Sacto 9-1-1

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

Sacramento police officers are investigating a homicide at an apartment complex in the 3200 block of Azevedo Drive in South Natomas.

Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said police responded to a call at 8:10 p.m. and arrived to find a man in his 40s suffering from stab wounds. The victim was transported to UC Davis Medical Center, where he died.

Leong said the victim was visiting someone at the apartment complex. Police have detained a person who Leong said they are investigating. Leong said a motive is not clear.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

California Highway Patrol officers detained Kings Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans this evening after he was pulled over for reckless driving.

Evans was cited and released after cooperating with officers, said Lizz Dutton, CHP spokeswoman.

A CHP air unit spotted Evans at 6:51 p.m. in a 2010 black Mercedes S550 speeding at more than 100 mph westbound on Interstate 80 at Antelope Road. The air unit followed the Mercedes until officers could respond at 6:58 p.m. outside a park, where Evans planned to play basketball.

Officers drew guns and ordered Evans and his passenger out of the car. Dutton said Evans' windows were tinted black and officers could not see inside the vehicle so they performed a felony stop with guns drawn.

Dutton said Evans was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

"They were very cooperative," Dutton said. "He didn't know he was being followed."

Dutton did not have Evans' court date, but said it is usually 45 days from the incident.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

A man who witnesses said appeared to be delusional after acting bizarrely in a Roseville neighborhood was booked Sunday at Placer County Jail on suspicion of burglary, assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest.

Bail for Israel Williams III, 31, of Sacramento, has been set at $50,000.

Williams was taken into custody after police responded to several reports around 9 a.m. Saturday in the 600 block of Portside Circle. Witnesses said Williams was yelling at himself, jumping over fences and climbing onto roofs.

Williams allegedly ran from police and forced entry into a house in the 600 block of Lyndhurst Avenue, where police said he grabbed an unloaded rifle. A man in his early 20s inside the house struggled with the suspect over the rifle and was clubbed in the face with it, according to a news release from the Roseville Police Department.

Officers said they heard yelling and glass breaking and entered the home, where they used stun guns, batons and bean bag rounds to subdue the suspect.

The resident of the home broken into was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with minor injuries. Three or four officers and a Placer County Sherrif's dog received minor injuries, the news release said.

Williams received major injuries and was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center before booked Sunday into the Placer County Jail.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

Police have identified the Granite Bay woman who received life-threatening injuries after being hit by a car on Old Auburn Road near Allegretto Way on Friday.

Mary Louise Herdegen, 50, was walking when she was struck by a 2001 Honda Accord driven by Ashok Kumar, 51, also of Granite Bay.

Herdegen was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center where she was listed in critical condition as of Sunday evening. Police closed Old Auburn Road for 5 1/2 hours while investigators examined the scene, according to Roseville Police Department news release.

The department's Major Accident Investigation Team is still determining the cause of the collision. Police are asking any witnesses to call the Roseville Police Department's traffic unit at (916) 774-5088.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

A second Subway sandwich shop in Rocklin has been robbed at gunpoint since Friday, with the latest attack reported at 2:45 p.m. today.

According to a release from the Rocklin Police Department, a suspect entered the Subway at 3201 Stanford Ranch Road and approached the clerk for a cookie. The suspect then pointed a handgun at the clerk and demanded money from the register.

The suspect fled into the surrounding neighborhood with an undisclosed amount of money. The suspect is described as white, between 16 and 18 years old, approximately 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 125 to 135 pounds. He was wearing sunglasses, a hooded black sweatshirt, white T-shirt and dark pants.

On Friday, a suspect fitting that description robbed a Subway a few miles away in the 2300 block of Stanford Ranch Road. In that robbery, police say the suspect opened his jacket to display what appeared to be a handgun. The clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of money before the suspect fled on foot.

Anyone with information regarding the robbery can contact the Rocklin Police Department at (916) 625-5400.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

Police are asking for the public's help in identifying who set fire to the school playground Sunday evening at Hazel Strauch Elementary School in South Natomas.

Officials from the Twin Rivers Police Department and Sacramento City Fire Department responded to calls around 11:20 p.m. and arrived to find the playground structure engulfed in flames, according to a news release.

Students at Hazel Strauch, at 3141 Northstead Drive, will return to school Tuesday for their last four days of instruction before summer vacation.

"We are very sad that this happened," said Linda Bean, Hazel Strauch principal, on Monday. "The fire won't just hurt the school, but the community. Our community goes there to play."

Arson investigators have yet to release the cause of the fire and the cost of the damage is not yet known.

Police are urging any witnesses to come forward. Anyone with information can call the crime alert at (916) 443-HELP or text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Bean said she will alert school families about the fire using an automated phone message tonight.

"Our plan is to finish the school year strong," Bean said. "We hope that whoever did this will be caught."

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.

By Torey Van Oot
tvanoot@sacbee.com

One of four victims injured in a May 22 shooting after an argument at a night club in Arden Arcade has died, the Sacramento Police Department said today.

Luis Garcia, 31, was shot on Arden Way and Exposition Boulevard at about 2 a.m. May 22, according to a statement from police. Garcia and three of his siblings, who were also injured in the shooting, had left the club after an argument with another group. The shots were fired into their car from a burgundy car with tinted windows.

The injures were not thought to be life-threatening at the time, but police were informed Sunday that Garcia died from injuries sustained in the shooting.

Homicide detectives have opened an investigation into Garcia's death. The department asks that anyone with information about the incident contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES).

Call Torey Van Oot, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5544.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

A stolen gold Cadillac crashed into a south Sacramento home this morning where a family of six were inside, said Sacramento Police Officer Konrad von Schoech.

The couple living at the home on the 4900 block of 36th Street were transported to an area hospital along with their 1 1/2-year-old and 5-year-old children. All four suffered minor injuries.

The family was in the front bedroom around 7:30 a.m. when the car crashed into their home.

The two men driving the car fled the accident and witnesses say they appeared to be injured.

Officers searched the neighborhood, but were unable to locate the suspects.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

Two men were shot after police say a verbal argument escalated into a fight outside the midtown night club Avalon near 16th and H streets around 3 a.m. Sunday.

Both men were transported to area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries, according to the Sacramento Police Department. Security guards chased the gunman, who fled on foot before he was seen jumping into a newer model silver Mercedes Benz or similar car with tinted windows.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

A Rocklin sandwich shop was robbed Friday evening after a suspect entered the store in the 2300 block of Stanford Ranch Road and presented a demand note to the clerk.

According to the Rocklin Police Department, the suspect opened his jacket to display what appeared to be a handgun. The clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of money before the suspect fled on foot.

The suspect is described as a white, between 16 and 18 years old, approximately 5-foot-4, and 130 to 140 pounds. He was wearing a zip up hooded sweatshirt, dark jeans and mirrored sunglasses.

Anyone with information regarding the robbery can contact the Rocklin Police Department at (916) 625-5400.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521.

By Jim Wasserman
jwasserman@sacbee.com

Roseville Police said Saturday that they have identified a Granite Bay pedestrian who received life-threatening injuries Friday after being hit by a car on Old Auburn Road near Allegretto Way in Roseville.

Officers did not release the name Saturday.

Police said the woman was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center after a 2:15 p.m. accident that closed the road for more than five hours.

A police spokeswoman said the victim was in critical conditon Saturday night. Police also declined to identify a 51-year-old Granite Bay motorist who struck the pedestrian.

Roseville Police asked that anyone with information regarding the accident call the agency's traffic unit at (916) 774-5088.

Call The Bee's Jim Wasserman, (916) 321-1102.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A man acting bizarrely suffered major injuries and was taken into custody today after he broke into a Roseville home, assaulted a resident and struggled with officers from three law enforcement agencies, Roseville Police reported.

The man - Israel Williams, 31, with a last known address in Sacramento - was first reported in the 600 block of Portside Circle, jumping over fences, yelling and climbing onto roofs, police said.

The man ran from Roseville officers who arrived around 9 a.m.

With the aid of Citrus Heights police and Placer County Sheriff's deputies, police established a perimeter to capture the suspect.

After running, he broke into a home on Lyndhurst Avenue, where he found an unloaded rifle.

A resident of the house struggled with him and was clubbed in the face with the rifle, police reported.

Officers then entered the home and the suspect, said to be resisting violently, was subdued with the use of batons, bean bag rounds and tasers.

The resident victim was treated for minor injuries, as were several officers and a Sheriff's dog.

The suspect was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center for treatment of major injuries.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá, (916) 321-1987.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Sheriff's officials are treating a man's death as suspicious after he was found, unresponsive, on a sidewalk in front of the Fruitridge Community Center Friday.

Sheriff's deputies responded at 10:25 p.m. Friday to Fruitridge Road near Enrico Boulevard and found Michael Stephen Geist, 55, on the ground with no visible signs of trauma.

Paramedics arrived shortly afterward and pronounced him dead.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office will perform an autopsy to determine cause and manner of death. Anyone with information on Geist's death is asked to call homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá, (916) 321-1987.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A 60-year-old woman shot and killed in her Elk Grove home Friday has been identified as Marian Renee Harry.

Police arrested her husband, Willie Harry (photo left), 64, in connection with the shooting on Orchard Hill Way.

Marian Harry was found in an upstairs bedroom with a single gunshot wound to the head and Elk Grove Police officers discovered a rifle believed to be the weapon used in the shooting.

Willie Harry was arrested on suspicion of murder. Police continue to investigate the motive for the shooting. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the police department communications center at (916) 714-5515.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá, (916) 321-1987.

Previous stories:

Husband arrested in wife's Elk Grove homicide - May 29, 2010

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A four-alarm fire late Friday destroyed an apartment complex under construction in the Arden Arcade area, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District officials said.

More than 80 firefighters from Sacramento Metro and the Sacramento City Fire Department brought the fire at 1181 Fulton Ave. under control in 48 minutes, said Capt. Christian Pebbles, Sac Metro spokesman. No injuries were reported.

"This was a lot of fire," Pebbles said.

Firefighters received a call about 11 p.m. about the fire at the three-story complex that was only made up of wooden frames, Pebbles said.

Several power lines were compromised and failed because of the intense heat, he said.

Greg Tomberlin, 55, lives in a nearby apartment complex. He heard an explosion and came out to see what happened.

"The sky was filled with ashes, solid orange ashes. It looked like the Fourth of July," said Tomberlin, who added that the flames were twice as high as the three-story building.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Elk Grove police arrested the husband of a 60-year-old woman found fatally shot Friday inside her Elk Grove home.

Police said they believe Willie Harry, 64, shot his wife in the head, and arrested him on suspicion of murder.

Police spokesman Officer Christopher Trim said Harry called 911 about 3:50 p.m. to report his wife had been shot.

Officers arrived at the two-story house in the 5900 block of Orchard Hill Way to find the woman in an upstairs bedroom, Trim said. Paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene.

Trim said police recovered a rifle in the bedroom where the woman was found.

Authorities have not released the woman's name or determined what prompted the shooting.

"We are trying to figure out exactly what took place," Trim said.

Police said the address has no history of domestic violence reports.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A man in his late 30s died Friday evening in an apartment fire, fire officials said.

The man has not been identified, pending notification of next of kin.

Sacramento fire officials said the fire happened about 7:15 p.m. in an apartment in the 3000 block of D Street in east Sacramento.

When firefighters arrived, they forced entry through a door into the apartment and found the man lying near the door. They took him to the UC Davis Medical Center.

Firefighters put out the flames in 12 minutes.

The man was later pronounced dead at the hospital, officials said. A second person not directly harmed by the fire complained of chest pain.

Officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A 60-year-old woman was found fatally shot Friday afternoon in an Elk Grove home, police officials said.

Paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the home in the 5900 block of Orchard Hill Way, said Officer Christopher Trim, Elk Grove Police Department spokesman.

Trim provided these details:

A man made a 911 call to police at 3:49 p.m., saying his wife had been shot. Officers arrived and went to an upstairs bedroom, where they found the woman with a gunshot wound.

The husband has been detained for questioning. Police recovered a rifle in the bedroom where the woman was found.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A homeless man who beat somebody to death with a tree branch six years ago pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter today and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

John Flex Paulaau, 55, had been charged with murder in the death of Steven Berg, who was 44 when he was attacked Jan. 23, 2004, and died six days later. Berg was bludgeoned while riding his bicycle near Bannon Street and Bercut Drive, coroner's records show.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Russell L. Hom approved the plea deal and imposed the sentence today after Paulaau had been returned recently from Atascadero State Hospital. Paulaau was sent to the facility in June 2005 when he was found to be mentally incompetent to stand trial, according to court records.

Paulaau's attorney, Russell W. Miller, said his client had been beaten up by a group of men just before the killing and that he thought Berg was one of people who had attacked him.

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

By Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department is asking the public's help to identify an armed robber who was caught on video surveillance (see video below), according to a police news release.

At 10:52 a.m. Thursday, the suspect was caught on surveillance camera at a gas station in the 3700 block of Franklin Boulevard. The suspect displayed a gun, reached over the counter and grabbed money out of the opened cash register, the release states.

Police believe the robber may be linked to a similar robbery on May 22.

At 10:37 a.m. that day, a man entered a cell phone business in the 3900 block of Stockton Boulevard. The man displayed a gun, had the clerk open the cash register, reached over the counter and grabbed money.

The suspect in both robberies was described as a male black, in his late 30s to 40s, 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds.

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.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

William Murray, the Sacramento certified public accountant who stole at least $13.5 million from 52 clients, was sentenced today in federal court to 19 years and 7 months in prison, and ordered to pay more than $10 million in restitution.

While every asset of Murray's that the IRS could locate was ordered to be seized, U. S. District Judge Edward J. Garcia noted that "will not begin to make the victims whole."

A number of the victims addressed Garcia before he passed sentence and urged him to give Murray the most possible time behind bars.

The judge obliged by imposing the maximum term available under federal guidelines.

Call The Bee's Denny Walsh, (916) 321-1189.

Previous coverage:

Alleged victims of disgraced CPA remain angry - Feb. 16, 2010

Accountant's license suspended in case - Jan. 14, 2010

One of Sacramento accountant's alleged victims speaks out - Dec. 20, 2009

Affidavit: Sacramento accountant admits to stealing millions - Dec. 17, 2009

Q: What is the status of Caleb Murr who killed his cousin and buried her in the yard? - S, Sacramento

A: Murr (1999 photo left), now 26, is still in prison, records indicate.

When he was 16, he raped his teenage cousin, hit her over the head with a baseball bat and buried her alive in a backyard in Sacramento, according to Bee reports.

In a plea deal, the Del Paso Heights teenager pleaded no contest to raping his 18-year-old cousin, on March 6, 1999. Murr had been facing murder and other charges.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge sentenced him to 42 years to life in prison.

A prosecutor said Murr would not be eligible for parole until 2022.

Murr, who has a history of psychiatric problems, was prosecuted as an adult after a judge found him unfit for the juvenile justice system. Murr told mental health experts that he killed his cousin to rid himself of demons.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Sheriff's Department was presented with $202,000 in asset seizure money Friday for helping to shut down an illegal cable television descrambler box sales operation.

Internal Revenue Service criminal investigation Special Agent in Charge Scott O'Briant presented Sheriff John McGinness with an over-sized check representing the money at a press conference.

"It's nice to get a gift from the IRS," quipped McGinness.

The Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, the IRS and the Secret Service in 2003 launched an investigation into the international cable piracy scheme. The Postal Service also provided assistance.

The investigation revealed that Darryl Scott Poll and Carlo Mireles with Wholesale Electronics and Red Rock Group Ltd., were involved in the sale of the devices that were designed to allow viewers to watch premium channels and pay-per-view programming without paying for it.

Investigators believe that the companies grossed $12 million in sales.

The U.S. Attorney in 2003, filed an indictment by a federal grand jury on charges of mail fraud and conspiring to launder money and steal cable services against Poll, then 41, of Simi Valley, and his Las Vegas business partner, Mireles, then 29.

Because a Sacramento cable company investigator originally contacted Wholesale Electronics to order a "descrambler" device, the investigation into the two men's operation took root in Northern California, drawing in the high-tech crimes task force.

The two companies, through print and Internet advertising, sold the descramblers to customers who typically used credit cards to pay $200 each for a package, according to court documents.

Investigators believe 100,000 of the descramblers were sold.

Besides getting around paying monthly movie channel fees, users of the illegal box could get free sports events, which could cost as much as $100 for a big-name boxing match or $250 for a season's worth of games.

Poll was sentenced to five years in prison in 2007 for his part in the piracy scheme. Co-defendant Miereles got 16 months due to his cooperation, O'Briant said.

During the investigation, bank accounts and property was seized. Assets were sold after the case against the suspects was tried and the men sent to prison.

The Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force will use the money to solve identity-theft crimes, other high-tech crime and internet crime against children, said Sheriff's Lt. Harvey Woo.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A judge has denied a temporary restraining order sought by the City of Galt against a medical marijuana dispensary.

The City Council passed an ordinance last year prohibiting medical marijuana facilities. But last week the Galt Wellness Center marijuana dispensary opened at 520 Lincoln Way.

On Tuesday, the city filed for a temporary restraining order in Sacramento Superior Court, seeking the court's order for the shop to close.

City Manger Jason Behrmann said in an e-mail to The Bee that the judge noted that the issues are complicated and that the matter would be reconsidered in a few weeks.

"We are proceeding with this next step but a hearing date has not yet been set," he stated.

The council enacted the local law for public safety reasons, citing robberies at dispensaries in other cities.

However, Sacramento lawyer George Mull, lawyer for the dispensary, said the Galt law is unconstitutional and goes against Proposition 215, the medical marijuana law passed by voters in 1996.

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

Previous coverage:

Galt seeks shutdown of medical pot dispensary - May 26, 2010

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Glenn County man has been sentenced to more than 19 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Jesus Rodriguez, 42, of Butte City was sentenced today by United States District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to 19 years and 7 months in prison, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release. After a six-day trial in March, a federal grand jury found Rodriguez guilty of two counts of possession of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine with intent to distribute the drug.

Evidence introduced during the trial showed that Rodriguez delivered a half pound of crystal methamphetamine on two occasions in 2004 to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration informant. The second transaction took place inside Rodriguez's place of business, the Afton General Store, in Glenn County.

When officers attempted to arrest Rodriguez, he led them on a high-speed chase. During the chase, he threw three-quarters of a pound of crystal methamphetamine out of the car window.

Rodriguez also called his sister during the chase. She was apprehended as she fled the rear of the store carrying a box containing four handguns and used drug packaging material, the news release says. In searching the store, agents found a digital scale and approximately $30,000 in U.S. currency, much of it in heat-sealed plastic. Agents also discovered DEA prerecorded "buy funds" among the sealed currency.

The jury rejected Rodriguez's claim during the trial that he had been entrapped.

In sentencing Rodriguez, Judge England noted the large amounts of highly pure crystal methamphetamine involved, calling Rodriguez "high level" drug trafficker. The judge said this was one of the largest methamphetamine trafficking cases in Northern California.

A total of 30 defendants were convicted of drug charges arising out of the investigations, the news release says.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking the public's help in identifying a man believed to have conned and robbed a mentally disabled woman.

At 7:30 p.m. April 4, the woman was approached near Mack Road and Center Parkway by a man who asked her to assist him by cashing a check.

The man walked with the woman to a nearby ATM and deposited the check in her account. The check later proved to have insufficient funds, according to a Police Department news release.

The man then withdrew cash form the woman's account, pushed her and proceeded to take her purse and laptop computer.

The woman's ATM card was used at a convenience store shortly after the robbery. A surveillance camera at the store (see photos below) captured the man entering and leaving after he withdrew more money using the victim's ATM card.

The man is described as Asian, in his 20s, 5 feet, 6 inches to 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds. He had short black hair, a black mustache, and was wearing tan pants, a tan jacket and a white shirt. His vehicle was described as a light-colored, 1970s Jeep Wagoneer with wood paneling.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357, or text a tip to 274637. Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information.

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

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Yuba City physician has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence following a traffic collision on Highway 99 in Sutter County.

The doctor allegedly told the CHP officer that he was on his way to a hospital to perform several surgical procedures. However, a hospital spokesman said that the doctor was not scheduled to perform any procedures that morning and he had not been called to the hospital.

According to the California Highway Patrol, a Honda Accord driven by Ifeanyi C. Igwegbe (photo left), 48, a Sacramento resident with a medical practice in Yuba City, was traveling north on Highway 99 north of Riego Road about 8:25 a.m. Tuesday. Several citizens reported that the vehicle was swerving between the northbound lanes and seemed unable to stay within its lane.

A CHP officer was dispatched to try to intercept the driver, but the collision occurred before the officer arrived.

Igwegbe's vehicle crossed the dirt center divider, striking broadside a Nissan Altima driven by a 30-year-old Olivehurst woman, who was headed south on Highway 99, according to a CHP news release.

Several citizens and an off-duty CHP officer witnessed the collision and stopped to render aid.

CHP officials said an investigation determined that Igwegbe had consumed alcoholic beverages. During the investigation, the news release says, Igwegbe became uncooperative and resistant to a CHP officer and the off-duty officer.

Igwegbe reportedly stated that he was a doctor and was en route to Rideout Memorial Hospital to perform several surgical procedures.

The CHP report says the other driver suffered moderate injuries but indicated she would seek medical treatment on her own.

Igwegbe was not injured and was booked into Sutter County Jail on suspicion of felony DUI.

A staff member at Igwegbe's Yuba City office said Igwegbe was not there today.

Julie Eckardt, a spokeswoman for Sutter North Medical Foundation, said Igwegbe is affiliated with the medical group, but she said the policy is to not comment on personnel matters.

Dr. Robert Plass, chief medical officer with the Fremont-Rideout Health Group, said Igwegbe is affiliated with the health group and has privileges at Rideout Memorial Hospital but is not a hospital employee. Plass said he had checked with the emergency department and endoscopy lab, and Igwegbe had no procedures scheduled Tuesday morning nor had he been called to the hospital.

Plass said Igwegbe typically performs endoscopic, not surgical procedures.

Before determining what action might be taken with regard to Igwegbe's arrest, Plass said, "We will have to talk to him and find out the circumstances."

Plass said the health group tries to provide assistance with psychological or medical issues a physician might have.

"But at the end of the day," he said, "our first priority is to ensure patient safety."

Bee researcher Sheila A. Kern contributed to this report

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bee Staff

The Cal Expo Police Department will deploy officers this holiday weekend for DUI saturation patrols in the Cal Expo area, according to a news release.

The first patrol starts Friday night, the release states. Additional patrols will be out Saturday and Sunday nights.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Roseville police have arrested a Sacramento man on suspicion of fraudulently asking for charitable donations.

Police called to a store parking lot in the 1400 block of Lead Hill Boulevard on Tuesday found a man carrying a clipboard with forms recording charitable donations, purportedly for the city-owned George Sim Community Center in Sacramento.

Officers called the Sim Center and found that center operators had not authorized the fundraising effort, nor had they received any funds from such an effort.

Officers believe that Rayshawn Donte Smith (photo left), 23, and others had been fraudulently asking for donations for some time and pocketing the money.

Smith was arrested on suspicion of petty theft with a prior conviction for petty theft and fraudulently soliciting charitable contributions.

Roseville police advise not giving money to solicitors, either by phone or in person. A website recommended by police to research charities is www.charitynavigator.org

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

By Bee Staff

The Folsom Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint beginning at 7 p.m. Friday and running to 3 a.m. at an undisclosed location within the city limits, according to a police news release.

Thirteen officers from Folsom, Elk Grove, Los Rios, and the State Alcohol Beverage Control, in coordination with Citizen's Assisting Public Safety volunteers, and Folsom Community Service Officers will be involved, the release states.

Members from the Mothers Against Drunk Driving may also be in attendance, the report states.

Funding for this program was provided by a Selective Traffic Enforcement Program grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

An El Dorado County woman has turned herself into authorities who suspect her of impaired driving in a January car crash in Folsom that left two adults and three children injured.

Susan Moskalets (photo left), 46, of Somerset, surrendered Wednesday at Sacramento County Jail. She was arrested on suspicion of impaired driving and willful harming of a child.

Police said Thursday that Moskelats had a blood alcohol content of .07 and the drugs Naproxen and morphine in her bloodstream on Jan. 27 when her car was involved in a violent collision.

Police responded to East Bidwell Street and Bluestone Circle that night to find Moskalets' Mercedes station wagon at rest on the sidewalk, the car nearly ripped in half, police said at the time.

Witnesses told police that the Mercedes was southbound on East Bidwell traveling without headlights illuminated when it entered a left turn lane.

The car continued into the intersection against a red light and into oncoming traffic, police said.

A Dodge Durango entered the intersection on a green light, striking the Mercedes at the front passenger door.

Moskalets had her three young children in the car when the accident occurred. Moskalets was listed in serious condition that night, police said. One of her children suffered serious long-term injuries.

The driver of the Durango and two children were treated and released from the hospital.

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

Q: Who was responsible for the death of a woman found in a pond on a ranch years ago? - Wondering, Elk Grove

A: Danny Raymond Steele, now 61, pleaded no contest on Dec. 8, 2005 to voluntary manslaughter for killing a Rancho Cordova woman, according to Sacramento Superior Court records and Bee reports.

Steele of Wilton received a 10-year sentence for killing Phyllis Dianne Elame, 53, hiding her body in a ranch pond. Elame's mother reported her missing on Feb. 8, 2001.

Steele fled after the killing and was arrested almost a year later in Reno.

According to the Sacramento Sheriff's Department, Steele was suspected of shooting the woman and hiding her body in a pond on his father's land near the Cosumnes River. The body was found June 7, 2001.

No motive was revealed.

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

By Bee Staff

A panhandler, apparently not satisfied with just spare change, allegedly turned robber as he assaulted his benefactor, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department report.

The crime summary released this week gave these details:

The attack happened May 23 at about 3:40 a.m. in the 5100 block of Auburn Boulevard.

Two men, including the suspect, approached the victim in a parking lot as he was about to get into his vehicle. One of the men asked for spare change and the victim gave him some.

However, the suspect, identified as 22-year-old Damien Omar Todd, then punched the victim at least four times in the face, the report states.

Todd then allegedly took the victim's cell phone and vehicle keys before fleeing on foot. The second man allegedly took money from the wallet of the prone victim.

Responding deputies spotted Todd near the crime scene and arrested him.

The victim suffered facial swelling and minor lacerations.

Todd was still in jail as of this morning on $60,000 bail, facing a felony charge of robbery.

The second man was arrested but has not been charged, records indicate.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man is scheduled to be arraigned today in Solano Superior Court after deputies said they caught him with more than five pounds of methamphetamine.

Rene Munoz, 22, was arrested Tuesday when Solano County Sheriff's deputies stopped his truck for erratic driving on Interstate 80 near Dixon. Deputies said they found five plastic bags in the vehicle filled with methamphetamine worth an estimated $75,000.

Deputies also said they also found a loaded .45-caliber handgun in his waistband. Detectives were called in and later residences associated with Munoz were searched in West Sacramento and Sacramento.

"Detectives determined Munoz to be an upper-level methamphetamine dealer," stated a press release from the Solano County Sheriff's Office.

Munoz was booked into jail on multiple drug charges and bail was set at $250,000. Deputies said that Munoz will have to prove that any bail money posted to get out of jail is from a lawful source.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man found unconscious in his vehicle ended up under arrest on suspicion of possessing drugs and a burglary tool.

An Auburn police officer responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of a closed business shortly before midnight Tuesday. He found Daniel Signor, 37, passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle in the 2000 block of Airpark Court.

A search of the vehicle turned up methamphetamine and 10 hydrocodone pills, according to an Auburn Police Department news release. Signor also is accused of possessing a burglary tool -- a small steak knife with the blade shaped to resemble a key.

Signor was booked into Placer County Jail.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A parolee wanted in connection with armed robberies in Woodland was arrested today in Stockton.

Woodland Police announced May 19 that they were looking for Robert Vigil, 43, a parolee at large. Vigil was sought by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for being in violation of his parole. He also was sought by Woodland police in connection with two armed robberies and two assaults involving use a deadly weapon.

About 12:30 p.m. today, Vigil was apprehended without incident during a vehicle stop in Stockton, according to a Woodland Police Department news release.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is seeking the public's help in locating a 17-year-old youth who disappeared May 18.

Tyler Villanueva (photo left) was last seen walking away from his group home at 4232 Big Cloud Way in Antelope.

He is Hispanic, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs 135 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes.

At the time the initial report was taken, Villanueva was not categorized as being at risk. But after further consultation with his family and doctor, sheriff's detectives upgraded his status to at risk, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Villanueva has been diagnosed as bipolar and requires medication. Investigators believe he has been without his medication since he left the group home.

Anyone with information regarding Villanueva's whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department has released its 2009 Annual Report, detailing a year's worth of efforts and crime trends in the city.

Among the topics covered:

- A continued decrease in crime, with 4,167 violent crimes reported in 2009 compared to 4,660 the year prior.

- What kind of calls for service the department receives, the most common being disturbance calls.

- Where the traffic hot spots are (Hint: Avoid the intersection of Cosumnes River Boulevard and Bruceville Road - it tallied the most traffic collisions of all the city's intersections).

- Trends in narcotics and gangs enforcement (It was a big year for drug seizures - nearly double the amount seized in 2008).

- How the department dealt with a $16 million budget cut in the 2008-09 fiscal year and still avoided layoffs.

To view the report, click below:

Sacramento Police Department 2009 Annual Report

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Two men have been arraigned in Yolo Superior Court on suspicion of growing marijuana and possessing a loaded rifle.

The men, Jose Prieto Rodriguez, 30, and Jose Rodriguez, 18, were arraigned Monday. They were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of maintaining a large marijuana growing operation near the town of Rumsey.

Both were booked into the Yolo County Jail. Both men have "immigration holds" on them from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 7 in Yolo County Superior Court.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento prosecutor pleaded no contest Tuesday to drunken driving charges that stemmed from his arrest last year in midtown Sacramento.

Details were still being worked out today on the sentence for Ross Robert Huggins (photo left), 44, and whether he will be placed in the sheriff's work project or an alternative sentencing program to serve the remaining day on his 48-hour term.

Visiting Judge John Morrison from Humboldt County gave Huggins credit for one day time served at the prosecutor's appearance in Sacramento Superior Court.

Huggins was arrested Nov. 21 at 19th and J Streets, Sacramento police said. His attorney, Linda Parisi, said that Huggins' blood-alcohol level at the time of his arrest was .10. A person is considered legally intoxicated in California at a .08 percent blood-alcohol level.

Parisi said "a lapse in judgment during a personally stressful time in his life" led to Huggins' arrest. Parisi did not elaborate. She said Huggins "takes full responsibility" for the incident.

Huggins could not be reached today for comment. District attorney's spokeswoman Shelly Orio also could be immediately reached.

Huggins is a member of the DA's "STOP" unit, an acronym for its state-targeted offenses program that focuses on prison crimes, car theft, welfare fraud, child abductions and mental health litigation.

Besides the 48-hour term, Parisi said Huggins also was ordered to pay approximately $2,200 in fines and fees. She said his driver's license will be suspended for 30 days, after which he will be placed into a first-offender's program.

His driving privileges will then be restricted for another 90 days to driving to and from work and to the program.

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

By Bee Staff

Bee researcher Linda Beymer contributed to this report

Two Sacramento area women who killed their children and received life sentences are due parole hearings early in June.

They are:

-Darlene Brazil, 45, California Institution for Women.

An El Dorado County Superior Court judge sentenced Brazil to 15 years to life in prison for the May 20, 1986 murders of her two young sons, The Bee reported.

Brazil admitted the killings in a fit of despair over her ex-husband.

Two court-appointed psychiatrists had found that Brazil was insane at the time of the killings. But her attorney said Brazil agreed to the plea bargain of two counts of second-degree murder because she did not want to gamble on the possibility that a jury would disagree with the psychiatrists.

Brazil told detectives she smothered her sons, Brian Adolph Jr., 1, and William J. Dingess, 4, because she saw no purpose in life after she and her ex-husband split up for a second time.

According to court records, Brazil and her ex-husband had known each other since elementary school and were married in 1981. The marriage lasted less than three years.

Brazil and her son moved to New York, where she had a second son by another man. But after that relationship ended, she moved back to Placerville.

According to a probation report, Brazil resumed living with her first husband but that relationship ended in disagreements over his attention to other women. On May 19, 1986, according to sheriff's reports, the ex-husband told Brazil he didn't want to see her again and threatened a custody fight over his son.

Shortly after midnight the next day, Brazil smothered her sons with a pillow. She slashed her wrists and tightened a belt around her neck. Although she said she lost consciousness, she was not seriously injured.

Brazil told the probation that she thought she and her sons would be together in heaven.

-Cindy Kay May, 46, California Institution for Women.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge sentenced May to two consecutive prison terms of 15-years-to-life for killing and mutilating her 70-year-old mother and 5-year-old daughter with a kitchen knife on June 5, 1990.

While there is no question the Rio Linda woman is unbalanced, probably because of sustained drug use, her crime was "a great violence, one of viciousness and callousness," said Judge William Ridgeway in imposing the sentence.

"She should be confined for as long as the law allows," he added.

The judge tacked an extra year onto the sentence for the use of a knife. May's attorney acknowledged the grisly nature of the crime, but argued for concurrent sentences based on his client's diminished mental capacity.

After a week of deliberation, a jury found May guilty of two counts of second-degree murder. The jurors, who had been asked by the prosecution to find May guilty of first-degree murder, opted for the lesser charge because they felt May was mentally ill at the time of the June 5, 1990, murders.

A different jury found May was legally competent to stand trial. Against her attorney's wishes, she refused to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

If you want to give your opinion of an inmate's suitability for parole, you may mail a letter to:

Martin Hoshino, executive director

Board of Parole Hearings

1515 K Street

Sacramento, CA 95811

For more information on the Board of Parole Hearings, go to:

http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Divisions_Boards/BOPH/

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The campus of a Sacramento Catholic girls high school was quiet today after online threats were made earlier this week against some students.

Sacramento police say they have stepped up patrols around Saint Francis High School after threats of injury against several students were discovered Monday on an Internet site.

School President Marion Bishop said this morning that the campus environment was calm and under control.

"The girls are feeling very safe," she said. "We have police presence today. All the parents have been notified and are confident the school is taking the measures that should be taken."

Seniors are off-campus practicing for graduation and the remainder of the student body is attending class as usual.

Sgt. Norm Leong, Sacramento Police Department spokesman, said police received a call from school staff members Monday morning after students discovered the postings on a website.

Because the matter is under investigation, Leong said police are not identifying the website. He described it as a social networking site, but said it is not Facebook.

What is typically known as cyber bullying or harassment is not against the law, but some provisions of the education code are applicable, so it usually is left to schools to deal with those situations, Leong said. Police are involved in this case because specific threats were made against specific students, he said.

The targeted students don't think the threats are credible, but school officials and police want to err on the side of caution, Leong said.

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

Q: What happened to the killer of Sonja Vasquez and her unborn baby? - Angela, Sacramento

A: Freddie Charles Leyba Jr., now 48, was sentenced to 25 years to life in 1994 for the murder of Sonja Vasquez, 25, who was a few weeks pregnant. Leyba was the father.

Vasquez's body was found dumped near the Fulton Avenue on ramp of Business 80 in December 1993. Evidence showed she probably was strangled into unconsciousness and then suffocated on a sock stuffed into her mouth.

Leyba received an additional life term for the earlier attempted murder of a man, who was shot during an unrelated argument.

Leyba "will be 68 years old when he first becomes eligible for parole," Deputy District Attorney Tony Lewis told the Bee at the time of the sentencing.

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

By Bill Lindelof and Chelsea Phua
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man with a gunshot wound was found dead by SWAT officers in an Elk Grove home after a lengthy standoff early this morning.

Elk Grove Police Department spokesman Officer Chris Trim said a woman called shortly after 10 p.m. to report a domestic dispute inside a residence in the 9300 block of Newfound Way. Three children were reportedly inside the home.

Later, two gunshots were heard coming from the home. Trim said officers were able to help the woman and the children to safety. They were not hurt.

Authorities also sent out reverse 911 calls to neighboring homes to advise residents to stay inside as they waited for the SWAT team to arrive.

Then, about 2:30 a.m. SWAT officers from Elk Grove police department and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department entered the home. After making sure the first floor was safe, they went upstairs and found a man dead in one of the rooms.

Sacramento County coroner's officials identified the man as Christ Constantine Chipain, 51, of Elk Grove.

Cause of death has not been positively determined. Law enforcement did not fire a shot.

"However, before we can positively say it was some kind of self-inflicted gunshot, we have to go through our investigative process," said Trim.

Several agencies - the Sacramento sheriff and police departments and the California Highway Patrol - also assisted in the operation.

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

Previous story:

Man barricades himself in Elk Grove home - May 25, 2010

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Someone robbed the Oak Park bookstore run by Mayor Kevin Johnson's mother.

Sacramento police said two Wednesdays ago, a light-skinned black man entered the Underground Books store at 2814 35th St., just off of Broadway, about 2:25 p.m.

The man, dressed in black and a red hat, was armed with a gun, according to an online police log. Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said police believe a female employee, who has not been identified, was manning the store by herself at that time.

No one was hurt, but "property was taken," Leong said.

Police did not specify what items were taken, or what the value of those items were, citing the ongoing investigation.

The robber left through the front door, but it's unknown if he escaped in a vehicle or on foot, Leong said.

No one from the mayor's office would comment on the incident.

Mayoral spokesman Joaquin McPeek and R.E. Graswich, the mayor's special assistant, both referred questions to the police department.

Georgia West, the mayor's mother, was tending the store Tuesday afternoon with a young woman. She also declined comment.

The bookstore is in the 40 Acres commercial complex developed by Johnson's nonprofit St. HOPE organization. The complex also contains a performing arts facility, an art gallery, a coffeeshop and a barbershop.

Leong said no other robberies have been reported at the bookstore's address.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Sacramento police say they have stepped up patrols around Saint Francis High School after threats of injury against several students were discovered Monday on an Internet site.

Sgt. Norm Leong said police received a call from school staff members Monday morning after students discovered the postings on a website.

Because the matter is under investigation, Leong said police are not identifying the website. He described it as a social networking site, but said it is not Facebook.

What is typically known as cyber bullying or harassment is not against the law, but some provisions of the education code are applicable, so it usually is left to schools to deal with those situations, Leong said. Police are involved in this case because specific threats were made against specific students, he said.

The targeted students don't think the threats are credible, but school officials and police would prefer to err on the side of caution, Leong said.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Three Sacramento-area residents are among 11 people, including five doctors, accused of participating in a Medicare fraud ring.

United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that a federal grand jury last week returned a 20-count superseding indictment charging five doctors and six other people with conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

From February 2006 through August 2008, the defendants are alleged to have operated three health-care clinics - in Sacramento, Carmichael and Richmond - that submitted more than $5 million in allegedly fraudulent claims to Medicare.

The Sacramento clinic operated at 9121 Folsom Blvd. and the Carmichael clinic at 3609 Mission Ave., according to the complaint.

Included in the superseding indictment are Zoya Belov, 35, of Carmichael; Nazaret Salmanyan, 27, or Citrus Heights; and Liw Jiaw Saechao, 44, of Sacramento. Belov and Salmanyan were members of the medical staffs at the clinics, and Saechao recruited patients for the clinics, said Lauren Horwood, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Others named in the superseding indictment are Dr. Alexander Popov, 44, of Los Angeles; Dr. Ramanathan Prakash, 63, of Northridge; Dr. Emilio Cruz III, 57, of Los Angeles; Dr. Lana Le Chabrier, 62, of Santa Barbara; Dr. Sol Teitelbaum, 82, of Los Angeles; Migran Petrosyan, 39, of Burbank; Khachatur Arutunyan, 51 of Tujunga; and Shushanik Martirosyan, 43, of Glendale.

Vardges Egiazarian, 60, of Panorama City, the alleged leader of the conspiracy, was named in the original indictment that focused on the activities of the Richmond clinic, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The original indictment also charged Le Chabrier, Petrosyan and Arutunyan, as well as Dr. Derrick Johnson with health-care fraud, according to the release.

Egiazarian entered a guilty plea in August 2009, admitting that fraudulent claims were submitted to Medicare at each of the three clinics, according to the release.

Egiazarian admitted that patients were recruited and transported to the clinic by individuals who were paid according to the number of patients they brought to the facility, according to the release. Rather than being charged a co-payment, the patients generally were paid $100 per visit for their time and the use of their Medicare eligibility.

Some of the patients for whom billings were submitted at the Richmond clinic were deceased on the date they allegedly received services, according to the release.

Egiazarian was sentenced in November 2009 to 6-1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $1.5 million in restitution to Medicare, the release states.

On Sept. 9, 2009, Derrick Johnson entered a guilty plea to the original indictment, according to the release. He admitted that hundreds of the Medicare claims for services he allegedly performed at the Richmond clinic were submitted on his behalf, although he had never set foot in the facility or had any contact with the purported patients. Johnson has yet to be sentenced.

The superseding indictment, returned Thursday, adds a conspiracy charge and allegations relating to the Richmond clinic, and adds the Sacramento and Carmichael clinics. It charges that Drs. Popov, Prakash, Le Chabrier and Cruz each submitted applications to Medicare seeking approval to submit claims for medical services allegedly rendered at the clinics.

Despite approval of the applications and submission of more than $5 million worth of claims to Medicare, none of the doctors provided service or treatment at the clinics, according to the superseding indictment. It also alleges that clinic patients seldom received the services purportedly rendered in the claims. Instead, Medicare-eligible patients were typically given cursory examinations and paid $100 each for their trouble, the release states.

The indictment alleges that the money paid by Medicare on the claims was distributed among members of the conspiracy.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Galt has filed for a temporary restraining order to close a medical marijuana dispensary that opened in the city last week.

The Galt City Council passed an ordinance last year prohibiting medical marijuana facilities. But last week an operation called the Galt Wellness Center set up shop at 520 Lincoln Way.

"They didn't notify the city until they actually opened up," said, said City Manager Jason Behrmann. "We gave them a copy of the ordinance and they didn't have much comment other then to say they were going to continue to operate and we would have to force them out."

On Tuesday the city filed in Sacramento Superior Court seeking a temporary restraining order asking that the court force the closure of the shop.

City officials said they hope to have a hearing on whether they will be granted the temporary restraining order by the end of the week.

Behrmann said the council enacted the local law for public safety. He cited robberies of stores and patrons at California cities that allow the dispensaries to operate as a big reason for the council to opt for a ban.

He said several cities have had similar bans and that other marijuana dispensaries have tested the other municipal ordinances.

"At this point the city ordinances have been upheld," said Behrmann.

However, Sacramento lawyer George Mull, speaking for the Galt Wellness Center, said the Galt law is unconstitutional.

"It is a broader ban than most," he said. "There are many cities that have banned storefront dispensaries. But this bans any two people getting together to exchange marijuana and grow. So a husband and wife who wish to grow for themselves cannot."

Mull said the Galt law goes against Proposition 215, the medical marijuana law passed by California voters in 1996.

"Galt is seeking injunctive relief to stop someone from being there who they feel is not in compliance with their zoning," Mull said. "But what they have done is not to regulate medical marijuana, but ban it."

He said the center is needed because there is no medical marijuana dispensary between Elk Grove and Stockton.

Mull said the Galt Wellness Center will fight the request for a temporary injunction. He said the center is a non-profit collective.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Separate Sacramento Superior Court juries have convicted two defendants of first-degree murder but could not reach a verdict on a third accused killer in the stabbing death of a 23-year-old man last year in Boulevard Park.

The third and final panel told Judge Steve White it was hung up today in its deliberations on Nadine Klein, 21.

They said they were split 9-3 in favor of guilt in the death of Jim Arthur, 23, who prosecutors said suffered 140 stab wounds in the June 3 attack inside his mother's house on 22nd Street.

White declared a mistrial and ordered Klein to return for a retrial on Sept. 16.

Two other juries returned the convictions against Johnathan Allan Baker, 22, and Jeremy Ackerman, 21. Baker, who was convicted May 11, will be sentenced June 4. Ackerman's jury convicted him on Friday. He will be sentenced July 1.

According to evidence at trial, Ackerman and Klein met Arthur and smoked methamphetamine with him. Prosecutors said those two and Baker then planned to rob Arthur's mother's house.

Ackerman told police that during the course of the robbery, Baker began the knife assault on Arthur "because he was gay." Ackerman also said in his interview with detectives that he also stabbed the victim during the attack.

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

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

With sunny weather predicted for the Memorial Day weekend, officials are renewing their warnings about the dangers of entering the regions rivers and waterways without a life jacket.

A new facet of California law requires anyone under 13 on a boat to wear a life jacket, replacing the old law that required it for anyone under 12.

California had 520 boating accidents resulting in 45 deaths in 2008, the National Safe Boating Council said in its annual warning to boaters and others to use life jackets.

Along the American River Parkway, other warnings already have been posted by county parks officials alerting people that during this holiday weekend no alcohol is allowed on the beaches or parks or on the water.

Call The Bee's Sam Stanton, (916) 321-1091.

By Bee Staff

Every available California Highway Patrol officer will be working the roads over the Memorial Day weekend, the CHP said in a news release.

The maximum effort will run from 6 p.m. Friday through 11:59 p.m. Monday, the CHP said.

The CHP hopes drivers will be aware of this effort and drive safely, particularly remembering to wear seat belts.

During this period last year, 45 people were killed on state roads. Nearly half of the vehicle occupants killed within CHP jurisdiction were not wearing a seatbelt, the release states.

The CHP already is participating in the national Click-It or Ticket Campaign which runs through June 6.

"Insist everyone is properly restrained with a seat belt or a child safety seat before starting your engine," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. "Those two seconds could save your life or the life of someone you love."

Drunk drivers also will be targeted. Officers made 1,465 DUI arrests during the Memorial Day weekend last year, the CHP said.

The CHP encourages motorists to report suspected drunk drivers, Farrow said.

To report a suspected DUI, call 9-1-1, Farrow said. Be sure to note the location and direction the suspected drunk driver is traveling, he said. A color, make and model of car are also helpful.

In addition to the maximum enforcement and the seatbelt campaign, the CHP this weekend also will participate in the Operation Combined Accident Reduction Effort.

Operation CARE is a joint program of the nation's highway patrols that places safety emphasis on interstate highways during holiday periods, the CHP said.

Highways in California targeted in this campaign include

Interstates 80, 40, 15 and 5.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are investigating the shooting of a man this morning, possibly in the Valley Hi area, according to authorities.

The man is being treated at Methodist Hospital for a gunshot would to the face, said police spokesman Officer Konrad von Schoech. It's unclear whether the wound is life-threatening, he said.

Police are trying to determine where the shooting occurred, but are investigating a possible shooting scene on Ehrhardt Avenue, von Schoech said.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A burglary suspect was taken into custody this morning at McClellan Business Park after a police pursuit.

At 1:25 a.m. a report was received by Sacramento police about a burglary in progress. The report from a neighbor said that several men were stealing items from a house.

A vehicle was described that police were able to locate and a chase ensued, ending at McClellan Business Park. There, the vehicle crashed into a fence and at least two people fled on foot.

One suspect, bitten by a police dog, was taken into custody. At least one other suspect escaped.

Marijuana and a weapon was found in the vehicle. Also, stolen property from an 11:30 p.m. Monday carjacking on Kesner Avenue in Del Paso Heights was found in the car, police said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A fatal collision this morning on Highway 50 in which a car that ran out of gas was rear-ended at freeway speed is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

At about 12:40 a.m., a 1998 Cheverolet Camaro driven by Rodney Glass, 37, of West Sacramento stopped on westbound Highway 50 in lane four, a transition lane to southbound Interstate 5.

A 52-year-old woman in the front seat of Glass' car did not have her seat belt on. Glass did have his seat belt on and also activated his emergency lights.

At the spot where the car ran out of gas, there are six freeway lanes. A 55-year-old Sacramento man in a Chevrolet El Camino was also westbound and was about to change from lane four to lane three, the CHP said.

The driver looked over his shoulder to view traffic and did not see the Camaro stopped. The El Camino hit the rear end of the Camaro.

Both drivers suffered moderate injuries. The woman was declared dead at the scene.

Her name was being withheld until family members could be notified.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Two Placer County men have been arrested on federal changes involving possession and conspiracy to distribute hydrocodone.

Raymond Reyes, 27, of Lincoln and Brandon Savaloja, 34, of Roseville were indicted by a federal grand jury last week.

The indictment alleges that the two men conspired with each other and other people to distribute the controlled substance to a number of minors within 1,000 feet of the Meadow Vista K-8 Community Independent Study Home School and E.V. Cain Middle School in Auburn, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The indictment also alleges that on eight separate occasions Reyes contacted pharmacies in Rocklin and Lincoln and falsely represented that a physician had authorized prescriptions for hydrocodone. He paid for the prescriptions at the pharmacies with his personal health insurance, although he knew that the prescriptions had not been authorized and that the insurance company should not be responsible for the cost, the news release said.

Reyes and Savaloja also are charged with unlawful possession of a means of identification of another, and Reyes is further charged with aggravated identity theft.

"The combined efforts of the Auburn Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration have made possible the arrest of multiple suspects and greatly impacted the flow of illegal prescription drugs into the Auburn area," Auburn Police Chief Valerie Harris said in the news release. "In addition to the federal case, 16 other persons were arrested in connection with this illicit drug network and charges are pending against eight others."

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man identified by law enforcement officials as a "Sacramaniac" street gang member has been sentenced to eight years and eight months in state prison for identity theft.

Investigators determined that James Moos, 41, victimized his 88-year-old grandmother, stealing cash advance checks from her residence, then kiting them through bank accounts of other victims, according to a news release from the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

In June 2009, Rancho Cordova police responded to a call regarding possible squatters at a residence deemed unsafe to occupy. In searching the scene, officers saw items consistent with check fraud and the manufacture of fraudulent identifications.

Detective from the Sacramento Valley High Tech Task Force were called to assist in the investigation. A search and computer forensic analyses revealed that Moos unlawfully possessed identifying information belonging to dozens of people. Most items were stolen in burglaries of cars, home and mail boxes, the news release says.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A ban preventing all Oakland police officers from participating in future amateur boxing events - prompted by rowdy behavior at a Friday night match at a Sacramento hotel - has been narrowed to three off-duty officers believed to be the instigators, according to authorities.

Officials with the International Amateur Boxing association - which sanctioned the "Badge vs. Badge" boxing match - have forwarded video footage to the Oakland Police Department of the officers shoving other audience members in hopes that the agency can identify the officers by name, said IAB President Steve Fossum.

IAB officials also are waiting to see what, if any, disciplinary actions are taken by the department before deciding whether to pursue a possible assault investigation with local authorities.

The dustup stems from a Friday night event at the Sacramento Radisson called "Badge vs. Badge," a series of matchups between off-duty law enforcement officers from across the state. In the final and most anxiously awaited fight, Oakland police officer Casey Johnson went head-to-head with Larry Ward, who works at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville.

Ward won the fight, upsetting some of Johnson's fellow officers in the crowd, according to the fight's promoter, Tom Gaffney, and Fossum. The anger evolved into some charging and shoving actions, but no punches, they said.

Initially, IAB officials laid a blanket ban over the Oakland Police Department. But after reviewing video footage, they determined that only three individuals were responsible for the problems and that the overall ban should be lifted, Fossum said.

Nobody was hurt in the incident, no property was destroyed and Sacramento police were not called to the Radisson, officials said.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

A 55-year-old man was arrested on drug-related charges in a Yolo County casino parking lot.

Yolo County Sheriff's deputies offered Friday to help Moses Keith Coleman, of Pittsburg, Contra Costa County, who was working on a vehicle in the parking structure at Cache Creek Casino.

After learning Coleman was on parole, the deputy conducted a search and allegedly found a pipe in his pocket. A search of Coleman's vehicle turned up crack cocaine and marijuana, deputies said.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Unorthodox weapons -- a wrench, a cane and a trash can -- were used during a violent incident Sunday afternoon in Natomas.

The fight at an apartment complex in the 3500 block of Winter Park Drive began when a man driving into the parking lot was cut off by another vehicle.

That sparked an argument that escalated. At some point, Jackson Curry, 18, got a cane.

In defense, police say, the motorist cut off when he drove into the complex armed himself with a wrench and was attacked by Curry. The motorist threw the wrench at Curry, striking Curry's vehicle.

That, police said, further angered Curry. Police say Curry then smashed the rear window of the motorist's car with the cane and then threw a trash can on top of the vehicle.

Curry is also suspected of caning the victim, causing numerous welts on the motorist's back. Curry was arrested on suspicion of assault.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A 26-year-old reputed street gang associate pleaded no contest today to the stray-bullet shooting death of Sacramento State student Kebret Tekle three years ago outside a popular Folsom Boulevard night club.

David Allen Falls sighed deeply and waited 15 seconds after Sacramento Superior Court Judge Greta Curtis Fall asked him how he would plead to the reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter. He had been charged with murder.

"No contest," Falls replied, putting his head in his hands and slumping forward onto the table.

Falls is facing a 21-year sentence when he returns to court July 2. Under the terms of his plea bargain, the judge told Falls he can expect to be sentenced to 11 years for his voluntary manslaughter plea and 10 more years on an accompanying gun allegation.

He faced the possibility of a life term in prison if he had been convicted of murder.

Outside court, his family insisted Falls was innocent.

"I think that they know he's innocent," said his sister, Quianna Ray. "The D.A. knows he's innocent."

Deputy District Attorney Jeff Ritschard declined to comment afterward.

Tekle's father, Tekle Sebhatu, said he would have rather seen the case go to trial and that he believes Falls would have been convicted. He said he thought Falls deserves more than 21 years in prison, but that he is confident Ritschard worked out the best possible deal in the case.

"What can you say," Sebhatu said. "There are certain things before the law out of my control, also. The district attorney had the power to look at everything...I trust he did the right thing."

Sebhatu's daughter, an accomplished student and sorority member, was dancing with friends at the old Library night club near the Sacramento State campus when a fight broke out on the dance floor.

Amid the melee, Tekle, 20, and her friends left the club. Outside, one of the combatants got in his car and attempted to run over Falls. Police and prosecutors said that Falls then retrieved a gun and fired in the direction of the car, but that a stray bullet from his gun instead struck Tekle in the head and killed her.

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

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

The feds don't want Christopher Tomsett out of jail.

First Assistant U. S. Attorney Carolyn Delaney agreed last week to the release of the Woodland middle school teacher charged with dealing Internet child pornography. But before he was sprung on $75,000 unsecured bail backed by the signatures of his parents and brother, the FBI agent who investigated Tomsett learned he had been soliciting personal contact with "skinny, smooth-bodied" boys.

Delaney immediately filed a motion to keep Tomsett (photo left), 43, locked up pending trial. The motion is to be heard today by U. S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd.

He was to be freed on electronically-monitored house arrest in an apartment in the Salt Lake City area, where he was to live in the custody of his father.

Attached to the motion are copies of a Craigslist ad allegedly placed by Tomsett and what are described in the motion as samples of e-mail traffic the ad generated. Parts of the e-mails are raw and graphic.

The ad, posted just after 8 p.m. on March 26, reads:

"Hey there, I'm into younger boys - looking to take it slow at first. Tell me more about you and what you want to know about me. Have my own house, so we have a place to go and chill."

At 3:11 a.m. the next day came this reply:

"hey what's up? First you need to know that I'm 16, so feel free to reject me now."

Tomsett messaged back that 16 was not a problem, "but you have to be mature enough to know what you want, and obviously be able to keep this very discrete."

The 16-year-old says he wants to learn oral sex and Tomsett says he is willing to teach him.

The teenager asks where Tomsett lives. He tells him Sacramento, but says he is willing to get a hotel room in the Bay Area "if you don't want to travel too far."

After nearly three hours of back and forth, Tomsett asks, "any chance you could send a face pic? just wondering what you look like. Nice body pics - love skinny smooth boys."
Call The Bee's Denny Walsh, (916) 321-1189.

Previous coverage:

Woodland teacher held in child porn case makes second court appearance - May 15, 2010

Woodland teacher accused of using Web for child porn - May 14, 2010

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Auburn Police are looking for Jose Maravilla, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound, 38-year-old male, in connection with a reported incident of indecent exposure. The incident took place Wednesday on a Placer County Transit bus.

Maravilla is wanted for a parole violation and is described as a dangerous felon.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Auburn Police Department at (530) 823-4237.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá, (916) 321-1987.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Drive-by assailants shot four occupants of a car stopped at a traffic light early today, Sacramento Police reported.

The four victims, none of whom had life-threatening wounds, said they had left a night club and were headed out of the area when they were fired upon at the intersection of Arden Way and Exposition Boulevard at about 2 a.m.

They reported no incidents at the club or any other provocations for the shooting. "That's what they're saying," said Sgt. Norm Leong.

The shots were believed to have come from a burgundy car with tinted windows.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcalá, (916) 321-1987.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A nurse practitioner at a health center in El Dorado County has been arrested on suspicion of sexual battery.

Greg Dales, 59, a Garden Valley resident and longtime employee of the Divide Wellness Center in Georgetown, is accused of sexual battery to one of his patients, according to an El Dorado County Sheriff's Office news release.

The victim, a 38-year-old woman, reported the incident to the Sheriff's Office on May 4. A subsequent investigation led to Dale's arrest Thursday.

He was booked into El Dorado County Jail and has been released on $20,000 bail.

Anyone with information relevant to the case may call detectives at (530) 642-4716 or (530) 642-4710.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A North Highlands man who told fire officials that he was overwhelmed by house repairs has been arrested on suspicion of arson.

Firefighters were called to a structure fire in the 620 block of Melrose Drive, North Highlands, on Thursday. After the fire was extinguished, a fire investigator determined that the blaze had been deliberately set, according to a Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District news release.

In subsequent interviews, fire officials said, resident Jeffery Verplank, 43, admitted he was responsible for the fire, which was set to collect an insurance settlement.

Verplank was arrested on suspicion of arson to an inhabited structure and the use of an accelerant.

He is being held in Sacramento County Jail. Bail is set at $75,000.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

Sacramento County sheriff's homicide detectives are seeking the public's help in finding a man suspected of fatally stabbing a 26-year-old man in Rancho Cordova earlier this week.

Wanted in connection with the death of 26-year-old Jason Carlson is 31-year-old Alfred Jones, whose last known address is in North Highlands but who is known to frequent motels in Rancho Cordova, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

Early Tuesday morning, deputies responded to a call of a stabbing at the Village East apartment complex on Lincoln Village Drive. There they found Carlson, a Rancho Cordova resident, sitting in his car with a stab wound to his chest. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Based on witness statements, Curran said detectives determined that Jones, an acquaintance of Carlson's, stabbed the man, although they have not yet identified a motive.

Jones is described as a 31-year-old black man, 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 152 pounds, according to Curran. Jones has black hair and brown eyes.

According to Sacramento Superior Court records, Jones has an extensive criminal history dating back to 1998 that includes charges of assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and domestic violence. In his most recent case, he pleaded no contest to drug possession in 2005 and was sentenced to 16 months of state prison, records show.

Anyone with information about Jones' whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115, 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

A 60-year-old female inmate at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center died this morning after she apparently had a heart attack at the facility, according to authorities.

About 5 a.m., inmates at RCCC alerted Sacramento County sheriff's deputies that the woman was having a heart attack, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

Deputies summoned the jail's medical staff members, who rendered aid until an ambulance arrived, Curran said. Paramedics transported the woman to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 6:16 a.m., Curran said.

The Sacramento County coroner's office will determine the woman's cause of death. Her name has not been released, pending notification of family.

She has been in custody at RCCC since April 20 and was serving a sentence for possession of a controlled substance, Curran said.

Curran said the department will conduct an inmate-death investigation in accordance with department procedures and state laws.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted a second defendant in the torture murder of a disabled ex-Marine outside a 7-Eleven in Rancho Cordova two years ago.

James Washington, 19, faces a probable life sentence with no chance of parole when Judge Kevin J. McCormick sentences him in the June 7, 2008, beating death of 50-year-old William Deer. The judge set the sentencing date for July 23.

Deer had been sitting on a curb drinking a cup of coffee at 2:15 a.m. when he was confronted by Washington and his partner, Frank Gomez Abella Jr., also 19.

Deer, who was disabled by a motorcycle accident more than 30 years ago, was beaten and stomped to death and shot with a BB gun several times in the face and chest, prosecutors said.

Another jury convicted Abella on Oct. 30. He is scheduled to be sentenced June 25 by Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard.

"This was a vicious torture murder," Deputy District Attorney Sheri Greco said afterward. "The jury's verdict represents justice for the victim and his family."

Defense attorney Chris Haydn-Myer declined to comment.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are seeking the public's help in identifying a man they suspect is responsible for three robberies near the intersection of Stockton Boulevard and Broadway since the end of April.

The man is described as a light-skinned black man, 30 to 40 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall and wearing a black sweatshirt and blue jeans, according to Sacramento police.

Detectives suspect the man in the following incidents:

At 9:05 a.m. on April 30 (left photo below), a man walked into a fast-food business in the 3000 block of Stockton Boulevard and threatened an employee while pointing at an object hidden under his sweatshirt, police said. The man took money and fled.

At 6:42 a.m. on May 2 (top right photo below), a man walked into a fast-food business in the 4600 block of Broadway, jumped on the counter and demanded money while pointing a sharp metal object at an employee, police said. Again, the suspect took money and fled.

At 7:28 p.m. on Wednesday (bottom right photo below), a man walked into a pharmacy in the 2900 block of Stockton Boulevard, pointed a gun at a clerk and demanded money, police said. As the man took money, a part of his gun broke off. Police later determined that the part was a piece of plastic from an "airsoft-type weapon," officials 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.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging a Somerset man with armed robberies of six Central Valley banks, including one in Elk Grove.

The indictment alleges that between March 8 and May 6, Belko Yovanovich, 52, robbed banks in five counties from Bakersfield to Sacramento. In each of the robberies he wore a disguise, was armed with handgun and ordered a teller to give him money, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. He is accused of robbing the U.S. Bank on Laguna Boulevard in Elk Grove on March 29.

As part of his disguise, he wore a curly gray wig, leading authorities to nickname him the "poodle bandit." (left photo)

Yovanovich was arrested after a citizen saw him leaving the Oak Valley Bank in Modesto and called authorities.

He is scheduled for arraignment May 21.

Yovanovich faces a statutory penalty of 25 years in prison for each count.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento jury today awarded $380,000 to a woman who was injured when her car was crushed by the counterweight on the Walnut Grove Bridge.

Total damages for past and future medical expenses plus future pain and suffering amounted to $844,000, but the jury found that plaintiff Shannon Raymond was 45 percent responsible for the Aug. 8, 2006 mishap. The bridge tender was found 10 percent responsible for the accident while the county's liability also was put at 45 percent.

Joseph J. Babich, the attorney for the 38-year-old woman, said the bridge tender advised her to stop on an area of the bridge below the counterweight after she'd turned onto the bridge amid the the flashing of alarm bells.

Defense attorney Brad Thomas said the jury's award was within the range of the county's pre-trial settlement offer. Thomas said he the county will wait for the outcome of post-verdict hearings on the award before deciding whether to appeal.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento police on Thursday arrested two more people in connection with the killing in March of a Natomas High School football coach who walked into a home-invasion robbery.

Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said Tamika Reed (left photo), 22, and Kenneth Owens (right photo), 23, were arrested on charges of murder and robbery in the death of 26-year-old Salvador Heredia-Arriaga.

Reed, the alleged driver of the getaway vehicle, was arrested in Sacramento and Owens, who allegedly coordinated the robbery, was arrested in the Bay Area, Leong said.

Last month, police arrested Maurice Reed Jr., 20, of Union City and a 17-year-old boy for allegedly being involved in Heredia-Arriaga's death.

Police said was visiting friends at a South Natomas apartment on River Plaza Drive on March 26 when he came upon the home-invasion robbery and was shot and killed.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

Previous coverage:

Slain teacher-coach to be awarded posthumous law degree he sought - April 2, 2010

Slain coach's funeral to be held in cathedral - March 31, 2010

Natomas High coach, teacher killed by robbers, Sacramento police say - March 28, 2010

By Chelsea Phua, Cathy Locke and Bill Lindelof
cphua@sacbee.com

Folsom police say the Walmart store manager stabbed by a 13-year-old boy was reported in stable condition on Friday.

Folsom police arrested the boy Thursday after the manager was stabbed in a tussle with the youth who was suspected of shoplifting.

Authorities did not release the teen's name because he is a juvenile.

Police said the teen's parents told authorities that their son confessed to the stabbing that took place shortly before 4 p.m. at the Walmart store on Riley Street.

The parents said they had the knife (right photo) reportedly used in the attack and the BB gun he allegedly stole from the store.

The teen was arrested without incident, police said.

Fellow store employees told police that the manager had spotted the teenager stealing an item and followed him outside, where a struggle ensued.

Police said the teen allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times in the abdomen and torso during the fight.

Passers-by reported seeing the victim drop to the ground.

The teen then ran from the store across Glenn Drive, behind the Folsom Aquatic Center and Lembi Park and onto a bike trail.

The store manager walked to Folsom Fire Station 35, across the street from where the stabbing occurred. Firefighters called police and treated the manager, who was then taken to a hospital.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A judge has suspended criminal proceedings of a woman accused of murder in the shooting death of a man outside a Rancho Cordova convenience store.

According to Sacramento Superior Court records, Lizbeth Colon, 27, pulled out a sawed-off shotgun and blasted Rene Mejia Cruz, 25, in the upper torso in the early-morning hours of Sept. 28, 2008, apparently in a disagreement over cigarette money.

Judge Joseph Orr on Monday suspended criminal proceedings against Colon and ordered her committed to Patton State Hospital for the rest of her life or until she is able to understand her case and assist in its defense.

The judge's decision came after Colon had been examined by three doctors, the court records said.

Defense attorney Linda Parisi had sought the doctors' evaluations.

"The proceedings are so serious that it's really not fair for the person who, as a result of psychological issues, can't concentrate on their case and can't help their lawyer in preparing for their defense," Parisi said today.

Deputy District attorney Shari Greco did not object to the defense request or the judge's ruling.

If Colon is restored to competency, she will be returned to Sacramento to stand trial.

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

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

A judge today postponed a hearing for Phillip and Nancy Garrido until next month, with officials saying a psychiatrist who treated him in the 1990s was delivering her medical records to court as ordered.

The records had not been sent in time for a hearing last month, which sparked today's court session.

Both Garridos were in court briefly today and Nancy Garrido attorney Stephen Tapson said later that the two had taken advantage of a five-minute phone call the court had allowed in May. Tapson said he assumed they spoke about God because "that's what they're into."

They are allowed another five-minute call in June.

The hearing in El Dorado Superior Court in Placerville was yet another procedural matter in a case that has crawled through the justice system since the Garridos were arrested last August and charged in the 1991 kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard when she was 11.

Both have pleaded not guilty to charges that could send them to prison for life, and since August eight hearings have been held involving Phillip Garrido and nine involving his wife, Nancy.

The judge has set Oct. 7 as the date for the start of the preliminary hearing for the two, who are both being held in the El Dorado County Jail and allowed only limited contact with each through five-minute, monthly phone calls that are monitored by authorities.

Call The Bee's Sam Stanton, (916) 321-1091.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man has been arrested in a weekend sexual attack after accounts of the crime prompted a citizen to note apparent similarities between the suspect and a Woodland resident.

A woman managed to escape a would-be rapist after being forced into a car at gunpoint on a main Woodland street at around 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

In an attempt to come up with leads, the Woodland Police Department distributed a press release, conducted interviews with reporters and made public a composite sketch (left) of a suspect.

That all paid off, they said. On Wednesday a citizen who saw the information disseminated by police, particularly the composite drawing and the description of the suspect vehicle, called police with a tip.

Detectives conducted follow-up investigation and identified Horacio Lopez, 29, as a suspect. The victim was driven to Lopez' residence and positively identified him as her attacker, police said.

Lopez was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping with intent to commit rape on Wednesday.

Police provided this account of the Saturday attack:

The woman was walking south on West Street near Buckeye Street when a newer, black sport-utility vehicle approached and the driver asked for directions. When the woman stopped to talk to the driver through the passenger window, he pulled a handgun and ordered her into the SUV.

She got in and the man drove to rural Yolo County, ordering her to undress on the way. After several minutes he pulled into a grove of trees near Interstate 5 and County Road 98.

As the man got out and walked around to the passenger side, the woman attempted to call for help on her cell phone.

He opened the door and tried to pull the woman's pants off while she struggled. The victim managed to break free and ran to I-5 where she waved down a passer-by who took her to safety and called police.

The suspect fled north on County Road 18 in his black SUV.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Three former Rocklin High School students were arrested today in connection with vandalism at the school.

Arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism and conspiracy were Brett Thomas Imwalle, 19, Monika Mee Lin Henderson, 18, and a 17-year-old girl who was not named because she is a juvenile.

The three are accused of painting graffiti on school buildings. The damage, which occurred Friday, is estimated at $20,000, according to a Rocklin Police Department news release.

Police said the investigation is continuing and additional charges are being considered.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Woodland police are looking for a parolee who has been linked to three armed robberies in the city.

Robert Vigil (left photo), 43, is a parolee at large and also is wanted by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, according to a Woodland Police Department news release.

Vigil is described as 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 160 pounds, with short black hair, brown eyes and a "salt and pepper" mustache and goatee. He also has the tattoo "Sleepy" on the web of his left hand.

Police say Vigil is considered to be armed and dangerous, and should not be approached.

Anyone with information regarding Vigil's whereabouts is asked to call the Woodland Police Department at (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800. Callers can remain anonymous.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A teen-age boy was in stable condition at Kaiser South Medical Center after he apparently had been shot in the face by accident Tuesday.

The incident occurred about 3:15 p.m. inside an apartment in the 7800 block of Center Parkway. The boy and two friends, ages 15 to 17, were handling a handgun when it accidentally went off, according to the Sacramento Police Department's daily activity log.

The youth's friends took him to the hospital, where he initially was reported to be in critical condition. His condition was later upgraded.

No information was available on how the youths obtained the gun.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Roseville man was sentenced to five years in state prison for beating a woman until she was unconscious.

Jason Lee Plowden, 31, was sentenced in Placer County Superior Court after he pled to one count of corporal injury to a cohabitant and admitted causing great bodily injury.

Judge Jeffrey Penney on Friday also imposed a decade-long restraining order preventing Plowden from contacting the 43-year-old victim. The woman, who lived with Plowden, has since moved out of state.

Prosecutor Karin Bjork said the victim required stitches near her left eye and the back of her head after the April 2 incident at the couple's Roseville home.

"He struck her in the face with his fists and grabbed her by the hair," Bjork stated in a Placer County district attorney's office press release. "Then he smashed her head into a concrete sidewalk, causing her to lose consciousness for a brief moment."

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

By Denny Walsh and Sam Stanton
dwalsh@sacbee.com

As long as he's going to be stuck in jail, tomato king Frederick Scott Salyer would like his $300,000 back.

In a request filed in U.S. District Court, Salyer's lawyers are asking for the return of the cash bond he posted March 29 while he was trying to win release on bail.

The court had ordered him to post a personal surety bond of $6 million secured by property in Pebble Beach and $300,000 in cash.

The $300,000 was lent to Salyer from his two daughters' trust accounts, and the trustee has "requested that the funds be returned to the trusts pending further bail proceedings," Salyer's lawyers wrote.

A dispute with his ex-wife over the Pebble Beach mansion his daughters own has kept him from making bail, and he remains at the Sacramento County Jail, where his adjustment has been difficult.

His lawyers have complained that his diabetes acted up after he was jailed and that he cannot defend himself properly from jail against racketeering, bribery and conspiracy charges stemming from his operation of SK Foods LP.

He recently faced questions over items brought in as "Atty client" mail that included a nail file and a photo of a girlfriend who was "naked, holding two tomatoes in front of her body," papers filed by prosecutors disclosed.

Call The Bee's Denny Walsh, (916) 321-1189.

Previous coverage:

Sacramento County suspect had naked tomato photo in jail - May 12, 2010

Grand jury adds new federal charges against tomato baron - April 30, 2010

Grand jury to add charges to Salyer case - April 28, 2010

Jailed tomato mogul's recorded phone calls full of venom for ex-wife - April 14, 2010

Judge in Sacramento rescinds tomato magnate's bail order - March 31, 2010

Defense says diabetes should get tomato exec out of Sacramento jail - March 25, 2010

Lawyer for tomato exec Salyer cites fraud case's complexity in urging bail - March 19, 2010

Indicted tomato businessman again seeks release on bail - March 17, 2010

Tomato king sees his empire crumble - March 14, 2010

Key players in the Salyer case - March 14, 2010

Food executive Salyer denied bail in Sacramento federal court - March 4, 2010

SK Foods magnate Salyer hears charges in racketeering case - Feb. 27, 2010

Arrested tomato magnate to appear in Sacramento court - Feb. 26, 2010

SK Foods magnate Salyer indicted on racketeering charges - Feb. 19, 2010

Judge orders SK Foods magnate sent to capital - Feb. 6, 2010

FBI arrests SK Foods owner on fraud charges - Feb. 5, 2010

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is hosting a community meeting tonight, the second of two gatherings organized by officials to educate the public about the agency's budget.

Tonight's meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the AT&T building at 2700 Watt Avenue, south of Marconi Avenue.

Sheriff's officials will discuss how and where the department spends money, how the budget was impacted by last year's budget cuts, and the decisions leaders face if they are forced to make more cuts.

The first such meeting was held in south Sacramento County on Monday night. Tonight's meeting is aimed at north county residents, although all residents are welcome.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

West Sacramento police have determined that a suspicious suitcase left near a park this morning did not contain a bomb.

Police were called at 6:30 a.m. today to Cummins Way and Hardy Road, near the entrance to Elkhorn Park, on a report of a suitcase leaning against a sign.

The suitcase was X-rayed, which revealed that electronic components were inside, police said. The bomb technician used a remote-controlled water cannon to blow apart the suitcase.

It appears that the contents were innocuous computer components, police said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Citrus Heights man was arrested by police who said he was making rude gestures at women and threatening neighbors with a fake gun.

Federico Benito Chan, 42, is in custody at the Sacramento County Jail today, booked on suspicion of making threats, brandishing an imitation firearm and resisting arrest.

Citrus Heights police said they received a report of a man with a gun was in the 5800 block of Sunrise Vista Drive about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Officers arrived and were told by citizens that a man later identified as Chan was making "rude gestures at young female adults," stated a police press release.

Chan also allegedly made threats at neighbors and brandished what turned out to be a fake gun, police said.

Officers evacuated nearby apartments and tried to get Chan to surrender but eventually entered his apartment and found him in the living room. Officers used a stun gun to take him into custody when he did not comply with their commands.

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

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Kevin William Ridenour of Westwood, Lassen County, was sentenced Monday by U. S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. to an additional year and four months behind bars for violating the terms of his supervised release.

Ridenour, 24, pleaded guilty in April 2007 to felony interference with the housing rights of the Rev. Bernardin Mugabowakigeri, a native of Rwanda, because of Ridenour's hatred of black people.

According to court papers filed by Assistant U. S. Attorney Jared Dolan, has since been in constant hot water with probation authorities, violating the terms of his release three times since his Jan. 25, 2009 release.

Call The Bee's Denny Walsh, (916) 321-1189.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Yolo Superior Court jury has convicted a West Sacramento man of possessing child pornography and failing to register as a sex offender.

Phil Douglas Reese, 45, was arrested Aug. 29, 2009, near West Capitol Avenue by the West Sacramento Police Department's Community Response Team. When arrested, he had a laptop computer that was turned on in his truck, according to a news release from the Yolo County District Attorney's Office.

Police officers saw that there were numerous child pornographic movies on the computer. The Yolo County District Attorney's Child Sexual Predator Unit examined the computer and found more than 20 such movies on the hard drive.

As part of the investigation, the West Sacramento Police Department determined that Reese lived in Riverside County without notifying the West Sacramento department of his change of address. Since 2003, Reese has been required to register as a sex offender for an Internet crime conviction involving a minor from Stanislaus County. In that case, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department arrested Reese for communicating through the Internet with what he believed was a 13-year-old girl for the purpose of meeting with her for sexual intercourse, the news release said. The "13-year-old girl" was an undercover officer.

Reese faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in state prison. He is to be sentenced June 18.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An Orland man has pleaded guilty in federal court to interfering with an aircraft by pointing a laser beam at a California Highway Patrol helicopter.

Duane Nighswander, 44, entered the guilty plea today before United States District Court John A. Mendez, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

On Oct. 21, 2009, the CHP conducted a felony traffic stop near Nighswander's home, according to court documents. Two CHP officers, both licensed pilots, were providing aerial support in a helicopter approximately 700 feet above the ground.

A laser beam was pointed from the ground at the helicopter at least four times, affecting the pilots' vision and ability to control the aircraft, the news release said. Both pilots reported being unable to see during portions of their flight, and one reported a lingering headache severe enough that he was unable to pilot an aircraft for several hours after the incident.

The pilots suffered the effects at different times so were able to work together to keep the helicopter in the air and to identify the source of the laser.

Officers on the ground confronted Nighswander, who eventually admitted pointing a laser at the helicopter and directed officers to where he had hidden the device in his garage.

Nighswander had researched powerful green laser devices and purchased one with a range of up to seven miles, the news release said. When he heard the helicopter near his house, he decided to see whether he could make the pilot "react" to the laser.

Nighswander is scheduled for sentencing Aug. 3. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and a three-year term of supervised release.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Woodland middle school teacher Christopher Tomsett, charged in federal court with Internet distribution of child pornography, has been ordered released to the custody of his family in Utah and placed on electronically monitored house arrest.

Tomsett, 43, will be in his father's custody in a Salt Lake City area apartment. His brother will act as a back-up custodian. His parents and brother will guarantee a $75,000 unsecured bond.

He is barred from access to the Internet.

Call The Bee's Denny Walsh, (916) 321-1189.

Previous coverage:

Woodland teacher accused of using Web for child porn - May 14, 2010

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Roseville barber who authorities say continued to commit crimes while on probation has been sentenced to 13 years in state prison after pleading guilty to selling cocaine out of the shop where he worked.

Darin Durel Blockton (photo left), 24, was sentenced Friday by Placer Superior Court Judge Mark S. Curry, who revoked Blockton's probation and fined him $5,000, according to a news release from the Placer County District Attorney's office.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Suzanne Gazzaniga said Blockton was placed on probation in Placer County in 2006 for transporting cocaine.

"While he was on probation, he continued to commit crimes in both Placer and Sacramento counties," Gazzaniga said in the news release.

Blockton received two additional grants of probation in Placer County and also was given probation in Sacramento County for participating in street gang activity, Gazzaniga said.

Last year, the Roseville Police Department received a tip that Blockton, a barber, was selling drugs out of his shop. He was placed under surveillance and on April 30, 2009, police observed a drug deal between Blockton and a man who drove into the shop's parking lot.

After the transaction, officers followed the car and later stopped the driver, who tossed a baggie of cocaine underneath the vehicle as he got out, Gazzaniga said. Blockton was found at the barbershop with $1,713 in cash.

Cell phone and text messages between Blockton and the driver indicated that the two had arranged a drug deal, Gazzaniga said.

She said Blockton could face additional incarceration for violating probation in Sacramento County.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Sacramento police say a spare tire is to blame for an explosion inside a parked car that closed a block of 28th Street for a while this afternoon.

"A spare tire blew out," Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said. "We don't know whether it was overinflated."

Leong said a loud explosion was reported about 1:30 p.m. Area business owners said their windows shook, and when they looked outside it appeared that a Cadillac had exploded from the inside.

The bomb squad was called to the scene to make sure there were no other explosive elements before police began their investigation. The block of 28th Street between N and O streets was closed and people were advised to stay inside businesses until the bomb squad finished its work.

No one was injured and damage was limited to the car. Leong said the explosion blew out one side of the back seat.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke and Bill Lindelof
clocke@sacbee.com

The man whose body was found on westbound Interstate 80 near Watt Avenue this morning has been identified as Adan Brock, 50, of Sacramento.

The California Highway Patrol is seeking the public's help in determining the circumstances that led to his death.

Brock's body was found about 5:30 a.m. The CHP reported that a preliminary investigation indicates Brock was struck by vehicle and thrown to the center divider. No vehicles stopped at the scene.

Law enforcement was initially unsure how the he died. Officers believe his death may be related to earlier reports from citizens to dispatchers.

About 12:20 a.m. the CHP communications center received calls of a pedestrian in dark clothing walking in or near the traffic lanes on westbound I-80 east of Watt Avenue.

CHP officers responded to the area about 12:36 a.m. but could not find the pedestrian.

At 5:30 a.m. the CHP received calls about a body in the center divider. Officers found the body lying near the concrete median wall.

The left lane of I-80 just east of Watt Avenue was closed for approximately two and a half hours. The death is still under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call the Special Investigations Unit at the North CHP Area office, (916) 338-6710.

Callers can remain anonymous ad may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $1,000. To leave an anonymous tip, call (916) 443-4357, or (800) 222-7463, or text 274637 (CRIMES) SACTIP.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Woodland police are investigating the attempted kidnapping of a woman this morning as she was waiting for a bus.

Officers responded to a report of a suspicious encounter at 7:28 a.m.

A Woodland woman told police she was waiting for the Yolo County Bus in front of 1500 East Main Street when she was approached by two men in a late model, two-door vehicle. The driver asked for directions to Davis.

While the woman was standing near the passenger door, the passenger grabbed her sleeve and pulled her toward the vehicle, according to a Police Department news release. She was able to pull away, and the vehicle immediately drove off.

The woman was not injured.

The driver of the vehicle was described as Hispanic, in his early 20s, clean shaven, with a thin build, black hair and brown eyes, and wearing a red short-sleeve shirt and dark pants.

The passenger was described as Hispanic, also in his early 20s and clean shaven, with a thin build, black hair and brown eyes, and wearing a dark blue long-sleeve shirt and blue denim pants.

The vehicle was described as a black, late model, lowered two-door Honda, with a louver on the back window. It was last seen traveling north on Pioneer Avenue from East Main Street.

Another woman was the victim of kidnapping and attempted sexual assault Saturday after a driver stopped her as she walked along a Woodland street and asked for directions.

In that incident, the woman was forced into the vehicle at gunpoint and driven to a rural area of Yolo County where the man tried to rape her. She was able to break free and run to I-5, where she flagged down a passer-by who took her to safety and called police.

Sgt. Anthony Cucchi said police don't know whether today's incident is related to Saturday's kidnapping and attempted rape.

Two men were involved today and only one in the Saturday incident, he said. Cucchi said the vehicle descriptions also are different. In Saturday's kidnapping, the man was driving a newer, black sport utility vehicle.

Police urge anyone with additional information regarding the investigation to call the Woodland Police Department at (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800. Callers can remain anonymous.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Authorities have identified the man who was shot by Sacramento police after he allegedly fired a nail gun at officers as 32-year-old Nilesh Krishna.

Krishna, who was shot multiple times, is in fair condition at UC Davis Medical Center, said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

No officers were injured in the incident, which began about 3:20 p.m. Monday when a caller alerted police that a man on the 3100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard was brandishing a crossbow and threatening to shoot the caller, according to police.

Officers could not locate the man, but they were called to the scene again shortly after 6 p.m. when the man returned. He was confrontational with officers and brandished both a crossbow and a sledgehammer at officers, police said. He fired a nail gun at the officers, police said.

Officers used a stun gun on him but it was not successful and so two officers fired their handguns, police said. The suspect retreated into a detached garage but later was taken into custody.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Folsom police said the arrest of a prison parolee began with an anti-theft alert on a stolen truck and ended with an attempted nap.

Police gave this account:

An officer patrolling about 12:30 p.m. Monday on East Bidwell Street near Oak Avenue Parkway picked up an alert on his LoJack monitoring unit.

LoJack systems are hidden on some vehicles. When a vehicle theft is reported to police, the LoJack is activated, which emits a signal.

Police cars are equipped to listen for the signal. The LoJack alert led the Folsom officer to a white GMC 2004 truck on Greenback Lane near Walnut Avenue.

Folsom police tried to stop the truck at Greenback and Hazel Avenue. The driver fled in the truck until it crashed into a parked van at Trajan Drive and Greenback Lane in Orangevale (see Folsom Police Department photo below).

The driver and a passenger in the truck then jumped out. The passenger was apprehended by the owner of the van and arriving officers.

The driver is suspected of making his way to nearby Wedgefield Way where police said he broke into a house. He was found by Sacramento County Sheriff's Department police dog teams and Folsom officers.

"The stress of fleeing police and crashing caused the driver to attempt to take a nap in the resident's bed," stated a Folsom police news release.

Tony Solomon (photo left), 31, of Folsom was arrested on suspicion of evading a police officer, vehicle theft, possession of a dangerous weapon and committing a crime while on bail, the release states.

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

Q: What is the status of Aaron Crisp and his father's murder?

A: The slayings of Crisp, 15, and his father, Michael Gregory Crisp, 48, on Oct. 31, 2007 have not been solved.

The two were found dead inside their North Highlands home about 9:20 p.m. that night. They were killed with a shotgun, according to Bee reports.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have arrested a suspect in the mysterious 4-year-old gunshot slaying of a man killed during a visit to Sacramento to see his son.

Joseph Wayne Bush, 38 had driven nearly 2,000 miles from Illinois to visit his young son. He was killed Feb. 10, 2006, two days after arriving in Sacramento, authorities said.

Bush was killed during an attempted carjacking, according to a Police Department news release.

Bush was found slumped over the steering wheel of his gray Toyota Camry in the parking lot of a shopping center in the 6000 block of Mack Road.

Police initially didn't find a motive or a suspect.

Last year detectives received information in the cold case that led them to revisit the homicide, police said.

Based on witness information and forensic evidence, detectives believe that Taurus Aquarius Baker (photo left), 20, killed Bush during an attempted carjacking, according to the release.

Baker would have been 16 years old at the time of the shooting.

He was arrested Monday without incident by the Career Criminal Apprehension Team near Laguna and Franklin boulevards.

Baker was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of homicide, robbery and attempted carjacking.

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

By Bill Lindelof and Chelsea Phua
blindelof@sacbee.com

No motive or suspects have been found in the death of a 26-year-old man who was stabbed early this morning at a Rancho Cordova apartment complex.

Sacramento County coroner's officials have identified the man as Jason Carlson.

Rancho Cordova Police Department officers were called to the Village East complex in the 9800 block of Lincoln Village Drive at 3:50 a.m.

Officers said they found Carlson in a vehicle in the parking lot with a knife wound in his chest. Officers performed CPR on the Rancho Cordova man until paramedics arrived.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital at 5 a.m.

Homicide detectives have determined that Carlson "was stabbed after an altercation with an unknown suspect," according to a department news release.

A man and a woman were detained for questioning in the homicide, a department spokesman said.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at (916) 874-5057 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A 32-year-old man on Monday night forced a standoff with Sacramento police after he allegedly shot a nail gun at them, prompting them to fire their weapons, before he barricaded himself in a detached Oak Park garage for two hours.

The man, who has not been identified, was eventually taken into custody about 8:30 p.m. with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. A K9 dog had also bit him.

Department spokesman Konrad von Schoech said the stand-off began shortly after 6 p.m., when officers arrived in the 3100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Earlier in the day, about 3:20 p.m. officers had responded to the same area to reports of a man brandishing a crossbow on the street and threatening the 911 caller. They could not find the man then, but took a report and left.

Officers returned in the evening when the man was spotted again. This time, officers found him in the garage of a home on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Seventh Avenue. The man was confrontational and brandished a crossbow and a sledgehammer at officers, police said.

Officers deployed a Taser at the man, but it didn't stop him. The man allegedly picked up a nail gun and fired at officers, police said.

Fearing for their safety, two officers shot at the man with their duty weapons, von Schoech said. He then retreated back to the garage, where the standoff began. Police were unclear for a while if he was hurt by the gunfire.

Officers from the SWAT and hostage negotiations teams were called to the scene. The SWAT team used a pole camera, which showed the man lying on the floor of the garage with one hand underneath his body. Officers asked the suspect to show his hands, but he did not comply. Officers feared he had a weapon, so they sent a K9 dog inside the garage. The dog bit him, forcing him to reveal his hidden hand. He was then taken into custody.

Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said the suspect was conscious and talking when paramedics took him to the UC Davis Medical Center.

The two officers involved in the shooting, both three-year veterans, were placed on paid administrative leave as a matter of policy.

Police cordoned off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from Broadway to Ninth Avenue for several hours, as curious onlookers and neighbors evacuated from homes near the standoff gathered outside the crime scene tapes.

The suspect's family members were on the scene, talking to officers. They declined media interviews.

William Thomas, who lives next door to where the suspect had barricaded himself, said before the gunfire, he saw officers in his back yard through his bathroom window.

He asked if everything was all right, and the officer told him, "Just get back in the house and stay back."

A few minutes later, Thomas said he heard the guns go off and he fell flat onto the floor in his house with his face down.

"They lit that house up," Thomas said, adding that soon after police asked him to evacuate his house.

Monifa Gaines, who lives on Seventh Avenue a few houses away from where the man barricaded himself, returned home from work to find several police cars in front of her tidy front yard. She was not able to get inside the house, but made the best of the situation by trying to get pictures of the SWAT team's van with her cell phone.

She said she's just glad that her two children, ages 14 and 12, are with their grandmother.

"I was looking forward to a hot bubble bath," Gaines said. "Now I'm sitting out here watching 'COPS' live."

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An Antelope man has pleaded guilty in the Feb. 4 hit-and-run death of a pedestrian on Interstate 80 in Roseville.

Jeremy Sam Sarguis (left photo), 20, changed his plea to guilty to two counts of conspiracy and one count of leaving the scene of an accident in which a death occurred, according to a news release from the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

Vickie Janell Scott, 47, of Grass Valley was killed in the 4:30 a.m. accident on Interstate 80 at Atlantic Street. She had been seen walking on the freeway earlier in the morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Sarguis turned himself in to authorities hours after the accident and pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment several days later.

The criminal complaint filed by the District Attorney's Office alleged that Sarguis conspired with two passengers in his vehicle to fix the damage to the car and clean the vehicle. The complaint also alleged that he and the others agreed to give a false information to law enforcement officers.

Deputy District Attorney Jeff Wilson said the case against the two passengers is under review.

Placer Superior Court Judge Robert P. McElhany ordered Sarguis to return for sentencing June 28.

Sarguis faces a state prison sentence of five years and four months.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Timothy Cloud, a 62-year-old transient, pleaded guilty today to sending anthrax-hoax letters, threatening President Obama and failing to register as a sex offender.

The guilty was entered before United States District Judge William B. Shubb in Sacramento.

According to the plea agreement, Cloud admitted that he sent hoax mailings addressed to Social Security Administration offices in New York, Kansas City, Mo., and Baltimore. Each contained a white powdery substance and an index card with the words "you stole my money" and "die," according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Police, fire and hazardous material teams responded to emergency calls at each location, and employees had to be quarantined and affected areas decontaminated.

Cloud also admitted making threats against the president.

In addition, Cloud admitted that because of a conviction in Texas, he was required to register as a sex offender in California and that he did not do so.

The case resulted from investigations by the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service, the Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Cloud is to be sentenced by Judge Shubb on Aug. 2. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for sending hoax mailings and making threats to the President. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for failing to register as a sex offender.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

Previous coverage:

California defendant claims anthrax hoax was his retirement plan - May, 7, 2010

Transient faces charges in Sacramento over threats - April 30, 2010

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Roseville police are asking for help identifying a man who robbed a bank Friday.

The man walked up to the counter of a River City Bank branch inside the Bel Air supermarket at Sunrise Avenue and Cirby Way about noon and handed the bank employee a note demanding money, according to Roseville Police Department news release. The man took the money and left the store.

The man (left photo) was described as white, in his 30s, 6 feet tall and with a medium build. He had short brown hair and "scruffy" facial hair, including a mustache and goatee. He wore a black ball cap, sunglasses, a black San Francisco Giants jersey and blue jeans.

No one was injured in the robbery.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Roseville Crime Stoppers at (916) 783-7867. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward for tips leading to an arrest.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Jack Louis Sporich, a 75-year-old pedophile who authorities believe victimized as many as 500 children before abruptly moving to Cambodia, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Los Angeles to sexual conduct with two 12-year-old boys in Southeast Asia.

Sporich, who was the focus of a 2006 Bee series on California's failed efforts to treat sexually violent predators, entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that could send him to prison for 10 years and fine him as much as $30,000, money that would be placed in a fund for the two boys.

Sporich, a wealthy engineer who was building a $1.2 million home in the resort community of Siem Reap, is accused of luring the boys to the home, which included a swimming pool and water slide. Court documents indicate he had been seen driving the streets of the community on a motorbike dropping currency on the street for children to pick up.

Sporich moved to Cambodia in November 2008 after what authorities said was a series of molestations in the United States that began in the 1960s. He was convicted in Ventura County on seven counts of molestation and spent nine years in prison.

Upon completion of his sentence, Sporich was declared a sexually violent predator and sent to Atascadero State Hospital. He refused treatment there and eventually won release in May 2004 after two juries were unable to agree on whether he was likely to re-offend.

He left California for an upscale condo in Sedona, Ariz., where he was visited by Bee reporters and insisted he was not a threat to anyone.

He was arrested in Cambodia last February and brought back to the United States in late August under the auspices of "Operation Twisted Traveler," an international law enforcement effort aimed at "sex tourists" victimizing juveniles overseas.

Call The Bee's Sam Stanton, (916) 321-1091.

Previous coverage:

Child molester expelled from Cambodia, is in U.S. custody Sept. 1, 2009

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is hosting a community meeting tonight to discuss the impact of last year's budget cuts and the potential effects of future cuts.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will take place at the Central Division's community room at 7000 65th Street, near Florin Road.

A second meeting is scheduled for Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at the AT&T building at 2700 Watt Avenue, south of Marconi Avenue.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Yolo County Coroner's Office has identified a driver who died after a single-vehicle accident Sunday in western Yolo County.

Tom Serafini, 53, of Winters, died after his vehicle left a rural county road about 10 p.m. and ran into a field. The coroner's department said he was ejected from the vehicle and was not wearing a seatbelt.

There were no passengers and alcohol was not suspected to be a factor, a California Highway Patrol officer said.

The accident occurred near the intersection of County Road 88 and County Road 29, near the city of Winters.

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

View Larger Map

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police say that a burglary suspect collared by a Northgate resident was caught wearing a shirt and belt he stole from the victim during an earlier break-in.

Police said residents of the home, in the 2900 block of Camarillo Drive, have been burglarized several times since they moved in a week or so ago.

When they came home about 8 p.m. Sunday, they found their home was being targeted once again. A 16-year-old resident, who apparently had had enough, grabbed a baseball bat and chased one suspected burglar down the street.

The teen was able to capture the man and bring him back to his home for police.

Police arrested Sondray Willylee Jasper, 18, on suspicion of burglary, receiving stolen property and conspiracy.

When the victim looked at the suspect closely, he noticed that Jasper was wearing his shirt and belt, which were stolen the night before.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindeof@sacbee.com

A 3-year-old boy abducted by his mother during a supervised visit on Sunday has been found.

Little Cortrele Clayton was found at 8:45 a.m. this morning by Elk Grove Police Department detectives at a home in Sacramento.

Police say Latoya Washington, 24, handed her son to an unidentified man during a visit Sunday in the 8700 block of Elk Grove Blvd. He ran away with the child. All three drove away in a white two-door 1996 Toyota Celica. The license number was 4PCZ873, according to reports. The driver was Antoinette Cox, Washington's mother, said officers.

Elk Grove police said today that Washington still has not been located. The child has been turned over to Child Protective Services.

Washington does not have legal custody of the child and therefore took the child illegally, said a press release from the department.

Anyone with information about this incident should call the Elk Grove Police Department at (916) 714-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers to Crime Alert can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

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

Cortrele Clayton

Latoya Washington

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Weapons, threats and shootings dominated the weekend in the city of Sacramento, where some victims successfully followed their assailants and called police for help and where others weren't so lucky.

The bloodiest incident began at 10:30 p.m. Saturday on the 3900 block of Haywood Street in the Del Paso Heights area where four people were shot in what started as a domestic disturbance between a man and a woman, according to the city police department's daily activity log.

Here's how it played out:

When the domestic disturbance began, a brother of the woman intervened, broke up the argument, then left and returned later with friends, police said.

One of the friends had a pistol, police said. A struggle began and the handgun went off.

By the time police arrived, a 24-year-old woman was laying in the street with a gunshot wound to her leg. A 22-year-old man had a gunshot wound to his chest. Two other women had gunshot wounds to a finger and a leg.

Police said the man with the chest wound was hospitalized and now faces weapons charges.

Citizen cops

Victims in two other incidents fared better after tracking suspects and calling police.

On the 2600 block of River Plaza Drive in Natomas, a motorist complained that another man brandished a handgun at him while driving at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The victim followed the suspect to his apartment complex where both coincidentally live.

He watched the alleged perpetrator park his own car when the suspect again allegedly brandished his handgun, police said.

The victim called police and gave them a description and license plate information.

When cops arrived, they arrested 57-year-old Ronald Fitzhugh.

In the other case, a woman in the parking lot of a Wells Fargo Bank in North Natomas complained that her car was hit by another vehicle whose driver kept going.

The victim in the 1 p.m. Saturday incident followed the other motorist to her home and then alerted police.

The responding officer discovered that the accused motorist actually had hit three different vehicles on her way out of the bank parking lot, police reported.

The woman was cited for misdemeanor hit and run.

Home invasion

Police also dealt with a home invasion, and in another case, a vehicle pursuit over the weekend.

Shortly before 1 a.m. today, occupants of an apartment in the 1200 block of U Street told police they were entertaining friends. But when the visitors left via the back door, the man was assaulted by three other men outside. He ran, and his female friend ran back inside the apartment, police said.

The three male suspects came into the apartment too. One had a gun, police said. Another had a knife. And they demanded money.

Authorities said they took cash and personal items before fleeing.

Car chase

Police said the vehicle pursuit incident began at 1:20 a.m. today in Oak Park with a large fight involving a gun being brandished in the 4900 block of 14th Avenue. The armed suspect climbed into a Tan Cutlass, police said.

A short while later, a vehicle matching the description was seen traveling north on Stockton Boulevard headed toward Broadway.

When police followed, the driver raced away, then fled on foot at Fairgrounds. He was arrested after a short chase, police said.

But a passenger in the vehicle slid into the driver's seat and continued fleeing. That driver turned off his headlights, driving south on 53rd Street, finally crashing into a fence and a tree at 14th Avenue.

Police arrested the two additional passengers in the car. And an officer and his K9 partner apprehended the second driver who was hiding in the engine compartment of a gutted out truck.

Bad karma

Finally, a 27-year-old man parked his car on the 2900 block of 38th Avenue shortly before 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

Police said the man intended to buy drugs and gave money to a friend who left to get the drugs for him.

While he waited, however, another man approached him, brandished a handgun and demanded his wallet

The victim handed over the wallet, police said, and the suspect walked away.

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

By Robert Lewis
rlewis@sacbee.com

A woman managed to escape a would-be rapist after being forced into a car at gunpoint on a main Woodland street at around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, according to the Woodland Police Department.

Police gave this account of events:

The woman was walking south on West Street near Buckeye Street when a newer, black sport utility vehicle approached and the driver asked for directions. When the woman stopped to talk to the driver through the passenger window, he pulled a handgun and ordered her into the SUV.

She got in and the man drove to rural Yolo County, ordering her to undress on the way. After several minutes he pulled into a grove of trees near Interstate 5 and County Road 98.

As man got out and walked around to the passenger side, the woman attempted to call for help on her cell phone.

He opened the door and tried to pull the woman's pants off while she struggled. The victim managed to break free and ran to I-5 where she waved down a passer-by who took her to safety and called police.

The suspect is believed to be a Hispanic male in his late 20s or early 30s, about 5 feet 4 inches to 5 feeti 6 inches tall and weighing about 160 to 180 pounds, with short black hair and a thin mustache. He has two silver caps on his front teeth, according to police.

He fled north on County Road 18 in his black SUV.

The attack comes weeks after incidents in which young school girls reported being followed home from Freeman Elementary School by suspicious men. The victim of Saturday's kidnapping was over 18 and the suspect description is different from the other cases, Sgt. Steven Sexton said.

Saturday's incident did, however, happen in the same vicinity as the other cases.

"Whether they're connected or not we don't know," Sgt. Sexton said.

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

Call The Bee's Robert Lewis, (916) 321-1061.

By Bee Staff

Woodland police said late today that contact between a 13-year-old girl and an older man turned out to be an "innocent encounter."

The girl reported that she was walking in the area of Ammons Street and Powers Circle Friday after 7 p.m. She told police she was confronted by a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s.

After he asked her name, the girl became frightened and walked away. When she noticed he was following her, she ran home.

Woodland Officers located and spoke with a male matching the description given in the earlier press release. The male was found based upon information given from an anonymous tipster, police said.

After conducting an investigation, "it was determined that this was an innocent encounter and no criminal charges were applicable. The original reporting party was notified of the updated information," according to a Police Department news release.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Woodland Police Department at (530) 661-7800.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 60-year-old Santa Rosa School District bus driver has been arrested on suspicion of molesting a 13-year-old boy at a Sacramento motel in February.

Detectives with the Sacramento Sheriff's Department's Child Abuse Bureau arrested Petaluma resident Richard "Butch" Guillen on Thursday in the parking lot of the Bodega Bay Marina while he was transporting school children on a field trip, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

The victim rode a bus driven by Guillen to and from school, and Guillen befriended the youth, officials said. In February, the boy was allowed to travel with Guillen to Sacramento to stay overnight to attend a auto show. Guillen is accused of providing the youth with alcohol and sexually molesting him during the overnight stay.

The boy reported the incident to his mother, and the mother contacted the Santa Rosa Police Department, which took the initial report. Because the alleged incident occurred in the Sacramento area, the report was forwarded to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Following Guillen's arrest, detectives served a search warrant on his home. Items seized during the search include hundreds of photographs from many Santa Rosa high school sporting events, the news release says.

Sheriff's detectives believe other children may have been victimized by Guillen in the Santa Rosa/Petaluma area. They say befriended and "mentored" other children, particularly young teenage boys. He also frequented Santa Rosa area skate parks and malls, officials said.

Anyone who believes their child may have been victimized by Guillen is asked to call the Santa Rosa Police Department's Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Unit at (707) 543-3595 and reference Santa Rosa Police Department report No. 10-2667.

Guillen was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, contacting a minor with intent to commit certain offenses, and child molestation. He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail and is to be arraigned Monday.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A former Rocklin gas station employee has been sentenced to prison for stealing more than 2,000 credit card numbers.

United States District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. sentenced Pavel Abramyan, 27, of Rancho Cordova to 3 1/2 years in federal prison for possessing stolen credit card numbers, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release. Abramyan pleaded guilty Oct. 15, 2009.

According to the plea agreement, Abramyan admitted that he had been employed at a Rocklin gas station from May 10 through July 7, 2007. Customers of the gas station indicated that during that time the pump-side card reader frequently wasn't functioning and they had to leave their credit cards with an attendant while they pumped gas.

On Nov. 13, 2007, Abramyan bought more than $2,000 worth of merchandise from a Babies-R-Us store in Roseville using three credit cards purported to be his own. The accounts, however, belonged to customers of the Rocklin gas station.

During a search of Abramyan's home, officers found a magnetic stripe card reader with instructions and a software operation guide, a computer, a floppy disk reader and floppy disks. Abramyan also possessed eight credit cards in his own name but with account information programmed into the magnetic strip that did not belong to him, according to the news release.

The floppy disks contained account information from more than 2,000 credit card accounts, none of which belonged to Abramyan.

As part of his plea agreement, Abramyan forfeited all of the seized computer equipment to the government.

The case resulted from an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

A Woodland teacher who allegedly confessed to FBI agents that he distributed child pornography on the Internet made his second appearance in federal court today.

Christopher Tomsett, 43, remains in the Sacramento County Jail after his bail hearing was postponed. Tomsett, escorted into court in an orange jail jumpsuit and leg irons, is a seventh-grade English teacher and soccer coach at Douglass Middle School in Woodland.

FBI agents arrested Tomsett on Thursday and accused him of using the Internet to receive, distribute and possess child pornography.

If convicted, Tomsett would serve a minimum of 10 years and maximum of 20 years in prison.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 325-5521.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Sacramento police announced the arrest this morning of a man in connection with the May 8 shooting death of Xavier Gallegos in north Sacramento.

Douglas Rivas, 20, was arrested at 9:15 a.m. at his home in the 3300 block of Horseshoe Drive in the Arden-Arcade area on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Detectives believe the homicide was gang related, according to a Sacramento Police Department news release.

At 7:48 a.m. May 8, officers responded to a report of a large fight with two people shot at Dixieanne Avenue and Oakmont Street. Gallegos, 21, died at the scene.

A 19-year-old man also had been shot and was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Based on the investigation, officers believe that the victims got into an argument with a group of people who were attending a party at a hall on Del Paso Boulevard, the news release states.

The argument escalated, turned physical and continued onto Dixieanne Avenue, where the two men were shot.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Chelsea Phua and Bill Lindelof
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento police said they have received no tips in their search for a 2-year-old girl and her 23-year-old mother, who allegedly abducted her Thursday afternoon.

They released another photo (see photo at end of this story) of the missing girl.

Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said there is nothing to indicate that the mother is dangerous.

"The reality is that she probably has some issues," said Leong. "We are have been looking for her all night and continue to look for her today."

Police said about 1:30 p.m., officers responded to a child abduction report from the 3500 block of Auburn Boulevard.

Child Protective Services workers told police that during a supervised visit, Cora Allo (left photo) assaulted a CPS worker and took her daughter, Jadaca Paul (right photo). Authorities said Allo does not have legal custody of her child.

Leong said an Amber Alert was not issued in this case because no vehicle description was available and there is no evidence that the child is in eminent danger.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text a tip to 274637 (CRIMES). 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 Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is hosting two public meetings next week to inform residents about the effects of last summer's layoffs and the potential impact of proposed budget cuts.

The first meeting will be Monday at 6:30 p.m. at the central division community room, 7000 65th Street, near Florin Road.

The second meeting will be Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the AT&T building at 2700 Watt Avenue, south of Marconi Avenue.

The meetings are open to all Sacramento County residents.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A man on trial for murder pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter today, just before prosecution and defense attorneys were going to reargue the case to a jury.

Oscar Humberto Ceballos (photo left), 23, now faces 21 years in prison. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary S. Mullen scheduled Ceballos' sentencing date for Sept. 17.

Jurors on Thursday acquitted Ceballos of first-degree murder in the April 27, 2009, shooting death of Pablo Martin on 45th Avenue near Martin Luther King Boulevard.

When it resumed deliberations, the panel then could not decide whether to convict Ceballos of second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter.

Deputy District Attorney Charles Gonzalez then offered the voluntary manslaughter deal today, which defense attorney Jesse Ortiz and Ceballos accepted.

Martin, 34, was married to Ceballos' sister. The victim and his wife had been involved in a dispute earlier on the day of the killing, which prompted Ceballos to come to her defense, according to trial testimony.

Ceballos and Martin first got into a fist fight. Ceballos left, but then came back with a gun and shot and killed Martin when the two combatants went at it again, police and prosecutors said.

Ortiz argued that the shooting took place in self defense. He said Ceballos thought he saw a flash of chrome in the victim's pocket that the defendant mistook for a gun.

Gonzalez said Martin was unarmed. The prosecutor characterized the killing as "an execution."

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

By Bee Staff

The Oak Park branch of the Sacramento Police Activities League is reopening.

A reopening gathering will be Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to a Sacramento Police Department news release.

League board members and police officers will be at the league's administrative office, 3555 3rd Ave., talk about the program.

Light refreshments and hotdogs for youths will be served.

The league is a community-based program providing activities for kids, building self-esteem and promoting teamwork with police officers, the release states. The league will offer athletic, educational, and enrichment programs for local youths.

"I'm extremely pleased that PAL will be part of our community once again," said Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel.

The Oak Park league closed in 2006, records indicate.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Instead of fingerprints, Placer County deputies used a shoe print left at the scene of a crime to arrest two men on suspicion of burglary.

Jason Rogers (photo below left), 28, of Citrus Heights and Dennis Allen (photo below right), 23, of North Highlands were arrested on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy charges.

Deputies responded to a home burglary in the 7600 block of Conquistador Court in Granite Bay. During the investigation, they noticed a shoe print where burglars had kicked in the door.

Deputies Wednesday night pulled over Rogers and Allen during a vehicle stop. Deputies say that the sole on Roger's shoe matched the print on the door.

A search of Rogers home turned up stolen jewelry from five other Granite Bay burglaries, deputies said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A pedestrian hit by a pickup truck and killed this morning in Elverta has been identified by Sacramento County Coroner's deputies.

The man was identified as Malkiat Hothi, 71, of Elverta.

The man was struck by the pickup while walking on Elverta Road, just west of Rio Linda Boulevard near the railroad tracks, according to a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said that a 32-year-old man from Yuba City was driving eastbound on Elverta Road at about 50 mph when his pickup struck Hothi who had stepped into traffic.

Hothi was wearing dark clothing and the incident occurred before sun up at about 5 a.m., the CHP said.

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

By Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department is asking the public's help in identifying the suspects involved in a robbery and a felony assault using a vehicle (See photos below).

A Police Department news release gives these details:

On Monday at about 2:30 p.m., the victim was approached, in the parking lot of the 3300 block of Northgate Boulevard, by two young males looking to raise money for their basketball team.

When the victim took out his money to give them some, one of them pushed him and the other grabbed the money.

The two suspects ran to an awaiting vehicle. The victim followed them and was struck by the car, causing a broken leg.

The suspects were described as male black males, one age 9 years the other 11 to 13 years.

The vehicle was a light gold Saturn station wagon and may have front-end damage. No description of the driver of the vehicle.

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

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A standoff between Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies and a man who may have been armed in Carmichael has ended peacefully.

The man surrendered to deputies, live news reports at about 9 a.m. showed.

The man, who deputies believe may have been suicidal, apparently came to a girlfriend's home near Lincoln and Marshall avenues.

He sat in his pickup truck while deputies took defensive positions behind their squad cars, a sheriff's spokesman said.

He did not threaten anyone.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A 28-year-old man died in a collision with a motorist suspected of drunken driving on Fruitridge Road this morning.

The collision between a pickup truck and car occurred about 1:30 a.m. on Fruitridge Road near Cabrillo Way in the Fruitridge Manor neighborhood.

Sacramento police said that two people in the truck were transported to UC Davis Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The pickup driver is being investigated for driving under the influence of alchohol.

The driver of the car was declared dead at the scene.

The car was eastbound on Fruitridge Road and the pickup was traveling in the opposite direction. It is not immediately clear which car drifted into the other vehicle's lane.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol officer arrested Tuesday on felony charges related to drug and weapon possession entered a not guilty plea during his arraignment Thursday in Placer Superior Court.

According a news release by the Placer County District Attorney's Office, Ruben Cesar Salgado, 37, entered the plea before Superior Court Judge Colleen Nichols, who continued the proceedings to Friday to allow the officer time to hire an attorney.

Salgado was arrested Tuesday about 4 p.m., about an hour after his shift ended, at a Rocklin Safeway parking lot. Officers said they found him inside his vehicle under the influence of methamphetamine.

Officials said at a Wednesday news conference that Salgado had been under a CHP's investigation for two months, after an outside agency source told authorities of Salgado's criminal activity associated with drugs.

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

Previous coverage:

CHP arrests one of its officers on drug, weapons charges - May 13, 2010

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for firearms and ammunitions violations.

U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Ray Ramirez, 48, has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, having previously been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

Ramirez purchased 20 rounds of .32-caliber ammunition on March 10, according to a Department of Justice news release. At the time of the purchase, he was a felon who was prohibited from possessing ammunition or a firearm under federal law.

He also was not permitted to legally possess ammunition or a firearm under federal law because Ramirez had been convicted of the domestic violence misdemeanor.

A search warrant was later executed at Ramirez's residence, and law enforcement officers found a .32-caliber handgun and ammunition, the news release says.

If convicted, Ramirez faces a maximum prison term of 10 years and a fine of $250,000. Officials say he also may face a sentencing enhancement of a mandatory minimum of 15 years for the first count based on his three prior violent felony convictions.

The case resulted from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Sacramento Police Department.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A California Highway Patrol officer has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possessing an unregistered assault rifle and has been sentenced to three years informal probation.

Officer Kinley L. Jong, 48, also was sentenced to 180 hours of community service, Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Alan Hengel said today.

Jong entered his plea May 4 in Sacramento Superior Court.

He had been arrested Jan. 5 by state Franchise Tax Board agents and charged with tax fraud. Those charges were dropped on March 23 due to insufficient evidence, Hengel said.

A search of his home in the tax fraud case turned up the weapon, according to the prosecutor. Hengel said Jong purchased the assault rifle legally but failed to get it registered in compliance with changes in the law.

Jong, who could not be reached for comment today, is still working as a CHP officer, agency spokeswoman Jaime Coffee said. The spokeswoman said she could not say if Jong was ever disciplined as a result of the case.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Davis police are looking for four men in connection with a home invasion robbery Wednesday night.

Three roommates reported they were robbed at their apartment in the 2400 block of Pole Line Road by four gunmen, according to a Davis Police Department news release.

The victims told officers that they heard a knock on the front door about 11:20 p.m., and when they opened it, they were confronted by four men who were brandishing handguns. The men forced their way into the apartment and made the three residents lie on the floor while the intruders rummaged through the apartment. The men stole money, cell phones and several computers.

No one was injured.

The suspects were described as:

• African American, skinny, 5 feet, 8 inches to 5 feet , 9 inches tall, wearing a baggy black sweatshirt and baggy blue jeans

• Hispanic, 5 feet, 8 inches tall, wearing a dark baggy sweatshirt and baggy blue jeans

• African American, 6 feet tall, weighing about 215 pounds and wearing a black top and dark jeans

• Hispanic, no further description

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Davis Police Department Investigations Division, (530) 747-5430.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A suspected pedophile who allegedly was trading child porn over the Internet and trying to get a young girl sent to him from Brazil for sex was arrested Thursday morning in Solano County, according to authorities.

Working on information from the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, the California Highway Patrol stopped Benjamin Dee Kendrick (photo left), 39, on westbound Interstate 80 near Davis and ordered him from the car.

He reportedly emerged from the car and told officers, "I'm the guy you are looking for," said Sacramento County sheriff's Capt. Jim Cooper, who oversees the task force.

Kendrick was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of possessing obscene material depicting a child under the age of 14 and soliciting to commit a crime, according to jail booking records. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail for those charges, plus $1,379 for various traffic violations, records show.

Authorities had been on the hunt for Kendrick since they obtained a warrant for his arrest. In March, task force detectives began investigating the trading of child pornography over the Internet, a trail that led them to Kendrick's home in April, according to sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

After serving a search warrant, detectives seized Kendrick's computer and found more than 100 images of child pornography videos and photos, Curran said.

Since then, detectives have found evidence of Internet communication between Kendrick and a woman in Brazil that involved sending the woman's young daughter to Kendrick for sex, and then possibly killing her, Cooper said. Detectives also suspect sexual abuse of the girl, 6 or 7 years old, by her mother, Cooper said.

It's unclear how Kendrick and the woman came into contact, Cooper said. He said both had referred to themselves as pedophiles during the online conversations.

Federal authorities are trying to locate the girl, who is believed to still be in Brazil, Cooper said. It's unclear whether she ever traveled to the United States, he said.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the task force at (916) 874-3002 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Tips also can be texted to 274637 by entering "SACTIP" followed by the tip information.

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

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

The "Oak Park Rapist" suspect was never brought back to Sacramento to face charges because officials in Kansas City indicated he would not be freed on rape charges there until 2024, Sacramento District Attorney Jan Scully's office said today.

Bernard Jackson (photo left) initially was suspected in an Oct. 4, 1984, burglary and sexual assault in Sacramento and was arrested on rape charges out of Missouri while traveling through Colorado on Dec. 11, 1984. One day later charges were filed against him in Sacramento based on fingerprint evidence, Scully's office said.

Officials in Sacramento considered in September and October 1985 whether to seek extradition of Jackson, but by then he had received a sentence in a Kansas City rape case that officials said would keep him prison until 2024, when he would be 67.

At the time, Jackson would have faced a maximum sentence of nine years on the Sacramento charges and would have served only half of that, Scully's office said.

"Given that Jackson would be in custody in Missouri for 40 years, no active effort was made to extradite him to California," her office said in a statement.

By 2006, with Jackson's release from prison in Missouri imminent, Scully's office reviewed the Sacramento charges that were still pending and decided to dismiss them "due to denial of a speedy trial," her office said.

Scully, who is holding a press conference later today on the case, indicated that a similar case today would not be handled the same way because the charges now would result in a minimum sentence of 28 years to life "and we would actively seek extradition and prosecution."

Jackson was a suspect in a series of sex assaults in Oak Park in 1984, as well as a suspect in a series of rapes in Kansas City. He was arrested there last week and faces charges in the 1980s Missouri cases.

Call The Bee's Sam Stanton, (916) 321-1091.

Previous stories:

Woman recounts 'Oak Park Rapist' attack - May 8, 2010

Missouri rapist once a suspect in Sacramento's Oak Park assaults - May 7, 2010

Q: What happened to the woman who drove her car down a sidewalk in Reno in the '80s, killing six people? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: Priscilla Ford died on Nevada's death row from natural causes in January 2005, according to Bee reports. She was 75.

Ford killed six people and injured 23 others when she drove her Lincoln Continental down a crowded Reno sidewalk on Thanksgiving Day 1980. One of the injured later died.

Medical witnesses said Ford suffered from a variety of mental illnesses, but prosecutors maintained she knew the difference between right and wrong.

Ford claimed she was the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, but was found competent to stand trial.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Rancho Murieta woman who embezzled funds from a Sacramento-area company has been sentenced to seven years in prison for grand theft, writing fraudulent checks and two counts of filing false tax returns. She also was ordered to repay more than $2.8 million because of her theft.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary Ransom also ordered Sarah Ann Hallam, 37, to pay more than $2.6 million in restitution to the company she victimized. She also must pay $200,804 to the state Franchise Tax Board for back taxes and penalties, according to a news release from the Sacramento District Attorney's Office.

Hallam was the sole bookkeeper and secretary for a small company.

On Aug. 24, 2009, the owner discovered that Hallam had issued herself a check that was approximately $4,000 more than her usual paycheck.

When confronted by the owner, Hallam said she had made "many mistakes," the news release says. She was then fired.

An ongoing investigation by the Sacramento Sheriff's Department revealed that Hallam had started embezzling from her employer in March 2004.

She electronically transferred money into her personal bank account, forged the business owner's signature to write herself checks and paid off her credit cards via electronic payments out of the business' account.

She also changed the key on the business' mailbox, hoarded the mail, encrypted the business' accounts on the computer and hid the business' bills and financial records.

Hallam used the monies to pay her household expenses and to supplement her lifestyle, the news release says. She traveled to Las Vegas with a friend, buying $500 bottles of champagne at a nightclub, and paid for hair extensions, clothing, home improvements and gambling trips to local casinos.

She also failed to declare the income on her tax returns.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint on Friday in an undisclosed point in the south area of the city.

Uniformed officers will check for alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers. Officers will also check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license, according to a Police Department news release.

Funding for these programs is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

By Cathy Locke and Bill Lindelof
clocke@sacbee.com

A man believed to have been a good Samaritan died this morning after being struck by vehicles at the scene of an accident on Highway 99 north of Mack Road this morning.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office identified the man as Robert Alverson, 50, of Sacramento.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said he did not have details on the cause of the original accident, which occurred about 5:10 a.m. He said three or for vehicles were involved in the collision and ended up on the center median.

Bradley said it appears that Alverson stopped on the northbound shoulder and was crossing the northbound lanes on foot when he was struck by a motorist believed to be driving under the influence. Alverson was propelled into the southbound lanes, where he was struck by a second vehicle.

Bradley said it was initially thought that Alverson had been ejected from a vehicle involved in the collision, but after media vehicles left the scene, one vehicle remained on the shoulder. The emergency flashers were on and the vehicle wasn't damaged. Bradley said officers found it was registered to Alverson.

The only other person injured was the first driver who struck Alverson. Although that driver was believed to be driving under the influence, Bradley said that does not mean he was at fault in the accident, which is under investigation.

All lanes in both directions of Highway 99 were closed for about three hours.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Woodland woman was arrested this afternoon on suspicion of kidnapping a 2-year-old child.

Woodland police officers were called to a home in the 100 block of First Street at 2:07 p.m. on a report of an attempted kidnapping that had just occurred.

They were told that a woman, later identified as Heather Marie Duffy, 28, had walked through a closed but unlocked wrought iron gate, walked about 20 feet onto the property and picked up a 2-year-old child.

The child was playing with two other young children.

As Duffy started to walk toward the sidewalk, she was confronted by the child's great grandmother, who just minutes earlier had stepped out of the gated area, according to a Police Department news release.

The great grandmother said she had closed the gate as she stepped out, making sure it was latched but not locked.

Duffy was reluctant to hand over the child, and the great grandmother pulled the youngster away from her, the new release says.

Duffy walked south to North Street, then to Elm Street where she was stopped by officers. Witnesses identified her as the person who had allegedly taken the child and she was subsequently arrested.

Duffy was booked into the Monroe Detention Center and is being held on $100,000 bail.

The child was not injured.

Police said this case does not appear to be related to recent incidents in which a man has attempted to contact children on their way home from school.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Robert Lewis
rlewis@sacbee.com

Sacramento County is cracking down on underage drinking and will begin punishing adults who host or provide a setting for minors to drink.

The Board of Supervisors on Wednesday voted unanimously for an ordinance that will allow the county to fine adults who let minors drink in their home. State law only prohibits underage drinking in public. The new ordinance is aimed at those adults who let minors have parties with alcohol.

"Young people report they get alcohol primarily from family and friends, and indicate they can often get alcohol at private parties," according to a report county officials prepared for Wednesday's hearing. "The ordinance helps a community promote a clear and consistent message that alcohol use under the age of 21 is illegal, dangerous, and unacceptable. Under the ordinance parents and adults can be held accountable for their role in knowingly permitting or hosting unsupervised parties where alcohol is served to, or consumed by minors."

Violating the Social Host Ordinance will lead to fines between $100 and $500. Landlords, property management companies and other owner agents are excluded.

Several advocacy groups including Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Sacramento Youth and Alcohol Coalition supported the ordinance.

"It creates a valuable tool to making sure adults consider carefully their actions before making alcohol available or knowing alcohol will be available in their residence to those who are underage," Supervisor Roger Dickinson said.

Call The Bee's Robert Lewis, (916) 321-1061.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A woman arrested by Auburn police on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine is also accused of leaving her 2-year-old son with people who were under the influence of narcotics.

About 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, an Auburn police officer spotted a car with its lights on in a vacant lot near Palm Avenue and Auburn Ravine Road. The car was unoccupied, but damage indicated it had been involved in a collision.

There also were electronic devices in the vehicle that appeared to have been stolen, according to an Auburn Police Department news release.

The car's owner, 25-year-old Katherine Ennis-Sartain, told police that her boyfriend, Gregory Woodward, 26, had crashed her car after stealing it from the Motel 6 parking lot at 1891 Auburn Ravine Road.

Following an investigation, police arrested Ennis-Sartain on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

After her arrest, officers discovered that she had left her son at the motel with two people who were also under the influence of narcotics. When officers picked up the child, they said the room was filled with marijuana smoke.

Ennis-Sartain was also held on suspicion of child endangerment.

Police said investigators want to talk with Woodward about the incident, but they have not been able to locate him.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force is asking for help in identifying the person involved in the robbery of First U.S. Community Credit Union on Monday morning.

The man (see photos below) entered the branch at 2755 Cottage Way at 9:52 a.m. and jumped the counter behind the tellers, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department news release. The man then took money from the tellers and left on foot.

Security cameras captured images of the man, who is described as an African American adult, 6 feet, 5 inches tall, and weighing about 250 pounds.

He was wearing a straw farmer's hat, black cloth mask and white and blue short-sleeve plaid button-up shirt with a white T-shirt underneath it. He also was wearing blue jeans, white tennis shoes and blue rubber gloves.

Anyone with information about the man's identity is asked to call task force detectives at (916) 874-5051, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357, or sent a text message tip by texting to 274637, the enter SACTIP followed by the tip information.

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

The Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force includes detectives from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and special agents from the FBI.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 60-year-old Rio Linda man is in custody after leading Twin Rivers police on a short pursuit this afternoon.

The incident began at 2:35 p.m. when an officer stopped a vehicle for speeding in a school zone at Elkhorn Boulevard and Dry Creek Road, near Rio Linda High School, said William Cho, spokesman for Twin Rivers Police Department.

He said the driver stopped, but as the officer approached the vehicle, the driver opened the car door and pushed it into the officer, then closed the door and drove off.

The officer gave chase, pursuing the vehicle at speeds of about 40 mph for about three minutes. The driver finally stopped at E and West Second streets, Cho said.

The driver was identified at Robert Hon of Rio Linda. He was arrested on suspicion of speeding in a school zone, battery on a peace officer and evading an officer.

Cho said the officer was not injured.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Lincoln police today arrested a 33-year-old Citrus Heights woman suspected of breaking into a series of vehicles and assaulting a man who tried to stop her.

Trisha Brockway was arrested at 8:45 a.m. near the Parkview Apartments, 1654 First Street. She was carrying a plastic bag full of goods stolen from seven vehicles burglarized Tuesday night and this morning, police said.

Authorities were alerted to Brockway's alleged crimes at 5:40 p.m. Tuesday after man interrupted a woman trying to steal his car stereo.

"When he confronted the female she pulled a box cutter knife and assaulted him," a Lincoln police news release states.

The man suffered minor injuries and was unable to detain the suspect, who ran, got into a Mazda sedan and sped away.

Officers responding to a report of another vehicle burglary at 6:20 a.m. arrested Seyed Amir Mirabolfathazav, 49, of Citrus Heights, who was driving the Mazda allegedly involved in the prior incident.

Mirabolfathazav was booked for procession of stolen property.

About two hours later, Brockway was arrested. She was booked in the Placer County jail and faces charges of assault, procession of stolen property, making terrorist threats and possession of a dangerous weapon.

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

El Dorado sheriff's officials arrested three people and recovered four stolen guns after a bizarre incident on Zandonnella Road near Diamond Springs.

A resident picking up litter was stopped by the passenger of a red Honda automobile and asked if he had seen a black box. The resident said no and refused to let the man look through the trash bag because he didn't want the trash spread around.

The car continued down the road then returned, with a female driver maneuvering her vehicle into the victim's path. The victim said the car even struck him before the car's passenger jumped out and hit the victim with his fists.

The attacker then pulled out a long screwdriver and hit the victim, while the car's driver went through the trash.

Placerville police later stopped the car based on the victim's description and El Dorado Sheriff's deputies arrested the woman driving, Fantasia Stockton (above, left) 23, of Cedar Grove.

Police then went to an address on Combo Court where they arrested Rustin Charnock (above, center), 28, of Cedar Grove, and Jeffery Young (above, right), 29, of Placerville. At that home, deputies found four guns taken in a Pollock Pines burglary two days earlier.

Stockton and Charnock were charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Charnock and Young were charged with possession of stolen property.

In addition, Stockton was charged with possession of a controlled substance and Charnock was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and parole violation.

No explanation was given for the missing black box.

Call The Bee's Carlos Alcala, (916) 321-1987.

By Kim Minugh and Bill Lindelof
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel today said he has "a lot to offer Seattle" if chosen to be that city's top cop but was quick to say he'd be happy to remain in the capital.

"This is a great department," said Braziel, wearing his uniform. "I'm in a no-lose situation."

Braziel (left, addressing reporters this morning) -- who has been Sacramento's police chief since 2008 and a city police officer since 1979 -- is one of three finalists for the Seattle post. A search committee made Braziel, East Palo Alto Police Chief Ronald Davis and Seattle interim Police Chief John Diaz its top pick from a list of nine candidates. Initially, 11 people applied for the post, but two later dropped out of the contest.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is expected to make a final decision in June.

During a news conference at police headquarters this morning, Braziel said he is "very honored" to be a finalist and attributed his success to his Police Department colleagues.

"It's about what we do in Sacramento that's making the difference," he said.

Braziel said his experience maintaining good police services despite the city's ongoing financial trouble makes him a good candidate for the Seattle job.

He said going through the application process hasn't kept him from doing his current job.

"I haven't slowed down," he said. "I haven't 'checked out.' "

In documents posted on a city of Seattle website, Braziel spells out what he considers the strengths and accomplishments that qualify him to be that northwest city's police chief.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn's website includes Braziel's résumé, a letter from Braziel to the search committee, a personal snap shot written by the chief and answers to three job candidate essay questions.

Braziel notes the following under "experience and accomplishments":

• Refocused department mission, including redesign of crime reduction strategies, deployment and resources resulting in drop in crime.

• Increased transparency and community involvement through creation of Police Advisory Commmittee, Youth Advisory Committee and redesigned website.

• Worked with police union leaders and city management in successfully re-negotiating labor contract, protecting city from officer layoffs while balancing the budget.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1079.

The Seattle Times coverage:

Three finalists chosen for SPD police-chief job - May 12, 2010

Previous coverage:

Sacramento police chief is finalist for Seattle job - May 12, 2010

Braziel in the running for Seattle police chief - April 27, 2010

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A motion for a new trial has been denied by a Placer County judge who said there was no evidence alcohol impaired a juror during court proceedings or deliberation.

David Harrison Buzzetta (photo left), 22, of Roseville was convicted Jan. 7 of killing his step-father, Paul Bonomo, in 2007. The young man was convicted by a jury of bludgeoning his stepfather with a baseball bat.

His lawyer's motion for a retrial was denied by Superior Court Judge Mark S. Curry last Friday, according to a press release from the Placer County District Attorney's office.

Buzzetta's lawyer alleged that alcohol was smelled on the breath of a juror by two other jurors. She also alleged that the same juror appeared to have possibly been sleeping during the trial.

The public defender also alleged insufficient evidence to convict in seeking a new trial.

The judge stated in his written decision that he read in court that he paid attention during trial to the juror who allegedly smelled of alcohol after being told on Dec. 9 of the complaint from the two jurors.

"During the remainder of the trial, I did not observe any signs or symptoms (that) the juror was ever under the influence of alcohol or impaired in any manner," Curry said.

Buzzetta faces 26 years to life when he is scheduled for sentencing June 11.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

An Elk Grove man who traumatized a young clerk when he held up a sandwich shop has been sentenced.

Oleg Bool (left), 22, who pointed a pellet gun at the Subway sandwich shop employee during the hold-up, has been sent to state prison for two years. He pleaded guilty in Placer County Superior Court to second-degree robbery.

Bool was convicted of entering the restaurant on Foothills Boulevard in Roseville on Feb. 13, pointing the weapon in the face of a 20-year-old female clerk and escaping with cash. He was later caught jogging away from the shop with $362 and deposit slips from the Subway.

The gun, mask, gloves and clothes were found in bushes behind the shopping center where the Subway is located.

The clerk did not attend the sentencing, the Placer County District Attorney's Office said, but she said in a letter read in court that her life had changed significantly.

"In about 35 seconds, I went from a content and normal college student to a terrified mess," she wrote.

She was too upset to leave her home for days, fell behind in schoolwork and dropped classes as she lost her focus. She also quit the sandwich shop job.

"I hope one day I can move on and the thoughts won't haunt me any longer," the young woman wrote.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento Fire Department investigators have arrested a teen for setting a fire in a restroom over the weekend at a South Sacramento school.

The 16-year-old boy was identified by security video. He is not being named because he is a juvenile. Two other teens who may also be involved have still not been identified.

The restroom at Collis P. Huntington Elementary School suffered minor damage in the blaze on Sunday.

Sacramento Unified School District police Sgt. Vince Matranga said that at about 5 p.m. three teens were on the Huntington school campus, 5921 26th Street, near Sacramento Executive Airport.

One of the teens discovered that a door to a school restroom had been left unlocked. The teen went inside and set paper towels in a metal trash can on fire.

The heat and smoke set off a sensor and alerted the Sacramento Fire Department. Only smoke damage was sustained in the fire.

The restroom is in the northeast corner of the school cafeteria.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Sacramento Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Deputies from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department fugitive bureau have arrested a man on suspicion of killing a man at an Auburn Boulevard motel.

Charles Antonio Williams, 25, was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of homicide Tuesday. He is suspected of shooting Marcel Hatch, 29, Saturday night at the Eco Lodge, 2912 Auburn Blvd.

Hatch suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen. Hospital officials notified deputies Monday that he had died.

Warrant Fugitive bureau detectives arrested Williams at his Rocklin apartment in the 2600 block of Sunset Boulevard.

Investigators said witnesses told them that Hatch and Williams were involved in a fight on Friday night. Williams is suspected of returning to the motel the next day and shooting Hatch.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol has arrested one its own officers on drug and weapons charges after a two-month investigation.

CHP officer Ruben Cesar Salgado (photo left), a 12-year veteran, was taken into custody on six felony counts, including weapons and controlled substance charges. (Salgado's first name was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.)

Salgado, 37, was arrested Tuesday in Rocklin by the CHP and Placer County investigators. He was booked into Placer County Jail.

Salgado was also placed on administrative leave. A press conference with more details is planned for later today.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today recommended that Aaron Norman Dunn be sentenced to death for the March 25, 2006, shooting spree in Elk Grove in which he murdered two people and tried to kill four more.

The panel came back with its decision after deliberating nearly nine days on the penalty phase of Dunn's trial. The jury chose the death penalty instead of a term of life in prison with no chance of parole. It was the first death penalty verdict returned by a Sacramento jury in three years.

Dunn, 33, was convicted April 13 on two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of cameraman Jon Johnson, 46, and Xerox salesman Michael John Daly, 45.

It took the six-man, six-woman panel a little more than a day to convict Dunn in the guilt phase of his trial.

"He attacked our community," juror Fred Young said.

Trial evidence showed that Dunn was distraught over the breakup of his marriage, his estrangement from his wife who had begun dating men she had met on the internet, and his loss of contact with his daughter.

Under the influence of methamphetamine, Dunn drove to Elk Grove from his residence in Olivehurst and went on a shotgun rampage along Laguna Boulevard.

Witnesses said he swung his car along the side of the road and shot and killed Daly as the victim was driving out of a Chili's restaurant onto Laguna Boulevard. Daly's wife and two children also were in the car.

Dunn continued east on Laguna Boulevard and crashed into a truck while hanging out of his vehicle and aiming his shotgun at an Elk Grove police car. He shot out the back window of the police car then aimed and fired at another motorist, who was slightly injured by flying glass.

Dunn left his car, cut through a McDonald's parking lot and went to the front of Mandango's Bar and Grill, where Johnson and his wife were just coming out after eating dinner. Dunn shot Johnson in the face with his shotgun and was seen on a surveillance video holding the gun over his head and celebrating as he returned toward Laguna Boulevard.

Once out on the street, he confronted the two Elk Grove police officers he had fired on earlier. He chased one of them around the patrol car and shot and wounded a motorist who had stopped to help. The two officers, Janell Bestpitch and Tisha Smith, stopped the spree by shooting Dunn several times with their revolvers.

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

Previous coverage:

Jurors still weighing fate of killer in Elk Grove spree - May 5, 2010

Jury weighs fate of Elk Grove killer of 2 men - April 30, 2010

Family describes killer's grim life - April 27, 2010

Victims' relatives tell of pain, loss at killer's sentencing hearing - April 23, 2010

Jury convicts man of gunning down 2 in Elk Grove - April 14, 2010

Jury deliberating fate of double-murder defendant Aaron Norman Dunn - April 13, 2010

Prosecutor, doctor spar over Elk Grove murder defendant's actions - April 8, 2010

Prosecutor eager to attack psychiatrist in Elk Grove shooting spree trial - April 7, 2010

Meth psychosis cited in killings; defendant's words cast doubt - April 6, 2010

Elk Grove cop testifies how she and partner stopped deadly rampage - March 17, 2010

Witnesses tell of lives shattered in deadly Elk Grove shooting spree - March 12, 2010

Prosecutor, defense attorneys agree suspect killed two people in Elk Grove - March 10, 2010

Elk Grove residents eligible for murder case jury - Dec. 11, 2009

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

Homicide suspect's lawyers don't want any Elk Grove jurors - Aug. 11, 2009

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

A judge has denied a request by alleged kidnappers Phillip and Nancy Garrido to visit each other in jail, but he has agreed to allow them to speak to each other in a five-minute phone call this month and another in June.

An order from El Dorado Superior Court Judge Douglas C. Phimister said that he considered evidence presented at a closed April 15 hearing and was denying their visitation requests.

The Garridos' attorneys have said their clients need to be able to meet in the El Dorado County Jail to discuss legal strategy and family matters.

The pair are accused of kidnapping Jaycee Lee Dugard as an 11-year-old in 1991 and keeping her captive until she was discovered last August. During her captivity she was forced to bear two girls to Garrido, a convicted kidnapper and rapist.

The Garridos face kidnapping, rape and other charges that could send them both to prison for life. They have pleaded not guilty.

Call The Bee's Sam Stanton, (916) 321-1091.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Lodi police said they have arrested a man they suspect was involved in a dangerous situation involving officers during a traffic stop last week.

Leon Garcia (photo left) was arrested on suspicion of evading police, possession of methamphetamine, auto theft, resisting arrest, possessing a firearm and exhibiting a firearm in the presence of a peace officer.

On May 4, police said that they stopped Garcia for a minor traffic violation at about 1:30 a.m. After receiving Garcia's driver's license information, the officer returned to his patrol car to write a ticket.

Police said that another officer drove up but neither Garcia nor his two passengers were aware of the second officer's arrival. It was then that the second officer allegedly saw Garcia take a handgun from between the seats and begin laughing.

Garcia also began holding the gun in a way that suggested he was waiting for the first officer to return, police said.

In defense of his fellow officer, the later-arriving police officer took a defensive position and ordered Garcia to drop the gun. Startled to see the second officer, Garcia drove away.

Lodi police and California Highway Patrol officers chased Garcia for 23 miles, a pursuit that ended in the town of Thornton, San Joaquin County. Garcia abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot, eluding capture.

Police said Tuesday that Garcia was was eventually located at a home in Wallace, Calaveras County by Lodi police, officers of the Delta Ratt Auto Theft Task Force and the Calaveras County Sheriff's Department.

He was arrested without incident. A search of the home in the 5900 block of Haskell Street in Wallace turned up a handgun that authorities believe Garcia handled on May 4.

Two other stolen weapons and a stolen tractor were also recovered.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol reported that an officer shot and killed an emu found running loose on a frontage road off Interstate 5 after the bird eluded capture first with a snare and then a Tazer.

A patrol officer responded to a report of an emu on the loose in the area of I-5 and Power Line Road about 1 p.m. Tuesday and found the bird walking westbound in the eastbound lane of Bayou Road toward Airport Boulevard.

The officer made several attempts to corral the bird with his patrol vehicle, but the bird appeared determined to continue west on Bayou Road, according to a CHP news release.

The officer requested the help of Sacramento County Animal Control. A second CHP officer also arrived an assisted with numerous attempts to corral the emu while controlling traffic. An animal control officer attempted to capture the bird using a snare and a hood, but without success.

The officers were concerned that the emu would enter the freeway from the on-ramp, where it would pose a danger to motorists, the news release says. A supervisor approved their request to use a department Tazer, but three deployments of the device had little or no effect on the bird due to the thickness of its feathers, officials said.

The emu continued to run toward Airport Boulevard where officers corralled it again. Having run out of options, they received supervisor approval to shoot the bird, which was turned over to Sacramento County Animal Control.

CHP officials stressed that they make every attempt to preserve the life of animals that stray onto roadways. Earlier in the day, a CHP officer spotted a mother duck with four ducklings crossing Fair Oaks Boulevard south of Greenback Lane. The officer stopped traffic for a few moments until the ducks were safely across the road, the news release says.

Although CHP officials said they regretted having to kill the emu, they said experience has shown that animals that wander or run onto highways and freeways present a serious threat to traffic safety as motorists traveling at high speeds try to avoid hitting them, often resulting in traffic collisions and injuries.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento County authorities arrested a 50-year-old sex offender Tuesday morning for allegedly failing to register his change of address, which is a felony.

Sacramento County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said Jonathan Aragon (left photo) lied to authorities by registering as a transient when he was staying with his brother in the 3300 block of Jayanne Way in Carmichael.

Neighbors living in the 5400 block of Kimsue Court reported to authorities that Aragon would move his trailer every 72 hours in the neighborhood, sometimes near a child-care center, to prevent it from being towed for illegal parking, Curran said.

Curran said Aragon was on his way to visit the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement team on Tuesday when he was arrested on Bercut Drive in the city of Sacramento.

He was held Tuesday evening in the Sacramento County Main Jail on a $150,000 bail, jail records show.

Authorities said he was convicted in 1996 in Yolo County of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old.

Call THe Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Jurors in the Aaron Norman Dunn murder case today completed more than eight days of deliberations without reaching a verdict in the penalty phase of the convicted spree killer's trial.

The panel took a little more than one day to return first-degree murder convictions April 13 against Dunn for the shooting deaths of Michael John Daly, 45, and Jon Johnson, 46. The two were shot down while out with their families in Elk Grove.

Dunn, 33, also was convicted of trying to kill four other people the night of the March 25, 2006, shootings. Police and prosecutors, as well as his defense attorneys, said Dunn was distraught over the breakup of his marriage and his estranged wife going out with other men.

Jurors haven't had any more questions for Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael W. Sweet since they asked last week whether they could consider remorse as an aggravating factor in the case.

A Sacramento jury has not sentenced a defendant to death since April 25, 2007, when a panel recommended capital punishment in a penalty phase retrial for James Leslie Karis Jr.

Karis, a paroled rapist, had been convicted and sentenced in 1982 for the kidnap-murder of a woman in Placerville. His trial had been moved to Sacramento from El Dorado County because of pre-trial publicity.

The last death penalty murder sentence in Sacramento that also included a guilt phase in the trial was returned on Dec. 21, 2006 against Joseph Moreno Aguayo for the kidnap, rape and murder of a woman in 1979.

Both Karis and Aguayo are on California's death row.

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

Previous coverage:

Jurors still weighing fate of killer in Elk Grove spree - May 5, 2010

Jury weighs fate of Elk Grove killer of 2 men - April 30, 2010

Family describes killer's grim life - April 27, 2010

Victims' relatives tell of pain, loss at killer's sentencing hearing - April 23, 2010

Jury convicts man of gunning down 2 in Elk Grove - April 14, 2010

Jury deliberating fate of double-murder defendant Aaron Norman Dunn - April 13, 2010

Prosecutor, doctor spar over Elk Grove murder defendant's actions - April 8, 2010

Prosecutor eager to attack psychiatrist in Elk Grove shooting spree trial - April 7, 2010

Meth psychosis cited in killings; defendant's words cast doubt - April 6, 2010

Elk Grove cop testifies how she and partner stopped deadly rampage - March 17, 2010

Witnesses tell of lives shattered in deadly Elk Grove shooting spree - March 12, 2010

Prosecutor, defense attorneys agree suspect killed two people in Elk Grove - March 10, 2010

Elk Grove residents eligible for murder case jury - Dec. 11, 2009

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

Homicide suspect's lawyers don't want any Elk Grove jurors - Aug. 11, 2009

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The state of California is making $6 million in grants available to expand education, job training and placement programs for young street gang members or youths who may be prone to join gangs as part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention Initiative, or CalGRIP.

"These grants will offer at-risk youth throughout California a chance to turn their backs on a life of crime and become contributing members of their communities," Gov. Schwarzenegger said in a prepared statement today announcing the new funding. "This investment will help young Californians develop the life-long skills needed to succeed and not get caught up in gangs and violence."

As part of the CalGRIP initiative, the Employment Development Department is soliciting grant proposals to implement education, job training, supportive service and job placement programs for youths, according to a news release from the Governor's Office.

Proposals will be accepted from public, private nonprofit and private for-profit organizations through June 14. They should target youths 14 to 24 years of age who are at risk of joining gangs or are already gang members.

The EDD seeks proposals that promote career pathways that place at-risk youth in part-time employment tin after-school programs, while providing post-secondary education that will lead to teaching, community and social service positions, such as licensed social worker, youth worker or counselor.

Proposed strategies should be comprehensive and community-focused, providing a holistic approach to serving youth, according to the news release.

Funding for the grants is drawn from the governor's 15 percent Discretionary Workforce Investment Act funds under the administrative authority of the Employment Development Department.

For more information or to submit a grant application, see the EDD website.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Denny Walsh and Sam Stanton
dwalsh@sacbee.com

When you're a multimillionaire Titan of Tomatoes, getting used to the rules of the Sacramento County Jail may be a real drag.

Frederick Scott Salyer, the 54-year-old former head of SK Foods LP who is awaiting trial in the jail on federal charges of corruption, bribery and of trying to corner the market on tomato paste, already has learned the hard way that telephone conversations there are recorded and may be used as evidence by prosecutors.

The next step in his education has been learning how mail is handled.

Court papers filed by prosecutors say that last week a defense paralegal "brought a handful of personal letters directly to the Defendant in the lineup room."

One of the letters was from one of Salyer's girlfriends, prosecutors said in their filing, and was marked "Atty Client."

Among the items inside was an emery board, some personal notes and a head shot of the woman. Perhaps the most interesting "Atty Client" item was "a picture of her naked, holding two tomatoes in front of her body," the court documents state.

"This conduct violated a number of reasonable jail policies," the prosecutors wrote. "For example, the jail advises that an emery board can be used to reshape other objects in prohibited ways."

The documents do not indicate what policies, if any, the photo of the tomatoes may have violated, but it and the other items were confiscated.

Salyer's attorney, Malcolm Segal, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Call The Bee's Sam Stanton, (916) 321-1091.

Previous coverage:

Grand jury adds new federal charges against tomato baron - April 30, 2010

Grand jury to add charges to Salyer case - April 28, 2010

Jailed tomato mogul's recorded phone calls full of venom for ex-wife - April 14, 2010

Judge in Sacramento rescinds tomato magnate's bail order - March 31, 2010

Defense says diabetes should get tomato exec out of Sacramento jail - March 25, 2010

Lawyer for tomato exec Salyer cites fraud case's complexity in urging bail - March 19, 2010

Indicted tomato businessman again seeks release on bail - March 17, 2010

Tomato king sees his empire crumble - March 14, 2010

Key players in the Salyer case - March 14, 2010

Food executive Salyer denied bail in Sacramento federal court - March 4, 2010

SK Foods magnate Salyer hears charges in racketeering case - Feb. 27, 2010

Arrested tomato magnate to appear in Sacramento court - Feb. 26, 2010

SK Foods magnate Salyer indicted on racketeering charges - Feb. 19, 2010

Judge orders SK Foods magnate sent to capital - Feb. 6, 2010

FBI arrests SK Foods owner on fraud charges - Feb. 5, 2010

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento authorities are asking for the public's help in locating a suspected pedophile who allegedly was trading child porn over the Internet and trying to get a child sent to him from Brazil for sex, according to authorities.

Wanted in the case is 39-year-old Benjamin Dee Kendrick (photo left), said Sacramento County sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

A warrant has been issued for Kendrick's arrest on suspicion of possessing obscene matter depicting sexual conduct of a person under the age of 18 and for soliciting to commit a felony, Curran said.

Detectives with the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force started investigating the sharing of child pornography over the Internet on March 31. That led detectives to Kendrick's home in Sacramento County, Curran said.

After serving a search warrant at that address in April, detectives seized his computer, which was found to have more than 100 child pornography videos and images stored on it, Curran said.

Detectives also suspect that Kendrick maintained a long-term Internet relationship with suspects in Brazil, and that he was communicating with them to have a child brought to the United States from Brazil for sex, Curran said.

It's unclear whether that child has arrived in the United States, Curran said. Detectives are working with federal and Brazilian authorities to investigate the other suspects in that country.

Anyone with information about Kendrick's whereabouts or the case is asked to call the task force at (916) 874-3002, Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637. Enter "SACTIP" followed by the information.

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

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Bill Lindelof
Lindelof@sacbee.com

Two apartments in Roseville were heavily damaged this morning by a fast-moving, three-alarm fire.

There were no injuries.

The fire in upstairs units at the Autumn Oaks Apartment complex, 1451 Kingswood Drive, broke out about 10:30 a.m.

When crews arrived flames and smoke were visible coming out of windows. The fire was also racing through the attic.

"Once it got into the common attic, it started taking off," said Division Chief Dennis Mathiesen of the Roseville Fire Department.

Firefighters brought water hoses upstairs to put out the blaze inside the units. Firefighters also climbed onto second story to cut holes in the roof, allowing heat and gases to escape.

Crews made holes in the ceilings of the fire damaged apartments to shoot streams of water into the attic.

Roseville and Rocklin fire department firefighters responded to the blaze.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Q: What happened in the case of the man who disappeared just before his Garden Highway restaurant was sent to open? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: Henry Moreno's disappearance more than 11 years ago is still a mystery, according to Bee reports.

In August 1998, Moreno (at left with his daughter in photo taken in 1998), 46, was on the brink of opening his dream restaurant on the Sacramento River. He was seen at Home Depot on Aug. 6, and at a local cafe he frequented. Then he vanished.

There have been no bank account or credit card changes, no cell phone activity. His car, a 1997 white Nissan Pathfinder with a California license plate of 3VLP084, has never been found.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A high-speed chase by the California Highway Patrol in North Highlands early this morning ended with the suspect's sport-utility vehicle smashing into a wall.

The chase began about 2:30 a.m. when an officer tried to pull over a black Cadillac Escalade. A short pursuit at up to 80 mph ended when the SUV hit a cinder block wall at a home near North Haven Drive and Gilman Way.

The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and evading arrest, the CHP reported. Two passengers were taken to a hospital.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Woodland woman reported that she was robbed at gunpoint while sitting in her vehicle in a parking lot Monday morning.

Woodland Police responded to the report of an armed robbery at 10:55 a.m. in the parking lot at 7 West Main St.

The 58-year-old woman told officers that she was approached by a Latino man while sitting inside her vehicle. The man pointed a small handgun at her and told her to get out of the vehicle. He dragged her from the vehicle and threw her to the ground, according to a Police Department news release, then entered her vehicle, grabbed her purse and fled east through the parking lot.

The man jumped into a waiting vehicle and headed south on West Street.

Police said the man was described as in his 30s, 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 5 inches tall, with a medium build , a mustache and possible tattoos across his neck.

His vehicle was described as a gold Dodge Ram with a Hemi engine. It might have an extended cab the license plate likely contains two eights, the news release said.

The woman suffered minor scratches to her hands from the fall but did not require medical attention.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

In the first case, the grand jury Friday returned an indictment charging Jake Weathers, 34; Glenn Watkins, 40; Kevin Watkins, 25; and Frederick Davis, 40, all of Elk Grove: and Paul Yearby Jr., 29, of Fair Oaks with 11 counts of mail fraud.

According to a federal Department of Justice news release, the five men are accused of changing their names to Muslim names to obtain new credit and to conceal poor credit histories and other liabilities associated with their birth names.

The indictment alleges that Glenn Watkins legally changed his name to "Rasheed Kahleb" to fraudulently purchase two homes. Once those homes fell into foreclosure, he legally changed his name to "Jason Johnson." The indictment also alleges that Kevin Watkins changed his name to "Jamal Ali" then to "Calvin Carter."

Their uncle, Frederick Davis, allegedly changed his name to "Ammar Rashad," to purchase a home, then to "Corey Green" once the home fell into foreclosure. Paul Yearby Jr. is accused of changing his name to "Malcom Ali" to execute the fraud scheme.

According to the indictment, Jake Weathers, an unlicensed mortgage broker operating as "Weathers & Associates," devised the scheme to obtain loan brokerage commissions and other cash payments from sellers made outside of escrow, meaning that they were not disclosed to the title company or to lenders.

Weathers also is charged with knowingly providing to lenders false documents such as W-2 tax forms, wage earning statements, bank statements and other documents to support loan applications that stated borrowers earned significant income through employment with a company owned by Weathers, "C Auto Brokers." Losses are estimated at more than $1 million, according to the news release.

In a separate case, the grand jury returned a four-count indictment charging Nathaniel Blanton, 27, of Roseville, with making false statements to financial institutions in connection with four mortgage loan applications on two residential properties in Roseville and Lincoln. The indictment alleges that Blanton submitted loan applications that falsely inflated his income and cash assets by tens of thousands of dollars.

The cases resulted from investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the IRS-Criminal Investigation, and both investigations are continuing, according to the news release.

In the Weathers case, the maximum statutory penalty for each count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud is 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

In the Blanton case, the maximum penalty for each false statement count is 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine and three years of supervised release.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Two Sacramento men first stopped for not wearing helmets were arrested in Yolo County on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

Yolo County Sheriff's deputies in a special off-road vehicle enforcement team booked Raphael Regaldo-Mendoza, 24, and Rigoberto Perez-Chavez, 28, into the Monroe Detention Facility.

Deputies said the men were riding an all-terrain vehicle on County Road 40, west of Highway 16, on Friday when they were stopped for not wearing the right headgear.

A check of the ATV's vehicle identification number revealed that the off-road vehicle was reported stolen to the Sacramento Police Department in 2007.

The department's Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement team targets problems between off-road vehicle riders and landowners.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A teenager has been arrested in Elk Grove on suspicion of setting five fires in two days last week.

The 13-year-old boy is suspected of starting two fires at the Spaghetti Factory restaurant on Laguna Boulevard on May 4. The following day, he is suspected of setting a grass fire on the west side of Camden Lake and fires at Joseph Kerr Middle School on Elk Grove Boulevard and Kohl's department store on Calvine Road.

No injuries were reported. Damage to structures was not extensive, fire officials said.

Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department investigators took the Elk Grove teen into custody Thursday. He was taken to Sacramento County Juvenile Hall.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have arrested a man on suspicion of stalking a woman on light rail to her apartment.

Manuel Ayala (left), 33, a registered sex offender with an ankle monitor, was arrested on suspicion of stalking and prowling, police said.

Police said the woman reported that she had been followed home from light rail early last week by a stranger. Officers set up an undercover operation later in the week, riding home with the woman on light rail.

During the undercover surveillance, officers said the same stranger who allegedly had stalked the woman earlier, got on the train when she did at the Archives light rail station at 11th and O streets downtown. He exited the train when she did at the 23rd and R streets station.

Officers said the stranger then trailed her home. Police said the man walked past the woman's apartment, then ducked into an adjoining yard.

Police said the stranger hid in the backyard of the home just east of the woman's ground floor apartment.

He tried to flee over a back fence as uniformed Regional Transit officers searched the yard, police said. He was promptly met by an officer waiting on the other side.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-5287.

By Tony Bizjak
tbizjkak@sacbee.com

California law enforcement agencies say they will crack down in May and June on drivers and passengers who are not wearing seatbelts. The state's annual "Click It or Ticket" campaign is timed for the start of the summer driving season.

Officials point out the fine for not wearing a seatbelt has increased this year to more than $140. The fine is $445 for drivers who have a child under age 16 in the car who isn't properly belted.

"Wearing a seat belt is just simply the easiest and most effective thing you can do on the road to protect yourself and your family," said Christopher Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. "That means buckling up day and night, on every trip."

Call The Bee's Tony Bizjak, (916) 321-1059.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The woman accused of killing little Sandra Cantu of Tracy has pleaded guilty today to murder and kidnapping.

Melissa Chantel Huckaby pleaded guilty in the packed San Joaquin County Superior courtroom of Judge Linda Lofthus to killing the 8-year-old in April 2009.

Huckaby's plea allows her to avoid the death penalty. She will be sentenced June 14 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors had come to court expecting to set hearings. However, Huckaby, a former Sunday school teacher, chose instead to plead guilty to the two most serious charges facing her in the murder of the Tracy girl last March.

Huckaby avoids a jury trial, and several counts were dismissed against her, including a poisoning charge and lewd act on a minor.

Cantu disappeared last year from her mobile home park after leaving her home to play. After a search, the girl's body was found inside a suitcase in a irrigation ditch several miles from her home.

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

Previous coverage:

Cantu slaying defendant charged with drugging others - May 23, 2009

Fox 40 coverage:

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Two brothers were held up at gunpoint shortly before midnight on Sunday in Woodland.

The men, 19 and 23 years old, both from Woodland, were walking home near Lincoln and McKinley avenues when the passenger in a Ford pickup truck got out and threatened them with a gun.

The robber took a wallet from one of the brothers and left in the pickup. The suspect was described as a Hispanic man in his late 30s or early 40s, from 5-feet-2 to 5-feet-6 and about 160 pounds.

He was described as having facial hair and a shaved head. He was wearing a dark-colored sports jersey and dark-colored shorts.

The pickup was black or maroon with a license plate believed to start with a "1." Anyone with information is asked to call (530) 661-7800.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento City Unified School District police are hopeful that video images will help them find who was responsible for a school restroom fire.

The fire Sunday caused minor damage to the restroom at Collis P. Huntington Elementary School at 5921 26th St., near Sacramento Executive Airport.

District police Sgt. Vince Matranga said that at about 5 p.m. three teens -- one with a skateboard, one with a basketball and a third on a bike -- were on the school campus.

One of the teens discovered that a door to a school restroom had been left unlocked, entered and set paper towels in a metal trash can on fire.

The heat and smoke set off a sensor and alerted the Sacramento Fire Department. The fire was mostly extinguished by the time firefighters arrived, Matranga said.

There was no structural damage, but the restroom interior will require repainting. The restroom is in the northeast corner of the school cafeteria.

"We were very fortunate that the walls did not catch fire, because it could have done damage to the cafeteria," Matranga said. "The fire investigator will be coming to my office today. We have some excellent shots of the juveniles."

School classes were not expected to be disrupted.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Woodland police were involved in a Dukes of Hazzard-type chase before capturing a suspected pickup truck thief.

During the wild pursuit, the suspect drove between walnut trees, smashed a gate and broke through barbed-wire fences.

Police say that Paul Allen Perez, 47, of Merced, was spotted driving a stolen pickup about 10 p.m. Sunday on County Road 98 at West Kentucky Avenue.

Officers tried to stop Perez, but he drove away, turning onto Cherry Lane, north of the Woodland city limits.

The four-wheel-drive pickup stolen from Merced rammed through a gate at the end of Cherry Lane and into a walnut orchard. The pursuing officer called for backup.

The pickup continued its cross-country path, taking out two barbed-wire fences before stopping on Hanging Oak Lane.

Police said Perez ran through a field and, after nearly a half hour, was taken into custody. Perez was bitten by a police dog during his capture.

He was treated at Woodland Memorial Hospital before being booked into Yolo County Jail on suspicion of vehicle theft, evading arrest, driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A home near Curtis Park suffered heavy fire damage this morning, including a collapsed roof, but the occupants escaped injury.

The roof fell in while firefighters searched the structure for possible victims. No firefighters were hurt.

The fire started about 3:45 a.m. in the 2400 block of 18th Avenue in the Curtis Park neighborhood just south of Sutterville Road.

Firefighters responded to the call in about four minutes and began to search the home. Residents of the single-story home were outside when they arrived, alerted by smoke detectors in the home.

While firefighters were inside, a significant portion of the roof collapsed, said Sacramento Fire Department Capt. Jim Doucette. A second alarm was sounded because of danger to nearby homes and the possibility that firefighters could be trapped.

The family had used their fireplace Sunday night, but fire investigators say they are unsure if that is what caused the blaze.

The entire roof eventually collapsed after the fire swept through the home.

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

Bee staff and Diana Lambert:

A 13-year-old girl missing since Saturday has been found in good health, the Sacramento Police Department reports.

Tatiyanna Conrad, who was last seen at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Occidental Drive apartment complex where she lives with family, was found shortly after 6 p.m., according to a department news release.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Coroner's officials today identified the victim of a fatal shooting Saturday night in north Sacramento as 21-year-old Xavier Gallegos.

Sacramento Police said the shooting and the wounding of a second man occurred outside a quinceanera, or coming-of-age ceremony, being held in a hall near Dixieanne Avenue and Cambridge Street. Two men were walking past the hall when they got into an argument with at least one other man, police said.

In the shooting that followed at about 7:30 p.m., Gallegos, of Sacramento, was killed and his 19-year-old friend was wounded. The friend is expected to survive.

Police are seeking a male Hispanic suspect, in his 20s, about 5 feet 7 and weighing about 160 pounds who was seen wearing a light colored shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the police Crime Alert line at (916) 443-4357. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.

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

By Anna Tong
atong@sacbee.com

One person was shot to death and another wounded tonight outside a quinceanera in north Sacramento, police said.

Two men were walking past a hall near Dixieanne Avenue and Cambridge Street where a quinceanera was being held when they got into an argument with at least one man, police said.

The shooting followed at about 7:30 p.m. A 21-year-old man was killed and his 19-year-old companion was wounded but is expected to survive.

Police are looking for male Hispanic about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds.

No other information was available.

Call The Bee's Anna Tong, (916) 321-1045.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A couple of convicted killers sobbed in stereo when a judge sentenced them to life in prison with no chance of parole for the robbery murder of a prostitution trick they lured into an alley.

Rebecca Dawn Brousseau, 32, heaved tears and needed a second tissue box to mop them up on Friday when Sacramento Superior Court Judge Russell L. Hom refused to grant her even a sliver of parole hope.

Cristo Luis Lopez, 23, looked into the audience through reddened eyes and over a teardrop tattoo that he told a probation officer "represents the sadness I feel because I killed somebody."

Lopez apologized to nearly 20 friends and relatives of the 32-year-old victim, Khet Saelee, including his 3-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son.

Saelee said he was going to a friend's house the night of Nov. 22, 2008, investigators said.

Sacramento sheriff's deputies found his body the next day in his vehicle in an alley between Baker Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue, just west of a heavily-trafficked Stockton Boulevard prostitution stroll.

His pants were unbuttoned and his zipper was down, according to a probation report on the case.

Investigators broke the case about four months later when they got word that Lopez, a Norteno gang member with the nickname "L'il Listo," had been bragging about the killing.

Detectives also tracked down a witness who said she heard Brousseau and Lopez discuss the prospect of a trick robbery the night before Saelee was killed.

Lopez admitted his involvement in an interview with detectives, according to his probation report. The 10th-grade Hiram Johnson High School dropout with a record of convictions for spousal abuse, assault with a knife, car theft and burglary said he was a daily methamphetamine user at the time of the killing, the report said.

Brousseau also did crank every day, according to her probation report. She is an 11th-grade dropout from Bella Vista High School.

She said she'd been working as a prostitute for six years, "and that's what I was doing that evening," she said in the probation report.

She denied robbing anybody.

In sentencing the pair, Hom said it was an unprovoked murder. The judge told Lopez he shot a man who was "no threat to you."

Hom told Brousseau that it was "unfortunate you're in this situation." He noted six letters written on her behalf and described her parents as victims of "the drugs and the life you participated in."

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Roseville man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for trafficking in child pornography.

Senior U.S. District Court Judge Edward J. Garcia today sentenced Manuel Vasquez, 34, for possessing, receiving and transporting visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The prison term will be followed by a life term of supervised release.

Vasquez also was ordered to pay a $400 special assessment and $5,000 in restitution to one of the victims depicted in the images he possessed and made available to others.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice news release, Vasquez admitted in his guilty plea in August 2009 that on two separate occasions he transported child pornography. He also admitted to receiving and possessing child pornography.

Vasquez came to the attention of law enforcement officials when his e-mail address was identified as one that had paid to access a child pornography website in March 2008, the news release said, citing court documents. When federal agents executed a search warrant at his Roseville home, they seized computers and hard drives that were later found to contain pornographic images and videos of children.

The analysis of his computer and hard drives revealed that Vasquez had more than 34,000 images and 900 videos of child pornography. Many depicted known and previously identified minors who were victims of sexual abuse, as documented by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the news release says.

The case was the product of an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Sacramento-based Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel D. White prosecuted the case.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Ed Fletcher
eflectcher@sacbee.com

Rocklin Police Department's volunteer program was honored as the Service Group of the Year at an awards ceremony Thursday headlined by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver.

The award to the Rocklin police volunteers was one of six given at the California Museum for History, Women and The Arts.

Capt. Ron Lawrence and volunteers Robert Jordan, Becky Kanowsky and Rich Vallone accepted the award.

During the last five years, the program volunteers have donated more than 55,000 hours, providing an estimated $1.2 million on service to the community, according to the department.

The program currently has 114 members, serving functions that include abandoned vehicle enforcement, neighborhood watch presentations, child fingerprinting and crime analysis.

Volunteers much complete a 50-hour academy before they can be "hired."

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Starting Saturday, instructors from the Sacramento police and fire departments will teach the "I Drive Safe" classes for members of the public.

The eight-hour course, which costs $275, is offered to new and experienced drivers.

Officials said they hope the course will improve road safety in Sacramento, which has one of the highest accident rates for large cities in the state.

Students will learn defensive driving, high-speed braking, accident avoidance, controlling a vehicle on wet roads and precision driving at slow speeds such as parallel parking.

Each class is limited to eight students and will contain one to two hours of classroom lecture.

The classes will be at 3905 Alert Road in Mather.

For more information about the program, contact Sgt. Keith Burgoon at (916) 228-3858 or go to www.i-drive-safe.com .

Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

A 62-year-old homeless man pleaded not guilty Friday in Sacramento federal court to mailing anthrax-hoax and threatening letters to three Social Security Administration offices and President Barack Obama at the White House.

Court papers show Timothy Cloud was angry over the agency's denial of his application for benefits and decided on incarceration as an alternative retirement plan.

Cloud, a slight man with a bushy, gray beard, collar-length hair and bald on top, is in jail without bail. He is scheduled to appear May 17 for a status conference before U. S. District Judge William B. Shubb.

Call The Bee's Denny Walsh, (916) 321-1189.

Previous coverage:

Transient faces charges in Sacramento over threats - April 30, 2010

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Woodland police are conducting an internal review of the unintentional discharged of an officer's weapon that happened today.

Nobody was injured when three officers tried to enter an apartment on West Cross Street and a department-issued handgun was fired.

The incident happened when the lead officer got no response at the apartment door where officers were responding to a report of an assault with injury.

The lead officer used a pass key and unlocked the door but sensed resistance from the other side. While attempting to enter, the lead officer's .40 caliber handgun discharged.

One round was fired into the apartment where three people were residing. Property damage was minimal.

The original assault that led officers to the apartment is also under investigation.

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

Q: Was anyone arrested for the murder of Jessica Smith in her apartment in Sacramento in the mid '90s? - Concerned, Fairfield

A: A Sacramento Superior Court jury convicted Correll Hicks Jr. of the Sept. 10, 2002 murder of Smith because she asked him to baby sit their child, The Bee reported.

Hicks (at left in 2002 photo), now 30, was sentenced on Sept. 11, 2004 to 26 years to life in prison.

Hicks, a man with a history of domestic violence, killed the 27-year-old Smith as she was trying to leave him, according to trial testimony.

Smith, a nursing student, was found dead at her U Street apartment in midtown Sacramento. She had been strangled and 6 inches of a towel was jammed down her throat.

Hicks, at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, stood 9 inches taller than Smith and outweighed her by 100 pounds. He erupted into a rage after Smith asked him to baby sit their child on Hicks' birthday, trial evidence showed.

He was found by police in the apartment with Smith. He had slashed his wrists, stabbed his abdomen with scissors and attempted to hang himself, his attorney said.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento street gang member was convicted of second-degree murder today for killing a rival in a shootout two years ago in which an estimated 40 shots were fired.

Jurors returned the verdict against Billy Chan Saechao, 18. He was accused in the 1 a.m., March 21, 2008, shooting death of Koua Lee, 20.

According to a prosecution trial brief, Saechao, a member of the Mien Pride Gangsters, went to a party in the 7600 block of Millroy Way in south Sacramento to pick up his girlfriend.

When he and three friends got there, they saw another group of young men that included Lee, whom the prosecution brief identified as a member of the True Blue Crips.

After the two groups exchanged words, gunfire rang out, and investigators later recovered the 40 casings from several different handguns, the brief said.

Fifteen of the casings came from a weapon recovered beneath the car seat where Lee was found dead with a single gunshot wound to the chest, the brief said.

Two other young men were injured in the shootout.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Laurie M. Earl scheduled Saechao's sentencing for June 11.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Jules Gholar of second-degree murder in the 2008 Thanksgiving Day shooting death of Augusta James in Oak Park.

Gholar (photo left), 27, had been smoking crystal methamphetamine and trying to buy more drugs when he shot and killed James, 32, outside a house on 35th Street around 2:20 a.m., according to a prosecution trial brief.

James had just gotten out of jail the day before he was murdered, the brief said.

A key piece of evidence in the case was James' dying declaration. When a Sacramento police officer responded to the shooting and asked James who did it, the victim responded, "Jules," according to the brief.

Judge David De Alba scheduled Gholar's sentencing for June 11.

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

What would you ask the candidates for Sacramento County sheriff? Sacbee.com presents a live chat at noon Monday with the three candidates: Jim Cooper, Bret Daniels and Scott Jones.

What would you ask the candidates? Use our online forum to submit your questions in advance.

Bee columnist Marcos Breton will host the chat and select some of your questions for the candidates.

Join the chat noon Monday at www.sacbee.com/live

By Bee Staff

A Sacramento County burglary victim was fortunate to escape only with the loss of his handgun, a Sheriff's Department crime summary released this week indicates.

Here's the chain of events as laid out by the summary:

A burglar entered the victim's residence in the 9600 block on Rogers Road about 9 a.m. April 27 by pulling out an air-conditioning unit and crawling through the window.

The 50-year-old victim came home and confronted the burglar. The thief pointed his hands toward the victim and stated that he had a gun. He told the victim to move back or he would shoot him.

The victim complied and the burglar fled. The victim told deputies that the revolver that he kept in his bedroom was missing.

No description of the burglar was provided.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Woodland police said a bar fight was notable for a badly bitten finger suffered by one victim.

Police said they were dispatched to Zitio Bar and Grill, 11 East St., about 2:30 a.m. Saturday for a report that somebody had lost a finger in a fight.

When officers arrived they discovered that suspects had fled and the victim's finger had not been bitten off. Instead, the victim with the bad bite wound had a severe laceration.

Two others also suffered injuries.

Police later stopped a car a few blocks away and arrested Kassandra Salas, 25, and Rosenda Salas, 21, on suspicion of battery.

Police said that the victims and the suspects had been drinking and no weapons had been used in the fight. The reason for the fight is still being investigated.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police said today they have arrested a teen in Iowa for the slaying of a man nearly a year ago in Valley Hi.

Keith Williams Jr. (photo right), 18, was taken into custody on suspicion of murder and attempted murder by Sacramento police detectives who traveled to Woodward, Iowa to make the arrest.

He is suspected of killing Paul Ray Cousins, 21, who died after being shot in the 7800 block of Summerview Way on May 19, 2009.

A 19-year-old friend of Cousins' suffered multiple gunshot wounds but survived.

Detectives at the time said Cousins and the other man were standing outside a residence shortly before 11 p.m. when two suspects approached and shot them. Cousins was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives believe the killing was gang-related. Williams was transported to Sacramento on Thursday and booked into Sacramento County Jail.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Davis police arrested a 26-year-old San Jose man this afternoon after he allegedly used a stun gun in an attempt to rape a woman at her Davis apartment.

The victim reported that Hoang Nguyen was a friend of her sister and was staying with the women at their apartment. About 1:35 p.m., the victim told police she was left alone in the apartment with Nguyen when her sister left to attend classes at UC Davis.

While the victim was studying at her computer, she said Nguyen attempted to incapacitate her by using a stun gun and sexually assault her, according to a Police Department news release. The victim was able to fight him off her. She then grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him in the leg several times before fleeing her apartment and summoning help.

Officers responded and found Nguyen near the victim's apartment with stab wounds to his leg. He was taken to Sutter Davis Hospital, where he was treated.

Police said the victim also was treated for minor injuries and contact burns from the stun gun.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A candlelight vigil will be held near the Capitol this evening to honor California's fallen peace officers.

The vigil is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. at the California Peace Officers' Memorial, located at Capitol Mall and 10th Street.

The event is scheduled annually as part of local efforts to honor peace officers killed in the line of duty. Local events are scheduled to precede National Police Week and related ceremonies held in Washington D.C. at the National Law Enforcement Memorial.

In California, six peace officers killed in the line of duty in 2009 - including the four Oakland police officers killed in the deadliest incident for law enforcement since 1970 - are being added to the state's memorial. Four officers who died in previous years also are being honored.

Next week, the names of 324 law enforcement officers from across the nation will be engraved in the national memorial.

No officers from the Sacramento region died in the line of duty in 2009 - the first year with no such tragedy since 2004.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Four people were arrested during a Cinco de Mayo "saturation patrol" conducted by a team of Yolo County law enforcement agencies to get intoxicated drivers off the road.

Officers conducted 52 vehicle stops and nine drivers were put through field sobriety tests, according to a news release. Four were arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Officials said one of the drivers arrested for driving under the influence had a warrant for a similar offense in Sacramento County.

One vehicle was impounded for 30 days because the driver's license had been suspended or revoked. Six drivers were cited for other vehicle code violations.

Wednesday's saturation patrol was supported by the AVOID the "8" program under a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Sacramento Fire Department officials say a solvent-type chemical was responsible for a small explosion Thursday afternoon at the UC Davis Medical Center's Oak Park Research Building.

Capt. Jim Doucette said the incident occurred in a lab on the second floor of the two-story building at 2700 Stockton Blvd. He said employees heard an explosion and found the door had blown open on a cabinet used to store waste materials. About 40 people were evacuated as a precaution. No one was injured.

Doucette said the fire department's Haz Mat firefighters entered the building and found that a small amount of waste material that had been properly stored caused the incident. The building was not damaged.

Carole Gan, news service manager for the medical center, said the building houses labs engaged in cancer research and biophotonics, which involves the use of light and lasers to diagnose and treat disease.

She said the explosion occurred in a fire-proof cabinet designed to contain flammable materials.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Bee Staff

Sobriety will be a good idea if you plan to drive in Sacramento or Citrus Heights tomorrow or Saturday.

The Citrus Heights Police Department plans to conduct a DUI checkpoint starting at 7:30 p.m. and running until 3 a.m. on Madison Avenue at San Juan Avenue, according to a news release.

The Sacramento Police Department will do the same Saturday in an undisclosed area in north Sacramento at an undisclosed time.

Drivers going through the checkpoints will checked for valid driver's licenses and signs of being impaired by drugs or alcohol.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Authorities are asking for the public's help in identifying two women suspected of passing more than $900 in counterfeit checks at area businesses.

Between April 9 and April 11, the women (photos below) used a fraudulent California driver's license to pass counterfeit checks at Sacramento businesses that included a grocery store, crafts store and two pharmacies, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Detectives with the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, a multiagency team investigating the case, suspect there might be additional victims.

Surveillance cameras caught images of the suspects. Based on those images, the Sheriff's Department provided the following suspect descriptions:

-Suspect one is a white woman about 25 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing about 135 pounds. She has brown hair.

-Suspect two is a white woman about 45 years old, 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing about 155 pounds. She has light brown hair.

Anyone with information about these suspects, or who suspect they have been a victim of these women, is asked to call the Task Force at 9916) 874-3002 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

Information also can be texted to 274637. Enter "SACTIP" followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A former Folsom resident has been booked in Sacramento County Jail, suspected by police of 109 counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old.

John C. Schenberger, 44, was booked into jail after being arrested in Fremont, Alameda County, by police on Wednesday. He was booked on suspicion of 31 counts, but police said they believe he really committed 109 sexual acts against a child.

Schenberger worked for a technology company in Fremont.

Schenberger told the arresting officers that he was aware he would eventually be arrested, police said. Folsom detectives transported Schenberger to Sacramento jail.

The sexual assaults on the child are suspected to have occurred in 2003 in Folsom. The victim was a 12-year-old girl in 2003.

He is also under investigation by El Dorado County and Portland, Ore., law enforcement.

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

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

A former Sacramento man arrested in Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday in connection with a series of rapes there is the same man police believe may have been the Oak Park rapist, who terrorized the Sacramento neighborhood with a series of sex assaults in the 1980s.

Bernard Jackson, 52, was arrested by Kansas City police on a parole violation and was expected to be charged with four unsolved rapes in that area in the 1980s, the Kansas City Star reported today. He was taken into custody as part of an investigation into five rapes that took place between September 2009 and last February and was linked to some of the attacks through DNA evidence, the Star reported.

Jackson was paroled in December 2008 after his 1985 conviction on attempted rape and other charges, the Kansas City newspaper said. He also served six years for a 1977 rape conviction.

Records show Jackson was born in Louisiana and had lived in the Kansas City area, but he apparently moved to Sacramento shortly after being paroled following his 1977 conviction.

Sacramento police suspected that Jackson was the Oak Park rapist, who first struck May 10, 1983.

Over an 18-month period, police reported 14 rapes and three other sex assaults in an area bordered by W Street and Sherman Way on the north, 15th Avenue on the south, 26th Street on the west and Stockton Boulevard on the east, according to Bee archives.

Police said at the time that they believed the incidents were connected, but they did not rule out the possibility of more than one attacker. Jackson was charged with only one of the assaults.

The Sacramento District Attorney's office filed five felony counts against Jackson on Oct. 4, 1984, charging him with burglary, sexual assault, sexual battery and assault with a deadly weapon.

But Jackson apparently left Sacramento and never faced trial in those charges.

He surfaced two months later on Dec. 11, when a police officer in Georgetown, Colo., pulled him over west of Denver for a routine traffic stop. The officer ran a check on him and found Jackson was wanted in Missouri on a $460,000 warrant for attempted rape, burglary, armed robbery and a parole violation, Bee archives show.

Records from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation show Jackson was arrested by the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office on a fugitive warrant from Sacramento in the sex assault case, a fugitive warrant from Kansas City for burglary and rape and a fugitive warrant from Jefferson City, Mo., for a parole violation.

Jackson apparently was transferred to Missouri for trial.

His Sacramento case languished without action until Nov. 13, 2006, when the charges were dismissed, online court records show.

Jackson's court file was in storage Wednesday and officials were trying to recover it to determine what happened with the Sacramento case. Officials with the Sacramento District Attorney's office and Sacramento police said Wednesday and again this morning they were not certain why the charges were dismissed.

However, Sacramento police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said today that Kansas City detectives had contacted the department last week to discuss the Jackson case.

Call The Bee's Sam Stanton, (916) 321-1091.

TIMELINE: OAK PARK RAPE SUSPECT

Here is a chronology of events in the life of the man police suspect in the Oak Park rapist case:

Nov. 17, 1957: Bernard Jackson born in Louisiana.

July 18, 1977: Jackson convicted in Kansas City of crime against nature and rape. Served six years and apparently moved to Sacramento in 1983 after release.

May 10, 1983: First sex assault occurs in Oak Park. Police later link 17 attacks over 18-month period. Jackson investigated as the Oak Park rapist, but police did not rule out possibility of more than one person involved.

Oct. 4, 1984: Jackson charged by Sacramento District Attorney with five felony counts that included burglary, sexual assault and assault with deadly weapon.

Dec. 11, 1984: Jackson pulled over for traffic stop in Georgetown, Colo. Police discover outstanding warrants from Missouri and Sacramento.

August 26, 1985: Jackson convicted of attempted forcible rape, burglary and armed criminal action in Missouri. Scheduled for release Dec. 13, 2014.

Nov. 13, 2006: Sacramento charges against Jackson are dismissed without action.

December 2008: Jackson paroled into Kansas City halfway house.

Wednesday: Jackson arrested on parole violation as part of probe into five Kansas City-area rapes between September and February.

Today: Kansas City media outlets report Jackson expected to be charged in unsolved 1980s rapes there.

Sources: Bee archives, online Sacramento Superior Court records, Colorado Bureau of Investigation records, Kansas City Star and Bee researcher Sheila A. Kern.

Kansas City Star coverage:

Waldo rapes suspect beaten in jail, likely to be charged in four '80s cases - May 6, 2010

Q: Was anyone convicted in the murder of Jill Alamo? - Colleen, Sacramento

A: No, but a 38-year-old man is scheduled to go trail this month for her murder in Sacramento Superior Court, according to court records and Bee reports.

Augustine Munoz' trial is set for May in the 2007 slaying of Alamo, his ex-wife, whose body was found dumped in a ditch, according to authorities.

Munoz was arrested in November 2009 at the Sacramento County main jail, where he had been in custody since the body of the 42-year-old Alamo was found Nov. 8, 2007.

At the time of Alamo's killing, Munoz was out of jail on bail, charged with violating a domestic violence restraining order. His bail was revoked after Alamo's body was found in a ditch in the 9900 block of Elder Creek Road.

A neighbor reported Alamo, the mother of four, missing in late October 2007. Deputies found signs of forced entry and a struggle in her home.

One of her daughters told The Bee shortly after the death that Alamo feared Munoz after divorcing him the previous year.

She had lost weight and often asked a neighbor to watch the house while she took naps.

According to Sacramento Superior Court records, Munoz was charged in July 2002 with domestic violence against Alamo and battery against her daughter.

He was charged with spousal battery and violating a restraining order just a few months before Alamo's death, according to the records.

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

By Bee Staff

Bee researcher Linda Beymer contributed to this report

A killer who also was married on the same day he received a life sentence is among Sacramento area inmates who are due parole hearings within the next week.

Here are some of the Sacramento area inmates serving life sentences who are due hearings within the next week:

-Walter Marlin Webb, 55, Folsom State Prison.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge sentenced Webb to life in prison for the Aug. 19, 1976 murder of a store clerk and the wounding of a customer during a robbery.

In a strange twist, Webb also was married minutes after his sentencing to a 21-year-old woman.

Webb shot to death clerk Richard Nevis, 54, and wounded a 16-year-old customer at the Short Stop Market at Fruitridge Road and Wilkinson Street. Webb had also robbed he store the day before.

"You should not be allowed in free society," Judge Irving H. Perluss told Webb before sentencing him.

-Ronald Wayne Beard, 72, California Medical Facility.

Beard was sentenced to 30 years to life for the Nov. 2, 1990 gunshot slaying of his estranged wife, Beverley.

Beard admitted that he shot the 47-year-old woman during a bitter confrontation at the home they once shared on Ellington Circle in unincorporated Sacramento County.

At his sentencing, Beard complained at length about his 32-year marriage.

"I've never sentenced a more self-centered criminal in my career," Judge Jack Sapunor said.

-Lloyd Cornelius Banks, 62, California Medical Facility.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury found Banks guilty of the Oct. 12, 1987 murder of a 70-year-old woman who furnished him a place to live, first in a garage apartment and then in her home.

Banks beat and stabbed to death Doris M. Allan at her Sacramento home. He blamed his cocaine use, telling a policeman, "I didn't mean to do nothing. I just went berserk. I'm a good person."

-Jerry Allen Hoffine, 57, Folsom State Prison.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge sentenced Hoffine to 15 years to life in prison for the June 4, 1982 slaying of his wife, Glenda, 29, at their south Sacramento home.

Doctors at University Medical Center at first refused to turn off life support for the woman for 16 days, despite her parents' request for them to do so.

Hospital officials said they were reluctant end life support because of a 1973 Oakland case in which a murder defendant claimed - unsuccessfully - that a hospital had caused the death of the man he was accused of murdering when the victim's heart was removed for a transplant.

-Carlos Thomas Garcia, 57, Avenal State Prison.

A Placer Superior Court judge sentenced Garcia to life for the June 19, 1983 murder of a Roseville woman.

Garcia left the woman on the kitchen floor of her home after shooting her and then fled to San Diego.

If you want to give your opinion of an inmate's suitability for parole, you may mail a letter to:

Martin Hoshino, executive director

Board of Parole Hearings

1515 K Street

Sacramento, CA 95811

For more information on the Board of Parole Hearings, go to:

http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Divisions_Boards/BOPH/

By Bee staff:

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking Edward Drovorub (left photo) on a felony warrant for suspicion of burglary, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Drovorub is described as age 21, 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighing 160 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. He is also known for using Eddy, Eduard and Eduardo as first-name aliases.

Drovorub was last known to was last known to live in the 3100 block of Iva Way in the Arden Arcade area.

Anyone with information about Drovorub is urged 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.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Four people were arrested late Tuesday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a man was beaten in the city of Sacramento's Parkway area.

Sacramento police officers were called to the 4000 block of Robinridge Way at 11:10 p.m. by a man who said his brother was being beaten by several individuals with pipes.

A Police Department helicopter crew spotted three people beating the victim, according to the department's daily activity log. The suspects fled in a vehicle to a home on Mandy Drive. Two of the suspects went into a residence.

Officers contacted two other suspects in front of the home. The others eventually came outside and all four were arrested. They told police the beating was retaliation for a brandishing incident in which the victim was involved.

Paul Keola, age 26, Tony Gomez, 44, and Monique Gomez, 20, were booked into Sacramento County Jail. Keola and Tony Gomez were held on $55,000 bail and Monique Gomez, on $25,000 bail. A 16-year-old boy also was arrested.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 19-year-old man was shot in the leg while walking in the Valley Hi area late Tuesday night.

The man was crossing the intersection of Valley Green Drive and Center Parkway shortly before 11 p.m. when two individuals wearing hooded sweatshirts approached them from the other direction, according to the Sacramento Police Department's daily activity log.

The man told police he heard several gunshots and realized he had been shot in the leg. The hooded individuals ran off in the opposite direction.

The wounded man was taken to Kaiser South Medical Center in stable condition, the report said.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The fire that destroyed a coffee kiosk on the University of California, Davis, campus last week is being treated as arson.

The incident is being investigated by the UC Davis Police and Fire departments and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to a university news release. Items from the scene have been sent to the ATF crime lab in Sacramento.

The Cargo Coffee kiosk outside King Hall was destroyed in the fire, which was reported just before 6 a.m. Friday. No one was injured.

The ATF also is assisting in investigation of a suspicious object found Saturday at a second Cargo Coffee kiosk outside Olson Hall. The small device, which could have caused a fire similar to the one that destroyed the King Hall kiosk, was reported at 5:30 p.m. Neighboring buildings were briefly evacuated, and the Yolo County Bomb Squad was called on to deal with the device.

The privately owned kiosks are among three operated on campus through a lease with Sodexo, the campus food service provider.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An 18-year-old Auburn man was arrested this afternoon in connection with several recent graffiti vandalism incidents in the city.

Patrick Johnathan Pujol is believed to be linked to graffiti at Placer High School, the Auburn Chamber of Commerce, Rowdy Randy's gas station, Depot Bay Coffee and the Placer County Library Amphitheater, according to an Auburn Police Department news release.

Pujol also was arrested on suspicion of possessing stolen property believed to have been taken in several car burglaries in the city. Police said Pujol cooperated with detectives and was arrested without incident about 4 p.m.

Investigations are continuing in both the graffiti and stolen property cases.

Anyone who has been a victim of graffiti or recent thefts from vehicles in the city and has not filed a police report, or who may have information about the incidents is asked to call the Detective Scott Alford with the Auburn Police Department Investigations Unit at (530) 823-4237, ext. 207.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

El Dorado County sheriff's officials say a school bus that was reportedly fired upon by a passing motorist last month was not damaged by a gunshot,

Based on the damage to the windshield, investigators believe a hand tool, such as a wrench, may have been thrown at the bus, according to a news release issued today by the Sheriff's Department.

No suspects have been identified in the incident, which occurred about 2:30 p.m. April 19 as the bus was westbound on Carson Road, just west of Pony Express Trail in the Camino area.

The bus driver reported that she observed a green Jeep Cherokee approaching and saw what appeared to be a muzzle flash from the driver's side of the Jeep, just before the bus windshield shattered, spraying glass on the driver.

The driver was able to maintain control of the bus and continued to the next wide spot in the road, where she stopped and called 911.

Seventeen El Dorado High School students were on the bus, but none were injured.

Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 321-5287.

Previous coverage:

El Dorado officials seek suspects after school bus is shot - April 19, 2010

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Roseville police detectives have concluded their investigation into the accidental shooting of a Placer County sheriff's deputy's 3-year-old daughter.

The case now will be forwarded to the Placer County District Attorney's office, which will determine whether to charge Deputy Ken Skogen in the April 20 death of his daughter, Kalli.

According to Roseville police, Ken Skogen was cleaning a firearm in the garage of his Sawtell Road home shortly before 6 p.m. that day. Upon finishing, he had opened the gun safe to store the firearm, and had turned his back on the safe for a "brief moment" as he prepared to place the firearm in the safe, said police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.

In that "brief moment," Kalli Skogen reached into the gun safe and pulled out another loaded handgun, Gunther said. The gun discharged, and Kalli was shot in the stomach.

Her father told police he did not realize she was so close to the safe, Gunther said.

During the course of their investigation, Gunther said police reviewed evidence that included 911 calls, initial statements by Kalli's parents, evidence located at the scene, preliminary autopsy findings and trajectory analysis of the bullet.

Police determined that the evidence was "consistent and supported the parents' account," Gunther said.

Kalli Skogen was taken to the Sutter Roseville Medical Center and then the UC Davis Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038.

By Bee Staff

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies recently conducted two pursuits of suspected car thieves and came away with two recovered vehicles and five arrests, according to a crime summary released this week.

Both chases and resulting arrests occurred on one day - April 29, according to the summary, which gave this account of the cases:

At about 7:30 p.m., a deputy spotted three people in car with a license plate that had been reported stolen.

When the deputy tried to stop the vehicle, it sped off and a pursuit followed. The chase ended at Bell Street and Northrop Avenue where the fleeing car hit a parked vehicle.

All three occupants ran away. Deputies aided by K-9 units and the sheriff's helicopter later found the three occupants.

The driver, a 16-year-old male, was arrested on various theft and motor-vehicle code violations. The other two occupants of the car, also juveniles, were booked on outstanding warrants.

At about 11:30 p.m., deputies spotted two men in a vehicle that had been reported carjacked.

The driver failed to halt and a high-speed pursuit followed before the vehicle halted in the area of Florin Road and Stockton Boulevard.

The driver fled, but was found about 100 yards away, hiding in a trash can, deputies said.

The driver - Wesley Applewhite, 26 - was booked into jail on suspicion of various related charges. He still was in jail today on a no-bail parole violation as of this afternoon.

The second person in the car was not charged, records indicate.

By Bill Lindelof
lindelof@sacbee.com

A former UC Davis employee has pleaded guilty in Yolo County Superior Court to embezzlement from the university.

Sueanna Gaines, also known as Susie Cauchi, of Yuba City, was sentenced to 240 days in jail and five years of probation on Tuesday as part of a plea bargain agreement, the university said.

Gaines was an accounting and purchasing coordinator for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at UC Davis for 10 years. She left in December 2008.

She was arrested in October on suspicion of embezzlement and theft of more than $38,000 from unauthorized use of a university gas card for fuel used in personal transportation and misappropriation of cash and materials.

The university said that an audit after Gaines' arrest has led to tightening of controls on expenditures, including the addition of a new layer of approval for payments and ensuring that purchases are not begun and verified by the same person.

In a press release the university said that the court set a May 21 hearing to determine Gaines' restitution to UC Davis.

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

Previous coverage:

UC Davis audit says lax athletic department procedures led to embezzlement - Oct. 21, 2009

Another UCD employee accused of public funds misuse - Oct. 20, 2009

By Christine Vovakes
Bee Correspondent

CHICO -- A head-on collision between a tanker truck and a sedan killed one person this morning and forced the closure of Highway 99 north of Chico when the tanker caught fire.

Authorities say the unidentified victim who was driving the sedan was attempting to pass another vehicle and hit the tanker in the oncoming lane.

The burning truck has been sending a huge plume of black smoke into the sky.

The driver of the tanker truck escaped the collision with minor injuries.

The truck was a dual tanker with gasoline in one tank and diesel in the other. Officials with Cal Fire-Butte County are letting the fire burn because using water to extinguish the blaze would cause hazardous materials to leach into the ground.

No fuels have spread to any waterways.

A smoke advisory was issued for residents near the scene. The accident happened in a sparsely populated part of rural Butte County.

Highway 99 is closed in both directions from just south of the Tehama County line to Broyles Road in Butte County. The California Highway Patrol says the road probably will remain closed until approximately 5:30 p.m.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento Police say they suspect that the 44-year-old driver of a rig that overturned on Florin Perkins Road this morning was under the influence of a drug.

Officials estimate it will take many hours before Florin Perkins Road is re-opened after the big rig overturned and spilled coconut oil.

The driver, who police declined to immediately identity, was evaluated by police and was thought to be under the influence of narcotics. Police said that indications of narcotics use were found in the truck.

Due to the driver needing medical attention, he has not been arrested, police said. A warrant for his arrest will be issued later, police said.

The truck was on its way to the nearby Procter & Gamble Co. plant in the industrial area when it spilled 57,000 pounds of the oil. The tanker truck driver said that he fell asleep at the wheel.

Florin Perkins will be closed through the morning and at least part of this afternoon, officials said.

The oil spilled at about 1:30 a.m. onto the roadway at Florin Perkins Road and Belvedere Avenue, which is near Folsom Boulevard and Jackson Road in southeast Sacramento.

The oil also slid from the blacktop into ditches along the roadway. That will complicate cleanup because hazardous material crews will have to scoop the oil-saturated soil from the roadside ditches, officials said.

The truck was uprighted at about 6 a.m. to make way for it to be towed away.

"It will be hours before Florin Perkins is re-opened," said the California Highway Patrol's Officer Rich Wetzel. Directional signs will be in place to detour traffic around the spill.

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

Photo by Randy Pench/rpench@sacbee.com

By Bill Lindelof
blindleof@sacbee.com

Sacramento had its worst traffic day of the week today with backups on Interstate 80 and Sunrise Boulevard - plus the shutting down of Florin Perkins Road.

"It was surprisingly busy without any adverse weather to deal with," said California Highway Patrol Officer Rich Wetzel.

On I-80 several vehicles were involved in a non-injury accident in the westbound lanes between near Madison Avenue about 7:30 a.m.. At the same time there was another collision on westbound I-80 at Greenback Lane.

The accident that caused the most traffic backup occurred on northbound Sunrise Boulevard south of the American River about 7 a.m. An accident involving two vehicles, including one that overturned, affected both northbound and southbound lanes.

Both of those accidents are now cleared.

But the Florin Perkins accident still had the roadway closed at 9:30 a.m. where a big rig overturned and spilled coconut oil.

The truck spilled 57,000 pounds of the coconut oil. The oil spilled at about 1:30 a.m. onto the roadway at Florin Perkins Road near Belvedere Avenue.

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

By Bee Staff

A 26-year-old Sacramento County man found his stolen bicycle in the possession of another man, who demanded $10 to return the bike and then punched the victim in the face, according to a Sheriff's Department crime summary released this week.

The summary outlined this chain of events:

The victim spotted his bicycle allegedly in the possession of Arnold Livingston, 37, about 4 p.m. April 29 (the same day that the bike was stolen) at Mills Park Drive and Mills Tower Drive.

However, Livingston demanded $10 to return the bike when the victim confronted him, deputies reported. When the victim refused but still sought his bike's return, Livingston punched the victim in the face with his fist that was closed around a rock, deputies reported.

The victim suffered a minor cut to the inside of his lip but was not seriously injured.

Livingston was arrested on suspicion of assault and receiving stolen property, deputies said.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man shot in the elbow Tuesday night in Lodi told police he was fired upon because he was a member of a particular street gang.

Lodi police were called to the 500 block of East Elm Street about 9 p.m. by citizens who heard several gunshots. While responding to the scene, officers also learned that a man had been shot and was in the street.

Officers found a 21-year-old man in the road in front of 508 East Elm Street who had suffered a gunshot wound in his right elbow. The victim, who was not identified, said he was shot because he is a Sureno street gang member.

Police are following up on leads today. Anyone with information is asked to call police at (209) 333-6873.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters quickly extinguished a fire that burned part of a roof on an Arden Park home.

The fire was reported at 5:23 a.m. in the 1500 block of El Nido Way and was contained by firefighters 22 minutes later.

Cause of the fire is under investigation.

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