Sacto 9-1-1

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento jury today convicted George Ellis Wallace of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of two men in their 18th Avenue apartment last year.

Wallace, 38, told the jury "God bless you" after it returned verdicts that he murdered two witnesses to a non-fatal shooting for which his girlfriend has been accused.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette is likely to sentence Wallace to prison for the rest of his life with no chance of parole for the murder conviction that carried two special-circumstance allegations. One was for killing witnesses, the other for multiple murders.

The judge scheduled Wallace's sentencing for Oct. 29.

The fatal shootings of Clifford Eugene Brown, 54, and James Edward Turner, 60, took place after Wallace's girlfriend went to Brown's apartment in the 2200 block of 18th Avenue on Nov. 29 and shot him and his girlfriend, according to police and prosecutors.

Deputy District Attorney Donell Slivka's trial brief said Bryanna Warren, 32, shot Brown and his girlfriend after she had engaged in fistfight with the other woman the previous day. Warren was arrested in the shootings Dec. 2.

Her trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday. She's been charged with attempted murder.

According to the trial brief for Wallace, a man wearing a black ski mask broke into Brown's apartment Dec. 15. Sacramento police later found a copy of Bryanna Warren's police report in Wallace's Sunny Slope Drive apartment.

Investigators also retrieved Wallace's computer and found that he had been conducting Internet searches on Brown, the brief said.

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

Associated Press, Bee Staff

A Sacramento physician will be arraigned next month in Sutter County Superior Court accused of causing injuries in a drunken driving crash while heading to work on a day he had five procedures scheduled.

The state also is trying to suspend his license to practice medicine.

Charles Igwegbe (left) will be arraigned on two felony counts of causing injury by driving under the influence, court records show. He waived a preliminary hearing Wednesday.

Igwegbe's nurse testified at a California Medical Board hearing in July that the gastroenterologist was scheduled to perform five procedures at his Yuba City office May 25, the Associated Press reported.

Authorities say Igwegbe hit a car, causing injuries to its driver that a lawsuit said would result in "some permanent disability," the AP reported.

The board is seeking to suspend Igwegbe's license.

According to the CHP at the time of Igwegbe's arrest, a Honda Accord driven by Igwegbe, 48, a Sacramento resident with a medical practice in Yuba City, was traveling north on Highway 99 north of Riego Road about 8:25 a.m. May 25. Several citizens reported that the vehicle was swerving between the northbound lanes.

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

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

CHP officials said an investigation determined Igwegbe had consumed alcohol. According to the release, Igwegbe was uncooperative and resisted a CHP officer and the off-duty officer.

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

Phone messages left with Igwegbe's attorney were not immediately returned.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Authorities responding to Robert Frost Park on this afternoon found a bizarre sight: A dead man sitting in barrel full of gasoline, suffering from a gunshot wound with a cigarette perched precariously on his shoulder.

The man apparently had doused himself in gasoline and lit the cigarette before committing suicide in the park across from Foothill High School, which was locked down, said Sacramento County sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

Authorities kept their distance from the body, concerned that the cigarette would ignite the gasoline and cause an explosion, Curran said. They also noticed an unknown object duct-taped to the man's arm, which authorities feared was a detonator of some kind.

The Explosive Ordinance Detail responded and a robot's camera found that the cigarette was extinguished. The mysterious object turned out to be a matchbook, Curran said.

Deputies cleared the scene, and the lockdown was lifted.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, hard-hit by layoffs due to budget shortfalls, has been awarded $21 million federal funding to rehire 50 deputies.

The grant is part of the second round of COPS hiring program, which allocates funds to law enforcement agencies to help bolster community-oriented policing and crime prevention.

The announcement was made today by Reps. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, and Dan Lungren, R-Gold River. Their offices said that the amount awarded to Sacramento County is the maximum available through the program - and is the biggest for any agency in the state.

"As a result of state and local budget cuts in recent years, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department was forced to lay off officers and personnel, which has had a devastating effect on our community," Matsui said in a news release.

A year ago, the federal government announced a $1 billion program to pay for cops around the country. The cities of Sacramento, West Sacramento and Woodland police departments were on the receiving end of the cash.

The Obama administration infused nearly $15 million into Sacramento-area police agencies. But the sheriff's department didn't get a penny.

Sacramento County officials said the allocations unfairly gave more aid to cities than counties, and declared they were going to notify local members of Congress to complain.

After the complaints, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which administered the grants, said it received applications worth $8.3 billion from 7,000 agencies. And of the $1 billion handed out, half had to go to jurisdictions with fewer than 150,000 people.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Auburn police are asking for help in finding two men wanted for questioning in a home-invasion attempted robbery.

Police said that 5:30 a.m. Wednesday three intruders entered a residence on Mikkelsen Drive and assaulted two male residents, demanding cash and property.

Two of the suspects were identified by police as Ken Amick (bottom left), 45, and Allen Patrick (bottom right), 35, both of Auburn. A third suspect wore a black ski mask, police said.

Police said they believe that Amick and Patrick know that they are wanted for questioning and are on the run.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Scott Alford at (530) 823-4237, extension 207. After business hours, call the dispatch center at (530) 823-4237.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Two pedestrians were sent to the hospital this morning after being struck in a crosswalk in Sacramento by a sports utility vehicle.

The two women, who police only described as elderly, were in the crosswalk at 17th and K streets about 8:40 a.m. when an SUV traveling eastbound on K Street hit them.

The women were transported to UC Davis Medical Center in serious condition, police said.

Sacramento police investigators are on the scene and traffic is being diverted.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Coroner's officials have identified the 2-year-old who presumably drowned Wednesday afternoon at a relative's home in South Natomas.

She was Sadie M. Dayak of Carmichael. She had been recently staying at the house in the 1700 block of Urbana Way with her parents.

Sacramento police department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said police received a call shortly after 12:30 p.m. from UC Davis Medical Center regarding the girl's death.

Firefighters had responded to the home, where she was believed to have drowned in the 5-feet wide koi pond in the back yard of the house.

Leong said her parents were inside the house, and police are investigating.

"It appears to be a tragic accident at this point," Leong said. "However, we do need to investigate the circumstances surrounding it because she was a young child in the back yard by herself."

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Family members have identified the man fatally shot by a correctional officer at High Desert State Prison on Saturday as 40-year-old Ivory Nyshane Morton.

Morton allegedly was shot during a fight among three inmates on the Susanville prison's recreational yard Saturday morning.

According to prison officials, the incident began when two inmates attacked a third inmate. An officer fired a state-issued rifle "to prevent significant bodily injury and possible death" after one of the inmates began choking another inmate to the point of unconsciousness, officials said.

The inmate was struck in the "upper body" and pronounced dead by the on-call physician.

On Wednesday, corrections officials and the Lassen County coroner's office declined to identify the inmate. Officials at the prison and at the Sacramento headquarters for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation also declined to discuss the shooting in more detail, citing an ongoing investigation.

Officials only identified the inmate as a 40-year-old convicted murderer and rapist from San Francisco County who has been at High Desert since May 1, 2007.

The other involved inmates were a convicted murderer from Contra Costa County and a man convicted of attempted murder in Kings County, according to corrections officials.

The shooting is being reviewed by investigators at High Desert, the CDCR Office of Internal Affairs and the Deadly Force Investigations Team, said corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton. The Office of the Inspector General Bureau of Independent Review is overseeing the review, she said.

Morton's aunt, Kay Williams of Fairfield, said the family has been given little information about the shooting, which she said seemed "excessive."

"That's what we as a family want to know - why did they use such extreme force to stop a fight?" Williams asked. "We're looking for those answers."

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

By Bee Staff

A Roseville woman pleaded guilty today to stealing her deceased mother's Social Security benefits, according to the U.S. attorney in Sacramento.

U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced today that Virginia Kathleen Brown, 53, of Roseville, pleaded guilty before United States Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman to theft of government property, U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner said in a news release.

In her guilty plea, Brown admitted that after her mother passed away in 2001, she continued to receive her mother's electronically deposited Widow's Insurance Benefits from January 2002 until July 2007, Wagner said.

Brown admitted that during this time she did not report her mother's death, and that the loss to the government totaled $54,088.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. Misdemeanor Prosecutor Michael A. Wheable handled the case.

Brown is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Newman Dec. 15.

Sia Vang, 32, wife of Steve Lo wipes away tears while she talks to members of the media outside the courtroom after the verdicts were announced. Bee staff photo by Randy Pench

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento jury convicted former Sacramento sheriff's deputy Chu Vue today of murder charges for masterminding the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting death of state correctional officer Steve Lo.

The same jury also acquitted Vue's co-defendant and fellow Hmong clan member, Lang Vue, of the murder count. The panel convicted Lang Vue, however, or harboring the two accused gunmen in the case - Chu Vue's younger brothers Gary Vue and Chong Vue.

Chu Vue (left), 45, also was convicted of harboring the brothers, who were fugitives who were wanted for murder in Minnesota at the time Lo was shot and killed. The brothers have since been convicted of the Minnesota killing.

"I'm very satisfied with the verdict," said Sia Vang, the wife of the slain correctional officer. "A man that kills another man should be put behind bars for the rest of his life. He should not have any freedom at all."

Chu Vue is facing a probable life term with no chance of parole at his scheduled Oct. 29 sentencing in front of Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White. The jury also found true the special circumstance allegation that the killers were lying in wait when Lo was gunned down.

The judge ordered Lang Vue, 27, released on his own recognizance, after the co-defendant's lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Matthew Scoble, said that his client has already served the maximum time for his conviction on what was technically an accessory to a felony count.

Jury foreman Chris Clark said evidence against the former sheriff's deputy was overwhelming.

"It was the amount of evidence," he said, "reaching a height that could not be denied. It wasn't one piece or two pieces. It was the entirety of the evidence that got us there."

Most compelling, Clark said, was Vue's inability on the witness stand to explain his telephone calls to his brothers in the hours leading up to Lo's killing.

Vue spent six days on the witness stand testifying on his own behalf during the seven-week trial.

"It did not help," Clark said.

One unidentified but distraught relative of Vue tried to say something to him as the courtroom emptied, but deputies blocked her from reaching him.

Vue's lawyer, Donald Masuda, as well as Scoble and Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall all cited the pending gag order in the case and did not answer questions afterward.

The Sacramento District Attorney's Office released a statement saying, "Justice was served today in the conviction of Chu Vue for the murder of Correctional Officer Steve Lo."

The statement said the office would not say anything further due to the upcoming trial in February of Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31.

The eight-man, four-woman panel returned its verdict after three and a half days of deliberation.

Police and prosecutors say Chu Vue orchestrated the attack on Lo in the garage of his south area home after the fired former deputy found out that Lo was having an affair with his wife, Chia.

Lo, 39, was shot and killed in the garage of his Tambor Way home in south Sacramento just before 5 a.m. He was in uniform and getting ready to drive to work at the California Medical Facility.

He worked there as a correctional officer. Chia Vue was employed at the Vacaville prison as a medical technical assistant.

Police and prosecutors say their affair had hit critical mass by June 2008, when Lo took Chia Vue to his daughter's high school graduation. By the end of the month, Chu Vue had begun illegally accessing sheriff's computer files to try and get information on Lo, whose name had been entered in the system as a result of his two arrests for domestic violence-related incidents with his first wife. Criminal charges were filed and dismissed in both cases against Lo.

Evidence at the trial showed that Vue had obtained Lo's home address by Aug. 8, 2008. On Aug. 17, he had six calls from one of his cell phones ping off the transmission tower closest to Lo's house. He continued his research on Lo, and between Aug. 23 and Aug. 28, his cell phone pinged off the same tower at 8450 Stockton Boulevard a total of 16 times, phone records showed.

But he denied at trial that he was conducting a surveillance on the correctional officer, saying that his gym is in the neighborhood and probably accounted for his presence. Records subpoenaed by police and prosecutors from the gym during the trial, however, did not match the timing of the phone calls.

On Aug. 29, Vue's phone bounced off the tower 11 more times, and on Sept. 4, co-defendant Lang Vue's phone was transmitting in Lo's neighborhood. Lang Vue (left), who lived about a mile and a half away from Lo's house, testified that he regularly shopped at a supermarket close to the slain officer's residence.

Vue testified at trial that his wife told him on Sept. 6 that "we're through," just a couple days before he discovered photographs Lo took of him and Chia Vue together in various sexual poses. Three days after the discovery of the sex photographs, Vue had a sister deposit $25,000 that he said he'd been "hoarding" into a safe deposit box.

A surveillance camera on Steve Lo's street caught Vue driving down the block on Sept. 15. Vue admitted to the drive-by, saying he was checking out the house to see if his wife was there.

By Sept. 19, Vue's brothers had made their first trip to the Sacramento area, after having lived for about seven months in a broken-down mobile home on a 20-acre piece of land in a desolate region of Tehama County. Chu Vue purchased the land the previous year through a hidden buyer, his cousin. He said he planned to use the property for hunting and fishing trips. He testified at trial that he only used it once for that purpose.

The same day the brothers showed up in Sacramento, Chu Vue called them on an untraceable, prepaid cellular phone. "I just wanted to see how they were doing," he testified.

Lang Vue testified that he brought the brothers down from Corning, that they had contacted him after an estimated year and a half of being on the run for the Minnesota murder charges.

In Sacramento, he rented them motel rooms and cars. He said they paid him for the rentals; Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall suggested it was Chu Vue who secretly paid for their upkeep and transportation.

Chu Vue testified that he did not know the brothers were in Sacramento, but the phone records showed him talking to them while both of their cellular devices were pinging off the same towers near the Ramada Inn on Bannon Street. Kindall suggested they actually had a face-to-face meeting at that time.

Cars that bore strong resemblances to the ones Lang Vue had been renting for the brothers began showing up on the surveillance videos on Lo's street about the time Lang Vue had been obtaining the vehicles.

On Sept. 22, one of the rental cars was caught on the tape at the same minute that a prepaid cell phone linked to the brothers pinged off the tower in Lo's neighborhood. Lang Vue bore a resemblance to the driver of the car, but he denied under oath that it was him.

He did, however, admit to driving the brothers to the Tehama County property in the same car he rented within hours of the time stamps on the video and the pinging of the brothers' phone in the neighborhood.

On Sept. 24, Chu Vue's car once again was caught on the video tape driving past Lo's house. He said he was supposed to meet his wife around then at the gym and that he swung by Tambor Way when she didn't' meet him there.

Chu Vue withdrew $3,000 from one of his bank accounts on Oct. 6, and the next day the brothers - through Lang Vue - bought a black Chevy Blazer for $2,000. Prosecutors say the car was depicted in a surveillance video 12 minutes before Steve Lo's wife called 911 to say her husband had been shot. The brothers then used the same car to leave Sacramento two days after the killing, the prosecution alleged.

Kindall, the prosecutor, argued that Vue was obsessed with his wife and that her affair with Lo drove him "over the edge." Vue, Kindall argued, had "the oldest motive known to man" to commit murder. He said that Vue's brothers "owed him big time" for helping them stay free while they were wanted on murder charges.

Chu Vue's lawyer, Donald Masuda, said his client had "moved on" from his relationship with Chia Vue. The lawyer said Vue's wife had been having affairs with so many men that it didn't make sense for Vue to single out just one.

Masuda said the killing was the work of the younger "dirt bag" brothers alone.

Photo caption: Former Sacramento sheriff's deputy Chu Vue listens as the verdict is read in Sacramento Superior court on Wednesday. A jury convicted Vue of of murder for masterminding the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting death of state correctional officer Steve Lo. Photo by Randy Pench

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have released a still photograph and a security video of a robber pistol-whipping an employee at a Northgate fast-food restaurant.

The robbery attempt occurred Sept. 18 at 6:24 a.m. when a vehicle pulled up to the drive-through window of the McDonald's restaurant in the 3700 block of Northgate Boulevard.

The passenger got out the vehicle and walked to the drive-through window. The armed man demanded money from the employee but she was unable to open the register, police said.

The suspect then pistol-whipped the employee and fled in the vehicle. He is described as white or Hispanic and in his 20s.

He was wearing a black jacket with yellow writing. He had a tattoo on the top portion of his left hand.

The vehicle he was identified as a mid-1990s black Honda Accord. The driver was described as a Hispanic man in his 20s.

Police said the two men may have committed two other robberies in the area: The stick-up of a fast-food restaurant in the 2700 block of Del Paso Road at the drive-through window an hour earlier and the robbery of an employee at a recycling center the day before near the 600 block of Rio Tierra Avenue.

Anyone with information may contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Tipsters may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

An elderly man looking for recyclable was approached by a scam artist and eventually robbed by another man Tuesday in Northgate, Sacramento police said.

The 77-year-old man was near Northgate Boulevard and San Juan Road about 4:30 p.m. when he was approached by a man who said he needed a lawyer in order to cash a $250,000 lottery ticket.

The victim agreed to give the man $1,800 in order to hire a lawyer to secure the $250,000 prize money.

Another man police consider a suspect then drove up in a car to take the victim to the bank for the withdrawal, a police report stated.

The victim also told police the second man had a gun.

Fearing for his safety, the elderly man got into the car. He was driven to the bank and turned money over to the suspects before they fled, according to police.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Sacramento County teenager has been arrested on suspicion of setting fires to land near Rancho Murieta earlier this month.

Cameron W. Warmby (left), 18, of Wilton was arrested on suspicion of arson.

Warmby was booked into Sacramento County Jail Tuesday on suspicion of nine counts of arson to wildland and seven counts of using an incendiary device, according to a news release from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The fires Warmby is suspected of starting occurred during the early morning hours of Sept. 19 near Rancho Murrieta. The fires were quickly put out by Cal Fire and Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

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

By Bee Staff

A Sacramento man already facing domestic violence charges added to his courthouse resume after he allegedly almost hit a Sacramento County sheriff deputy's car and then fled., according to a crime summary released this week.

Andreas Diaz, 30, is in the Sacramento jail as of this morning on a variety of charges including obstructing a peace officer, DUI, hit-and-run causing property damage, and driving with a suspended or revoked driver's license, jail records show.

Diaz already was facing charges of battery against a person he had a previous dating relationship with, corporal injury to a spouse or co-habitant and violating a restraining order, jail and court records show.

Between 2006 and 2008, Diaz pleaded no contest to battery on a spouse or co-habitant, DUI and assault with a deadly weapon, court records show.

The crime summary described the latest incident to land Diaz in jail as follows:

Just after midnight on Aug. 19 at Lang and 47th avenues, a deputy was helping a civilian look for his vehicle, when a vehicle almost hit the deputy's patrol car.

The vehicle sped away at a high speed with the deputy in pursuit.

After a short chase, the driver jumped from his moving vehicle and ran off on foot. The car continued rolling and hit a tree.

Deputies found the suspect hiding in a garbage can, according to the summary.

Diaz suffered a foot injury and was treated at a hospital before being booked into jail, the summary states.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A state Fish and Game warden looking for deer poachers instead recently arrested three men with marijuana estimated to be worth $40,000.

The warden, Michael Beals, saw a pickup driving out of the Mendocino National Forest in Glenn County with its truck bed covered with drywall boarding.

Beals also noted that the chunks of the drywall was flying out of the truck bed, littering the highway.

He stopped the truck and lifted the drywall to find a large bag filled with dried marijuana. Beals arrested the driver and three occupants of the vehicle.

A later investigation revealed that two of the men in the truck had been working in an illegal marijuana garden hidden in the national forest. Recently, a law enforcement marijuana eradication helicopter had flown over the garden, prompting the two men to run away with the 40-pound bag of marijuana, according to a Fish and Game press release.

Fish and Game authorities believe the two men then contacted the other two men in the truck. The four were headed home with the pot when they were intercepted by warden Beals, according to state officials.

The four were booked into Glenn County Jail on suspicion of drug-trafficking.

Marijuana growing operations on public land divert water, and use pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, some of which are illegal. The growers also kill animals that eat their crops and the operators of such gardens pose a threat to innocent hikers who stumble upon the illegal operations, officials said.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's homicide detectives are seeking two men they believe were involved in the Sunday shootings that killed a 33-year-old man during a party in south Sacramento and injured a 30-year-old man.

Investigators found video surveillance photos from a store near a home in the 5600 block of 47th Avenue, where Oquitzin Bravo was fatally shot about 2:30 a.m. after a fight broke out at the party.

The surveillance photos show a man wearing a black tank top and another in a white shirt. Detectives said they have learned that the man with the black tank top was invited to the party and a friend of the hosts. The man in the white shirt is associated with the man in the tank top and was also at the party, they said.

Authorities said Bravo and two other victims were invited to the party by a friend of the hosts. Some time during the party, a fight broke out in the back yard of the home when other friends of the hosts started a fight with the victims.

It's unknown why the fight started and authorities said Bravo was physically assaulted, then shot in the back for "no apparent reason." The second victim - the 30-year-old man - tried to escape but was chased down by his assailants and shot in front of the home. He called 911 after he was shot.

Detectives said a third victim was assaulted and held at knife point during the shooting, but he escaped into the neighborhood and hid until deputies arrived.

Bravo was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The 30-year-old victim suffered at least one gunshot wound to his upper body and was also taken to a hospital.

Authorities said the hosts of the party, who live at the home, have been uncooperative in helping to identify the guests at the party.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Tipsters may also send a text message by texting to 274637 (CRIMES). Enter SACTIP, then the information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Jurors have reached a verdict in the Chu Vue murder trial, a court official said today.

Sacramento Superior Court spokeswoman Ginger Sylvester said the eight-man, four-woman panel will announce its verdict at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The case is being heard by Judge Steve White.

The jury reached its decision just before it went home for the day today, at the end of its fourth day of deliberations.

The panel began its discussions on the case last Thursday. It has had no substantive questions on the law or requests for readbacks of testimony.

Vue, 45, is accused of arranging the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting death of state correctional officer Steve Lo because the victim was having an affair with the former deputy's wife.

Vue is being tried along with co-defendant Lang Vue, 27, a fellow Hmong clan member.

Lang Vue is accused of renting motel rooms and cars for the former deputy's brothers, who have been named as the gunmen in the case.

The brothers, Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31, were wanted for a 2001 murder in Minnesota at the time of the Lo killing.

They have since been convicted in that case. They are scheduled to be tried next year for Lo's death.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly said jurors had not reached a verdict today.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Three Sacramento men were convicted Monday in the gang-related murder of a 25-year-old man in the north Sacramento area three years ago.

Hector Jaime Garcia, 26, Edward Garcia, 23, and Manuel Alvarez Jr., 25, are scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 5 by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Greta Curtis Fall.

A separate jury began its deliberations today on a fourth defendant in the case, David Moses Ballesteros, 23.

They were accused in the Aug. 19, 2007, shooting death of Stephen Matthew "Bo" Clay in the 700 block of Eleanor Avenue.

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

By Bee Staff

A federal judge has been sentenced a man to a year and a day in prison for pointing a laser at a California Highway Patrol helicopter, interfering with the pilots' abilities to operate the aircraft, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento.

U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner said today that sentenced Robert Duane Nighswander, 44, of Orland, also must serve three years of supervised released after his prison sentence is over.

According to the plea agreement here's how events transpired:

On Oct. 21, 2009, The CHP was conducting a felony traffic stop near Nighswander's home in Orland. Two CHP officers, both licensed pilots, were providing aerial support in a helicopter approximately 700 feet above the ground.

Nighswander pointed a green laser device with a range of up to seven miles at the pilots to see if they would react.

Nighswander pointed the laser at the helicopter at least four times, affecting the pilots' vision and ability to control the craft.

But the pilots kept the helicopter in the air, and identified the source of the laser.

Both pilots reported being unable to see during portions of their flight, and one reported a lingering headache severe enough to render him unable to pilot an aircraft for several hours after the incident.

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

During the sentencing, Nighswander apologized to the California Highway Patrol and its officers for endangering the flight.

He agreed with Judge John A. Mendez's observation that he could have killed someone.

In determining that a sentence of one year and one day was appropriate, Judge Mendez noted Nighswander's near lifetime drug addiction and Nighswander's significant steps in battling and overcoming that addiction following his arrest, as well as his prompt and continuing acknowledgment that his actions were dangerous "and stupid."

Nighswander is expected to begin serving his sentence in December.

This case was the product of a joint investigation by the CHP, the Federal Air Marshals and the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Segal prosecuted the case.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

The trial date has been set for Nov. 8 for former California Highway Patrol Officer Ruben Salgado in Placer County Superior Court. He is accused of trying to arrange a murder for hire.

Salgado (left) also faces gun and drug charges.

Today Salgado entered a "not guilty" plea to the consolidated set of charges, said Art Campos a spokesman for the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

With the trail set to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 8, that last matters to settle are the courtroom and judge. Those questions should be answered at a trial assignment hearing Nov. 5.

The trial is expected about a week, officials said.

Salgado, a 12-year CHP veteran, was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on May 11 in Rocklin after he allegedly paid a confidential informant $100 for 1/8 ounce of methamphetamine, according to a court brief filed by the Placer County district attorney.

At the time of his arrest, he had a semiautomatic pistol in his pants pocket and another on the front floorboard of his car, and was under the influence of methamphetamine, according to the court document.

The CHP reported that Salgado's employment with the agency ended June 30. He had been assigned to patrol duties in the Auburn area since January 2009.

Salgado pleaded not guilty to the drug and weapons charges and was free on $70,000 bail when he was arrested in the early morning hours of July 15 after allegedly offering another confidential informant $10,000 to murder the first informant, who is a witness in the case.

According to the court brief, the witness told a CHP investigator July 6 that she had heard through contacts that Salgado was "looking to take her out of the game."

An informant, who allegedly was solicited to arrange the murder, said Salgado stated that if the witness wasn't around, there would be no case against him.

According to the court brief, the informant told Salgado that the informant's brother had just been released from prison and could do the job.

When all three met in a parking lot on Richards Boulevard in Sacramento on July 14, Salgado allegedly gave details of how the murder was to occur, and discussed destruction of evidence and what to do with the witness's body.

The brief says Salgado told the individual who was to carry out the murder that he could provide a photo of the intended victim as early as July 19.

Salgado was arrested shortly after that conversation, according to the court document, and a search of his hotel room turned up a baggie of methamphetamine and a methamphetamine pipe.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Sutter County sheriff-coroner identified a Sacramento man who died last night when his vehicle collided with a big rig on Highway 99 in Sutter County.

He was identified as 33-year-old Ryan Edgmon.

Edgmon was traveling southbound about 10 p.m. Monday on Highway 99 south of Yuba City near Graffis Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A CHP news release stated the vehicle he was driving turned to the left, crossing over the solid double yellow lines into the path of a northbound tractor-trailer rig.

The truck driver was not injured, according the CHP report.

A passenger in Edgmon's vehicle complained of pain and was taken to a hospital. No other details were available on the passenger's condition

Highway 99 was closed from the Garden Highway to Highway 113 for about four hours for the crash investigation and to clean up a fuel spill from the big rig.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Stray bullets hit a gas meter and the inside of an occupied apartment in south Sacramento County this morning, said a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department..

Nobody was hurt, but three children and an adult were asleep in the apartment when the shooting occurred.

The shooting occurred at an apartment complex in the 7400 block of Power Inn Road about 4 a.m.

A resident of the apartment said she heard three shots from outside her apartment.

One bullet went through her bathroom and bedroom doors. Another round hit a gas meter, causing a small leak that has been fixed.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man fired four shots at home invaders apparently trying to get his medicinal marijuana, Sacramento police said.

The intruders fired at the man in return, but didn't hit the resident, police said. There was no evidence that the home invaders were hit either, police said.

A police summary of the event stated that the man was inside his Oak Park home about 11 p.m. Monday when he heard someone trying to kick in his back door.

The resident armed himself with a shotgun from his bedroom and walked toward the back door as it was forced open.

The resident pointed the shotgun out the door toward the intruders, firing four rounds.

The home invaders returned fire and then fled through the backyard.

Police learned that the man had a medicinal marijuana card and was growing plants inside his home.

Police believe the intruders were after the marijuana.

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

A car and light-rail train collided in downtown Sacramento this morning at 12th and Q streets. Bee photo by Randy Pench.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Tracks are clear this morning after a Sacramento Regional Transit light-rail train collided with a car downtown, injuring the car's driver.

The collision involving the car and a southbound train occurred at 9:10 a.m. at 12th and Q Streets, according to a light-rail spokeswoman.

The motorist, whose condition was not immediately available, was transported to Sutter General Hospital. No other injuries were reported.

No other details were available.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Roseville police are investigating a report of a boy exposing himself to a girl in the restroom at a park.

Police said a 7-year-old girl was using the girl's restroom at Crestmont Park in the 1500 block of Champion Oaks Drive at 11:50 a.m. Saturday when a teenage boy entered and exposed himself to the child.

The teen asked what the girl's name was and told her he would not touch her, police reported. He then walked out.

The girl said when she exited the restroom, she saw the boy sitting on a bicycle and using a cell phone. The girl told her mother what happened and the boy rode away.

A search of the area by police and other adults was not successful.

The boy was described as white, 14-17 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a medium build and short, perhaps shaggy blond hair. He was wearing a white shirt with black writing and black pants.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Roseville Police Investigations Unit at (916) 774-5070.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Roseville police arrested a 36-year-old former rental property manager for allegedly misappropriating at least $21,000 in rent money that she collected from tenants.

Police said that Heather Shea Baker owned Great Estates, a property management company that collected rent and provided other services on behalf of rental property owners.

One of her clients reported Baker to police on Sunday, saying that Baker had not given her the rent and deposits that Baker had collected from her tenants.

Baker had also recently sent her clients a letter notifying them that she was shutting down her business, and investigators learned that she was planning to move out of state, authorities said.

Investigators arrested Baker in Napa on Sunday on suspicion of embezzlement. She has since been released from the Placer County Jail on a $10,000 bail bond.

Authorities said they have contacted two rental property owners who were Baker's clients, but believed that there are more victims. Police ask that clients who believe they may be owed money to contact the Roseville Police Department Investigations Units at (916) 774-5070, or Sgt. Darin DeFreece by e-mail at ddefreece@roseville.ca.us.

Photo: Roseville Police Department

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

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Iosif Caza, an interpreter who insists he was caught up in a zeal to help fellow Romanians escape the persecution of their homeland, was sentenced Monday in Sacramento federal court to 7 1/2 years in prison for his role in duping authorities to grant scores of them asylum based on false documents and testimony.

Caza, a 43-year-old bear of a man, worked with attorneys at a now-defunct Sacramento law firm, three of whom were sentenced Friday to prison. He, like two of the lawyers, was taken into custody immediately.

The years-long fraud case sent shock waves through the government's immigration apparatus. The Department of Homeland Security is working to correct the flaws in the asylum system exposed by the investigation and prosecution, while at the same time reviewing a mountain of cases that were handled by the Sekhon & Sekhon firm.

U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. was angry about Caza's view of himself as a savior of his people, especially as he expressed that view in a Bee article published Friday.

"We don't need heroes like him," the judge told Caza and his lawyer, Assistant Federal Defender Timothy Zindel, on Monday.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Police said a Rocklin resident used the Internet and GPS technology to retrieve his fiancee's stolen iPhone.

The boyfriend's tech-savvy ways also led to the arrest of Anthony Joshua Lane, 25, of Arvada, Colo., on suspicion of burglary, theft and possession of stolen property.

Rocklin police said that a magazine solicitor tried to make a sale in the 5200 block of Paragon Street on Saturday. The resident was not buying, and the solicitor left.

However, hours later the resident noticed his fiancee's iPhone was missing from the front porch. Using iPhone GPS technology and the Internet, the resident tracked the phone to a Home Depot on Fair Way Drive in Roseville.

After being identified by the resident, Lane was arrested for cell phone theft and booked into Placer County Jail.

Police allege they also found Lane in possession of a stolen wallet. The wallet, police said, was stolen from a wedding at the Sunset Center in Rocklin.

The person who owned the wallet was not aware it had been stolen when police called to tell her it had been found.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Security video is being examined to help find four suspects wanted in connection with a fire inside an Elk Grove drug store this morning.

Firefighters were called to the Walgreens store, 7299 Laguna Blvd., at 5 a.m. When they arrived, the store was filled with smoke and a display case with sunglasses and reading glasses was burning.

Two fire sprinklers activated over the area of the fire in the rear of the store to prevent spread. Firefighters put of the small blaze and spent nearly two hours removing smoke and water from the store, said Cosumnes Fire Department Deputy Chief John Michelini.

Fire investigators said three male suspects and one female were seen shopping in the area that burned just minutes before the fire was discovered. Employees got out of the store without injury.

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

By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com

Four people accused of sadistically abusing a Sacramento teen-ager will go to trial next month, a San Joaquin Superior Court judge decided Monday.

Judge Terrence Van Oss rejected a motion to delay the trial which is set for Oct. 12.

Michael Schumacher, Kelly Lau, Caren Ramirez and Anthony Waiters have been indicted on charges of holding a teen-age boy captive in a Tracy home for more than a year. The alleged abuses included beatings with a baseball bat, slashings with a razor and chemical burns, among other things.

"This is one of the weirdest cases I've ever seen, that any of us have ever seen," Van Oss said.

Call The Bee's Cynthia Hubert, (916) 321-1082.

By Queenie Wong and Loretta Kalb
qwong@sacbee.com

A 33-year-old man, who police say was shot to death after a fight broke out at a party in south Sacramento early today, has been identified as Oquitzin Bravo, according to Sacramento County Coroner's Office online records.

The victim was shot in the abdomen and taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later, according to the Sacramento Sheriff's Department.

The shooting, which wounded another person, is still under investigation and no arrests have been made, said Sgt. Tim Curran, a sheriff's spokesman.

The second man, 30, suffered at least one gunshot wound to his upper body and was transferred to a local hospital where authorities said he is expected to survive.

Deputies arrived at a home in the 5600 block of 47th Ave. shortly after 2:30 a.m. today and found two men wounded by gunfire.

Witnesses said the men were attending a party in the home when they fought with at least one other partygoer. During a fight, an unidentified man drew a handgun and fired several times at the victims, Curran said. The suspect fled on foot.

Witnesses described the suspect as a 6-feet tall white man with a skinny build, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is urged to call Sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Tipsters may also send a text message tip by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

View 5600 Block of 47th Ave in a larger map

Call The Bee's Queenie Wong, (916) 321-1008.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

After a fight broke out at a party in south Sacramento early today , someone pulled a gun and killed one man and wounded another, the Sacramento Sheriff's Department reported.

Sheriff's spokesman, Sgt. Tim Curran, said deputies arrived at a home in the 5600 block of 47th Avenue shortly after 2:30 a.m. and found two men had been hit by gunfire.

The victims weren't identified. Sheriff's officials said both victims are Latino.

The man shot in the abdomen was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The second man, 30, suffered at least one gunshot wound to his upper body.

Paramedics took him to a local hospital, and authorities said he is expected to survive.

Deputies detained several people in the home, although none is believed to be the shooter, Curran said.

Witnesses said the men were attending a party in the home when they fought with at least one other partygoer. During an fight, an unidentified man drew a handgun and fired several times at the victims, Curran said.

The suspect fled on foot. Witnesses described him as white, 6-feet tall with a skinny build. He wore a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is urged to call Sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Tipsters may also send a text message tip by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

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

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

A fight this morning among three inmates at the High Desert State Prison in Susanville left a 40-year-old inmate dead after a prison officer fired a rifle to halt the altercation, authorities said tonight.

The inmate's name was being withheld pending notification of relatives and an investigation into the incident, but the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said he was serving a life term out of San Francisco for first degree murder, attempted murder, rape by force and first degree burglary with a weapon.

The inmate had been at the prison since May 1, 2007, the department said.

The incident began at about 11 a.m. Saturday in the recreational yard at the prison when two inmates attacked a third, the department said.

During the attack, one of the inmates choked another until he was unconscious and "in an effort to prevent significant bodily injury and possible death" an officer fired a rifle round that hit one of the inmates in the upper body, the department said.

He was taken to the prison's treatment and triage area, where officials worked to save him until he was pronounced dead at 11:50 a.m, the department said.

The incident is being investigated by the state Office of the Inspector General Bureau of Independent Review and the prison's investigative services unit. Prison officials also notified the Lassen County District Attorney's Office.

One of the surviving inmates was described as a 25-year-old serving life for first-degree murder out of Contra Costa County. He has been at the Susanville prison since April 8, 2008.

The other is a 35-year-old from Kings County serving a 52-year to life sentence for attempted murder and shooting into an inhabited dwelling. He has been there since March 8, 2005.

Authorities say no prison staff were hurt in the incident at the prison, which houses about 5,000 minimum, medium and maximum-security inmates.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A 42-year-old transient who shot and killed a man in a Placerville homeless camp has been sentenced to 70 years to life in prison, the El Dorado County District Attorney's Office said in a press release.

Kenneth Sharonoff had been convicted of second-degree murder in the Jan. 23 killing of Clark "Otto" McCabe, 69, on Missouri Flat Road. An El Dorado County Superior Court jury convicted Sharonoff of the murder, as well as being an ex-con with firearms, and also of elder abuse.

The press release on Thursday's sentencing by Judge Suzanne Kingsbury said that a friend of the victim described McCabe as "a kind and generous person" who "was respected and well-liked, and now very much missed."

According to the friend, McCabe once took up a collection to buy clothing for nine homeless women and their children "who were even less fortunate than himself," the press release said.

Sharonoff's record showed he had prior convictions for shooting a man in 1986 and for smashing an elderly man in his 80s with a rock in 1994 in a job argument, according to the press release.

Prosecutors said Sharonoff shot and killed McCabe with a .44 caliber cap-and-ball pistol "during a minor dispute."

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Three hooded gunmen tried but failed to rob three men Friday night in the south area, Sacramento police said.

The confrontation took place at 8:11 p.m. at the corner of Brookfield Drive and Tangerine Avenue, according to a police report.

The report said the suspects wanted money and phones and that one of them pulled out a gun, at which point the victims took off running. The gunmen fired one shot, but nobody got hit, and they didn't get anything.

Police described the suspects as black, including a 5-10, 150-pound adult who had the gun. He wore a black hoodie covered up with a blue shirt. One of the others wore a black hoodie while the third wore a white hoodie, according to the police descriptions.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Sacramento police arrested a paroled robber with a gun Friday morning in the old fairgrounds area, a report said.

Rashad Laqman Smith, 23, was taken into custody at his girlfriend's house in the 5300 block of Broadway. He was booked on separate counts of suspicion of being an ex-con in possession of a gun and ammunition, according to jail records.

Sacramento Superior Court online records showed that Smith was convicted Sept. 7, 2005, on one count of second-degree robbery. He was sentenced to three years in state prison.

Police said they went to Smith's neighborhood at 5:17 a.m. Friday when somebody reported that they had heard gun shots. When they got to the area, the officers said they found a cell phone lying on the ground. They said a woman came to retrieve the phone and said that she had loaned it to "a friend."

Officers then went to the woman's house and found Smith, the report said.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Sacramento police found a stolen gun and arrested two men on probation following a pre-dawn traffic stop Friday on 47th Avenue.

According to a police report, officers pulled over one of the men in his car outside his girlfriend's apartment in the 5300 block of 47th Avenue at 4:20 a.m. Another man was in the doorway of the apartment, police said.

A search of the apartment turned up the weapon and both men were taken into custody. The report did not give their names.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Oak Park gunmen shot a male victim in the leg Friday night after first asking him "where he was from," according to a Sacramento police report.

The report said the victim, whose age and name were not given, "told the subjects that he was not a gang member." It said the victim then walked away from the 9:41 p.m. confrontation in the 4300 block of 33rd street when he heard the shots, one of which hit him in the right upper leg. The suspects who stopped him on the street then ran away.

The victim's injuries were not life threatening, the report said.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Sacramento police arrested two parolees at large and a third parolee Friday night when officers pulled them over after hearing gunfire in the south area.

Anthony Andrew Lopez, 22, ran from the suspects' car after it stopped on Feusi Court, according to police reports. Officers called out the dogs and found Lopez hiding in a shed.

The 5-10, 220-pound Lopez was identified in the police reports as a parolee at large. Most recently, Lopez was convicted Aug. 22, 2008, for burglary, second-degree burglary, grand theft, receiving stolen property, felony evasion of officers and reckless driving, according to Sacramento Superior Court online records. He had been sentenced to state prison for two years and eight months.

Lopez' local adult record also showed convictions in 2006 for misdemeanor battery and assault. He was sentenced on those offenses to 180 days on the sheriff's work project, the online records said.

Police booked Lopez on a single count of resisting arrest. He is being held without bail, according to jail records. He also has a warrant for his arrest pending in El Dorado County, the records showed.

The report on the 10:40 p.m. incident Friday night said the officers were on patrol near Del Norte Boulevard and 23rd Avenue when they heard gun shots. They said they saw a brown car with its lights off that matched the description of a vehicle in an earlier report where the people inside it flashed a gun. The officers followed the car to Feusi Court where Lopez got out and ran.

Authorities identified the second parolee-at-large as Anson Michael Lopez, 23. It was not clear if he was related to Anthony Lopez. He had most recently been convicted in May 24, 2006 of second-degree burglary, two counts of felony evasion, resisting arrest and motor vehicle theft, online records showed. He had been sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.

Anson Lopez also had previously charged with attempted murder in a 2006 case, but it was dismissed.

Police identified the third suspect as Nathanial Martinez Burkholder, 23. He was convicted July 30, 2009, of burglary and two counts of grand theft. Burkholder was sentenced to 16 months in state prison, the online records said.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Redding man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for using the Internet to try to entice a Placer County teenager to engage in unlawful sexual conduct.

William Cody Ambord, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Garcia. Ambord pleaded guilty July 9.

In 2009, the parents of a 14-year-old Placer County girl reported that they discovered that Ambord had been conducting an Internet relationship with their daughter and had persuaded the girl to meet him near her home for sex, according to court documents. The parents intervened and assumed the girl's online identity.

In late February 2009, Ambord traveled to the Sacramento area to meet with the girl and one of her girlfriends, another 14-year-old. After arriving in Sacramento, however, he was unable to contact the first girl and turned instead to her girlfriend, contacting her via instant messaging, not aware that the girl's mother had assumed her identity.

Ambord asked the "girlfriend" to sneak out and meet him at a motel in midtown Sacramento. The mother contacted police, and on March 1, 2009, Ambord was arrested at the motel.

He admitted to police that he had engaged in many online communications with one 14-year-old girl for a long period of time and that during the online conversations, the two had discussed sex, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. Ambord told police that he bought a bus ticket to travel to Roseville to meet the girl. But when he arrived in Sacramento and was unable to contact the 14-year-old, he instead contacted her girlfriend.

The case resulted from an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigations.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with two young girls has been sentenced to 140 years to life in prison.

Kevin Fitzgerald, 30, was sentenced Thursday by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Roland Candee after a jury found him guilty of four counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child younger than 14 years old. Fitzgerald also admitted to his prior conviction for a criminal threat, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

The two victims were 11 and 13 years old and both knew Fitzgerald's co-defendant, Diane Peek, who previously pleaded guilty in the case. She was 17 years old at the time of the crime, but was tried as an adult. Peek was in a relationship with Fitzgerald, who was 28 at the time.

Evidence indicated that Peek also was physically abused by Fitzgerald, officials said.

On Oct. 25, 2008, Fitzgerald, Peek and the two girls went to a nature area between two apartment complexes, where the two victims performed sexual acts with Fitzgerald, officials said. All four then went to the apartment that Peek and Fitzgerald shared, where more sexual activity occurred, with Peek's participation. It was found that Fitzgerald had sexual intercourse with both the victims, officials said.

The victims' mothers reported the girls missing, and Sacramento County sheriff's deputies found them with Peek and Fitzgerald in Fitzgerald's apartment the next morning.

Peek pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 and agreed to testify at Fitzgerald's trial.

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

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

A judge in Placerville suspended the criminal prosecution of accused kidnapper Phillip Garrido after his public defender declared she doubted his mental competency to face trial.

The judge ordered a hearing for Oct. 8 on whether to appoint a mental expert to examine the 59-year-old alleged kidnapper of Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was abducted in 1991 at the age of 11.

The judge said he would allow the prosecution of Garrido's wife, Nancy Garrido to proceed. But he said he had his own doubts about Phillip Garrido's competency after public defender Susan Gellman said she, too, doubted his competency. The judge suspended the case.

The development could delay the prosecution of Phillip Garrido indefinitely.

His wife still faces a hearing Oct. 1.

An El Dorado County grand jury indicted the Garridos on new charges this week in an apparent attempt to speed up the case. It is likely that the indictment will be unsealed and Nancy Garrido arraigned in the coming week.

"We're talking about a timeout in the case," Gellman said. "We're not talking about not going forward."

She would not say that she was certain whether her client would someday face trial but told reporters the matter would be resolved in some fashion.

To declare a defendant incompetent, the law requires a finding that the defendant doesn't understand the nature of the proceedings and cannot assist in his defense. Gellman has previously said in court filings that her client may suffer from "serious mental illness" and she said today that she has seen him in the Eldorado County Jail more than 20 times and "We have had persistent trouble. I would just characterize it in that fashion."

Judge Douglas C. Phimister said he, too, had doubts about Garrido's competency, noting that in some hearings he witnessed Garrido looking away and ignoring his attorney as she tried to talk to him, sitting "totally mute" at times and "in a very aggressive manner making notes" when there appeared to be no reason to do so.

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

Photo caption: Phillip Garrido sits with his attorney Susan Gellman during a June court appearance. (Jose Luis Villegas/jvillegas@sacbee.com)

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are asking for help in identifying a robber but the motorcycle helmet the suspect wore during the holdup is offering plenty of protection from identification.

The full-face helmet worn by the robber who held up a mail store in the 3100 block of Folsom Boulevard Aug. 6 at 1:43 p.m. was obviously used to hide identity. The suspect robbed the store clerk at gunpoint, took the cash and fled.

The description of the helmeted hold-up man is that he is an African-American, age unknown, with black curly hair long enough that a helmet can't hide it. He was wearing a gray suit with a salmon-colored dress shirt, black gloves and the black helmet.

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

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man was pronounced dead early this morning after his truck veered off Interstate 80 in Roseville and crashed into a construction area.

The Placer County Coroner's Office determined that the incident resulted from a medical issue, according to a Sheriff's Department spokeswoman. The nature of the medical condition was not disclosed, and the man's name has not been released.

California Highway Patrol investigators said the elderly man's Dodge pickup left westbound I-80 near Highway 65 about 4:30 a.m. and drifted into the construction area.

No other vehicles were involved and the truck sustained minor damage. Traffic on the freeway was not affected.

The man was transported to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Two Roseville teenagers have been arrested after allegedly offering a fellow student money to kill a probation officer.

The two, a 16-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy, are students at the Youth Resource Center school, a community school on Sundown Way operated by the Placer County Probation Department.

Roseville police were notified Tuesday morning of the students' alleged attempt to hire another student to kill one of the probation officers at the school. The two were upset with the probation officer because he had told them not to associate with each other, according to Police Department spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.

Police said no assault occurred and no weapons were found on campus.

The two teenagers were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and soliciting another to commit murder, and taken to Placer County Juvenile Hall. Their names were not released because they are juveniles.

Officers also conducted a probation search of a Roseville house in connection with the incident and recovered a stolen, loaded handgun. A adult at the residence, 37-year-old Shavel Leveron Pope of Roseville, was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of stolen property. He was booked at Roseville City Jail and released after posting a $45,000 bail bond.

Gunther said Pope is not accused of involvement in the plot with the two juveniles, and is suspected of only the illegal weapon and stolen property offenses.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A federal grand jury in Sacramento has indicted a Glenn County man for manufacturing identification documents.

The panel today returned a 10-count indictment charging Camilo Reyes, 37, of Orland with producing and transferring false identification documents and possessing a document-making implement.

The indictment alleges that between Dec. 14, 2009, and Aug. 13, 2010, Reyes manufactured alien registration receipt cards and Social Security cards, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The case resulted from an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Homeland Security Investigations.

If convicted, Reyes faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An explosion that injured a 14-year-old Granite Bay boy this afternoon was caused by an illegal firework, according to the Placer County sheriff's bomb squad.

The boy sustained a moderate to severe injury to his hand, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Sheriff's emergency dispatchers received a call at 3:53 p.m. from a neighbor who reported hearing an explosion in the 5300 block of Olive Ranch Road. Deputies found the boy inside his home with an injured hand.

The youth was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center.

Sheriff's officials said the incident remains under investigation.

View Larger Map

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

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Phillip Garrido will be back in court Friday afternoon, possibly for his public defender to announce that the accused kidnapper of Jaycee Lee Dugard may be mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Such a move could put an immediate stop to the proceedings, if the judge in the case agrees to order a mental evaluation of the convicted rapist and kidnapper.

The hearing was scheduled after a closed session held today in El Dorado Superior Court, records show, and follows word that the El Dorado County grand jury had issued new indictments against Garrido and his wife, Nancy, earlier this week.

Nancy Garrido's attorney said he believed the indictments had been issued, but they have not yet been made public. The current charges were expected to be thrown out at the next scheduled hearing on Oct. 1 and replaced by the indictment, which would allow the case to move directly to trial without a preliminary hearing being held.

But that may all change, depending on what Garrido's lawyer, Susan Gellman, does in court tomorrow.

Gellman did not respond to a request for comment and District Attorney Vern Pierson's office could not immediately be reached.

If Gellman expresses doubt about her client's competence -- as she has done in the past -- the judge could halt proceedings while Garrido is evaluated by experts.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Foothill High School in the Twin Rivers Unified School District was locked down for about 50 minutes this afternoon after a student reported that another student had a weapon on campus.

Officer William Cho, spokesman for the district's police force, said officers searched the Foothill Farms campus but no weapon was located. He said police are continuing to follow up on tips and leads, but the lockdown has been lifted.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The City of Folsom has announced that Police Chief Sam Spiegel will retire.

Spiegel will remain on the job until Folsom City Manager Kerry Miller appoints an interim chief to serve during recruitment for a new chief.

Spiegel served more than nine years as chief. He also served as interim Assistant City Manager and interim City Manager in 2006.

"Although it is very difficult to leave this organization, I do so with tremendous pride in our accomplishments and confidence in our stellar public safety team," Spiegel said in a press release.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are asking for the public's help in finding two people they say used a stolen credit card.

The department released pictures of a man and a woman using the stolen credit card at a local store. The card was taken Aug. 2 during a burglary at a Sacramento home.

The first suspect is described as a African-American man in his late 20s with a heavy build, short, dark hair and a beard (top photo). The other suspect was an African American woman in her 20s, heavy build, with dark hair pulled into a pony tail (bottom photo).

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at 443-4357. Tipsters may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Jurors began deliberations in the Chu Vue murder trial today, sent off after the prosecutor again said that the fired former Sacramento sheriff's deputy's obsession with his cheating wife led him to arrange the killing of her lover, state correctional officer Steve Lo.

"He made Steve Lo pay the price for getting between him and his wife," Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall told the eight-man, four-woman Sacramento Superior Court jury.

Judge Steve White sent the panel into deliberations in the seventh week of the trial in which 93 witnesses, including Chu Vue and his co-defendant, fellow Hmong clan member Lang Vue, testified.

Chu Vue, 45, and Lang Vue, 27, are accused of orchestrating, aiding and abetting a murder conspiracy in which Lo was gunned down in the garage of his Tambor Way home on Oct. 15, 2008, while he was leaving for work at his job at the California Medical Facility.

It is at the Vacaville prison where Lo got involved with Chu Vue's wife, Chia, who was employed as a medical technical assistant.

The former deputy is accused of retaining his brothers to carry out the shooting death of Lo. The brothers, Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31, were wanted on a federal murder warrant for a 2001 killing in Minnesota at the time of Lo's death. They have since been convicted in the Minnesota murder and are scheduled to be tried in the Lo case next year.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man has died from injuries suffered in a rollover wreck over the weekend.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Department reported that Manuel Mercado, 19, died Wednesday.

Mercado was a passenger in a sports utility vehicle that was traveling at a high rate of speed eastbound on X Street around 2 a.m. on Saturday, according to police. The SUV was approaching the 26th Street onramp to Highway 50 when the vehicle made an abrupt turn to avoid colliding with some construction barriers, police said.

The driver lost control, which caused the SUV to roll over. Three of the 7 people in the SUV were ejected, including Mercado, police said.

The accident is under investigation.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Residents on Saturday can bring their unwanted prescription drugs to three sites under the jurisdiction of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

The department is a partner with the Drug Enforcement Administration in a prescription drug take-back initiative that seeks to prevent pill abuse and theft.

Officials said prescription drugs are often taken from the medicine cabinets of family and friends. In addition, some medicines are improperly disposed by flushing them down the toilet or tossing them in the trash.

Collection sites this Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.:

-- Sheriff's Garfield station, 5510 Garfield Ave.

-- Sheriff's Florin Station, 7000 65th St.

-- Rancho Cordova Police Station, 10361 Rockingham Drive.

Sites will accept medicines in capsule or tablet form. Intravenous solutions, injectables and needles will not be accepted.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Residents of a Sacramento apartment complex in the Southside Park area reported what is believed to be a gas leak Wednesday night, fire and utility officials said.

Sacramento Fire Department's spokesman Capt. Jonathan Burgess said authorities evacuated residents from six apartment units near 11th and T streets when the odor was reported shortly before 8 p.m.

J.D. Guidi, a Pacific Gas and Electric spokesman, said a gas service representative arrived about 8:10 p.m. and picked up a strong reading of gas being present.

A PG&E crew arrived to investigate the source of the odor and will make repairs once they can determine its exact location, Guidi said.

Residents were allowed to return to their apartments by about 10 p.m., Burgess said.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

In response to a recent series of arson incidents, two teams of Sacramento County probation officers and members of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District arson unit conducted a countywide probation search today.

The search targeted people whose probation status is related to the crime of arson, according to a fire district news release. Eight individuals were contacted and one adult arrested on outstanding warrants.

Probation officers will request two additional arrest warrants as a result of the searches, officials said.

Fire officials seek the public's assistance in identifying the people responsible for the recent arsons. Anyone with information related to a deliberately set or suspicion fire is asked to call the Arson Tip Line at (916) 859-3775.

Officials offered several tips to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of arson:

• Secure and monitor unoccupied and abandoned buildings.

• Remove or securely store flammable material and chemicals from your business or home.

• Lock your doors and windows.

• Report suspicious people and activity to law enforcement officials.

• Support local Neighborhood Watch programs.

• Illuminate the exterior and entrances of buildings.

• At schools, remove garbage cans daily during non-school hours. Garbage has been used as an ignition source for arson fires or to keep an unwelcome visitor warm. Keep dumpsters at least 10 feet away from buildings and roof overhangs. Make sure all discarded materials are placed inside the containers and padlock them.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An El Dorado County man has pleaded guilty in federal court to receiving child pornography.

Charles Johnson, 47, of Garden Valley entered the plea Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Edward Garcia.

According to court documents, images of child pornography were found on Johnson's work laptop computer after he was terminated by his employer for allegedly stealing trade secrets. The computer was returned to the company on July 27, 2007, and the firm sent it to a private forensic lab to see whether any company trade secrets had been stored improperly on the computer. The forensic analyst found evidence of child pornography.

A forensic review of the laptop showed that a new operating system had been installed on July 21, 2007, with a registered owner of "CJ," according to a federal Department of Justice news release. The forensic examiner was able to recover earlier file systems, 2,100 of which were images of child pornography that had been downloaded onto the computer between Sept. 27, 2005 and June 18, 2007.

In addition, 80 videos of child pornography were recovered.

Web files on the computer showed that Johnson had knowingly accessed and used numerous pay sites to build his child pornography collection.

The case resulted from a joint investigation by the Folsom Police Department, El Dorado County Sheriff's Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Cyber Crime Task Force.

Johnson is to be sentenced Jan. 21. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Woodland police have arrested a Redding man in connection with the robbery of a Bank of the West branch this morning.

Police said a man entered the bank at 186 Main St. at 9:25 a.m. and demanded money. Although he claimed to have a gun, he never produced a weapon, according to a Police Department news release. He left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.

The man was described as white, wearing a red bandana, red shirt and blue jeans.

Officers responding to the robbery report spotted the suspect driving north on Interstate 5 near the West Street exit. Woodland police, along with Yolo County Sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers conducted a traffic stop, and the man was taken into custody without incident.

He was identified as Tracy Bittner, 57.

The robbery remains under investigation, and Woodland police ask anyone with information to call the department at (530) 661-7800. Callers can remain anonymous.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Chu Vue's lawyer today blamed the shooting death of state correctional officer Steve Lo two years ago solely on the defendant's two younger brothers, saying of the pair, "I think they like to kill."

In his closing arguments at Vue's murder trial, defense attorney Donald Masuda said younger brother Gary Vue and Chong Vue also had two other possible motives to kill Lo. One was that Lo might turn them in because they were both subject of federal murder warrants. The other was that they were trying to protect the family honor because Chu Vue's wife, Chia, was having an affair with Lo.

Masuda based his third motive on the fact that the brothers had already killed a man in Minnesota in 2001, for which they have subsequently been convicted.

"These two guys, Gary and Chong, they like to hurt people," Masuda said.

In blaming the brothers, Masuda again asserted that Vue did not order the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting death of Lo and asked the jury to acquit his client.

Masuda said that if language barriers may have prevented Vue from getting his message to the jury in his testimony that lasted six days, the translation, in the lawyer's words would have been, "I didn't know those two dirtbag brothers of mine were going to do this.

"There was no planning," Masuda said. "This was just as arbitrary and dumb as that shooting in Minnesota."

Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall, in his rebuttal remarks, told the jury, "Don't trust Chu Vue." He called Gary and Chong Vue "the scum of the earth" and "a couple of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals." But he also said it was Chu Vue who arranged the killing to get back at Lo for the affair and that his co-defendant and fellow Hmong clan member, Lang Vue, also aided and abetted the purported gunmen and conspired with them.

Chu Vue and Lang Vue "are in this up to their eyeballs," Kindall said.

Chu Vue, 45, is accused or putting his brothers up to shoot and kill the 39-year-old Lo over the affair the correctional officer was having with the fired former Sacramento sheriff's deputy's wife.

Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31, are scheduled to be tried early next year.

Kindall's is scheduled to conclude his rebuttal Thursday in Sacramento Superior Court, after which Steve White will instruct the jury for the final time and send the six-man, six-woman panel into deliberations.

Masuda also argued today that his client, a fired former Sacramento sheriff's deputy, is "not an obsessive person" who was out to kill the man having an affair with his wife and that he never "stalked" the correctional officer whose shooting death he is charged with arranging. Those charges leveled against his client on Tuesday by Kindall in his closing argument were just a bunch of "spin," Masuda said.

"That's what happened yesterday," Masuda told a six-man, six-woman Sacramento Superior Court jury. "That's what's happened throughout this case."

Masuda then stepped back, pointed at Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall and said, "This man here is highly intelligent, and he's putting a spin on everything."

Vue, 45, is accused or putting his brothers up to shoot and kill Steve Lo on Oct. 15, 2008, over the affair the correctional officer was having with the former deputy's wife,.

The defendant's younger brother, Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31, are scheduled to be tried early next year. At the time of Lo's death, the two accused gunmen were wanted on a murder warrant out of Minnesota. They've since been convicted in that case.

Masuda had not yet touched on Vue's relationship with his younger brothers before Judge Steve White called for the noon recess. His closing argument is expected to conclude this afternoon, after which Kindall will deliver his rebuttal remarks. White will then present his final instructions to the jury either today or tomorrow, after which it will begin deliberations in a case that is now in its seventh week of trial.

Kindall on Tuesday said that Vue's obsession with his wife drove the former deputy "over the edge" and into murder. Today, Masuda countered by saying that obsession is not one of his client's character traits. To demonstrate his point, Masuda referred to testimony from a woman Vue had been trying to pursue in his own extramarital activity and said that when she told him she was not interested in a relationship with him, Vue he stopped going after her.

"He's not an obsessive person," Masuda said. "He's not somebody who stalks people."

The defense attorney again was challenging a contention issued the day before by Kindall that Vue had "stalked" and "hunted" down Lo once he obtained the correctional officer's name. The prosecutor cited the dozens of phone calls Vue made from cell phones that pinged off a tower near Lo's home as evidence of his staking out the correctional officer. But Masuda said that such a conclusion was the product of additional "spin" by Kindall.

In trying to explain the calls, Masuda said there were numerous stores and restaurants that Vue frequented in the vicinity of the cell tower in Stockton Boulevard that is closest to Lo's home on Tambor Way.

Masuda, in his opening statements to the jury at the outset of trial, said that the younger brothers acted on their own in killing Lo. He said then that they shot the officer because they feared Chia Vue had told him about their fugitive status. As for his client's relationship with his wife, Vue testified in the trial that he "moved on" from her after he found out that she was having affairs with a number of men.

Kindall on Tuesday said that Vue had done nothing of the sort, and that his continued letters to her and other relatives while he was in jail proved his obsession, which Masuda today said was "just spin."

"Who wrote in the book of morality...that relationships are never going to go up and down?" Masuda said. "Who makes those rules? Nobody."

Earlier today, Matthew Scoble, the attorney for Vue's fellow Hmong clan member and co-defendant in the murder trial, Lang Vue, 27, concluded his closing argument by saying his client was innocent.

Lang Vue, a longtime friend of Gary Vue and also an acquaintance of his older brother, is accused of aiding and abetting the gunmen by renting them cars and motel rooms and delivering the money on a car they bought to use the morning of the killing and then a few days later to drive back to Minnesota from Sacramento.

Scoble likened his client's involvement to that of the ticket agents who sold airplane tickets to the Sept. 11 terrorists who hijacked planes and flew them into buildings. Lang Vue, he said, had no idea what the brothers were up to when they contacted him in the weeks prior to the killing.

"These men used this man as a pawn," Scoble said of the brothers and his client. "They used and abused his affection. And they did it without him knowing."

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department homicide detectives have released the sketch of a man suspected of killing a 26-year-old woman earlier this month.

Danielle Ericka Benefield was found dead by paramedics in a gold sedan on the corner of Palmer House and Blackhawk drives, south of Florin Road, in the early morning hours of Sept. 4.

Benefield appeared to have been hit by a stray bullet that came from a crowd of 50 to 70 people who had gathered outside a gas station and liquor store.

Another woman in her car, also 26, was not injured.

The suspect depicted in the drawing is a skinny African American man in his early 20s, about 5 feet 6 inches tall. Witnesses said he fled the scene in a unknown model of vehicle with paint primer on the front.

Sheriff's deputies who responded to the call said Benefield, who was driving the sedan, and her passenger had been at the Fastrip gas station on the corner of Florin and Power Inn roads, where the group had gathered.

After she was shot, Benefield drove a few blocks to the spot where she died.

There was no parking space at the gas station, so the women parked on a side street, a department spokesman said. They were in the car when three to seven gunshots were fired by someone in the crowd.

One of the shots hit Benefield in the upper body.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detective Elaine Stoops at (916) 874-6881 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Tipsters to Crime Alert may remain anonymous and may be eligible to a reward up to $1,000.

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

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

At least two people have been arrested in connection with the credit card scam pulled at Paul Martin's American Bistro in Roseville, police said today, but the suspects are considered minor players and the ringleaders may be operating overseas.

Roseville police arrested a 22-year-old Stockton man Monday - identified as Vinh Thien Huynh - after he allegedly tried to use a fraudulent credit card at a local department store.

Police say the suspect had three phony credit cards with his real name but fraudulent card numbers that may have been purchased off the Internet. One of the credit card numbers he had was from the restaurant case, police said.

Huynh was arrested on suspicion of identity theft, grand theft and other charges and was booked into the Placer County jail on $75,000 bail.

Police said a second man who tried to use a credit card number stolen from the restaurant's computer has been arrested in Michigan and that hundreds of similar cases could stem from the theft of credit card information from the restaurant.

Authorities say such scams typically involve hackers or sophisticated thieves operating overseas who obtain credit card numbers from vulnerable retail establishments, then sell the numbers on the Internet.

Police say the restaurant has repaired the vulnerabilities in its computer system and no other cards have been compromised.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The family of a boy who they said died in a "choking game" hopes to alert other parents to the dangers of the hidden practice.

A news release from the Nevada County Sheriff's department does not disclose exactly how 16-year-old Justin Butler died. However, his uncle, Bill Buus, said today the teen died as a result of a choking game intended to produce a "natural high."

Buus said that parents know to to stay on the alert of dangers that harm teens: drugs, unsafe driving and alcohol.

"But you don't hear a lot about the choking game," he said. "I thought it was a fringe activity. But that thinking is wrong."

A 2008 article from the Center for Disease Control said the activity has led to the death of at least 82 children and adolescents since 1995.

Buus said his nephew was a talented athlete and full of promise, his uncle said.

"Because Justin was such a great kid, we thought that the best way to honor him is to put the spotlight on this activity that could endanger our kids," said Buus. "We want to put this information out there as quickly as possible to prevent another child from dying."

The death of the student athlete earlier this week was a tragic accident, according to the sheriff's department.

Butler, a member of the Bear River High School football team, died in a Sacramento hospital after being airlifted from his Lake of the Pines home.

The sheriff's news release said deputies were dispatched to the teen's home Sunday on a report of a young person who had reportedly "hung himself."

After the boy's death, Sheriff-Coroner Keith Royal said in his release that rumors began circulating about the cause. Those rumors included a football injury and the young man becoming entangled in a piece of exercise equipment.

Detectives, however, have determined that although there was exercise equipment in the room where Butler was found, "it was determined it did not cause the death." Also, neither a football injury nor suicide are suspected as the cause of death.

"There is no information or evidence to suggest in any way the victim was trying purposefully to hurt himself or end his own life," the sheriff said.

Buus said his nephew was playing the "choking game." The CDC reports that in such an activity young people either choke each other or use a noose to choke themselves.

Butler's parents have since discovered that other teens in the community are also playing the game that led to their son's death, Buss said.

The CDC reports that participants either pass out, which can lead to serious injury, or die from hanging or strangulation.

Buss confirmed that the teen choked himself by using a strap anchored on a piece of exercise equipment. He said the strap was part of the exercise apparatus.

A fun-loving kid, the teen loved sports. As for his future, "whatever he was going to do, football was going to be involved," his uncle said. "He absolutely loved it."

A wiry wide receiver for the Bear River football team, Justin Butler had scored his first varsity touchdown last Friday.

Signs, according to the CDC, that children are playing the choking game:

-- Bloodshot eyes

-- Marks on neck

-- Wearing high-necked shirts, even in warm weather.

-- Frequent, severe headaches

-- Disorientation after spending time alone.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A 40-year-old North Highlands woman died in a rollover accident early Monday morning, California Highway Patrol officials said.

Authorities said Jeanna Simington, was driving a black 1992 Nissan Pathfinder on westbound Interstate 80 east of Northgate Boulevard when for unknown reasons, she turned her vehicle to the left and lost control of it.

The vehicle crossed the westbound lanes and struck the center median, causing it to overturn and come to rest blocking the two right lanes.

Simington was pronounced dead at the scene, CHP officials said.

She was wearing a seatbelt, and the collision is under investigation.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man has been convicted of prostituting two underage girls following a trial that a federal judge said had exposed jurors to a "cesspool" of activities not seen by most residents of the Eastern District of California.

The federal jury found Deandre Lornell Brown, 25, guilty of five counts of conspiracy, sex trafficking of children, using force, fraud and coercion, and participating in a venture that engaged in sex trafficking of children. U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrelll Jr. presided over the five-day trial.

According to testimony presented during the trial, Brown met and recruited two underage girls to work for him as prostitutes in and around the Sacramento area. He recruited the first victim in 2005, and she continued to work for him until his arrest in September 2009.

Brown used force, threats of force and coercion to force the girl to prostitute for him.

Brown recruited a second girl on Sept. 2, 2009 as she was walking near Arden Fair Mall. The girl worked for Brown until Sept. 13, when she ran away after he beat her in an apartment he used off Stockton Boulevard.

Officials said Brown forced the two girls, along with a third prostitute, Brittney Beacham, his co-defendant in the case, to work for him primarily in the Stockton Boulevard area of south Sacramento. He drove the girls to the area, advertised their services on prostitution websites, monitored and supervised their activities and collected the money they earned from prostitution.

For her role in the prostituting the second victim, Beacham pleaded guilty in April to concealing knowledge of a felony.

The case resulted from a joint investigation by the Sacramento Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Brown is to be sentenced Nov. 29.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Rocklin woman was arrested after she allegedly stole a co-worker's credit cards.

Marcella Kay Mills, 51, was arrested by Auburn police today on suspicion of burglary, identity theft, forgery and possession of prescription medication without a prescription.

An employee of the Save Mart store at 386 Elm Ave. in Auburn reported Saturday that his wallet had been lost or stolen. A few hours later, he discovered that one of his credit cards had been used at an Auburn business.

During the investigation, police learned that the victim's wallet had been picked up by a co-worker, who used one of the victim's credit cards at an Auburn business and attempted to use it at two other businesses.

Mills was contacted by officers and arrested at her place of work today. During her arrest, she was found to possess prescription medication without a prescription, according to an Auburn Police Department news release.

Mills was booked into Placer County Jail.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

In his final arguments to the jury, the prosecutor in the Chu Vue murder trial said the defendant was obsessed with his wife and her sexual affairs and that it drove him to kill her lover, state correctional officer Steve Lo.

Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall told the six-man, six-woman jury that Vue still dreamed about his wife sleeping with other men long after he'd been arrested and charged in the case, a "pathetic" circumstance that demonstrates that he had never "moved on" from his relationship with his wife.

Kindall cited the jail letters in which Vue told his wife, Chia, "I miss you and cannot sleep...when I think of you my heart hurts ... I can't breathe ... I can't stop my tears or cries ... please don't leave me."

"Does this sound like a man who has moved on?" Kindall asked the jury.

The prosecutor noted that Vue had violated the oath of his job as a Sacramento sheriff's deputy by harboring his fugitive brothers even before his discovery of his wife's affair with Lo drove him "over the edge," and that the defendant's testimony on his own behalf in the case was pockmarked with lies.

"This man had not one ounce of integrity before he took the stand, and he didn't cover himself in glory once he was on it," Kindall said.

He said that Vue's younger brothers, Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31, spent weeks conducting drive-by surveillances of Steve Lo's house before they got the drop on him in the garage of his Tambor Way home the morning of Oct. 15, 2008.

The brothers, Kindall said, trapped Lo in his garage and "by all appearances pistol whipped him" before they "proceeded to shoot him in the head, and that was the condition his wife found him, that his children found him."

Vue, 45, is accused of arranging the shooting death because of the affair the 39-year-old Lo was having with the former deputy's wife. He's also charged with harboring his younger brothers as fugitives, since March 2006, when federal warrants were sworn out for them on a 2001 gang-related murder in Minnesota. The two brothers have since been convicted of that murder and are scheduled to be tried next year in Lo's death.

The fired deputy's fellow Hmong clan member, Lang Vue, 27, is his co-defendant in this trial. Lang Vue is up for murder on charges that he aided and abetted the reputed murder conspiracy by renting motel rooms and cars for the gunmen and buying them another vehicle they used the morning of the killing and then to get out of town afterwards.

Lang Vue's lawyer, Matthew Scoble, had barely started his closing argument before the case recessed for the day. Scoble said Lang Vue was a "pawn" of the younger brothers and that he knew nothing about the killing.

Chu Vue's lawyer, Donald Masuda, is scheduled to give his closing argument Wednesday in Sacramento Superior Court in front of Judge Steve White.

Kindalll said that Vue's motive in the case was "so blatant and so clear." He said it is "the oldest motive known to man" for one member of the gender to kill another, or at least have it arranged.

"People were killing over women long before they were killing over king and country," Kindall told the six-man, six-woman jury as closing arguments got under way in the seventh week of Vue's murder trial.

More than just sleeping with Vue's wife, Chia, Lo also was taking sex pictures of her on his cell phone and sending them back to the woman. They were pictures that Vue ultimately discovered, photos that Kindall said pushed the defendant, a former Sacramento sheriff's deputy, over the edge.

"If Chia was trying to humiliate her husband, she found the perfect vehicle to do it," Kindall said. "The only question was, how would he react? And the answer was, badly."

Kindall said that once Vue saw the photos of his wife having sex with Lo, he tracked down the correctional officer's address by using sheriff's computers and also by looking him up through reverse-directory computer searches.

Vue then stalked Lo by driving past his house numerous times in the weeks before the killing, proven by his cell phone pinging off a tower near Lo's house and by surveillance videos that captured his car on the victim's street, Kindall said.

The prosecutor said Vue employed stake-out and surveillance tactics he learned as a gang investigator for the Sheriff's Department to get a read on Lo.

"You understand your target, your quarry, what his movements are and what his vulnerabilities are," Kindall said.

In bringing in his brothers for the kill, Kindall said that Vue relied on the two men he had been helping to hide out for more than a year, a pair of purported gunmen who at that time owed him for their freedom. For most of 2008, the two had been living in a mobilehome on a 20-acre piece of land that Kindall said Vue bought under a cousin's name and used to put up his brothers.

"They owed him big time," Kindall said. "And these men - and he knew it - were murderers."

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Auburn police have released photos of a young man suspected of holding up the West America Bank on Monday.

The man showed a note demanding cash to a teller about 3 p.m. He also had a small silver handgun.

After collecting cash from the teller and stuffing it in a blue bag, the suspect fled from the bank at 424 Grass Valley Highway.

The suspect was described as a slim white man in his mid-20s, with short brown hair and about 5 feet 6 inches tall. He was wearing a black T-shirt, blue jeans and blue tennis shoes.

Detectives ask that anyone with information call police at (530) 823-4237.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A bicyclist who died after being struck by a minivan this morning in Elk Grove was trying to cross Sheldon Road when the accident occurred, police said.

At 7:28 a.m. Elk Grove police responded to the call regarding a bicycle and a minivan colliding at Sheldon Road and Lewis Stein Road.

The bicyclist died at the scene after being struck and thrown upon the windshield of the Honda minivan traveling eastbound on Sheldon Road. Police did not identify the adult male bicyclist, who is thought to be in his 50s or 60s, pending notification of family. Police said he was traveling northbound inside or near a marked crosswalk.

The incident is under investigation. Police have several witnesses to the fatal collision.

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

A Sacramento City fire investigator looks for clues in the cause of a three-alarm fire which destroyed an upholstery shop and damaged a glass business early this morning in Colonial Heights. Photo by Randy Pench

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A three-alarm fire destroyed an upholstery shop and damaged a glass business early this morning in Colonial Heights.

The fire broke out at 2:26 a.m. at the commercial building at 4640 Stockton Boulevard, said Sacramento City Fire Capt. Jonathan Burgess.

When crews first arrived the fire was observed at the back of the building. Firefighters took hose lines through the front door and crews also went to the back to an adjoining apartment.

The apartment was searched and found to be unoccupied. The fire eventually spread into the attic of the upholstery shop.

A decision was made to pull firefighters out of the building when the fire started to burn with more force in the attic. Within two minutes there was partial roof collapse of the building.

The entire roof eventually collapsed. There were no injuries to firefighters or the public.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Authorities are at the scene of a collision on eastbound Capital City Freeway near the Jefferson Boulevard exit.

According to an online traffic report by the California Highway Patrol, the collision happened just after 6 p.m. and witnesses reported vehicles blocking lanes.

The report did not indicate that there were injuries. Details were not immediately available.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A man in his 50s was stabbed Monday evening and sent to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Sacramento police said.

Spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said that at about 6 p.m., in a vacant house near 17th and X streets, the victim, who's homeless, got into an argument with another homeless man in his 50s.

The suspect stabbed the victim several times in the neck and has been taken into custody, Leong said.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Campus police at California State University, Sacramento, are looking for a man they say sexually assaulted a female student last week.

The student was studying on the northeast side of Capistrano Hall at about 3:45 p.m. on Sept. 13 when the man, who was sitting across from her, moved next to her, Det. Scott Christian said.

The man then touched her "on an intimate part of her body," Christian said. The student was not injured. Christian said the student did the right thing by reporting the crime immediately.

Christian said police advise students to stay alert.

The suspect is described as a Latino man, about 26 to 27 years old, 5-feet-6 to 5-feet-7 tall and weighs 170 to 180 pounds. He has dark hair and a goatee, and dark colored tattoos on both of his lower legs.

He was wearing a black baseball cap with white lettering, a white T-shirt, Khaki cargo shorts, white ankle length socks and black tennis shoes. He was carrying a black backpack with red stitching.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Sacramento State Police Department dispatch center at 916-278-6851. Callers may remain anonymous.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 60-year-old Lodi man has been convicted of possessing and distributing child pornography.

A federal court jury in Sacramento found Duke Nottingham guilty Thursday after a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

According to testimony presented at trial, Nottingham, using an online file-sharing program, distributed images of minors being sexually exploited. Federal agents testified that in July 2009, Nottingham made more than 500 images and 200 videos available for an undercover agent to download from his computer. When they seized Nottingham's computer in October 2009, they found that Nottingham possessed more than 1,400 images of minors being sexually exploited.

The case resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Nottingham was remanded into federal custody after the verdict was returned and is to be sentenced Dec. 14.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Rocklin police have arrested an 18-year-old and two juveniles in connection with a Sept. 11 convenience store robbery.

Manuel Epigmenio Rosario was taken into custody Thursday after detectives searched a residence near the 7-Eleven store that was robbed. The search turned up evidence of the robbery, according to a police department news release.

Rosario and two juveniles are accused of robbing the store at 2101 Sunset Blvd. about 2:50 a.m. According to police, one of the suspects used a handgun during the robbery.

Rosario was booked into Placer County Jail on suspicion of kidnapping, robbery and possession of a dangerous weapon. He is being held on $200,000 bail.

The juveniles were arrested on suspicion of robbery and are in custody at Placer County Juvenile Hall.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A teen who drove at 80 mph with Folsom police in pursuit before crashing his car has been booked into Sacramento County Juvenile Hall.

The 17-year-old boy was spotted by police about 11 p.m. Friday when an officer noticed him make a right turn at Ingersol Way and Natoma Station Drive in the Natoma Station neighborhood. The driver took the turn so fast, his car slid sideways.

The officer tried to pull the teen over but he fled at more than 80 mph, ignoring stop signs, police said. Along the way, police said people in the car hurled beer bottles at the patrol car during the pursuit that covered about a mile in one minute.

At Natoma Station Drive and Blue Ravine Road the driver lost control and struck a sport utility vehicle.

The driver ran from the scene, leaving his six passengers in the wrecked car, including one who suffered a concussion, according to Folsom Police Officer Jason Browning. The four people in the SUV were not injured.

The teen was arrested Sunday night at his home on suspicion of evading police and felony hit and run causing injury.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A former Sacramento County social worker has been booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of stealing $324,000.

Julie Mee Vue, 40, was returned by the In-Home Supportive Services Fraud Task Force to Sacramento from Arkansas and booked into jail early Saturday.

The Sacramento County District Attorney's office said a 13-count complaint has been filed alleging Vue used her position as a Sacramento County In-Home Supportive Services social worker to steal more than $324,000 from the IHSS program.

She is being held in jail on suspicion of grand theft. Her bail is set at $325,000.

IHSS is a statewide program that aims to keep elderly and disabled residents in their homes and out of institutions such as nursing homes. State and local government officials, however, have long complained about rising costs in the program.

In June 2009, the county created a task force headed by the District Attorney's office to look into IHSS fraud.

The move came after the county's cost for running the IHSS program nearly quadrupled in less than a decade.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Folsom police said a loud party led to early morning stabbings during a big fight when an ousted partygoer returned with friends for a fight with baseball bats and sticks.

At least four people suffered injuries, police said. The extent of the injuries has not been released.

The incident began about 2:45 a.m. in an apartment complex in the 200 block of Montrose Drive near Fargo Way and Natoma Street where police were called to a report of a fight at a large party.

When police arrived they found one person had been stabbed or cut on his back and chest. He was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.

Police believe that man had been asked to leave the party earlier in the evening. The man, who police did not identify, allegedly returned with a friends armed with baseball bats, sticks and possibly a knife, police said.

A fight began in which the four people sustained lacerations, stab wounds or other injuries.

When officers tried to investigate, an occupant of the apartment slammed the door and retreated inside, police said.

As officers waited outside they were taunted with profanities and gang signs, police said. Police counted 11 people inside the apartment.

A standoff began and after three hours people slowly began exiting the apartment after repeated requests by officers for them to come out.

One person, Ricky Mora, 26, of Folsom, was arrested for kicking out the window of a police car and a probation violation, police said.

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

By Queenie Wong
qwong@sacbee.com

Firefighters have contained a series of small grass fires that threatened a barn housing horses near Watt Ave and Long View Drive, according to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

Captain Christian Pebbles, a spokesman for the fire district, said that firefighters received a call around 9:25 p.m. about four small grass fires, each less than 20 feet from the barn. They contained the fire within an hour, he said.

Details about the cause of the fire are not available at this time, Pebbles said.

Call The Bee's Queenie Wong, (916) 321-1008.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are looking for suspects in two unrelated cases in which suspects shot their victims, injuring one of them.

Police said today they found a 23-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds at 40th Street and 11th Avenue shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday.

Witnesses told police that the man was near the corner when he was approached by another person and the two argued before the shots were fired. The victim ran to a waiting dark blue sports utility vehicle, got in and was driven away, police said.

In the second case, police reported shots were fired shortly after 3 p.m. in the 500 block of Macarthur Street.

Responding officers found used shell casings and bullet holes in a vehicle.

Witnesses said that two men had fought with a third man. One of the suspects walked to his truck, got a gun, and fired shots into the air and fired more at the victim, who reportedly was not hit. The men then fled in the truck.

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

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Sacramento police reported solving two violent crimes this weekend after suspects left behind big clues.

Police reported today that an employee at a recycling center at the 5500 block of 24th Street was closing at 5 p.m. Saturday when two men in a dark sports utility vehicle stopped and asked if they could recycle a small bag of cans. As the woman weighed the cans, one of the men picked up an already-recycled bag and poured its contents into the weighing container, telling the recycling operator to pay him for those cans as well.

She refused, and continued dealing with the other man. That agitated the alleged perpetrator, who rushed her while she was at the open register, pushed her down, and grabbed money from the register, according to the police log.

The men jumped into the SUV and fled. But the driver drove into a chain link fence, which damaged the front bumper and pulled off the vehicle's front license plate.

Responding officers, using license plate information, found the suspect at home.

They placed 29-year-old Timothy T. Taylor under arrest, city police reported.

Earlier Saturday, police arrested Darnell Pruitt, 43, in connection with a carjacking in the 5100 block of Riverside Boulevard.

Police said a motorist who offered a man a ride in his car was robbed.The victim gave up his cash and his car. A short time later, police saw the victim's vehicle and the carjacking suspect driving it left the car and fled. A K-9 officer found the Pruitt, who was arrested, police said.

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

By Kim Minugh and Carlos Alcala
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are investigating whether two early morning robberies at area drive-throughs are related, according to authorities.

In the first robbery, reported just before 4 a.m., three men in a dark Honda pulled into the drive-through lane at a Jack in the Box on Del Paso Road, according to a Sacramento police report.

One man approached the teller's window and robbed the employee at gunpoint before getting back in the car, the report states. The car backed out of the drive-through and fled.

About two hours later, a lone assailant entered the drive-through at the McDonald's on Northgate Boulevard, said police Sgt. Norm Leong.

The man, described as a white male in his 20s or 30s, pistol-whipped an employee at the window and stole back the money he had given her, Leong said. The employee had to be taken to a hospital for treatment.

It was not known how the robber left the area.

Leong said the robbers' descriptions in the two incidents vary some, but police have not ruled out a connection.

In the earlier robbery, one robber was described as a Caucasian or Hispanic man in his mid 20s, about 6 foot 1 inch tall, and wearing a New York Yankees hat, gray sweatshirt and blue jeans, according to police.

The second robber was described as a Samoan man 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, with black hair and wearing blue jeans.

The third robber was described as a Caucasian or Hispanic man of average build, the police report states.

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

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento Police are investigating the events that preceded a strange accident that sent several people to the hospital early today.

A white GMC Yukon eastbound on X Street flipped over near Alhambra Boulevard shortly before 2 a.m., police reported.

Officers found six people outside the vehicle, three with major injuries. They were taken to the hospital for treatment.

Police determined one of the car's occupants also had a gunshot wound in his arm. It was not known whether the gunshot victim was the driver or a passenger.

A gun was found amid debris from the accident, and two of the vehicle's occupants were "validated gang members," said Sgt. Norm Leong.

The cause of the accident is unknown.

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

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

Folsom Police arrested a Sacramento man today after he led them on a chase through a residential neighborhood.

The chase ended after he backed his elevated 4X4 truck toward officers and one fired at the vehicle, which ended up disabled and resting on the hood of a police car, police reported.

The incident began around 2 a.m. when officers in Folsom's Historic District saw the raised GMC truck back into a parked and marked patrol unit on Sutter Street.

An officer on foot ordered the driver to stop, shining a flashlight at him, but the suspect sped away.

Marked police cars tried to stop the suspect numerous times during a pursuit in which he swerved at cars and onto residential yards.

Eventually, units hemmed him into a driveway in the 1200 block of School Street.

The suspect backed toward officers who got out of their cars expecting him to give up, police reported.

An officer who feared for his safety fired shots at the driver, who was not injured.

Officers also were uninjured in the pursuit.

Perry Persijn, 27, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon against a peace officer, felony evading, hit and run and impaired driving.

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

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento Police report finding a dead, naked woman in the roadway shortly after midnight this morning.

Officers responded to a report of a body and found the woman, who has not been identified, in the middle of the street at Florin Road and Tamoshanter Way.

Coroner's officials determined that the death was most likely due to an overdose, police reported. No further information was available.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A 57-year-old man with a quarter-century criminal record was convicted today in a DNA cold-hit murder case.

The Sacramento Superior Court Jury also found Donald Carter guilty of rape, robbery and burglary in the May 23, 1989, beating death of Sophia McAllister, 80, in her home in the 500 block of Eleanor Boulevard.

Carter, whose past convictions range from drug cases to assault, was arrested in the case last year, after a 2005 DNA test matched his genetic material to the McAllister killing.

He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 15.

In 2005, the Sacramento County Crime Lab developed a DNA profile for a possible suspect, but it didn't match any offenders on state or national databases at that time.

In March, 2009, Sacramento Police Department investigators linked that evidence with a DNA sample gathered from Carter. The sample was taken when Carter was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on an unrelated narcotics charge.

Records indicated that Carter lived about two blocks from McAllister at the time of the killing, according to a police report.

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

By Peter Hecht
phecht@sacbee.com

Tylar Marie Witt, whose lurid writings detailed a forbidden teenage relationship and an alleged murder plot, pleaded guilty today of the brutal killing of her mother.

Witt (left) was 14 at the time of June, 2009 killing of her mother, Joanne Witt, in their El Dorado Hills home.

She accepted a plea bargain that will send her to prison for 15 years to life in exchange for her testimony at the trial of her former boyfriend, Steven Paul Colver (bottom right).

Colver, who was 19 at the time of the crime, is charged with stabbing Joanne Witt to death in her bed after Tylar Witt summoned him to house in the predawn hours.

The teen lovers were allegedly furious that Joanne Witt filed a statutory rape report against Colver and gave authorities her daughter's journal detailing a sexual relationship between the teens.

Under a plea bargain agreed to before El Dorado County Judge James R. Wagoner, Witt pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with two special circumstances: lying in wait and killing a witness.

If she fails to cooperate with authorities, she will be sent to prison for 25 years to life. Under the plea bargain, she will get 15 years for second-degree murder.

Witt originally pleaded non-guilty by reason of insanity in to the case.

Her attorney, Mark Ralphs, said the plea deal - long in the works - means that "Witt has to testify truthfully" in all upcoming proceedings.

"What everyone has bargained for is her truthful testimony," Ralphs said.

Prosecutor Lisette Suder said court documents signed by the Witt, now 15, affirmed the girl's role in the killing.

"She pleaded guilty to murder and murder with special circumstances," Suder said. "She didn't say, 'No contest.' She said, 'I plead guilty.'"

Call The Bee's Peter Hecht, (916) 326-5539.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A judge sentenced Oscar Humberto Ceballos to 21 years in prison today as a result of his voluntary manslaughter conviction in the April 27, 2009, shooting death of Pablo Martin.

Ceballos (left), 23, received 11 years for his no-contest plea to the manslaughter charge and another 10 years for his discharge of a firearm that resulted in the death of the 34-year-old Martin.

Jurors in May acquitted Ceballos of first-degree murder but he entered his plea just as attorneys were set to re-argue the case amid the jury's difficulty in reaching a verdict on a second-degree murder count.

Ceballos and Martin had been fighting as a result of a dispute the victim had with his wife, who was Ceballos' sister.

The dispute prompted Ceballos to come to his sister's defense, according to trial testimony.

Ceballos and Martin first got into a fistfight. Ceballos left. But he came back with a gun and shot and killed Martin when the two combatants went at it again, police and prosecutors said.

Ceballos' attorney argued that the shooting took place in self-defense. He said Ceballos thought he saw a flash of chrome in the victim's pocket that the defendant mistook for a gun.

The prosecution said the victim was not armed.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County District Attorney's office is dismissing 79 cases after an extensive review of the work of a former Sacramento police officer who allegedly falsified his reports.

Six of those dismissals already have been processed, District Attorney Jan Scully said in a morning news conference. The rest will be thrown out at a 1:30 p.m. Superior Court hearing.

In the 79 cases, most of which involved charges of driving under the influence, prosecutors and police officials said they identified marked discrepancies between the written reports of former Sacramento police Officer Brandon Mullock and video captured by his patrol cruiser's in-car camera system.

Those discrepancies damaged Mullock's credibility, so the cases therefore could not be prosecuted practically or ethically, Scully said.

Most of the 79 cases already have gone through the system, and in many, the defendants pled guilty. Dismissing those cases - and wiping them clean from the defendants' records - is an "extraordinary step," Scully said.

"But we are bound by our ethical obligation," she said. "That's what justice calls for."

Scully's office began reviewing cases in which Mullock was the primary or arresting officer - or those in which he had been subpoenaed or called to the stand - in June after an attorney in a DUI case said he noticed discrepancies.

Nearly a dozen people from the DA's office and the Police Department spent "hundreds" of hours reviewing more than 200 cases, Scully said.

The review involved cases spanning Mullock's short career with the Police Department, from February 2007 to January 2010.

Mullock was placed on administrative leave in January after he was accused of brandishing a gun in an off-duty, unrelated incident, and ultimately resigned from the agency late last month.

Scully said police officials are working on their own investigation into Mullock's conduct and will submit a report to the DA's office.

Prosecutors then will decide whether to file criminal charges against Mullock. He could face misdemeanor charges of filing false police reports and felony charges of perjury, Scully said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A suspected bank robber shot by a Placer County Sheriff's Department deputy Thursday afternoon following a short vehicle pursuit in Colfax has died, a sheriff's spokeswoman said today.

Gregory Ray Deford, 46, of Weimar, was airlifted for emergency treatment after being shot. He died Thursday night at Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital, the spokeswoman said.

Sheriff's officials said events unfolded like this:

Sheriff's detectives had obtained a warrant for Deford's arrest in the robberies of the Wells Fargo Bank in North Auburn on Aug. 28 and the Bank of the West on Lincoln Way on Sept. 10.

When they tried to contact Deford in Weimar about 3:30 p.m., he fled in a Ford Escort and a pursuit began.

When Deford refused to stop, a spike strip was deployed at Canyon Way and East Weimar Cross Road, flattening all four tires on his vehicle.

But Deford entered eastbound Interstate 80 and exited at Canyon Way in Colfax, where he crashed his vehicle on Whitcomb Avenue. Deford was shot as deputies attempted to take him into custody.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting are being investigated.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Roseville police today released the name of a man killed in a Roseville head-on collision Thursday that also injured four children.

He was identified as Calvin Lee Tooker, 28, of Roseville.

The incident began shortly after 11:40 a.m. Thursday when officers spotted an Audi sedan speeding northbound on Washington Boulevard at approximately 75 mph, police said.

Officers began pursuit, but disengaged out of concern for public safety as the driver sped through intersections and nearly struck a vehicle.

Moments later, motorcycle officers driving northbound on Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard had to take evasive action to avoid the still speeding red Audi roadster.

The motorcycle officers turned around to restart the pursuit, police said.

By the time officers caught up to the southbound Audi, it had stuck a Honda Odyssey minivan heading north on Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard at Horncastle Avenue.

The Audi, which was reported stolen from an area used car dealership, caught on fire as a result of the collision. Tooker was pronounced dead at the scene.

The female driver of the minivan and the four children - all under the age of five - suffered moderate to minor injuries.

The woman is believed to be the children's daycare provider, police said. The driver and children were transported by ambulance to area hospitals.

"In my opinion, (the safety seats) seemed to mitigate the injuries. It would have been much worse had they not been in safety seats," Police Detective Jerry Wernli said.

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

By Bee Staff

A Sacramento man who shot his wife to death in 1995 because she threatened to leave him and then kissed her body before surrendering is due a parole hearing.

Daniel Lopez, now 51, killed Christine Dickerson, 34, with a shotgun in the couple's house in Hollywood Park, The Bee reported.

Lopez shot his wife after an argument where she threatened to leave him.

The couple's two daughters fled the house as Lopez leveled the shotgun at Dickerson. The girls heard the shot as they ran out the door.

Lopez held officers at bay for five hours after he killed Dickerson. Lopez threatened to kill himself or anyone who approached the house. But he finally appeared to lean over and kiss his wife's body before raising his hands in surrender.

Lopez' hearing will be held Sept. 22 at the Sierra Conservation Center where he is incarcerated.

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

District Attorney Jan Scully this morning will present findings of an investigation into arrests by a former Sacramento Police officer.

The DA is expected to reveal the number of cases that will be dismissed as a result of the investigation into arrests made by former Officer Brandon Mullock.

Prosecutors dismissed two DUI cases in June after finding discrepancies between his written reports and video/audio recordings of the arrests.

They have reviewed nearly 200 of the officer's cases, a spokeswoman for Scully said.

At a 10 a.m. news conference today, Scully will speak about the number of cases dismissed as a result of the department's investigation, the nature of the discrepancies discovered, detail specific cases and answer questions, the spokeswoman said.

Mullock, who joined the Police Department three years ago, has quit the force, police said. Mullock, 25, had been on administrative leave since January, when he was arrested after allegedly brandishing a gun in an off-duty argument.

He later pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of using offensive words in public in connection with that incident.

Scully said her office began reviewing Mullock's police arrests after they found two DUI cases in which his written reports varied greatly from video and audio tapes provided by his patrol cruiser's in-car camera system,

Sacramento police officials assembled a task force to review Mullock's work and have shared that information with the District Attorney's Office.

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

By Cathy Locke and Chelsea Phua
clocke@sacbee.com

A Weimar man identified as a suspect in two recent bank robberies was shot by a Placer County Sheriff's Department deputy Thursday afternoon following a short vehicle pursuit in Colfax.

Gregory Ray Deford, 46, was airlifted to an area hospital and his condition was not immediately known, said, Placer County Sheriff's officials report.

Sheriff's detectives had obtained an warrant for Deford's arrest in the robberies of the Wells Fargo Bank in North Auburn on Aug. 28 and the Bank of the West on Lincoln Way on Sept. 10. When they tried to contact Deford in Weimar about 3:30 p.m., he fled in a Ford Escort and a pursuit began.

When Deford refused to stop, a spike strip was deployed at Canyon Way and East Weimar Cross Road, flattening all four tires on his vehicle, said Lt. Jeff Ausnow. But Deford entered eastbound Interstate 80 and exited at Canyon Way in Colfax, where he crashed his vehicle on Whitcomb Avenue. Deford was shot as deputies attempted to take him into custody.

"The suspect's actions forced one of our officers to fire his weapon, striking the suspect," Ausnow said.

Sheriff's officials said the circumstances surrounding the shooting are being investigated.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An 18-year-old man wanted in connection with July stabbing and shooting incidents in Galt was arrested early this morning in Butte County.

Galt police detectives along with California Department of Justice investigators and the Butte County SWAT team arrested Thomas Edward Cruz (left) on outstanding arrest warrants.

Cruz had been sought for two months in connection with the July 21 stabbing of a man outside a market. Earlier that day, Cruz also was identified as a suspect who fired a handgun into an inhabited dwelling, according to a Galt Police Department news release.

Acting on a tip, investigators conducted surveillance on a rural property in Paradise. After he was spotted on the property, Cruz fled into a heavily wooded area, police said.

Investigators and the Butte County SWAT team searched the area and located Cruz, who was arrested without incident.

He was booked into Sacramento County Jail on the warrants for attempted homicide and firing into an inhabited dwelling, as well as gang enhancements. He is being held on $1 million bail.

Police said Cruz is the fifth person arrested in these cases.

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

By Ed Fletcher
eflectcher@sacbee.com

A detective investigating a Roseville head-on collision that killed a man on the run from police and injured four children credited the kids' safety seats for decreasing the severity of the injuries.

"Those car seats really saved those kids," said Detective Jerry Wernli, of the Roseville Police Department.

The incident began shortly after 11:40 a.m. when officers spotted an Audi sedan speeding northbound Washington Boulevard at approximately 75 mph, Wernli said.

Officers began pursuit, but disengaged out of concern for public safety as the driver blew through intersections and nearly struck a vehicle.

Moments later, motorcycle officers driving northbound on Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard had to take evasive action to avoid the still speeding Audi driver.

The motorcycle officers turned around to restart the pursuit, Wernli said.

By the time officers caught back up to the southbound Audi, it had stuck a Honda Odyssey minivan heading north on Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard at Horncastle Avenue.

Wernli police don't yet have an estimate of how fast either vehicle was traveling at the time of the collision.

"He drove into the northbound lanes. It doesn't appear that he tried to stop," he said.

The Audi, which was reported stolen from an area used car dealership, caught on fire as a result of the collision. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

The female driver of the minivan and the four children - all under the age of five - suffered moderate to minor injuries.

The woman is believed to be the children's daycare provider, Wernli said. The driver and children were transported by ambulance to area hospitals.

"In my opinion, (the safety seats) seemed to mitigate the injuries. It would have been much worse had they not been in safety seats," he said.

Wernli said as of 2:30 p.m. today, police had not identified the Audi driver or searched the vehicle.

The Audi was reported stolen Wednesday, but the report had not reached officers at the time of the pursuit, Wernli said.

The intersection remained closed this afternoon as the investigation continued.

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

By Kim Minugh
kiminugh@sacbee.com

A midtown mural depicting Sacramento Kings player Omri Casspi recently was defaced with a swastika - the second time in a week, according to authorities.

An unidentified caller reported the vandalism on the mural - painted along the east side of 16th street, south of Q Street - to city officials about 10:30 a.m., said Sacramento police Sgt. Norm Leong. City workers painted over the swastika shortly thereafter.

Leong said it's unclear when the vandalism occurred, though it likely was recent.

A mural depicting the Kings' Omri Casspi, was defaced for a second time in a week on Thursday. City workers quickly touched up the mural. photo by Randy Pench

Last week, city officials were alerted to a swastika painted on the forehead of Casspi, who is from Israel. Leong said police have no leads on that crime, or the more recent one.

And although police take the matter seriously, Leong said, officers have little to go on without tips from the community.

"We continue to hope that someone will provide information," he said.

He went on to say that such a hate-crime is "not acceptable" in the city of Sacramento, adding "I don't think it's a reflection of our community, being as diverse as we are."

Sacramento's Crime Alert organization is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information regarding the crime. Recently, officials from the Anti-Defamation League supplemented that reward with an additional $1,000.

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

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

By Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department released photos today of a robber who dressed as a woman while he held up a convenience store clerk (see below).

The police gave this account of the events in a news release:

On Tuesday at 9:09 p.m., the robber held up the clerk at gunpoint at a gas station/convenience store in the 8900 block of Pocket Road.

The suspect took cash from the cash register and fled on foot in high heels.

The suspect is described as a male black adult who was dressed like a woman. He is believed to be in his early 20s, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing about 175 pounds.

He was wearing a pink hat, pink shirt, pink/black plaid skirt and pink high heel shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP (4357) 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 T-shirt design led Auburn police to a juvenile who reportedly admitted responsibility for a series of graffiti vandalisms throughout the city.

School Resource Officer David Neher spotted a design on a juvenile's T-shirt that he said he recognized from recent graffiti on the Placer High School campus, according to a Police Department news release. (The graffiti at left is one of the designs linked to the vandalism attacks.)

From that juvenile, the officer learned the identity of the student responsible for the design. Neher then interviewed the student, who confessed to some 20 acts of graffiti vandalism, police said. The suspect was referred to juvenile authorities.

Detectives also have identified other suspects involved in the activities, including recent graffiti on the Auburn Town Center.

Police said the cost of cleanup for the series of incidents exceeded $2,000.

Auburn detectives have solved several cases involving graffiti in the past year, resulting in arrests and citations, the release states.

Police said the cost of cleanup and repair following this type of vandalism is a heavy burden on the city, schools, businesses and citizens, particularly in a difficult economy.

Anyone who sees graffiti or observes any suspicious activity in the city is asked to call the Auburn Police Department. Information about a graffiti offender should be reported to Officer Neher at (530) 823-4237, ext. 263.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department is investigating two accidents - one resulting in a fatality and the other a hit-and-run - that occurred within a few blocks of each other this morning in North Natomas.

An 80-year-old woman who was walking her dog died after she was struck by a vehicle.

Police reported that the woman and her dog were in the crosswalk at North Park and Banfield Drive shortly before 8 a.m.

The driver of an eastbound vehicle hit her.

She was taken to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead. According to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office's online records, she was identified as Lifang Chow Liou.

Police said neighbors found the uninjured dog running loose and turned it over to the woman's son, who lives in the area.

The driver remained at the scene, and police said there was no indication that alcohol or drugs were a factor in the accident.

The other incident occurred at Danbrook and Club Center drives, also about 8 a.m., when a youth who was riding his bicycle to school was struck by a vehicle. The driver left the scene.

Police said the boy suffered moderate injuries.

The vehicle involved was described as a gray Nissan Pathfinder with a hanging bumper. Anyone who sees a similar vehicle is asked to record the license number and call 911.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The defense rested today in the Chu Vue murder trial, setting the stage for closing arguments that Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White scheduled for Tuesday.

Defense attorney Donald Masuda concluded his case by calling two prison employees from the California Medical Facility in Vacaville. The employees testified that they had sex with Vue's wife in the year after the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting death of their fellow correctional officer Steve Lo.

Masuda had said earlier in the trial that the testimony was necessary to undercut suggestions that Vue still loved his wife and wanted to maintain his relationship with her even after he was arrested and charged with murder in Lo's death.

Prosecutors say that he arranged the killing in anger over his wife's affair with Lo and that he was obsessed with her, even through his testimony that concluded on Wednesday. The defense maintained in trial that Vue had moved on from the relationship and that her affairs did not motivate him to kill anybody.

Vue, 45, is on trial with fellow Hmong clan member Lang Vue, 27, who is accused of renting motel rooms and cars and then buying a sports utility vehicle that the suspected gunmen drove the night of the killing and then used to drive home to Minnesota afterward.

The accused gunmen are Chu Vue's younger brothers, Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31. The two were wanted for a 2001 murder in Minnesota at the time of Steve Lo's death. They have since been convicted in the Minnesota case and are scheduled to be tried next year in the Lo shooting.

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

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

The case of former California Highway Patrol Officer Ruben Salgado will proceed directly to trial after his defense attorney waived the right to a preliminary hearing.

Defense attorney Daniel A. Nicholson had hoped to close the evidentiary hearing to the media and the public out of concern that the publicity would hurt his client. Placer County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Penney rejected his request.

Penney said the First Amendment rights of the public and the media trump possible inconvenience to the court.

Outside of the courtroom, Nicholson said a fair trial might require a change of venue.

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, a 12-year CHP veteran, was arrested by the CHP on May 11 in Rocklin after he allegedly paid a confidential informant $100 for an eighth of an 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 Matthew Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A woman is in serious condition after crashing a stolen car into pillars on the side of Garden Highway near Gateway Oaks Drive late Wednesday night, Sacramento police say.

The woman, possibly in her 30s, was driving the two-door white Ford Thunderbird westbound on Garden Highway at high speeds, weaving in and out of traffic, according to Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

The woman lost control of the car and hit the wood and concrete pillars on the side of the highway, Leong said. She was ejected from the vehicle and suffered serious injuries, and she has been transported to a local hospital, Leong said.

The car had been stolen within the previous hour from that area of North Sacramento, Leong said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have determined that a late night stabbing death of a man in Meadowview was likely a case of self-defense.

Police said Jesus Antonio Miranda, 27, of Colusa, started a fight for reasons not known to officers with an 18-year-old man. The younger man tried to get away without success, suffering a cut to his arm.

In self-defense, police said the 18 year old stabbed Miranda.

Police were called to the scene of the dispute in the 2300 block of Craig Avenue just after 8 p.m., said Sgt. Norm Leong, police spokesman.

When officers arrived, they found Miranda with stab wounds, he said.

He was taken to the hospital where he later died.

While officers were at the Craig Avenue address, they received a second call came from a nearby area. They found the 18 year old in the 2500 block of 69th Avenue, suffering from his laceration.

No criminal charges have been filed, according to a police department press release.

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

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A West Sacramento woman died Wednesday after the car she was driving drifted into oncoming traffic and struck a big rig on County Road 22 in Woodland.

Clara Mattos, 83, was eastbound in her tan Chrysler on County Road 22 about noon when the car drifted into the westbound lane and struck the side of the big rig, according to a California Highway Patrol release.

Authorities have not determined what caused the car to drift into the westbound lane, but they said alcohol is not considered a factor.

Mattos was flown to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where she was pronounced dead, according to the CHP.

The driver of the big rig was not injured. There were no passengers in either vehicle.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A former resident of India who twice unlawfully entered the United States has been sentenced to three years in state prison for the 1994 arson of his Folsom liquor store.

In 1995, Kashmir Singh was convicted of arson in a jury trial but was released on bond and then failed to appear for his sentencing in August of that year, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

While Singh, now 48, was a fugitive, the district attorney filed additional charges against him for failing to appear in court.

On Oct. 15, 1994, Singh's Folsom liquor store burst into flames moments after Singh had set the store's alarm, locked the door and left the store, officials said. Investigators determined that the fire had been started inside the store with a flammable liquid and spread to the store's roof, where someone had poured additional flammable liquids.

Singh entered the United States unlawfully and testified at his jury trial that he would not have committed the arson because he would not risk deportation back to India. He testified that, if returned to India, he believed he would be killed for political reasons.

Singh was released on a $200,000 bond in the arson case but failed to appear for his sentencing. Instead, officials said, he fled to India, where he lived until 2002, when he again unlawfully entered the United States.

In 2003, the FBI discovered that Singh used an alias to apply for a hearing on his immigration status. He failed to appear for his hearing and remained at large until he surrendered to the FBI on April 2, 2009.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department is warning residents of a scam targeting utility customers that could compromise the customer's credit card and bank information.

Police said the Sacramento Municipal Utility District notified the department of the scam this week. It is accomplished by someone pretending to work for a utility company contacting the victim by phone. The person tells the victim that there is a billing issue involving a lack of payment and that their utilities will be turned off without immediate payment.

The victim, thinking their service will be turned off, provides the caller with credit card or bank information that can be used to compromise the victim's accounts.

Police remind people never to provide personal information -- including Social Security, credit card and bank account numbers -- over the telephone.

SMUD reports that its customer service representative will never call a customer and ask for financial information over the telephone.

Anyone who receives a suspicious call is advised to ask for the caller's name, then hang up and call the utility company's published phone number.

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

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

An Elk Grove man is in custody after he allegedly robbed a bank on Laguna Blvd. Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Elk Grove police responded to the U.S. Bank at 5000 Laguna Blvd. about 11:05 a.m. Wednesday regarding a robbery that had taken place there, according to Officer Christopher Trim, Elk Grove Police Department spokesman.

Witnesses told police that a man had entered the bank and verbally demanded money from a teller, who gave the man money out of fear for personal safety, Trim said. The suspect was not armed, Trim said.

The suspect put the money into a white plastic grocery bag and exited the bank on foot, Trim said.

As officers were responding, witnesses in the bank told police dispatchers that the suspect was walking in a parking lot on the north side of Laguna Boulevard, Trim said.

Responding officers located a man matching the description of the suspect given by witnesses, detained him and recovered a white plastic bag containing money, Trim said. The suspect, Michael Crandell, 23, was taken into custody without incident, Trim said.

Crandell was later positively identified as the robber by witnesses, according to a police department release. Crandell was arrested on suspicion of robbery and transported to the Sacramento County Jail.

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

By Cathy Locke and Kim Minugh
clocke@sacbee.com

Sacramento Fire Department officials have called off the search for the body of an 18-year-old West Sacramento man who drowned in the Sacramento River late Saturday afternoon near Eighth Avenue and Santa Buena Way.

A family member identified the man as Diro Lee. Michelle Augustine said Lee was her nephew and the family is distressed that the body has not been recovered.

Sacramento fire Capt. David Dolson said that searches failed to locate Lee's body and officials are waiting for the body to surface. In fresh-water drownings, he said, this can take some time, depending on physiological processes, the water's flow and any debris in the river that might prevent the body from floating to the surface.

"This is the process of how bodies are recovered from the river," Dolson said. "This is all we can do at this point in time."

Fire officials said Saturday that Lee was among a group of six people taking turns using a rope swing to plunge into the river. About 5:45 p.m. Saturday, Lee went into the water, surfaced, shouted and then went underwater again, witnesses said.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department is asking for the public's help identifying a man who robbed a convenience store clerk of beer at gunpoint last month.

A 2:06 a.m. Aug. 24, the suspect (see photo above) walked into a convenience store in the 5300 block of Fruitridge Road and attempted to open the beer refrigerator, which was locked. The suspect asked the clerk to unlock it, and the clerk explained that because it was after 2 a.m. he could not sell alcohol to the man.

The suspect then pulled a gun from his front pocket, placed it on the counter and demanded that the clerk get him a beer, according to a Police Department news release.

The clerk complied and gave the man a six-pack of beer. The suspect took the beer and left the area in a blue or green PT Cruiser.

The suspect is described as African American, in his 40s, heavy-set, and between 5 feet, 9 inches and 5 feet, 11 inches tall. He was wearing black sweatpants and a white tank top.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 442-4357, or text a tip to 274637. Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Hundreds of local cases in which thieves have collected credit-card numbers and used them to fraudulently make purchases have been traced to customers who frequented one Roseville restaurant, police said today.

Roseville police said that hundreds of credit-card numbers were compromised at Paul Martin's American Bistro.

Detectives believe that the problem is isolated to computer systems at the restaurant's site, 1455 Eureka Road, and "did not involve the external financial services network or any third-party data processing service," according to a police news release.

The cyber criminals who perpetrated the fraudulent credit-card activity are not known and could be operating anywhere in the world, police said.

The crooks were able to access the restaurant's credit-card processing system and steal credit-card numbers, which were then sold to other criminals and used to make purchases, police said.

Restaurant management is fully cooperating with the investigation. Paul Martin's has brought in computer security specialists to go over the restaurant's system to confirm they have found the only breach, police said.

They are also working to install safeguards to prevent further problems.

The restaurant remains open for business.

Employees will be using alternate methods to process credit-card transactions until the computer experts finish their work.

Restaurant management thanked the police department, the U.S. Secret Service and others for helping identify the data breach.

"We are doing everything in our power to ensure that our systems are safe, secure and locked down," said Ben Magana, operating partner of the restaurant.

The earliest of the cases under investigation appears to date back to March, said Dee Dee Gunther, police spokeswoman, said last week.

The pattern became apparent earlier this month, when lending institutions contacted the department after noting that many of the credit-card fraud victims at some time over the past several months used their credit cards in Roseville.

Will Holbert was a lunch patron at Paul Martin's on Aug. 15 and may have had his credit card compromised.

During the first week in September he got a call from his credit union asking him if he had tried to withdraw $3,500 from Barclay's Bank in England.

"In fact, the money was withdrawn," he said. However, the withdrawal was not by Holbert.

"My stomach dropped down to the floor but I was reassured that I would not be held liable for the loss," Holbert said.

Holbert said he feels a bit vulnerable to credit-card fraud and assumes he was part of the credit-card comprise fraud.

"The credit-card company advised me to check my online account as frequently as possible," he said.

Police advise consumers who notice unauthorized or attempted unauthorized transactions to:

- Immediately notify the lending institution of the potential compromise.

- Ask the lending institution to block the old credit card and issue a new one with a new number.

- File a report with a local law enforcement agency.

- Continue to closely monitor credit-card transactions, and if fraud has occurred, place a fraud alert with the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian.

Although criminals are able to use stolen-credit card numbers temporarily, police said, financial institutions usually will reimburse customers for their losses and block the account.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The last hour of Chu Vue's testimony turned into a warm-up Wednesday for the prosecution and defense attorneys to practice their closing arguments.

While the fired former Sacramento sheriff's deputy sat and answered "no" to everything, Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall ran through the heart of his case in the form of a string of questions, concluding by asking Vue if he was the "mastermind" of the "assassination" of state correctional officer Steve Lo.

Defense lawyer Donald Masuda then used his client in the same fashion, going back to his theory that Vue's younger brothers carried out the hit on their own and that the former deputy is "not the mastermind of anything."

At the end of his sixth day of testimony, toward the end of the sixth week of the trial, Vue stepped down from the witness stand and Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White told the jury that the end is near.

"It's likely that the evidence will conclude tomorrow," White told the jury at the close of Wednesday's session. "I expect you'll be deliberating on this case next week."

Earlier Thursday, Kindall confronted Vue with several jail letters the defendant rote to his wife that suggested he was still deeply in love with her long after he contends he had moved on from the relationship.

"I miss you and love only you," the fired former Sacramento sheriff's deputy wrote to his wife, Chia, on May 22, 2009, according to a translation from the original Hmong script.

"Wait for me, be faithful to me. Even though I am not there with you, you must be faithful to me," he wrote in another.

"Maybe you will see I can be measured up against other men/husbands you dream about," Vue said in a different letter.

He told her at one point, "Please love me a little bit and I will be greatly happy."

The letters presented by Kindall were intended to undermine a key defense of Vue's that he had no reason to arrange the shooting death of Lo because he had moved on from his relationship with his wife and was seeing other women.

Police and prosecutors say Vue, 45, retained his younger brothers Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31, to carry out the Oct. 15, 2008, killing because his wife was having an affair with Lo.

The brothers at the time were wanted for a 2001 murder in Minnesota. They have since been arrested and convicted in the Minnesota case. They are scheduled to stand trial in Lo's killing next year.

Kindall suggested in his continued cross-examination of Vue today that the defendant was "obsessed" with his wife.

Vue denied it.

Vue said in one letter he was so upset that his wife had not mailed him back that if she didn't hear from him again soon, it would be because he was on suicide watch.

He talked about his dreams of her while he was in jail and his recollections of washing her while they took showers together in the better days of their marriage.

The letters took a turn in tone after Vue had been in custody for several months and she stopped accepting his calls or returning his mail.

This past April 20, he wrote to Chia Vue to tell her that "it is because of your playing around that led to the destruction of our lives."

He told her in the same note, there will "be a day where you will even be more sorry for yourself and more miserable than you are now."

In a letter to his pastor, Vue wrote about his wife, "I believe Satan does have a strong hold on her."

Vue suggested in letters to his children that he was upset with the fact that his wife continued to see other men, while he was in custody.

"One day her lies are going to catch up with her and it's going to be worse than it is now," Vue wrote to one of his daughters, after saying in an earlier letter that "it bugs the s--- out of me" that she was dating another prison employee.

Chia Vue, a medical technical assistant at the California Medical Facility, worked in the Vacaville prison along with Lo at the time of his death.

Defense attorney Masuda noted in his questioning that his client also wrote love letters to another female interest of his, which the lawyer suggested undercut the idea that the defendant was obsessed with his wife.

In denying any obsession, Vue testified under questioning from Masuda that "I knew for a fact that Chia and I were not going to work out." He said she "betrayed me," but that "she's still the mother of my children" and that he needed her at the time "to support me financially" so he could pay for his defense.

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

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

A jury gave the death penalty today to David Charles Zanon for running down and killing California Highway Patrol Officer Scott Russell on July 31, 2007.

The El Dorado County Superior Court jury found Zanon (left) guilty on Aug. 4 of killing Russell in a manner that required a second deliberation to determine if Zanon's crimes merited the death penalty.

Zanon, who had a warrant for his arrest, was found outside a burglarized business in Rancho Cordova and sped off, leading officers from multiple jurisdictions on a chase along Highway 50.

Prosecutors argued that Zanon coldly and with premeditation steered off Highway 50 in El Dorado County onto the median to kill Russell, who had just set out a spike strip in an attempt to stop him.

In addition to the murder, Zanon was found guilty of attempting to murder CHP Officer Wayne Kenneweg, whom he also swerved toward during the pursuit that led from Rancho Cordova deep into El Dorado County.

Zanon also was found guilty of assault on Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Shannon Schumaker; guilty of evading an officer, causing death; felony leaving the scene of an accident; and receiving stolen property.

"Today, justice has finally been served for the cold-blooded killing of Officer Scott Russell," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. "While nothing can erase the everlasting pain and sorrow felt by Officer Russell's family and friends, may today's decision at least bring some relief that this process is over."

His defense, conducted by Mark D. Millard, attempted to undercut the prosecution's allegations that Zanon wanted to kill the officers he encountered.

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

By Bee Staff

The Elk Grove Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint beginning 8 p.m. Friday and running to 3 a.m. at an undisclosed location in the city.

Traffic volume and weather permitting, all vehicles may be checked, according to a police news release.

Drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested, the release states.

Drivers also will be checked for valid driver's licenses.

Funding for the checkpoint was by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

West Sacramento police called to investigate a suitcase left outside an elementary school determined the bag presented no danger.

Things are back to normal in the neighborhood around Holy Cross School, 800 Todhunter Ave., where this morning an unattended suitcase was spotted, a police spokesman said.

The surrounding area was evacuated so that explosive experts using a wheeled robot could examine the bag to make sure it was not dangerous.

Lt. Tod Sockman said the suitcase was empty.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man dressed as a woman down to his pink high-heeled shoes robbed a Meadowview gas station last night.

The robber entered the Shell station a little after 9 p.m. in the 8900 block of Pocket Road and pointed a gun at the clerk, Sacramento police reported.

Police said the robber was dressed in a pink and black plaid blouse and matching skirt. He wore a pink hat that matched his shoes.

He was further described as an African American man, about 20 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 175 pounds

The robber fled on foot with cash, police said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A fire at the Motel 6, 2030 Arden Way, was mostly contained to the second-story unit where the blaze apparently broke out shortly after midnight, said a spokesman for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

The fire caused some damage to neighboring units and roof.

A total of 33 firefighters were called to the fire, which caused an estimated loss of about $100,000, the spokesman said.

Occupants of the motel evacuated safely.

No injuries were reported to motel customers or firefighters.

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

The Bee's Phillip Reese analyzed June calls for service by the Sacramento Police Department and mapped the calls.

To see the map, click here.

By Bee Staff

A Sacramento man who killed a friend and then dismembered him is due a parole hearing later this month, according to the state Board of Parole Hearings.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge sentenced Timothy Robert Sugars, now 49, to 27 years to life in prison for the 1986 murder of his friend Stephen M. Rogers, The Bee reported.

Sugars was arrested in October 1986 after Sacramento police found the victim's severed head, hands and organs in the trunk of car in which Sugars was installing stereo speakers.

According to a probation report, Sugars, who had been taking drugs, shot Rogers four times in the head while the both men were in a car.

Sugars then took the body to a deserted area of El Dorado County where he dismembered it.

Sugars' hearing will be held Sept. 23 at the California State Prison, Solano, where Sugars is incarcerated.

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

The Anti-Defamation League has offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who defaced a billboard image of Sacramento Kings player Omri Casspi with a swastika.

The Sacramento Police Department is investigating as a possible hate crime graffiti painted on a mural of Kings players in the midtown area.

Last week a report was received by Sacramento police that a swastika had been painted on a plywood mural at 16th and R streets. The backward swastika was painted on the forehead of Casspi, who is from Israel.

"The defacement of Omri Casspi's likeness with a swastika -- an ugly symbol of hate -- is disturbing and an affront to the Jewish community and the Sacramento community at large," said Dan Sandman, director of the ADL's Central Pacific region.

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

"We applaud the Sacramento Kings for condemning this anti-Semitic act, and we hope they will continue to lend their voices to the fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry," Sandman said in a statement released Tuesday.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District investigators are looking into small grass fires set overnight in the Antelope area.

The four fires burned small patches of dry grass and did not damage any structures.

The arson fires occurred between 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. in the area near Antelope Road and Don Julio Boulevard, according to a district spokesman.

They do not appear to be linked to recent arson fires in North Highlands.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Victor Hugo Perez Zavala would have turned 25 years old Tuesday.

Balloons with the words "happy birthday" marked the sidewalk on J Street between 18th and 19th streets in midtown Sacramento, where more than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil Tuesday night for Zavala.

• See a photo gallery

"He was going to have a barbecue and have friends and family over," said Andreaj Zavala, Victor Zavala's cousin.

Instead, family and friends stood on the sidewalk on J Street to mourn Victor Zavala, who was fatally shot early Sunday morning following midtown's monthly Second Saturday art event.

They arranged candles into the shape of a cross and placed bouquets of flowers near a collage of photos of Victor Zavala. The words "rest in paradise" and "we'll never forget about u" were written on the collage. A picture showed Victor Zavala smoking a cigar. Three cigars were placed on top of some candles.

"He likes the aroma," Andreaj Zavala said.

Ricardo Zavala, one of Victor Zavala's brothers, spoke briefly, thanking the people who attended the vigil, which was mostly solemn and quiet. A few sobbed loudly, but many wept silently.

"He never harmed anybody or did anything bad," Ricardo Zavala said.

Victor Zavala was finishing his studies at Sacramento City College, working for the California Department of Managed Health Care and about to attend an international relations program at a Southern California college.

"He had a dream to become something of himself," Ricardo Zavala said. "That dream was taken from him in an instance."

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

Above: Saul Tomas, a friend of Victor Hugo Perez Zavala, kneels before a memorial at J and 18 Streets where Zavala was shot during the Second Saturday art walk in midtown.

Above: Jose Perez, brother of Victor Hugo Perez Zavala, second from left, hugs two of his cousins, Carmen Zamora, left, and Blanca Ramirez, second from right. Tuesday would have been his 25th birthday. Bee photos by Lezlie Sterling

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies arrested two men - a 29-year-old and a 36-year-old - accused of robbing a bank and leading authorities on a high-speed chase Tuesday afternoon.

Department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said a Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District arson investigator was inside a River City bank on Howe Avenue shortly before 5 p.m. when he saw the two men run out and take off in a light blue Chevrolet pick-up truck.

The arson investigator reported the possible robbery at 4:49 p.m.

About a minute later, deputies spotted the truck at Bell Street and Hurley Way, where the pursuit ensued.

The suspects led deputies onto westbound Interstate 80 before getting off at the Norwood Avenue exit.

Curran said the truck drove into several residents' back yards before it "became disabled somehow" at Dry Creek and Neal roads in the Robla area.

The 36-year-old man tried to flee on foot, but was quickly captured by a Sacramento Police Department K9 unit and sheriff's deputies. He struggled with the officers and the dog and was bitten by the dog. Paramedics treated his injuries at the scene.

Curran said deputies recovered at least on handgun from the men and one of them had a large sum of cash in his pockets.

The suspects are facing an array of charges, including robbery, evading and resisting arrest, Curran said.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Three people were arrested and 11 face criminal charges or administrative fines following a two-day undercover operation in Roseville conducted by the California Contractors State License Board.

The sting operation was carried out at a Roseville home last Wednesday and Thursday by members of the state board's Statewide Investigative Fraud Team, Amador and Placer county district attorney's offices, and the Roseville Police Department. Fraud team investigators posed as homeowners soliciting bids for landscaping, painting, concrete, roofing, framing and flooring work. Suspects who bid more than $500 for labor and materials received a notice to appear or an administrative citation, according to a Contractors State License Board news release.

By law, only state-licensed contractors are authorized to work on home improvement jobs valued at more than $500. Contractors also must place their state contractor license number in all advertisements. Unlicensed individuals may advertise and accept jobs valued at less than $500, but their ads must state that they are not licensed contractors. State law also requires licensees to purchase workers' compensation insurance for all their employees and themselves if they are roofing contractors.

Tony White, 53, of Fair Oaks, a flooring contractor, was arrested in the Roseville sting as a registered sex offender in possession of a concealed weapon. He also faces a misdemeanor count of contracting without a license.

Jerry Thomas Garza, 52, of Sacramento, a painting contractor, and Adrian Eric Littlefield, 33, of Auburn, each brought employees with no-bail arrest warrants, and those employees were arrested on those warrants, said Venus Stromberg, a spokeswoman for the Contractors State License Board. Garza received a notice to appear for allegedly contracting without a license and illegal advertising and Littlefield received a notice to appear for allegedly contracting without a license, illegal advertising and failure to carry workers' compensation insurance,

Also receiving notices to appear for alleged violations were:

• Lam Nguyen, 53, of Elk Grove, landscaping, contracting without a license, illegal advertising and soliciting excessive down payment.

• Ha Manh Nguyen, 41, Sacramento, flooring, contracting without a license, illegal advertising and failure to carry workers' compensation insurance.

• Brian Sean Fenno, 43, of Auburn, concrete, contracting without a license, illegal advertising and failure to carry workers' compensation insurance.

• Eduardo Gonzalez Lopez, 35, of Yuba City, landscaping, contracting without a license and illegal advertising.

• Jose Saul Chavez, 44, of Rescue, landscaping, contracting without a license and illegal advertising.

• Joe English, 28, of Antelope, framing and rough carpentry, contracting without a license and illegal advertising.

Arraignments for these individuals are scheduled Nov. 11 and 16 in Placer County Superior Court in Roseville.

Two people received administrative citations, which carry a fine. They are Max Espinosa Gomez, 41, of North Highlands, a concrete contractor, who was cited for contracting without a license, and John William Downs, 62, of Newcastle, framing and rough carpentry, who was cited for contracting without a license and illegal advertising.

The Contractors State License Board urges consumers to verify a contractor's license by checking online at www.cslb.ca.gov, or via the board's automated phone system at (800) 321-2752.

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

By Queenie Wong
qwong@sacbee.com

A 22-year-old Sacramento resident was arrested this morning in Redwood City in connection with a fatal shooting in Rancho Cordova and has been transported to a Bay Area hospital after he jumped from a third-story window trying to escape detectives, according to law enforcement officials.

According to Sacramento County Sheriff's Department officials, Robert Vasquez will face charges for the killing of 49-year-old Madalene Thomas, who was fatally shot Sunday morning on Explorer Drive in Rancho Cordova while driving in a car with her 18-year-old nephew.

According to a Sheriff's Department news release, here are the details of the arrest:

Detectives tracked down Vasquez shortly after 3 a.m. to a motel on El Camino Real in Redwood City. When detectives knocked on his motel room door, the suspect jumped from the third story window, trying to escape. Detectives found him lying in the parking lot with multiple serious injuries.

Paramedics transported him to a hospital, where he is in critical condition. Once he's released from the hospital, he will be transported to Sacramento, where he will face murder charges, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Another suspect has always been identified and was interviewed by detectives, but he has not been arrested. The investigation is ongoing and a motive for the murder is unclear, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Anyone with information about the shooting should call sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115.

Call The Bee's Queenie Wong, (916) 321-1008.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento real estate investor has been sentenced to a year and one day in prison for filing false tax documents with the Internal Revenue Service.

U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez also sentenced Wallace Chin, 72, to six months of home detention and one year of supervised release following his prison term, and ordered him to pay $104,997 in restitution to the IRS, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

Chin pleaded guilty May 25 to one count of filing a false tax return.

According to court documents, Chin underreported by more than $700,000 the capital gains he received from the sale of property that he owned in Sacramento through a partnership.

When his tax return was later audited by the IRS, Chin submitted a number of false and forged documents purporting to substantiate the false information in his return, the release states.

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

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

A 56-year-old woman found dead Monday night in a multiplex unit in North Sacramento has been identified as Roberta Dell Pickler, according to Sacramento Coroner's Department online records.

No one has been arrested and the motive for the death is under investigation by Sacramento homicide detectives.

About 7:50 p.m., police received a call from neighbors saying they found the woman dead in her residence in the 2300 block of Beaumont Street, said Sgt. Norm Leong, police spokesman.

Leong said detectives and personnel from the Coroner's Department determined that the woman's death was a homicide. He said she died from apparent blunt-force trauma.

Neighbors who talked to the woman regularly said they had not heard from her in a few days, so they checked in on her and found her body in the residence, Leong said.

Police ask anyone with information about the woman's killing to contact Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Tipsters may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Chu Vue testified today that it was his daughter who first told him that Steve Lo had been shot and killed, but that he had no idea at the time who might have done it.

Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall, in his second day of cross-examination, expressed incredulity that Vue didn't know who had done it, in that he had spoken to his brothers in the preceding weeks and that one of them had told him they wanted to "jack" Lo up.

"If I knew who it was them who did the killing, I wouldn't be sitting here right now," Vue testified.

Vue, 45, a fired former Sacramento sheriff's deputy, is accused of murder on charges that he arranged Lo's slaying because the victim was having an affair with Vue's wife.

He testified his daughter woke him up at noon the day of the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting of Lo to tell him that she had spoken to her mother and "she said something about mom's boyfriend being killed."

The questioning came as Kindall continued his relentless cross-examination, wearing Vue down with literally hundreds of questions the past two days about the timing of his phone calls and the contents of the conversations he had with his on-the-lam brothers in the month leading up to the shooting death of Lo, a state correctional officer.

Vue seemed to grow tired as the morning wore on, his voice dropping several decibel levels.

He was at a loss to explain his dozens of calls to his younger brothers Chong and Gary Vue.

In one conversation, Kindall noted that Vue was calling one of his brothers at 6:51 p.m. on Sept. 21, 2008, at the same time his car was seen driving past Lo's south Sacramento house. It was a little more than three weeks before Lo was gunned down in his garage while he was going to work.

"I don't know," Vue answered, when asked what they were talking about. "I don't recall why I'm making that phone call."'

Vue had testified he was looking for his wife. Prosecutors say it was her affair with Lo that motivated Vue to have the 39-year-old victim killed. The younger brothers are accused of carrying out the fatal shooting attack.

Asked if he was angry while he was looking for his wife, Vue replied, "I'd say I was angry, yes."

Later that same evening, Chong Vue's cell phone pinged off the transmission tower closest to Chu Vue's house, but the former deputy denied that the brothers ever stayed at his residence or that he ever saw them there after Minnesota authorities swore out a warrant for their arrest for a 2001 murder in Minneapolis. They were later convicted in that case.

An hour after Chong Vue's phone pinged off the tower closest to his brother's house, it pinged again off the tower closest to Steve Lo's house.

Lo was shot and killed Oct. 15, 2008. Chong Vue and Gary Vue are scheduled to be tried for Lo's murder next year.

Some of Kindall's pointed questions contained what police and prosecutors believe are the answers to the events that led up to Lo's killing.

When Vue could not explain why his cell phone pinged off the tower near Lo's home three times on Sept. 27, 2008. Kindall asked, "It certainly had nothing to do with your conducting a surveillance on Steve Lo's home?"

"No," Vue replied.

Kindall noted that on Sept. 28, 2008, Vue was running a trace on a number he retrieved from his wife's cell phone, some three weeks after he said he had come to terms with the fact their marriage was through.

"Why are you still snooping on her on the 28th of September, Mr. Vue?" Kindall asked.

"I don't think it was snooping," Vue replied. "I was curious."

"Curious or obsessed, Mr. Vue?" Kindall asked.

Judge Steve White sustained defense attorney Donald Masuda's objection to Kindall's question.

The cross-examination continues this afternoon in Sacramento Superior Court.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The District Attorney's office has asked for more time to decide whether to file domestic violence charges against former Sacramento Kings player Matt Barnes.

Barnes, a Del Campo High graduate who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, appeared for his scheduled arraignment Monday, but no charges had been filed, according to authorities.

Instead, prosecutors asked for more time to investigate the Sept. 8 incident, in which Sacramento County sheriff's deputies responded to a Fair Oaks home after a 911 hang up. They found Barnes and his fiancée, Gloria Govan, with visible injuries, according to sheriff's officials.

Deputies determined Barnes to be the primary aggressor and arrested him on suspicion of domestic violence and destructing a telephone line.

After the incident, both Barnes and Govan denied any abuse took place.

Barnes is scheduled to return to court Oct. 18, at which point the DA's office will announce whether charges will be filed.

His attorney, Tom Johnson, applauded the DA's office for not moving forward with charges this week. "We are confident the decision they will ultimately reach is that while there was an argument and some discord, nothing criminal occurred," he said.

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

By Jane Braxton Little

Lassen County officials battling to block a convicted killer from being paroled in their rural area were close to a partial victory Tuesday.

Loren Herzog, initially convicted of three first-degree murders and implicated in several others, will most likely be paroled to state property near a state prison in Lassen County, said Ken DeVore, chief of staff for Assemblyman Dan Logue.

"It's a 95 percent done deal," DeVore said.

One option is to release Herzog to state property near a state prison in Lassen County, said Steve Thomson, a spokesman for Assemblyman Dan Logue. His announcement mid-way through a Lassen County Board of Supervisors meeting today drew a cheer from the emotional crowd of 450 residents but it did not halt their efforts to completely prevent Herzog from being placed in Lassen County.

"None of us wants this scum here," said Supervisor Jack Hanson., whose district includes the tiny community of Doyle, where the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation planned to relocate Herzog on Saturday after his release Friday from a prison in Riverside County.

Herzog won an appeals court ruling after his 2001 conviction on first-degree murder charges that included the rape and murder of Cyndi Vanderheiden in 1998. He then pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Vanderheiden's death, reducing his initial 78-year sentence to 14 years.

The prison system cannot hold Herzog after Friday, said Lassen County Sheriff Steve Warren.

Placing him on the grounds of a prison, where he will wear an electronic monitor be under constant surveillance, is better than having him loose in an unprotected community, he said. But Warren and the county supervisors pledged to continue their campaign to prevent Herzog from entering Lassen County under any circumstances.

They are seeking a court order prohibiting the state Department of Corrections from sending Herzog to the rural county.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

El Dorado County Animal Services is searching for the owner of a small dog that bit a child in Cameron Park late Sunday morning.

The girl was playing at McAuliffe Park on Merry Chase Drive and was petting the dog when she was bitten, according to an El Dorado County Health Services Department news release.

The dog is believed to be a brown and white Basenji, wearing a wide studded collar. The animal was on a leash and accompanied by a woman, who called the dog "Kia."

The owner indicated that the dog had had a rabies vaccination, but because no information was exchanged, officials said, the vaccination status cannot be confirmed.

Although the child's injuries were minor, Animal Services officials would like to speak with the dog's owner to verify that the dog is current on its rabies vaccination so the child does not have to have post-exposure rabies treatments.

Anyone with information is asked to call Animal Services at (530) 621-5795.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A woman struck by a hit-and-run driver as she was crossing a street in Woodland on Monday morning is in fair condition at U.C. Davis Medical Center, according to Woodland police.

The 53-year-old woman was injured shortly before 8:30 a.m. in a crosswalk at the intersection of West Beamer and California streets when she was hit by a vehicle traveling through the intersection.

Witnesses told officers that after the initial impact, the woman struck the windshield of the vehicle and rolled over the top of the car before landing in the street.

Woodland police Sgt. Anthony Cucchi said today that police are still searching for the vehicle and its occupants.

Witnesses told police that two men in their early 20s were in what was described as a dark-colored mid-size, four-door sedan. Police said the car likely would have front-end and windshield damage, and may be missing a hubcap.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Woodland Police Department at (530) 666-2411.

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

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

A 41-year-old Roseville man has entered pleas of no contest Monday in response to counts of vehicular manslaughter as a result of a November drunken driving incident that killed Placer County residents.

Julian Manuel Martinez's drunk driving claimed the lives of Manuel Espinoza, 65, and his son David Espinoza, 27. Espinoza's wife Ededina, 62, was injured in the Nov. 1 crash.

Martinez was arrested after his vehicle drifted into oncoming traffic shortly after 1 p.m. while driving on Baseline Road west of Fiddyment Road. His vehicle collided head-on with Espinoza's.

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 27.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Jack Aaron Squires for the shooting deaths of his mother and grandmother two years ago in their Woodlake home.

Jurors also found that Squires, 47, committed the murders for financial gain. Along with the multiple murders, it was a special allegation that figures to result in a life prison term with no chance of parole for Squires at his scheduled Oct. 15 sentencing by Judge Robert M. Twiss.

Police and prosecutors said that Squires killed his mother, Kathleen Roloff, 65, and his grandmother, Elma Alberta Matranga, 94, so he could get to the proceeds of a $400,000 loan they had taken out against the house in the leafy north area neighborhood where they were both shot and killed. (An earlier version of this story misspelled Matranga's first name.)

Squires had claimed that his mother was suicidal and that she killed his grandmother and then turned the gun on herself.

Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet said in her closing argument last week that forensics evidence conclusively demonstrated that Roloff did not kill herself.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A woman with three prior drunken driving convictions was found guilty of murder Monday for a fatal collision in Elk Grove that took the life of a 54-year-old man last year.

The Sacramento Superior Court jury also found Rebecca Armida Vela (left), 34, guilty of hit and run, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence in the April 18, 2009, crash that killed Stanley Franklin Spaeth Jr.

Vela is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 13 by Judge Kevin J. McCormick.

Spaeth was headed home from work - a second job he picked up to prepare for his oldest daughter's college enrollment in the fall - when his motorcycle was struck on East Stockton Boulevard in Elk Grove. He was thrown from his motorcycle and suffered fatal injuries.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A young mother was booked into Placer County Jail on suspicion of child endangerment and drug charges after deputies found unclean conditions in her Auburn home.

Samantha Jackson (left), 23, was arrested on suspicion of felony child endangerment and drug charges Saturday after deputies were called to her north Auburn apartment. An anonymous caller reported children were playing unattended outside and their mother was doing drugs.

Inside Jackson's apartment, deputies found what they described as extremely dirty conditions. The floor was covered with old food, clothes and garbage.

Deputies said the woman's 4-year-old son was "very thin" and his legs were covered with sores. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Her 4-month-old daughter was found strapped in a car seat in an upstairs bedroom. The baby's crib was filled with garbage, clothes and a lawn chair.

Her 2-year-old daughter was also in the home.

Inside the woman's apartment deputies allegedly found a drug kit containing syringes and a spoon with white substance that later tests revealed to be methamphetamine.

The children were placed released to Child Protective Services.

"The anonymous caller who reported this situation is a true hero," said Placer County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Ausnow.

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

By Bee Staff

The Placer County Sheriff's Office today released a photo of a bank robbery suspect who detectives say struck two Auburn banks in two weeks.

Friday, the suspect entered the Bank of the West in the 13400 block of Lincoln Way and told the teller he wanted to cash a check, according to a sheriff's news release. He then passed a note that demanded cash. The suspect was given money, and then walked out of the bank.

On Aug. 28, the same suspect robbed the Wells Fargo Bank on Grass Valley Highway in north Auburn.

The robber is described as 6 feet tall, 35 to 40 years old, with brown hair and a goatee. He was wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Jim Hudson at (530) 889-7855. Or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward for information leading to an arrest, call Placer County Crime Stoppers at (800) 923-8191.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A bicycle-cart ice cream vendor had bleach thrown on him, allegedly by a woman who thought he short-changed her, police said.

The 32-year-old vendor was pedaling on Deeble Street near Sutterville Road and 24th Street on Monday afternoon when he was confronted by Karen Lynn Washington (photo right). Washington, 56, believed he was the same vendor who short-changed her about a week ago.

Police allege that Washington removed a big bottle of bleach from her car and then threw the liquid at him. Some of the bleach hit his face and mouth, while the majority of the liquid soaked his clothing.

Washington was arrested on suspicion of assault with caustic chemicals. It does not appear that the victim was seriously injured, police said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The attorney for former California Highway Patrol officer Ruben Salgado (left) asked in a Placer County Superior Court filing today for his client's preliminary hearing to be closed to the public.

Salgado's attorney presented a motion to the judge that asks that the public, including the news media, be banned from the preliminary hearing.

The judge did not rule on the matter, saying he would take up the matter Thursday morning before the preliminary hearing.

The hearing, which had been scheduled for today, was postponed until 8:30 a.m. Thursday in Department 44 in Roseville.

The motion presented by attorney Daniel A. Nicholson states that an open preliminary hearing with media coverage will preclude Salgado from getting a fair trial in Placer County.

Media coverage has already been intense, according to the document. News media has asked to take pictures of Salgado court proceedings and those requests have been granted over the objection of the defense, the motion states.

Prosecutor Doug Van Breeman said outside the courtroom that he will oppose the motion.

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

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

The Rev. Shannon Fannin, founder of the food closet at Liberty Ministries Church, looks through a doorway where burglars broke in and stole food. Bee staff photo by Randy Pench.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Burglars broke into a church food locker in the Robla neighborhood this morning and made off with food meant for the needy.

The Rev. Shannon Fannin, founder of the food closet at Liberty Ministries Church, said if the burglars were hungry they didn't need to steal. All they had to do is ask.

"We would have given them food," he said. "They would not have had to break into anything."

The thieves broke in through a door of the food locker located in a warehouse next to the church at 4840 Marysville Blvd., the pastor said.

It was not the first time that the food locker had been burglarized. This time, the thieves loaded up trash cans with about 500 pounds of donated food from Senior Gleaners and other sources.

Taken were canned goods, melons, shampoo, baby wipes, sodas and bread. The goods were meant to be passed out to the needy this Thursday.

"Anybody who needs food can come and get it," said Fannin. "We have passed it out every Thursday for the past 20 years. It does not matter where they are from. They just need to get in line."

To help replenish the food locker, simply drop goods by the church or call (916) 922-6442 and a church member will pick a large donation.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man has pleaded guilty to stealing money while servicing automated teller machines at the Red Hawk Casino in El Dorado County.

Eduardo Ursua Fontillas, 51, pleaded guilty Friday before U.S. District Court Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. to felony theft and embezzlement from a casino operated by an Indian tribe.

According to court documents, Fontillas stole more than $125,000 in $1,000 and $1,500 increments from ATMs at Red Hawk Casino while servicing the machines. The loss was suffered by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, which owns the casino on the Shingle Springs Rancheria, off Highway 50 in Shingle Springs.

Fontillas' girlfriend, Rosalina Due Bona, 43, of Sacramento, is also charged with receipt of stolen and embezzled money. She allegedly possessed for her own use between $50,000 and $60,000 in cash from the ATMs, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. Bona is scheduled for a court hearing before Judge Burrell on Oct. 29.

Fontillas is to be sentenced Dec. 3.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento woman has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of wire fraud and mail theft.

Traci Marie Linzmeier, 37, entered the plea today before U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr.

According to court documents, Linzmeier and others followed U.S. Postal Service vehicles and trucks on neighborhood delivery routes in Sacramento County. On several occasions earlier this year, Linzmeier, who acted as the getaway driver, and her associates broke into parked Postal Service trucks and delivery vehicles and stole trays of U.S. mail while postal carriers were conducting deliveries.

Linzmeier admitted that she collected and sorted the stolen mail, and used the stolen financial information to buy merchandise online, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

Linzmeier is to be sentenced Dec. 13. She faces up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud conviction and up to five years in prison for each count of U.S. mail theft. She also could be fined more than $1 million.

The case resulted from an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Rancho Cordova Police Department and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Citrus Heights police made 16 arrests in DUI warrant sweeps and stakeouts during the past week.

The campaign targeting people with a history of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs began Sept. 5 and concluded Sunday.

Officers attempted to contact individuals who had confirmed active warrants for DUI-related offenses. They also conducted various stakeouts in an attempt to locate habitual offenders who continue to drive even through their drivers licenses have been suspended.

The operation involved two scheduled DUI warrant sweeps and four separate DUI stakeouts, according to a Police Department news release.

Officers assigned to the warrant sweeps attempted to serve a total of 83 warrants citywide. They arrested 11 people for active DUI warrants and one person for a drug-related offense. Three citations also were issued during the warrant sweep.

Officers assigned to the DUI stakeouts stopped three vehicles, arrested four people for DUI-related warrants and impounded one vehicle.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Efforts to provide medical aid to the victim of a hit-and-run crash in Woodland this morning were complicated when the air ambulance experienced a "bird strike."

Woodland police officers arrived at the intersection of West Beamer and California streets at 8:27 a.m. after receiving a report that a pedestrian had been injured by a hit-and-run driver. The victim, a 53-year-old woman, was found lying in the middle of the intersection.

Medical personnel requested an air ambulance to take her to the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. Police and officials at nearby Woodland High School evacuated the school stadium so the football field could be used as a landing zone, according to a police department news release.

A CALSTAR air ambulance landed on the field and the woman was placed on board. But moments after taking off, and while still over the ball field, the helicopter collided with a bird, and as a safety measure the pilot landed.

The victim was moved to a ground ambulance, and CALSTAR personnel immediately requested a nearby REACH helicopter, which landed on the football field and took the woman to the hospital.

Police said they are withholding the woman's name until they receive an update from the medical center on her condition. Although her condition was serious, they said she was conscious and able to speak at the scene of the collision.

Police said witnesses stated that the woman, who was not affiliated with Woodland High School, was in the crosswalk when she was struck by a vehicle traveling through the intersection. Witnesses told officers that after the initial impact, the woman struck the windshield of the vehicle and rolled over the top of the car before landing in the middle of the intersection.

The vehicle was described as a dark midsize, four-door sedan. Police said the car likely would have front-end and windshield damage, and may be missing a hubcap. It was reportedly occupied by two men in their early 20s.

A mechanical inspection found no damage to the CALSTAR helicopter as a result of the bird strike and the aircraft was flown back to its operations base.

Anyone with information about the hit-and-run incident is asked to call the Woodland Police Department at (530) 666-2411.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Roseville Police Department is advising consumers to carefully monitor their banking and credit card transactions, citing an unusual number of local cases in which thieves have collected credit card numbers and used them to fraudulently make purchases.

"We believe there have been at least 200 victims who have experienced fraudulent credit card activity, and that number is growing," said Dee Dee Gunther, police department spokeswoman.

The earliest of the cases under investigation appears to date back to March, she said. The pattern became apparent last week, when lending institutions contacted the department after noting that many of the credit card fraud victims at some time over the past several months used their credit cards at Roseville restaurants that use the same third-party credit processing service.

Because the investigation is ongoing, Gunther said, police are not releasing the names of the restaurants involved. She said detectives are busy returning calls to victims to find out where and when their credit cards were used, and whether they are connected to this case.

Authorities don't know whether local individuals were involved in the fraud, or whether cyber-criminals elsewhere found a way to hack into the electronic process.

Police said its appears that victims' credit card numbers were compromised electronically at some point between the point of sale and the data processing service that relays transactions between merchants and their customers' lending institutions. When criminals collect credit card information electronically, they typically sell the information to other criminals, who then use the credit card number to manufacture false credit cards or to purchase items online.

Because of the scope of the investigations, the Roseville Police Department is working with the U.S. Secret Service, which conducts initial investigations into financial crimes, Gunther said. Several financial institutions have alerted their customers that their credit cards were, or may have been, compromised and have taken steps to protect the card holders.

"Although we don't have all the answers yet, we want to notify the public, especially diners in our area, to be especially vigilant about monitoring their credit cards for signs of fraud," Gunther said.

Police advise consumers who notice unauthorized, or attempted unauthorized transactions to:

* Immediately notify the lending institution of the potential compromise.

* Ask the lending institution to block the old credit card and issue a new one with a new number.

* File a report with a local law enforcement agency.

* Continue to closely monitor credit card transactions, and if fraud has occurred, place a fraud alert with the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Lending institutions may already have a plan to provide that service for their customer.

Although criminals are able to use stolen credit card numbers temporarily, police said, financial institutions usually will be able to reimburse customers for their losses and block the account from future intrusions using the compromised credit card numbers.

To contact the three major credit reporting bureaus call: Equifax, (800) 685-1111; Experian (888) 397-3742; and TransUnion, (800) 916-8800.

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

By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com

Attorneys for four people accused of ritualistically torturing a Sacramento teenager in a Tracy home are considering seeking a change of venue from San Joaquin County.

But the Superior Court judge in charge of the matter expressed impatience Monday at continued delays in the case, and said he hopes the trial can begin as scheduled in October.

Michael Schumacher, his wife, Kelly Lau, and their friends Caren Ramirez and Anthony Waiters have been indicted on charges that could send them to prison for life. They are accused of holding a teenaged boy captive for 18 months and severely abusing him.

The boy escaped from the Lau and Schumacher home in December 2008 by unclasping a shackle attached to his ankle and running to a nearby health club. He is now 17 years old and his care is being overseen by the court and Child Protective Services.

Attorneys for the alleged abusers told Judge Terrence Van Oss on Monday that they are exploring the idea of filing a motion to shift the trial from San Joaquin County because extensive publicity in the case might make it impossible to empanel an impartial jury.

Van Oss bristled at the idea of delaying the case further, however.

"We're coming up on two years, and all of these defendants have been sitting in custody in our county jail and there's no end in sight," he said. "Everyone is entitled to some kind of reasonably prompt justice."

The parties are next scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 27.

Call The Bee's Cynthia Hubert, (916) 321-1082.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The prosecutor launched into a methodical cross-examination of Chu Vue today, scoring the former deputy for violating the oath of his law enforcement job and establishing points of reference on what the deputy district attorney characterized as the defendant's "criminal path."

Vue, who is accused of murder for arranging the shooting death of correctional officer Steve Lo, replied "yes" when asked if he violated his oath to uphold the law that he took when he was sworn in as a deputy in May of 1995.

It was an oath that Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall suggested in his questioning that Vue left in shambles when he advised one of his younger brothers, accused in an unrelated murder, to flee to avoid prosecution in March 2006. It also was an oath that Vue continued to abridge, Kindall repeatedly asserted, when Vue helped the brother remain at large throughout the following year.

Kindall asked Vue if he was aware he was violating his oath and putting his career at risk "to follow this criminal path." Vue responded that he was trying to help his younger brother, Chong Vue, because he thought he was innocent.

"He claimed self defense," Vue testified, about his brother's account of the 2001 murder in Minnsota for which he was later convicted. "That's what I believed at that time."

Vue, 45, is accused of arranging the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting death of Lo because the correctional officer was having an affair with his wife. Chong Vue, 31, is scheduled to be tried next year along with another younger brother, Gary Vue, 29. The younger brothers are accused in their separate criminal complaint with carrying out the hit on the 39-year-old victim in the garage of his Tambor Way home in south Sacramento.

Kindall is expected to continue his cross-examination throughout the afternoon today and then well into Tuesday.

Along with questioning Vue on the advice the defendant gave to his fugitive brother to flee from the authorities in Minnesota, the prosecutor also got the defendant to admit that he helped get rid of the car that Chong Vue used to drive from Minnesota to California in March 2006.

Police and prosecutors say Chu Vue hid his younger brothers on a 20-acre piece of property he surreptitiously bought in a cousin's name in 2007 in Tehama County. Before they moved there, Vue said he helped arrange for them to live on a farm south of Fresno. He said he visited the farm and first saw his brother Chong and then both of his siblings in a second trip in the fall of 2007. Vue testified that he the brothers about the land he had bought in Tehama County and that he would make it available to them.

Vue testified that he was contacted by an FBI agent in 2007 who was looking for the brothers. The conversation with the agent, Vue said, took place after he had been contacted by Chong Vue while the brothers were on the lam.

Asked by the prosecutor why he didn't tell the FBI agent he had been in touch with Chong Vue, Chu Vue testified, "I didn't think of it."

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Two liquor store clerks have been arrested on suspicion of selling more than booze.

Mandpreet Singh Ghuane and Geoffrey Scott Maciel were arrested on suspicion of selling and possessing marijuana. The men were arrested at the Bottle Shop, 45 Main St., in Jackson, Amador County, last week.

State Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control investigators went undercover in recent months to develop information that led to the arrests, according to a department press release. Investigators allege they were able to make purchases of marijuana from the employees at the liquor store several times.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The man inside a home surrounded last night by police voluntarily went to the hospital today, police said.

The SWAT team was called late last night while police attempted to negotiate with a man in a house in the 1200 block of 14th Avenue.

Officers were called to the house at about 9 p.m. after a neighbor reported hearing a gunshot, according to police spokesman Konrad Von Schoech.

Police tried to speak to the man in the house, but he did not respond to calls or requests over a loud speaker, Von Schoech said.

Police said the man in his 50s lives by himself.

Police reviewed conflicting statements about the reported gunshot. The sound heard by a neighbor might not have been a gunshot, police said.

Police also learned that the man in the home had not made any threats to anyone and none of his family members were in danger.

SWAT and hostage negotiators cleared the area but officers were left nearby for precaution. This morning, about 8 a.m., police were able to make contact with the man.

"He came out of the house on his own and voluntarily agreed to go to the hospital for treatment," said Von Schoech.

A firearm was found in the house and collected by the police for safe-keeping. However, police did not find any sign of the weapon being fired.

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

By Queenie Wong
qwong@sacbee.com

Rancho Cordova police officers arrested two boys after they admitted they started a fire Sunday afternoon at a playground on White Rock Road in Rancho Cordova, according to fire officials.

The fire started at the playground around 2:32 p.m. and spread to a portable classroom at White Rock Elementary School, said Captain Christian Pebbles, a spokesman for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. The damage from the fire is about $25,000, he said.

The boys, who are 11 years old and 12 years old, admitted to the police during the interview process that they started the fire. Officers did not offer additional details.

The suspects were cited and released to their parents.

Call The Bee's Queenie Wong, (916) 321-1008.

By Niesha Lofing
nlofing@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are investigating an early morning midtown shooting that left one dead and three injured following Second Saturday.

Officers were patrolling around J and 18th streets, where more than 200 people had gathered, when they heard several gunshots, Officer Konrad von Schoech said.

People began screaming and running away. Officers were unable to see the shooter.

"It was kind of chaotic," he said.

Officers found four shooting victims as the crowd began to disperse. Two men and one woman, all in their 20s, were trying to crawl to safety, von Schoech said. They were taken to local hospitals and are expected to survive their injuries.

A man, 24, suffered at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Sacramento County Coroners Office identified the man killed as Victor Hugo Perez Zavala of Sacramento.

Homicide investigators are trying to determine what caused the shooting. They're also investigating whether the shooting was connected to a fight between two large groups of people earlier Saturday evening, he said.

The shooting occurred after Second Saturday had concluded and police do not think the crowds gathered had been taking part in the art event.

"They were clearly loitering out there," von Schoech said.

Five additional police officers have been added to patrols during Second Saturday because of an increase in nuisance complaints.

"We find that a lot of the nuisance reports are due to juveniles are milling around loitering," he said..

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP or text a tip to 274637 and enter SACTIP, followed by the tip information.

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

Call The Bee's Niesha Lofing at (916) 321-1270.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

A 49-year-old woman who was shot to death while driving with her son in Rancho Cordova this morning has been identified as Madalene Cecilia Thomas.

Thomas, whose identity was released today by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office, was driving with her 18-year-old son about 12:30 a.m. when she was shot by the driver of another vehicle near the intersection of Explorer Drive and Greensboro Circle, south of Highway 50, police spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said.

Thomas' son was not injured in the shooting.

When Rancho Cordova police officers arrived, the woman was inside her car in the parking lot of a business complex at the 3000 block of Explorer Drive.

She had suffered one gunshot to her upper body. Paramedics arrived a short time later and pronounced her dead at the scene.

The woman's son told officers they were headed south on Explorer Drive when a car with two occupants passed them and stopped near the Greensboro Circle intersection. When his mother pulled alongside the stopped car, the driver of the other vehicle got out and fired one shot, authorities reported.

Although the woman was hit, she was able to drive a short distance, until her car hit a tree at the business complex, authorities said.

Police said the woman's son was unable to describe either of the suspects or the other vehicle.

Anyone with information about the murder is urged to call Sheriff's Homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP; or text 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

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

By Darrell Smith
Dvsmith@sacbee.com

An 18-year-old West Sacramento man drowned late this afternoon in the Sacramento River near 8th Avenue and Santa Buena Way, Sacramento fire officials reported.

The man, whose name has not yet been released pending notification of family members, was among a group of six people taking turns using a rope swing to plunge into the river, said Sacramento Fire Capt. Jonathan Burgess.

About 5:45 p.m., the man went into the water, surfaced, shouted and then again went underwater, Burgess said.

"He came up once, they thought he was playing. Then he went back down," Burgess said.

The five other people then dove in after the man, but couldn't find him.

Emergency responders received the first call at 5:53 p.m. and began a search for the victim. The search switched to a revoery effort at about 6:45 p.m., An earlier version of this story erroneously said a body had been recovered.

No others were hurt.

Call The Bee's Darrell Smith, (916) 321-1040.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

Yolo County officials have identified a woman killed early this morning after the car she was riding in overturned several times in a ditch off County Road 35 in Woodland.

Crystal Marie Rodriguez, 19, was ejected from a sport-utility vehicle driven by a 19-year-old man, who authorities said was intoxicated. CHP officials initially reported that Rodriguez was 16.

Woodland CHP spokesman Sgt. Marco Ruiz said the driver has been arrested on suspicion of felony driving under the influence and will be charged with manslaughter.

Nine people, including the victim and driver were in the SUV when the accident occurred around 2:30 a.m. on County Road 35 just east of County Road 106, Ruiz said. The 1997 Ford SUV was traveling at a high rate of speed and veered off of the road into a ditch, Ruiz said.

The car continued driving along the ditch before overturning and flipping multiple times, Ruiz said.

Rodriguez was ejected and killed, Ruiz said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

She was the only occupant ejected from the car, Ruiz said. All others were life-flighted to various hospitals with injuries -- six of them with major injuries.

Seven of the car's occupants are younger than 21, Ruiz said.

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

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department is trying to identify three male suspects in the armed robbery of a bank in the 3600 block of North Freeway Boulevard.

The robbery occurred on Sept. 4. at about 9 a.m. The suspects, three black males in their 20s and wearing orange safety vests, were seen fleeing the scene on foot and getting into a white SUV.

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

Call The Bee's Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

Rocklin police are asking for the public's help in identifying three males who allegedly robbed a convenience store early this morning.

At 2:50 a.m., three men entered the convenience store at the 2100 block of Sunset Boulevard, displayed a handgun and took cigarettes and a small amount of money from the cash register, police said. Nobody was injured during the robbery.

Police said the suspects are described as three white males, 18-20 years old, thin and wearing black or dark-colored hooded sweatshirts and blue jeans.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call the Rocklin Police Department at (916) 625-5400.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man with an extensive criminal history has been sentenced to 42 years to life in state prison for the pre-Christmas burglary of his daughter's Davis home.

A Yolo County jury in June convicted Lee Ray Williams of Solano County of first-degree burglary and found that he had two prior strike convictions. He was sentenced Thursday by Yolo County Superior Court Judge Paul Richardson.

The jury heard evidence that two weeks before Christmas in 2009, Williams burglarized the Davis home of his daughter and the child's mother, his ex-girlfriend. Williams had been in an out of their lives over the years, but that day they had invited him to attend his daughter's school function. Instead, Williams canceled at the last minute and took advantage of their absence from home to break into the residence and steal their belongings. The stolen property was later recovered when police searched Williams' apartment.

Williams has an extensive criminal history of felony convictions, including robberies of a Yolo Federal Credit Union office and a McDonald's restaurant in Fairfield, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. In the Credit Union robbery, Williams followed a teller into the bank, showed her a gun in his backpack and told her to take him to where the money was located. Officials said he used plastic handcuffs to tie up the woman and locked her in a restroom. Williams then took approximately $4,800.

Williams robbed the McDonalds restaurant while working there as an assistant manager. Officials said he and two other men planned the robbery, and he was working when it occurred. Williams acted as if he were a victim when the other two men entered and held a gun to him. One of the other men had another employee take him to the safe.

Information Williams provided was used to steal approximately $14,000. When the other men left, they put Williams and two other employees in the freezer.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A fire that burned outbuildings and equipment on former ranch property in Elk Grove early this morning was deliberately set, according to fire investigators.

Deputy Chief John Michelini of the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department said the fire that burned about 1-1/2 acres in the 6200 block of Calvine Road was reported about 4 a.m. It involved a multitude of dilapidated outbuildings, tools and equipment, and was brought under control in about an hour.

Michelini said arson investigators determined that fires were started at several locations on the property but have not identified what type of device or devices were used.

"We have no reason to believe that this is related to arsons in the north county or Carmichael areas," he said.

Michelini said the property once included a small house and ranch operations, but it had been abandoned and had been declared uninhabitable by city code enforcement officers.

Because arson is often used to cover up other crimes, Michelini said, a cadaver dog was brought in to search the site to make sure there were no victims.

He said the fire department was working with Elk Grove code enforcement officers and county hazardous materials officials to handle removal of containers of unidentified liquids and other potentially hazardous materials on the property.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man has been sentenced to eight years and four months in prison for receipt and distribution of child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. also fined Tony Xiong, 26, $10,000 and sentenced him to 10 years of supervised release.

According to court documents, agents with the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a lead in July 2008 from Montgomery, Penn., agents that Xiong was trading visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct through an online chat program.

On Sept. 18, 2008, Sacramento agents executed a search warrant at Xiong's home. During a forensic examination of a computer found at the residence, they discovered online chats beginning in 2006 in which child pornography had been traded. More than 14,000 files appeared to have been traded, and a majority of them were visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

In one chat session, officials said, Xiong received 1,727 images. He told one person that most of his collection of images consisted of children from infants to age 10.

The Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is a federally funded task force managed by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and made up of agents from federal, state and local agencies.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The second suspect wanted in connection with the fatal shootout at a North Highlands pharmacy earlier this month is in custody in Nevada, according to authorities.

Reno police officers arrested 33-year-old Bernard Krungerrun Reed of Rancho Cordova at a motel Thursday night, said Sacramento County sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran.

The arrest was made at the behest of sheriff's detectives, who identified Reed as the second suspect in the Sept. 2 homicide and traced him to Reno, Curran said.

Reed and 42-year-old Kelvin Peterson, who has been in custody since Sept. 4, are accused in the death of Tania Gurskiy, a 27-year-old clerk killed during a botched robbery attempt at the Rexall pharmacy on Watt Avenue.

When Reed is transferred to Sacramento County, he will be booked into the Main Jail on charges of murder and robbery, Curran said.

Authorities also announced today that Peterson, the first suspect, was identified after he lost a fingertip during his exchange of gunfire with a pharmacy clerk.

The fingertip had a complete fingerprint detail, and state Department of Justice technicians were able to match it to Peterson, putting him at the scene of the homicide, Curran said.

Reed was not armed during the incident, Curran said.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Yolo County jury has found a Ceres man guilty of the June 4 burglary of a Davis residence.

Ronald Fink, 31, was convicted Thursday of first-degree burglary with an enhancement because the homeowner was present during the burglary, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

The victim was working from home when he heard noise from downstairs. When he went to investigate, Fink was riding out of the home's attached garage on a bicycle belonging to the owner's son.

After a short argument about the bicycle, Fink rolled the bike toward the homeowner and began to walk away.

The resident notified Davis police and identified Fink as the person who entered his garage.

Officials said Fink initially denied entering the garage. During the trial, however, he testified that he thought that because the door was open, it was a garage sale and admitted that he did enter the garage.

Judge Steven Mock told jurors after the verdict that although a prison sentence of up to six years was possible, Fink likely would be granted probation if he does not violate conditions of his current release or any other laws. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 12.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A man was shot in the leg Thursday evening after he tried to chase down a suspect who stole his wife's necklace - offering a cautionary tale, police say, about going after criminals.

The 23-year-old man and his wife were selling crawdads near the corner of Stockton Boulevard and Fowler Avenue about 5:15 p.m. when an unknown suspect approached from behind and forcefully removed the woman's necklace, according to a Sacramento police report.

Her husband chased after the suspect, who ran toward an approaching white Acura, police said. The driver of that vehicle shot at the victim twice, striking him once in the leg, before the suspect jumped in the vehicle and they drove off, police said.

The man suffered non-life-threatening wounds.

The robbery suspect was described to police as an 18-year-old Asian man with long black hair, wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts, according to Officer Laura Peck, a police spokeswoman. The driver who shot at the victim was described as a 22-year-old Asian man with a shaved head and skinny build.

Peck said police discourage residents from chasing after suspects "for this very reason."

"The property can be replaced," she said. "He can't."

Instead, victims should do their best to get a description of their assailants and call police immediately, Peck said.

"But don't go chasing after people when you don't know what they're capable of doing - which is anything," she warned.

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

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking a man who robbed a home in the 5400 block of Duck Walk Way on Aug. 31.

The suspect, a black male between 25 and 35 years old, 5-foot-6 and about 200 pounds, broke into the home at 11:30 a.m. when the homeowner was out. He was leaving the house with the stolen goods when the owner arrived and confronted him.

The man, who had an Afro-style haircut and a scruffy beard, jumped into a 1980's or early 90's white Toyota pick-up that was waiting for him outside. The first part of the license plate number is "4N72."

The suspect was wearing a black jacket, white T-shirt and black cargo shorts.

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 Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department seeks the community's help in identifying a man who burglarized a home in the North Natomas area last week.

A man broke into a residence in the 5400 block of Duckwalk Way about 11:30 a.m. Aug. 31. No one was home at the time. But as the man was leaving the house with some property, the homeowner arrived and confronted him, according to a Police Department news release.

The man ran to a waiting vehicle. The victim chased him but was unable to catch the man before he jumped into the vehicle and fled.

The suspect was described as black, 25 to 35 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall with a stocky building and weighing about 200 pounds. He had a short black afro-style haircut and a scruffy beard, and was wearing a black jacket, white T-shirt and black cargo shorts.

The vehicle was described as a late 1980s or early '90s white Toyota pickup. The first part of the license plate number is "4N72."

Police ask anyone with information about the crime to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357, or text a tip to 274637. Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

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

By Kim Minugh and Cathy Locke
kminugh@sacbee.com

A 47-year-old man killed himself outside a Carmichael home shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday following a standoff with Sacramento County sheriff's deputies.

Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Curran said the man had holed up alone in a garage on Richon Vista Court, off Walnut Avenue. Negotiators and SWAT team members had been trying to coax him out since the incident began about 5:15 p.m.

When officers fired tear gas into the garage, the man went into a side yard. Negotiators continued to try to talk him into surrendering but were unable to do so, Curran said.

The man, whose name has not been released, was wanted in Louisiana on charges of child molestation, Curran said. He was alone inside the garage with a rifle. Curran said the man did not threaten to hurt anyone else, including deputies, and no one else was injured.

Louisiana authorities had contacted the state Department of Justice, asking agents to arrest the man on their warrant. DOJ officials asked sheriff's patrol deputies for assistance, and they went as a group to the Richon Vista duplex where the man had been staying with family since March, Curran said.

When they arrived, residents of the home confirmed the man was there and directed authorities to the garage. They found the man armed with a rifle and backed away, Curran said.

Authorities evacuated the residents of that duplex and two adjacent units, displacing about 10 people, Curran said.

The man lived in Louisiana at some point and has "extensive criminal history" there, but has been a resident in California since 2004, Curran said.

He did not know when the alleged child molestation occurred, and would not elaborate on the man's history.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man sought in connection with bank robberies in Placer County and the San Francisco Bay Area has been arrested in Mono County.

Auburn police announced that John Robert Alexander, 56, of Half Moon Bay was arrested by Mono County sheriff's deputies without incident about 9 p.m. Wednesday after Auburn detectives and FBI agents learned that Alexander was in the Mono County area.

Alexander was wanted in connection with three Placer County bank robberies -- in Rocklin, Roseville and Auburn -- as well as seven in the Bay Area.

The Roseville Police Department received information that Alexander, who had ties to both the Bay Area and Placer County, was a suspect in the series of robberies, according to an Auburn Police Department news release. Auburn police detectives followed up on the lead and determined he was a suspect in the Aug. 27 robbery of the Bank of America on High Street in Auburn.

Alexander was booked into the Mono County Jail on an arrest warrant obtained by the San Jose Police Department related to that agency's investigation of the robbery series.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Citrus Heights man was arrested Wednesday morning on suspicion of attempted homicide after he allegedly stabbed a former girlfriend.

Citrus Heights police officers were called to a home in the 7400 block of Antelope Road at 11:14 a.m. and found a woman with a non-life-threatening knife wound to her back. The woman and another witness identified the attacker as her former boyfriend, Joseph A. Duran, 52, according to a Police Department news release.

Police said Duran surrendered when they contacted him at his residence.

According to Sacramento Sheriff's Department website, Duran is being held without bail in Sacramento County jail on suspicion of attempted homicide, burglary, domestic violence and battery against a person with a previous dating relationship.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department has released a composite sketch of a man wanted in connection with a home invasion robbery and seeks the public's help in identifying him.

The robbery occurred about 4:15 p.m. Aug. 21. Two men entered a home in the 3500 block of Santa Cruz Way and forced two elderly victims to the ground at gunpoint, according to a Police Department news release. The male victim was physically assaulted, and his hands and feet were bound. The intruders then fled with the victims' money.

The victims described the man depicted in the composite sketch as African American, 20 to 24 years old, 5 feet 2 inches tall, with a thin build. The other man was described as African American, 28 to 32 years old, with a lighter complexion, 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a heavy build and weighing about 300 pounds.

Police ask anyone with information to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357, or text a tip to 274637. Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

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

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

A 28-year-old San Francisco man was sentenced Thursday in Sacramento federal court to three years and one month in prison for depriving an African American man of his civil rights by assaulting the man in a Chico bar, and for an unrelated mail fraud conviction.

On March 24, at the close of a three-day trial, a jury found Eric Clawson, a former mixed martial arts fighter, guilty of the 2008 hate crime.

Clawson later pleaded guilty to the fraud charge, admitting that he purchased two properties in Chico in 2007 with loan applications containing false employment histories and inflated income. In connection with that conviction, he was ordered to pay $92,804 in restitution to the lender.

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

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

The former owner of a Roseville spa was sentenced to 210 days in jail, after investigations showed that 40 of her customers in 2008 were either billed double on their credit cards for spa services, or were charged for services and products they didn't order, according to a press release from the Placer County District Attorney.

Heather Lynn Collins, 35, who owned Radiance Medi-Spa, was also ordered to pay back $10,500 to the customers. The Placer County Sheriff's Office investigated complaints about the spa and arrested Collins on Feb. 6, 2009.

Collins, of Lincoln, appeared for sentencing at Placer County Superior Court on Sept. 2, when she was placed on formal probation for three years. She pleaded no contest to two felony counts of identity theft.

Call The Bee's Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

According to 2009 figures, vehicle thefts in California decreased 15.5 percent from the previous year, said Jaime Coffee, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol, in a press release.

There were 169,058 cars stolen in 2009, down from 198,892 in 2008.

"Vehicle theft prevention efforts by law enforcement agencies and the public are paying off," said California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow. "Since 2005, California has realized a 35 percent reduction in stolen vehicles."

One vehicle is stolen every three minutes in California, Farrow said. About 53.4 percent of 2009 car thefts occur in Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, San Bernardino and San Diego counties.

The economic loss due to car theft in California is $1 billion, even though 88 percent of the vehicles reported stolen last year were recovered.

The CHP encourages the public to park in a secure or highly visible area, always lock doors, use an alarm system and never leave a vehicle running unattended to avoid getting your car stolen.

Call The Bee's Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department is seeking the community's help in identifying a man wanted for home invasion robbery.

On Aug. 21 at approximately 4:15 p.m., two suspects entered a home in the 3500 block of Santa Cruz Way. The two elderly victims were forced to the ground at gunpoint. The male victim was physically assaulted and his hands and feet were bound. The suspects fled with the victims' money.

The victims described the first suspect (drawing, right) as a black male between 20 and 24 years old. He is 5 feet, 2 inches tall with a thin build.

The second suspect was a black male between 28 and 32 years old, with a lighter complexion and heavy build, 5-foot-11 and 300 pounds.

Anyone with information pertaining to this crime can contact the police department's 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 Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

Drivers who don't stop for pedestrians at zebra crossings today may be stopped by officers from the Sacramento Police Department, which is conducting an undercover crosswalk operation at various spots throughout the city.

A plain-clothed officer will cross streets within crosswalks as officers in motorcycles and squad cars will look out for vehicles that don't yield the right of way.

Last year, there were 182 reported vehicle accidents involving pedestrians in Sacramento, police spokesman Konrad von Schoech in a press release. Of these incidents, 168 resulted in injuries and eight in fatalities.

"The goal of these operations is to educate the public and to reduce the number of accidents between vehicles and pedestrians," von Schoech said.

Call The Bee's Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento County jail inmates won't have easy access to condoms any time soon, as their counterparts in San Francisco now do, according to Sheriff John McGinness.

San Francisco officials are installing condom dispensers inside the confines of one county jail facility so prisoners can practice safer - albeit still illegal - sex while incarcerated, according to a report last week in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Sheriff's and public health officials there told the Chronicle that inmates already are having sex, creating a public safety issue.

But that argument didn't pass muster with McGinness, who said that inmate sex ultimately is a crime that law enforcement should be working to deter.

"It's more than waving a white flag of surrender of our caretaker (responsibilities)," he said. "I think it actually condones unlawful activity."

McGinness said his stance is based strictly on legal standards, he said.

Issuing condoms for illegal sex, he mused, would be little like issuing "cocktail glasses, margarita blenders and roach clips" to the incarcerated.

McGinness has no plans to follow San Francisco's lead. But he did say there was a time in Sacramento that inmates on their way out of lockup were handed rubbers for any post-release fun. That practice has ended, he said.

To read the Chronicle report, click here.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Los Angeles Lakers player Matt Barnes was arrested and booked into Sacramento County Main Jail on Wednesday night on a felony domestic violence charge.

Sacramento County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said deputies responded to an incomplete 911 call from the 8100 block of Sunset Avenue at about 4:15 p.m., where they encountered Barnes and a woman "who lived with him and with whom he had a dating relationship."

After speaking to Barnes and the woman, later identified as his fiancee, Gloria Govan, deputies determined that the two had been in a physical confrontation and Barnes had prevented the woman from talking to 911 operators. Curran said dispatchers heard the sound of a struggle in the background on the brief open line until it was disconnected.

Both parties had visible injuries but Barnes was determined to be the primary aggressor, Curran said.

Barnes is also charged with maliciously obstructing the use of a telephone line, Curran said. He posted a $50,000 bond and was released shortly before 9:40 p.m.

He is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

"U know any domestic violence situation 9 outa 10 times the man gets arrested," Barnes wrote in a text message to Bryan May of News10, according to a report on the station's website. "That's the case here I was the victim but still got arrested. No matter what I say people are gonna think what they want..."

Laura M. Wright, a public relations executive, who says she represents both Barnes and his fiancee, released this statement on behalf of Govan:

"Any accusation of domestic violence are false. My fiancé, Matt Barnes, has never physically abused me or my family."

Barnes, 30, who grew up in Sacramento and starred at Del Campo High School, signed a two-year contract worth $3.6 million in July with the Lakers as a free agent forward. From October 2004 to February 2005, Barnes played for the Sacramento Kings before being traded, along with Chris Webber and Michael Bradley, to the Philadelphia 76ers.

According to his profile on the NBA's website, Barnes and his fiancée have twin boys. Attempts to reach Barnes and his family were unsuccessful Wednesday night.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A gas leak Wednesday afternoon prompted authorities to evacuate 40 units of a Foothill Farms apartment complex and close a major portion of Madison Avenue.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District spokesman Capt. Christian Pebbles said a construction crew working at Callie and Hackberry lanes, just off of Madison Avenue, accidentally struck a gas main.

The fire department received the call about 4 p.m.

Madison Avenue between Garfield and Manzanita Avenues were closed to traffic for about 90 minutes.

Pacific Gas and Electric spokesman Brian Swanson said repair crews turned off the gas valve, which affected two area restaurants and the laundry rooms of the apartment complex. Swanson said repairs were expected to be completed by Wednesday evening.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Chu Vue testified today that his wanted-for-murder brothers found out that his wife was breaking up with her lover and that he heard one of them say, "This guy knows too much."

The former Sacramento sheriff deputy's statement about his brothers came at the end of a day of testimony where he denied having anything to do with the killing of state correctional officer Steve Lo.

Defense attorney Donald Masuda said in his opening statement to the jury at the outset of trial that Vue's younger brother Gary Vue killed Lo on his own because he thought the officer was going to turn in the brothers.

Vue (left) testified that he had been telling his younger brothers Gary and Chong Vue himself to turn themselves in for a 2001 murder in Minnesota for which they were ultimately convicted.

In a phone conversation with his brothers a few days before Steve Lo's death, Chu Vue said he told Chong Vue about the end of his wife Chia Vue's affair with Lo.

"Chong said, 'Can we trust this guy Steve Lo?'" Chu Vue testified. "I said, 'I don't know, but you guys leave it alone. Go back to Minnesota.'"

The testimony did not explain why the brothers would have had a problem with Lo. But Vue testified earlier in the day that Chia Vue knew the brothers were murder fugitives.

Masuda also suggested in his opening statement last month that Lo would have known about the brothers' circumstances through Chia Vue.

Vue testified that he then heard his brother Gary say in the background, about Lo, "This guy knows too much."

In earlier testimony, Chu Vue admitted that it was his truck depicted at least twice driving down Steve Lo's street in the month before the state correctional officer was shot and killed in the garage of his south Sacramento home.

But Vue said he had good reason to be driving down Tambor Way - his wife, Chia Vue, was having an affair with Lo, and he was checking to see if she was there.

Authorities say surveillance videos on the block captured Vue's vehicle on two other occasions driving down Lo's street, but Vue said he was not sure it was his truck.

Police and prosecutors say it was Chu Vue's anger and jealousy over his wife Chia Vue's affair with Lo that drove him to arrange for his two younger brothers to carry out the fatal Oct. 15, 2008, shooting.

Authorities say Vue was casing Lo's home when he conducted his drive-bys. He testified today that was not the case.

When he drove by Lo's house on Sept. 16, 2008, he said that he and his wife had already informed their two younger children they were getting a divorce. He said he drove by the house that day "to see if she was out there."

On Sept. 24, 2008, Vue said he was supposed to meet his wife at a gym not far from Lo's house but that she didn't show up.

"I didn't see her at the workout," he said. "After I did my workout, I figured I'd drive by and check if she was there." He told the jury, "I was just looking for her."

Vue is expected to spend the rest of the afternoon testifying in his Sacramento Superior Court trial in front of Judge Steve White.

Vue said in his morning testimony today that his wife admitted that she was having an affair with Lo when he asked her about mysterious telephone numbers that were showing up on their monthly bills.

Chia Vue told him in early September 2008 that their marriage was finished.

"We're through," he said she told him in a phone message. "I will leave you everything - the house, the kids. I will start a new life with someone," Vue quoted his wife as saying.

He said she also admitted she was having sexual encounters with several other employees at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, where Chia Vue and Steve Lo also worked.

Also in his testimony today, Vue tried to explain why his two younger brothers who were wanted for a 2001 murder in Minnesota were living in a mobile home on a 20-acre piece of property he bought - surreptitiously, under a relative's name -- in 2007, near Corning in Tehama County.

He said his younger brothers Gary Vue and Chong Vue had contacted him from a place they were hiding out near Fresno. He said he spoke to Chong Vue and told him he needed to go back to Minnesota and turn himself in.

But Chu Vue said he offered to let the two of them stay at the Corning property until he got back from a vacation in Laos in late 2007 when "we could resolve the issue."

"I know it was harboring," Vue said, admitting to the felony violation of harboring his brothers who were wanted fugitives at the time on the murder warrant out of Minneapolis.

Vue said he acquired the property in the first place to use as a base for his hunting and fishing hobbies.

The former deputy, under questioning from his attorney, Donald Masuda, also sought to undercut the prosecution's contention that he and his brother Gary were close enough to carry out a murder plot together by testifying that they had a lousy relationship.

Vue said he first helped send Gary Vue off to Minnesota when the younger brother got into gang activity in Sacramento as a youth. When he found out Gary was involved in a murder in Minnesota, he said he exploded.

"I talked to him and I said, 'Why do you do the same thing over and over again?'" Vue testified. "He said f-- off. Get out of my business...So I beat him up."

He said he told Gary Vue in a later conversation, "I hope you go to prison for life."

Chu Vue said his conversation with Gary Vue took place in mid-2006, after he first learned that Gary and Chong were wanted for the Minnesota for which they were later convicted.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Father Gregory Boyle - founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles and a leading advocate for gang intervention - will be in Sacramento this weekend to discuss his life's work and his best-selling book.

Boyle, a Jesuit priest who once worked at Folsom Prison but whose ministry has largely been based in Los Angeles, first began his work finding positive alternatives for gang members in 1988. His efforts evolved into Homeboy Industries, which became a non-profit in 2001.

Homeboy Industries offers a variety of services for troubled young people, including education, job training and placement, counseling and legal services. The organization also oversees several small businesses, a bakery, press and silk-screening business among them. The organization has become a national model for work of its kind.

A memoir of Boyle's work, titled "Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion," was released this year.

Boyle will first appear at the Avid Reader bookstore on Broadway for a talk and book-signing at 7:30 p.m. Friday night. The event is free and open to the public, and copies of "Tattoos on the Heart" will be available for purchase.

On Saturday night, Boyle will be a featured speaker in the Moon Lecture Series at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Arden-Arcade. He will begin speaking at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.

Lastly, Boyle is expected to give the morning sermon at St. Mark's at 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning, according to the Homeboy Industries website.

For information about the Avid Reader event, visit http://www.avidreaderbooks.com/event/author-event-tattoes-heart-father-gregory

For information about the event at St. Mark's, visit http://www.stmarksumc.com/moonseries.

And for more information about Homeboy Industries and Father Boyle, visit www.homeboy-industries.org .

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Yolo County Animal Services officials are seeking help locating a dog that bit a 13-year-old boy in West Sacramento on Monday.

The boy was bitten by a loose, stray dog while attempting to capture it in the area of 19th Street and Carolina Avenue, near an off-leash dog park, according to a news release. The dog was playing with boy, but when the youth tried to pick up the animal, it bit him.

The dog is described as a black terrier mix. The sex of the animal is not known.

Officials said it is important that they locate the dog soon or the boy may have to undergo treatment to prevent rabies.

Anyone with information regarding the incident, or who knows who owns the dog, is asked to call the Yolo County Sheriff's Department, Animal Services Section, at (530) 668-5287, or e-mail animal.bite@yolocounty.org.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Citrus Heights Police Department has embarked on a weeklong program of warrant sweeps and stakeouts targeting people who drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Police are attempting to contact individuals who have confirmed active warrants for DUI-related offenses.

Officers also will conduct stakeouts to locate habitual offenders who choose to continue to drive even though their license is suspended for DUI-related offenses, according to a department news release.

Investigations of traffic collisions in the city that have involved habitual DUI offenders led police employ the warrant sweeps and stakeouts to keep habitual offenders off the road, officials said.

Vehicles will be impounded if it is determined that the motorist is driving with a suspended license for a DUI offense.

The campaign, scheduled to run through Sunday, is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through he National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

Chico film producer James Thomas Flocker, 70, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for trading child pornography, the U.S. attorney in Sacramento said.

Flocker was found guilty of transporting, distributing and possessing child pornography by a jury on Feb. 26, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner.

U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez said that the defendant's involvement in child pornography was "serious as it represent(ed) an ongoing harm to the minor children who were used in (the images possessed and traded by the defendant.)"

Posing as a 19-year-old from Southern California, Flocker was trading pictures of prepubescent boys engaged in sexual acts with an 18-year-old man in South Carolina, Wagner said.

The evidence presented in court - including testimonies from FBI agents and a Yahoo records custodian - showed Flocker sent pictures of minor boys, including one of a 4-year-old toddler in Texas. The boy's picture had been taken by his uncle, who was later convicted of molesting him.

Flocker also uploaded four pictures of nude teenage boys to a Yahoo group, where its members were allowed download them into their private pornography collections and to redistribute them, Wagner said.

Nearly two-dozen images of child pornography were found on Flocker's computer following a search of his DVD production business on Oct. 27, 2004.

The images included a picture of a young man from Kentucky who was molested by a foster-care provider between the ages of 12 and 14, Wagner said.

This case came out of an investigation by the FBI's Chico Safe Streets Task Force, which included Special Agents from the FBI and members of the California State University, Chico Police Department.

Flocker produced, wrote and directed adventure movies for television. The most recent one was "The Ghost Ship," was released in 1992, according to the Internet Movie Database.

Call The Bee's Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

By Bee Staff

The victim's only weapon was the camera in her cell phone, but she used it wisely, leading to the arrest of two theft suspects and recovery of her property, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department crime summary released this week.

The summary gave this account of events:

Shortly before 8 p.m. on Aug. 30 in the 10000 block of Coloma Road, a woman saw a young man walking away from her vehicle.

She checked her vehicle and discovered her iPod and other items were missing.

She confronted the man, who flipped her off and jumped a fence. However, the victim had taken his photo with her cell-phone camera.

She showed the photo to the responding deputy who recognized the suspect from prior contacts.

Deputies found the suspect and another teen nearby. A search turned up the victim's property.

Two juveniles, one 17 and one 16, were arrested and booked into juvenile hall.

Q: About 1987, Kenny Bivert and Tony King killed some people. What is their current disposition? - David, Sacramento

A: Kenneth Bivert, now 42, is on death row for killing a convicted child molester in 1997, records show. Anthony "Tony" King, 40, is in prison for the murders that sent him and Bivert to prison in the first place.

Yolo County Superior Court juries convicted King and Bivert for the 1987 slayings of three people along the Sacramento River to steal their vehicles and go joy riding, records show. (An earlier version of this story mistakenly said the pair were convicted in Sacramento County.)

A judge sentenced King to 52 year to life in prison and Kenneth Bivert to 53 years to life in prison for the 1987 murders.

Over two days, Bivert and King killed three people along the Sacramento River solely to steal their vehicles and go joy riding, The Bee reported. Two of the bodies were so riddled with bullets that identification was difficult.

In 2001, Bivert was convicted in the 1997 murder of Leonard Swartz at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad. According to testimony, Bivert targeted Swartz because he was a convicted child molester.

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

By Bee Staff

Elk Grove police are investigating a motorcycle crash that killed a 43-year-old man.

Officers responded to a 911 call about a single-vehicle motorcycle accident at Auberry and Geneva Pointe drives and found the victim, a police spokesman said.

Officers believe the unidentified victim was driving his motorcycle south on Auberry Drive, lost control and hit a tree.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Elk Grove Police Department Traffic Bureau at (916) 478-8148.

By Bee Staff

Two robbers beat a man for some cotton candy, landing them in jail to face felony charges, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department crime summary released this week.

Jorden Anthony Benedict, 18, and Michael Hooker, 19, are in jail and on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy, jail records show.

The summary gives this account of the event:

At about 7:30 p.m. in the 10000 block of Terra Loma Drive, two men stole cotton candy from a 43-year-old male. The men beat the victim to the ground, "kicking him in the head more than ten times," the summary states.

Responding deputies said they later arrested Benedict and Hooker.

Sacramento Superior Court records show Benedict failed to appear on a misdemeanor theft charge in July.

By Miranda Simon and Chelsea Phua
msimon@sacbee.com

Firefighters have contained and nearly extinguished a two-alarm grass fire at Discovery Park near the Garden Highway, said Capt. Jonathan Burgess, spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department, in a press release.

The approximately 12-acre wide, heavy brush fire was reported shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday and was burning near the American River bike trail, Burgess said.

Several companies remain on scene to address smoldering trees, which are both fall hazards and fire spread concerns for firefighters. There were no reported injuries to firefighters or civilians and the cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

Firefighters from Sacramento, Metro, and West Sacramento fire departments were called in to battle the fire. The wind was blowing embers across Garden Highway and firefighters were concerned it would spread to was a nearby apartment complex under construction, and that the fire would spread.

Winds were blowing burning embers across Garden Highway and threatening an apartment complex under construction, as well as, contributed to the spread of the fire

Firefighters had difficulty accessing the fire because of thick brush and fire hydrants. They also discovered several homeless camps while they were treading through.

It's not clear how the fire started.

Call The Bee's Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

An armed man triggered a two-hour standoff with Sacramento County sheriff's deputies at a McDonald's restaurant in Foothill Farms this morning before surrendering, said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran.

Jimmy Lawhead (left), 29, gave up to deputies at 8 a.m., said Curran. There was no report of injuries.

Deputies responded to a 4 a.m. call from a woman in the Foothill Farms area, saying her vehicle had been stolen and that she was following it in another vehicle.

Deputies caught up with the vehicle at around 6 a.m.

"We developed information that Jimmy Lawhead was in the vehicle," Curran said. "When we ran his record we found he had two felony warrants from the state of Washington."

Deputies followed the vehicle to the intersection of Elkhorn and Andrea boulevards. As soon as they activated the overhead lights of their patrol cars, the vehicle stopped near the restaurant, Curran said.

A 23-year-old unidentified female stepped out of the vehicle, but Lawhead remained inside. The woman cooperated with deputies and was not arrested.

At times, Lawhead placed a handgun to his head, Curran said.

Negotiators and a SWAT team were called to the scene and Lawhead finally surrendered.

Call The Bee's Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man convicted of identity theft in a case that involved obtaining credit and goods in the name of a Virginia state legislator has been sentenced in Sacramento Superior Court to four years in state prison.

Bernell Bryan Washington, 24, was sentenced today by Judge Gary E. Ransom for identity theft and possession of a firearm, according to a news release from the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

Washington's girlfriend and co-defendant, Sky Manriquez, was previously convicted of identity theft.

Adjudication is pending for two juvenile accused of involvement in the fraudulent credit card charges.

Washington, Manriquez and the two juveniles were living in Sacramento when Washington obtained the personal identifying information of Richard Saslaw, Virginia State Senate majority leader, the release states.

Saslaw's identity previously had been stolen out of Virginia, and Washington used the information to obtain credit and goods in Saslaw's name.

Fraudulent purchases were made at Best Buy and McDonalds, and marijuana was purchased at the Fruitridge Health and Wellness Collective.

A joint investigation by the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, the California Highway Patrol, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Virginia State Police revealed that Washington began fraudulently using Saslaw's information in March.

Washington had changed the victim's mailing address from Virginia to Sacramento to divert purchases to himself and to make fraudulent purchases totaling thousands of dollars.

A search of Washington's apartment revealed marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia purchased under the Saslaw's name.

Law enforcement officers also found stolen property, including a 9mm handgun, and several cell phones and credit carts obtained using the victim's name.

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

To view the maps click here.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Chu Vue began testifying in his own defense this afternoon at his murder trial, giving a brief recitation of Hmong culture and beliefs before the trial wrapped up for the day.

The former Sacramento sheriff's deputy is scheduled to be back on the witness stand when the trial resumes Wednesday in front of Superior Court Judge Steve White.

Dressed in a blue suit and chained to his chair, Vue did not get into any of the key details of the case in his 20 minutes on the stand during which he was questioned by his attorney, Donald Masuda.

He testified about how he was born in Laos, moved to the United States at age 13, went to school in Sacramento, got his bachelor's degree from Sacramento State and worked for the Sheriff's Department for 13 years.

The 45-year-old defendant's employment with the agency came to an end following the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting death of California correctional officer Steve Lo in the garage of his Tambor Way home in south Sacramento.

Authorities charged Vue with setting up the killing because Lo was having an affair with the former deputy's wife, Chia Vue.

Also charged in the case is Vue's fellow Hmong clan member, Lang Vue, 27, who is accused of renting motel rooms and cars and buying a vehicle for the allgeded gunmen - Chu Vue's younger brothers, Gary Vue, 29, and Chong Vue, 31.

The two younger Vues were wanted for a murder in Minnesota at the time of Lo's death. They have since been convicted in that case.

They are waiting to stand trial on murder charges in the Lo killing.

Chu Vue described growing up in a small village of about 15 families in Laos, one where there was no running water or electricity. He described how the Hmong culture is rooted in the spiritual belief that their ancestors look over them after they die.

"That's what we believe and worship," he said.

The spiritual aspect of the culture figures to come into play later in his testimony when it comes time for Vue to explain his many phone calls to his younger brothers around the time that Lo was killed.

Previous witnesses have testified that the Vue clan had just experienced the deaths of two of its elders around the time of Lo's killing and that Chu Vue, as a respected leader in the group, had the responsibility to help direct the funeral arrangements.

Also today, Chu Vue's lawyer said he no longer intends to call the defendant's wife to testify about her extra-martial affairs. But Masuda still asked the judge to force her to appear in court to show the jury she's good looking.

The prosecutor objected to putting Chia Vue on exhibition in front of the jury as if she were "a Kewpie doll."

Superior Court Judge Steve White agreed and turned down Masuda's request.

In arguing to present Chia Vue to the jury, Masuda said the panel is "entitled to see what she looks like." Masuda has alleged that she had numerous affairs before and after Lo's death and that her husband's motive to kill could be lessened in the eyes of the jury if it knew the extent of her extramarital sexual activity.

Masuda added that "I want to show she's an attractive lady."

White said that Chia Vue "is not an exhibition or a prop."

"She's she's not going to be hauled in here every time a reference to her is made," White said.

The judge said a picture of Chia Vue has already been entered as an exhibit in the case, but Masuda said the Department of Motor Vehicles photo doesn't do justice to the woman's looks.

Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall, meanwhile, said bringing Chia Vue into court to be seen only and not heard would be an abuse of the subpoena process.

"Subpoenas are supposed to be used to compel witnesses to testify in a court of law, not to be an exhibit in a case," Kindall said.

Kindall chided Masuda for criticizing the DMV photo of Chia Vue while in his opening statement showing a picture of her having sex with Steve Lo. The prosecutor characterized the photo taken on the victim's cell phone as "hideous."

He protested Masuda's effort "to bring her in like a Kewpie doll." Such a move is intended "to humiliate her," Kindall said.

Also at trial today, one correctional employee testified that he had an affair with Chia Vue that involved two sexual encounters in 2006 and 2007.

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

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A Yolo County judge will wait until Monday to decide if a defendant in a high-profile cop-killing case should have more time to prepare his own defense, and whether he will have a lawyer to advise him.

Marco Antonio Topete (photo left) is accused of gunning down Yolo County Sheriff's Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz on June 15, 2008, following a chase near the rural town of Dunnigan.

His trial is slated to start Monday, beginning with evidentiary motions, but it could be delayed because Topete is now representing himself.

Topete opted to act as his own attorney late last month after his lawyers could not persuade Judge Paul Richardson to grant them a trial continuance.

Now Topete is asking for his trial to be postponed until March 2011 so he has time to prepare his own defense in a case where he could face the death penalty if convicted.

Richardson has ordered one of Topete's two court-appointed defense lawyers, Thomas Purtell, of Woodland, to remain involved in the case to advise Topete. But Purtell, 83, said he lacks the capacity to perform the role alone and asked the judge to relieve him.

The judge will address Purtell's motion and Topete's request to continue the case Monday at 8:30 a.m. in Department 6 of the Yolo Superior Court.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An 18-day crackdown on impaired drivers in Yuba, Sutter and Colusa counties resulted in the arrest of 73 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The 2010 Summer/Labor Day Holiday campaign was conducted Aug. 20-Sept. 6. Officers with law enforcement agencies throughout the three-county area made the arrests during sobriety checkpoints, special saturation patrols and routine patrols. Officials reported that 94 DUI arrests occurred during the same period in 2009.

This year's campaign included the arrest of an 18-year-old driver on suspicion of felony DUI after the driver led police on a high-speed chase through residential and rural areas.

At 11:58 p.m. Saturday, a Marysville police officer who was working a DUI saturation patrol attempted to stop a speeding motorist. When the driver failed to yield, a pursuit began.

The driver, later identified a Cody Henry Smith of Marysville, ran nine stop signs as several officers gave chase, according to a Marysville Police Department news release. He is accused of traveling more than 100 mph in a residential area and 140 mph on a rural highway before crashing his vehicle.

Police said Smith and two passengers left the scene on foot. One passenger suffered moderate injuries.

A Marysville police officer suffered minor injuries while trying to subdue Smith and one passenger, the news release says. The second passenger was not caught but has been identified, police said.

Smith was booked into the Yuba County Jail on suspicion of felony DUI causing injury and felony evading a peace officer causing injury. He is being held on $100,000 bail.

Officials said similar anti-DUI efforts are planned for Halloween, Thanksgiving Eve and the December holiday period.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury voted today that Glenn Wade Jennings (photo left) should be sentenced to death for the June 2, 2004, liquor store robbery murder of Kulwant Sufi.

The six-man, six-woman panel returned its verdict in the penalty phase of Jennings' trial in its 13th day of deliberations.

One juror interviewed outside the courtroom said the "viciousness" of the killing and the fact that Jennings, 57, began stabbing the 61-year-old woman before she ever had a chance to give him money out of the cash register or defend herself figured strongly in his own decision to impose the death sentence.

Jennings attacked Sufi in the family-owned store on Florin Road. Sufi suffered stab wounds to the heart, coronary artery, lungs, arms and breast.

Jennings is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 22 by Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard.

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

By Bee Staff

Elk Grove police officers will conduct a two-day crosswalk sting on Wednesday and Thursday, focusing on motorists who fail to stop for pedestrians.

The operation will be conducted at two locations, which the Police Department did not identify nor give the times of the operations.

The Sacramento Police Department have conducted at least one such operation this year. On Aug. 4, Sacramento police officers handed out 47 tickets to motorists who failed to stop for an undercover officer trying to cross a street in midtown Sacramento.

In Elk Grove, a plain-clothes officer will work try to cross at two heavily traveled intersections, according to a Police Department news release.

Uniformed motorcycle officers will monitor the operation for motorists who fail to yield the right-of-way, the release states.

"This crosswalk safety operation is another tool our department can utilize to improve traffic safety and educate motorists," said Elk Grove Police Chief Robert Lehner.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Sacramento sheriff's candidates Jim Cooper and Scott Jones are scheduled to appear before a public meeting of the Old Foothill Farms Community Task Force Wednesday night as they continue their quest to replacing retiring Sheriff John McGinness.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. at Pioneer School, 5816 Pioneer Way, and is designed to give area residents a chance to hear what each of them plans to do to boost law enforcement efforts in unincorporated areas of the community.

Both candidates are captains in the department and face a runoff election in November.

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

By Bee Staff

A robber/rapist who may have avoided death row because he ran out of ammunition as he tried to execute a witness is due a parole hearing

A Sacramento Superior Court judge sentenced Frank Fahey Jr., now 63, to life in prison for a 1974 rape, robbery and attempted murder, The Bee reported.

The hearing is scheduled for Sept. 23 at Folsom State Prison, where Fahey is incarcerated, according to State Board of Parole Hearings.

Fahey robbed an Auburn Boulevard pastrami shop just before midnight on Dec. 12, 1974. After robbing the shop, he raped the waitress and shot the shop's only customer, according to Bee reports.

Fahey then forced the waitress to drive him and the wounded male customer to an isolated area in Yolo County.

Fahey told the pair that he would have to kill them to eliminate witnesses to his crimes. The pair argued that they would not identify him and pleaded for their lives.

Fahey shot them anyway. He shot the male witness twice more and the waitress twice.

The male witness testified that Fahey then placed the gun to the male witness' head and attempted to fire twice. But both times the witness heard the gun click without firing.

Fahey has been denied paroles several times, Bee reports show.

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 Bee Staff

Two Citrus Heights police officers were recently promoted to higher command ranks.

Lt. Thomas Chaplin was promoted to commander and Sgt. Doug Fletcher was promoted to lieutenant, Police Chief Christopher W. Boyd said in a news release. Both officers will exercise their new command roles in the patrol division.

Chaplin and Fletcher are original members of the Police Department, which was created in 2006.

Chaplin has 21 years of experience in law enforcement, serving with the Sacramento Police Department and the California Department of Justice prior to joining the Citrus Heights Police Department as a lieutenant.

He has been responsible for running the department investigations division and overseeing many of the "most critical incidents and cases," Boyd said. Chaplin also helped to create the Citrus Heights Police Activities League.

Fletcher has 26 years of experience in law enforcement, serving with the San Rafael Police Department before joining the Citrus Heights police.

Most recently Fletcher has directed the daily operations of the special investigations unit while also overseeing the department's property and evidence unit, Boyd said.

By Bee Staff

The Citrus Heights Police Department will conduct a DUI/drivers license checkpoint beginning at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and running to 2 a.m. in the area of Auburn Boulevard and Twin Oaks Avenue.

A major component of the checkpoint, beyond taking dangerous drivers off the road, is to increase awareness of the consequences of impaired driving and to encourage using sober designated drivers, a police spokesman said in a news release.

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

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

Six fires, that the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District believes to be arson, were reported overnight.

"We're not linking them to anything," said said Assistant Fire Chief Brian Rice. "There's a huge concern that there some copycat activity going on."

Rice said he is gathering with investigators to determine the cause and will be releasing more details later.

Call The Bee's Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

See second surveillance video

See first surveillance video

By Jim Wasserman
jwasserman@sacbee.com

An $11,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of a second suspect involved in a robbery and fatal pharmacy shooting Thursday in North Highlands.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department also released a second video today taken from the pharmacy's surveillance video. The suspect who is at large is wearing a dark top in the videos.

Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma L.P. pledged $10,000 in an announcement today. Sacramento Crime Alert also pledged $1,000 to help find the suspect who remains at large. Purdue operates RxPATROL, a pharmaceutical industry and law enforcement coalition that analyzes pharmacy theft.

In a statement today, Sacramento County Sheriff's Detective Elaine Stoops said, "When using Crime Alert it's important for people to know that all information provided is kept completely confidential. Callers never have to give their names or appear in court."

She said the Crime Alert tip line does not use tape recording or caller ID devices. The phone number is 916-443-HELP.

Saturday, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, arrested a suspect in the robbery and fatal shooting of 27-year-old Rexall Pharmacy clerk Tania Gurskiy.

Kelvin Peterson, 42, of Los Angeles, surrendered at 6 p.m. at an apartment complex in Sacramento. Deputies said they were tipped to Peterson's location by someone who recognized him from the images off the surveillance camera that were widely publicized.

Deputies say that the second suspect is believed to be in his late 20s.

Deputies said today that the two suspects entered the Rexall Pharmacy in the 5600 block of Watt Avenue with a handgun and demanded the painkiller drug OxyContin.

Gurskiy was fatally wounded during a shootout between a pharmacy employee and the suspects who fled in a royal blue four-door sedan, according to officers.

Another 37-year-old Rexall employee, who is pregnant, was shot in the foot.

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

By Jim Wasserman
jwasserman@sacbee.com

A two-year-old Elk Grove girl was hospitalized this afternoon after falling out of a second-story apartment window, Elk Grove police reported.

Officer Christopher Trim said the girl was alert and conscious when taken to an unidentified hospital by the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department.

The accident at Waterman Square Apartments in the 9100 block of Waterman Road was reported at 1:36 p.m.

The victim's name was not released.

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

By Jim Wasserman and Mark Glover
jwasserman@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrested a 47-year-old area man today on suspicion of arson after the number of suspicious regional fires since Thursday grew to 27, a Sacramento Metro Fire District official said.

Authorities arrested Edward Martin on two counts of arson in connection with fires reported in the Florin Road area at 8:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., said Assistant Fire Chief Brian Rice.

Martin does not have a fixed address, he said.

Martin's arrest was the first related to arson fires started in recent days in South Sacramento, Del Paso Heights, North Highlands and Carmichael.

"They're not all connected together, but different sets of them are connected," said Rice. "We're trying to work hard to get the people who are doing it caught."

Martin is not a suspect in other suspicious area blazes over the past week, Rice said. There were no injuries in either small fire linked to Martin.

Sacramento fire officials said the suspicious blazes included a house fire on Diana Way, a fire at Southwoods Park near the intersection of French and Gerber roads in south Sacramento, a small fire at Foothill High School off Hillsdale Boulevard and a pair of grass fires in Del Paso Heights.

No injuries were reported in any of the fires, he said.

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

By Bee Staff

A former Sacramento man will be arraigned Tuesday on federal charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, according U.S. District Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner.

A federal grand jury recently returned a nine-count indictment against James Berghuis, 38, formerly of Sacramento and now residing in Laguna Niguel, Wagner said in a news release.

The indictment alleges that Berghuis operated Berghuis National Lending Inc., a Sacramento mortgage and lending company.

Berghuis offered short-term bridge loans for clients funded by private investors. Berghuis would identify clients in need of bridge loans and act as the intermediary between the clients and investors, Wagner said.

The indictment alleges that beginning no later than April 2005, Berghuis began making false representations to investors and using investor funds to pay off other investors, pay business expenses, and pay his personal expenses, Wagner said. No dollar amount of the alleged fraud was given.

Berghuis is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gregory G. Hollows.

This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Wagner said.

The federal government has task force investigating financial fraud. For more information on the task force go to StopFraud.gov.

By Bee Staff

The Yolo County Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Center and the Yolo County District Attorney's Office are sponsoring the 4th annual My Strength Bench Press Weightlifting Contest.

Proceeds from the event benefit the center. The contest will be held starting at 9 a.m. Oct. 2 in the Davis Athletic Club, 1809 Picasso Ave. in Davis.

The My Strength campaign emphasizes positive masculinity and enables men to maintain their strength in relationships without using coercion, intimidation, force or violence, according to a news release.

Participants can register at the Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence Center, 933 Court Street in Woodland, mail registration forms to the center or register the day of the event before the competition begins. The entry fee for adults is $25 and $10 for students with ID.

Participants also will get T-shirts.

For more information, call Mariana Negrete at (530) 661-6336.

By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com

A 25-year-old man attacked Sunday night in a Woodland parking lot sustained traumatic head injuries, Woodland police said today.

Police said, however, that the man's injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Police said they responded to a report of an injured man shortly after 10 p.m. in the lot at 49 W. Main St.

The man told police that he was attacked by an unknown suspect and that money was taken from him during the assault.

No description of the suspect was released, but police are asking anyone with information about the crime to contact them at (530) 661-7800.

Call The Bee's Mark Glover, (916) 321-1184.

By Queenie Wong
qwongt@sacbee.com

A 19-year-old man was shot in the abdomen Sunday afternoon while sitting in a car in a parking lot on the corner of Club Center Drive and Natomas Boulevard in North Natomas, according to police.

Officer Konrad von Shoech, a spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department, said that the victim was in the car with friends when he was shot. His friends dropped him off at the UC Davis Medical Center shortly before 5 p.m. today.

The injuries are believed to be non-life threatening, but the victim is currently undergoing surgery for the gunshot wound, he said.

Police are still investigating the cause of the shooting.

A description of the suspect was not available.

Call The Bee's Queenie Wong, (916) 321-1008.

By Loretta Kalb
LKalb@sacbee.com

A Subway restaurant in the 1200 block of J Street was robbed Saturday afternoon as two employees were cleaning the restaurant after closing, Sacramento Police reported today.

The suspect knocked on the door and asked to come inside and look for a telephone he had left inside. Once in the door, he brandished a knife, and physically assaulted a clerk, forcing the employee to open the cash register, said police spokesman Konrad Von Schoech.

The man, in his 20s wearing a black bandana on his head, ran east on J Street, police said.

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

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Firefighters responded to a series of related overnight arson fires that involved two abandoned buildings and three dumpsters near Watt Avenue and Roseville Road in North Highlands.

The first arson fire, reported at 8:16 p.m. Saturday night, burned brush and part of an abandoned building in the 4600 block of Watt Avenue, causing minor damage.

While crews were fighting that fire, a citizen reported a second fire - a dumpster behind a building on the same block.

A few hours later, firefighters returned to the dumpster area after receiving a report of a mattress fire at the scene.

Then, at about 10:20 p.m., a dumpster was set on fire in the alley at Watt Avenue and A Street, only about 200 feet from a fire station.

Today, at 5:40 a.m., fire crews responded to a reported commercial structure fire in the 5000 block of Roseville Road.

The structure, an abandoned house, had been part of a one-time business and was well involved when firefighters arrived.

There were no injuries.

The district's arson investigators believe the fires to be related. Anyone with information about them is asked to call the arson tip line at (916) 859-3775.

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

Photo: Officers discuss how to approach a suspect wanted in connection with Thursday's fatal North Highlands pharmacy shootout. The suspect is cornered in a North Sacramento home near Bowles and Beaumont streets.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A suspect in a fatal pharmacy shooting surrendered peacefully to Sacramento police early this evening after holing up in a North Sacramento apartment earlier today.

The suspect, identified as Kelvin Peterson, (an earlier version of the story gave his first name as Kevin) came out after officers fired tear gas into the apartment at the corner of Beaumont and Bowles streets, said Sgt. Tim Curran, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

•See a photo gallery

Curran said Peterson will be booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of murder.

The standoff began after Sacramento police officers and Sacramento County sheriff's deputies, acting on a citizen's tip, cornered the suspect in the apartment.

The 42-year-old Peterson was alone in one unit of a four-unit single-story apartment complex, Curran said.

Earlier Curran said it was unclear if the suspect was armed, but he definitely was wounded, as evidenced by a bandaged hand.

One of the suspects in Thursday's fatal pharmacy holdup and shootout was wounded in the hand, Curran said. A female store employee at the Rexall pharmacy in the 5600 block of Watt Avenue was killed.

Curran earlier said investigators were "confident" that the suspect in the apartment was the robber who was armed.

Between 50 and 70 people were evacuated from the area, he said.

Around 12:45 p.m., a citizen reported to the Sheriff's Department that he recognized one of the holdup suspects from a surveillance video displayed in the media, Curran said. The citizen also said the man had a bandaged hand.

He gave the address for the suspect as the apartment complex on Bowles.

A woman who was in the apartment unit where the suspect is holed up, "left voluntarily," Curran said.

The suspect is from Los Angeles, Curran said.. The suspect's ties to Sacramento are unknown, Curran said.

The apartment complex is in the Sacramento Police Department's jurisdiction. Curran said the Sacramento SWAT members were deployed around the apartment.

Tania Gurskiy, 27, was shot to death when a gunfight erupted in the pharmacy around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.

The two robbers entered the pharmacy and demanded drugs as one of them threatened employees with a gun, Curran said.

A male employee of the pharmacy then pulled out a gun and a shootout began, Curran said. Gurskiy was struck in the chest and a 37-year-old pregnant female employee was shot in the foot.

Gurskiy was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later. The employee with the foot wound was also taken to a local hospital.

Authorities have not determined who fired first or which gun fired the bullets that struck the two victims.

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

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

A pot-bellied man in a tan camouflage ball cap robbed Premier West Bank on Granite Drive in Rocklin about 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Rocklin police said a teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash to the man before he fled.

The Rocklin Police Department is seeking information from anyone who my have witnessed the robbery or seen the suspect outside of the bank or in the immediately area of the bank Friday afternoon.

Officers described him as white, 35 to 40 years old, 5-foot-6 to 6 feet and about 175 pounds. In addition to the ball cap, he was wearing a brown T-shirt without a logo, tan cargo shorts, black strap sandals, and he has a tattoo on the inside of his right ankle.

Call The Bee's Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.

By Miranda Simon
msimon@sacbee.com

The woman found shot to death in a gold sedan on the corner of Palmer House Drive and Blackhawk Drive at 2:26 a.m. today has been identified as Danielle Ericka Benefield of Sacramento.

The 29-year-old woman was driver of the car and died from a gunshot wound to her upper body. The only passenger in the car, a 26-year-old woman, was uninjured.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies who responded to the call said Benefield and her passenger had been at the Fastrip gas station on the corner of Florin Road and Power Inn Road with a crowd of 50 to 70 people.

"We've learned the gas station is a gathering spot," said Sergeant Tim Curran, the sheriff department spokesman. "They went there specifically to hang out."

There was no parking space at the gas station, so the women parked on Florin Road, Curran said. They were in the car when three to seven gunshots were fired by someone in the crowd.

The crowd had left when deputies arrived a few minutes later, but they detained five people. None of them is considered a suspect. People interviewed provided no information about the shooting but said the crowd dispersed when the gunshots were fired, Curran said.

The type of firearm hasn't been determined, Curran said.

Investigators were not able to establish a motive for the murder, and it is unclear whether Benefield was the target.

Anyone with information regarding this shooting is urged to call Sheriff's Homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Tipsters may also send a text message tip by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Call The Bee's Miranda Simon, (916) 321-1119.