Brewer. In 1973, a state appeals court threw out the indictment on the grounds the officer's action was a proper "exercise of police judgment made in the face of a pressing and dangerous situation."

Two officers were charged in Sacramento Municipal Court with misdemeanor assault charges for allegedly hitting Brewer's companion with their pistols. In 1974, a judge acquitted the officers.

The Police Department changed its policy on when an officer could use deadly force. The city settled damage suits out of court with Brewer's family.

The Bee could not locate Brewer's companion.

One of the officers involved in the shooting said Brewer's death haunted him and he quit the force at a psychiatrist's order.

Another officer stayed with the force and was eventually promoted to lieutenant. The Bee could not determine what happened to the third officer involved in the case.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A judge today sentenced Jimmy Navarro to life in prison with no chance of parole for the gang-related shooting death of a man in Max Baer Park nearly three years ago.

Navarro, 27, also received two additional 25-to-life terms for the May 7, 2007, shooting death of Adrian Hutchins, 21, at his sentencing hearing today in front of Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny.

According to evidence at his trial, Navarro, who was the passenger in a car, shot and killed Hutchins after the two exchanged insults at 1:15 in the morning.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Anthony James Winters was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison today for the Sept. 13, 2007, robbery murder of Alfredo Enrique Perez near Stockton Boulevard and Jansen Drive.

Investigators said that Winters, 22, shot the 20-year-old Perez in the back after the victim had gone to a Wells Fargo ATM. Winters' probation report said the robbery appeared to have taken place during the course of a marijuana transaction.

"It certainly was a cowardly act to shoot someone in the back, someone who was unarmed at night," Sacramento Superior Court Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard told Winters, just before she imposed the term.

A jury on Dec. 3 convicted Winters of second-degree murder after a four-day trial.

Friends and relatives of the victim filled every available seat at today's sentencing hearing.

"Don't let them go out at night," Marylou Perez, the victim's mother, said in her impact statement in a message to parents. "Don't let them go out alone. Don't let them die."

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

Three young men have been arrested on suspicion of homicide for what police say was a gang-related killing.

Sacramento police arrested Marcus Scott (left), 20, Ronald D. Grant (bottom left), 19, and Jumal Gray (bottom right), 20, on suspicion of homicide in the death of Perell Marquise Waters, a 19-year-old father-to-be who was gunned down on Dec. 15.

All of the suspects are Sacramento residents.

Shortly before 10 p.m. that night, Waters and a friend were leaving the parking lot of the Woodbridge apartment complex in the 1900 block of San Juan Road in the victim's car when three men approached on foot and fired numerous gunshots.

Waters was taken to an area hospital, where he died. His friend escaped without injury.

Police said the shooting was part of an ongoing gang dispute.

Scott was arrested after the Career Criminal Apprehension Team stopped him in a vehicle near San Juan Avenue and Truxel Road.

Grant was already in custody and Gray was arrested at police headquarters.

Q: Was the murder of Richard Belton in the '70s ever solved? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: Belton's murder in 1976 remains unsolved, leaving investigators stumped even for a motive, according to Bee reports.

Belton, 44, was found shot to death in his parked pickup on Dec. 15. He was last seen the day before as he left for his night-shift machinist's job in Berkeley.

His pickup was found on Main Avenue between Norwood Avenue and Northgate Boulevard.

His wallet was intact and there were no signs of a struggle, investigators said.

Detectives said there was a strong possibility that Belton, who lived in North Highlands, was shot elsewhere and his body driven to where it was found, a then isolated part of Sacramento.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department needs help in finding a man who they say threatened suicide.

Ronald Bruce Pirtle, 52, was last seen on Thursday as he drove from his home in the 9000 block of Clendenen Way in the Rosemont neighborhood. Pirtle indicated he intended to commit suicide and is considered an at-risk missing person, according to a sheriff's department press release.

Pirtle is white, 6 feet tall, 180 pounds and has shoulder-length brown hair. He was wearing a flannel shirt, blue jeans and brown boots.

Pirtle was driving a white Chevrolet pickup with California license plate number 7G42321.

Anyone with information is asked to call the department at (916) 875-5115.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento County coroner's deputies today have released the name of the second person killed when a car hit a car-carrier big rig stalled on Interstate 80.

The driver of the car that slammed into the back of the rig loaded with vehicles on Thursday morning has been identified as Gregory Smith, 47, of Citrus Heights. Coroner's deputies had already released the name of the passenger in the 1992 Honda Accord: Ajeenah N. Purdy, 29, of Sacramento.

CHP Officer Lizz Dutton said the Honda was traveling eastbound on I-80 at 60 mph when the car slowly drifted onto the right shoulder where the big rig was broken down.

Half of the Honda became lodged under the trailer in the 8:15 a.m. accident. Smith and Purdy died at the scene.

It is not known if alcohol or drugs contributed to the crash, pending a toxicology report.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A Placer County jury on Thursday convicted a 22-year-old Roseville man of first-degree murder in the 2007 death of his stepfather, authorities said.

Placer County District Attorney officials said in a news release that the jury determined David Harrison Buzzetta (left photo) used an aluminum bat to kill his stepfather, Paul Bonomo, and was lying in wait to hurt the victim. Buzzetta could face a life sentence in state prison without the possibility of parole because of the allegation of lying in wait.

Prosecutor Tracy Lunardi said Buzzetta had resented his stepfather for kicking him out of the house for drug use and suspicion of stealing jewelry from the house.

On the night of March 18, 2007, Bonomo allowed his stepson, then 19, to stay at his home following a relative's birthday party. Bonomo had separated from Buzzetta's mother.

Buzzetta was arrested shortly after Bonomo's body was discovered inside the home the next day at about 5:30 p.m.

The defense attorney argued that his client was innocent because no blood spattering was found Buzzetta's clothing or shoes.

The jury will return Monday to decide whether Buzzetta was sane when he committed the crime.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Despite a 36-year record low in homicides and an overall downward trend in crime during 2009, police and city officials cautioned Thursday that crime rate is still too high.

Based on statistics provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigations through the first half of 2009, police Chief Rick Braziel said Sacramento remains the second most violent of California's major cities measured by the crime rate, behind only Oakland.

Sacramento ranks third when it comes to property crimes, he said. A resident in Sacramento is two times more likely to be a victim of property crime, Braziel said, than a Los Angeles resident.

Though it's good news that crime is down, the chief said it's important to note that "it's down from a lot."

"Let's put it into perspective," he said.

Braziel spoke to the media about last year's crime figures after a promotional ceremony in which two new officers were sworn in and a third was promoted to sergeant. The promotions filled existing positions rather than creating new ones, according to police officials.

Eventually, though, the chief would like to see the ranks of his department grow. He said his department has roughly 200 fewer sworn and non-sworn positions than when he first became chief two years ago.

Mayor Kevin Johnson, who also attended the promotional ceremony, echoed those sentiments, and set an ambitious goal: Finding $3 million to fund 30 new positions within the Police Department - the next fiscal year.

"To me, nothing is more important than putting more boots on the ground," he said.

Johnson said he doesn't know where that money will come from, but said he wants to "challenge" his colleagues in the city to help him find it.

Asked whether he thought that goal was realistic, Braziel said, "It would take a major shift in philosophy for the city."

By Bee Staff

The Placer County District Attorney's Office and its Victim Services program have each received $4,000 in donations made by a fundraising organization established in the memory of a 17-year-old Christian Valley girl who was murdered in 2003.

The contribution from Justine's Fund, named in honor of Justine Vanderschoot (left) and designed to provide donations to Placer County law enforcement agencies and programs, is expected to be used for the updating of equipment for breath tests administered in drunken driving cases, according to a news release from the DA's Office.

Meanwhile, the District Attorney's Victim Services program will use its $4,000 for the printing of booklets that are given to local area teenagers about relationships and how to tell whether they are healthy or abusive, the release states.

"The Placer County District Attorney's Office and its staff has overwhelming integrity and support for the families amongst our community," Justine's father, Don Vanderschoot, said. "It gives us great pleasure to seek donations for the services that they provide."

Vanderschoot's wife, Lynnette, said Justine's Fund also gave $5,000 to the Placer County Sheriff's Department and $4,000 to the Placer County Law Enforcement Chaplaincy, the release states.

Since forming Justine's Fund in 2004, the Vanderschoots have awarded $80,000 to Placer agencies or programs, she said.

Lynnette Vanderschoot said the donations are a way to give something back to the agencies that helped her family get through the ordeal of their daughter's murder and the judicial process that resulted in the conviction of the two men who committed the crime.

One of the murderers was Justine's jealous ex-boyfriend. The other was his roommate. Both men are now serving lengthy prison sentences.

"The Placer agencies didn't know us at all when the tragedy happened," Lynnette Vanderschoot said. "But they were there for us from the very beginning. To this day, they have remained great friends with us."

Annually since 2004, Justine's Fund has sponsored a dinner-dance to raise the majority of funds that are ultimately awarded to the District Attorney's Office, the Sheriff's Department, the District Attorney's Victim Services program and the Placer County Law Enforcement Chaplaincy, the release states.

This year's dinner-dance is scheduled for April 17 at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn. Tickets are $30 per person and can be purchased by calling (530) 878-4911.

The donations allow the Placer law enforcement agencies and programs to purchase equipment, supplies or services that were not earmarked for funding in the county's annual budget.

"It is absolutely heartwarming how the Vanderschoots manage to make such incredible donations to these agencies," said Assistant District Attorney Scott Owens said. "We have used donations in the past to print and distribute a booklet about Justine's story at high school job fairs and other events.

"The teenage girls always find it quite compelling. I believe the booklets play a role in helping to reduce the incidents of domestic violence one person at a time," Owens said.

Patsie Fletcher, advocate for the Victim Services program, said, "If it weren't for those donations, we would not be able to get those booklets out to the schools and to other agencies that assist our teens."

Sacramento police arrested a 28-year-old man this morning after he allegedly used MySpace to arrange a sex date with a 13-year-old girl.

Police earlier said Facebook was used but later in the afternoon said it was MySpace.

George Joseph Hanna (left) was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of communicating with a minor with intent to commit a sex offense, according to jail booking records. He is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail.

Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong said Hanna's arrest stemmed from one father's discovery that his 13-year-old daughter was having a sexual conversation on MySpace with a man claiming to be 30 years old.

The father told his daughter to reveal her age to the man, who said he did not care and wanted to meet for sex anyway, Leong said.

The father showed up at the agreed-upon location - the 700 block of Arden Way - at the agreed upon time - about 1 a.m. - to confront the man, who took off running, leaving his vehicle behind, Leong said.

The father then contacted police, who were able to locate the suspect and arrest him.

Although Leong said it's a good idea for parents to monitor their child's Internet usage, taking matters into their own hands is not.

Parents who believe their children have had inappropriate contact with potential predators should notify police rather than confront the suspects themselves, Leong said.

"You may not have a solid case to take to trial," he said. "Without contacting the police first, you might jeopardize the prosecution of the case."

By Bee Staff

A 40-year-old Sacramento man assaulted his mother and set her house on fire, according to a Sacramento Sheriff's Department crime summary released today.

He also injured two deputies who came to his mother's aid, the summary states.

The summary gives this chain of events:

At about 6:40 p.m. on Jan. 1, Steven Joerger went on a rampage at his mother's home in the 8400 block of Florin Road. He allegedly stuck his mother with his closed fist, grabbed her by the hair and slammed her into walls, furniture and the floor.

Joerger opened the doors to a wood-burning stove, allowing flames to catch the home on fire.

Sheriff's deputies rescued Joerger's mother and finally subdued Joerger, who fought back.

Joerger and the two deputies were transported to a hospital. The deputies were treated and released. Joerger's injuries were not detailed.

Joerger was eventually booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of committing seven felonies, including assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse and battery on a peace officer, according to online jail records.

He was still in jail on $160,000 bail as of early this afternoon.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A woman was kidnapped at gunpoint in Del Paso Heights and then sexually assaulted by an unknown assailant Wednesday evening, according to Sacramento police.

The woman was getting into her parked car on the 800 block of Grand Avenue shortly before 6 p.m. when a stranger approached her, said police Sgt. Norm Leong.

The man pointed a gun at the woman and ordered her to move into the passenger seat, Leong said. He then drove her to an undisclosed location and sexually assaulted her, Leong said.

The man then fled on foot, Leong said.

The victim described the man to police as black and in his late 20s or early 30s, Leong said. She said her assailant weighed about 250 pounds and wore dark clothing.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A judge today rescheduled to March 30 the murder trial for a former sheriff's deputy and another man accused in the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting death of state correctional officer Steve Lo. (An earlier version of this story had an incorrect date for the trial.)

The former deputy, Chu Vue (left), and co-defendant Lang Vue, who is no relation, had been scheduled to stand trial next week. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Ronald W. Tochterman today reset the case on a motion from Chu Vue's lawyer, Donald Masuda.

The defense attorney had asked for the continuance to go over more documents that were provided to him today from the District Attorney's Office.

Chu Vue, 44, is accused of orchestrating the shooting death of the 39-year-old Lo because the correctional officer was allegedly having an affair with the former deputy's wife. Lo and Vue's wife, Chia Vue, worked together at the California Medical Facility at Vacaville.

Chu Vue's two younger brothers are accused of carrying out the shooting in the garage of Lo's home in south Sacramento. One of them, Gary Vue, 28, has since been convicted of an unrelated murder in Minnesota and was returned to custody in the Sacramento County main jail just today.

The other brother, Chong Vue, 30, is still awaiting trial on the same Minnesota murder case.

Lang Vue is accused of aiding and abetting the killing by finding motel rooms for the brothers accused of carrying out the shooting and finding them the vehicle they used to drive back to Minnesota afterwards.

Call The Bee's Andy Furillo, (916) 321-1141.

Previous coverage:

Suspect in California prison guard's killing is convicted of Minnesota murder - Dec. 12, 2009

Death penalty ruled out in ex-Sacramento deputy's murder trial - Nov. 21, 2009

Fired Sacramento County sheriff's deputy to face murder trial - Sept. 24, 2009

Elaborate scheme to kill correctional officer, judge told - Sept. 23, 2009

By Peter Hecht
phecht@sacbee.com

An El Dorado County judge today ordered teen lovers Tylar Marie Witt and Steven Paul Colver to stand trial for murder after authorities presented writings by Colver discussing "taking the life of another to be with the one you love."

Witt, who recently turned 15, and Colver, 19, are charged with killing Joanne M. Witt in her El Dorado Hills home after she filed a statutory rape complaint against Colver and handed over her daughter's diary to authorities.

Judge Douglas Phimister declared there was sufficient evidence that Witt and Colver "did plan to do this and conspired to do this."

He ordered Witt and Colver to be arraigned on murder charges Jan. 22.

Earlier testimony today in El Dorado County Superior Court revealed that the teen lovers made plans to marry as they struggled to conceal their sexual relationship from Witt's mother.

Joanne Witt, 47, was stabbed to death on the night of June 11 or the morning of June 12 soon after she provided authorities with copies of her daughter's journal detailing the teen's sexual relationship, according to El Dorado County District Attorney prosecutors.

Prosecutors say Witt, then 14, summoned Colver to kill her mother after she fell asleep at home.

In a journal authorities said was written by Tylar Witt, the teen detailed her romantic relationship.

"Last night, he repeatedly told me he loved me; that he wanted to marry me," an El Dorado County Sheriff's detective read. After offering details on their sexual relationship, Witt allegedly added, "I don't know how long we can keep our love away from my mother... It's so dangerous. I wish it wasn't though."

Earlier today, Witt's public defender, Mark Ralphs, sought to bar the preliminary hearing. He charged that prosecutors had committed "misconduct or at the very least gross negligence" in failing to provide toxicology reports to the defense until just a day before the hearing.

Ralphs said the reports confirmed that his client could not have drugged her mother before the murder, as prosecutors had alleged.

Authorities say Witt told a friend that she spiked her mother's drink so she would pass out, and then called Colver to come over to kill her.

Judge Phimister denied the prosecutorial misconduct motion and allowed the hearing to proceed.

Previous coverage:

Teenager charged with killing mom in El Dorado Hills to be tried as adult - Nov. 25, 2009

El Dorado judge to decide how girl will be tried in homicide case - Nov. 20, 2009

Prosecution outlines lurid murder plot in El Dorado Hills mom's stabbing - Nov. 18, 2009

El Dorado judge to decide whether to try girl as adult in mom's killing - Aug. 25, 2009

Teen fugitives planned suicide, search warrant states - June 24, 2009

Girl, 14, boyfriend charged in slaying of her mother in El Dorado Hills - June 23, 2009

Teen charged with murder in killing of girlfriend's mom - June 20, 2009

Did teen love lead to mom's stabbing death? - June 18, 2009

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A man attempted to abduct a 14-year-old girl early this morning in the Valley Hi neighborhood, according to Sacramento police.

The girl was walking on Valley Hi Drive near Weott Court, headed to school, about 7:30 a.m. when a man drove up next to her, grabbed her and tried to pull her into the car, said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

The girl fought back, police said, and ran away. She could only describe her attacker as a white male in his 30s driving a small black car.

Q: Was anyone ever arrested in the killing of Jimmy Archie in 1986? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: A suspect was arrested but not prosecuted in the slaying of Jimmy Lee Archie, 40, whose bludgeoned body was found July 26, 1986, in a canal Near Rio Vista in Solano County, according to Bee reports and court records.

The suspect, a Sacramento resident, has since died.

Police believe Archie was Killed in Sacramento, then Dumped in Solano County.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

From Bill Lindelof:

A developmentally disabled man who has been missing since Tuesday night has been found and reunited with his family, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department officials reported Thursday.

Garth Schutte, 27, was last seen about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday by members of his family in the 9200 block of Corinthian Circle near Folsom Boulevard and Watt Avenue. His family believes he walked away from home.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Sheriff's detectives have arrested a 25-year-old after-school instructor on suspicion of molesting multiple children who participated in the program.

Shane Vicars has been arrested on suspicion of 15 counts of lewd acts on a child younger than 14 and of child annoyance.

Sheriff's Department spokesman Tim Curran said Vicars' alleged victims all are boys who participated in the Sierra Oaks Discovery Club, an after-school program at Sierra Oaks Elementary School in the San Juan Unified School District.

Curran said the abuse took place within the last 18 months, Curran said and that the alleged molestation took place on the elementary campus during the after-school program.

San Juan Unified spokesman Trent Allen confirmed the allegations and said the district is working with sheriff's investigators.

He said the district sent letters home to families last week letting them know "something was happening."

"We encourage families to have critical conversations with their students, " he said, adding that adminstrators will send home more information as it develops.

Curran said the allegations made by the boys are similar in nature and all involved inappropriate touching. Sheriffs detectives were notified by the parents of one of the alleged victims.

Curran said there could be more victims.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A 48-year-old man is in serious condition after shielding his grandson from the impact of an oncoming car Tuesday evening, according to police.

Likely because of his grandfather's efforts, the 2-year-old boy suffered only minor abrasions, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong.

The man, the boy and the boy's mother were inside a laundromat at 24th Street and Florin Road when the boy got away from the family, Leong said. He ran out of the laundromat and into 24th Street at about 5:30 p.m..

His grandfather saw traffic coming toward the child, and ran into the lane to pick up the boy, Leong said. Realizing they could not get out of the way of oncoming traffic in time, the grandfather turned his back to an oncoming car to shield the boy from the brunt of the collision, Leong said.

The grandfather was transported to an area hospital and was initially listed in critical condition, but later was upgraded to serious condition, Leong said.

Police found no fault on the part of the driver, Leong said.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

From Kim Minugh:

A 44-year-old man suspected of killing a Sacramento man 17 years ago has returned to Sacramento -- in handcuffs, authorities say.

In February, Sacramento police obtained an arrest warrant for Michael Peterson, who recently was convicted and sent to prison in Missouri for an unrelated crime. After authorities collected his DNA in that case, a match was made with a DNA profile developed from evidence in the 1992 stabbing death of 40-year-old John Arana.

Arana was found stabbed to death in his bedroom on 10th Avenue. Earlier reports in The Bee said Arana was a laborer and part-time driver for a print shop and was active in Sacramento's gay community.

Peterson has an extensive criminal history in California and Missouri, officials say. He was on parole when Arana was killed.

Authorities extradited Peterson from Missouri, and he was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on Tuesday night. He is being held without bail on suspicion of murder and robbery. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, booking records show.

From Bill Lindelof:

Davis police have arrested a man on suspicion of setting up a robbery victim by first meeting him on dating Web site for gay men.

Police are asking for other people who might have been robbed by the suspect, but are reluctant, to come forward.

Police arrested Decarlos Joslyn Muhammed, 22, (left) of Sacramento on suspicion of robbing a man on Dec. 3. Police said the victim, a Davis resident, was robbed in his apartment after meeting Muhammed on a dating Web site for gay men.

Police say they believe Muhammed searched Web sites catering to gay men and posted graphic, sexually explicit material, claiming to be a massage therapist. Detectives say they suspect Muhammed figured his robbery victims would not call police.

When Muhammed came to the Davis man's home, he took the victim's cell phone and sprayed him with pepper spray. Despite being sprayed in the face, the victim chased Muhammed outside the apartment and restrained him in a nearby parking lot, police said.

Muhammed, police said, then sprayed the victim again in the eyes with the pepper spray. That allowed Muhammed to escape.

Police arrested Muhammed a week later. He is also a suspect in a similar theft in San Francisco.

Davis police are seeking anyone who has had contact with Muhammed through a social networking sites. Call Davis police at (530) 747-5400.

From Andy Furillo:

Nevada County prosecutors have filed manslaughter charges against a North San Juan man who rammed a suspected pot robber into a tree during a fatal getaway over the weekend, county District Attorney Clifford Newell said today.

Christopher A. Teachout, 32, was charged with voluntary manslaughter and gross vehicular manslaughter in the death Saturday of Timothy Daniel Fitzpatrick, Newell said.

Newell said his office did not file murder charges against Teachout because they don't believe the evidence indicates the defendant intended to kill Fitzpatrick.

Teachout was scheduled to be arraigned today in Nevada County Superior Court.

The case has generated passionate support for Teachout in the North San Juan community, but Newell said that did not affect his office's filing decision.

"There have been letters, emails and blogs," Newell said. "They're very supportive of him. But violence, either way, and committing crimes isn't going to be tolerated, and neither is vigilantism. Sheriff (Keith) Royal and myself are committed to increase our law enforcement presence up there and that's exactly what we're doing, and we've made great strides over the years.

"But we haven't made much of a dent in the marijuana trade, which comes with its own set of problems, which we're seeing here."

The Nevada County Sheriff's Department said Fitzpatrick, 43, of Elk Grove and an accomplice, Terry A. McLeod, 51, of Sacramento, donned ski masks and police-like uniforms and stormed a ranch house on Tobacco Road outside the North San Juan hamlet.

The two handcuffed four people inside and robbed them of a large quantity of marijuana as well as cameras, computer equipment and cell phones. Authorities said $4,000 in cash was later found in the bags that contained the marijuana, authorities said.

Officials said Teachout freed himself, got in his vehicle and chased the robbers, ramming his vehicle into the getaway truck and prompting its occupants to shoot at him. Teachout then rammed the truck again and sent it out of control into a tree, Sheriff Keith Royal said.

Fitzpatrick died at the scene from injuries suffered in the crash

McLeod, meanwhile, has been charged with murder under California law that allows for that filing for defendants accused of inherently dangerous felonies that result in death. McLeod also has been charged with false imprisonment and two counts of robbery, Newell said.

McLeod's bail has been set at $1 million, Newell said. Teachout has remained in custody in lieu of $80,000 bail. Newell said he expects Teachout's lawyer, Greg Klein, of Nevada City, to argue today that his client be released on his own recognizance.

Previous coverage:

Dead robbery suspect was an Elk Grove contractor - Jan. 5, 2010

Editorial: Wild West rebounds with a whiff of weed - Jan. 5, 2010

Apparent pot thief dies in Nevada County getaway chase - Jan. 3, 2010

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A inmate at California State Prison, Sacramento in Folsom suffered multiple stab wound when attacked by his cellmate, prison officials said.

The prisoner, a 22-year-old inmate from Los Angeles County, was listed in critical but stable condition at a hospital off prison grounds, a prison spokeswoman said. His name was not immediately available.

The stabbing occurred shortly after noon on Tuesday when the victim was returned to his cell in a security housing unit after a medical appointment. An inmate-manufactured weapon was found after the attack.

The inmate suspected of the attempted homicide was a 24-year-old prisoner from Los Angeles County in prison for first degree murder, serving a life sentence. His name also was not immediately available.

The reason for the attack is under investigation.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

From Bill Lindelof:

Citrus Heights police have arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of committing several crimes, including pointing a gun at his girlfriend while she drove her vehicle.

Jordan S. Donham (left) of Citrus Heights was arrested early Tuesday morning when SWAT officers served a search warrant on his parents' home on the 8200 block of Cordelia Circle. He was booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of being armed with a firearm in commission of a felony, burglary and exhibiting a deadly weapon.

Police said that on Dec. 11, after arguing with his girlfriend, Donham allegedly drove alongside the woman's vehicle and pointed a gun at her, causing her to get into a minor traffic accident.

Police say they also believe Donham committed several burglaries. During Tuesday's search of the Cordelia Circle residence, detectives found a firearm and other evidence, a police news release states.

From Bill Lindelof:

A woman with a history of leaving her Down syndrome child behind in stores and letting him wander was given credit for serving 61 days in jail and placed on four years probation Tuesday by a Placer County judge.

Mary Ellen Stamps, 58, of Reno was found guilty Oct. 13 of one count of felony child endangerment. Stamps was jailed in December by Superior Court Judge Larry D. Gaddis for failing to keep a court-ordered appointment with the county probation department.

Stamps was charged for a March 25, 2009, incident in which she took her boy, then 7 and unable to speak, to the Village at Northstar in Lake Tahoe and allowed him to run off unsupervised.

Without finding the child, Stamps left Northstar for several hours to run an errand. She did not notify Northstar security that the boy was lost or missing, prosecutors said.

When Stamps returned to Northstar, she found her son in the care of security officials, who had discovered him running unsupervised and without identification in an underground parking garage.

Gaddis denied a request from Stamps' lawyer to have the felony conviction reduced to a misdemeanor, saying he didn't think Stamps would follow terms being imposed by the court, a district attorney's office news release states.

Prosecutor Estelle Tansey said Stamps faces local jail time or up to a maximum of six years in state prison if she violates terms of her probation.

As part of probation, Stamps must attend a 52-week program dealing with parental duties and perform 60 hours of community service.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A California Highway Patrol officer was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of tax fraud, Franchise Tax Board officials said.

Authorities said Kinley L. Jong (left), 48, of Fair Oaks surrendered himself to FTB special agents on 3 felony counts of filing fraudulent state income tax returns for the years 2005 to 2007.

"The Franchise Tax Board doesn't play favorites," said spokesman John Barrett. "Everyone's aware of their tax filing requirements and we will bring cases of tax fraud to the local district attorney for prosecution."

Jong was booked into Sacramento County Main Jail and released on a $15,000 bail, officials said.

He is scheduled for an arraignment Wednesday in Sacramento County Superior Court on a weapons charge. FTB agents executed a search warrant on Jong's home in November and found him in possession of an AR-15 assault rifle, Barrett said.

FTB officials said Jong was allegedly depositing substantial amount of cash into his bank accounts that exceeded what he reported on his 2005-2007 state income tax returns.

Officials said his taxable income was over $564,000 but he only reported $282,000. He allegedly owes more than $26,400 in unpaid tax.

Sacramento attorney Grant Pegg, who is representing Jong, said his client is an honorable and reputable man with a spotless record, as a citizen and a CHP officer.

"At this point, until we get more information, it's inappropriate for me to comment on the merits of the case," Pegg said.

CHP Assistant Chief Brian Brewer said Jong is a 28-year veteran of the department. He has been assigned to administrative duties in the Valley Division because of the allegations. The department is conducting an internal investigation, Brewer said.

"Whenever an allegation of misconduct is made against one of our employees, we take it very seriously," Brewer said.

Q: What happened to the killer of Marc Dotson, who was trying to break up a fight at a 7-Eleven? - Anonymous, Sacramento.

A: Christopher George Somkopulos, tried as an adult although he was only 16 when he killed Dotson, was convicted and sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison in March 1998, according to Sacramento Superior Court records. Somkopulos is still in prison, records indicate.

Dotson, a clerk at a 7-Eleven convenience store at Gerber and French roads, was shot and killed on Aug. 6, 1996, after he tried to evict a group of loiterers from the store's parking lot. Somkopulos was arrested a day later by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, The Bee reported.

Witnesses told investigators Dotson asked the group to leave, but instead they got out of their cars and surrounded him.

An argument followed and the gunman shot Dotson once in the head. He was taken to UC Davis Medical Center, where he died.

Dotson, an Elk Grove High School graduate, had worked for 7-Eleven for about three months.

For a complete list of questions answered by Sacto911, click here.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

It shouldn't come as a surprise that jail staff members open mail sent to and from inmates - except the legal kind - but it proved to be one nevertheless for one giving girlfriend.

Jennifer Beals, 37, was arrested Monday night for allegedly sending some pot to her boyfriend, an inmate at the Rio Cosumnes Correction Center, via mail, said Sacramento County Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

She was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on two charges of giving a controlled substance to a person in custody, according to booking records. As of Tuesday, she remained in custody in lieu of $50,000 bail.

A warrant was issued for her arrest after deputies first discovered the postal pot Dec. 1, Curran said. Beals allegedly tried to send "several grams" of marijuana on two different occasions, Curran said.

A friendly reminder: Deputies running the RCCC and the Main Jail open and review all mail sent to and from inmates in their custody, Curran said. The only mail that isn't opened is correspondence with attorneys, he said.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento police say they have a vague description of suspects involved in Sunday's fatal shooting at a downtown apartment.

Witnesses said two suspects are male and a third is female, said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong. All were described as possibly Hispanic, he said.

The suspects are being sought in connection with the killing of 61-year-old Robert Sullivan.

Just before noon Sunday, Sullivan was found in the doorway of his apartment in the 1200 block of W Street, suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He died at the scene.

Leong said detectives believe the homicide is narcotics-related, but he declined to elaborate.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Previous coverage

2010 starts violently with 3 homicides in Sacramento County - Jan. 5, 2010

From Bill Lindelof and Sheila Kern:

A man on probation for drug possession has been arrested on suspicion of stealing mail.

Keith Allen Skipper, 35, was arrested by postal inspectors on suspicion of stealing mail and is being held in Sacramento County Jail. Allen is ineligible for bail.

A criminal complaint alleges that Skipper took large amounts of mail belonging to people in Placer, El Dorado and Nevada counties from personal neighborhood collection boxes.

The complaint noted that on Dec. 9 officers found Skipper parked in an Auburn shopping center parking lot, apparently sleeping.

Authorities found a large amount of mail, about 241 items, on the front passenger seat and floor of his vehicle, the complaint states. The mail was addressed to 51 different addresses, including some in Auburn and Grass Valley.

Among the mail in his possession was some from a Placer County neighborhood collection box that had been pried open, the complaint states.

On Dec. 22, while on bail from state charges that came from the Dec. 9 arrest, El Dorado authorities stopped Skipper because his vehicle had a broken brake light. During a search of his vehicle, about 190 pieces of mail, addressed to people other than Skipper, were found on the front seat.

Much of the mail was addressed to people in the Placerville area. Some of the mail was opened.

In Skipper's wallet was the driver's license of a woman who had been expecting a new license in the mail, the complaint stated.

That same day, a postal inspector interviewed Skipper. The complaint states Skipper confessed that, the night before, he found mailboxes and pried them opening looking for cash and gift cards.

"Skipper admitted he stole mail from a lot of mailboxes," the complaint said.

From Andy Furillo:

Prosecutors today added a special-circumstance allegation of torture against a man accused in the murder of his girlfriend's 5-year-old son last year in the Rosemont area.

Eduardo Zamora, 31, now faces the possibility of a death sentence if he is convicted in the June 17 killing of Braeden James Gardner.

The new filing by the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office today also upgraded the case against Zamora's girlfriend, Amber Christine Ingram, 25. She previously had been accused only of child endangerment. She now is also accused of murder, but without the torture allegation.

Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet told Sacramento Superior Court Judge Marjorie Koller that her office still has not decided whether to pursue the death penalty against Zamora.

The two defendants were scheduled for a preliminary hearing today, but the session to determine whether they stand trial was postponed until prosecutors decide the capital punishment question.

Judge Koller today also granted a prosecution request to obtain DNA samples and dental impressions from Ingram and Zamora.

In her declaration in support of the request, Bladet said an autopsy report on Gardner showed that "the only areas of the child's body not diagrammed with injuries are the palms of his hands."

Medical examiners concluded that the child died "as a result of of multiple blunt force injuries all over his body, both external and internal, including multiple fractures," Bladet's declaration stated.

It also stated that bite marks were found on the boy's thighs.

The prosecutor said the "unique shape" of some of his injuries "may be consistent with sex toys and other toys found in the couple's home."

Previous coverage:

Capital-area mother faces charges after tale of abuse, death of son, 5 - Aug. 7, 2009

Sacramento County mom arrested in son's death - Aug. 5, 2009

Suspect jailed in death of boy, 5 - Jun. 19, 2009

From Bill Lindelof:

Sacramento police have arrested a man for attempting to talk to a child for the purpose of having sex.

Marco Antonio Garcia-Enriquez, 21, (left) was arrested about 5:30 p.m. Monday on suspicion of communicating with a minor with intent to commit a sex offense.

Officers were called to a home in the 5900 block of Riza Avenue near Stockton Boulevard and Elder Creek Road, where they said a man standing outside the residence was demanding that a 12-year-old girl inside join him.

Police said that Garcia-Enriquez saw the girl about a week ago and thought she was pretty. He followed her home at that time and asked her to have sex with him, police said.

When he saw her Monday, he again followed her. Officers said neither the girl nor her family knew Garcia-Enriquez.

Officers arrested Garcia-Enriquez and booked him into Sacramento County Jail where his bail was set at $250,000.

From Bill Lindelof:

A holiday enforcement period designed to put drivers suspected of being impaired by alcohol or drugs behind bars has ended with nearly 400 motorists arrested for driving under the influence.

Officers representing 15 law enforcement agencies in Sacramento County made 395 arrests from Dec. 18 to Jan. 3. Enforcement included sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols and routine patrol.

In 2008, 526 DUI arrests were made in Sacramento County during the same period.

One 2009 death was attributed to drunk driving, according to the DUI task force that coordinated the effort. That fatality involved a drunk driver in Walnut Grove on Saturday night.

From Dec. 16 through Jan. 3, the Sacramento Police Department's focus on DUI enforcement resulted in the arrest of 108 motorists suspected of drinking and driving. Ten DUI arrests resulted at three sobriety checkpoints where 2,299 cars drove through.

There were also 30 DUI arrests during saturation patrols, and patrol officers made another 68 DUI arrests.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Citrus Heights police are looking for a woman who attempted to rob a bank Monday afternoon using a plastic bag that she said contained a bomb, authorities said.

The woman entered the Union Bank of California on Sunrise Boulevard near Kingswood Drive at about 1:40 p.m. and slid a plastic bag under a security window. The bag had a note, which warned that the bag contained a bomb. The woman also demanded for money on the note.

After placing the bag under the security portal, the woman waited a few moments, turned and fled the bank. She did not say a word and did not make off with any money.

The bank was evacuated. Sacramento County Sheriff's Bomb Squad later determined that the bag was empty.

Police said the suspect is Hispanic or Arabic, about 5-feet-4 to 5-feet-6 and heavy-set. She wore a black sweater and dark pants.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Citrus Heights Police at (916) 727-5500.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Boy, did the football gods frown on these guys.

Two burglary suspects fleeing Sacramento County sheriff's deputies Monday afternoon headed for the Foothill High School campus to ditch their pursuers, according to sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

They ran through the campus and onto the football field - where, it just so happens, players were practicing for the upcoming Pig Bowl.

The Pig Bowl, you'll remember, is the annual matchup between area firefighters and law enforcement. Unfortunately for the suspects, it was the latter team working out that afternoon at Foothill High.

Curran said members of the team - composed mainly of sheriff's deputies - ditched their pigskin and joined in the chase, eventually dog piling 19-year-old James Hill Jr. just off the field. One deputy threw a pair of handcuffs into the pile and another locked them in place.

Meanwhile, the offensive line chased down the other suspect, a 17-year-old boy, and took him into custody elsewhere on campus, Curran said. An earlier version of this story said only one suspect was caught by the football cops.

Also arrested was 20-year-old Jamario Hill, who deputies caught after he jumped a fence behind the Robert Frost Way home he and the other suspects allegedly had targeted, Curran said.

The three suspects face charges of attempted burglary and conspiracy, Curran said.

Frm Bill Lindelof:

A parolee was apprehended Sunday morning when his car caught fire during a police pursuit.

Folsom police stopped a car near Oak Avenue Parkway and Santa Juanita Drive for traffic violations about 2 a.m. Sunday. Driver Earnest Paul Hovey II, 38, (left) of Sacramento told officers he was on parole before stepping on the gas and driving away.

Officers said they chased Hovey, who was driving a 1995 BMW, at speeds of more than 100 mph into Fair Oaks. The chase ended when the engine compartment caught fire and the BMW rolled to a stop in the Walmart shopping center at Hazel Avenue and Greenback Lane in Orangevale.

Hovey was taken into custody, and a large amount of money was seized as evidence, Folsom police said. Hovey was booked into jail on parole violation and suspicion of evading arrest

From Bill Lindelof:

Folsom police say a juvenile who wanted to make a new start in 2010 gave himself up in a dramatic way on Sunday.

Police say the young man, a suspect in a car theft who they believe evaded arrest a few days earlier, gave himself up in the middle of a park soccer field.

The suspect "dramatically waited for officers to arrive by standing dead center of a soccer field in the park," a Folsom police news release stated.

The incident started Wednesday when officers tried to pull over a stolen red Honda near Willowmere Drive and Montrose Drive. However, the car drove away and then pulled into a school parking lot.

Both the driver and passenger fled on foot in Ed Mitchell Park, leading to an unsuccessful search of the area.

On Sunday, officers were dispatched back to Ed Mitchell Park.

"It appeared that guilt had set in, and the juvenile perpetrator decided the right way to start the New Year would be to admit last year's misgivings," the press release stated. "He was forthright with officers regarding his crime and associated vehicle burglaries he used the stolen vehicle to commit."

The young man was arrested on suspicion of auto theft and multiple counts of vehicle burglary.

From Kim Minugh and Bill Lindelof:

Placer County sheriff's officials have identified the man who was killed Sunday in Lincoln when he was struck by a train.

Mitchell Austin Jones, 20, of Lincoln, was walking north on the Auburn Ravine train trestle when he was hit by a Union Pacific train about 3 p.m. He died at the scene.

His death appears to be an accident, and police have found no indication of suicide or foul play, said Lincoln police Lt. David Ibarra.

The train's conductor told police he saw the young man but couldn't avoid the collision, Ibarra said.

"It's just an accident," he said. "The train is so heavy. ... (The conductor) tried to stop, but unfortunately they couldn't stop in time and the individual was struck."

The collision is being investigated by Lincoln police as well as Union Pacific police.

By Andy Furillo and Bill Lindelof
afurillo@sacbee.com

Two men have been booked on murder charges for the Nevada County death of a suspected pot robber who was killed when he crashed his truck into a tree while trying to get away from scene of the heist, authorities said today.

Nevada County sheriff's officials identified the man who died in the Saturday morning crash as Timothy Daniel Fitzpatrick, 43, a concrete contractor who lived and worked in Elk Grove.

Accused of murder in his death are Terry A. McLeod, 51, of Sacramento, and Christopher T. Teachout, 32, of North San Juan, in Nevada County.

Investigators say McLeod had teamed up with Fitzpatrick to rob a ranch house on Tobacco Road near North San Juan of "a large quantity" of marijuana, cash, computer equipment and cell phones and was with him as a passenger when they crashed into the tree on Highway 49 near Sauer Lane.

Authorities identified Teachout as one of four victims who were bound at the wrists by the two men who broke into the North San Juan Ranch house. Officials say Teachout managed to free himself and then give chase in his pickup along the hillside roads, eventually catching up with Fitzpatrick's Ford 250 pickup truck and ramming it twice - with the second bump sending the vehicle into its fatal crash.

Sheriff Keith Royal said that the occupants of Fitzpatrick's truck twice tried to shoot Teachout's oncoming vehicle during the chase. A handgun and a shotgun were found in or near Fitzpatrick's vehicle, authorities said.

Royal said deputies found $4,000 in cash in the large plastic bags containing the marijuana that were stolen from the North San Juan location.

"The victims are saying (the money) wasn't theirs," Royal said today.

Sheriff's department officials said the incident began when suspects believed to be Fitzpatrick and McLeod robbed a home on Tobacco Road. Wearing ski masks, fake police uniforms and declaring themselves members of a drug task force, the suspects are believed to have burst into a ranch house with guns drawn. They handcuffed four people who were inside the residence, authorities said.

The suspects fled south from North San Juan on Highway 49, Royal said.

About six miles from Tobacco Road, Fitzpatrick lost control of his truck and it slammed into a tree on Highway 49 near Sauer Lane.

Call The Bee's Andy Furillo, (916) 321-1141.

From Kim Minugh:

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies have arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with Sunday's fatal shooting in North Highlands.

Dmitri Goodie was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail early this morning on suspicion of murder. He is accused of killing 44-year-old Edward Guy Patterson during a dispute on Rockwell Drive, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

Based on witness statements, detectives initially believed that Patterson was involved in an altercation between two groups that led to an exchange of gunfire, Curran said. However, detectives now believe Patterson was unarmed and an innocent bystander caught in the gunfire, Curran said.

Detectives are investigating witness accounts that more than one person fired a gun in the dispute, Curran said.

Detectives believe the shooting stemmed from an argument earlier Sunday between two men, one living on Rockwell Drive and one -- believed to be Goodie -- living on nearby Omega Court, Curran said. That fight was over an unpaid debt, Curran said.

About 1:30 p.m., Goodie and other men from Omega Court returned to Rockwell Drive to confront the man they argued with earlier, and gunfire erupted, Curran said. The two groups apparently were some distance away when shots were fired, Curran said, so there might not have been any words exchanged between the two groups.

Patterson was shot multiple times and died at an area hospital several hours later.

Curran said detectives could make further arrests.

Goodie is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday. He has no formal criminal history in Sacramento County, Superior Court records show.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Sacramento City firefighters who extinguished a blaze in the bedroom of a home in Del Paso Heights today found the body of the room's occupant.

Fire Captain Jim Doucette said the fire was reported at 12:05 p.m. and firefighters arrived at the home on the 4000 block of Marysville Boulevard 3 minutes later. When they arrived, they learned someone was in the house. After entering, they found the body of the victim.

Details including the victim's identify were not immediately available. Doucette said the fire was under investigation.

Call The Bee's Loretta Kalb, (916) 321-1073.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Sacramento Police investigating a report of shots fired in the 1200 block of W Street in downtown Sacramento shortly before noon Sunday found the body of a shooting victim in the doorway of his apartment unit.

Officer Konrad Von Schoech said the shooting victim, who lived alone and was in his 50s, had at least one gunshot wound to his upper body, the officer said. The Sacramento City Fire Department arrived and declared the man dead at the scene.

The victim's identity was not immediately available, and no suspect had been identified. Police were interviewing possible witnesses in the area.

Call The Bee's Loretta Kalb, (916) 321-1073.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

A woman passenger died Saturday night when the car being driven by a birthday celebrant crashed in an orchard by Highway 160 in southern Sacramento County, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said today.

The woman died at 10:35 p.m. at the crash site at Walker Landing in the Sacramento River Delta after cardiopulmonary resuscitation administered by both a passersby and by emergency personnel were unsuccessful, said Officer Michael Bradley, spokesman for the CHP's south area office.

Sacramento County Coroner's officials identified the deceased woman as Eva Vargus, 49, of Antioch.

Bradley said Vargus and her daughter, Rosario Moreno, 25, also of Antioch, were not wearing seatbelts. Moreno was sitting in the front-seat of the southbound silver 2008 toyota Camry.

Vargus was in the backseat of the vehicle, which was being driven at an estimated 60 mph, Bradley said. The driver, 30-year-old Matthew Taylor of Concord, apparently lost control of the car on a turn, Bradley said, adding that Taylor faces charges of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter.

Moreno was able to climb to the road and get help from a passersby, who tried for 15 minutes to resuscitate Vargus. Arriving medical personnel from CALSTAR trauma air rescue tried for 20 minutes more to revive the woman.

The driver of the car, who turned 30 on Saturday, suffered lacerations and damage to one eye socket. He was flown to University Medical Center and admitted for treatment.

Moreno was taken to UC Medical Center, treated and released, Bradley said.

Call The Bee's Loretta Kalb, (916) 321-1073.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalk@sacbee.com

A 15-year-old girl was shot to death inside the South Sacramento home of a friend early today after she apparently attended a party earlier in the night where a disturbance had occurred, the Sacramento Police Department reports.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office identified the homicide victim as Aliyia Smith of Sacramento.

Police reported that voices and the sound of gunfire were heard outside the home on Nedra Court near 24th Street shortly after the victim returned home. Police arrived at 1:21 a.m., and the Sacramento Fire Department declared the teenager dead at the scene.

Authorities released no information on a suspect.

Anyone with information 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 and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

Call The Bee's Loretta Kalb, (916) 321-1073.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Sacramento Fire Department firefighters today rescued two wild dogs from the bottom of an abandoned well.

Capt. Jim Doucette said in a press release that the rescue took place around 2:43 p.m. in the 4100 block of Franklin Boulevard.

The firefighters responded to a call from city animal control officers.

They then went into the 20-foot well and subdued the dogs with tranquilizer guns before bringing them to the surface in harnesses and turning them over to animal control.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Sacramento sheriff's deputies want the public to help them find a suicidal, bipolar man who left his home today by telling his wife he wanted to end his life.

A sheriff's press release identified the man as Anthony Diongzon (photo left), 23. Officials said he was last seen at 12:45 p.m. driving away from his apartment in the 3400 block of Data Drive in Rancho Cordova in a 2001 Subaru Forrester with the license plate 5NYV152.

Diongzon is 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Officials said he wore a silver jacket, orange tennis shoes, a white shirt and khaki shorts when he left his house.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

An apparent home-invasion marijuana ripoff in a remote corner of Nevada County today resulted in a mountain-road chase, gunfire and a fatal crash that left a robbery suspect dead, officials said.

No identities were available on either the suspects or victims in the 10:08 a.m. incident just outside the Nevada County hamlet of North San Juan on the 12000 block of Tobacco Road.

Sheriff Keith Royal said two gunmen who wore ski masks and claimed to be cops stormed into the residence, handcuffed four people. The robbers ran out with at least a couple pounds of already-packaged marijuana and took off in a Ford F250 pickup registered to an address in Elk Grove.

One resident freed himself and jumped into another vehicle to chase the invaders, Royal said.

During the pursuit, the driver who gave chase tried to ram the fleeing truck and was able to tap them a couple times, according to the sheriff. In return, the suspected pot robbers shot at their pursuer, Royal said.

About six miles into the chase, the fleeing truck crashed into a tree at Sauer Lane on southbound Highway 49, killing the driver, Royal said. The driver's passenger survived the crash and was taken into custody after being taken by a life flight to Sutter Roseville Hospital, authorities said.

"There is a large contingency of individuals who like to grow marijuana in that area," Royal said. "There's no doubt in my mind that this is why that home invasion robbery took place."

By Bee Staff

Spending your birthday in jail sounds like lyrics from a blues song but for one man who allegedly led Sacramento police officers on a chase it's more like a reality show.

Steven Richardson, 41, led police officers on a chase early Friday before crashing into a drainage canal, according to a crime summary.

The summary gives this account:

Officers were called to check on a driver who was reported passed out and sleeping in his vehicle at a stop sign at North Avenue and Marysville Boulevard shortly before 1 a.m. Friday.

Officers said the driver, who appeared to be under the influence, drove off in the vehicle. A pursuit followed through the area and onto eastbound Highway 80.

The driver tried to exit the freeway at the Raley Boulevard ramp, but crashed into a drainage canal.

Police arrested Richardson, whose birthday is listed in booking sheets as today, on suspicion of driving under the influence and evading police officers.

Online jail records showed Richardson still in jail as of early Saturday evening

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento woman scared away an intruder after encountering him in her kitchen early Friday morning, according to a Sacramento Police Department crime summary released today.

The woman, who lives in the 2700 block of Fifth Avenue, told police that she heard her dogs barking around 5 a.m. Checking the backyard, she heard noises in bushes but thought it was a cat and brought her dogs inside.

After taking a shower, the woman noticed a kitchen door closed that had not been closed earlier. She told police she opened the door and found a man standing in the kitchen.

She said he tried to grab her, but she pushed him away and screamed. The man fled.

Officers checked the area, but did not locate the man. The woman reported that nothing appeared to have been taken from the house.

No suspect's description was released.

By Associated Press

A couple charged with animal cruelty and other crimes after more than 90 purebred puppies were confiscated from their home and business face a hearing in Solano County Superior Court on Monday.

Christopher John Derek Ellis and Leanna Rachelle Kamp, both 29, of Dixon, were arrested Dec. 17 after the Solano County District Attorney's Office received numerous complaints that the couple had been selling sick and sometimes dying puppies.

The breeds included Yorkshire terriers, Shiba Inus, Maltese and Shih Tzus.

The couple has been charged with grand theft, animal cruelty, criminal conspiracy, illegally operating a lottery in the sale of dogs, and child endangerment. The last complaint relates to their 22-month-old daughter and conditions in their home.

They have pleaded not guilty.

From Cathy Locke:

The Citrus Heights Police Department is searching for two men involved in an attempted robbery Friday night.

A department news release states that two men tried to rob Prestige Spa at 7447 Madison Avenue about 8:15 p.m.

An interior door was damaged when an individual at the spa tried to push the door closed on one of the would-be robbers. The intruders were unable to obtain any items belonging to individuals or the business. They fled out the front door and were last seen heading to the rear of the building, the release states.

California Highway Patrol officers searched the area with the assistance of a Placer County Sheriff's Department helicopter but were unable to locate the suspects.

Both men were described as Hispanic, between 20 and 25 years old. One was described as about 5-feet, 7-inches tall, weighing about 180 pounds and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, a white bandanna and ski-style mask. The other was about 5-feet-8, weighing about 150 pounds and wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with a plaid pattern and white dots, black pants with cuffs and a white bandanna or ski-style mask.

Sgt. Eric Mattke of the Citrus Heights Police Department said the two men were believed to have been involved in a similar incident at a business near Madison Avenue and College Oak Drive in unincorporated Sacramento County about 45 minutes earlier. No details on the incident were available.

Anyone with information about the Citrus Heights crime is asked to contact the on-duty watch commander at (916) 727-5522.

From Diana Lambert:

Worshipers at the Kenesset Israel Torah Center on Morse Avenue were greeted this morning with swastikas, demonic symbols and racist messages scrawled on the temple and a nearby electrical box.

Four cars a mile away also were vandalized with the number 666 - often considered a demonic symbol - encircled by a Star of David.

Police officials said the two sets of incidents could be related.

"We're looking at it as hate crime," said R.L. Davis, a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

He said department officials have notified the FBI.

Kenesset Israel members this morning were joined in the temple's parking lot by members of the Interfaith Service Bureau and other local clergy.

"It's very sad to see it's still happening and people are still so uneducated to do something like this," said Simone Clay, president of Kenesset Israel Torah Center.

Nonetheless, Clay said she believes it is an isolated incident.

"Maybe it was people who got a bit drunk last night and thought they had a message to intimidate other people," she said.

Clay said people in the Sacramento area generally tolerate and support all faiths.

"It's very rare that we see people behave like this," she said.

Davis said community involvement will be a key to finding the people responsible for the vandalism.

"What it comes down to is us getting tips," he said.

To report information, people can call the sheriff's department at (916) 874-5115 or the Crime Alert tip line at (800) 222-7463 or (916) 443-4357. Tips also can be sent via text message, texting 274637 then entering SACTIP, followed by the tip information.

From Diana Lambert:

A man was arrested this morning after a shooting in Rancho Cordova left another man hospitalized.

Rancho Cordova police were called to the 2500 block of Berrywood Drive at 8:30 a.m. and found the unidentified victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the stomach.

Police subsequently arrested George James Gail, 50.

The victim was transported to a local hospital. His condition is unknown.

From Diana Lambert:

A man was seriously injured early this morning when someone shot into his residence on Trentwood Way in south Sacramento.

Police found four bullet holes in the home's front window.

The victim, in his 20s, was taken to a local hospital, police spokesman Norm Leong said.

Police say they have no suspects.