Sacto 9-1-1

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A man is in critical condition Tuesday night after being shot in the Glen Elder neighborhood, Sacramento police officials report.

About 9 p.m., neighbors reported hearing gunshots in the 7600 block of 52nd Avenue west of Power Inn Road, said Sgt. Norm Leong, Sacramento Police Department spokesman. When officers arrived, they found a man in front of a house suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to an area hospital in critical condition, Leong said.

"There were a lot of shots. I heard the motor (of a car) accelerating," said Jeff Springer, who lives in the neighborhood.

After coming out of his home, Springer said he heard many people screaming and a lot of commotion in the area.

Police are investigating the motive for the shooting, Leong said.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are investigating the drive-by shooting of a man this afternoon in Oak Park, according to authorities.

The victim, who is in his mid-30s, suffered a gunshot wound to the upper torso, but the injuries do not appear life-threatening at this time, said police Officer Konrad von Schoech.

He was shot while standing on the sidewalk in the 4200 block of 13th Avenue, von Schoech said. Shots were fired from a passing car, and no words were exchanged, witnesses told police.

The shooter was described as a Latino man in his 20s, von Schoech said.

The victim was transported to the UC Davis Medical Center for treatment.

Investigators believe the shooting might be connected to an ongoing neighborhood dispute involving the victim, von Schoech said.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have arrested two more juveniles in connection with the January killing of 15-year-old Aliyah Smith, bringing the total number of suspects to 12, according to authorities.

Eight of those suspects are younger than 18, said police Sgt. Norm Leong. Their names are not being released because they are juveniles.

All suspects are in custody and in the process of being booked into the Main Jail or juvenile hall on suspicion of murder, Leong said.

Leong said the suspects went to Nedra Court the morning of Jan. 3 looking to exact revenge on Smith, who had fought with one of the suspects at a party hours earlier.

The group members were in possession of at least two guns when they approached the home in which Smith was hiding. After trying to get her to come out of the house, they fired into the building, fatally striking the River City High School student.

All 12 suspects face charges of murder, Leong said, because they went to the home with the intent to "harm her." They also face charges of discharging a firearm into a residence, he said.

Arrested were: Marschell Brumfield, 19; Marcel Bullard, 18; D'Andre Monroe, 18; Alison Williams, 18; two 17-year-old boys; one 17-year-old girl; two 16-year-old girls; and three 15-year-old girls.

Clockwise from top left: Marschell Brumfield, Marcel Bullard, D'Andre Monroe, Alison Williams

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A house in Rocklin suffered extensive damage but the residents were able to escape the burning home thanks to neighbors.

The fire broke out in the 3400 block of Midas Avenue about 11 p.m. When Rocklin fire department crews got to the house flames were destroying a room addition next to the garage.

The fire had also spread into the attic. The home sustained significant damage as heavy tile on the roof fell into the structure.

Two people in the home, alerted to the fire by neighbors, were able to safely get out of the residence, said Battalion Chief Tim Palmer.

Firefighters were able to salvage a good portion of the homeowner's property.

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

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A bank robber who rode off on a bicycle is being sought by Placer County Sheriff's detectives.

The man -- wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt, black knit cap and sunglasses -- robbed the Wells Fargo Bank on Saturday in north Auburn, authorities say.

He walked into the bank on Grass Valley Highway and Bell Road about 1 p.m. and handed the teller a note saying he had a bomb.

Then he rode away on a bike with the money.

Anyone with information should call Placer County Sheriff's Detective Jim Hudson at (530) 889-7855.

To remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward, call Placer County Crime Stoppers at (800) 923-8191.

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

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A burglar who smashed through the glass doors of an auto repair business Aug. 4 and stole computers was caught in the act by security cameras.

Sacramento police are asking for the public's help in identifying the burly man - a black man in his 30s wearing a white tank top, blue jeans and sporting a shaved head and tattoo on his left arm.

Investigators say the suspect walked up to the auto repair and sales business in the 8500 block of Younger Creek Drive at 4:10 a.m. and broke out the glass front door.

As he walked in and took multiple computer systems, his actions were captured on surveillance video.

Detectives are hoping someone will recognize the suspect and come forward.

The Sacramento Police Department urges anyone with information 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.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blinelof@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man was shot to death in Oakland on Sunday night, police said.

James Hollister, 20, was killed in the 6700 block of Leona Creek Drive at 10:09 p.m. Sunday. Police were called to the scene and found him suffering from a gunshot wound, a police spokeswoman said.

Police report that the shooting suspect drove a dark SUV.

The Oakland Tribune reported that Hollister was standing with other men at an apartment complex when the shooting occurred, though no witnesses stayed to speak with police.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A man found dead in his Antelope apartment Saturday afternoon has been ruled the victim of a homicide, and detectives are investigating whether his penchant for gambling played a factor in his death, according to authorities.

A neighbor of 69-year-old Galen Joseph May called the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department after the neighbor noticed the front door of his apartment was ajar and a body was lying on the floor, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

Deputies arrived to find May dead, but with no obvious signs of trauma, Curran said. Detectives treated the death as suspicious until the coroner's office ruled May's death a homicide, he said. However, the exact cause of death has yet to be determined.

There were no signs of forced entry into the apartment, Curran said.

He said May was divorced with two adult children, who are on their way to Sacramento. May was a retired horse trainer at Bay Meadows Race Track in the Bay Area.

"Horses were his passion and his life," Curran said.

His other passion, however, was gambling, and Curran said May was known to frequent Thunder Valley casino -- especially on Wednesdays, marketed as "senior days."

"We believe he was there last Wednesday," Curran said. "We're asking anyone who knew him at Thunder Valley ... to give us a call so we can talk about his habits."

Anyone with information about May's death is asked to call homicide Detective Rob Tracy at (916) 874-8480.

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

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A patron at a Red Lobster restaurant was stabbed in the neck by another patron with a knife Saturday night, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department reported.

The attack occurred in a restroom at the restaurant in the 1400 block of Howe Avenue, at about 9 p.m., the department said in a news release.

The suspect, identified as Brian Soule, 30, is alleged to have stolen the victim's cell phone. He fled the restaurant and was caught about 20 minutes later by deputies at a nearby apartment complex, the statement said.

Soule was booked into the Sacramento County jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and robbery.

The victim was taken to UC Davis Medical Center where he was treated for injuries that were not life threatening, the department said.

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

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Sheriff's detectives have arrested two area residents in the shooting death of a 23-year-old man early this morning near 42nd Street and Fruitridge Road.

Chai Choy Saechao, 34, and Jensen Jordan Yoro, 22, were booked into the Sacramento County jail on murder charges and are being held without bail, according to a sheriff's department news release.

Investigators say Saechao and Yoro killed Alonzo Haynes - whom family members described as a college student and aspiring lawyer.

Haynes was shot in the chest and crashed into a light pole as he drove away in a black SUV. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the crash scene, near the corner of 42nd Street and Apostolo Circle.

The shooting occurred at a home a short distance away, said sheriff's spokesman Tim Curran.

Deputies responded to the call at 3:18 a.m. and detained several people walking in the area and at nearby homes.

Investigators believe that the suspects and Haynes had argued earlier in the night. They said Haynes was shot when he confronted them in the Apostolo Circle area.

He was able to get into his vehicle and drive a short distance before he collapsed and crashed, Curran said.

Detectives think the shooting was gang related, Curran said. Haynes' relatives denied he was involved in a gang.

The suspects are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court.

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

By Matt Weiser
mweiser@sacbee.com

A 4-year-old boy is in critical condition at Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California after being rescued from a burning apartment today.

Sacramento Metro Fire District firefighters responded to the 3100 block of El Camino Avenue just after 11 a.m. They broke through a window to rescue the boy.

The victim wasn't breathing completely on his own when firefighters found him. He was wrapped in blankets.

"It really prevented any thermal burns to his skin," said Assistant Fire Chief Brian Rice. His injuries appeared to be respiratory, Rice said.

The boy is in critical condition, but appeared to be stabilizing, Rice said.

The fire at the El Camino Apartments appears to be accidental, Rice said. Damage was estimated at about $100,000.

Call The Bee's Matt Weiser, (916) 321-1264.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man has been sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay restitution for using a false Social Security number to establish lines of credit and purchase vehicles, the U.S. Attorney's office reported Friday.

Keilan Johnson, 37, was ordered to pay $74,920.89 in restitution for making false statements in loan and credit applications and using a false social security number, according to a U.S. Department of Justice release.

Johnson pleaded guilty to the charges on Jan. 15.

Court documents stated that Jerry Van Le provided Johnson with a fraudulent Social Security number and used it to set up a fictitious credit history in Johnson's name, the release said.

Johnson then established fraudulent lines of credit using the fictitious credit history.

In the span of five months from late 2008 to early 2009, Johnson submitted one fraudulent car loan application to Schools Financial Credit Union and two to Wachovia Bank, according to the release.

In the applications, he used the false Social Security number to deceive the credit unions and, as a result, obtained loans that he used to buy two 2009 Dodge Challengers and a Ford Mustang, according to the release.

Five others - Van Le, Chung Jeng Tang, Nathan Bitner, Corey Ebanks and Tehan Ferguson - have pleaded guilty in connection with the fraud scheme.

Bitner and Tang were sentenced in January to three months and 12 months and one day in prison, respectively. Ebanks was sentenced in July to 18 months in prison.

Van Le and Ferguson are scheduled to be sentenced in September.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

Carmichael yogurt shop expects to re-open shortly after a car drove through the front of the shop this afternoon, taking out two panes of glass including the front door.

Around 12:40 p.m., a silver Honda driven by an 83-year-old Citrus Heights woman plowed into Lickity Split Yogurt on Madison Avenue, said a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol.

The woman was pulling into a parking spot when she accidentally hit her car's acceleration pedal instead of the brake, said CHP Officer Lizz Dutton.

The Honda hit a parked Acura and Lexus before running over the curb and into the shop, Dutton said.

The woman complained of chest and back pain and was taken to a nearby hospital, Dutton said. Nobody in the shop was injured, she said.

The front of the shop is all glass panes, and the Honda took out two panes in the front right corner of the shop, said Lickity Split employee Brandon Hanson.

The shop is installing a temporary door and expects to re-open this afternoon before 5 p.m., Hanson said.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A judge today sentenced a man to life in prison without possibility of parole for the stomping and BB-gun torture murder of a disabled former Marine two years ago near a Rancho Cordova convenience store.

Frank Abella, 20, had asked for a 26-to-life term, but Sacramento Superior Court Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard sided with the prosecutor who said the June 7, 2008, killing of William Deer, 50, was particularly egregious.

"Rarely does one encounter a case containing as much depravity and horror as this case involving the painful stomping death and BB gun torture of an innocent, disabled man," Deputy District Attorney Sheri Greco said in her sentencing brief.

Deer had bought a cup of coffee and was sitting on a curb drinking it when he was approached and attacked by Abella and a second killer, James Davis Washington, who also is now 20. Washington received a life without parole term last month.

Abella's lawyer argued that his client grew up in harsh circumstances, with a mother who was a methamphetamine addict and a father he barely knew who was in and out of prison.

"LWOP means denial of hope," defense attorney Michael D. Long wrote in his court memorandum.

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

Q: Is there any news regarding the death of Craig Dalton, a shooting victim in Elk Grove? - tumbl23, Elk Grove

A: The Sacramento County district attorney has charged Dalton's ex-wife, Jennifer Ann Dalton, with murder. Doctors' reports on her competency are due to be presented in court on Sept. 8, court records show.

Craig Dalton, 39, was shot to death on July 14, 2009, The Bee reported.

Elk Grove police arrested Jennifer Dalton (photo left), who is also known as Jennifer Ann Tate in property records that day.

Police said Jennifer Dalton, 41, called 911 after her ex-husband was shot in the upper torso inside her home in the 9300 block of Rainbow Falls Way. Neighbors reported hearing three shots being fired.

Jennifer Dalton was detained and then taken by ambulance to a local hospital for evaluation, police said. Meanwhile, police obtained a search warrant and found a firearm inside that they believed was used in the shooting.

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

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A 22-year-old man is in custody today after he allegedly stole a construction company pickup truck and crashed it into a midtown Sacramento apartment complex before he was caught by the vehicle's driver and co-workers.

Around 1 p.m., Sacramento police were notified of a vehicle that had been stolen near J and 23rd Streets and was being chased by the driver and his co-workers in another vehicle, said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

During the chase, the suspect, identified as Modesto Nance, hit a couple parking meters and a couple parked cars before crashing into the corner of an apartment complex near 17th and N Streets, Leong said.

The suspect ran from the vehicle and was chased down and detained about a block away by the driver, his co-workers and bystanders, Leong said.

The suspect was taken to an area hospital after complaining of pain, Leong said.

The apartment is structurally OK, Leong said. There were people in the building, but it is unclear whether the inhabitants of the corner apartment were home, he said.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

The Placer County Sheriff's department has found a gold miner reported missing since last Sunday in the Sailor Flat area of Tahoe National Forest.

Gary Davis, 65, of Sacramento, entered the mountainous region at the north fork of the American River on Aug. 20, looking for gold, Sheriff's department spokesman Sgt. Troy Minton-Sander said today.

Davis parked his car at a trailhead and walked into the mountainous area, Minton-Sander said.

He was last seen on Sunday by another hiker, who noticed that Davis didn't have much water or food left, Minton-Sander said.

Davis told the hiker to send help if Davis was not out of the area by Tuesday, Minton-Sander said. Based on that information, Davis' friends contacted the Sheriff's department Thursday, he said.

About 10 search and rescue personnel were dropped into the area by helicopter Friday morning and found Davis at his vehicle, Minton-Sander said.

Davis had climbed out of a canyon and reached his vehicle, but would not have been able to drive himself out of the area because the terrain was too dangerous, Minton-Sander said.

Davis, tired and likely dehydrated, also would not have been able to make the three- to four-hour hike out of the area, Minton-Sander said.

The Sailor Flat area is popular with gold miners and hikers, but requires some planning and experience to navigate, Minton-Sander said.

"You're right up on top of the Sierras and you can get yourself in trouble in a hurry," he said.

Davis had one small gold nugget, Minton-Sander said.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A federal grand jury in Sacramento returned a one-count indictment Thursday charging Jose Pelayo, 35, and Nemesio Reyna Ortega, 19, with cultivating 1,000 or more marijuana plants, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported today.

The indictment alleges that Pelayo and Ortega were growing marijuana on federal land in Tehama County on August 6, 2010, according to a news release.

The case is the result of a joint investigation by the United States Forest Service, Tehama County Sheriff's Office and California Department of Fish and Game.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Bee staff

A Sacramento man - who hit a 94-year-old woman with a hammer in 1989, leading to her death three years later - is due a parole hearing next month.

Larry Wayne Large, now 51, struck Ngan Jew in the head as she walked July 16, 1989, near 16th and S streets in midtown Sacramento, The Bee reported. Jew died from complications that developed from the attack.

One witness testified that Large, also known as Paul Jake Winfield, told him after the attack: "I killed a Chinese woman. She was messing with my Chicano friends."

The only comments Jew made when Large confronted her were: "No money! No money!" according to court testimony.

Large was arrested about a month after the attack. Sacramento police detectives found him in the Solano County jail where he was facing charges of killing a puppy with an ax.

Three doctors initially found Large mentally incompetent to stand trial. He was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic and committed to a state hospital.

In 1990, he was returned to the court system where he admitted he tried to kill Jew and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

After she died, a murder charge was filed.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury found him guilty of second degree murder in 1995. Large was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

Large's hearing will be Sept. 10 at California State Prison, Sacramento.

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/

Bee researcher Linda Beymer contributed to this report.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is asking the public for help in identifying two men who robbed a Pizza Hut earlier this month.

On the night of August 12, 2010, the robbers entered the Pizza Hut at 10731 Coloma Road and forcibly took money from the cash register. One suspect was armed with a handgun.

Both robbers fled on foot.

One robber's image was caught by security cameras (photo left).

Police describe him as a black male, 18 to 25 years old, 6 feet tall and of medium build. He was wearing a black and gold hooded sweatshirt and jeans.

The second robber is described as a black male in his 20s, 5 feet 8 inches tall and wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone with information is asked to call robbery detectives at (916) 874-5051, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP; or send a text message tip by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

A former South San Francisco fire battalion chief accused of running a sports gambling ring while he was on duty at the firehouse has pleaded not guilty to bookmaking charges, the San Mateo County Times reported.

James Selvitella, 52, entered his plea Thursday in San Mateo County Superior Court along with four other men charged with running an illegal wagering operation out of a South San Francisco fire station and a San Francisco apartment, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, the newspaper reported.

Selvitella, a Petaluma resident who owns a sports bar there called Beyond the Glory, took wagers from fellow firefighters and personally collected cash and debts from gamblers in between fire calls, Wagstaffe told the newspaper.

The operation involved hundreds of thousands of dollars a day in bets, the newspaper reported.

Selvitella and the other men - Michael Cooper, 50, of San

Francisco; William Kirkpatrick, 63, of Redwood City; Louis Kristovich, 71, of Millbrae; and Christopher Mesa, 63, of Corte Madera - face felony charges of conspiracy to operate a bookmaking operation, court records show.

To see more of the story, go to http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A woman was shot in the leg in a downtown Sacramento garage early this morning after a fight between two groups of men.

Sacramento police said that the incident occurred at the garage near 10th and L streets about 1:42 a.m.

Two women were being bothered by two men after visiting a nightclub. An argument began in the parking garage, which drew the attention of another group of men who came to the aid of the women.

A fight began between the two groups of men, police said. One of the men who originally hassled the women then went to a vehicle, retrieved a gun, and fired off a shot. One of the women suffered a non-life threatening wound to her thigh.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Dixon man has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank fraud and identity theft.

U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. sentenced Jonah Hanneke Nelson, 31, to four years and 10 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Nelson pleaded guilty to the charges in November.

Nelson was arrested in April 2009 after passing counterfeit checks drawn on victims' bank accounts, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release. Nelson was found with extensive lists of victims' names and bank account numbers as well as falsified identification documents.

He was taken into federal custody after being indicted on multiple counts of bank fraud, access device fraud, counterfeiting and aggravated identity theft.

In court papers filed by the government, victims described sleepless nights, destroyed credit, missed mortgage payments and nervous breakdowns as a result of Nelson's conduct.

In imposing the sentence, Judge England noted that this was a sophisticated offense that victimized 97 individuals and five banks throughout Northern California, and resulted in a loss of $87,957 over a four-month period.

The case resulted from a joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Solano County Sheriff's Department.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Woodland police have arrested a 14-year-old youth in connection with the Aug. 15 stabbing a 16-year-old boy at the city's Campbell Park.

The 16-year-old youth was stabbed multiple times, according to a Police Department news release.

Police said the 14-year-old suspect was identified through an investigation and was arrested by gang detectives about 2 p.m. today in the 900 block of Bourne Drive.

The youth was booked into Yolo County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of attempted murder and is being held without bail.

Police said the victim has been released from the hospital and is recovering from his injuries.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation is asked to call the Woodland Police Department Gang Violence Suppression Unit at (530) 661-7880.

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

By Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a DUI and driver's license checkpoint on starting at 8:30 p.m. Friday at J and 51st streets.

The checkpoint will last for 5-7 hours, according to a Police Department news release.

Traffic flowing through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will be checking for alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers. Officers will also check driver's licenses.

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

By Bee Staff

Yolo County law enforcement is launching a multi-pronged attack on DUIs beginning tonight and running through the weekend.

Davis police will conduct a DUI checkpoint starting at 8:30 tonight and continuing to 3 a.m. at an undisclosed location, according to a Davis Police Department news release.

Extra DUI saturation patrols will be deployed in Winters and West Sacramento Friday night. Saturday night, extra DUI patrols will be operating in the Woodland, Davis and unincorporated areas of Yolo County, the release states.

All regularly scheduled traffic and patrol officers will focus efforts at stopping and arresting DUI drivers during their normal shifts as well, the release states.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

About 30 people gathered outside Roseville's Bill Santucci Justice Center this morning to protest what they called "injustice" in the Placer County court system.

Lead by the Rev. Ashiya Odeye of the Sacramento-based Justice Reform Coalition, the group expressed concerns about Placer County judges, the county's use of a for-profit law firm as the public defender, and perceived inequities in the county's family court system.

Placer County uses Richard A. Ciummo & Associates to handle public defender duties. The firm has contracts with several California counties.

"They give very poor service to the people," Odeye said. "The less they have to spend, the more they make."

In a brief phone interview from his Madra office, Richard Ciummo said he supports the demonstrators' right to protest, though he said claims made by the group have been investigated and found to be baseless.

"We provide a quality service," he said.

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.

Chris Cochran, assistant director of Marketing and Public Affairs, California Office of Traffic Safety, answered this question and others about DUI checkpoints for Sacto 9-1-1.

Q: Why do police tip the public about checkpoints ahead of time?

A: There are two reasons for advance publicity. It is a 'best practice' based on court rulings and effectiveness. The State Supreme Court said that advance publicity reduces intrusiveness of the stop at a sobriety checkpoint. The publicity and high visibility adds to their primary deterrence effect.

Q: Why are police doing so many?

A: Virtually all nighttime DUI checkpoints are funded by the state Office of Traffic Safety. We have increased funding for checkpoints and raised their number by approximately 47 percent. Last year there were 1,740 checkpoints statewide. This year we anticipate 2,500. We are doing them because they work, dropping fatality rates up to 25 percent. They save lives better than any other single tactic. That's the bottom line.

Q: How many drunken drivers are caught in the checkpoints?

A: The number varies from city to city, checkpoint to checkpoint. Usually between five and 15 in an urban area. But the number of arrests is not the measure of success. The measure is whether the number of fatalities and injuries declines in the coming years if checkpoints are carried out often and effectively enough.

Q: Do the checkpoints serve a secondary function, such as preventing others from drunk driving?

A: For those who don't ever drink and drive, it reiterates to them that DUI is a dangerous, socially unacceptable behavior. For those who might be contemplating a night out drinking, it serves to warn them ahead of time of the dangers of drinking and driving as well as the consequences of being caught. They then have the opportunity to arrange for a designated sober driver.

Q: Do you have a ballpark figure of the number of checkpoints each year in the Sacramento area?

A: About 70 for the Roseville, Sacramento, Elk Grove, West Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, Folsom and unincorporated areas.

Q: Home much money is allocated to the program and when will it run out?

A: The Office of Traffic Safety will spend about $20 million on DUI checkpoints in the state for the year. The amount allocated varies from year to year, but we anticipate it will be in the same ballpark next year.

- Bill Lindelof

By Bee Staff

The Roseville Police Department will run a DUI/driver's license checkpoint on Friday from 9 p.m. until approximately 2 a.m. at an unannounced location, according to a Police Department news release.

The undisclosed site for the checkpoint is one where there have been a significant number of DUI arrests and collisions, the release states.

The Police Department's most recent checkpoint on Aug. 21 resulted in five DUI arrests and several other drivers cited for not possessing a valid driver's license.

By Stephen Magagnini
smagagnini@sacbee.com

Several agencies dedicated to fighting human trafficking will hold a march and informational fair Saturday in Sacramento's Cesar Chavez Park.

Hosted by Chab Dai, a non-profit founded in Cambodia to combat human trafficking across the globe, the event will raise money for a number of Sacramento-area organizations, including Opening Doors, My Sister's House and WIND Youth Services that provide services to victims of human trafficking victims.

To register for the 10 a.m. march, arrive between 8 and 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Cesar Chavez Park, said spokesman Jeremy Maz. The entry fee for adults is $45, for youth ages 13-20 it's $25, and children from 5 to 13 years old cost $8, participants younger than 5 are free.

The march will be followed by entertainment and information on human trafficking efforts in Sacramento.

For more information go to www.sacmarchagainstslavery.com.

Chab Dai (literally "joining hands" in Khmer) was founded in Cambodia in 2005, and expanded into the United States in 2008. Chab Dai aims to combat human trafficking and modern day slavery through coalition building, advocacy and community education. Chab Dai USA is based in Sacramento. For more information: www.chabdai.org or (866) 305-9800.

According to the International Organization for Migration, there are an estimated 12.3 million adults and children in forced labor, bonded labor and forced prostitution at any given time across the globe, Chab Dai reported. A report by the California Alliance to Combat Trafficking Task Force indicates California to be one of the United States' top destinations for people who force victims into hard labor and prostitution.

Call The Bee's Stephen Magagnini, (916) 321-1072.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury acquitted a man of murder Wednesday but found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 27-year-old woman.

Roosevelt Latarius Billups testified in his trial that he had intended to commit suicide when he shot and killed Brittney Austin in her North Natomas apartment on May 14, 2008.

Austin's body was found on the sidewalk in front of her apartment at 4800 Kokomo Drive with a single gunshot wound to the chest.

Billups, 33, had described Austin as the "love of his life," according to Deputy District Attorney Donell Slivka's trial brief. But Austin had told her mother that she had met another man, the brief states.

Billups had initially told police he hadn't seen Austin for a week before she was killed but later admitted that he had gone to her house the morning of her death to kill himself.

"He said that he placed the gun to his head and the victim slapped his hand and the gun went off," Slivka's brief said.

Police found a shell casing on the floor of Austin's bathroom.

The prosecutor's trial brief said Austin had told her mother the night before her death that she had met another man and visited with him that day. She told her mother that "she really liked him."

Billups is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 27. by Judge Laurie M. Earl.

The defendant was represented in the case by Assistant Public Defender John Perkins.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Police Department clerk was struck in the leg by fragments from a bullet's casing this morning when she accidentally dropped a property evidence envelope.

The property clerk at the police facility in the 500 block of Sequoia Pacific Boulevard about 9:30 a.m. was grabbing some property envelopes when one of the envelopes fell, a police spokesman said.

A round of ammunition fired, and the 10-year employee with the city was hit in right leg.

The bullet had been loose in the envelope and not inside the chamber of a weapon when the envelope was dropped, the spokesman said.

She was transported to UC Davis Medical Center and is expected to be okay.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Elk Grove police and state alcoholic beverage control investigators have recently made arrests from stings using decoys to stop underage drinking.

In July and August three people were arrested for either selling to minors or purchasing alcohol for minors.

In the case of selling alcohol to a minor, police arrested a clerk after a young person working under the supervision of officers attempted to buy alcohol. The decoy tried to buy the alcohol at a total of 31 Elk Grove businesses.

In the other operation, targeting people who buy alcohol for people under 21 years old, two adults were arrested for purchasing alcohol for minors.

In that sting, a minor, under the supervision of Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, stood outside a liquor store or convenience market and asked adults to buy alcohol for them.

Elk Grove police said that young people under the age of 21 have a higher rate of drunk driving fatalities than the general adult population.

Stings using minors as decoys have been conducted since the 1980s. The rate of arrest is going down because of the routine stings using decoys, police said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Another fire erupted at a home in Woodland where a suspicious blaze was reported earlier in the week.

The fire this morning was reported in an unoccupied home in the 1500 block of Sixth Street and was contained by firefighters.

A fire broke out shortly before midnight Tuesday at the same home. Arson investigators were called to the scene for that fire, which was labeled as suspicious in nature.

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

Previous coverage:

Woodland house fire considered suspicious - Aug. 25, 2010

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office is investigating a string of residential burglaries in which the intruder typically entered the home through an open door or window.

Most of the burglaries have occurred in rural areas at homes with limited visibility, according to a Sheriff's Office news release. In a few cases, the side door of the garage or a window was forced open or smashed.

Deputies have responded to 18 such burglaries in the greater Placerville area in the past two months. Most of the burglaries occurred during daytime hours on weekdays.

Officials said the intruders appear to be targeting jewelry, guns and some electronic equipment.

The most recent incident occurred Tuesday in Pollock Pines. The resident returned home after being gone for the day and found that someone had tampered with a side window.

The resident reported a laptop computer, cash and jewelry had been taken from the residence.

Sheriff's officials recommend that residents record the make, model and serial number of electronic equipment and firearms, and keep them in a safe place.

They also suggest taking photographs of valuable jewelry. This will assist law enforcement officers in their investigation if the items are stolen.

The Sheriff's Office also reminds residents to secure their homes when they leave, and encourages neighbors to look out for each other and to immediately report any suspicious activity to authorities.

Such activities might include unfamiliar individuals in the neighborhood asking for assistance in finding a pet or a friend's residence. Officials say this is a common tactic burglars use to find out whether the residence is occupied.

Anyone with information about the burglaries under investigation is asked to call El Dorado County Sheriff's detectives at (530) 642-4715.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Two early morning accidents involving big rigs along Interstate 80 in Placer County are now clear, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP reports that an accident about 1 a.m. involved two big rigs on the Rocklin Road onramp to westbound I-80. A portion of the onramp was closed for several hours.

One big rig spilled its load of magazines in the accident.

Another crash along I-80 in Auburn near Bowman Road involved a big rig hitting a car. The big rig driver continued to drive and is being sought by the CHP.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A three-alarm apartment fire tonight heavily damaged the Twin Garden at 5831 Fair Oaks Blvd., a blaze that may have been started by an explosion.

The fire was reported at about 6:30 p.m. and was brought under control by 8 p.m.

One resident told The Bee that the fire was preceded by a hissing sound, then an explosion and a giant fireball.

One firefighter suffered heat-releated injuries.

An unknown number of people were evacuated.

Charles Henderson, an apartment resident, said there was an explosion, followed by a fireball.

"I heard a big hissing sound," he said. "The hissing ended with a massive fireball and explosion."

He said the hissing sound came from the area where the apartment's natural gas and power lines are.

Henderson said he had just left his apartment and was a couple of blocks away when the fire happened.

Battalion Chief Scott Cockrum of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said 10 or more units were burned. The two-story complex has approximately 35 units, Henderson said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Cockrum said.

The complex was evacuated and an unknown number of residents were displaced.

The fire apparently started on the southside of the complex and spread through the second-story units and the attics, Cockrum said.

Portions of the apartment's roof were blown across the street.

Fair Oaks Boulevard was closed south of El Camino Avenue due to the fire. The California Highway Patrol said the closure lasted until about 9 p.m.

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

Bee photo by Andy Alfaro: Sac Metro firefighters vent the roof of the Twin Garden Apartments during a three-alarm blaze in Fair Oaks Wednesday.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Two barn-type outbuildings and a travel trailer were destroyed in a fire that burned about an acre in the area of Jackson Highway and Excelsior Road this afternoon.

Brian Rice, assistant chief with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, said the fire started about 1:45 p.m. Five grass companies, a water tender, a helicopter and a bulldozer responded and were able to prevent the fire from spreading to a house on the property.

Sacramento Metro firefighters were assisted by the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department, and the fire was brought under control in about 45 minutes, Rice said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Rice said foul play is not suspected.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Rancho Cordova couple who left an infant in a car while they gambled at the Thunder Valley Casino near Lincoln have been placed on four years probation and sentenced to 60 days in jail for felony child abuse.

However, Placer County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Penney said that Thuan Huy Nguyen (photo bottom left) and Panfila Phu Phan (photo bottom right), both 27, can apply for alternative sentencing, such as a work project, to fulfill the 60-day jail term.

In addition, if they successfully follow their probation, including a mandatory one-year parenting class, they could have the felony conviction reduced to a misdemeanor after 18 months, according to a Placer County District Attorney's Office news release.

Nguyen and Phan were arrested April 13 after they left their 7-week-old daughter unattended in their vehicle in the casino parking garage for about 2-1/2 hours. A security guard discovered the infant in the vehicle.

The two pleaded no contest to the felony charge on June 30 and issued an apology that was read in court by their attorney, Anthony Palik, who said both were remorseful and knew they had made a bad decision.

The baby, now 6 months old, is in the custody of her grandmother. The parents have visitation rights.

The parents could become eligible to regain custody if they continue to comply with conditions of their probation and Child Protection Services in Sacramento County, according to prosecutor Joe McInerney of the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

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

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By Bee Staff

The Roseville Police Department is accepting applications from Roseville community members for Citizen's Police Awareness Academy, according to a Police Department news release.

The academy will be from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights Sept. 14-23.

During the academy, students will be introduced to the concepts of community oriented policing and problem solving, learn about volunteer opportunities, and will meet representatives from the investigation unit, the records unit, the K9 unit, among other academy offerings.

Roseville's Citizen Police Academy is open to those who are at least 18 years old and who live or work in the Roseville area.

For more information, please call Crime Prevention Coordinator Rob Baquera at (916)774-5057, or click here to download an application. Space is limited and early registration is encouraged.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The man who broke into and served alcohol at a Penryn bar he didn't own after it went out of business has been sentenced.

Travis Lloyd Kevie (left), 29, was sentenced last week in Placer Superior Court after pleading no contest to selling liquor without a license, a misdemeanor.

He was sentenced last Aug. 18 to 15 days in jail, fined $160 and ordered to stay away from the Valencia Club unless lawfully employed there.

The judge ordered him to report to jail Oct. 19.

The Valencia Club, in Penryn, closed in June for financial reasons. Kevie, from Newcastle, surreptitiously reopened in July and proceeded to serve alcohol to unsuspecting customers -- about 30 of them a day.

Kevie subsequently was in an Auburn Journal newspaper article as the watering hole's new owner and was quoted as saying his takeover of the establishment was a "dream come true."

But Placer County sheriff's Detective Jim Hudson recognized Kevie from the article as a transient well known to authorities. He subsequently was arrested on suspicion of burglary and selling alcohol without a license.

A large amount of alcohol and cash were confiscated from the bar on Taylor Road, deputies said.

Kevie knew of the bar and its plight because he was hired as part of a clean-up crew after it was closed.

Deputies said Kevie admitted to breaking into the building and placing an "Open" sign in the window. Soon, he was pouring for thirsty customers, deputies said.

Playing the savvy business owner, Kevie reinvested profits from drink sales back into the business: He started with a six-pack of beer purchased from a convenience store across the street and used the proceeds from customers to buy more alcohol, deputies said.

"He built up to 10 to 12 bottles of hard liquor and a couple of cases of beer," Hudson said at the time of Kevie's arrest.

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

Previous coverage:

Man lives dream of running bar in Sierra foothill town, but gets arrested - July 22, 2010

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

An evidence hearing in the case against former California Highway Patrol officer Ruben Salgado was postponed today because several key witnesses were unavailable.

Ruben Cesar Salgado, 37, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he offered $10,000 to have someone murder a witness in an ongoing drug and weapons case.

Salgado, dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, sat handcuffed to a table for half an hour as defense and prosecuting attorneys met in Judge James D. Garbolino's chambers at Auburn's Historic Courthouse.

The proceeding is expected to resume Sept. 10 in Roseville.

Salgado, a 12-year CHP veteran, was arrested by the CHP on May 11 in Rocklin after he allegedly paid a confidential informant $100 for 1/8 ounce of methamphetamine, a court brief filed by the Placer County District Attorney's Office states.

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A little girl passed from her mother to an acquaintance and then to a neighbor now is in protective custody.

Police reports say that the 3-year-old girl was left by her mother in the care of one of the mother's friends in south Sacramento on Tuesday.

The friend, in turn, handed the little girl off to a neighbor when she could no longer watch the child. After a few hours, the neighbor said she couldn't care for the girl.

The neighbor called the girl's mother asking her to pick up the youngster, but the mother never showed up. The neighbor then called police.

Officers could not find the mother, and the girl was placed in protective custody.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Police say a beer thief with wardrobe problems ran off wearing only a plastic bag and underwear.

Police say that a barechested Charles Ortberg (photo right), 42, entered a store in the 2800 block of J Street about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The proprietor asked him to leave the store for violating a retail rule: no shirt, no service.

He returned wearing a plastic bag and is suspected of then making off with a 30-pack and a 12-pack of beer. Employees gave chase.

He took a swing at one employee who tried to retrieve the merchandise, police said, and then continued to run.

But as he made his getaway, police said the beers started to fall, along with his pants. He fled on foot in his underwear into an alley where he attempted to cram as many beers as he could into a backpack.

Officers took him into custody and booked him into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of robbery and a probation violation.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The West Sacramento Fire Department responded to a rescue at a construction site this morning where a worker fell.

Initial reports indicate that the worker at a construction site had been taken away in an ambulance and was not seriously hurt. The rescue occurred in the 5000 block of Jefferson Boulevard about 7:30 a.m.

A worker at the construction site fell from a ladder into a small pit. Firefighters got the injured worker onto a litter and he was lifted from a pit by a construction crane.

Call The Bee's Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079. The Bee's Randy Pench contributed to this report.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A suspicious fire broke out shortly before midnight inside an unoccupied home in Woodland, police say.

Woodland police and fire department personnel were dispatched to a home in the 1500 block of Sixth Street. Firefighters put out the fire inside the single-family residence and arson investigators began looking into the cause of the fire.

Police say that the cause of the fire is unknown. However, the fire was labeled as suspicious in nature.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A two-alarm fire in southern Sacramento County heavily damaged two homes.

The fire broke out about 12:45 a.m. on the 8800 block of Liscarney Way near Elk Grove-Florin Road and Calvine Road. When Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters arrived on the scene, both homes were burning.

The fire went to two alarms with 8 engines, 4 trucks and 3 engines responding. Nobody was injured.

Both of the homes were close to a complete loss, a fire spokesman said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 29-year-old man was arrested Tuesday evening in the Foothill Farms area following a vehicle pursuit that began in Roseville.

Sgt. Maria Richardson of the Roseville Police Department said police received a call at 4:43 p.m. regarding a disturbance at a residence. The caller said her sister's ex-boyfriend was a wanted fugitive.

Police spotted the man, identified as Andrew Jones, on a stolen motorcycle and pursued him on Interstate 80 into Sacramento County. On Everest Way, northwest of I-80 and south of Elkhorn Boulevard, he dumped the motorcycle and police began searching the neighborhood for him.

Jones eventually was located at a home in the 6400 block of Everest Way. Two other adults, a man and a woman, were in the house. Richardson said police initially believed Jones did not know the residents, but further investigation indicated they may have been acquainted.

The man and woman were evacuated from the home, and Jones was taken into custody about 7 p.m. with the help of a Sacramento Police Department K-9 unit.

Richardson said she did not know where Jones lived. He was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, felony evasion, burglary and false imprisonment.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Fire Department's Urban Search and Rescue Team Task Force 7 has been awarded a $7,000 grant from the Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. for training canine teams.

The Urban Search and Rescue team currently includes nine dog handler teams, and the grant funds will go toward training both the canines and their handlers, according to a Fire Department news release.

The Veterinary Insurance Service Corp. selected the Sacramento team for the grant, which will be used to purchase building search props. The props will be used by dogs and their handlers to simulate building collapse and scenarios of other disasters to which they might be dispatched.

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

What happened to Louis Fowler, who embezzled $5 million from the state and later was caught growing a large amount of marijuana? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: Louis Fowler, now 58, is a fugitive from federal charges of cultivating at least 1,000 marijuana plants and carrying a firearm in connection with drug trafficking, Bee reports and court records show.

Fowler (2005 photo left), who had been operating a Folsom Boulevard medical marijuana dispensary until he was arrested by Drug Enforcement Administration agents in 2005, failed to show up Dec. 21, 2007, for a change-of-plea hearing in federal court. Instead, he disappeared, leaving behind the electronic ankle monitoring device he had been wearing.

U.S. District Judge Edward J. Garcia revoked the $250,000 bail secured by a Rio Linda residence owned by Fowler's mother, where he had been living under house arrest.

Fowler was scheduled to plead guilty Dec. 21 to cultivating at least 1,000 marijuana plants and carrying a firearm in connection with drug trafficking.

He faced a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison on the cultivation charge.

Fowler served seven years in state prison in the 1990s for embezzling $5.1 million from the State Water Resources Control Board, where he worked as an entry-level accountant from 1982 to 1985.

Most of the money has never been recovered.

With his embezzling crime not yet detected, he departed for Arizona, where he lived under the name of William Rice, a Sacramento man who died after being electrocuted on July 6, 1985.

Fowler operated two video rental stores in Arizona and lived the life of a big spender.

Authorities caught up with him in 1989, and he was extradited to Sacramento.

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

By Bee Staff

The Yolo County Sheriff's Department's Animal Services Section is attempting to find a dog that bit a juvenile in West Sacramento on Saturday.

A 17-year-old girl was bitten by a dog while walking on the levee gravel road in the area of County Road 22 and Riverbank Road near the Bryte Water Treatment Plant after dark on that day, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

The dog is described as a pit bull with brown, black and white coloring.

If the dog is not located soon, the victim may have to undergo rabies treatment, the release states.

Anyone having information regarding the attack or knows who owns the dog, should contact Yolo County Sheriff's Department, Animal Services Section at a 24-hour phone, (530) 668-5287, or e-mail animal.bite@yolocounty.org.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A nurse at a senior living facility in Roseville has been arrested on suspicion of stealing medications from residents.

Marlene Sandra Delp, 63, was arrested by Roseville police at The Terraces of Roseville on Sunrise Avenue where she was a resident registered nurse. She is accused of stealing numerous packages of prescription medication from residents and in some cases giving them over-the-counter pain medication in place of their prescribed painkillers.

Jackie Budrovic, vice president of Westmont Living, the La Jolla-based firm that manages The Terraces, said company officials were conducting a routine audit at the facility on Wednesday and staff members reported discrepancies in medication records.

She said that Delp had worked at The Terraces of Roseville for about a year and oversaw nurses dispensing medications to residents.

Budrovic said Westmont Living officials immediately reported their suspicions to Roseville police.

Lt. Mike Doane said detectives met with officials and searched Delp's apartment at senior living facility. In her apartment, they found dozens of packages of medications prescribed to 28 different people, including 19 residents of the senior care facility.

Many of the medications were narcotic painkillers. Doane said detectives are still trying to determine who the other nine people are and how those prescription medications came to be in Delp's possession.

Delp was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of burglary and elder abuse and held in Placer County jail until her arraignment.

She pleaded not-guilty to the charges Friday in Placer County Superior Court and was released on her own recognizance with a promise to appear, Doane said.

A restraining order prohibits her from returning to the senior living facility.

The Terraces of Roseville provides assisted living services to about 100 residents, Budrovic said.

"We're all very saddened and shocked by this," she said.

Doane said anyone who has a family member at the facility who believes they may have been harmed by not receiving prescribed medication or by receiving an over-the-counter substitute, should call the Police Department's vice narcotics unit at (916) 774-5000.

Police advise people with concerns about the well-being or care of an elder or dependent adult who lives in Placer County to call Placer County Access at (888) 886-5401.

Those with dependent elders or dependent adults in other counties should report concerns to that county's adult protective services agency.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Last week's bust of a Mexican-based drug trafficking operation appears to be the largest seizure of methamphetamine - more than 600 pounds - ever recorded in the country's history, according to authorities.

Flanked by local, state and federal authorities, Sacramento County sheriff's authorities marveled today at the magnitude of Thursday's bust, which culminated a year-long investigation that began with a street-level transaction in Sacramento.

The methamphetamine, discovered in various stages of production in a Gilroy home, is so concentrated that it could be diluted three- to four times before being sold on the street, said sheriff's Lt. Fred Links, commander of the department's multiagency task forces.

That would mean more than 2,500 pounds of diluted dope worth upward of $200 million on the street had the raid not occurred, he said.

"These are alarming numbers, I assure you," Links said.

Authorities arrested eight men, all Mexican nationals, in connection with the operation, which processed and distributed drugs supplied from Mexico throughout the United States, according to officials.

An average of $250,000 was sent back to ringleaders in Mexico daily. On one particularly lucrative day, $650,000 was sent, Links said.

The arrested men will be prosecuted in Sacramento, where the case began. They face life in prison based on the allegations, Links said.

"I tell you that is rewarding for me," he said.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

"I did something really bad, man."

Police and prosecutors say that's what Jack Aaron Squires said just a few hours before authorities found his mother and grandmother shot and killed in their Sacramento home.

Squires, 47, went on trial today in Sacramento Superior Court for two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of his mother, Kathleen Roloff, 65, and his grandmother, Elma Alberta Matranga, 94.

The bodies of the two women were found in their home the morning of April 29, 2008, in the 600 block of Blackwood Street in the leafy Woodlake neighborhood of North Sacramento on the morning of April 29, 2008.

In her opening statement today, Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet said Squires made the incriminating remark to his brother in a telephone conversation in the pre-dawn hours before police found the two bodies.

Bladet told the six-man, six-woman jury that Squires killed the women for financial gain and that he was upset when his mother took out a $400,000 loan on the house and told Squires he wouldn't get a penny of it.

The prosecutor said Squires was caught on a video surveillance camera withdrawing money from an ATM at the Thunder Valley casino about the time of the killings.

Defense attorney Paul Irish said his client is not guilty. The lawyer questioned the credibility of Squires' brother, who related the defendant's purported admissions to investigators.

Irish said that Kathleen Roloff was suicidal and suggested that she killed her mother before turning the gun on herself.

The trial is being heard in front of Judge Robert M. Twiss.

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

By Stephen Magagnini
smagagnini@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department holds a safety class tonight called "Personal Safety Training for the Asian Community."

The 6 p.m. class will be at 7000 65th St. in the community room.

The class is free, includes translators and will cover the importance of reporting crime to law enforcement, how to report a crime, how to protect yourself while in public and how to protect your business against robbery.

Community members will be able to discuss their safety concerns and meet local Asian law enforcement personnel.

RSVP to Tido Hoang at (916) 716-5224.

Call The Bee's Stephen Magagnini, (916) 321-1072.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Theft of copper wire last night at an Orangevale Montessori school will send students home early.

The theft of copper from the old Thomas Coleman Elementary campus, 6545 Beech Ave., is the fourth such crime this week at a San Juan Unified School District campus.

Thieves took a couple hundred feet of cable that went to air conditioning units on one of the wings of the school, a district spokesman said. The district rents out the wing to California Montessori Project charter school.

Administrators will send the Montessori students home after lunch today. Repairs were to be completed late today, which will allow students to have air conditioning on Wednesday.

The district operates a pre-school program on campus, which was not affected by the theft. Those students still have air conditioning.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A speeding driver crashed on Interstate 80 this morning and then fled on foot.

The incident occurred on eastbound I-80 at the Watt Avenue off-ramp about 4 a.m. California Highway Patrol spokesman Rich Wetzel reported that a pickup truck driver was weaving in traffic at an estimated 100 mph when his vehicle clipped a sport-utility vehicle carrying a family of five.

The truck flipped and the driver fled. He was described as either a white or Hispanic man with black hair, a goatee and about 5 feet 10 inches tall.

He was wearing blue shorts and shirt and his arms were bleeding.

The passengers and driver of the SUV went to the hospital with minor injuries.

A search for the driver of the pickup was not successful. The roadway re-opened at about 5:20 a.m.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A former Department of Motor Vehicle employee has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison for issuing driver's licenses with false identities.

U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. on Monday sentenced Denny Russell Gomes, 36, of Lodi to two years and three months in prison for creating false identification documents and committing aggravated identity theft.

According to his guilty plea, entered in June, Gomes had been a motor vehicle field representative for the DMV in Stockton. His duties included processing customers' requests for changes to driving records and issue new California driver's licenses reflecting these changes.

On at least 12 occasions between April 2007 and March 2008, Gomes made changes to official driving records and caused the issuance of official driver's licenses or identification cards with false information, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Gomes admitted that in return for money, he provided people with driver's licenses with their photos and true information concerning their appearance but with someone else's name and driver's license number.

The case resulted from an investigation by the Department of Motor Vehicles, Office of Internal Affairs.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A North Highlands man was arrested Sunday evening in Auburn after police received a report of a physical assault occurring in a moving vehicle.

An off-duty Placer County sheriff's deputy noticed a man hitting a female passenger in the face with his fist about 6:15 p.m., according to an Auburn Police Department news release. The deputy followed the vehicle, called the Police Department and kept the dispatcher informed of the vehicle's location.

Officer Stan Hamelin conducted a traffic stop and detained the driver, identified as Petr Pekun, 31. During the investigation Hamelin learned that Pekun allegedly hit the passenger, a woman from the Lincoln area, and threatened to kill her.

At one point, while the deputy was following Pekun's car, the woman opened the car door in an effort to jump out but was unable to do so because of the vehicle's speed.

Police said the woman suffered minor injuries as a result of the alleged assault, but declined medical treatment.

Pekun was booked into Placer County jail on suspicion of kidnapping, domestic violence and making criminal threats.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Elk Grove Police Department is investigating an attempted kidnapping that was reported Friday night.

Police responded at 8:39 p.m. to a report of an incident that had taken place in the 10000 block of Van Brocklin Way.

Officers contacted a 12-year-old boy who said he was riding his bike on Van Brocklin Way when a gray Toyota Tundra truck pulled up next to him, according to a Police Department news release. The boy told officers that the vehicle stopped and the driver opened the passenger door from inside the vehicle. The driver told the boy to get in the truck and grabbed him by the arm. The man tried to pull the boy into the vehicle, but the youth pulled away from the man and rode away on his bicycle.

The driver of the truck was described as a white man in his 30s, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, with a skinny build, blonde hair and a 2- to 3-inch-long scar near the right ear. The man was wearing a black shirt and dark blue pants. The boy also told police that the inside of the truck smelled of alcohol.

The pickup was described as having a gray metallic camper shell with dark tinted windows, and large-profile, off-road type tires with shiny silver rims. It also was reported to have a large dent on the right rear fender near the rear wheel.

Police ask anyone with information about the incident to call the Elk Grove Police Department Communications Center at (916) 714-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers to Crime Alert can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Tips also can be sent via SMS text message by entering 274637 on a cell phone, followed byTip732 and the message.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 63-year-old man, whom officials describe as a transient, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for sending anthrax-hoax letters threatening President Barack Obama and for failing to register as a sex offender.

Timothy Cloud pleaded guilty in May and was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb.

According to Cloud's plea agreement, he admitted sending hoax mailings addressed to Social Security Administration offices in Baltimore, Kansas City and New York City. Each contained a white powdery substance to simulate anthrax and an index card with the words "you stole my money" and "die." As a result of the mailing to the New York office, all employees were evacuated and four were quarantined.

Cloud also admitted to sending a letter to President Obama that contained a white powder and an index card with the words, "You are just another lying politision (sic)," with cross hairs between "not this time" and "maybe next time," as well as a newspaper photo of President Obama with cross hairs drawn over his face.

Cloud also 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, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

In addition to the 20-year prison sentence, Cloud was ordered to serve a 10-year period of supervised parole following his release from prison.

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

LEFT, An officer and a chaplain from the Citrus Heights Police confer outside the crime scene.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the man allegedly responsible for Sunday's murder-suicide in Citrus Heights as 26-year-old Rufino Sanchez of Roseville.

An autopsy has not yet been completed on Sanchez. However, his death initially is being classified as a suicide, said coroner's spokesman Ed Smith.

On Sunday, Citrus Heights police said they believed 28-year-old Melinda Mikita was killed by a man who then turned the gun on himself. The two bodies were found that morning in a home on Pleasant View Drive.

Friends told The Bee that Mikita was the mother of three children - ages 10, 5 and 4 - and was attending beauty school. She also had plans to marry her boyfriend, they said.

The friends were not sure of the relationship between Mikita and Sanchez.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The prosecution zoomed through seven more witnesses today in the Chu Vue murder trial, putting more building blocks in place in what so far has been its circumstantial case against the former Sacramento sheriff's deputy.

As the third week of Vue's trial kicked off in front of Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White, the most compelling testimony of the morning came from Vue's boss at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center.

Lt. Chet Madison provided the jury with testimony about Chu Vue's work schedule in the months before the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting death of state correctional officer Steve Lo in the garage of his home on Tambor Way. The schedule included Vue taking a few days of sick leave time before the killing, and the lieutenant's testimony included his reading of a notation that got to the heart of the prosecution's case against Vue:

"Just a heads up," Madison wrote in an Aug. 6, 2008, memorandum. "Chu Vue is having marital problems. Wife is cheating on him."

Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall said in his opening statement two weeks ago that Chu Vue, 45, arranged to have the 39-year-old victim killed because Lo was having an affair with the former deputy's wife.

Co-defendant Lang Vue, 27, is accused in the case of aiding and abetting the killing by procuring rental cars and motel rooms and then buying a vehicle for the accused gunmen.

Authorities say the shooters are Chu Vue's younger brothers, Chong Vue, 31, and Gary Vue, 29. They are scheduled to be tried separately later this month. At the time of Lo's death, the brothers were fugitives on a murder warrant out of Minnesota. They have since been convicted in that case.

Also today, Sacramento police Det. Bryce Heinlein said that the search of Chu Vue's work locker at the branch jail the day after the killing turned up a slip of paper with the name and Minnesota address and telephone number of one of his wanted brothers, Chong Vue.

In other testimony, a police community services officer testified about seizing a divorce-related filing among the paperwork taken during a search of his Elk Grove home. A crime lab criminalist identified one bullet that killed Lo and another recovered from his garage. A Union Bank manager testified about Chu Vue setting up an account at her Elk Grove branch and withdrawing money from it in the days and months before the killing.

One forensic investigator testified about recovering a handgun from the home of slain correctional officer Steve Lo that apparently belonged to the victim. A police detective said he recovered firearms from Vue's work locker that were not linked to the killing. Another police detective recalled the search of co-defendant Lang Vue's home where officers recovered four computers.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man convicted on two counts of rape and 16 other felony counts for a 2007 crime spree in North Natomas has been sentenced to 159 years to life in prison.

Superior Court Judge Michael W. Sweet imposed the term Friday on Sammie Lee Nichols, 20.

Nichols, who was 17 when he launched into a series of home-invasion burglaries and robberies, two of which resulted in sexual assaults, was convicted in June.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Calaveras County sheriff's deputies are reporting that a man was killed in pit bull mauling.

Deputies responding at 5:20 p.m. Sunday to a call for the 6900 block of Doster Road in Mountain Ranch found Jerry Yates, 69, of Mountain Ranch dead from an apparent mauling by possibly two pit bull dogs, a news release shows.

An investigation revealed that the dogs belonged to Sheryl Sellers, 49, of Mountain Ranch, deputies said. Sellers was arrested on suspicion of "allowing vicious animals at large."

One of the pit bulls was impounded by animal services.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Roseville police are asking for help in catching copper thieves.

Thieves over the past several weeks have cut and stolen copper electrical wire to classrooms at Oakmont High School in Roseville, Dry Creek Elementary School west of Roseville and Antelope Meadows Elementary school in Antelope.

Police released security photos of a suspect involved in the theft of copper wire from Antelope Meadows Elementary in the early morning hours of Aug. 7 and Aug. 8.

In addition to the copper thefts, both the Roseville Joint Union High School District and the Eureka Union School District had gasoline and radios stolen from buses.

Anyone who observes thefts is asked to call 911. To provide information about thefts that have already occurred, call WeTip at (800) 782-7463.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police surrounded a home in the Fruitridge area and succeeded in getting a man to surrender after he was suspected of firing a shot at his son.

The incident began about 7 a.m. when police were called to a home in the 5200 block of Standish Road, which is off Fruitridge Road near the 65th Street Expressway.

A 32-year-old man said that he had argued with his 53-year-old father and that the elder man fired a handgun at him.

He fled the home and called police.

In addition to the man, other family members were in the house, including a child. Homes surrounding the house were evacuated.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A disagreement at a Folsom Boulevard bar ended up with a rock- and bottle-throwing incident on the freeway.

Sacramento police said that a fight at a bar in the 8400 block of Folsom Boulevard spilled onto westbound Highway 50 about 2 a.m.

Rocks and bottles were thrown as the cars made their way down the freeway, police said. Police were also told that two vehicles were stopped on the freeway near the Highway 99 interchange and the occupants of the cars were fighting.

One car was gone when officers arrived, and victims in the other vehicle did not cooperate fully, police said.

Three occupants of the vehicle that remained at the scene when police arrived were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. The fight might be gang related, police said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have arrested the roommate of a man beaten to death in a Del Paso Heights apartment early this morning.

Police arrested Anthony Bettanini, 49, on suspicion of homicide in the killing of his roommate. Police said that the victim was killed with a weightlifting dumbbell.

Police were called to an upstairs apartment in the 3700 block of Norwood Avenue about 1:42 a.m. Monday when a man said he came home to find his roommate dead on the floor.

The victim, described by authorities as white and in his early 50s, was bleeding heavily from blunt force trauma and died at the scene.

Homicide investigators interviewed the roommate and neighbors in the small apartment complex. Later, police reported they had arrested Bettanini.

Bettani and the victim, who police declined to identity pending notification of family, had lived in the apartment for three or four months. Detectives believe that the two argued and that the disagreement escalated into violence.

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

LEFT, An officer and a chaplain from the Citrus Heights Police confer outside the crime scene.

By Hudson Sangree and Loretta Kalb
hsangree@sacbee.com

Police say a woman shot in her home in Citrus Heights on Sunday was the victim of a murder-suicide.

The 28-year-old mother of three was found dead on a bed in a tan ranch-style home in the 7200 block of Pleasant View Drive. A man's body was on the floor nearby, Lt. Gary Hendricks said.

Both had gunshot wounds. A handgun lay next to one body, he said.

Out front, they found three children and an unidentified man waiting, officers said.

"Right now we're treating this as a homicide-suicide," Hendricks told reporters late Sunday afternoon. "It appears the man shot the woman and then killed himself."

Bee staff

Crime scene investigators for the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department are looking into an early morning drive-by shooting at a home on the 3600 block of Coral Bells Drive in El Dorado Hills, department spokesman Lt. Bryan Golmitz said today.

Golmitz said no one was injured in the shooting, which was reported at 5:30 a.m., and no suspects are in custody.

Tracy Sinclair Feather, the mentally unstable midtown woman whose confrontation with police led to a jail stint lasting more than three months, is now undergoing treatment at Heritage Oaks Hospital after pleading no contest to felony assault with a deadly weapon, her lawyer said.

Feather (photo right), 48, was admitted to the Sacramento psychiatric hospital, after agreeing to enter the no contest plea in exchange for spending 180 days undergoing treatment, Dennise Henderson, Feather's lawyer, said in emails to The Bee.

The Sacramento County District attorney's office had demanded a guilty plea to the felony charge before it would agree to Feather's release to a private facility.

Previously, Henderson said she did not believe her client is guilty of the charge but felt compelled to agree to the plea bargain to get Feather psychiatric help outside the jail.

While in Sacramento County's main jail downtown, Feather's mental state had been deteriorating rapidly. She repeatedly tried to harm herself and attempted suicide at least twice.

Feather is one of thousands of residents who lost access to county mental health programs that were discontinued due to budget cuts. Among the programs cut was a crisis center that Feather would call when she felt desperate or suicidal.

On May 2, Feather instead called police to report she wanted to kill herself. She emerged from her home with a knife, but later said she had no intention of harming anyone but herself. At the time, police perceived her behavior as threatening. Officers deployed a Taser, then handcuffed and arrested the woman.

-- Bee Metro Staff

Previous story:

Mentally ill woman must plead guilty to get transferred from Sacramento jail, DA says - Aug. 19, 2010

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Officials temporarily shut down Howe Avenue at Hurley Way today after a construction crew broke a natural gas line.

Moderate to large amounts of gas were blowing toward the roadway, said Capt. Christian Pebbles of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, and fire crews worked to keep ignition sources away until PG&E crews could shut off the flow.

Unseasonable breezes helped dissipate the gas and made the situation more manageable.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Images on home surveillance cameras have led to arrest of a Gold River man in connection with an Aug. 11 Carmichael burglary.

Joshua Michael Lowe, 28, was arrested Wednesday night in connection with the burglary of a home in the 2900 block of California Avenue. Lowe's image was captured during the burglary on several video cameras that the homeowner had installed inside and outside the home, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Office news release. Sheriff's officials said several people who recognized the suspect from news coverage of the burglary called the Sheriff's Department and helped detectives identify the man.

Detectives arrested Lowe at the auto repair business in Gold River, where he works. Several items taken in the burglary were found in Lowe's pockets and inside his vehicle, according to the news release.

Lowe was booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of burglary and possession of stolen property.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A fire burned up to the fences of a subdivision at Roseville's western edge Friday before it was contained, allowing residents who were evacuated to return to their homes.

Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said Friday evening that the fire burned 434 acres of grassland. Approximately 200 firefighters from Cal Fire, the city of Roseville and agencies from throughout Placer and Sacramento counties battled the blaze.

Berlant said the fire started about 3 p.m. at Baseline Road and Watt Avenue, and the wind pushed it toward the subdivision.

Roseville police evacuated residents of 15 homes on Hayward Court, Overton Way and Littleton Lane. No structures were damaged, but Berlant said fences on the edge of the subdivision burned.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A federal grand jury in Sacramento has returned an indictment charging Gustavo Rivera Martinez, 20, with manufacturing more than 1,000 marijuana plants.

The one-count indictment alleges that Martinez was responsible for an illegal marijuana grow discovered earlier this month on land in Tehama County, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

The case resulted from a joint investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, Tehama County Sheriff's Office and the California Department of Fish and Game.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Six juveniles have been taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with minor to moderate injuries after their car went into a ditch off Rollins Lake Road near Colfax.

The single-vehicle accident occurred about 2 p.m. on Rollins Lake Road between Highway 174 and the Long Ravine Campground.

Officer Steve Parr of the California Highway Patrol's Gold Run office said the six juveniles were a Toyota Camry, which was traveling at an unsafe speed along the winding road. The driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a ditch.

One victim was taken by CHP helicopter and another by a Calstar air ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, Parr said. The other four were transported by ground ambulance.

Helicopters were called in because it was initially believed some of the victims might have suffered major injuries, Parr said.

Parr said he did not know where the youths live.

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

View Larger Map

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

PLACERVILLE -- New questions arose this afternoon over whether Phillip Garrido is mentally competent to stand trial in the 1991 kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard.

With the one-year anniversary of Dugard's reappearance after 18 years of captivity coming next week, a judge in El Dorado Superior Court said there still is a question over whether officials will seek a psychological exam of Garrido (photo left) before the case goes forward.

Garrido's attorney, Susan Gellman, did not address the issue in open court during a three-minute hearing this afternoon, but the judge indicated that the matter had come up in a private meeting before court began.

The case is set to go to a preliminary hearing Oct. 7, during which prosecutors will attempt to show that there is enough evidence to move to trial on kidnapping and rape charges against Garrido and his wife, Nancy.

But the possibility of testing Garrido's mental competence could push the matter back much further. It is not the first time that questions have been raised over Garrido's mental state. Gellman has previously filed court papers questioning his mental state.

Nancy Garrido's attorney, Stephen Tapson, said no such issues have been raised about his own client, and he deflected questions about his view of Phillip Garrido's mental state.

"Everybody's nuts," Tapson said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Manslaughter and additional charges were filed today in Yolo County Superior Court against a driver whose car crashed in November, killing a 10-year-old girl and seriously injuring two younger children.

The gross vehicular manslaughter charge while intoxicated and other accusations are included in a filing by the Yolo County District attorney against Arnoldo Barraza (in photo left taken at a court appearance in December).

Among the other charges: abusing or endangering the health of a child and possession of an opened alcoholic beverage container in a car.

California Highway Patrol officers have said Barraza was at the wheel of a Mazda 3, driving an estimated 85 mph on a narrow county road, when the car went out of control and flipped at about 1:20 p.m. Nov. 23. The crash took place on County Road 22 - a rural stretch of Woodland's East Main Street that parallels Interstate 5.

Cirena Martinez, whom relatives described as Barraza's girlfriend, was in the passenger seat, officers said.

The three children in the car - ages 10, 4 and 1 - were improperly restrained, and the two youngest were ejected in the crash, CHP officers said Monday.

Martinez's 10-year-old daughter, Destiny Martinez Gonzalez, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman's 4-year-old daughter was injured and later released from the hospital.

Barraza's 1-year-old son, Arnold Barraza Jr., suffered major injuries but survived, authorities said.

Court records show that Barraza, who has done time in state prison, has prior convictions for attempted vehicle theft, assault and resisting the order of a law-enforcement officer with the use of force.

He also has been convicted of DUI and driving with a blood-alcohol content at or above the legal limit, the records show.

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

By Bee Staff

San Jose firefighters today showed their mettle as rescuers when they rescued a man and his pet parrot who were both stuck in a tree.

According to a San Jose FD news release, Truck Company 13 responded to a report of a man stuck in a tree.

However, the firefighters found the man had been trying to rescue his pet parrot by having his friend winch him up into the tree with his jeep. The winch cable cut into the tree and got stuck, leaving the man stranded, according to the release. (Photo below courtesy of the San Jose FD.)

Firefighter Asha Wagner climbed the aerial ladder, put a harness on the stranded man and brought him down safely, the release states.

"The aerial was then repositioned and (firefighter) Mike Murray, aka "the bird whisperer," climbed the ladder and retrieved the frightened parrot," the release states.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Investigators today released surveillance photos of a takeover-style bank robbery in Cameron Park Thursday morning. (Photos below)

Wells Fargo is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the three robbers.

No one was injured in the robbery, which occurred at 10 a.m., according to an El Dorado County Sheriff's Office news release.

Witnesses told deputies that two men entered the bank at 3440 Palmer Drive. One was carrying what appeared to be an assault rifle and began shouting at people inside the bank to get on the ground. The second man jumped over the counter and demanded money.

A third man stood at the front door of the bank during the robbery.

After receiving an undisclosed amount of money, the three left the area in a late-model Honda four-door sedan.

Deputies responding to the robbery report found the vehicle abandoned in a neighborhood about a mile from the bank. They searched the area, but did not find the robbers.

Several neighborhood residents reported seeing two men get out of the Honda and enter a white Geo Prism, which then left the area.

The three men were described as in their 20s. Sheriff's officials said the men were wearing hooded sweatshirts and some type of covering over their faces, which left investigators with few other details about the robbers.

Deputies learned that the vehicle the men abandoned may have been carjacked out of Oakland this week.

Anyone with information pertaining to the robbery is asked to call the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office at (530) 621-6600.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Hummer SUV driven by a suspected drunken driver slammed into the front of an Elk Grove home this morning.

The driver, Tony Tran, 18, fled from the scene but was captured by officers. He was booked into Sacramento County Jail at 3 a.m. on suspicion of drunken driving causing injury and hit and run.

At 1:30 a.m., Elk Grove police responded to the call of a Hummer H-2 into a house on Schubert Court near Sheldon Road and Freesia Drive.

Major damage was caused to the front of the residence. A 70-year-old woman suffered a minor injury when trying to leave the home after the crash.

Police said that Tran ran from the home, along with one of his passengers. A second passenger remained in the vehicle, suffering a broken arm.

Tran was found a short distance away by officers, who determined he was under the influence of alcohol.

Inspectors were scheduled to look at the house today to determine if it is structurally sound.

"Fortunately nobody was downstairs," at the time of the crash, said Elk Grove Police spokesman Officer Chris Trim.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man has been arrested on suspicion of shining a laser at a California Highway Patrol airplane.

Danil Martynovich (left photo), 21, was booked into Sacramento County Jail on a charge of discharging a laser at aircraft.

A CHP spokeswoman said that on Wednesday night Martynovich is suspected of pointing the laser about four times at the CHP airplane while he was at a home on Schoonover Street in Elverta about 11:20 p.m.

A laser, which the CHP said was thrown over a fence, was found when officers arrived on Schoonover Street.

A laser's beam can cause serious problems for a pilot. Physicians say that even for short exposure, it can cause temporary loss of vision.

Police officials say law enforcement aircraft could be more susceptible because they fly at lower altitudes than commercial aircraft, whose pilots might be better able to dismiss a laser as an annoyance.

A conviction of shining a laser at an aircraft can lead to serious jail or prison time.

A 30-year-old Roseville man was sentenced in September to three years and one month in prison for interfering with the safe operation of aircraft by shining a powerful laser on a commercial jetliner and a Sacramento Sheriff's Department helicopter.

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

By Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department is conducting a motorcycle safety enforcement operation through Friday at various locations in the city.

The operation is an effort to reduce the motorcycle-related accidents and fatalities, according to a Police Department news release.

Additional officers are enforcing traffic violations made by vehicles and motorcyclists that can lead to collisions, injuries and fatalities, the release states.

According to the Office of Traffic Safety, motorcycle fatalities have been on the rise in California, rising from 204 killed in 1998 to 560 killed in 2008.

Rider's can get training through the California Motorcyclist Safety Program. Information and training locations are available at www.CA-msp.org or 1-877-RIDE411 (1-877-743-3411), according to the release.

Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

By Kim Minugh
kiminugh@sacbee.com

For the first time since Chu Vue's arrest, his sister admitted today that he had told her he knew the name of his wife's lover, Steve Lo.

Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall pointed out that Allyssa Vue, one of Chu Vue's younger sisters, had never before told a detective or investigator that she and her brother knew the name of the man having an affair with Chia Vue - a man who was shot to death Oct. 15, 2008.

When he asked why she had never said anything, Allyssa Vue said she was scared.

"They'd think he did it," she said nervously from the stand.

Chu Vue, a former Sacramento County sheriff's deputy, is on trial with co-defendant and distant cousin Lang Vue for the slaying of Lo, a correctional officer. Chu Vue is the alleged mastermind of the plot, with the final fatal act carried out by his younger brothers, Gary and Chong Vue.

Lang Vue is accused of aiding and abetting the younger Vue brothers, who at the time were on the run from Minnesota authorities who suspected them in a murder there.

Allyssa Vue has pleaded no contest to a felony charge of harboring fugitives. She testified today that she rented Gary and Chong Vue a motel room Oct. 2, 2008, at the request of her brother Chu.

She acknowledged she knew Gary was evading authorities at that time, but not Chong. She also did not know why Gary was a wanted man, she said.

During her sometimes emotional and contradictory testimony, Allyssa Vue told the court about her close-knit family, saying, "I love all my brothers."

Twice she broke into tears when describing her father's ailing medical condition. He has been ill since a stroke a few years ago, and suffered a second stroke last Thursday as he prepared to come to court, Allyssa Vue said.

He remains in the hospital, unable to eat, she said.

Allyssa Vue also described Gary and Chong Vue's troubled childhoods, when they got wrapped up in gangs. Family members decided to send them to Minnesota to "straighten up," as another Vue brother, Chue Neng, had done.

Allyssa Vue said her brothers did well in Minnesota, particularly under the watchful eye of Chue Neng: Gary graduated from high school, and he and Chong appeared to steer clear of the law. That is, until Chue Neng returned to Sacramento to care for their ailing father.

Then, Gary began to run wild, Allyssa Vue testified.

"He never came home," she said.

She told the court that her brother Chong, though older, usually followed Gary's lead. She said she often gave her brothers money for one purpose, only for them to spend it on another, more nefarious one.

Allyssa Vue said she didn't know if they were selling drugs, but noticed they often had nice things that they couldn't have afforded on their allowance.

She said Gary's troubles in particular drove a wedge between he and older brother Chu. Because of that tension, she said she was surprised when Chu asked her to help Gary and Chong secure a motel room.

She said she hasn't seen them since that day.

Allyssa Vue will continue her testimony this afternoon.

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

By Bee Staff

Sacramento Valley law enforcement agencies issued nearly 600 citations for cell-phone use to drivers on Wednesday.

Dozens of agencies participated in the second zero tolerance day this month for cell-phone use and texting while driving.

The California Highway Patrol reported today that 588 citations were used for cell-phone use while driving and four for texting while driving. On Aug. 10, the first crackdown day, 345 citations were issued for cell phones and seven for texting.

A similar effort was made in Contra Costa County where law enforcement agencies issued more than 300 citations to motorists caught violating the hands-free driving law - including one who was caught twice within three hours - during a two-day crackdown, the California Highway Patrol told the Contra Costa Times.

The Sacramento Valley crackdown was conducted by the CHP and by police departments including the Sacramento, Elk Grove, West Sacramento, Roseville, Galt, Twin Rivers, Lodi, Ripon, Rancho Cordova, South Lake Tahoe departments and the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department.

Cell-phone violations carry a minimum fine of $20 for the first offense and $50 for the second. When court costs and other fees are added, the total can exceed $100 for a first offense, the CHP said.

Cell phones are the leading cause statewide of crashes by inattentive drivers, the CHP said.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Folsom police need help in identifying a big bellied man suspected of holding up a Jelly Belly candy store.

The man (photo left) walked into the jelly-bean outlet store about 1:40 p.m. July 28 and pointed a pepper-spray canister at the clerk.

The clerk at the Folsom Premium Outlets store, 13000 Folsom Blvd., complied with his demands for cash. The robber then strolled from the store with an undisclosed amount of money.

The suspect is described as white, 6 feet tall, 270 pounds, in his late 40s or early 50s with a "large belly." He was wearing a brown shirt and brown pants.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Andrew Bates at (916) 355-7230.

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

By Bee Staff

A Sacramento man's definition of animal control landed him in jail after he allegedly confronted a dog owner at gunpoint, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department reported.

Here's how the events leading to the arrest transpired, according to a sheriff's crime summary released this week:

At about 11 a.m. Aug. 16, the man, identified as Donald Gene Brown, confronted the dog owner over his animals on a sidewalk at Florin Mall Drive and Orange Avenue.

Brown, 19, allegedly pointed a handgun at the 40-year-old dog owner and told him "he had better put his dogs away," according to the summary.

Deputies responded and stopped Brown in the 6100 block of Orange Avenue, the summary states.

Deputies said they found a .32 caliber handgun on Brown. A records check showed the gun was reported stolen in Los Angles County, deputies said.

Brown was in jail as of this morning facing two felonies related to carrying a concealed weapon. He was being held on $50,000 bail.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A suspected burglar got away this morning when the culprit tossed tire-puncturing cinder blocks at pursuing police cars.

At about 4:30 a.m. this morning, Elk Grove Police officers responded to a burglar alarm at Laguna Day Spa, 7440 Laguna Blvd. Burglars had smashed a window and taken the cash register.

A suspect vehicle, a black 1998 Ford Crown Victoria, was chased by police as it was leaving the parking lot of the business. As officers pursued the car, a suspect threw cement blocks onto the roadway.

Two police cars suffered flats and rim damage when they hit the thrown blocks. The patrol cars were unable to continue and the suspect was last seen traveling eastbound on Sheldon Road.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Woodland police report that a man in the Yolo County Jail is being held in connection with two of three recent stabbings in the community.

Francisco Javier Sarabia, 22, whom police described as a transient in Woodland, was arrested Aug. 11 in connection with a stabbing that occurred Aug. 1 but was not reported to police until Aug. 10. On Tuesday, police went to the jail and arrested Sarabia on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in a stabbing that occurred about 3 p.m. Aug. 2 in the area of East Gum Avenue and East Street in Woodland. The 29-year-old victim was treated for wounds at Woodland Memorial Hospital.

Police said investigation is continuing into the third stabbing, which occurred in the 600 block of Third Street in Woodland about 9:30 p.m. Aug. 2. That victim, a 65-year-old man, was taken to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment.

In the Aug. 2 incidents, both victims reported that they were stabbed by a man who was riding a bicycle.

Police ask anyone with additional information about the stabbings to call the Woodland Police Department at (530) 661-7800 or (530) 666-2411.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An Antelope man has been sentenced to 300 days in jail and five years probation in an hit-and-run case in which a 47-year-old woman was killed on Interstate 80 in Roseville.

Jeremy Sam Sarguis, 20, pleaded not guilty in May to two counts of conspiracy and one count of leaving the scene of an accident in which a death occurred. He was sentenced today by Placer County Superior Court Judge Robert P. McElhany, who accepted the Probation Department's recommendation to grant probation.

Sarguis struck and killed Vickie Janell Scott of Grass Valley as she walked on I-80 near Atlantic Street at 4:30 a.m. Feb. 4.

The Placer County District Attorney's Office had requested a sentence of three years in state prison, arguing that Sarguis fled after striking the woman, despite pleas from one of his passengers to return to the scene. Sarguis also tried to remove evidence of the accident from the vehicle, and after being persuaded to turn themselves in, Sarguis and others fabricated a story about what occurred in the accident, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.

In addition to the probation and jail sentence, Judge McElhany ordered Sarguis to pay $8,804 in restitution and to submit to search and seizure by law enforcement. He also is to abstain from using or possessing intoxicants and may not frequent places where alcohol is the chief item of sale.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Auburn police have arrested two people who are accused of extorting money from a local restaurant owner.

Larry Warren Bosworth, 39, and Rebecca Lynn Bosworth, 36, both of Auburn, were booked into Placer County Jail this afternoon on suspicion of conspiracy to commit extortion and extortion.

Police said the Bosworths contacted the owner of a local Chinese restaurant claiming that the take-out food they bought from the restaurant two weeks ago was contaminated with a cockroach. They allegedly told the restaurant owner that they would not file a report with the Department of Health and Human Services or contact the news media if the victim agreed to pay them a large sum of cash.

The victim agreed to meet the Bosworths at a local coffee shop to discuss their claims. During the meeting, the Bosworths again requested money in exchange for not filing a complaint, according to a Police Department news release.

The victim told them that she needed to discuss the matter with her husband and would need time to decide whether to pay the money. The Bosworths gave the victim a short time to make a decision. The victim then contacted the Auburn Police Department about the legality of the Bosworths' demands.

Working with a police detective, the victim called the Bosworths and agreed to meet their demands. She was given a short time to meet them with a check, and the Bosworths agreed not to file their complaint or notify the news media in return for the money. They also said they would provide the victim with all the "paperwork" they had in regard to their complaint.

Detectives conducted a surveillance of the coffee shop where the victim was to meet the Bosworths and watched as the victim completed the transaction with the Bosworths and left the scene. The Bosworths then were arrested without incident.

Police ask anyone who may know of similar activities involving the Bosworths to call Detective Adam Cline at (530) 823-4237, ext. 238.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Two Rocklin homes were damaged and a firefighter was injured early this afternoon in a two-alarm fire that started outside a shed between the residences.

Rocklin Fire Chief Bill Mikesell said the fire was reported at 1:13 p.m. in the 4200 block of Slate Court off Midas Avenue near the Sunset Whitney Country Club.

Mikesell said the fire began outside a shed but quickly spread to the homes, burning the roof and attic of one house and damaging the exterior of the other.

One firefighter suffered deep muscle injuries when he fell from the roof onto the patio cover and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Mikesell said no one was home at either residence when the fire started.

Rocklin firefighters were battling a grass fire near Interstate 80 when the structure fire was reported and had to travel across town to reach the homes.

"So there was a delayed response and the fire had a bit of a head start," Mikesell said.

It took about 30 firefighters more than an hour and 15 minutes to extinguish the fire, and crews were still on scene late this afternoon. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Rocklin Fire Department was assisted by firefighters from Lincoln, Roseville and Loomis.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Stuck testifying in his brother's murder trial, aware of criminal charges against another brother and facing charges of his own, Lee Vue said today on the stand that he's bitter about the trouble two distant cousins have brought upon his family with their alleged involvement in a killing.

"I'm really pissed off," he said.

Lee Vue testified that when those cousins, Gary and Chong Vue, showed up at the home he shared with his three younger brothers, he wanted them out. He knew they were wanted for murder out of Minnesota -- he had seen them featured on "America's Most Wanted" -- and warned his brother Lang three times they were bad news.

"I was worried," Lee Vue said today in Sacramento Superior Court. "I've never been in trouble with the law. None of us (brothers) have. Why would we want to get into it?"

Lang Vue is on trial with co-defendant and cousin Chu Vue for the 2008 murder of correctional officer Steve Lo. Chu Vue, a former Sacramento County sheriff's deputy, is accused of arranging the killing in retribution for his wife's affair with Lo.

Chu Vue's younger brothers Gary and Chong -- who have since been convicted of the Minnesota gang murder -- are the alleged gunmen in the Lo case and will be tried for murder separately. Lang Vue is accused of aiding and abetting the fugitive brothers.

Lee Vue faces charges of harboring fugitives, as does another of his younger brothers, Mason Vue. Both men testified that Gary and Chong Vue stayed at their house about the time of Lo's Oct. 15, 2008, killing; Mason Vue specifically testified that he heard of the murder halfway through Gary and Chong's roughly three-day stay.

Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall read from transcripts of Lee Vue's conversations with Sacramento police detectives and said Lee Vue told police he had warned his brother, "This (expletive) is going to get us (expletive) hurt."

On the stand, Lee Vue acknowledged he had the authority to order Lang Vue to kick the fugitives out because he was the older brother, important in Hmong culture. But he said he didn't because his brother had told him not to worry about it.

When Gary and Chong Vue left days later, Lee Vue said he never broached the subject with Lang Vue again.

"Yes, I was curious why they were there, but it was none of my business," he testified. "I just wanted them out."

Lee Vue's testimony will continue this afternoon.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Yolo County Coroner's officials have released the name of the man whose body was found inside a storage unit.

He was identified as David Alcazar, 43, of Woodland. An autopsy was conducted Wednesday but his cause of death was listed simply as "pending investigation."

"There is no indication of foul play or trauma," said Chief Deputy Coroner Robert LaBrash.

Officers were called Tuesday to Streng Storage at 1520 Main St. at 12:09 p.m. regarding a possibly deceased person inside a storage unit.

Police and firefighters found Alcazar's body inside the unit.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police responded to calls on land and river Tuesday.

The calls included a boat rescue, threats to property that left an officer scratched and a suspected gang-related shooting.

-- At about 4 p.m., officers were called to a business in the 1800 block of Del Paso Boulevard in North Sacramento. Police were told that a woman was threatening to kill a store owner and burn his business.

The woman, drinking a beer around the corner when police arrived, had to be taken into custody. Jacqueline Denice Anderson, 46, was arrested on suspicion of resisting an officer.

During the arrest, police said Anderson scratched an officer's face.

-- A woman reported that her stepson had fallen off his jet ski and had not resurfaced at Discovery Park. About 5 p.m. a police helicopter crew spotted two jet skis with three riders, struggling with the river current, according to police reports.

A citizen, who happened to be an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer, volunteered to take his boat off his trailer so that the officers could help the jet-skier.

The officers got the jet-skier back to dry land. The other two jet-skiers motored back to shore.

-- At about 7 p.m., a teenager went to a hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg. The non-life threatening injury is apparently related to a shooting that occurred near Arlington and Wilmington avenues, which is across Sutterville Road from Curtis Park.

The 17-year-old victim said he was walking in the area when two men in a dark-colored sedan shot at him.

The boy was taken to the hospital by a family member. Police said the young man is affiliated with a gang.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Truckee police are asking for help in solving a string of burglaries.

On Monday morning, police were called to the Sierra Meadows subdivision on a report of a home burglary. Officers chased and arrested three suspects.

Police arrested Rogelio Espinoza, 23, of Truckee, on suspicion of home burglary, auto burglary and conspiracy. Luis Gonzales, 18, was arrested on suspicion of home burglary and conspiracy.

In addition, a juvenile was arrested and booked into Juvenile Hall on suspicion of home burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia. A fourth person got away.

Police suspect that the same men were involved in numerous auto burglaries in Truckee. Anyone with information on the suspect who fled or other information on the burglaries is asked to call police at (530) 550-2323.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Don't even think about putting that cell phone to your ear today.

The second crackdown on cell phone use this month will take place today in the Sacramento region.

The first zero tolerance cell phone day on Aug. 10 in the Sacramento area resulted in 345 tickets for talking on the cell phone while driving. Officers also handed out seven citations for texting while driving.

Police and the California Highway Patrol once again today will focus on drivers talking or texting on a cell phone that is not a hands-free device.

The crackdown will be conducted by the CHP and by the Sacramento, Elk Grove, West Sacramento, Roseville, Galt, Twin Rivers, Lodi, Ripon and Rancho Cordova police departments.

Cell-phone violations carry a minimum fine of $20 for the first offense and $50 for the second. When court costs and other fees are added, the total can exceed $100 for a first offense, the CHP said.

Cell phones are the leading cause statewide of crashes by inattentive drivers, the CHP said.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Sacramento fire investigators are examining the scene of a fire that started about 7 p.m. in a Rancho Cordova cabinet shop.

Capt. Christian Pebbles, spokesman for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, said there was an explosion of flammable vapors in the spray booth area of Tri County Cabinets, 11451 Elks Circle. He said the fire was controlled by the sprinkler system, but the building suffered an estimated $200,000 in smoke and water damage.

He said arson investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Folsom police are searching for a handgun that may have been used by suspects who led police on a chase through Folsom, Granite Bay, Roseville and Orangevale early Saturday.

Police received a report at 1:03 a.m. of a robbery that had just occurred in an apartment parking lot on Folsom Ranch Drive. One of the victims told officers that two men driving a yellow Ford Mustang had followed them to a friend's apartment. One of the suspects got out on the passenger's side of the Mustang and pointed a handgun at one of the victims, taking his car keys and cell phone, according to a Folsom Police Department news release.

Six minutes after receiving the robbery report, an officer checking the surrounding area found the yellow Mustang at American River Canyon Drive and Oak Avenue Parkway. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver led officers on a 10-minute chase through Granite Bay and Roseville, then returned to Folsom and continued into Orangevale. During the chase, the driver of the Mustang ran stops signs and stoplights, traveling more than 80 mph throughout the pursuit, police reported.

On Pershing Avenue at Beech Avenue, the driver lost control of the Mustang, and he and his passenger ran off.

Officers were unable to locate the suspects, but they found a holster for a handgun as well as the cell phone and car keys taken from the victim. Police said they also found text messages on the victim's phone from one of the suspects that shed new light on the incident.

Officers discovered that the suspect and victim had arranged to conduct a narcotics transaction in the hours before the robbery occurred. The registered owner of the Mustang also called the Sacramento Police Department minutes after the pursuit ended to report her vehicle stolen.

Sacramento police found one of the two suspects at the Mustang owner's residence when they went there to take the stolen vehicle report. The officer detained Jack Colbert, 29, of Sacramento, and the victim subsequently identified Colbert as the person in possession of the handgun during the robbery.

When confronted with the evidence in his stolen cell phone, police said, the victim confessed to having been involved in a marijuana transaction with the suspects when the robbery occurred.

One of the two suspects, Troy Samas, 19, of Orangevale allegedly had arranged to meet the victim to purchase a large quantity of marijuana from the victim, according to police. The victim claimed that Colbert robbed him and his friends of the marijuana, cell phone and car keys when they met at the agreed-upon location.

Samas was arrested Sunday morning at his mother's home in Orangevale.

Samas and Colbert were booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of conspiracy, robbery, commission of a felony using a firearm and felony evasion of a police officer.

Folsom police said they also were contacted by the Placer County Sheriff's Department, which reported that a pedestrian had located a large quantity of marijuana along the pursuit route and had turned the marijuana over to sheriff's deputies.

Today, an off-duty peace officer who said he had witnessed the pursuit from his Roseville residence followed up with investigators. He told police he had seen two distinct muzzle flashes come from the Mustang and could smell gunpowder after he heard the gunfire.

Folsom police said investigators are looking for the missing handgun and evidence to support the off-duty officer's report.

Anyone with information regarding the incident or the firearm is asked to call the Folsom Police Tipline at (916) 585-4110.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Roseville police are looking for a man (right photo) who robbed the River City Bank on Tuesday morning.

The man entered the bank at 3992 Douglas Blvd. about 11:40 a.m. and handed the teller a note demanding money. He took an undisclosed amount of cash and left on foot, heading toward the Safeway shopping center, according to a Roseville Police Department news release.

The man was described as black, in his 30s with black braids or dreadlocks in a ponytail. He was wearing a baseball cap with a logo on the front, a gold long-sleeved dress shirt and black tie, black slacks and a fanny pack.

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

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A pedestrian who died Monday night after being struck by a car in Elk Grove has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Eric Vernon Hayman, 34, of Elk Grove.

Hayman was crossing on the north side of Elk Grove Boulevard, within a marked crosswalk, about 9 p.m. when he was hit by a black Honda de Sol that was southbound on Waterman Road, according to Elk Grove police.

The driver, an 18-year-old man, pulled over about 100 feet from the collision and was contacted by officers. Police said the accident in under investigation. Anyone with information regarding the collision is asked to call (916) 478-8148.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Roseville man who purposely crashed his car into an oncoming vehicle, injuring the driver, has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Rickey Scott Molina, 22, who had vowed to kill himself by driving into oncoming traffic, was sentenced Aug. 12 by Placer County Superior Court Judge Robert P. McElhany. Molina agreed to a plea arrangement for the assault by vehicle and other offenses, a Placer County District Attorney's Office news release states.

Molina's attorney, Jess Bedore, requested probation for his client. He said Molina had realized while in jail that he has mental health issues. Bedore argued that anger management classes and continuing therapy, rather than prison, would allow Molina to be rehabilitated.

Judge McElhany, however, said he was not satisfied that such measures would protect public safety.

In addition to the Dec. 6, 2008, incident in which he was arrested for driving into oncoming traffic, Molina was arrested in separate cases that involved unlawful sex with a 17-year-old girl and vandalism.

In the driving incident, Molina, who was reportedly angry over a breakup with his girlfriend, told another person that he was going to kill himself. He then got into his car, drove onto Lead Hill Boulevard and veered into oncoming traffic. He clipped one car, then smashed into a second vehicle, injuring a woman driver.

Molina eventually pleaded guilty to three assault charges for the driving incident and to the unlawful sex and vandalism counts.

The parents of Molina's ex-girlfriend told the judge at the sentencing that they feared for their daughter and entire family if Molina were allowed to be free on probation, the news release states. The woman's father said his daughter received phone calls from Molina even though the defendant was in jail and a restraining order prohibited him from contacting the woman.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 23-year-old man wanted in connection with an Oakland homicide was taken into custody about 5:20 p.m. today after an approximately four-hour standoff with law enforcement officers at an Arden-Arcade apartment complex.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said Sacramento police notified the sheriff's department about 1 p.m. that they were attempting to make an arrest at the Oak Terrace Apartments, 2224 Edison Ave. Sacramento police had been notified by Oakland police that Brian Brown, wanted in connection with a homicide in that city, was believed to be staying there with two other people.

When Sacramento police arrived at the complex, they saw Brown outside talking on a phone. When he saw police, he went inside the apartment. Because a handgun had been used in the Oakland crime, police did not go to the apartment but instead used the public address system on one of the patrol cars to announce their presence and ask Brown to come outside. When he did not respond, the SWAT team was summoned and 20 units in the 62-unit complex were evacuated, Curran said. Fifteen to 20 residents were affected.

After Brown failed to respond to officers' repeated attempts to make contact with him, the SWAT team fired several rounds of tear gas into the apartment. The SWAT officers then entered the apartment and discovered Brown had broken through an interior wall into an adjoining unit.

After tear gas was fired into the neighboring apartment, Brown came out and surrendered.

Curran said Oakland police officers, who had arrived shortly after the standoff began, took custody of Brown, who will be returned to Oakland to face a murder charge.

Janet Washbon, manager of the Oak Terrace complex, said in a telephone interview about 5 p.m. that she was not at the complex when the apartments were evacuated and had been unable to return. She said Edison Avenue was closed between Bell Street and Howe Avenue.

Washbon said she was waiting at Dyer Kelly Elementary School had been receiving phone calls from apartment residents wanting to know why they weren't being admitted to the area.

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

Photos contributed by Leslie Wayne Riser

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Police are searching for a suspected car burglar who tried to stab a vice principal at Rio Linda High School.

Police dispatchers were told that at 11:38 a.m. someone was trying to break into or steal a car in the stadium parking lot of the school at 6309 Dry Creek Road.

Responding officers learned that when the suspect was confronted, he tried to stab the vice principal before running away. The vice principal was not injured, a Twin Rivers Police Department spokesman said.

School district police and Sacramento County sheriff's deputies are searching the area.

Initially it was thought the suspect had a knife. However, it is now thought that he stabbed at the vice principal with needle-nose pliers.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Roseville police will target drunk drivers Saturday night with a sobriety checkpoint set up some place within city limits.

While the location is not being revealed, the intention is plain: arrest the intoxicated driver.

"DUI arrests can be embarrassing and expensive," said Roseville Police Chief Mike Blair. "If you're drinking, hand your keys over to a designated sober driver, or call a taxi or sober friend for a ride home."

The department's sobriety checkpoint last Friday on Washington Boulevard resulted in the arrest of a driver for suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and being in possession of methamphetamine. Six other drivers were arrested or cited for not possessing a valid driver's license.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Police are investigating a smash and grab burglary at a gun shop in Rancho Cordova.

Police responded to a burglar alarm about 3 a.m. at Rancho Cordova Guns & Ammo, 1951 Zinfandel Drive. When they arrived, the officers found a possibly stolen silver Toyota pickup backed into the front door.

A witness saw a man run from the store, police said. One airsoft rifle that shoots plastic, non-lethal pellets was stolen from the store but was recovered. Another rifle may have been stolen.

In February, a similar incident occurred when someone unsuccessfully tried to drive a vehicle through the front door.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Elk Grove residents can get their crime questions answered with their morning coffee on Friday.

Officers from the Elk Grove Police Department's Problem Oriented Policing Unit will answer questions during "Coffee with a Cop."

The POP officers will be at the Starbucks, 2300 Longport Court, and Nugget Market, 7101 Elk Grove Blvd., from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Friday.

Police Chief Robert Lehner said the informal meetings over coffee are a way for the department to connect with the community. Citizens can ask specific or general questions about law enforcement in their neighborhoods.

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

By Matt Kawahara and Bill Lindelof
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A missing Sacramento woman who left home to walk her dog in Land Park Monday evening has been found.

Police spent hours Monday night and early Tuesday morning searching for 76-year-old Florence Hom. She apparently had spent the night at a friend's home, police said.

She walked into police headquarters on Freeport Boulevard about 6 a.m. with her dog.

Hom takes her small dog for a walk every night at 7 p.m. and usually returns home about half an hour later.

When Hom did not return by 9 p.m. Monday, her husband called the police. Police conducted a thorough search of the park and surrounding areas, including all ponds and unlocked bathrooms. Los Rios police helped by searching the campus of nearby Sacramento City College.

Several of Hom's neighbors on 8th Avenue joined in searching the park.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

Bee staff:

The Citrus Heights Police Department is seeking the community's assistance in identifying a man (left photo) suspected of burglarizing a non-firearm gun store, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

According to authorities, about 6:40 p.m. Aug. 5, the suspect broke into Airsoft Extreme, a store that specializes in selling guns designed to shoot airsoft pellets. The suspect entered the store through the building's roof. Once inside, the suspect stole nine replica-style airsoft pistols, then fled.

He is described as a white male adult, 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall with light facial hair above the chin and an athletic build.

Anyone with information about the suspect 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 Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

An Elk Grove pedestrian has died after being struck by a car while crossing a street in that city Monday night.

The victim, 34, was crossing the street at Elk Grove Boulevard and Waterman Road when he was hit by a black Honda del Sol, an Elk Grove police spokesman said.

The Honda was southbound on Waterman, said Officer Christopher Trim, police spokesman.

Police responded to the area at 9:05 p.m. and found the victim suffering from "severe, life-threatening injuries," Trim said.

The victim was transported to a local area hospital, where he was declared dead, Trim said. The victim's identity was not immediately available.

Whether the victim was in a crosswalk is still under investigation, Trim said.

The driver, a male adult, pulled over about 100 feet from the collision and stayed on scene, Trim said. He is currently being interviewed by traffic investigators, Trim said.

Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.

By Peter Hecht
phect@sacbee.com

A 14-year-old girl's story of medieval-era betrayal and murder can be introduced into evidence in the trial of two teen lovers accused of killing the girl's mother in her El Dorado Hills home, a judge ruled Monday.

El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Kenneth J. Melikian also ruled that Tylar Marie Witt, now 15, and Steven Paul Colver, 20, can be tried together for the killing of Witt's mother, Joanne Witt.

Melikian on June 14 ruled that Colver could receive a separate trial if prosecutors introduced a lurid, hand-written story by Tylar Witt that detailed a killing - set in medieval times - that mirrored many circumstances of Joanne Witt stabbing in June 2009.

But the judge reversed himself Monday after prosecutor Lisette Suder argued that legal precedent permitted the girl's story - "The Killer and his Raven" - to be introduced as evidence, even if prosecutors try Witt and Colver together as intended.

"This evidence will not require separate trials for Colver and Witt," Melikian ruled.

Joanne Witt was found dead of multiple stab wounds in the bedroom of her El Dorado Hills home days after she had handed over her daughter's diary - detailing a sexual relationship between Tylar Witt and Colver - as part of a statutory rape allegation against Colver, then 19.

After the murder, Witt and Colver fled to San Francisco. Along the way, authorities say, Colver mailed suicide notes and "The Killer and his Raven" to a friend of Witt's.

Prosecutors say the story chronicles an intense romantic relationship and the teen's anger and panic after Joanne Witt handed over Tylar Witt's real-life diary to authorities.

Call The Bee's Peter Hecht, (916) 326-5539.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Details began to emerge in court today about the reaches to which Chu Vue went in trying to find information about his wife's lover before he allegedly arranged for the man's murder.

He asked a colleague at the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department to run a license plate - which came back to correctional officer Steve Lo - under the ruse that the car had nearly run him down, according to testimony. He searched the man's name in law enforcement databases, and even consulted a store owner he thought was part of Lo's Hmong clan, seeking information about Lo, testimony showed.

Vue, who is no longer employed by the Sheriff's Department, is on trial for the Oct. 15, 2008 fatal shooting of Lo. Police and prosecutors allege that he hired two of his brothers - Gary and Chong Vue - to kill Lo because he was having an affair with Vue's wife.

Chu Vue is on trial with co-defendant and cousin Lang Vue, who is accused of aiding and abetting Gary and Chong Vue - who at the time were wanted for murder out of Minnesota - before and after the killing.

Gary and Chong Vue have since been convicted of the Minnesota murder, and will stand trial for Lo's murder separately.

Now in the trial's second week, Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall covered a variety of topics today with nearly a dozen witnesses, including a sheriff's crime scene investigator that testified he ran a license plate for Chu Vue after the deputy said a car nearly hit him outside of a gym.

"I remember I saw the name," CSI Van Truong said of the vehicle's registered owner. "It was an Asian name."

Department of Justice records later confirmed it was Lo's license plate that Vue had asked him to run.

Truong testified that when he read about Lo's fatal shooting in the newspaper, he "made the connection" to the earlier incident with Vue and notified supervisors, who then called Sacramento police homicide detectives.

Tony Lao, who owns a market on Rio Linda Boulevard, testified that Vue once stopped in to ask if Lao knew Lo, saying he had a friend in Fresno who wanted to become a correctional officer and might benefit from talking with Lo. Vue indicated the men might know each other, Lao testified, because he thought they were part of the same Hmong clan. Lao did not know Lo, and never heard from Vue again, he said in court.

Kevin Paltzer, a senior information technology analyst for the Sheriff's Department, testified about records showing Vue had accessed law enforcement databases to run variations of the name "Steve Lo" in a number of searches spanning August and September 2008.

Vue was fired from the Sheriff's Department after he failed to cooperate with an internal affairs investigation stemming from those allegations.

As the day's testimony reached an end, Sacramento Police Officer Anne Marie Howland began discussing the "hundreds of hours" she and a handful of officers spent reviewing surveillance footage from a camera owned by one of Lo's neighbors.

Some of that video will be shown in court Tuesday, and, based on previous statements by police and prosecutors, is likely to show footage of Vue casing the neighborhood.

Also covered in today's testimony:

- The renting of Sacramento hotel rooms by Lang Vue and Chu Vue's sister, Allyssa Vue, who already has pleaded out in the case. The prosecution suspects those rooms were rented for Chu Vue's wanted brothers.

- The purchase of a black sports utility vehicle, possibly by Lang Vue and another man.

- Chu Vue's sudden closure of a bank account after he purchased a cashier's check for more than $10,000. According to Bank of America records shown in court today, that money came largely from two cash advanced Vue took from credit cards. Testimony showed only that the cashier's check was later deposited into a different bank account.

- Allegations from a man who did work for a man named "John" - identified in court as Chu Vue - that Vue had refused to pay him, saying he didn't have to pay because "I'm a sheriff." Jose Escamilla testified he had done work for Vue on a mobile home in Corning that prosecutors allege housed Gary and Chong Vue while they were on the run from Minnesota authorities.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Newcastle father and son each have been charged with one misdemeanor count of battery in an alleged road-rage incident involving KFBK sportscaster Pat Walsh.

The Placer County District Attorney's Office reported today that John Patrick O'Neill, 51, and his son, Cory Taylor O'Neill, 23, have been charged with the unlawful use of force or violence against Walsh in a June 1 incident on Interstate 80 near Applegate.

Walsh alleged that as he traveled on Interstate 80 the two men in a vehicle that was towing a car dolly drove up quickly behind him. He accused the men of yelling at him, then cutting off his vehicle and attacking him when he pulled off the road.

The men are to be arraigned at Sept. 14 in Roseville.

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

By Bill Lindelof and Cathy Locke
blindelof@sacbee.com

The name of the 8-year-old boy struck and killed by a forklift in Woodland has been released.

The boy has been identified as Joseph Trafican of Woodland, the Yolo County coroner said. Joseph died from compression asphyxia, the coroner said.

Woodland police Sgt. Anthony Cucchi said the boy had accompanied his father, Pat Trafican, to the family's business, P.T. Welding, Sunday morning. The father and son were in the parking lot when a passing forklift struck the boy. Cucchi said the forklift driver stated that he did not see the boy.

The child died at Woodland Memorial Hospital.

Cucchi said the accident remains under investigation.

Krisann Chasarik, a spokeswoman for the California Division of Occupational Health and Safety, said the agency was notified of the incident but it is not within CalOSHA's purview. Chasarik said it is a police department matter.

Family members at the business Monday declined to discuss the accident, saying that everyone involved was devastated.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A parking control officer was punched just before midnight Sunday by a man upset about getting a parking ticket, Sacramento police say.

The officer had been issuing parking tickets in the 1400 block of R Street when she was approached by a man whose vehicle had been ticketed.

The man, identified as Russell Justin Gettemy (left), 35, is suspected of punching the officer in the face. Police also said Gettemy grabbed her electronic citation device.

The suspect ran southwest after the alleged assault. Police officers arrested Gettemy a few blocks from the scene.

Linda Tucker, spokeswoman for Sacramento's Department of Transportation, said the officer was doing well and in good spirits today, which is her regular day off.

"Apparently, she handled the incident very well," said Tucker. "She contacted (police) and then did attempt to follow the suspect on foot."

The parking control officer and a taxi driver who witnessed the incident helped locate the suspect.

The city issues 225,000 citations each year. A "fair number" of people who get ticketed are upset, but violence is rare, Tucker said.

Parking control officers issue citations late at night for no-parking violations, blocking driveways and unauthorized parking in loading zones.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A visitor from Arizona shouted for help and fled when two armed men tried to hold him up early this morning, Woodland police said.

The victim, 55, told police he had just opened the rear hatch of his car at his friend's apartment complex at 154 Lincoln Avenue about 1 a.m. when two men wearing bandannas demanded his wallet.

One robber was armed with a sawed-off shotgun, and the other had a handgun.

The victim refused to relinquish his wallet and instead quickly ran away, while yelling for help. Responding officers failed to find the suspects.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento firefighters were called to a suspected arson fire inside an apartment leasing office this morning in Natomas.

A Sacramento Fire Department spokesman said the fire was in the office at the Granite Point Apartment in the 4500 block of Truxel Road.

The 6:45 a.m. fire did minimal damage to the structure of the office and was mostly confined to office contents. It appears someone broke into the office, and authorities say they believe the fire was caused by an arsonist.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A panhandler stabbed a young Woodland man in the stomach after trying to rob the victim shortly before midnight Sunday.

The 20-year-old victim was approached on the 800 block of Atwell Circle by a panhandler who asked for spare change, Woodland police said.

When the victim said he had no change, the suspect grabbed at the victim's necklace. In defense, the young man grabbed the thief's hand and immediately experienced a sharp pain in his stomach, the result of being stabbed.

The suspect released the necklace and fled on foot. The victim suffered a small cut.

The suspect was described as Hispanic, about 22 years old, 5-feet, 9-inches tall, and weighing about 145 pounds. He was wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and white athletic shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (530) 661-7800 or (530) 666-2411.

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

By Loreta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

An alert security guard at a state office building in Sacramento helped police nab a juvenile who apparently changed his mind about throwing away a loaded gun, police said.

A security guard at the 1000 block of I Street was monitoring the building via security camera when three people near 11th and I streets appeared to place something in a garbage can shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday.

The guard looked in the can, found a revolver, and called police.

Officers arrived, found that the .38 caliber revolver was loaded, and booked it into evidence, said Sacramento Police spokesman Officer Konrad von Schoech.

Then, 25 minutes later, the guard called police again. This time, the individuals had returned and apparently were looking for the gun.

Police responded, detained the three on 10th Street just south of J Street.

After talking to them, police arrested a 16-year-old male for investigation of gun possession.

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

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

A man suspected of breaking into a south Sacramento apartment unit in the 7800 block of Summerdale Way and kidnapping his 2-year-old son and the boy's adult babysitter was arrested Saturday night after the man drove around with the victims in his car in search of the mother.

Both the baby and the babysitter were unharmed. The mother, who had gone shopping, had a restraining order against the boy's father, said Sacramento Police spokesman Officer Konrad von Schoech.

He said the man, 22-year-old Armando Gonzalez, was arrested in a nearby store at 7:40 p.m. after police were alerted to his location.

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

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Woodland Police are asking the public's help in apprehending a man suspected in a stabbing shortly before 2 a.m. today of a man in Campbell Park in the 700 block of Thomas Street.

Authorities said police were dispatched to the park after a 16-year-old Sacramento resident was stabbed numerous times in the torso and both arms. Several of the victim's acquaintances, also in the park, were interviewed, according to the report by Woodland Sgt. Don Beal.

The suspect in the case was described as wearing a black hooded sweat-shirt and dark colored pants with a shaved head or very short hair, white or Hispanic, between 16 and 20 years of age. He was last seen riding a bicycle on Thomas Street away from the park.

Anyone with information about this stabbing is asked to call the Woodland Police at (530) 661-7800, or police dispatch at (530) 666-2411.

The victim was taken by ambulance to University Medical Center in Sacramento for treatment. The wounds were not considered life-threatening.

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

By Phillip Reese
preese@sacbee.com

Zack and Adrian Reynolds were sitting at the Big 5 sporting goods store parking lot in Carmichael when something strange came running up Manzanita Avenue.

"I looked up and said there's a zebra," said Adrian Reynolds. "It was charging at people. It was in the middle of the road. It already had been hit by a car."

There actually were two zebras running loose Saturday evening. They escaped around 6 p.m. from a Carmichael property as they were being loaded into a truck headed to an Oregon ranch.

The zebras are used at rodeos and to breed with horses to create an animal that is fun to ride, one of the zebras' owners said.

"The zebra is a good animal," said David Mastagni.

His son owns Michael Mastagni Mule Co. in Carmichael. The zebras escaped from the son's property.

He said a dog spooked the zebras, which ran through several fences to their freedom.

One went south and wound up being caught. The other went north, before being cornered. By 11 p.m. sheriff's deputies and workers from the Mastagni operation had coaxed the second zebra into a trailer.

Zack and Adrian Reynolds said they and others chased the second zebra off Manzanita onto Jameson Court, which is a short street with office buildings.

They had little luck initially in corraling the zebra so someone went back to the Big 5 and bought some rope. They used the rope and some chicken wire to fence in the zebra.

Zack Reynolds said they called police but were told the zebra had already been captured, the officer apparently not realizing there was a second zebra.

A teenager tried to take the lead in capturing the animal, Zack Reynolds said.

"One kid said he lived in Iowa and used to tame wild mustangs. He put his hand in the zebra's face," Reynolds said. "Later he got kicked."

The teen was not seriously hurt. The zebras also weren't seriously injured, David Mastagni said.

The Michael Mastagni Mule Co. is in the 3800 block of Marshall Avenue in Carmichael.

Here is the website for the operation http://www.michaelmastagnimuleco.com/index.html

Call The Bee's Phillip Reese, (916) 321-1137.

By Phillip Reese
preese@sabee.com

A 19-year-old man died Friday night when a vehicle struck him as he skateboarded down a steep hill in Auburn.

Nicholas Brown of Elk Grove was swerving across Auburn-Folsom Road south of Indian Hill Road about 9 p.m. Friday when he was struck by a Toyota pickup truck, according to Sgt. Dale Hutchins of the Auburn Police Department. Both the truck and the skateboarder were heading south.

"It's a pretty steep decline," said Hutchins.

The accident is still under investigation, but no citations were issued at the scene, Hutchins said. No one in the pickup truck was injured.

Call The Bee's Phillip Reese, (916) 321-1137.

By Tony Bizjak
tbizjak@sacbee.com

The two men killed in a small plane crash in Placer County have been identified by sheriff's officials as Central Coast residents.

Bryan Grant McCullah, 31, of Santa Cruz and Gabriel Alexander Suarez, 21, of Watsonville, died in a crash in rugged mountains near Emigrant Gap. The crash remains were discovered Friday afternoon by a hiker.

Federal Aviation Administration identified the owner of the single-engine Piper Cherokee Arrow as a Monterey Bay Aviation.

The flight's intended destination was not immediately known, an FAA official said.

Call The Bee's Tony Bizjak, (916) 321-1059.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man from the Madera County community of Bass Lake has been arrested on suspicion of a making a bomb threat at a Walmart store in El Dorado County.

Nicholas Gregorio, 18, was taken into custody Thursday at a residence on Forni Road in Placerville.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's Department was called to the Walmart store in Diamond Springs about 11 a.m. Tuesday. The bomb threat was written in ink on a surface in the men's restroom, and store managers were evacuating the store when deputies arrived, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

The California Highway Patrol provided a dog trained in detecting explosive material, but no explosive device was located.

The following day, deputies working with store managers identified Gregorio as a suspect and filed a complaint with the District Attorney's Office.

Gregorio was booked into El Dorado County Jail and has been released on $50,000 bail.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Two Sacramento men have been indicted on weapons charges in separate cases.

Curtis Lee Sanders, 30, was indicted Thursday for being a felon in possession of a .38 caliber revolver and for possessing the revolver after being convicted for a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, according to federal Department of Justice news release.

According to court documents, Sanders is a three-time felon with two convictions for second-degree burglary and one for assault with a deadly weapon -- not a firearm -- and a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence.

Also on Thursday, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Robert Anthony Cline, 31, with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment alleges that Cline knowingly possessed a semiautomatic SKS rifle.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Pine Grove man was arrested this afternoon in Auburn on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor.

Charles Wayne Burghy, 44, is accused of contacting a 16-year-old boy via a personal ad on a commonly used sales and social networking website with the intent of meeting and engaging in illegal sexual acts with the youth, according to an Auburn Police Department news release.

Burghy then allegedly communicated with the youth through text messaging and solicited the teenager to perform sexual acts. Burghy also is accused of sending nude, explicit pictures of himself to the victim via electronic messaging.

On Thursday, an Auburn Police Department detective, posing as a minor, began communicating with Burghy via text messages, and Burghy arranged to meet him in Auburn today to engage in various sexual acts.

Detectives and patrol officers set up surveillance of the arranged meeting area and arrested Burghy without incident in a shopping center parking lot in the 400 block of Grass Valley Highway.

Burghy was arrested on suspicion of sending harmful matter with the intent of seducing a minor, contacting a minor with intent to commit a sexual offense, and employing or using a minor to perform prohibited acts.

Police ask anyone who knows of similar acts or contacts with Burghy to call Detective Adam Cline at (530) 823-4237, ext. 238.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Placer County Sheriff's Department is working to identify two people who were found dead this afternoon inside a crashed airplane near Emigrant Gap.

The plane, a single-engine Piper Cherokee Arrow, initially was believed to have departed from Watsonville for Auburn, but a Federal Aviation spokesman said later information indicated the pilot had departed from Auburn. His intended destination is not known.

The FAA's online registry identifies the registered owner as Monterey Bay Aviation Inc. of Wastsonville, which does business as United Flight. A representative of the firm could not be reached for comment.

The plane was found by a hiker in a rugged, mountainous area, and officials said they don't know what time the crash occurred.

The Sheriff's Department received information from the hiker at 1:43 p.m.

A California Highway Patrol airplane was able to confirm that the aircraft was down, with two fatalities, and deputies arrived at the crash scene a short time later, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Names of the victims have not been released pending notification of family.

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

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Placer County probation officers say a follow-up visit to a high-risk probationer on Monday yielded a 12-gun weapons cache.

Probation officers last Friday made a routine check of Robert Bewley, who is living in Roseville, then followed up with a surprise visit Monday, said Steve Pecor, chief probation officer.

Officers found 12 firearms, several hundred rounds of ammunition and a small club. One of the guns was a powerful Tec-DC9, Pecor said. Another firearm had been reported stolen in Roseville.

Bewley is being held in the Placer County jail for the parole violation. He faces three additional charges of being a felon possessing firearms, ammunition and a deadly weapon. Bail was set at $40,000.

"Everything seemed to be fine. Everything seemed to be good," Pecor said of the Friday visit. The follow-up visit was made in an attempt to catch Bewley off guard.

Pecor said the extra visit was possible because of a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety, which provides extra resources to keep an eye on high-risk DUI offenders. Bewley was convicted of DUI causing great bodily injury and assaulting an officer during his arrest.

Pecor said the Monday visit was more extensive. The weapons were found in an SUV parked in the driveway of Bewley's residence. Pecor said that the SUV was not searched Friday, but authorities don't think weapons were there at the time.

"They arrived over the weekend," he said. "Bad timing on his part. Good timing on law enforcement's part."

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.

By Bee Staff

A missing 5-year-old girl whose mother allegedly tested positive for drugs has been found and turned over to Sacramento County Child Protective Services, according to the Sheriff's Department.

On Thursday, sheriff's detectives located girl at a residence on New York Avenue in Fair Oaks.

No one has been arrested in the case.

Deputies said that on Wednesday, the mother and the girl, her daughter, went to a local hospital after the mother fell down and hurt herself. A toxicology screen revealed methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription drugs in the mother, deputies said.

Hospital staff concerned for the little girl's safety notified Child Protective Services, but before that could occur, the mother and her boyfriend left with the girl.

By Bee Staff

The Citrus Heights Police Department will be conducting a DUI/driver's license checkpoint on Thursday.

The checkpoint will begin at 7:30 p.m. and run until 3 a.m. on Madison at San Juan avenues, according to a Police Department news release.

The checkpoint is one in a series that funded by a mini-grant from the University of California at Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center through the California Office of Traffic Safety, the release states.

Q: Is there any update on Michael Anthony Cox? He was on death row and it is now late 2010. - Wanting justice for, Placerville

A: Cox, now 54, is still on California's death row. He has been there since Dec. 5, 1985, prison records show.

Cox, who was so certain he would be exonerated that he asked his attorney not to present testimony against the death penalty, was sentenced in El Dorado County Superior Court on Nov. 26, 1985, to die for killing three Placerville teen-agers.

Cox was convicted of the murders of Lynda Burrill, 18, and triplet sisters Debra and Denise Galston, 14.

The three girls disappeared from Placerville's Main Street in the summer of 1984. Their bodies were found at different locations in the Eldorado National Forest.

Witnesses said Cox had called the three teenagers "whores and sluts," and District Attorney Ronald Tepper said Cox killed the girls to satisfy his "sadistic appetite."

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police said armed robbers entered a home last night in midtown, making off with medicinal marijuana and electronic items.

The home invasion occurred at about 11 p.m. at a home in the 2600 block of T Street.

Three suspects entered the house where there was medicinal marijuana both growing and in dried amounts, police said. They entered as a friend of the resident was about to go into the house.

Police surrounded the residence. However, the robbers had already escaped.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A high-speed chase this morning of a suspected auto thief ended with a man being taken into custody.

Sacramento police noticed the stolen Honda at Interstate 80 and Raley Boulevard in Del Paso Heights about 4:10 a.m.

The chase headed westbound on I-80 to southbound I-5 with speeds reaching 90 mph. The driver turned east on Fruitridge Road to Watt Avenue, the chase eventually ending at Watt Avenue and Highway 50.

That is where the driver fled from the car but he was eventually taken into custody at 4:40 a.m. with the help of a police dog, according to the California Highway Patrol.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Davis police urge residents to be alert to suspicious activities in their neighborhood, noting that the number of residential burglaries reported since the beginning of July is nearly triple the number reported during the same period last year.

Since July 1, 66 residential burglaries have been reported compared with 21 during the same period in 2009, according to a Police Department news release. Approximately one third of the burglaries occurred during the day, typically between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

In the daytime burglaries, intruders targeted electronics - televisions, computers and gaming consoles - and prescription medication. Police said there is no clear connection among the burglaries because of varying methods of entry and location.

However, they said the highest concentration of burglaries was in West Davis, between Oak Avenue and Highway 113 to the northern city border.

On July 8, police arrested three burglary suspects on J Street after they were found attempting to hide in a neighboring residence. Two date, police said, two residential burglaries have been linked to these individuals.

Residents who observe suspicious activity in their neighborhood are advised to call the Police Department.

Such activities include vehicles parked and idling for extended periods, people who appear to be scouting or casing a neighborhood, several people wandering from house to house, or vehicles driving slowly through the neighborhood.

Police also advise residents to lock their doors and windows when they leave home. Some of the victims had left windows and doors unlocked or open for ventilation, and burglars took advantage of this to enter the home. Some victims were home in a different part of the house when the burglary occurred, or interrupted a burglary upon arriving home.

Anyone who encounters someone inside their residence is advised to go to a safe location outside the house and call police. If possible, they should keep the house in sight so they can provide responding officers with information.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento teenager convicted of voluntary manslaughter in a gang-related shooting death two years ago was sentenced today to 26 years in prison.

Marvel Barksdale, 17, received the term from Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley for the Aug. 22, 2008, killing of 16-year-old Robert Haynes at a house party in Meadowview.

Barksdale got only six years for the manslaughter, but Frawley sentenced him to 10 years for carrying out the shooting in furtherance of street gang activity and 10 more years for use of the firearm.

Three other teenagers were injured in the shooting on Detroit Avenue, at the party attended by more than 50 youths.

The night of the shooting, Haynes, a projected starter on the Sacramento High School football team, told his mother he was going to the State Fair.

Witnesses said that Barksdale, then a sophomore at Foothill High School, showed up at the party with friends from the Guttah Boys gang.

They gathered in the backyard at the party and then stormed inside after the Fourth Avenue Bloods gang contingent arrived.

One witness testified he saw a gunshot-like flash come from Barksdale's side as the Guttah Boys ran into the house through a sliding glass door. A .32-caliber bullet, meanwhile, struck Haynes in the back of the head and killed him.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Three juveniles have been arrested in connection with a rock-throwing incident on Interstate 80 near Colfax that seriously injured a south Sacramento man.

The youths, two 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old, are being held in the Placer County Juvenile Detention Center on $150,000 bail each. The Placer County District Attorney's Office announced that it will file eight felony counts against each defendant.

In the early morning hours of July 26, a group of individuals threw rocks from the Canyon Way overcrossing, near the Mink Creek residential area, striking several motorists traveling along eastbound and westbound Interstate 80, according to the California Highway Patrol.

One motorist was seriously injured when one of the rocks shattered his front windshield and struck him in the face. He underwent surgery for his injuries at Sutter Roseville Medical Center.

The CHP announced that the three teenagers were taken into custody early today.

The District Attorney's Office said the charges against each include one count of conspiracy, one count of battery causing serious bodily injury, three counts of assault with use of a deadly weapon and three counts of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury.

The three are to be arraigned at 1 p.m. Monday in Auburn.

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

By Bee Staff

The Roseville Police Department warns that a firearm is missing after officers arrested two men in an area where a gun had shot into the air.

The Roseville Police Department warns the public that the handgun used in the incident may have been discarded by the roadway. People are urged to not touch it if they see it and to notify police.

Here's the how the incident and arrests occurred, according to a Police Department news release:

At 12:39 a.m. today, officers responded to a report that following a fight someone had fired a shot into the air in a parking lot in the 100 block of Church Street. No one was injured.

The shooter and his companion drove away in a Mercedes sedan in the direction of the Sierra Street bridge, colliding with a parked vehicle as they left.

Officers spotted the Mercedes on Atlantic Street and pursued it, eventually following it up State Route 65 to Lincoln. The driver pulled over and stopped just south of Ferrari Ranch Road, and both suspects were taken into custody without further incident.

A search of the vehicle and the area did not produce the handgun believed used to fire the shot.

Roseville Police Department staff members are searching for the firearm, a semi-automatic handgun.

Arrested in connection with the incident were Michael Gregorio Williamson (photo bottom left), 30, of Plumas Lake, and Alvaro Joe Pereyra (photo bottom right), 29, of Riverside, police said.

Q: What happened to the preacher who was busted for failing to register as a sex offender? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: Calvin Lee Little pleaded no contest Aug. 9 to failing to register as a sex offender, a felony, and was sentenced to three years in state prison, Sacramento Superior Court records show.

Police arrested Little, 46, on Jan. 19 for not registering as a sex offender at his church in the 3900 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Little, 46, had been registered at his mother's house in North Highlands, but police said Little was not living at that address.

Little was convicted of rape in Indiana in 1984. Prosecutors in his hometown of Marion, Ind., said the conviction was overturned eight years later by the Indiana Supreme Court, but that Little then pleaded guilty rather than face a retrial. He was released from prison and moved to California in 1992.

In Sacramento, Little's record shows four drug-related convictions between 1992 and 1997. Two of them landed him in prison. He also was convicted in 2006 for failing to register as a sex offender. He got a 90-day jail term and three years probation.

Despite his criminal past, Little made a name for himself over the past seven years for his food giveaway programs around town. He started his programs in midtown at Fremont Park and last year moved to the site on Martin Luther King Boulevard.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The daughter of slain correctional officer Steve Lo testified today that her father introduced her to his mistress and that the woman gave her gifts and told her that they would be "best friends forever."

Brenda Lo said she later learned that the woman who gave her the gifts and who identified herself as "Cynthia" was Chia Vue, the wife of former Sacramento sheriff's deputy Chu Vue, who is on trial for murder in Steve Lo's shooting death.

Brenda Lo, 16, testified in Sacramento Superior Court that Chia Vue gave her a $60 gift card for her middle school graduation as well as a watch.

"The watch was on her wrist," Brenda Lo testified. "She took it off and said, 'It's a gift. You can keep it.' "

The girl's testimony on behalf of the prosecution appeared to undercut a key contention of Chu Vue's defense. In his opening statement, defense attorney Donald Masuda told the jury that Lo and Chia Vue were about to break off their affair.

Masuda said the accused gunmen in the case -- Chu Vue's two younger brothers -- carried out the fatal attack on their own. The two were both wanted on a murder warrant out of Minnesota, and Masuda said they killed Lo because he found out about them through his relationship with Chia Vue and they thought he would turn them in.

On cross-examination, Masuda read from a police report where Brenda Lo was quoted as telling investigators that she heard her dad say in regards to Chia Vue, "That's not my girlfriend."

Brenda Lo, however, denied making that statement to police. She confirmed under questioning from Masuda that Chia Vue had told her in their brief relationship that they were "best friends forever."

Under questioning from Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall, the girl said her father introduced her to his "so-called friend" at the graduation in June 2008.

"She asked me if she could take me out to lunch as a graduation gift," Brenda Lo testified, and also for "some girl talk."

Steve Lo at the time was still married to his second wife, Sia Vang. Brenda Lo is the daughter of Steve Lo's first wife.

Brenda Lo said Chia Vue gave her the gifts and also wrote down her phone number and gave it to her.

After her father was shot and killed, Brenda Lo testified that Chia Vue twice accompanied her on trips to the Stockton cemetery where Steve Lo is buried. The girl testified that Chia Vue "sounded very depressed" and on both occasions was apologizing.

"She was crying," Brenda Lo said. "She didn't talk much. She was just really crying."

Steve Lo, 39, was gunned down in the garage of his Tambor Way home in south Sacramento on Oct. 15, 2008.

Chu Vue, 45, is on trial for murder in the killing along with co-defendant and cousin Lang Vue, 27, who is accused of aiding and abetting the killing by procuring rental cars, motel rooms and then buying a sports utility vehicle for the purported gunmen in the case.

Authorities say the shooters were Chu Vue's younger brothers, Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31. They are scheduled to be tried separately later this month.

At the time of Steve Lo's death, the brothers were wanted for murder in a 2001 gang-related drive-by shooting death in Minnesota. Both have since been convicted in that case.

Police and prosecutors say Chu Vue planned the fatal attack on Lo because the correctional officer launched into the affair with the former deputy's wife. Masuda told jurors that his client didn't have a motive to kill Lo because Chu Vue had since "moved on" from trying to keep his marriage intact.

Several of Chu Vue's coworkers at the sheriff's Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center also testified today that he told them about the problems he was having in his marriage and that he found out that his wife was having an affair.

Deputy Khu Xiong said that Vue at first appeared to be upset over his wife's affair, but that he became "acceptive" of it.

"He was like, 'Everything's cool. We've moved on. I don't want to go back to that life,' " Xiong testified.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Two brothers from Sacramento County have been arrested after police said they found their car crammed with stolen goods.

Moises Malave Martinez, 25, of Sacramento and Arturo Martinez, Jr., 23, of Elk Grove were arrested Wednesday afternoon after their car was stopped for a red-light violation at Atlantic Street near the Interstate 80 on-ramp in Roseville.

Inside the car, police said, they found stolen property from Rocklin, Roseville and Sacramento. The officer saw tires, rims, stereo equipment and other electronic items filling the back seat.

One stolen item, a GPS device, contained the address of a Taylor Road hotel. Officers went to the hotel where they noticed a vehicle with a broken window.

They contacted the vehicle owner, who confirmed the GPS belonged to her.

While officers were investigating, Rocklin Police got a call from a resident who had awakened to find her vehicle on blocks -- missing and tires and rims. It is suspected by police that the Martinez brothers are connected to that theft.

A stereo amplifier in the Martinez vehicle was matched to one stolen last week in Sacramento.

The brothers were booked in Roseville City Jail on suspicion of burglary, possession of burglar's tools and possession of stolen property.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A 25-year-old man is being treated for a gunshot wound to the leg after the occupants of at least one car fired at him this morning, authorities said.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies are unsure of the motive for the 43rd Street shooting. However, they say they believe the victim was targeted, said Sacramento County sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

"It wasn't random," Curran said. "We're pretty certain of that."

Deputies responded to the 4000 block of 43rd Street, south of 15th Avenue, just after 10:30 a.m. after callers reported someone had been shot in a back yard, Curran said.

They found the victim in a residence that he had broken into after fleeing the shooters, Curran said.

A witness initially told deputies he had seen a rolling gun battle between two cars. Deputies later determined that the victim was standing on the sidewalk when at least one car drove by, with the occupants firing at him, Curran said.

There was no exchange of gunfire, Curran said.

Deputies are following several blood trails from the scene, indicating there could be other victims, though none has been found, Curran said.

The victim has an extensive criminal history involving drugs, Sacramento Superior Court records show. Deputies don't know if the victim's past played a role in the shooting, Curran said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The former executive director of a Yolo County agency that advocates for children has been arrested on suspicion of embezzlement of the organization.

Claudean Medlock, 54, of Carmichael, was arrested on suspicion of burglary, embezzlement, grand theft and petty theft.

Woodland police said they were contacted July 29 by the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) agency, which advocates for children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned and placed into foster care in Yolo County.

Detectives conducted an investigation that revealed that CASA employee Medlock allegedly embezzled about $30,000 using a department debit card.

She is suspected of withdrawing the money between April and July this year and spending it at four different casinos.

In a statement released by CASA, Board President Mila Spengler said that the organization was notified by the bank on July 27 of irregularities to the CASA account.

After an internal review, Medlock was placed on administrative leave. She was later fired.

Spengler said CASA plans to hire an outside firm to do an audit. Pam Nardinelli, training and recruitment manager, has been appointed interim executive director.

"The Yolo County CASA board is taking every available step to fully recover the lost funds," Spengler said. "Meanwhile, we remain focused on maintaining the trust of our volunteers, who are the heart of our organization, our communities and our donors."

CASA Facts:

-- Recruited, trained and supervised 300 community volunteers since 1996.

-- Helped more than 450 youth in Yolo County.

-- Annual operationg budget of about $250,000.

-- Each volunteer must make an 18-month commitment to CASA and the children.

-- CASA has five staff members.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies are asking for help to find a 5-year-old girl whose mother allegedly tested positive for drugs.

Kailyn May (top photo) is probably with her mother, Sheri Lyn May (middle photo), 41, and her mother's boyfriend, Joseph Loescher (bottom photo), 55, of Fair Oaks.

Deputies said that on Wednesday Sheri Lyn May and her daughter went to a local hospital after the mother fell down and hurt herself. A toxicology screen revealed methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription drugs in the mother.

Hospital staff concerned for the little girl's safety notified Child Protective Services so that Kailyn could be placed in protective custody. But before that could occur, Loescher arrived and took them away.

The little girl is considered an at-risk person because of her mother's drug use, deputies said.

The daughter and mother were last seen at the hospital. Loescher was last seen driving away from the family home in the 4300 block of New York Avenue in Fair Oaks.

He was driving an older, white Jeep Cherokee. Kailyn is about 3 feet tall and weighs 42 pounds. She has long brown hair and blue eyes.

Her mother is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and 115 pounds. She has brown hair and hazel eyes.

Loescher is 5-foot-10 and weighs 170 pounds. He has brown hair, brown eyes and a mustache.

Anyone with information can call deputies at (916) 874-5115.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A portion of Freeport Boulevard in South Sacramento now closed due to downed utility wires and poles should partially open at 10 a.m.

The wires fell after a suspected truck thief hit a guy wire on a utility pole, causing telephone lines to fall into the street.

It is expected that northbound Freeport Boulevard near Executive Airport will open around 10 a.m., along with one lane southbound. Crews will be fixing telephone service all day.

Traffic is currently not being allowed from 35th Avenue to Kitchner Road.

Sacramento police said an officer noticed a stolen pickup drive by him this morning at 35th Avenue and Riverside Boulevard. The officer followed the pickup, eventually along with another unit.

The driver allowed his two passengers out at South Land Park Drive and Sutterville Road. Then the driver sped off, reaching speeds of between 70 to 80 mph on Freeport Boulevard.

At 38th Avenue and Freeport, he lost control and hit a stabilizing pole wire, police said. That caused poles to snap and wires from four poles to go down, some into the street.

The suspect ran but was arrested after about 75 yards. Daniel Guzman (photo right), 32, was placed under arrest for felony evasion of an officer, stolen vehicle and possession of a narcotic pipe.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Windows of more than a dozen vehicles parked along Third Street between X and W streets in Sacramento suffered broken windows early this afternoon.

Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said police received a report that two men, one white and one black, were seen riding away from the area where the damage occurred. Some of the cars were parked on the street and others in parking lots.

Theft appeared to be the motive, Leong said. Although many of the owners were not present when police arrived, he said it looked like someone had rifled through the vehicles.

No arrests have been made.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The last of six defendants involved in a narcotics distribution ring has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Travis Davis, 40, of Sacramento was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton for cocaine distribution. His prison term will be followed by five years of supervised release.

Davis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine, distribution of more then 50 grams of crack cocaine and possession with intent to distribute the narcotic.

Davis is the last of six defendants sentenced in connection with conspiracies to distribute crack cocaine in Marysville and Sacramento during 2006 and 2007, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. Previously sentenced were Darence Lamont Jordan, 28, of Richmond, 14 years in prison; Ronnie James Williams Jr., aka "Big," 25, of Sacramento, 12 years in prison; Charles Demario Johnson, 31, of Marysville, more than nine years in prison; and Charles Gooden, aka "Charlie Hustle", 26, of Marysville, nine years in prison.

Aimee Lee Cox, 39, of Marysville was sentenced earlier to 18 months is prison and a three-year term of supervised release for a lesser charge of maintaining a drug-involved premises.

The cases resulted from a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Yuba-Sutter Narcotic Enforcement Team.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man who died Tuesday afternoon in a traffic collision at Highway 99 and Garden Highway has been identified by the Sutter County Coroner's office as Jared Scott Ditri.

Ditri, 19, was southbound on Garden Highway in a Honda sedan about 1:25 p.m. He stopped at the Highway 99 intersection, but then turned left into the path of a Freightliner truck pulling and empty 53-foot trailer, according to the California Highway Patrol. The Honda was struck broadside on the driver's side and Ditri was pronounced dead at the scene.

The truck driver was not injured.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A decision on whether charges will be filed against two Newcastle men in an alleged road-rage attack on KFBK sportscaster Pat Walsh awaits the review of a complaint by the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

Officer Dave Martinez, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol's Newcastle office, said the CHP filed a complaint against the two men. Neither man was taken into custody.

The two are accused of attacking Walsh near Applegate on June 1.

Walsh said following the incident that he was driving eastbound on the freeway when men in an SUV pulling a car dolly came up quickly behind him and started yelling and flashing obscene gestures.

Walsh said he sped up to try to avoid a confrontation but pulled over when the SUV did not slow down and cut off his vehicle.

Walsh said his attackers punched him in the face and body, and threw him down an embankment.

A spokesman for the Placer County District Attorney's office said the complaint has yet to be reviewed and it probably will be a few weeks before the district attorney decides whether to file charges.

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

Q: What happened to the man and his wife who starved to death the man's young son? - Debbie, Sacramento

A: A man previously convicted as a child molester was sentenced July 7, 2006, in Sacramento Superior Court to 75 years and eight months to life for starving and beating to death his 12-year-old son.

"It is so fundamental to human nature to love your own children," Judge Gary S. Mullen said in a voice cracking with emotion.

"Even the most hardened criminals in our prisons can't imagine how a father can do this," Mullen said to Andrew Anthony Cejas (photo left from his trial), now 42.

Cejas was sentenced for the murder of Christopher Cejas of North Carolina, who lost 35 pounds over a four-month summer stay with his father and stepmother in Sacramento.

Trial evidence showed the boy, whom his father ridiculed for being overweight, was kept from eating by being handcuffed to doorknobs and an entryway post in their Watt Avenue apartment. He was fed a tablespoon of electrolyte-containing replacement fluid a day.

When he was found Aug. 21, 2002, he had more than 100 bruises with 74 major injuries, including a severed liver, torn kidney and bleeding in the brain.

For more than four days the boy was whipped with belts and pounded with a golf club. A video camera poised near his bed recorded his every move at night.

The 33-year-old stepmother, Kathryn Elizabeth Potter, who was sentenced on April 7, 2006, to 15 years to life, stood by and watched as the elder Cejas carried out the relentless whippings because she hated and was disgusted by the boy, court records show.

At the time of the murder, Cejas was on probation for beating Potter. In 1993, he was convicted of two counts of sexually molesting a 9-year-old girl.

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

By Bee Staff

The Roseville Police Department will conduct a DUI/driver's license checkpoint Friday evening.

The checkpoint will be at an undisclosed location where a significant number of DUI-related collisions and DUI arrests have occurred, according to a Police Department news release.

Officers will screen drivers passing through the checkpoint for sobriety and for a valid driver's license.

"DUI arrests can be embarrassing and expensive, but they're easy to prevent," Roseville Police Chief Mike Blair said in the release. "If you're drinking, hand your keys over to a designated sober driver, or call a taxi or sober friend for a ride home. Don't risk an arrest - or worse, a serious injury or even death."

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

A motorist uses a cell phone while driving in Sacramento on Tuesday. Bee photo by Randall Benton.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The first zero tolerance cell-phone day in the Sacramento area resulted in 345 tickets for talkative drivers.

Police and the California Highway Patrol dedicated Tuesday to focusing on drivers talking or texting on a cell phone that is not a hands-free device.

On Tuesday, the officers issued 345 citations for talking on the cell phone while driving. The officers also handed out seven citations for texting while driving.

The CHP handed out 147 of those tickets for cell-phone conversations and allied police departments wrote 198 tickets for the same offense.

The crackdown was conducted by the CHP and by the Sacramento, Elk Grove, West Sacramento, Roseville, Galt, Twin Rivers, Lodi, Ripon and Rancho Cordova police departments.

Another crackdown by CHP and police departments is planned for Aug. 18.

"If you are one of those who can't resist answering that cell phone, we will be out in force again," said CHP officer Adrian Quintero.

Cell-phone violations carry a minimum fine of $20 for the first offense and $50 for the second. When court costs and other fees are added, the total can exceed $100 for a first offense, the CHP said.

Cell phones are the leading cause statewide of crashes by inattentive drivers, the CHP said.

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

By Bee Staff

A driver who allegedly struck the car of a Galt woman while intoxicated on Sunday, killing the woman and her infant son has been arraigned on vehicular manslaughter and another charge, according to Sacramento Superior Court records.

Xieng Khan Her (photo left), 22, is in Sacramento County jail on $500,000 bail, jail records show. In addition to the manslaughter charge, he is charged with driving while under the influence and causing injury to another, court and jail records show.

On Sunday, Sgt. Scott Baland of the California Highway Patrol said the woman and child were waiting at a south Sacramento intersection at 4:30 a.m. when a car operated by Her slammed into the back of their Honda Accord at high speed.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the victims as 23-year-old Nancy Angelica Naranjo and 8-month-old Joshua Bonton.

Naranjo had been driving north on Stockton Boulevard and was waiting at the signal light at Orange Avenue.

"Just as the light cycled to green, the Toyota 4Runner rear-ended the Honda and propelled it into the intersection about 200 feet, spinning both cars around as they became entangled," Baland said.

The infant was in a child car seat. The toddler and the woman died at the scene, before CHP officers arrived, he said.

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

Davis police have arrested a 43-year-old man on suspicion of molestation.

Carl Mitchel Testerman, a Davis resident, was arrested Tuesday in Sacramento, police said today. He is being held in Yolo County Jail on $1 million bail.

Davis Police Sgt. Paul Doroshov said Testerman is suspected of molesting two children between the ages of 10 and 17 years old.

One of the victims confided in a relative about inappropriate acts allegedly committed by Testerman, police said. The relative then called authorities on Aug. 2.

Further police investigation revealed that there is a second suspected victim, said Doroshov.

The suspected molestations began about July 2009, police said.

Detectives obtained an arrest warrant that alleges Testerman is suspected of committing 11 counts of sexual battery and one count lewd acts with a minor under 14 years old.

Testerman is a high school English teacher at Vanden High School in Fairfield, Solano County.

"The victims have no relation to Vanden High or the school district," said Doroshov. "This is not job-related as far as we know."

Q: What happened to a man who killed a law student in the 1990s because the thought the victim was going to marry the man's old girlfriend? - Alex, Sacramento

A: Glenn Fitzgerald Padgett, proclaiming his innocence to the end, was sentenced on March 20, 1997, to a life term in prison for the murder of a man he thought was stealing his teenage sweetheart, The Bee reported.

"I stated my innocence, my position, during trial. I will do this time for crimes I did not commit," Padgett, an aspiring actor, said before he was sentenced.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Cecil, who noted that the defendant didn't exhibit a shred of remorse, sentenced Padgett, now 46, to consecutive terms totaling 32 years and eight months to life.

A jury convicted Padgett Feb. 18, 1997, of five charges, including the murder of Kamal Ramsey, 33; burglary; arson; and grand theft.

Ramsey, an engineer and legislative analyst at the state Department of Transportation, was also attending classes at McGeorge Law School at night.

Ramsey's beaten and stabbed body was found Dec. 15, 1994, amid the smoldering remains of his North Highlands home.

Testimony showed that Ramsey was killed the night of Dec. 12, 1994, and that three days later Padgett returned to Ramsey's home to steal his belongings and to torch the place to cover up the murder. Investigators later recovered Ramsey's things in Padgett's downtown apartment.

Deputy District Attorney Rob Gold argued that Padgett was obsessed with his sweetheart of 10 years, who was a law school study partner of Ramsey.

Padgett killed because he thought Ramsey was going to take her away from him, even though Ramsey was engaged to another woman, the prosecutor said. Ramsey was killed 11 days before he was to wed.

During trial, Padgett, who has appeared in some music videos and stage productions and was known as "Julian," testified he was innocent. He claimed to have never met Ramsey.

When asked about Ramsey's belongings, Padgett said he had bought them from a friend, not knowing they were stolen.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Fire sprinklers were credited with extinguishing a fire that started in the service bay at Roseville Yamaha late this afternoon.

The Roseville Fire Department received a report of a structure fire 5:21 p.m. at the business, 2014 Taylor Road.

When firefighters arrived, smoke was pouring from the service bay at the rear of the building, but the fire had been extinguished by sprinklers, according to a fire department news release. Fire and smoke damage was described as minimal and was limited to the service area. Fire officials said the building sustained moderate water damage due to activation of the fire sprinkler system.

The fire started in the service area where employees were working on a Wave Runner. Approximately 30 employees and customers were in the building at the time, but no injuries were reported.

"In light of the fact that this fire involved flammable liquids, there was a lot of potential that this could have been devastating," Battalion Chief Kathy Finney, said in a written statement. "The fire sprinklers did their job."

Fire officials said the exact cause of the fire is under investigation.

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

By Bill Lindelof and Cathy Locke
blindelof@sacbee.com

Two Roseville residents were arraigned in Placer County Superior Court today on felony charges of pimping and communicating with a minor with intent to commit an unlawful offense.

Syla Debra Thongsy, 21, and her roommate, Stephen Euguene Putnam, 45, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Putnam also pleaded not guilty to the felony charge of a lewd act upon a child.

Roseville police said Thongsy (photo bottom right) is alleged to have taken a 15-year-old girl from Sacramento and kept her at her home against her will for nearly two weeks.

During that period, Thongsy is suspected of taking the teen to Sacramento to work as a prostitute, police said. On Sunday, the girl was able to escape the house and return to her family.

The family, in turn, contacted Roseville police, who arrested Thongsy and Putnam (photo bottom left), 45, who lives with Thongsy, police said.

Placer County Superior Court Judge Larry D. Gaddis set bail for each defendant at $100,000 and scheduled a conference hearing for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man and a woman have been booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of firing at another motorist on Interstate 5.

Nathan Parscal, 24, of Nampa, Idaho, and Victoria Joyce Chew, 37, of Pittsburg, Contra Costa County, were booked into jail on Monday on suspicion of attempted murder and other charges, the California Highway Patrol said.

The CHP said that a vehicle was traveling southbound on I-5 near Hood-Franklin Road about 10:30 p.m. Sunday when the right rear window was shattered.

The person in the vehicle thought someone in a Ford traveling in the same direction had thrown a rock at their vehicle. The victim tried to get a license plate number by following the suspect vehicle, which exited at Twin Cities Road at a high rate of speed.

The suspect's vehicle crashed into a light pole and the two people inside got out and ran away. It was determined that a bullet, not a rock, had broken the window.

CHP officers found a gun in the suspect's car with a spent bullet casing. Two other handguns were also found on the shoulder of the road.

CHP officers later stopped Parscal and Chew in another vehicle traveling southbound on Twin Cities Road, the CHP said.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A man whose body was found burning inside a Del Paso Heights apartment Saturday morning died after being beaten, choked and stabbed, the Sacramento County Coroner's Office said today.

Sacramento police continue to investigate the death of 50-year-old Arun Kumar Singh, but they have not identified any suspects or a motive, spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said today.

Neighbors found Singh's body inside his daughter's North Avenue apartment Saturday morning. They told The Bee that the man's arms and legs had been cut off and his torso set on fire.

Today, Leong confirmed that there had been some dismemberment to the body, but not to the extent the witnesses reported. He said he could not be more specific because of the ongoing homicide investigation.

The coroner's office also would not describe the condition of the body, citing the investigation. Officials did say, however, that Singh's official cause of death was blunt force trauma, stab wounds and strangulation.

According to Sacramento Superior Court records online, Singh had a criminal history involving drugs.

In 1995, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor driving under the influence, and in 1996 to misdemeanor drug possession. In 2006, he pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count each of driving under the influence and being under the influence of a controlled substance, records show.

Leong said Singh's history will be investigated, but said that it's unclear yet whether that played a role in the man's death.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Placer County District Attorney's office is warning the public to watch out for scam artists when hiring for work around the house.

The California State Licensing Board cautions citizens to only hire state-licensed contractors on projects of $500 or more.

Also, check the license online at www.cslb.ca.gov or by calling (800) 321-2752.

Other CSLB recommendations: get three bids, get references of contractors, review past work of contractors, get project expectations in writing and only sign a contract if understood.

Citizens should also confirm that the contractor has workers' compensation insurance.

Don't pay in cash and don't pay more than 10 percent down or $1,000, whichever is less. Don't make the final payment until satisfied with the job.

The hints on hiring comes in the wake of an 87-year-old Auburn woman who was bilked out of $13,500 for a tree removal job on her property.

The contractor, Leron Anthony Stephenson (photo left), 30, of Roseville, cashed six checks, including four blank checks given by the victim, according to a news release from the DA's Office.

Stephenson pleaded guilty in April to theft charges and contracting without a license, the release states. He was given a one-year jail sentence, placed on five years probation and given a suspended prison sentence of five years and four months.

He must pay the back the $13,500 to the family of his victim, the release states.

The elderly woman died before Stephenson changed his plea to guilty in April, according to the release.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The wife of a state correctional officer shot and killed in his garage nearly two years ago testified today about seeing her husband sprawled out unconscious on the concrete floor and bleeding profusely from the wound to his forehead that ended his life barely four hours later.

Sia Vang said she heard "a lot of commotion" in the garage just before 5 a.m. on Oct. 15, 2008, before she checked out the scene to discover that her husband, Steve Lo, leaning against a wall, "was really hurt."

"He wasn't moving," Vang said. "He was bleeding from the back of his head. I pulled him down so he was flat on his back ... I checked his pulse ... I was hovering over him ... I panicked."

Lo, 39, died just before 9 a.m. that day of a single gunshot wound to the head.

Police and prosecutors say that former Sacramento sheriff's deputy Chu Vue planned the killing because his wife was having an affair with Lo.

Vue, 45, is now facing murder charges in Sacramento Superior Court. A cousin of Vue's, Lang Vue, 27, is on trial with him.

Vue's two younger brothers, Gary and Chong Vue, also have been charged but will be tried separately.

Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31, are accused of carrying out what Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall has characterized as the "assassination" of Lo.

The victim's wife testified she suspected he was having an affair and that she confronted him about it. She said Lo at first denied the extramarital relationship.

"He said I was crazy," Vang told the jury.

Under cross-examination from Chu Vue's attorney, Donald Masuda, Vang said her husband would later indirectly admit to the affair and that he agreed to change his work hours and stop working so much overtime at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville.

Chu Vue's wife, Chia, also was employed at the prison as a medical technical assistant.

Prosecutors say that Lo and Chia Vue had met at the Rodeway Inn in West Sacramento as recently as 10 days before he was killed.

Also today, investigators from Minnesota and Sacramento County testified about questioning Gary Vue in March 2006 about a murder in Minneapolis in 2001.

Gary Vue admitted to the slaying in a videotaped interview. Investigators were forced to let him go because they told him beforehand that he was not under arrest and was free to leave at any time during their questioning of him.

The investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Gary Vue later that day, but he had fled in the meantime.

When officers went to take him into custody, Sacramento sheriff's Det. Dan Cabral testified that Chu Vue, who had been on a sheriff's task force to track his brother down, was at the south area residence where they thought the younger brother was staying.

Cabral testified that he told Chu Vue of his brother's admission in the interview that day.

Chu Vue then "made a comment he was going to whip his ass," Cabral said. "I advised him to leave it alone."

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

By Denny Walsh and Sam Stanton
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Federal prosecutors today flatly rejected claims that the FBI conducted illegal searches during its years-long probe of tomato magnate Frederick Scott Salyer, saying that the reams of documents provided by an informant had been obtained legally.

In a filing made in U.S. District Court this morning, prosecutors ridiculed the notion presented by Salyer's defense attorneys that evidence against him was stolen and that Salyer's company handbook prohibits the release of internal information.

Salyer, facing the prospect of life in prison if convicted of racketeering, bribery and other charges, is the former head of SK Foods LP and was caught up in the federal probe with the considerable help one of his own vice presidents, Anthony Ray Manuel, who provided a mountain of company paper to the FBI prior to the execution of any search warrants.

Salyer's attorneys claim the case is fatally flawed because Manuel sought out inside information from company computers and files and turned it over to an FBI agent without any court-authorized warrants being obtained.

But the government said everything Manuel obtained was a document he had access to in the normal course of performing his job, and that case law makes it clear that he had the right to turn it over to investigators.

"This is not a trade secrets case," prosecutors wrote. "The defendant's claims that the Manuel documents were 'proprietary information, not to be copied and given to third parties absent court process' is irrelevant.

"He cannot incorporate the SK Foods employee handbook into the United States Constitution."

The filing is the latest in a continuing war of words between lawyers for the 54-year-old multimillionaire and federal prosecutors who say he rigged tomato prices and sold old and moldy products in one of the biggest fraud scandals in the history of the American food industry.

Salyer is in custody in the Sacramento County Jail and his attorney, Malcolm Segal, has mounted a fierce campaign to win his release on bail and to convince U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton that much of the government's case is built on information Manuel unlawfully handed over to an FBI agent.

Manuel, who was in charge of national sales for Salyer's company, secretly worked for the FBI for 18 months, sometimes wearing a wire, and delivered a bale of company records, including his own emails, to the agent.

Manuel became an informant in August 2006, after the FBI approached him while investigating an unrelated crime. In return for his help, he was allowed to defer a guilty plea and work off his prison time while still being paid $200,000 a year by Salyer, court documents filed by Segal state.

The defense says Manuel's help was provided illegally, and has portrayed the FBI case agent as heading a rogue operation to ensnare Salyer.

But federal prosecutors have defended the FBI's methods and said in today's filing that Manuel's position inside Salyer's company gave him access to a wide array of documents he had every right to copy and deliver to the agent.

"It appears to the Government that every Manuel document is one that Manuel had access to as part of his job," prosecutors wrote, adding that all of the emails he turned over came directly from his own inbox inside the company computer system.

They added that the FBI agent "admonished Manuel not to access information not otherwise available to him in the usual performance of his duties as a vice president of SK Foods."

The matter is set to be argued before Karlton at a hearing on Sept. 8. Meanwhile, Salyer's defense attorneys are continuing their efforts to win his release on bail, saying his health is suffering and that he cannot mount a defense while locked away.

The government contends he is almost sure to flee the country if released.

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

By Tony Bizjak
tbizjak@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol and several Sacramento-area city police departments today launched one of the first crackdowns in the state on motorists who illegally talk on handheld cell phones or text while driving.

Officers in Sacramento, Elk Grove, West Sacramento, Roseville, Galt and Rancho Cordova are participating in what CHP officials call "zero-tolerance" patrols involving cell phones, much like similar efforts targeting seatbelt non-compliance and speeding.

Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow said the Sacramento crackdown and one in the Bay area today are aimed at what has become the main cause of distracted driving on the road.

Officials estimate 1,200 collisions statewide have been caused by cell phone drivers in the two years since the state banned handheld cell phone use by drivers. Those collisions resulted in 16 fatalities and 850 injuries.

CHP commissioner Farrow said motorists have had plenty of time to become aware of the law, and to switch to hands-fee cell phones. Officials decided in recent meetings it is time to get tougher on drivers who flout the law.

"We are trying to reaffirm that there is a law on the books," Farrow said. "The first year of the law, there was a transition period. People were buying headsets and moving to hands-free. Many people have adapted and we appreciate that. But, as I'm driving home, I see so many people still on cell phones.

"We would rather have voluntary compliance, but that is not the case."

Farrow said he expects CHP offices in other parts of the state to follow Sacramento and the Bay area's lead and institute zero-tolerance days of their own soon.

Sacramento agencies plan a second crackdown day on Aug. 18.

Call The Bee's Tony Bizjak, (916) 321-1059.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man suspected of drunk driving crashed his speeding motorcycle in Sutter County, causing major road rash injuries to his niece -- and bringing Boy Scouts to the rescue.

Garrett Charles Lee, 24, of the community of Sutter, Sutter County, was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol and child endangerment.

His niece, Hope Heaven Gage, 14, of Yuba City, suffered a broken left foot and skin abrasions caused by the road surface to her arms, stomach and legs.

The CHP gave this account of the incident:

Lee was speeding eastbound on Butte House Road near North Humphrey Road west Yuba City about 9 p.m. Monday on a 2007 Kawasaki Ninja 550. His niece was seated on the rear of the motorcycle.

Witnesses said he was passing vehicles in a series of turns over a double yellow line. During one pass he drifted onto the road shoulder and lost control.

The motorcycle went down on its side and Lee was ejected and thrown into a water-filled drainage ditch.

He was found clinging to the bank of the ditch by Boy Scouts who stopped to help. The Boy Scouts aided Lee, who suffered moderate road rash, before fire department and ambulance personnel arrived.

Passenger Gage was thrown to the ground. Both were transported to Rideout Memorial Hospital for treatment.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man pleaded guilty today in federal court to conspiracy to commit student loan fraud.

Jarmal Duplessis, 22, is among six people charged in the case. He entered the guilty plea before U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb.

Also charged are Nakesha Sharrieff, aka Takiyah Raheem, and Aysia Hanifah Kahan, 23; Thomas Keys, 23; Hoa Tasha Kelly, aka Tasha Kelly, 24; Jewel Minor, 24; and Teaona Williams, 24, all of Sacramento.

According to the guilty plea, Duplessis admitted that in November of 2008, Hoa Kelly asked him whether he wanted to get financial aid money without having to go to school. Duplessis agreed and gave her his Social Security card and date of birth. Duplessis had no intention of going to school, nor did he intend to repay the money, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Kelly allegedly gave the information to Sharrieff, who applied for federal student aid funds in Duplessis' name and through the Los Rios Community College District. All the funds obtained through the scheme were federally provided or insured.

Duplessis in his guilty plea said that Kelly called him when checks arrived in his name. Duplessis then met Sharrieff and Kelly at a bank, where he signed and cashed the checks and gave the cash to Sharrieff, who gave him a percentage. He then gave Kelly a "finder's fee" out of his portion. Duplessis was aware that others were involved in the scheme and recruited at least one other person to participate.

Duplessis is to be sentenced Oct. 25. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

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

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Roseville Police Chief Michael Blair announced today that he plans to retire next spring.

Blair grew up in Roseville, and although he started his career elsewhere, he spent the majority of his law enforcement career serving his hometown.

"Having lived in Roseville since 1965, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to give back to the community that has given me and my family so much over the years," Blair said in his letter to the city manager announcing his intentions to leave the post that pays him $177,948.78 annually.

The plan is for Blair to retire April 8, 2011, when he turns 50, making him eligible for retirement after 24 1/2 years of service.

He began his law enforcement career in 1983 with the California State Police and worked for the Placer County Sheriff's Department before joining the Roseville Police Department in 1986.

Call The Bee's Ed Fletcher, (916) 321-1269.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man is being treated for major injuries sustained when he crashed a stolen vehicle after leading police officers in a pursuit Interstate 80 and Interstate 5 this afternoon.

Lt. Tod Sockman of the West Sacramento Police Department said Modesto Nance, 24, suffered broken bones after he was ejected from a pickup truck when it crashed into a guardrail at Interstate 5 and Q Street.

Lt. Glenn Glasgow of the Davis Police Department said the incident began in Davis about 3:15 p.m. when the owner of a pickup pulling a trailer loaded with appliances and scrap metal was doing some maintenance work on the vehicle at a gas station and minimart at 333 Mace Blvd.

Sockman said a man, later identified as Nance, got into the vehicle and drove off. A patron at the gas station followed the truck and trailer as it headed east on Interstate 80 but lost it as it crossed the causeway between Davis and West Sacramento.

Davis Police issued a stolen vehicle bulletin, and Sockman said a West Sacramento police officer traveling on Jefferson Boulevard spotted the truck and trailer on the freeway crossing the Pioneer Bridge and pursued it.

Sockman said the truck and trailer started to go southbound on Interstate 5 but at the last second cut northbound, hitting another car, then took the offramp heading toward Q Street. The truck crashed into the guardrail, ejecting the driver and spilling the truck's contents. Sockman said the vehicle rolled another 200 feet before coming to a stop.

Although injured, Nance wrestled with the police officer before being taken into custody.

Sockman said Nance was being treated at a hospital for major but non-life-threatening injuries, and will be arrested on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle, felony evasion and resisting arrest. Nance also had four outstanding misdemeanor warrants, Sockman said.

Glasgow of the Davis Police Department said the victim was hearing impaired, but a good Samaritan at the gas station knew American Sign Language and assisted police with the stolen-vehicle report.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

An arrest warrant has been issued for a man wanted for allegedly causing the death of a motorcyclist and a 4-month-old child last week.

Thomas M. Roberts, 50, of Newark is wanted on two counts of second-degree murder, drunken driving and drug charges, the CHP states.

The CHP gave this account of the events leading to the fatal crash:

The collisions began at about 10 p.m. Tuesday on Interstate 505 near Winters when a southbound car driven by Roberts struck the median. The car then went out of control and hit a guardrail at the Putah Creek bridge abutment.

The car spun back into the traffic lanes and was hit from behind by another southbound car. The two cars came to rest blocking two lanes and one of the vehicles was struck by a third car.

A southbound motorcyclist, Oscar Alfaro, 48, of Antioch attempted to avoid the smashup by passing on the freeway's right shoulder, but he lost control, hit the bridge abutment and was thrown into the creek, said CHP Officer Phil Gruidl.

Alfaro died at the scene, the CHP said. The 4-month-old child, identified by the CHP as Roberts' grandson, Daniel Roberts, died Friday the UC Davis Medical Center from his injuries.

Roberts was initially arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, the CHP said. He suffered minor injuries.

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

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Lawyers for indicted tomato king Frederick Scott Salyer are renewing their efforts to spring him from the Sacramento County Jail on bail, this time by having his friends and family put up their homes as an assurance that he will not flee the country if he is released.

In a motion filed in federal court in Sacramento, Salyer attorney Malcolm Segal states that Salyer's "family and longtime friends have rallied to his support and trust him not to flee."

Together, they have offered to put up $2 million in cash and property as collateral to ensure that Salyer will remain in this country and stand trial on bribery, racketeering and other charges.

Federal prosecutors have repeatedly opposed Salyer's release on bail, arguing that he has access to millions of dollars and is a flight risk, especially because he faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison if convicted.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton originally approved Salyer's release in March, provided he come up with $6 million in bail, most of it from his Pebble Beach mansion.

But Salyer couldn't raise the full amount because of a legal battle with his ex-wife over the mansion, and he has remained in custody.

Now, Segal says his client's sister, Linda Lee, is offering to put up her own home as well as another house she owns that Salyer's sister, Christine, lives in.

Two longtime Salyer friends -- Robert Pruett and Calvin Carter -- also have offered their own homes as collateral.

"Each of the persons posting the property is prepared to declare under oath that the loss of the property would have a serious adverse impact on his or her financial status and resources," Segal wrote.

Segal says Salyer could be monitored through use of an electronic tracking bracelet as well as in-person visits to check up on him by Robert Storey, a former federal court probation officer.

Prosecutors contend they have taken extraordinary steps to ensure that the 54-year-old former SK Foods chief can plan his defense from jail, where he has access to a special room to plot strategy and review documents.

But Segal argues that it is impossible for him to mount an effective defense in such a complex case and that Salyer's health continues to deteriorate in custody.

"He still has diabetes, often displays shakiness -- a sympton of low blood sugar, and has lost 30 pounds during his incarceration," Segal wrote.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The couple accused of chaining the man's 13-year-old son to a table for punishment were arraigned this morning on felony charges of child endangerment.

John Vang, 41, and Thong Vue, 34, appeared this morning before Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary Ransom, who formally charged each defendant with one felony count of endangering the health of a child.

The defendants did not enter a plea. They declined to speak to reporters as they left the courthouse.

Vang and Vue have been out on bail after Sacramento police arrested them July 31.

Vang is accused of chaining his 13-year-old son to a kitchen table with ankle shackles for 48 hours before the boy freed himself and sought help. Police said the boy was allowed to go to the bathroom and sleep in his bed during that period, but he remained in chains.

Vue, the boy's stepmother, was arrested because she did not intervene to help the boy, police said.

County Child Protective Services were expected to open a file on the boy after the arrests, authorities said.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Chu Vue's defense lawyer told a Sacramento Superior Court jury today that his client had nothing to do with the killing of correctional officer Steve Lo nearly two years ago.

The attorney, Donald Masuda, conceded that the two younger brothers of the former Sacramento sheriff's deputy shot and killed Lo on Oct. 15, 2008, in the garage of the officer's south-area home.

But Masuda took strong issue with the prosecution's contention that Chu Vue had Lo killed because the officer was having an affair with the former deputy's wife. Masuda said Chu Vue had moved on from that relationship, that he was surfing around himself on the Internet -- accessing websites such as hmonghotties.com and match.com -- and that Vue had begun his own new affair.

Instead of a love triangle, Masuda said Lo was killed by Gary Vue, one of Chu Vue's younger brothers, because Gary Vue thought that Lo was going to turn him in to Minnesota authorities to face charges on a 2001 murder. Gary Lo has since been convicted and sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the Minnesota murder.

Masuda, in providing an outline of his defense for the first time in the case, said there was evidence that Steve Lo planned to break up with Chu Vue's wife, Chia. Masuda said that in his time with Chia Vue, he "knew all about" the Chu Vue family and that Gary Vue believed that Lo would inform the authorities in Minnesota about his whereabouts.

"Gary was worried that he'd get ratted out by Steve Lo," Masuda told the jury.

In his opening statement, Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall said it was the oldest murder motive known to man that prompted Chu Vue to plan the killing, but that it will be the miracles of modern technology that will prove he planned it out.

Once he found out his wife was having an affair with Lo, Vue illegally accessed sheriff's computers to find out where Lo lived, Kindall told the jury

Then, the prosecutor said, Vue scoped out the victim's neighborhood during drive-bys of Lo's house in south Sacramento that were captured on a security camera set up across the street and a couple of houses over from the Lo residence, Kindall said.

At the same time Vue was checking out Lo's residence on Tambor Way, calls traced back to the former deputy's cell phone pinged off towers situated closest to the Lo residence, the prosecutor said. Kindall said the calls matched the times that the surveillance pictures of Vue were taken on Lo's street.

Kindall said Vue got his younger brothers, Gary Vue and Chong Vue, to shoot and kill Lo.

Lo, 39, was gunned down in his garage just as he was leaving for work at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville. It was at the Solano County prison where Lo had begun an affair with co-worker Chia Vue, a CMF medical technical assistant and the wife of Chu Vue.

Chu Vue, now 45, is on trial in the case along with his cousin and co-defendant, janitorial business owner Lang Vue, 27. Kindall said Lang Vue rented motel rooms and cars and later bought the Chevy Blazer the triggermen used to flee Sacramento and return to Minnesota, where they were wanted in a 2001 murder.

Gary Vue and Chong Vue have since been convicted in the gang-related Minneapolis slaying. They are scheduled to be tried separately for murder in Lo's death.

In his one-hour, 25-minute opening remarks to the jury, Kindall said the evidence "will establish that Chu Vue planned the murder."

"He was the one and the only one with the motive to kill Steve Lo," Kindall said.

Vue ran his background check on Lo and conducted his own surveillance, then planned and financed the officer's slaying, which Lang Vue facilitated, the prosecutor said.

Lang Vue's lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Matthew Scoble, said his client was "used" and "betrayed" by Gary and Chong Vue and that that he was "an unwitting pawn in somebody else's plan."

"There will be not one shred of evidence, not one iota of evidence, that Lang Vue had any knowledge of that plan," Scoble said.

Scoble admitted that Lang Vue knew Gary Vue and Chong Vue were fugitives who were wanted for murder at the time he rented them motel rooms and cars.

"You, in all likelihood, will convict Mr. Vue of harboring a fugitive," Scoble told the jury. "But as to the charge of murder, ladies and gentlemen, I am confident that when the prosecution's case is concluded, you will find that the government has fallen short."

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police say a parolee's ringing phone that he tossed along with drugs during his flight from arrest helped them to find the incriminating evidence.

Angel Ortega, 42, who lives in the Orangevale area, was arrested on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine, resisting arrest and parole violation.

Police said that an officer patrolling Franklin Boulevard near 38th Avenue Sunday night stopped when he saw a man hiding behind a tree. That's when the suspect fled to nearby church property, running up a flight of stairs before being captured.

Along the way, the suspect, identified as Ortega, said he tossed drugs away, police said. After arresting Ortega, the officers were aided in their search for the illegal drugs when they heard a cellphone ringing in the bushes.

There they found a small quantity of drugs and Ortega's ringing cellphone, police said.

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

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

A Galt woman, 23, and her infant son died early today after a suspected drunken driver struck their car, according to the California High Patrol.

CHP Sgt. Scott Baland said the woman and child, were waiting at a south Sacramento intersection at 4:30 a.m. when a car operated by Xieng Her slammed into the back of their Honda Accord at high speed.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the victims as 23-year-old Nancy Angelica Naranjo and 8-month-old Joshua Bonton.

Baland said the Naranjo may have been en route to pick up or drop off her husband or boyfriend at work when the crash occurred.

She had been driving north on Stockton Boulevard and was waiting at the signal light at Orange Avenue.

"Just as the light cycled to green, the Toyota 4Runner rear-ended the Honda and propelled it into the intersection about 200 feet, spinning both cars around as they became entangled," he said.

The infant was in a child car seat. Both the toddler and the Galt woman died at the scene, before CHP officers arrived, he said.

Baland said Her, the motorist who struck the car, appeared to be intoxicated.

Her was booked into the Sacramento County jail on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol.

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

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are investigating the homicide of a 50-year-old man whose mutilated body was found in an apartment fire in the 900 block of North Avenue early Saturday.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Arun Kumar Singh.

Neighbors and friends of the victim's 23-year-old daughter said the man's arms and legs had been cut off, and his chest set on fire.

Police would not confirm that Singh was dismembered, saying only that there was "some mutilation," and said two set fires in the building were linked to the homicide.

In a news release, police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said: "Detectives believe that the male was murdered. The cause of death and the motive for the murder has yet to be determined."

Erika Knight, 20, who lives in a unit upstairs at the North Avenue Apartments, made the gruesome discovery, with others in the building.

"I see the smoke coming out the door, a neighbor of mine opened the door, and we discovered his body was laying there and a heck of a lot of smoke. It was just a disaster," she said.

"The body was laying there burning," Knight said.

The Sacramento Fire Department arrived at the apartment fire in Del Paso Heights at 2:46 a.m. Police were called for assistance.

A second, small stairwell fire was reported while police and firefighters were on the scene. "We believe both fires are arsons and are related to the homicide," said Leong. "Obviously, the big question is why," he said.

Knight and her sister, Rocshell Daughton, 21, as well as another neighbor and a maintenance worker, came out when the fire alarm went off.

"We didn't know it was that apartment. We just saw smoke coming out," said Daughton, who was visiting her sister.

The neighbor in the unit facing the fire kicked in the door and found the body, said Daughton.

"The man's chest was on fire so we tried to get the fire extinguishers, but they weren't working, so the maintenance guy went to get the water hose and put the fire out."

Singh didn't live in the apartment, but regularly visited his daughter, who lives there with her child, her roommate and the roommate's two children, Knight said.

She said the daughter was not at the apartment Friday night and that she called to notify the woman that her father was dead.

"I spoke to him a few times," Knight said of Singh. "He's cool, he's a sweet guy, he wouldn't harm anything or anybody."

She said Singh fixed radios and VCRs and also cleaned apartments around the complex, even though "it was not his job."

"He visits his daughter, he visits his granddaughter, takes his granddaughter for walks.

"He's just a regular guy, and I don't understand why anybody would do something like that to him," Knight said.

Sacramento fire officials said fire sprinklers limited the damage to one apartment. There were no reported injuries to firefighters or the residents who entered the apartment.

Homicide detectives, crime scene investigators and arson investigators are working to gather more evidence, Leong said.

The Sacramento Police Department asks anyone with information to contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text in a tip to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information.

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

Call The Bee's Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

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By Robert Lewis
rlewis@sacbee.com

A fifth suspect has been arrested in connection with the May 8 slaying of 29-year-old Marcel Hatch at the Eco Lodge at 2912 Auburn Blvd.

Las Vegas police arrested Brandy Lee Mays (photo left), 30, on Friday on an active warrant, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Brandy's brothers - Demetrius, Lorenzo and Kenyatta Mays - were arrested in Sacramento on Thursday in connection with the homicide.

Another man, Charles Antonio Williams, was arrested May 11 in the slaying.

The arrests stem from fight between Hatch and Williams, a 25-year-old Rocklin resident, at the motel on May 7, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Williams allegedly returned to the motel shortly before 8:40 p.m. the next day in a black sports utility vehicle with several passengers and shot Hatch in the stomach. Detectives said they believe the companions were the four members of the Mays family arrested this week.

Deputies responded to the scene and transported Hatch to the hospital where he eventually died on May 10.

Sheriff's deputies arrested Williams on May 11. He is still in custody at the county's main jail along with the three Mays brothers. All four face murder charges.

Brandy Mays is being held at Clark County Jail. The Sheriff's Department is working with Las Vegas authorities to get her returned to Sacramento where she will be booked on suspicion of murder, according to a sheriff's department spokesman.

Call The Bee's Robert Lewis (916) 321-1061.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A prison inmate who took a correctional officer hostage has been sentenced to a total of 50 years to life, plus 23 years, consecutive to the term he currently is serving for prior felony convictions for robbery, false imprisonment and sexual battery.

On May 6, 2006, Michael Watson, 45, was an inmate at California State Prison-Sacramento, due to parole in 2012. That morning, he took Correctional Officer Sheila Mitchell hostage by grabbing her around the neck and holding an inmate-manufactured weapon to her throat, according to a news release from the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

As officers responded, Watson repeatedly threatened to kill Officer Mitchell. He barricaded himself with the officer in a small office in a prison dining area. The Sacramento Sheriff's SWAT team and Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's crisis response team were called, and after 10 hours of negotiations, Watson agreed to surrender.

On July 8, a Sacramento County jury convicted Watson of holding a hostage in prison and being an inmate in possession of a sharp instrument. Today, Superior Court Judge Gary S. Mullen determined that Watson had committed eight prior felonies. Watson was sentenced under the three strikes law to two separate and consecutive 25-year-to-life terms, plus a total of 23 additional years for personal use of a weapon, prior strikes and prior felony convictions.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man accused of paving scams in several counties statewide has been extradited to California, where he faces multiple charges of fraud, theft and failure to appear in court.

Police in Duncan, Okla., arrested Richard John Williams, 65, June 28, when they were tipped to his whereabouts, according to a California Contractors State License Board news release. Williams was wanted on three outstanding Lake County warrants.

He pleaded not guilty July 30, and a preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 27 in Lake County Superior Court.

The $750,000 arrest warrant was issued for Williams in March 2009 for attempted elder abuse and petty theft. In April 2009, a no-bail warrant was issued because he failed to appear in court to answer charges of grand theft and contracting without a license, which stemmed from a contractors license board sting. A $10,000 warrant was issued in June 2009 when Williams failed to appear for sentencing on his January 2009 no-contest plea to grand theft.

Williams is suspected of conning consumers in Butte, Colusa, Mendocino, Napa, Sacramento, Sonoma and Yolo counties since 2005, according to the news release. In early 2009, officials say, Williams was operating throughout Lake County and surrounding regions under the business name "Seal Coat Contractor."

During that time, he is accused of attempting to scam for a second time an elderly man suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The man was among the victims in the cases to which Williams had previously pleaded no contest.

On March 19, 2009, the Contractors State License Board and Lake County District Attorney's investigators set up a sting operation and arrested Williams in Kelseyville for bidding $3,500 on a paving job. California law requires a state contractor's license to legally bid on home improvement work valued at $500 or more for combined materials and labor.

Williams fled the state soon after the sting, earning him a spot on the license board's "most wanted" list.

Anyone who thinks they have been scammed by Williams may contact the Contractors State License Board's Intake/Mediation Center at (916) 255-4777.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Two men, one from Roseville and the other from Shingle Springs, have been indicted on child pornography charges.

Thomas Neal, 41, of Roseville was arrested Thursday and charged with possessing and receiving child pornographic images, and Jeffery Rogers, 59, of Shingle Springs was arrested today on charges of possessing child pornography, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

Both men pleaded not guilty during arraignment hearings. Neal was released on $24,000 bond, and Rogers on $25,000 bond.

The indictment against Neal alleges that he knowingly possessed and accessed child pornography in February of this year. It also alleges in two counts that he received such images in June and October of 2009.

The indictment against Rogers alleges that in October 2009 he possessed a computer hard drive and computer discs that contained child pornography.

In both cases, the government seeks forfeiture of the computer equipment and storage media used to receive and store the images.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol has reported that a portion of Highway 20 near Parks Bar Bridge east of Marysville is closed this afternoon following a collision involving a big rig truck and another vehicle.

According to the CHP's website the big rig caught fire and another vehicle appeared to be trapped beneath the truck and burning also.

One victim was being taken to a hospital by air ambulance.

The accident was reported shortly after 3 p.m.

Further details were not available.

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

By Bee Staff

The Woodland Police Department today released photos of a "person of interest' in one of the two stabbings Monday of men on bicycles by another bicyclist.

The Police Department said in a news release that the man pictured (photo above and inset) "is considered as a person of interest and may have witnessed" the stabbing at Pendegast and Pacific streets.

The attack was reported when Jose Alcantar, 29, of Woodland, walked into Woodland Memorial Hospital at 5:16 p.m. Monday. He was rushed into emergency surgery for a life-threatening stab wound to his side. He survived the wound.

Alcantar told Woodland police officers that he was riding his bicycle on Pacific Street at Pendegast Street when another bicyclist rode up from behind.

That man stabbed Alcantar with a knife.

A few hours later, someone on a bike stabbed another Woodland resident. Officers responded at 9:28 p.m. Monday to the report of a stabbing in the 600 block of Third Street.

Clarence Johnson, 65, of Woodland, said a man riding a low-slung, chrome-plated bike rode up to him on the sidewalk and stuck him in the abdomen with a knife.

Johnson described the man as a 6-foot-tall Hispanic man in his late 20s with a shaved head. He was wearing a white shirt and jeans.

The only description of the attacker in the first stabbing was that the suspect was Hispanic.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives have arrested three brothers in connection with the May 8 shooting death of a 29-year-old man at an Auburn Boulevard motel, according to authorities.

That brings to four the number of suspects accused in Marcel Hatch's killing. Detectives arrested their first suspect, 25-year-old Charles Antonio Williams, on May 11.

Arrested on Thursday night were three of Williams' passengers at the time of the shooting, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran. Those suspects are (from left in photos below): Kenyatta Mays, 18; Lorenzo Jesus Mays, 27; and Demetrius Wayne Mays, 30, according to Sacramento County Main Jail booking records.

Curran confirmed that the three men are brothers. He did not know their relationship to Williams, who detectives allege was the shooter, Curran said.

Detectives suspect that Williams and Hatch were in a physical fight May 7, Curran said. Williams and the Mays brothers returned to confront Hatch the next night at the Eco Lodge on Auburn Boulevard.

Hatch suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen and died days later at a hospital, according to authorities.

The Mays brothers were booked into the Main Jail late Thursday night, records show. They face one charge each of murder. Demetrius Mays also was booked on an unrelated charge of child endangerment from a 2008 case in which there was a warrant for his arrest, according to the records.

In 2007, Demetrius Mays pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of battery, according to online Superior Court records. He was sentenced to 60 days of the Sheriff's Work Project and three years of informal probation.

Those records show no adult criminal histories for the younger Mays brothers.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Police and the California Highway Patrol in the Sacramento area are dedicating two days this month to "zero tolerance" of cell phone use or texting while driving.

Anyone caught talking or texting on a cell phone that is not a hands free device Tuesday or Aug. 18 will be given a citation that carries a fine of up to $100, according to the CHP. (An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the effort would cover nine days.)

The CHP indicated that such enforcements may become an annual effort.

Cell phones are the leading cause of inattentive driver crashes in the state, the CHP said.

Since the start of the hands-free law two years ago more than 1,200 collisions have cell phones as a contributing factor.

Those collisions have resulted in 16 fatalities and 850 people injured.

Among the agencies participating in the crackdown are: the CHP and officers in the Sacramento, Elk Grove, West Sacramento, Roseville, Galt and Rancho Cordova police departments.

The July 1, 2008 law prohibits the use of handheld cell phones by all drivers. In addition, it forbids drivers under the age of 18 from using both handheld and hands free phones. Six months later, a ban on text messaging by drivers was put in place.

CHP officers have issued more than 244,000 citations for violation of the cell phone law.

Cell phone violations carry a minimum fine of $20 for the first offense and $50 for the second. When court costs and other fees are added, the total can exceed $100 for a first offense, the CHP said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County coroner's department released the name of a motorcyclist who died this morning when he struck a road crew's orange traffic cone and his vehicle went out of control in Fair Oaks.

The coroner identified the victim as Todd Jacob Stahl, 45, of Orangevale.

Stahl was traveling northbound on Sunrise Boulevard near Sunset Avenue about 2:45 a.m. when he approached warning signs and orange cones placed in the roadway. The cones were intended to direct motorists around a Sacramento County crew doing sewer work in the right lane, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Stahl's motorcycle hit one of the traffic cones, causing his motorcycle to go out of control, the CHP said.

Stahl was thrown from the motorcycle and his vehicle collided with a truck parked within the closure area, according to the CHP.

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

By Bee Staff

A Sacramento man described as a "little devil" who sat on his friend's shoulder and egged him on in a plot to kill his parents is due a parole hearing this month.

Eric Lee Borchert, now 38, will get the hearing Aug. 19 at the California State Prison, San Quentin, according to the state Board of Parole Hearings.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge gave Borchert 15 years to life in prison for the Dec. 16, 1990, beside slaying of Michelle Casebolt, 36, and the attempted murder of her husband, The Bee reported.

The couple's son, Robert James Casebolt, now 37, pleaded guilty to murder and is serving a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. A third defendant, Jackie A. Henderson, now 36, received a 15-years-to-life sentence.

According to court documents, Borchert drove Henderson to and the home the night of the shooting. The killers attempted to make the shootings look like the work of burglars.

Borchert played a central role in the plot. The prosecutor described him as "the little devil on everybody's shoulder saying, 'Do it, do it.'"

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/

Bee researcher Linda Beymer contributed to this report

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police this morning seek the public's help in finding a young woman who might be suicidal.

On July 30, police responding to a report of an at-risk missing person found that Lisa Porter, 28, might be contemplating suicide.

The woman, a Sacramento resident, was last seen at about 5:30 p.m. July 30 at the corner of Old Auburn Road and Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights.

Porter is described as white, 5 feet, 8 inches tall, 160 pounds, with brown eyes and hair recently dyed blond. She was last seen wearing black-rimmed glasses, black sweatpants and a blue-gray T-shirt with a multi-colored peace sign on the front.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (916) 808-5471.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A drunk-driving checkpoint will be set up tonight near Sacramento's downtown nightclub and restaurant district.

Sacramento police say they will set up a "sobriety and driver's license" checkpoint at Fifth and L streets beginning at 8:30 p.m.

Uniformed officers will check for alcohol- or drug-impaired drivers into the early-morning hours.

Funding for the program comes from the state Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A fight this morning outside a Woodland bar sent one man to the hospital after he was hit in the head with a beer bottle.

Woodland police officers called at 12:33 a.m. to Tony's bar, 607 East Street, found a 21-year-old man in the parking lot with an injured left eye. Officers said he had been struck with a beer bottle by another young man.

The victim was transported to Woodland Memorial Hospital for injuries that are not life threatening. Police say they have leads , but no arrest has been made.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Woodland Police Department at (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 33-year-old man is in Sacramento County Jail after reportedly stealing a city of Sacramento utility truck and leading workers on a chase.

Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said a city street crew was working the area of J Street and Carlson Drive at 9:56 a.m. today when a man, identified as Jose Dellamas, drove off in the vehicle. Leong said the keys were in the Chevy 1-ton truck, but a worker was nearby and saw the vehicle being driven away.

Workers jumped into another city vehicle and followed the truck while calling police to report the theft.

They confronted the driver after he ran the truck into a chain-link fence at Folsom Boulevard and Watt Avenue. Leong said the driver of the stolen vehicle then rammed the workers' vehicle, a dump truck, before running to a nearby light-rail station and hopping on a train.

Dellamas was arrested at the Mather Field light-rail station in Rancho Cordova on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and vehicle theft. He is being held on $140,000 bail.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Four people, including a registered sex offender, have received notices to appear in court in Nevada County following a sting operation in Grass Valley on Wednesday designed to curb unlicensed contracting in the foothills.

The operation was carried out by the Contractors State License Board's Statewide Investigative Fraud Team and the Nevada County District Attorney and Sheriff's offices.

Accused of contracting without a license and illegal advertising are:

- Roger Martin Michaels, 56, of Grass Valley, who is engaged in earthwork and paving

- Donald Herman Engberson of Grass Valley, 68, landscaping

- Yong Woo Chong of Folsom, 55, painting

- Andrew K. McRobbie of Grass Valley, 43, painting. McRobbie is a registered sex offender, according to a Contractors State License Board news release.

"Consumers may not realize the risks of bringing a person into their home who is unlicensed and who has not been qualified in their trade or undergone a background check," Steve Sands, the state license board's registrar, said in a written statement.

Since 2005, the board has required new applicants and licensees changing or adding classifications to submit fingerprints that are screened by the state Department of Justice before a license is issued.

Fraud team investigators posed as homeowners soliciting bids for paving, landscaping and painting at a home near Grass Valley. Suspects who bid more than $500 for labor and materials received notices to appear.

The California Business and Professions Code requires all home improvement jobs valued at more than $500 to be undertaken by a licensed contractor.

Contractors also must place their state contractor's license number in all advertisements. Unlicensed individuals may advertise and do jobs valued at less than $500, but their ads must state that they are not a state-licensed contractor.

Arraignment dates for the individuals will be scheduled in Nevada County Superior Court.

The Contractors State License Board also urges property owners to beware of individuals who do not carry worker's compensation insurance for their employees or the contractor license bond that is required by California law.

Without these, a homeowner could be liable and without recourse if a worker is hurt on their property, their property is damaged or the construction project is abandoned.

When hiring a contractor, consumers are advised to:

- Verify the contractor's license by checking online at www.cslb.ca.gov, or via the state license board's automated phone system at (800) 321-2752.

- Ask to see the person's identification to make sure you are dealing with the correct individual.

- Don't pay more than 10 percent down or $1,000, whichever is less. There is an exception for about two dozen contractors who purchase special bonds that are noted on the State License Board's website.

- Don't pay in cash, and don't let the payments get ahead of the work.

- Check references, and get at least three bids and a written contract before the project begins.

- Make sure the contractor obtains the necessary building permits for any project. If you are unsure of the requirements, contact your local building department.

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

By Bee Staff

Rocklin police arrested three suspects today in a string of early morning car break-ins and property thefts.

According to a Rocklin Police Department news release, arrested were (photos from left below):

- Yevgeniy A Kerez, 22, Sacramento

- Anatoliy Pavlovich Vorobets, 19, Antelope

- Iliya Deshevenko, 22, Sacramento.

All three were arrested on suspicion of burglary, theft, possession of stolen property and conspiracy, the release states.

Here the chain of events, according to Rocklin police:

Early this morning, Rocklin police received several calls from residents of the 7000 block of Pembroke Way and the 6900 block of Broughton Court reporting that their vehicles had been broken into and property was stolen.

As officers were taking the reports, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department told Rocklin police that deputies had contacted the occupants of a car near Walerga and Elverta roads in Sacramento County. Deputies found property that contained references to a Rocklin resident.

Rocklin police detectives met with the deputies, collected the property, and arrested three suspects.

So far five vehicle break-ins have been reported in Rocklin, the release states.

Among the stolen items recovered are iPods, a Bluetooth device, CDs and tools. Additional property was found inside the vehicle and detectives believe it was recently stolen, but the property has not been linked to any victims, the release states.

Rocklin residents who have been victims of a vehicle break-in but have not reported the crime are asked to contact the Rocklin Police Department.

By Bee Staff

The Citrus Heights Police Activities League (PAL) is accepting applications for its youth academy class for this year, which will begin on Aug. 16.

Participants will learn about police operations, including crime scene investigations, special weapons and tactics teams and K-9 operations, according to a news release.

Youths between the ages of 10 and 17 are eligible.

The program will run from 8 a.m. to noon from Aug. 16 to Aug. 20.

Graduation will take place on the last day of the academy with a celebration open to family members.

The annual cost to enroll in the Citrus Heights PAL program is $5 per child.

Each enrollee will receive a PAL t-shirt.

Nationwide, police activities leagues have been around since the 1930s, supporting youth activities and teamwork with police officers.

For more information on the many activities PAL offers you can view their webpage at www.citrusheightspal.com

For more information or questions about the youth academy, e-mail ercalderon@citrusheights.net.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Rocklin police said that a man with a handgun held up a market in town early this morning.

Officers responded at about 2:30 a.m. to the Rocklin Food Mart, 3800 Rocklin Road.

They were told by the store owner that an armed man with a black bandana over his face took cash and fled on foot to a car on Pacific Street.

He was described as a Hispanic man, about 5 feet 6 inches tall and about 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing a navy blue jacket, a black hat, and baggy blue jeans.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department has created a new Twitter account to provide real-time reports of major incidents to which it responds.

The department's Twitter page can be found at http://twitter.com/cosumnesfire.

By following the instructions and creating a Twitter account, "followers" will be automatically alerted via e-mail to the fire department's postings, including major incidents within its jurisdiction. Postings will be made only by authorized personnel, which include the department's chief officers, according to a news release.

The Cosumnes Community Services District serves approximately 160,000 residents in a 157-square-mile area of south Sacramento County.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindleof@sacbee.com

In between sexual assault, shooting, robbery and stolen car calls, the officers in the Sacramento Police Department's central command Wednesday showed how police work can turn suddenly dangerous and how the public depends on them to be life-savers.

• At the 13th and R light rail station about 7 p.m., officers confronted a rider who had not paid his fare. Officers also found out he had outstanding warrants for his arrest.

He resisted arrest and continually tried to grab at his waistband. A loaded gun was found on him later.

Two officers were injured in the struggle, but are expected to recover.

Juan Manuel Cuellar, 21, was booked on several felonies, including resisting an officer.

• A couple of hours earlier, a citizen asked officers to check on a 65-year-old woman in the Fruitridge Manor neighborhood who had not been heard from for days. Mail had been piling up and her car was in the garage.

Officers kicked in the door of the home and found the woman on her bedroom floor. The woman, who had fallen and broken her arm, had been lying on the floor without food or water for five days.

Officers got her medical attention.

• About 9 p.m. social workers told police they were chasing a 15-year-old suicidal patient down Stockton Boulevard. The teen was trying to hurt herself by running into the path of cars.

After a lengthy search, officers spotted her at 41st and S streets. After a short pursuit, the girl was controlled and placed in a mental facility.

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

Q: What was the final disposition of the charges against Anne Ichord, a teacher at Pioneer High School in Woodland who was charged with molesting a student? - Anonymous, Yolo County

A: Ichord, now 34, pleaded no contest to two counts of statutory rape, one a felony and one a misdemeanor, on June 12, 2008, in Yolo County Superior Court, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Ichord was sentenced to three years probation, a DA's spokesman said. If she completed various conditions, she was to be allowed to withdraw her plea to the felony count after 18 months, he said.

On Jan. 25, Ichord met the conditions and her felony plea was withdrawn, the spokesman said. She remains on probation for the misdemeanor count.

Ichord, a former history and physical education teacher at Pioneer High School, was originally charged with six felony charges involving alleged unlawful sexual behavior with a student, The Bee reported.

Woodland police told The Bee at the time of her arrest that Ichord was suspected of having sex with a student on and off campus. Police said the boy was a student in one of Ichord's history classes.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A woman missing from an Elk Grove residential care home was found early this morning.

Roberta Clooney, 70, on Wednesday was reported missing from her residence in the 9100 block of Newport West Way near Laguna and Franklin boulevards.

Clooney was seen wandering many miles away early this morning near Fair Oaks Boulevard, Elk Grove police said. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies located her at 1:19 a.m. and took her to a hospital for observation.

Clooney was considered an at-risk person because she suffers from schizophrenia and has been without medication, police said.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The host of a youth dance party during which a 14-year-old girl was fatally shot last month is in custody after Sacramento County sheriff's deputies say he committed several offenses in connection with the fatal event - including being a convicted sex offender in the presence of juveniles.

Deputies allege that 43-year-old Kevin Love Kennedy, a registered sex offender, contributed to the delinquency of minors by allowing the July 11 "under 21" dance party to go past the county's 10 p.m. curfew, said sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

Gunshots rang out at the party, held at a warehouse on Auburn Boulevard where Kennedy rents space for two businesses, shortly after curfew began. The party had been advertised as lasting until midnight, Curran said.

Lanajah Nachelle Dupree of Sparks, Nev., and a 17-year-old girl were caught in the gunfire. Jaivonne Flenory-Davis, 19, was arrested on suspicion of killing Dupree and wounding the older teen.

Detectives suspect Flenory-Davis was shooting at rival gang members and that Dupree and the 17-year-old were caught in the gunfire.

Kennedy has been held at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center since the end of July, when state parole agents arrested him for a different alleged offense: Violating the terms of his parole by being present at the youth-focused party.

Kennedy was on parole for a 2004 pimping conviction, according to records from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The terms of his parole did not allow him to be near juveniles, Curran said.

Additionally, deputies allege that Kennedy - despite being incarcerated at RCCC - violated a restraining order that the owner of the Auburn Boulevard business complex had secured against Kennedy just a few weeks prior, Curran said.

Curran declined to describe how Kennedy violated the restraining order, except to say it involved phone calls to one of his employees.

Prior to his 2004 pimping conviction, Kennedy had been convicted in four other cases involving pandering, prostitution of a minor under the age of 16, firearm possession, drug possession and domestic violence, according to CDCR records.

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

A man accused of sexually abusing a 7-year-old Oregon girl before secretly marrying the child's mother is a fugitive believed to be in California.

Read the Associated Press story here.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Elk Grove police needs help in finding a woman who is missing from a residential care home.

Roberta Clooney, 70, is missing from her residence in the 9100 block of Newport West Way near Laguna and Franklin boulevards.

She might be found at Starbucks and shopping centers, places she often visits, police said.

Clooney is considered an at-risk person because she suffers from schizophrenia and has been without medication, police said.

She is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, 165 pounds, has black and gray hair and blue eyes.

She was last seen wearing a pink shirt, black pants and black tennis shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (916) 691-5246.

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

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

An El Dorado County jury today convicted David Charles Zanon of running down and killing a California Highway Patrol officer and attempting to murder other officers.

The first-degree murder conviction with special allegations makes Zanon (photo left), 40, eligible for the death penalty.

Zanon killed California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Russell in a 30-mile, high-speed chase in which Russell was struck and killed along Highway 50 in Shingle Springs while attempting to stop the chase with a spike strip on July 31, 2007.

Zanon also was found guilty of the attempted murder of CHP Officer Wayne Kenneweg, who earlier had attempted to stop the pursuit with a spike strip.

He also was found guilty of the attempted murder of Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Shannon Schumaker, who made the initial contact with Zanon in Rancho Cordova.

Police say Zanon was discovered burglarizing a Rancho Cordova business on the same day as he killed Russell. He then led officers from several jurisdictions on a high-speed chase deep into El Dorado County.

Near the Ponderosa Road exit, officials say, he coldly steered his getaway car off the freeway onto the median and ran down Russell.

Minutes after leaving the Rancho Cordova site with deputies in pursuit, Zanon swerved toward Schumaker's vehicle as he responded to the scene.

The El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson compared Zanon's action to a "game of chicken."

On Highway 50 in El Dorado Hills, Pierson recounted, Zanon swerved toward Kenneweg attempting to lay a spike strip.

Along the way, he threw things out of his vehicle into the path of those pursuing him and called his friends, Pierson said.

CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow expressed gratitude for the verdict.

"On behalf of the entire CHP family, I wish to extend our deepest appreciation to the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office, the El Dorado Superior Court, the members of the jury and all the supporters of the CHP and Officer Scott Russell," Farrow said.

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

By Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department released a video today of a jewelry store robbery and asked the public's help in identifying the robbers.

On July 27 after 4 p.m., the suspects entered the store in the 4600 block of Franklin Boulevard armed with a sawed-off shotgun and ordered the employees onto the ground.

While one suspect held the employees at gunpoint, the other suspect began to steal jewelry from the display cases. The suspects grabbed engagement and wedding rings, placed them into a black bag, and fled the business.

A gold Honda Pilot was seen in the area and may be related.

The suspects are described as two male blacks, 16-17 years old, wearing dark colored hooded sweatshirts.

The Sacramento Police Department asks anyone with information 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 Bee Staff

State Sen. Leland Yee today called Sacramento District Attorney Jan Scully's criticism of a bill he is sponsoring to soften sentencing for juveniles sentenced to life without parole "misguided" and "fear-mongering."

This afternoon, Scully objected to Yee's characterization of her comments and said she stands by her interpretation of the consequences if Yee's bill becomes law.

The bill, SB 399, would allow courts to review cases of juveniles sentenced to life without parole after 10 years, potentially allowing some individuals to receive a new sentence of 25 years to life, Yee said in a news release.

No other country in the world outside of the United States sentences juveniles to life without parole, Yee said.

Scully cited the cases of two young killers that she said would have benefited if Yee's bill were law - Jimmy Siackasorn, who was 16 when he fatally shot a Sacramento County sheriff's detective, and Frank Abella, who, with another suspect, robbed, tortured and fatally shot a disabled man when Abella was 17.

"Ms. Scully is misinformed on this issue and her remarks are misguided," said Yee. "The individuals she references will never be released under this bill, and she should know that. The public and the families of victims deserve better than fear-mongering from their elected district attorney.

"She fails to recognize that children have a greater capacity for rehabilitation than adults and that some kids deserve a second chance," Yee said.

The bill has received bipartisan support and awaits a vote on the Assembly floor, Yee said.

Scully objected to Yee's claim that her comments were "misguided" and "fearmongering."

"I invite Senator Yee to step outside the protected ivory walls of the Capitol Dome and into the communities where cops, prosecutors and victims work in the trenches to make our communities safe and get accountability and justice," Scully said.

"Your juvenile killer took someone's innocent life and left the family of that murder victim to do a 'life without the possibility of parole' from grief and pain," Scully said. "In appropriate cases, we should demand nothing less from the murderer."

She said she didn't understand how Yee could say that Siackasorn Abella] would never be released under this bill.

"What I do know is SB 399 would give these killers the avenue to try for parole." Scully said.

By Bee Staff

Call it the case of the Bad Grandson.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies report that a man allegedly used his grandparents' car to commit a crime and then lead cops on a chase where he hit another driver, according to a crime summary released this week.

Here's how deputies described the events leading to the arrest of Russell Beldi, 30, who faces charges of evading a peace officer and reckless driving, and drug possession, according to the summary and Sacramento Superior Court records.

At about 10:40 p.m. on July 28, Beldi was spotted deputies went to the 1300 block of McLaren Drive to check on a car that had been used earlier in the afternoon in a vehicle burglary.

While questioning Beldi's grandparents, the registered owners of the suspect vehicle, deputies said they saw Beldi drive up in the car.

Beldi "pulled a u-turn and sped away," deputies reported.

Deputies chased Beldi in marked patrol cars with overhead light bars flashing, but Beldi refused to stop, deputies said.

Beldi struck another car when driving through an unnamed intersection and finally crashed his car head-on into a tree, deputies said. The driver of the car Beldi allegedly hit apparently was not injured.

Beldi attempted to flee on foot but a sheriff's K9 dog stopped him, deputies said.

A credit card stolen from the burglarized vehicle was found in Beldi's wallet, deputies said.

Beldi has prior convictions for drug possession and sales going back to 1999, according to court records.

Q: I saw the question on Troy Adam Ashmus who killed Marcie Davis, but I think her father met a tragic end too. Is that right? - JoAnne, Sacramento

A: Robert "Bob" Davis, whose daughter was found raped and killed in a Sacramento Park in 1984, was shot to death in 1988 in a confrontation with a tow truck driver, The Bee reported.

Davis' life had spun out of control after his daughter, 7-year-old Marcie Davis, was murdered in Santa Anita Park. Troy Adam Ashmus was convicted of the girl's murder and is on California's death row.

Friends and family told The Bee that the murder changed Bob Davis from an outspoken, congenial and enthusiastic man to an inconsolable and angry one.

On the afternoon of May 25, 1988, Davis and another man were beating a man and then attacked a tow-truck driver who came to the man's aid in the parking lot of the Country Club Plaza shopping center on Watt Avenue, police said.

A second tow-truck driver arrived and shot Davis to death after the driver said Davis and the other man moved toward him.

Tim Frawley, the prosecutor who sent Ashmus to death row, remembered Davis as "a volcano smoldering."

"His life went into a tailspin after Ashmus killed his daughter," Frawley said. "He might have been held together kind of loosely to begin with, but at the time prior to his daughter's death he was making a good life for himself and his family."

Frawley said the burly man burned with rage -- enough so that the judge ordered him frisked each time he entered the courtroom to watch the Ashmus trial.

"There was always concern that Bob might blow up and go after Ashmus in the courtroom, " Frawley said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police handed out 47 tickets to motorists on Tuesday who failed to stop for an undercover officer trying to cross the street.

The officer was positioned at crosswalks at two midtown locations: 17th and J streets and Alhambra Boulevard and R Street.

The sting began in the morning and continued into the early afternoon. Five cars were also towed because the drivers who were stopped for failing to yield to the pedestrian also didn't have a valid driver's license.

Sacramento police conduct the crosswalk stings every few months.

"The officer stands at the side of the road for a bit and makes sure he makes eye contact so the driver knows he is there to walk across the street," said police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong. "Then he begins to walk, and, if they fail to yield, we have motorcycle officers there to pull them over."

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A motorcyclist died Tuesday night after a chain reaction crash that began with a suspected drunk driver crashing, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The CHP gave this account of the events leading to the fatal crash:

The collisions began at about 10 p.m. on Interstate 505 near Winters when a car being driven southbound by Thomas M. Roberts, 50, of Newark, struck the center median, the CHP said. His car then went out of control and hit a guardrail at the beginning of the bridge abutment over Putah Creek.

The car then spun back into the traffic lanes and was hit from behind by another southbound car. The two cars were then blocking two lanes and a third car then struck one of the disabled cars.

A motorcyclist traveling southbound attempted to avoid the smashup by going around the cars using the right shoulder. However, he lost control, hit the bridge abutment and was thrown into the creek, said CHP officer Phil Gruidl.

The motorcyclist was identified by the Solano County Coroner as Oscar Alfaro, 48, of Antioch. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said.

Roberts was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, the CHP said. He suffered minor injuries.

The CHP said there were five passengers in his car. Two passengers in his car, including a four-month-old child, suffered major injuries.

Passengers and drivers in both of the other cars suffered moderate or minor injuries.

The freeway was shut down at the location for three hours.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call the Woodland CHP office at (530) 662-4685.

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

By Bee Staff

A man who was convicted of trying to kill a Sacramento Police Department officer in 1991 is due a parole hearing this month.

Donnie Ray Young, now 55, will get the hearing Aug. 19 at the California State Prison, Sacramento, according to the state Board of Parole Hearings.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury convicted Young in July 1992, of shooting Officer Steve Reese on June 13, 1991.

Suspecting Young of being involved in an earlier gunfight, Reese pulled his patrol car alongside Young, who was on foot, The Bee reported.

But instead of obeying Reese's order to stand still, Young turned and fired into the car, hitting the officer in his side.

Young latter was arrested. Reese survived his wound.

When he shot the officer, Young had been paroled less than a week. Young was described by prosecutors as a career criminal.

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/

Bee researcher Linda Beymer contributed to this report

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Elk Grove police are investigating a home invasion robbery after a neighbor responding to cries from the home discovered a resident who had been tied up all day.

Police Department spokesman Officer Christopher Trim said police were called to a home in the 8700 block of Agave Way at 8:33 p.m. Tuesday. A neighbor had gone to the home after hearing cries for help and discovered the resident, a 58-year-old man, in a rear room. The man had been tied up by intruders who entered the house sometime between 7 and 8 a.m., and had partially freed himself when the neighbor found him.

Trim said the resident had been examined by paramedics and did not appear to have been injured.

Trim said it is unclear how two or three males gained entrance to the house. He said one was armed with a gun and one was wearing a blue and white striped polo-style shirt.

They confronted the man in the rear room and tied him up before taking items from the home.

The thieves stole a 2005 white Chevy Corvette with red interior and custom rims. The vehicle's California license plate number is 5NKJ166. The intruders also took two LCD televisions.

Trim said detectives were working with the victim to determine whether other items were missing.

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

Bee staff:

The Sacramento Auto Theft Task Force is seeking Justin Anthony Materio (left photo) on suspicion of felony evading arrest by pursuit in a stolen vehicle and receiving stolen property, Sacramento Crime Alert officials report.

Materio is described as age 25, 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. He is also known as Stephen Garrett or Floyd Allen, authorities said.

Floyd is listed as a transient, but he frequents the North Sacramento and the Rio Linda areas, said officials, who add that Materio associates with Crystal Warren, a 25-year-old white woman who is also wanted on similar charges.

Anyone with information about the suspects 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

A man who died Monday night in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 5 in south Sacramento County has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Eric James Faulk, 33, of Lodi.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Faulk was southbound on I-5 in a Ford F150 pickup shortly before 6 p.m. when for some reason he crossed over the northbound lanes. Witnesses reported that the truck became airborne, then landed on the side of the freeway.

Faulk was alone in the truck, and no other vehicles were involved in the crash.

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

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies lead away two women arrested today after deputies raided the Great Value Inn on Watt Avenue. Deputies said the motel is a haven for prostitutes. Bee photo/Manny Crisostomo

By Kim Minugh
kiminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrested the manager of a North Highlands motel this afternoon for allegedly allowing prostitution to go on unchecked, according to authorities.

Arrested at the Great Value Inn on Watt Avenue was 26-year-old Ranil "Ron" Barma.

Deputies also have a warrant for the arrest of his brother, 25-year-old Ravnil "Neal" Barma; however, he was not at the motel today because he is reportedly on his way to Fiji, said sheriff's Sgt. Kate Adams.

Deputies also arrested four women on suspicion of prostitution and a man on an unrelated warrant, Adams said.

Deputies allege that the Great Value Inn is a notorious haven for prostitution and has been for years. Officials have been trying to work with the motel's owner and managers since the fall, Adams said, but without any success.

Today's action, she said, is meant to send a message to the motel's owner and to other motel owners that "this behavior won't be tolerated."

"Citizens of this area have tolerated this long enough," Adams said.

Standing outside a patrol car in handcuffs, Ranil Barma said he is aware of the prostitution problem and that he and his brother have tried to do something about it.

They try to scare off the prostitutes when they see what the women are up to, he said, but added that when they are renting out rooms, they can't know up front which are being rented for illegal business.

"I'm just doing my job," he told reporters.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An 82-year-old Sacramento man drowned Saturday afternoon in Lake Tahoe after his inflatable boat capsized, official said today.

The incident occurred near the 700 block of West Lake Boulevard.

Sgt. John Giovannini of the Placer County Sheriff's Department said Robert Clyde Cook was transporting family and friends between a boat and the shore when his Zodiac craft capsized at 3:46 p.m.

Cook, who was not wearing a life jacket, tried to swim to safety but drowned about 250 yards offshore where the water is about 10 feet deep.

Giovannini said people on the boat saw the Zodiac capsize, but they did not have a telephone and had to wait for a jet skier to come by to summon help.

Sheriff's and U.S. Coast Guard boats as well as other craft on the lake assisted in the search. A diver located Cook and paramedics attempted to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:33 p.m.

Giovannini said there was a 13 mph wind at the time Cook's craft capsized, and witnesses reported that the water was rough. The water temperature was 66.2 degrees and the air temperature, 74 degrees.

"It's not unusual to cramp up and drown in cold water," Giovannini said.

The Sheriff's Department is treating the death as an accident, pending results of an autopsy, he said.

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