Sacto 9-1-1

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have arrested two suspects in connection with a string of about two dozen vehicle burglaries in one night on Blackrock Drive in North Sacramento last weekend, according to a police department release.

The release also provided these details: Police received a call Saturday from a man who said his vehicle had been burglarized during the night at an apartment complex in the 4600 block of Blackrock Drive. The man also said there were about 13 additional victims.

Among the property stolen from the caller's vehicle was his cell phone. When one of the additional victims called the cell phone, it was answered by a woman, who agreed to sell the phone back to the victim.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man has been sentenced to 13 years in state prison for the 2008 robbery of a Woodland store.

Anthony David Urbano, 33, was sentenced Feb. 25 by Yolo County Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg.

On Dec. 19, 2008, Urbano went into Jo-Ann's Fabrics in Woodland, asked for directions and had a short conversation with two store employees, according Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. He then left but returned a short time later, saying he wanted to buy some wrapping paper. During the sale, Ubrano told employees that this was a hold-up, demanded all the money in the register and showed a revolver.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for trafficking in underage girls.

Deandre Lornell Brown, 27, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr., after being convicted at trial in September of sex trafficking of children. The prison term is to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, and Brown was ordered to pay $5,200 in restitution, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The leader of a federal student loan fraud ring has pleaded guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Nakesha Sharrieff, also known as Takiyah Raheem and Asiya Hanifah Kahan, 24, of Sacramento, entered the plea today before Senior U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb. Sharrieff is the fourth defendant in the case to plead guilty, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

Sharrieff admitted in her guilty plea that she began participating in a scheme to obtain federal student loan funds in September 2004 and eventually led the scheme herself. She began by submitting an application for student loan funds for community college, although she had no intention of attending and never did attend classes.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A former Sacramento County social worker has been sentenced to state prison after pleading no contest to felony grand theft from the In-Home Supportive Services Program.

Julie Mee Vue, 40, entered the plea today and admitted to an additional enhancement that the aggregate loss to the program exceeded $200,000, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. Vue was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $278,777.52 in restitution.

Vue was extradited to Sacramento from Arkansas in September as part of a major fraud investigation into claims the she allegedly filed on behalf of people she had falsely enrolled as home health-care workers. As a Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services social worker, Vue handled cases for the state In-Home Supportive Services Program, which pays people to care for aged, blind and disabled individuals who live in their homes.

By Matt Kawahara and Cathy Locke
mkawahara@sacbee.com

The Yolo County Coroner's Office has identified the woman who died Monday after being involved in a three-car collision on Highway 113 in Woodland as Teresa Sedillo, 64, of Davis.

California Highway Patrol Officer Pedro Leon said Sedillo was driving southbound on Highway 113 near Gibson Road at about 11:45 a.m. when her vehicle collided with two other vehicles.

The Woodland Fire Department reported that three people were taken by ambulance to the UC Davis Medical Center. Fire officials said they did not know the severity of the injuries.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Auburn police used Tasers on a woman who they say refused to put down a knife.

Police were asked to respond to the Holiday Inn on the Grass Valley Highway at 2 p.m. Saturday. Hotel staff complained that a woman was angry after she was locked out of her room for not paying her entire bill.

While officers were en route, hotel staff again called the police department and reported that the same customer had a knife. Upon arrival, officers approached Jelissa Warkentin, 24, from opposite directions as she exited an elevator.

Phillip and Nancy Garrido have made a "full confession" to the 1991 kidnapping of 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard in hopes of convincing prosecutors to allow Nancy Garrido to some day be released from prison, a defense attorney in the case revealed today.

Nancy Garrido's court-appointed lawyer, Stephen Tapson, said this afternoon in Placerville that the Garridos had met separately with El Dorado County sheriff's detectives in the last month and spelled out exactly how they abducted Dugard and held her captive for 18 years.

Nancy Garrido's confession took place with Dugard in the room, watching from across a table as the woman who snatched her off the street tearfully described what she had done, Tapson said.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento Sheriff's deputies have arrested a man who they suspect cut or stabbed three family members and assaulted his wife early this morning.

Deputies received a 911 call about 3:30 a.m. and responded to the 5800 block of Enfield Street near Madison Avenue and Interstate 80. When deputies arrived, they found three men had been injured with a knife and a woman had been assaulted.

None of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Citrus Heights police say they have arrested an intruder who was shot by a homeowner early this morning.

Police said the man broke into a home in the 5800 block of Northgrove Way about 1:45 a.m. The homeowner, who was startled by the sound of glass breaking, grabbed a handgun.

The homeowner spotted the intruder leaving a bathroom and confronted him, asking what he was doing in his house, police said.

By Diana Lambert
dlambert@sacbee.com

School bake sales are taking on new meaning.

In recent weeks, students in Sacramento and across the country have become ill from eating marijuana-laced brownies they got at school. Here's the tally from a recent 8-day period:

By Brad Branan
bbranan@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are investigating the shooting of two men injured this morning.

Both men were shot in the leg for reasons that aren't clear, said Officer Laura Peck, a department spokesman. Police responded to one injured man at 35th Street and 4th Avenue and another injured man who was at an area hospital, she said.

Peck said the circumstances surrounding the shooting are unclear, but police will release more information Monday.

Call The Bee's Brad Branan, (916) 321-1065.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

A 24-year veteran of the Sacramento Fire Department suffered significant back injuries, fracturing his lower spine in a fall Saturday night from the roof of a Rosemont area home where he was fighting a fire, officials said today.

The injured firefighter was identified as Capt.Gene Dibble. He was hospitalized at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento following the mishap shortly after 9 p.m. at the 3300 block of Huntsman Drive, a spokesman reported.

Spokesman Jonathan Burgess said Dibble has been a captain with the department since December 2002.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

An unidentified man in his 20s was shot to death in the parking lot of a Rancho Cordova apartment complex, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said today.

Sheriff's spokesman Jason Ramos said Rancho Cordova police and sheriff's deputies responded to a report of shots fired about 11:30 p.m. Saturday at the Mar Rita Manor Apartments near Mather Field Road in Rancho Cordova. When they arrived, they found the man in the parking lot.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, and no people or vehicles were seen leaving the area.

By Rick Daysog
rdaysog@sacbee.com

Northbound lanes on Interstate 5 near Twin Cities were closed for more than an hour Saturday night after a herd goats bolted from a nearby field and ended up on the freeway.

California Highway Patrol officers and Caltrans crews, responding to a seven-car accident there, corralled dozens of livestock while Consumes and Walnut Grove fire units helped clear the road.

The road was reopened around 9 p.m.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Slashed tires were discovered early today on approximately 20 vehicles in the Sandhill Drive area of Rocklin.

Police officers responded to a call at 7:15 a.m. and encountered the handiwork of a vandal or vandals.

Each tire had a cut mark "consistent with a blade-type puncture," according to a Rocklin Police Department news release. It said the vehicles were parked on the street or in the victims' driveways. An investigation is under way, but no arrests have been made.

Anyone with information related to these crimes is asked to phone the department at (916) 625-5400.

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

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Sacramento Police Sgt. John Castiglia pleaded "no contest" to one count of petty theft at a scheduled county appearance today, according to the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

Castiglia had previously pleaded not guilty.

He was cited in May on suspicion of stealing razors and deodorant from a WinCo store in Roseville.

He was sentenced to one year of probation, the DA's Office said.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An Arden Arcade woman has been sentenced to two years in state prison and her husband to six months in county jail for felony insurance fraud.

In August, a Sacramento Superior Court jury convicted Joanne and Steven Fawcett of making false statements regarding an insurance claim.

Joanne Fawcett was also found guilty on two counts of falsifying insurance claim documents, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. The Fawcetts were sentenced by Superior Court Judge Jack Sapunor.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 28-year-old Acampo man along with 12 other people, including two from Sacramento and one from Galt, were indicted Thursday on drug trafficking charges.

According to federal court documents, Alejandro Fletes-Lopez allegedly imported methamphetamine from Mexico and distributed it through a network of couriers to numerous states including Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Minnesota, Oregon and California.

As part of the investigation, the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration and other state and federal agencies seized more than 90 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 30 kilograms of cocaine and more than $1.1 million in cash, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for his role in an unemployment insurance fraud case.

Timothy J. Oller, 50, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller for conspiring to commit mail fraud. His prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release.

Oller pleaded guilty Nov. 8, admitting that between 2008 and 2010 he was part of a conspiracy to defraud the California Employment Development Department.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Convicted murderer James Ray Alden was sentenced today to life in prison with no chance of parole for the April 9, 2009, stabbing death of Richard Seeger in Carmichael Park.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Allen H. Sumner imposed the term after a jury last month found the 37-year-old Alden guilty of murdering Seeger, 57, during the course of a robbery.

Alden testified earlier this year that he was passed out on his friend's porch - drunk and stoned - when Seeger was stabbed to death.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Elk Grove police have arrested a seventh person in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old at a high school graduation party.

Graylon Lindsey (left), 18, of Elk Grove was arrested on suspicion of homicide. Detectives are also seeking an eighth person, Jahmal Dawson (right), 18, who should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

The six adults and a 15-year-old are suspected in the shooting of D'Andre Blackwell at a Holiday Inn Express in Elk Grove on June 5. Blackwell was celebrating his high school graduation when he was shot in the chest during a confrontation.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Davis police say a Sacramento area man is a suspect in the rape of a 21-year-old woman in February.

Leonardo Avalos, 28, was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, rape and other sexual charges on Thursday, police said.

Police said that the woman Avalos at a bar in downtown Davis on Feb. 5. She had been out at the bar with her friends and shared a few drinks with Avalos, police said.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives arrested a 20-year-old man this morning in connection with the September death of Danielle Benefield, according to authorities.

Accused in the fatal shooting at the Fastrip gas station in south Sacramento County is Marquise Vincent Smith (left), said sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.

Smith already was in custody on suspicion of driving under the influence when officials added the murder charge this morning. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Police officers on routine patrol last night in South Sacramento tried to make a traffic stop but ended up in a vehicle chase, foot chase and finally arrested a man they said tossed his drugs over a fence.

The officers were driving just south of Florin Rod about 10 p.m. Thursday when they noticed a Toyota van being driven erratically on 24th Street near Gardendale Road, according to a Sacramento Police Department crime report.

The report gave this account:

By Bill Lindelof
blinelof@sacbee.com

Two men were cited for selling alcohol to underage customers and two were cited and released for buying alcohol for minors acting as police decoys in an undercover sting Thursday night in Marysville.

The sales by store clerks to minors occurred at the AM/PM gas station and convenience store on E Street and at Lakeview Center on B Street. Both clerks were cited and released.

At six other stores in Marysville, clerks refused to sell alcohol to the police decoy.

Two men who bought alcohol for minors were also issued misdemeanor citations. Both men were told by the decoys that they were too young to buy booze for themselves, but the adults bought the alcohol for the young people anyway, Marysville police said.

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

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A man was hospitalized with severe injuries after being struck by a car while crossing Arden Way late Thursday night, Sacramento Police Department Lt. James Hendrickson said.

The accident occurred just before 10 p.m. on Arden Way near Empress Street. A Toyota four-door sedan was eastbound on Arden Way when it struck a pedestrian who was attempting to cross the street, Hendrickson said.

The victim, a 59-year-old male, was not in a crosswalk, Hendrickson said. He was transported to UC Davis Medical Center.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Yuba County Sheriff's Department is warning foothill residents about a suspicious vehicle that has been linked to at least one theft in the region today.

The Sheriff's Department received at least four separate reports of a silver or gold Honda-type vehicle driving around the Browns Valley and Challenge areas this morning. Several passengers were in the car, and they stopped to talk to residents at various locations. The driver asked for directions, for gas for the car, or for help with the car overheating, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

In one instance, a homeowner told deputies the driver tried to open her door when she didn't answer it quickly.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A sweep of Sacramento County's Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center on Monday yielded a haul of drugs, weapons and other inmate contraband.

The search of the 2,200-inmate jail was conducted by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and seven other agencies.

The Sheriff's Department reported today that during the search, officers confiscated:

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury has convicted a 34-year-old man of rape, false imprisonment and infliction of great bodily injury in the sexual assaults of two women in 2009.

The first assault occurred Jan. 24, 2009, in the area of 19th and K streets in Sacramento, when Domingo Garcia Vargas grabbed a woman, threw her to the ground, punched her in the face multiple times, raped her, then fled, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. The victim suffered a fractured bone under her eye, bruising and swelling to her face and mouth, and a painful abrasion and bump on the back of her head, among other injuries.

The woman submitted to a sexual assault examination, in which Vargas' DNA profile was found.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man who investigators dubbed "the Goat-Man Bandit" has pleaded guilty to serial bank robbery.

John Raymond Porter, 43, entered the plea today before U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

During the early stages of the investigation, the Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force dubbed the perpetrator the Goat-Man Bandit because victim tellers in some robberies indicated the robber had facial hair in the form of a goatee. (See photos below taken from surveillance cameras at several banks.)

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

Two suspects wanted in connection with a fatal shooting outside a North Natomas restaurant last weekend have turned themselves in, said Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong.

Marcus Jamal Davis (left photo), 26, and Robert Earl Lucas (right photo), 30, both of Vallejo, were taken into custody Thursday by Sacramento police and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of murder, according to a Police Department release.

Both are ineligible for bail, according to jail booking logs.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Police and fire officials are investigating the deaths of two women who appear to have succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning in their North Sacramento home, according to authorities.

The source of the carbon monoxide is not yet known, said police Sgt. Norm Leong. Authorities are waiting for the home on Los Robles Boulevard to be properly ventilated before they can continue their investigation, Leong said.

The women are roommates in their 70s or 80s, Leong said. They were found in different rooms of the house they shared.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man who made off with $373 from a Woodland bank has been sentenced to state prison.

Yolo Superior Court Judge Janet Gaard today sentenced Leighton Dupree to 27 years to life for second burglary of North Valley Bank.

Dupree entered the bank Jan. 12, 2010 and told a teller, "I'm not trying to ruin your day, but this is a bank robbery," according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

By Kim Minugh
clocke@sacbee.com

Sacramento area fire officials gathered this morning to announce they have been awarded $11 million in federal grant money - funds that will pay for 51 additional firefighters.

Most significantly, the grant will allow the Sacramento Fire Department to hire 27 firefighters and restore the two companies that have been "browned out" as a result of budget cuts.

The city department is receiving $5.6 million, according to authorities.

By Bill Lindelof and Tony Bizjak
blindelof@sacbee.com

A small fire in the press room of the Sacramento Bee has been extinguished, city firefighters reported. The 8:45 a.m. fire forced evacuation of the building at 21st and Q streets.

The fire appeared to have been caused by welding work on new equipment being installed in the press room. Fire official said smoke worked its way into the building's heating and air conditioning system, spreading smoke to other areas of the building.

"We have it completely contained," Battalion Chief Rick Rethford said. "There have been no injuries."

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The death of a woman more than a half-century after she was assaulted as an infant has been ruled a homicide.

The Sacramento Police Department was notified Jan. 18 of this year that the death of 57-year-old Sandra Smith was the result of injuries sustained in1954 and thus a homicide.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office advised police that on Jan. 30, 2010, Smith died from blunt force injuries to her head that she suffered in April of 1954. The injuries had left her disabled and under long-time care since then.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

Elk Grove police have arrested six people in connection with the killing of an 18-year-old former Valley High School student at a graduation party in Elk Grove last summer.

The five adults and one juvenile were arrested in connection with the shooting of D'Andre Blackwell at the Holiday Inn Express on West Stockton Boulevard on June 5, according to a release from the Elk Grove Police Department.

Blackwell, 18, died after he was shot in the chest during a confrontation at the hotel, authorities said.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A fire is burning this evening in an industrial building on Fruitridge Road between Florin Perkins Road and Watt Avenue.

Sacramento Fire Department units are concentrating on keeping the fire from spreading to other buildings, a fire spokesman said.

No one was injured. The building was unoccupied when the fire broke out.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department has released photos of two suspects caught on surveillance cameras shortly before the shooting of 27-year-old Chester Jackson early Sunday morning.

Officers were call to the 2900 block of Advantage Way at 2:40 a.m. regarding an individual who had been shot outside the International House of Pancakes.

When police arrived, they found Jackson on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. He had been shot and was later declared dead at the scene.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Auburn Police Department is seeking the public's help to identify a man wanted for theft and vandalism at local gas stations earlier this month.

On Feb. 10 the suspect stole more than 200 gallons of premium grade gasoline from an Auburn gas station in the early morning hours. The station was closed, but the man's actions were caught on a surveillance camera.

On Feb. 12, the Police Department received a report of vandalism at another nearby gas station. In this case, the suspect damaged the fuel pumps by prying open a panel on one of the pumps, according to a Police Department news release.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The attorneys finished their closing arguments in the Jonathan Lamar Perry murder trial today with the prosecutor saying the defendant acted out of anger when he beat his girlfriend's 4-year-old son to death. The defense lawyer contended his client didn't mean to kill the boy.

Deputy District Attorney Jeff Ritschard said Perry (left) "brutally assaulted" Jahmauree Allen in their North Highlands apartment three years ago.

According to the prosecutor, the defendant's massive size - 6-foot-3, 270 pounds - compared to the diminutive, 3-foot-7, 42-pound boy, combined with what Ritschard described as an "attack" on Allen, added up to conscious disregard for human life and a second-degree murder case.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Elk Grove police announced that detectives have made an arrest in connection with last week's armed robbery of the Mechanics Bank, 8235 Laguna Blvd.

Bobby Evans (left), 52, is being held in Sacramento County Jail without bail and is to be arraigned Thursday in Sacramento Superior Court.

Evans was arrested at his Sacramento residence Tuesday on suspicion of robbery and parole violation, according to a Police Department news release. He is accused of entering the bank about 1 p.m. Feb. 14 and using a semi-automatic handgun to rob a teller.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Placer County sheriff's deputy was injured this morning in a traffic collision near Auburn.

The deputy was riding his personal Yamaha motorcycle westbound on Bell Road west of Blue Oaks Drive, when an 83-year-old man driving a green Subaru wagon exited a private parking lot on the north side of Bell Road. The driver of the Subaru made a left turn across the westbound lanes of Bell Road directly in front of the motorcycle, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

The motorcyclist swerved in an attempt to avoid the Subaru but collided with the left corner of the vehicle. The motorcyclist was ejected and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He was taken by air ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A second defendant today accepted a plea bargain offered by Sacramento prosecutors and pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in a shooting death two years ago in a south area apartment building.

Jamarl Smith, 27, is expected to be sentenced to 11 years in state prison for the April 20, 2009, killing of 20-year-old Curtis James Anderson Jr.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny scheduled Smith's sentencing for March 11.

By Tony Bizjak
tbizjak@sacbee.com

A passenger at Sacramento International Airport was cited Wednesday morning for unlawful possession of a firearm in the security area of the airport after federal officers found a loaded Beretta pistol in his carry-on bag.

The gun was confiscated by Sacramento Sheriff's deputies, and the flier was allowed to board a plane in Terminal B after a background check came out clean, according to Nico Melendez of the federal Transportation Security Administration.

The passenger, who was not identified, told officers he forgot he had the gun in his bag.

The gun, which was discovered by detection machines, had five rounds of .22 caliber bullets in it. There were 13 loose rounds in the bag.

Passengers are allowed to transport guns on planes, federal officials said, but they must be in secure boxes inside of the checked luggage, and the passenger must inform the airline beforehand.

Call The Bee's Tony Bizjak, (916) 321-1079.

Q: In the late '80s, a guy went on a crime spree that ended when he killed a Sacramento Police Department technician. What happened to this killer? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: Manuel Machado Alvarez, now 50, has been on death row since he was sentenced to death in 1989 for the murder of Allen Ray Birkman, 35, Bee reports and records show.

Birkman, who earned Boy Scout honors and a City Council commendation, worked at the Sacramento Police Department as an identification technician.

Alvarez stabbed Birkman to death on May 17, 1987, in a shopping center near Mack Road and Highway 99 after Birkman refused to turn over $60 he had just withdrawn from an ATM.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A 4-year-old boy died after being hit by a truck Tuesday evening while riding his bicycle on a residential street in Sacramento's Arden Arcade neighborhood.

The accident occurred on Cava Court at Carro Drive, said a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the victim as Edward Luckett of Sacramento.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

In a trial that got under way today in U.S. District Court, plaintiff Drake Jones seeks monetary damages from the Sacramento County for what he called excessive force used against him as he was being held in Sacramento County Main Jail in 2008.

Jones, who was never charged with any crimes from the incident for which he was arrested, alleges that he was forced by deputies to lie face down in raw sewage, including human excrement, while he was handcuffed and prepared to be moved to another cell.

His arrest stemmed from an exchange of words with a locksmith on Aug. 4, 2008, as Jones helped a friend move. Jones allegedly was uncooperative with deputies during the booking process at the jail and was placed in what is called a "sobering" cell.

A jury was chosen and testimony started today in Sacramento before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dale A. Drozd.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A murder case that resulted in a mistrial last summer was halfway resolved today when one of two defendants pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.

Dion Daryl Wheelwright, 44, entered his plea to the homicide charge in the April 29, 2009, shooting death of Curtis James Anderson Jr., 20.

Wheelwright, who admitted to being an accomplice in the killing, agreed to testify against the accused gunman, Jamarl Smith, 27.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Nevada County deputies are investigating whether a man was stabbed with a samurai sword by himself or by someone else.

The mystery began at 9:30 a.m. Saturday when the sheriff's office received a call from a woman, reporting that a man had attempted suicide with a samurai sword.

Deputies responded to the 12000 block of Alta Sierra Drive between Lake of the Pines and Grass Valley where they spoke to residents at a home.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Emergency crews were called to a Home Depot in Meadowview early this morning when a plastic container filled with cleaning supplies exploded in the garden center.

One plastic bottle exploded about 1:30 a.m. Another bottle did not explode. Apparently someone threw the bottles into the garden center, authorities said.

Hazardous material and bomb teams responded to the store on Meadowview Road near Interstate 5.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Coroner's Department has released the name of a pedestrian killed Sunday night on Northgate Boulevard.

He was identified as James Lindell Shiloh, 18, of Sacramento. Shiloh was walking across Northgate Boulevard when he was hit by a pickup driver, who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, Sacramento police said.

Shiloh was struck at 7:12 p.m. by a maroon Chevy pickup heading northbound in the 3500 block of Northgate, police said. The pedestrian was walking outside the crosswalk, according to police.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A woman loading groceries into her car lost her purse in a struggle with a thief in south Sacramento, police said.

The theft occurred Sunday afternoon about 3:45 p.m. when the woman was in the 8100 block of Cosumnes River Boulevard near Bruceville Road.

A man grabbed her purse as she loaded groceries into the trunk of her car, Sacramento police said

The woman and the thief struggled over the purse until the strap broke.

The robber ran off with the purse and jumped into the passenger's seat of a waiting black sports utility vehicle, which drove from the parking lot.

The suspect was described as a white man, 6 feet tall, 180 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes. He wore an orange sweater and black pants.

By Robert D. Davila
rdavila@sacbee.com

The body of an unidentified man found hanging from a tree with his hands tied in the Cosumnes River Preserve was recovered Monday and taken to the Sacramento County coroner's office, a sheriff's official said.

Investigators from the coroner's office and Sacramento County Sheriff's Department retrieved the body about noon, said Deputy Jason Ramos. The body was found in a tree along the Cosumnes River, roughly a mile east of the preserve's visitor center at 13501 Franklin Blvd.

Investigators believe the death was a suicide, although if the coroner's investigation indicates "some kind of foul play, they certainly will move to look at that," Ramos said.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

An estimated 300 law enforcement officers from nine agencies swept through the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center today in search of drugs, weapons and other inmate contraband.

Sacramento sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said there was no incident that precipitated the sweep of the 2,200-inmate jail, "other than that we felt the need to be proactive."

As of 2 p.m., the officers from the Sheriff's Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and seven other agencies found a dozen inmate-manufactured weapons, "a few dozen pills," gang correspondence and intelligence that inmates had gathered among themselves on institutional security, Ramos said.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

South Lake Tahoe police arrested a heavy equipment operator Sunday night on suspicion of driving under the influence and other charges after he turned his front end loader on an officer's car and tried to ram it, according to a press release.

Steve Beattie, 55, was taken into custody after the 9 p.m. confrontation with officers that came to a conclusion on dead-end Terry Lane. He was booked on charges of drunken driving, assault with a deadly weapon on an officer and felony evasion of officers, the press release said.

Police said they responded to a call of a snow-removal tractor knocking over a light standard and traffic control signs on Ski Run Boulevard. They said that when officers tried to stop the vehicle, the driver refused to stop, then flipped them the middle finger and drove his vehicle toward a police car driven by Officer Ray Poole.

By Robert D. Dávila
rdavila@sacbee.com

An unidentified man was killed Sunday night when he was walking across Northgate Boulevard and hit by a pickup driver, who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, Sacramento police said

The victim hit at 7:12 p.m. by a maroon Chevy pickup heading northbound in the 3500 block of Northgate, Sgt. Michael Carrasco said. The pedestrian was walking outside the crosswalk, the sergeant said.

The driver, Vincent Velasquez, 34, of Sacramento, was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of driving under the influence, Carrasco said.

Northgate Boulevard was closed to traffic between Patio Avenue and San Juan Boulevard for several hours while officers investigated the accident, Carrasco said.

Call The Bee's Robert D. Dávila, (916) 321-1077.

By Robert D. Dávila
rddavila@sacbee.com

The body of a man with his hands tied behind his back was found hanging from a rope in a tree over the Cosumnes River on Sunday evening, according to sheriff's officials.

Deputies are treating the death as a suicide.

The body was first seen by kayakers, who reported the discovery around 5 p.m. to rangers at the Cosumnes River Preserve in south Sacramento County, sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos said.

By Robert D. Dávila
rdavila@sacbee.com

TV sets and other electronic items were stolen from three UC Davis student housing units that were burglarized over the weekend, campus police said.

Burglars struck one apartment at the Russell Park complex and two apartments at the Colleges at La Rue complex between 9 p.m. Saturday and 3 a.m. Sunday, police said. Residents were not home during the burglaries, officials said.

Police encouraged students to lock all doors and windows in their apartments and dorm rooms. Anyone with information about the crimes is asked to call UC Davis police at (530) 752-1230.

Call The Bee's Robert D. Dávila, (916) 321-1077.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

UC Davis police say a fraternity house was robbed at gunpoint early Sunday.

According to a university news release, campus police arrested one suspect and recovered a gun that was thrown into the playground of a nearby daycare center.

Another suspect fled and remains at large

Photo credit: What started out as a small group of friends and family to mourn the death of a 27-year-old man who had been shot in front of IHOP restaurant escalated into a fight of several dozen threatening and injuring journalists at the scene.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A mob of two dozen angry mourners charged and attacked a news crew Sunday afternoon that was reporting on the killing of a 27 -year- old man early in the morning.

A two-person crew from Fox 40 was filming an impromptu memorial service for the victim in a parking area near the IHOP on the 2900 block of Advantage Way in Natomas. As they were doing so the crowd charged toward them screaming obscenities.

KTXL Channel 40 news director Brandon Mercer said multimedia journalist Rebecca Little was filming the video when she was pulled to the ground by her hair and kicked in the face, he said.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento County homicide detectives have arrested two men in what had been the baffling slayings Feb. 13 of a young man and two teenagers on Malaga Way in Rancho Cordova.

Detectives arrested Francisco Ignacio Delgado, 20, and Juan Isidoro Aucencio, 24, at their residences early today, in connection with the deaths of Robert Corpos, 20; Richard Ward, 16; and Jamir Miller, 15.

The three youths were shot around 4 p.m. from a car that drove up alongside them while they were riding bicycles.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Peter Dietrich, a physician who was formerly director of medical services for the Sacramento County jail system, has pleaded guilty to four felony counts of using a fraudulent prescription to obtain hydrocodone for his personal use.

He also admitted to violation of probation for convictions in a previous felony case in which he had obtained oxycodone by fraudulent prescription, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

Dietrich, 53, was sentenced to one year in custody and a suspended prison sentence of five years.

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

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

A Sacramento bank was robbed Friday evening by three men wearing masks, one day after a would-be robber unsuccessfully tried to hold up the same bank, a Sacramento Police Department spokesman said.

The three suspects entered the Chase Bank at 16th Street and Broadway just before 6 p.m., and escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash, said Sgt. Norm Leong. No weapons were seen and the suspects left in a white BMW, Leong said.

Police dispatchers were notified of the robbery by a subject who had been on the phone with a teller at the bank, who said the bank was being held up, the Sacramento Police Department reported. A second caller said she had walked up to the bank, seen everybody inside on the floor and fled, the department reported.

On Thursday, at about 9 a.m., a man entered the Chase Bank and demanded money, according to police department activity logs. The teller refused to give the suspect cash and the suspect left.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man died Thursday afternoon in a boating accident near Bodega Bay.

Sonoma County sheriff's officials said it appears that Manuel Silva Silveira, 65, was out crabbing when his 16-foot boat, a 1965 Atlas, lost power.

The Sheriff's Office marine and helicopter units, along with personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, Bodega Bay Fire Department and California Highway Patrol responded to a report of an overturned boat between the Estero Americano and Doran Beach at 3:48 p.m.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Woodland police have announced a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to a conviction in an arson case in which a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the residence of an elderly woman.

The incident occurred shortly before midnight Dec. 26 when someone threw the device at a residence in the 500 block of West Keystone Ave. The two occupants, a 102-year-old woman and her caretaker, were rescued by members of the Woodland Police Department.

The fire caused extensive damage to the residence.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man faces up to 30 years to life in prison after pleading no contest to kidnapping a woman in a 2009 Roseville-area carjacking incident.

Rick Anthony Cooley, 32, a three-strike offender, entered the plea of no contest to a felony count of kidnapping during the commission of a carjacking, according to a Placer County District Attorney's Office news release.

In an appearance Thursday in a Placer County courtroom, he also admitted to special allegations that he had committed prior serious or violent felonies for which he served prison time, the release states.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol said a motorist whose pickup truck crossed into the opposite lane of Rio Linda Boulevard Thursday night, causing a collision that killed a woman, is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The woman killed in the collision has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's department as Becky Rose Miller, 53, of Rio Linda.

The CHP said in a news release that Shara Cote, 34, of Rio Linda was driving her pickup southbound on Rio Linda Boulevard south of Elwyn Avenue about 9 p.m. Miller was traveling in the northbound direction on Rio Linda Boulevard.

By Bill Lindelof
blindleof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have arrested a man they say spent bank robbery money on sex toys and a photo shoot.

Steven Wilson (left), 25, was released from state prison on Feb. 2, police said. Investigators said they believe he was the man who held up a bank in the 1800 block of North Sacramento on Feb. 12.

Detectives said that Wilson became a suspect when they cross-checked the photos of recent parolees with the image of the robber on bank security video.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A relapsed drug addict who stabbed his reputed dope dealer to death two years ago was convicted of second-degree murder today by a Sacramento Superior Court jury.

Jeffrey Bruce Campbell, 48, is facing at least a 15-to-life term for the May 19, 2009, killing of Frederick Howard, 19, whose body was found behind a trash bin on Fite Circle in Rancho Cordova.

Judge Kevin J. McCormick scheduled Campbell's sentencing for March 17.

Campbell testified at trial that he stabbed Howard in an argument over a $100 crack cocaine debt the defendant owed the victim.

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

By Bill Enfield
benfield@sacbee.com

In response to Bee readers' questions: A registered sexual offender from the Sacramento area apparently died in 2005, although he is still listed on several registries of sexual offenders. A serial stabber who struck in Sacramento in 2006 and 2008 and the killers of a Sacramento women have not been caught.

Q: What happened to John Arthur Malia? He was convicted of child molestation in the 1980s. - Mike, Sacramento

A: John Arthur Malia (photo at left is taken from the California Justice Department's registry of sexual offenders) apparently died on Dec. 22, 2005, a records search indicates. Death records, Malia's birthdate and other records concerning Malia match.

However, he is still listed on the several sexual offender registries as "incarcerated." Spokespeople for the registries did not return phone calls from The Bee.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

A Mono County couple have paid the government $1 million for damages from a fire they accidentally caused that scorched 7,435 acres of the Inyo National Forest, according to U. S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner.

The Sawmill Fire ignited on Sept. 14, 2006, after Jonathan and Penny Bourne burned brush in a fire pit on their private property that was not fully extinguished and embers blew into dry fuel, Wagner said.

He said it cost the government more than $1 million to suppress the blaze.

"This recovery is the most recent in the government's continued efforts to hold individuals and companies accountable for behavior that jeopardizes and damages the national forests," Wagner said. "These are cherished resources, particularly in California."

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Would-be bank robbers struck out at two locations in Sacramento on Thursday, but came away empty-handed.

In the first attempt, a man entered a Chase Bank in the 1600 block of Broadway about 9 a.m. and demanded money. The teller refused to turn over the cash and the suspect walked out.

He was described as a white male, in his 40s, at least 6 feet tall and 200 pounds.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Folsom police are investigating whether alcohol, wet weather and excessive speed may have led to a major injury crash early this morning on Blue Ravine Road.

Police and Folsom Fire department personnel were called at about 12:30 a.m. to Blue Ravine Road, about a tenth of a mile west of Big Valley Road. Police said that where the roadway bends north toward El Dorado County, an eastbound Toyota Tacoma pickup left the road and hit a telephone pole.

The pickup came to rest upright and the pole was snapped. The unidentified driver had to be extricated from the wreckage.

By Matt Kawahara and Bill Lindelof
mkawahara@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County coroner's office has released the name of the woman killed in a crash Thursday night in Rio Linda.

She has been identified as Becky Rose Miller, 53, of Rio Linda.

Details of the crash are not available. However, a spokesman for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said in addition to the death of Miller, another person was taken to the hospital.

The accident occurred at Rio Linda Boulevard and Elverta Road shortly after 9 p.m. Responding personnel had to extricate at least one subject from a vehicle.

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

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have arrested three suspects in connection with the killing of Antonne Nelms, 20, who was shot to death in south Sacramento last December, according to a Sacramento Police Department release.

Darrell Miller, 18, Tyvone Allen, 18, and Torrey Adams, 31, were taken into custody Thursday without incident and booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of murder, the release states. The suspects did not immediately appear in online jail booking logs.

Nelms was found by responding officers in the 5000 block of Mack Road just before 3 p.m. Dec. 20, 2010, with an apparent gunshot wound, The Bee reported. He was treated at the scene by the Sacramento Fire Department and was transported to a local hospital, where he died.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man who committed what may have been a bias-motivated assault last week.

Just before 1:50 a.m. Feb. 11, the victim of the assault, a male in his 20s, was walking with friends in the area of 20th and K streets when the suspect exited a bar and started yelling derogatory comments about homosexuals, according to a Sacramento Police Department release.

One of the victim's friends said something to the suspect, and the suspect walked up and punched the victim, according to the release.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com

One person is in custody and a second is being sought after Sacramento police stopped a car earlier today that was involved in a carjacking Wednesday afternoon, police department spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said.

Police are in the area of Stockton Boulevard and Elder Creek Road in south Sacramento searching for a man who ran from the vehicle, Leong said. An officer spotted the vehicle, a boxy Mercedes, and identified it as a vehicle that had been stolen Wednesday, Leong said.

When police approached the car, its two occupants ran, Leong said. One was taken into custody and the second remains at large, he said. He is described as a black male wearing a red jacket and dark pants.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A woman who pretended to be a licensed vocational nurse has been sentenced to nine months in Placer County Jail and ordered to pay back $240,000 to an 85-year-old Foresthill man whom she defrauded over a period of years.

Debra Leigh Kelly, 55, of Foresthill was sentenced Wednesday by Placer County Superior Court Judge Frances Kearney after pleading guilty to a felony count of theft or embezzlement from an elder. Judge Kearney also placed Kelly on four years probation.

Kelly had also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of impersonating a licensed vocational nurse and practicing a trade without a valid license, according to a Placer County District Attorney's Office news release.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An 84-year-old Auburn man died this afternoon in a collision on Highway 49 north of Auburn.

California Highway Patrol Officer Dave Martinez said Roy Inman was driving a Chevrolet pickup and was pulling out of China Lane onto Highway 49 shortly before 3 p.m.

Martinez said Inman pulled into the path of northbound sedan driven by a 49-year-old Auburn woman. Her vehicle struck the driver's side of Inman's truck.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sabee.com

A Rancho Cordova man was sentenced today to 14 months in prison for bank fraud and theft of U.S. mail.

U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller also sentenced Ron Molano Taitano, 25, to three years of supervised release following his prison term, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.

Officials said Taitano was involved in multiple schemes to steal U.S. mail from postal vehicles, apartment complexes and neighborhood collection box units.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are looking for two men in their 20s who they said tried to rob a bank this afternoon and may be connected to a previous bank robbery.

Sgt. Norm Leong said the men approached a security guard at the rear of a bank at 34th Street and Broadway at about 12:25 p.m. They threatened him and ordered him to open the door. However, the guard didn't have the keys.

The men fled and crashed their Dodge Ram pickup into a tree in the area of 32nd Street and 2nd Avenue, where officers are searching for them.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Lamont Lee Rhinehart of the July 2007 murder of his child's mother, prosecutors said.

Jurors also found that Rhinehart, 37, stabbed and killed Avery Marie Polk, 27, during the commission of a rape.

The special circumstance allegation of the sex killing qualifies Rhinehart for a life term in prison with no chance of parole.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Alert neighbors are credited for a quick police response and arrest of two suspects in several home burglaries Wednesday afternoon in Roseville.

The search began about 1:45 p.m. when a resident of the 1300 block of Greenborough Drive reported that a young man knocked on his door and asked for a person who had never lived at the house.

The resident saw a silver compact sedan pull up, and the man got a backpack from the driver and started walking around the neighborhood, the release states.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

El Dorado Animal Services has euthanized 250 birds after uncovering what appeared to be a large, illegal cockfighting operation in Garden Valley, El Dorado County officials said today.

The discovery began Sunday with a traffic stop in Diamond Springs, during which sheriff's deputies found two roosters with injuries consistent with fighting.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Davis police are searching for a man who they believe attacked two women in separate incidents Wednesday evening.

The attacks occurred approximately two hours apart. The first took place about 6 p.m. on Fifth Street in a light-industrial area east of Pole Line Road.

A woman was walking on the sidewalk when a man came out of the bushes and grabbed her, according to a Police Department news release. When she pushed the man away and yelled for him to leave her alone, the man stopped his advance and casually walked away.

By Laurel Rosenhall
lrosenhall@sacbee.com

Sacramento State students are participating in a national program to help end sexual violence.

More than 700 students signed an online pledge yesterday, the first day of the new effort on campus. Students who sign the "One Student" pledge promise to try to prevent sexual assaults by doing a number of things: respecting a partner's sexual boundaries, talking to friends about the importance of mutual consent in sexual relationships and intervening if they see someone taking advantage of an intoxicated person.

The full pledge is at http://onestudent.org/be-the-one/

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Police said a drunken woman trying to climb a south Sacramento fence ended up impaled on a steel spike.

Officers responded at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday to a residence in the 6800 block of Woodbine Avenue where a woman was screaming.

When they arrived, police found an intoxicated 27-year-old woman impaled through a hamstring by a spike on a security fence.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The U.S. Postal Service is warning customers in rural Placer County that someone has exploded dry-ice bombs in mail boxes.

The bombs exploded Wednesday in two mail boxes in a rural area of Sheridan, which is north of Lincoln near Wheatland.

A third dry-ice fueled bomb was also placed in a mail box.

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

Riders and their palomino steeds are needed to join the Sacramento Sheriff's Posse. (Photo at right is a Bee staff photo taken during a 2009 performance by the Posse's drill team.)

The drill riding organization has a long tradition of showcasing the gold-coated horses outfitted with sterling silver tack.

The posse has ridden in the Rose Parade and in four presidential inauguration parades. The posse also serves as the governor's mounted honor guard.

The sheriff's Posse 911 Drill Team also is open for new members. Both organizations practice weekly.

If interested in participating, contact Corie Benveniste at (916) 812-2592.

By Bill Enfield

benfield@sacbee.com

A Placer County man who left his dying wife bleeding and nude outside their home overnight is due a parole hearing later this month.

Layne Kenneth Bakken, now 65, is serving a 15 years to life sentence he received on July 9, 1995, for the second-degree murder of Katherine Bakken, 28.

Testimony at his trial showed that Katherine Bakken died of head injuries after being left outside overnight, nude and bleeding, on a concrete walkway outside the couple's home in Weimar.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Davis police are warning residents to secure their doors and windows after a series of burglaries that were committed while the residents were at home.

Police said that since Feb. 2, the west Davis area has experienced four similar burglaries. They took place on Drake Drive, Anderson Road and Sycamore Lane, usually in the early morning hours when residents were sleeping.

Police said the suspect or suspects stole various personal electronic items left out in common areas of apartments.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The murder trial for two brothers accused of carrying out a hit on a state correctional officer for their older sibling who used to be a Sacramento sheriff's deputy has been rescheduled for Aug. 5.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White put the case back during a hearing Tuesday for Gary Vue, 29, and his brother Chong Vue, 31.

Their older brother, Chu Vue, 46, was convicted last year and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for the Oct. 15, 2008, killing of Steve Lo, 39.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A man who strangled his wife and left her body in a ditch four years ago pleaded guilty today to second-degree murder.

Agustine Espino Munoz, 40, entered his plea for the killing of his wife, Jill Alamo, 42, whose body was discovered Nov. 8, 2007, in the 9900 block of Elder Creek Road.

Munoz entered his plea just as trial was getting under way in Sacramento Superior Court.

Judge Timothy M. Frawley scheduled Munoz' sentencing for March 15. Under the terms of his plea deal, Munoz is expected to be sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, a court official said.

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

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

Galt police cited a store clerk for selling alcohol to a minor and two other adults for purchasing alcohol for a minor in a sting using decoys.

The decoy operations occurred Friday night. The police actions were are part of the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control's decoy grant project, according to a news release.

The release did not name the store or those cited.

Those who sell alcohol to minors face a minimum fine of $250 and possible community service. In addition, the ABC can take administrative action, police said, which could include a fine, license suspension or permanent revocation of the license.

Adults who purchase booze for minors are caught by underage police decoys who stand outside stores and ask adults to buy them alcohol.

Adults cited for buying alcohol for minors can be fined a minimum of $1,000 and required to perform community service, police said.

Q: What happened to the woman who struck and killed Megan Smith June 14, 2007? - Anonymous, Elk Grove

A: Tamara Broadnax (left), now 32, pleaded guilty to hit-and-run in the death of Folsom teen Megan Smith, records show.

She also pleaded guilty in October 2009 to filing a false stolen vehicle report and driving on a suspended license. A Sacramento Superior Court judge sentenced her to four years in prison.

She is no longer in prison, records indicate.

Broadnax's boyfriend, Kenneth Peoples (below), pleaded guilty to being an accessory to hit-and-run on Nov. 26, 2009, according to court records and Bee reports.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

The new sheriff in town - in El Dorado County, that is - will meet the public at a breakfast program Feb. 23 in El Dorado Hills.

John D'Agostini, who took office at the beginning of January, will talk about his agenda and priorities and will answer questions from the public.

The 7:30-9 a.m. event - in the Four Seasons Ballroom, 3186 Four Seasons Dr. - will include a catered breakfast - $10 for those who choose to participate.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Used firefighting equipment including a Sacramento fire engine, ambulance and fire tools such as the Jaws of Life will soon be turned over to Mexican firefighters.

The donations are part of a long-standing relationship between fire departments in Sacramento with their counterparts in the city of Jalostotitlan, near Guadalajara, Sacramento firefighters said.

When fire tools and vehicles are retired from service in Sacramento, some are given to the Mexican city of about 60,000 residents.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man who Sacramento police said was electrocuted late Tuesday night as he attempted to steal copper wire has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Gregory Allen Alexander, 39, of Roseville.

Police said he was trying to cut a high-voltage power line to steal copper wire for its recycling value.

"Deputies responded, along with firefighters," said Sacramento police spokesman Norm Leong. "They found a man ... who appears to have been trying to steal copper wiring from the electrical lines in the SMUD box."

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A woman charged in the death of her 3-year-old stepson pleaded no contest today to felony child endangerment resulting in death and is facing a likely 25-to-life sentence.

Dayshawna Lawrence, 23, entered her plea in the March 25 death of Jeremiah McRath on the first day of jury selection in her trial. She had been charged with murder as well as the child endangerment charge.

"The death of a vulnerable child like Jeremiah at the hands of someone who is supposed to be caring for them is extremely tragic," Deputy District Attorney Sheri Greco said. "So in this case, we're going to seek the maximum sentence we could have obtained had the case gone to trial, that being 25 to life."

By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man with a long criminal history will spend eight years and four months in state prison for savagely beating an acquaintance's pet dog in a dispute over medical marijuana.

The Chihuahua, named Harley, suffered a broken spine and other severe injuries and was put to death at the city animal shelter, animal care services manager Penny Cistaro said.

Johnae Rajshan Hoyt pleaded guilty to animal abuse, assault with a deadly weapon and other charges on Tuesday, in the midst of trial, said Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Hilary Bagley-Franzoia.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Elk Grove police are holding a community meeting tonight for citizens to meet with officers and discuss crime concerns.

The meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the Ciy Council chambers at 8400 Laguna Palms Way, is the first "community beat meeting" of the year. It is open to the public but focused on residents who live in the west portion of the city, west of Highway 99.

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

By Bee Staff

The Citrus Heights Police Department will be conducting a DUI checkpoint beginning at 7 p.m. Friday and running to about 3 a.m. on Auburn Boulevard, north of Twin Oaks Avenue.

The checkpoint is one in a series that are being funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to a Citrus Heights Police Department news release.

The primary goal of the grant is to stop DUI drivers in Citrus Heights using a high-intensity strike-team format, in hopes of reducing the number of DUI-related deaths and injuries, the release states.

Officers will be checking drivers for signs of impairment and valid driver's licenses. Vehicles of drivers without a valid driver's license are subject to tow.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Prosecutors played a tape today where they said Jonathan Lamar Perry (left) admitted to giving his girlfriend's 4-year-old son a "whupping" the day the boy died.

"I'm calling to confess what happened," said a voice prosecutors identified as Perry's. The statement was in a voicemail left for a Sacramento sheriff's detective who was investigating the July 21, 2008, death of Jahmaurae Allen.

Perry said in the voicemail that the boy "peed on himself" and "I got mad." Perry said "I gave him a whupping, and he kept crying," which the defendant said was "aggravating me."

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

A Sacramento entrepreneur pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to one count of wire fraud related to a scheme to misappropriate nearly $1 million in investor funds.

Collins "Collie" Max Christensen, 53, is scheduled to be sentenced May 3. He is free on his own recognizance.

According to court documents, Christensen managed companies that were used for multipurpose land development projects in California, Mississippi, and Cabo San Lucas, Baja, Mexico. From 2006 through 2008, he raised more than $2.3 million from 14 investors for these projects, the documents state.

Christensen misappropriated approximately $985,994 of the money, spending it on unrelated business ventures and personal expenses, the documents allege. They also claim he failed to disclose to investors the shaky financial condition of the projects.

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

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com
Elk Grove police need help in finding a gap-toothed bank robber (left) who escaped on a bike.

The robber with the missing lower front tooth entered the Mechanics Bank in the 8200 block of Laguna Boulevard, at about 1 p.m. Monday. He used a semi-automatic handgun to rob a teller before leaving the bank.

The hold-up man was last seen as he rode away westbound on Laguna Boulevard on a bicycle.

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

A Truckee man with a long criminal history, including manslaughter, has been sent to prison under the state's "three-strikes" law.

Douglas Harold Doyle (left), 51, whose past crimes including an alcohol-related vehicular manslaughter conviction in which a Tahoe City schoolteacher was killed, was sent to prison for 25 years to life, according to a news release from the Placer County District Attorney's Office.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of drunk driving and was sentenced Feb. 2 by Placer County Superior Court Judge Colleen Nichols.

By Bill Enfield

benfield@sacbee.com

A Sacramento County man whose murder alibi was undone by grease on his victim's hand is due a parole hearing this month.

A Sacramento Superior Court judge on Nov. 28, 1990, sentenced Larry Albert Andres, now 57, to 18 years to life for killing Darrel A. Dove, 41, The Bee reported.

Dove was shot to death April 20, 1990, in a Rio Linda wrecking yard that Andres owned. Dove was the previous owner.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The U.S. Department of Justice has joined the California Attorney General and Yolo County District Attorney's offices in concluding that three members of the Yolo County Sheriff's Department should not face criminal charges in the 2009 fatal shooting of Luis Gutierrez-Navarro.

The Sheriff's Department reported that it received a letter today from the federal Department of Justice stating that the department had concluded its investigation of the shooting.

On April 30, 2009, sheriff's Sgt. Dale Johnson, along with Deputies Hernan Oviedo and Hector Bautista were involved in the fatal shooting of Gutierrez-Navarro, a farmworker and suspected gang member, on the Gum Avenue overpass that crosses Highway 13.

By Niesha Lofing and Bill Lindelof
nlofing@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of a young woman killed in an auto crash early Monday morning.

She was identified as Christina McCloud, 19, of Sacramento.

McCloud was a passenger in a 1995 Toyota Camry that was heading south near the 8400 block of Power Inn Road when the car headed off the road, collided with several trees and overturned, coming to rest on its roof, said Christopher Trim, Elk Grove police spokesman.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man found dead in the cab of his pickup truck in Woodland on Friday has been identified by the Yolo County Coroner's Office as 58-year-old Michael Thomas Kelley.

Coroner's Office spokesman Robert LaBrash said the cause of death is pending results of an autopsy, but he said there were no outward signs of trauma or foul play. He said Kelley is believed to have been dead for up to week when his body was found.

LaBrash said Kelley had lived in the Dixon and Yolo County areas.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man has been sentenced to life in prison for a home invasion robbery in which the victims were tortured.

Minh Throng Huynh, 38, is the last of seven gang members to be sentenced in the robbery spree, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb today sentenced Huynh to life in prison plus a consecutive 65-year term for using a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. The sentencing came after years of delays initiated by the defense, federal officials said.

According to evidence presented at the three-month trial in 2007, over the course of two months, December 1995 and January 1996, co-defendant John That Luong, 39, the leader and organizer of a criminal organization, planned and executed four violent armed robberies, and attempted a fifth, of computer chip companies and a Stockton jewelry store. Minh Huynh was a robbery crew chief.

By Melody Gutierrez, Kim Minugh and Cynthia Hubert
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

As dozens of students stood vigil this afternoon at the site where three young men were gunned down Sunday, sheriff's officials said they still did not know who the victims were or who was responsible.

Students from Mather Youth Academy and Cordova High School congregated outside the Raley's Supermarket at 8391 Folsom Blvd. and then marched to the 10100 block of Malaga Way, where two of the young men had died. The third died after being taken to Mercy San Juan Hospital.

All three victims appear to be in their late teens, Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Jason Ramos said Sunday night.

By Christine Vovakes and Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 3-year-old Shasta County boy remains in critical condition at UC Davis Medical Center after shooting himself in the head with a handgun Sunday morning at a Shingletown residence.

Shasta County sheriff's deputies were summoned to a home shortly after 8 a.m. and reported that the youngster had "obtained a handgun and shot himself in the head."

The boy was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Redding and later airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center.

Shingletown is a rural community on Highway 44 about 30 miles east of Redding.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Five members of a Yuba City white supremacist gang have been arrested in connection with an unusual scheme to smuggle heroin into the Susanville State Prison, Attorney General Kamala Harris said today.

The five members of the "New Order" gang allegedly planted 1 gram of heroin onto the glue strips of envelopes, then mailed them to inmates inside the prison, Harris said.

Each heroin-laced envelope was valued at $500 inside the prison, more than five times its street value, Harris said.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The mother of a 4-year-old boy who prosecutors say was killed by her live-in boyfriend testified today that she did not think the defendant was responsible for injuries that had been inflicted on the victim before he was killed.

Tiffany Lacy, the mother of Jahmaurae Allen, said the boy told her that one of his brothers hit him in the chest. The child's injury, however, caused enough bruising for a pediatrician to later report the case to Child Protective Services.

"The doctor said an adult did it," Lacy testified today, in the first day of trial against Jonathan Lamar Perry, who is charged with murder in Jahmaurae Allen's death on July 21, 2008.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A prosecutor today said that a fatal shooting at a Halloween party in the Rancho Cordova area resulted from a fight instigated by a contingent of ill-tempered street gang members who intimidated the guests before one of them gunned down the host.

Two men who came to the party on Rogue River Drive with the reputed members of the Monk Mobb gang are on trial for the early-morning Nov. 1, 2008, shooting death of Patrick Razaghzadeh, 24. They are Elijah Rasean Fields, 20, and Corey Andre Carmicle, 24.

The trial got underway with Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Andrew Soloman's opening statement that Monk Mobb members carried an attitude of "You don't know who we are, you don't know where we're from," into a party that, in their view, was being attended mostly by "squares" who were working and going to school.

By Niesha Lofing
nlofing@sacbee.com

A dad who allegedly owes more than $190,000 in back child support payments to his El Dorado County ex-wife was arrested last week in Los Angeles after flying in from the Philippines.

El Dorado County officials on Wednesday were notified that Gerald Boldt, who owed child support payments to the mother of his now-emancipated child, was getting ready to leave the Philippines.

Boldt was attempting to apply for additional passport pages at the embassy in Manila when a routine check revealed he was on a passport denial list for having failed to pay child support payments, Laura Roth, director of child support services for El Dorado County, stated in a news release.

By Hudson Sangree and Niesha Lofing
hsangree@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's officials said they have not determined a motive for the fatal shooting of a woman and wounding of an 11-year-old girl in a Foothill Farms neighborhood Sunday.

Sacramento County coroners have identified Tiffany Marie O'Hanlon, 37, as the woman fatally shot, allegedly by her husband, John Pierce, 36.

Pierce is being held without bail on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon in Sacramento County Main Jail. He is suspected of shooting O'Hanlon and her 11-year-old daughter at about 11 a.m. Sunday in the 5300 block of Valparaiso Circle, sheriff's deputies said.

O'Hanlon was found dead at the scene. The girl, who ran to a neighbor's house, was shot in the arm, deputies said. She is expected to recover from her injuries.

The name of the girl has not been released.

Deputy Jason Ramos said detectives who interviewed Pierce reported that he has not been forthcoming about the circumstances that led to the shooting. Ramos said Pierce had no known criminal record and there had been no previous disturbance calls to the residence.

Pierce is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The 11-year-old girl was to taken to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment. Two boys, 5-year-old twins, were not injured and were placed in the care of Child Protective Services.

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

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Rocklin Police says the young man who scared the life out of his neighbors Sunday with a homemade explosive was an unskilled amateur chemist, but not a terrorist.

"It's our opinion -- at this time -- it's really a kid screwing around to a higher magnitude than we are used to," said Lt. Terry Roide.

Ryan William Linn, 25, of Rocklin, is being held in the Placer County's jail without bail as a result of the Feb. 13 explosion.

The mother of one of three teen victims gunned down and killed expresses her frustration to Rancho Cordova police officers over lack of information. Three young men were gunned down and killed Sunday afternoon on a Rancho Cordova sidewalk in what police described as a drive-by shooting. Photo by Randy Pench

By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com

Three young men were gunned down and killed Sunday afternoon on a Rancho Cordova sidewalk in what police described as a drive-by shooting.

All three victims appear to be in their late teens, said Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Jason Ramos. Their identities had not been released as of Sunday night.

The shooting happened at about 4:30 p.m. in the 10100 block of Malaga Way, a residential area of apartments, condominiums and duplexes. Two of the young men died at the scene, and a third at Mercy San Juan hospital.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Three people were shot tonight in a drive-by incident in the 6400 block of Woodbine Avenue, Sacramento police said, and officers are scouring the area for a black Honda Civic seen racing from the scene.

Police spokeswoman Laura Peck said she had limited information but that the three victims suffered wounds that are not considered life threatening.

The first call of shots being fired near 47th Avenue and Woodbine came in at 8:32 p.m. and apparently involved one vehicle firing upon the occupants of another.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Folsom police say they are dealing with a large increase in heroin abuse in the area, with a spate of arrests and one death attributed to overdose so far this month.

Last Sunday, police were called out to investigate three suspected overdoses involving residents in their early to mid-20s, police said.

Two of the overdoses were believed to have been caused by heroin use, and one of the overdose victims died, police said.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

A 58-year-old Woodland woman was arrested this afternoon following a dispute that led to her 35-year-old daughter being stabbed, police said.

Woodland police were called to an apartment complex in the 100 block of West Lincoln Avenue at 1:26 p.m. today in response to a report of a domestic dispute.

Police said that upon arrival they found the victim with a stab wound and that the woman said she had been wounded after a fight with her mother.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Good Samaritans chased down a bicycle-riding purse snatcher in Citrus Heights Friday evening.

A woman was eating with her children at Carl's Jr. on Sunrise Boulevard when Roman Banada, 18, grabbed her purse, according to Citrus Heights police Lt. Doug Fletcher. The 32-year-old victim had left the purse on a table while she ate.

Banada entered the restaurant, grabbed the purse and left, jumping onto a bicycle outside.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

The would-be seller of an iPod shouldn't have let the customer touch the Touch.

Sacramento police report that the owner of an iPod Touch listed the item for sale on Craigslist and then agreed to meet a prospective buyer.

However, when the seller handed the merchandise over, the "buyer" ran off with the iPod without paying.

The suspect was described as a Hispanic male, 20, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, wearing a white sweater.

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

By Carlos Alcalá and Niesha Lofing
calcala@sacbee.com

The 19-year-old homeless man found dead under the freeway near Third and Q Streets Friday has been identified by Sacramento Coroners officials as Daniel David Yoest.

Yoest died at 8:25 a.m. Friday. His cause of death has not yet been classified.

Yoest's body was located with the assistance of a California Highway Patrol work crew, according to a Sacramento Police report.

Yoest appeared to be living in a camp near where his body was found.

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

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A woman has been hospitalized after spending two hours this morning in her crashed car near Grass Valley, California Highway Patrol officials report.

The woman, who was not identified, apparently swerved as she was driving and then over-corrected, plunging off Highway 49 near Lady Jane Road.

"She went way down an embankment," said CHP Officer Folke Lilyquist.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Roseville police have released the name of the 16-month-old girl found dead in her Hearthside Way home Friday.

The child has been identified as Isabella Michelle Heredia.

Police and fire crews went to the child's home Friday morning, responding to reports that she was not breathing. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento police cited and shut down a supposed birthday party Friday, where celebrants were being charged for admission and drinks.

Police responded about 6:30 p.m. to a party on Massie Court. Occupants had previously been warned about illegal parties.

On this occasion, what had been billed as a birthday party turned out to be open to the public for $10, with alcoholic drinks available for $8.

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

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Woodland police are looking for a man who put a gun to the head of a bar manager in a robbery early today.

The suspect entered the Corkwood Lounge before 2 a.m. and put a black handgun to the woman's head and demanded money.

He then forced her into a bathroom and locked her in.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Citrus Heights police are investigating a stabbing early today that sent one man to the hospital with serious injuries.

A fight broke out at closing time outside Club Liquid on Arcadia Drive, according to Lt. Doug Fletcher.

About 15 people were involved in the fight, which stemmed from an argument inside the club, Fletcher said.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Elk Grove police have arrested Lovie James, 52, who was wanted in connection with the attempted murder of his female roommate.

Police had been looking for James for a week, since the 69-year-old woman attempted to evict James from the residence.

James reportedly reacted violently, punching and choking the victim, police said.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Auburn police have arrested a man wanted in connection with a September home invasion after Roseville police jailed the man on other charges.

Roseville police arrested Kenneth Amick, 45, on suspicion of stealing water backflow devices.

Amick, who was already wanted by Auburn police, was interviewed by Auburn detectives in Placer County Jail and rebooked on suspicion of burglary, battery with serious bodily injury and conspiracy.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Four men tried to rob a Sacramento market Friday evening, but ran away without taking anything when a store employee fired a gun into the air, police said.

No one was hurt, police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said

Leong said the attempted robbery happened about 6:35 p.m. when four men in ski masks, one of whom was armed with a gun, entered the market near Muir and McClatchy ways.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Woodland police are investigating the death of a person found dead in the cab of a pickup truck this afternoon in an industrial area of the city.

Police officers and members of the fire department were dispatched at 1:46 p.m. to the parking lot at 1400 Churchill Downs regarding a person slumped over inside the cab of a black Dodge pickup. They determined that the individual had been dead for at least a few days, according to a Police Department news release.

Officials from the Yolo County Coroner's Office responded and are assisting in the investigation. Police said there were no obvious signs of trauma, weapons or means of death. The individual has not been identified.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Roseville police are investigating the death of an 16-month-old girl this morning.

Police Department spokeswoman DeeDee Gunther said police and firefighters responded to a home in the 2600 block of Hearthside Way at 11:12 a.m. after receiving a report of a child who was unresponsive and not breathing.

The child was pronounced dead at the scene. Gunther said there were no obvious signs of what happened and detectives are investigating to determine the cause of death.

An autopsy will be performed by the Placer County Coroner's Office.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An Oak Park man has pleaded guilty to involvement in a crack cocaine trafficking conspiracy.

Edward Mallory, 45, of Sacramento, entered guilty pleas today in U.S. District Court in Sacramento to two counts of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and two counts of possessing crack cocaine for distribution, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The plea agreement calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 24 years and four months in federal prison, the release states.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Grass Valley man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a man was found severely injured at the Alta Sierra Airport runway Thursday.

Nevada County sheriff's deputies received a report of a man vandalizing property and making threats to homeowners on Norlene Way in the Grass Valley area about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Deputies responded and contacted Cody Robert Feiler, 30. Deputies detained Feiler because of his bizarre behavior and unusual statements, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's investigators have determined that a gun found at the scene of an accidental shooting in Fair Oaks on Monday was stolen in a residential burglary.

Deputy Jason Ramos said the gun was found in a back yard of the residence in the 5600 block of Ritz Way and was wrapped in a T-shirt or cloth. He said tests are being performed to determine whether the .357 revolver was the gun involved in the shooting.

The victim, a 17-year-old boy, was shot in the chest and remains hospitalized but is expected to survive, Ramos said.

By Bee Staff

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint on starting at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, at Florin Road and 24th Street, according to a police news release.

The checkpoint will run for five to seven hours.

Officers check for alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers. Officers will also check driver's licenses.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's officials thanked the community this morning for assisting detectives in the complicated and lengthy investigation into December's deadly barbershop shootout, a review that yielded murder charges against five suspects this week.

Charges also have been filed against a sixth suspect who remains at large, according to authorities.

At a news conference to discuss the case, sheriff's officials said the charges could not have been filed without the tips and information that came in from residents.

Bill Lindelof and Cathy Locke
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man who died in a fire Friday morning at a West Sacramento mobile home park has been identified by the Yolo County Coroner's Office as 80-year-old Frank Cressinger.

Coroner's office spokesman Robert LaBrash said Monday that an autopsy would be conducted to determine the cause of death.

The fire broke out about 8:20 a.m. in a home at the Westwind Estates mobile home park in the 1300 block of Sacramento Avenue.

When crews arrived, heavy smoke and flames were coming from the double-wide mobile home.

Crews were told that someone was still inside the residence, prompting crews to attack the blaze and mount a search. Cressinger, who depended on oxygen tanks for breathing, was found dead.

The man's wife escaped the fire, said John Heilmann, West Sacramento Fire Department division chief.

The mobile home was a complete loss.

Nearby residents said they heard an explosion before the fire began.

The fire remains under investigation.

A rapist who terrorized Citrus Heights in 1983 and 1984 is still in prison and a man who killed a Sacramento father after he came to the aid of son who was assaulted by gang members are among the recent answers posted to The Bee's Sacto 9-1-1 crime Q&A.

Q: What happened to the person who killed Juan Manuel Lira, who was trying to protect his family from a gang? - Anonymous, Roseville

A: Tuuaipea "Rocky" Mataafa, who shot and killed a Sacramento father who came to the aid of his teenage son after the boy was assaulted by gang members, was sentenced on June 4, 1994, in Sacramento Superior Court to 10 years in prison, The Bee reported.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A no-bail felony warrant has been issued for Lovie James (left), suspected by Elk Grove police of beating his roommate and then threatening to burn down her home.

James, 52, allegedly punched his 69-year-old roommate in the face and choked her when she tried to evict him Feb. 4.

Police said he also poured gasoline inside the residence in the 8700 block of Lewie Way and threatened to commit arson.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The car of a Sacramento County man missing since early December has been found in El Dorado County.

Robert Gates, 65, has been missing since he left his home Dec. 3. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies confirmed he told his wife that day that he was going for a drive to Georgetown in El Dorado County, a spot the couple has visited in the past.

On Jan. 23, his black 2008 Pontiac Solstice was found on Volcanoville Road near Buckeye Point. A search of the area was conducted but Gates is still missing, deputies said.

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

By Diana Lambert
dlambert@sacbee.com

Three Elk Grove Unified high school students in the last two days have reported becoming sick after eating marijuana-laced brownies.

About 2 p.m. today, two ninth-grade students from Monterey Trail High School in Elk Grove went to the school office and told staff they were feeling ill, said Elizabeth Graswich, spokeswoman for the Elk Grove Unified School District. The boys said another student gave them marijuana-laced brownies, she said.

The boys were taken to an area hospital after they began to vomit, Graswich said. She said they are still at the hospital being evaluated.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Sacramento police report that a tip has led to the arrest of the person believed to be responsible for a recent series of hotel robberies.

Because the investigation is continuing, Sgt. Norm Leong said the suspect's name has not been released. He said the man was arrested in North Sacramento in connection with 11 robberies within the city and three outside the city.

The series of five hotel robberies began Jan. 19 and the most recent one occurred Monday morning. In each case the man approached the front counter, demanded money and either displayed or indicated that he had a gun.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A man who barricaded himself inside an Elk Grove residence this afternoon has been taken into custody, according to police.

The 39-year-old man is not under arrest and will be taken for a psychiatric evaluation, said police Officer Christopher Trim.

The incident began this afternoon after firefighters were called to the 8400 block of Guis Court to extinguish a car fire, Trim said. After putting out the flames, firefighters asked a police community service officer to come to the scene and request for a vehicle tow.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Shane Wilson (left) of Pollock Pines has received the maximum sentence of 400 years to life in prison after being convicted of two counts of kidnapping, six counts of rape and 10 other sexual assault-related charges.

Wilson, 38, was convicted in December by a Sacramento Superior Court jury and was sentenced today by Judge Maryanne Gilliard.

In October 2008, Wilson picked up his first victim while she sat at a bus stop on Stockton Boulevard. He drove her to a dark area near Power Inn Road and beat her.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Miguel Carranza (left) of murder in the Nov. 8, 2007, shooting deaths of his former girlfriend, Yesenia Lopez, and her new boyfriend, Jezer Lopez.

Judge Steve White scheduled Carranza's sentencing for March 18. Carranza, who turns 32 next week, is facing a life sentence with no possibility of parole on the jury's special-circumstance finding that he committed multiple murders.

While prosecutors cast Yesenia Lopez, 29, and Jezer Lopez, 32, as victims of a love-triangle killing, Carranza's attorney suggested it was connected to a retaliation execution in Mexico linked to the Sinaloa drug cartel.

By Cathy Locke
Clocke@sacbee.com

A federal jury has found a former Sacramento woman guilty of stealing her deceased mother's Social Security benefits.

U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced that Aletha Colwell, 40, of Reno, was found guilty Wednesday of one misdemeanor count of theft of government funds after a three-day trial before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendall J. Newman.

According to testimony presented at trial, Colwell shared a bank account with her mother, who received Social Security benefits that were automatically deposited into her account.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

California's Third District Court of Appeal refused today to block an order to make a juror turn over his Facebook postings in a Sacramento gang beating trial, according to a lawyer in the case.

Attorney Kenneth L. Rosenfeld, who is representing juror Arturo Ramirez, said he will take the matter to the California Supreme Court "to protect my client's right to privacy."

Rosenfield said he will request a stay order from the state's highest court "at the latest Monday morning."

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police today released photos of a woman they believe took credit cards from purses at two elementary schools. (See below.)

The first theft occurred about 9 a.m. Dec. 9 when the suspect entered a room at Two Rivers Elementary School, 3201 West River Drive, and took credit cards from the purses of two teachers.

She was seen leaving in a four-door, silver Nissan Altima.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Prosecutors have charged six suspects with murder in the Dec. 14 shootout at a south Sacramento barbershop that left two people dead, including a 30-year-old mom who was shielding her 2-year-old son from flying bullets.

A criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Sacramento Superior Court identified the six as Lonnie Mitchell, 24, his brother Louis Mitchell, 19, James Carney, 31, Charles Barksdale, 19, Larry Jones, 19, and Dominique Lott, 17.

All of the defendants except for Jones are in custody, a sheriff's spokesman said.

Q: What happen to former Cordova High School football star Robert Rozier, who admitted killing for a cult in Miami and was later convicted of bouncing checks in El Dorado County? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: Rozier, now 55, is serving a 25 years to life sentence in a California prison, records show. (Photo at left was taken in court in 1999.)

On Jan. 12, 2001, an El Dorado County judge sentenced Rozier, the former Miami cult executioner and protected federal witness, under California's "three strikes" law, concluding a strange bounced-check case, The Bee reported.

Rozier, a former Cordova High School and University of California, Berkeley football star, was arrested for passing bad checks nearly 13 years ago in a Cameron Park subdivision where he was living anonymously as Robert Rameses - his secret identity under the federal witness protection program.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man who made news in 2008 when he escaped from the Sacramento County courthouse after learning he was to be arrested has been convicted of three residential burglaries.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury found Brandon Hunter, 22, and Fred Gore, 27, guilty of felonies related to a series of residential burglaries.

Hunter was convicted of three first-degree residential burglaries that involved two other subjects, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. In all three instances, one individual knocked on the door numerous times. When the victims didn't answer, they kicked in the front door and entered the homes.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Robert Patrick Kaser, who shot and killed his 14-year-old stepson and wounded his wife and another stepson in Placerville 25 years ago, was denied parole today at a hearing at San Quentin State Prison, authorities say.

The 70-year-old Kaser, who is serving a sentence of 21 years to life in the slaying of Ehren Gregory Dixon, had his application for parole denied for five years, El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson's office said.

Deputy District Attorney Joe Alexander represented the prosecution and the surviving family.

Kaser was last denied parole in 1997. He was convicted of shooting the trio March 17, 1985, after visiting his estranged wife.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Three people, including two firefighters, were injured this morning when a fire engine struck a car near Mather Field Road and Highway 50 in Rancho Cordova.

The driver of the car blamed loud music for being unable to hear the approaching fire engine's siren, investigators said.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District's Engine Company 66 was responding to a medical emergency with lights and siren at 10:27 a.m. and was traveling north on Mather Field Road over Highway 50 when it encountered a car.

Bee photo: Firefighters respond to the Roseville Galleria blaze on Oct. 21 of last year.

Bee staff

Alexander Piggee was arraigned today in U.S. District Court on two counts of arson stemming from the Oct. 21 fire that burned part of the Westfield Galleria in Roseville and a minor fire at a North Highlands Walmart.

Through his attorney, Johnny Griffin III, Piggee entered a plea of not guilty.

He is being detained without bail in federal custody. He was being held in the Placer County jail on charges related to the Galleria fire, but those charges were dismissed Tuesday after the case was moved to federal jurisdiction.

Piggee is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on March 8.

Photo Gallery: Westfield Galleria in Roseville

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A body was removed from the American River after it was discovered by fisherman late this morning near the Howe Avenue access.

Capt. Christian Pebbles of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said the department's boat companies responded to a call at 11:52 a.m. He said the body of an adult male was found lodged among trees under water.

Pebbles said he did not know how long the body might have been in the water.

Q: Years ago there was a scam where DUI records were destroyed at the Sacramento County courthouse. What happened to those involved? - Anonymous, Sacramento

A: There have been two scandals involving altering or theft of DUI court records in Sacramento County separated by about 20 years. In both cases, people were sentenced to prison.

In the most recent case, DUI fixer Hector Whitley was sentenced Nov. 6, 2008, to six years in state prison for his role in a courthouse scam to dismiss cases on drunken drivers, The Bee reported.

Whitley "admitted to having a part in the crime," but claimed that he "did not know all that was going on," according to his probation report.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

California Highway Patrol officers in the Sacramento region handed out more than 200 citations to drivers they caught talking on cell phones during a 24-hour crackdown earlier this week.

The cell phone enforcement day was aimed at citing drivers using their cell phones without a hands-free device to cut down on distracted driving.

During the campaign that began 6 a.m. Tuesday, officers handed out 216 citations for talking on the cell phone while driving and 12 tickets for texting while driving.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Elk Grove police released today a photo of a gas station robber who wore a distinctive shirt with a skeletal design during a holdup.

The robbery took place about 8 p.m. Monday at the Chevron gas station, 9715 West Taron Drive. The robber demanded money from a clerk while acting like he had a weapon.

Cash was handed over to the man and he was last seen driving away in a white vehicle.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man wanted in connection with a Sacramento shooting and narcotics trafficking was arrested Monday night by Sacramento police and federal authorities.

About 8 p.m. Monday, the Sacramento Police Department's Career Criminal Apprehension Team partnered with the U.S. Marshal's Service and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's Fugitive Apprehension Team in tracking down Thomas Vail, 39, a wanted fugitive. The Marshal's Service was looking for Vail in connection with a drug trafficking case involving Oxycontin being moved between California and Alaska, according to a Police Department news release. He also was wanted by Sacramento Police for allegedly breaking into an apartment and shooting an individual with whom he had a fight earlier in the evening.

Vail was found driving near Greenback Lane and Auburn Boulevard, and was taken into custody without incident. He is being held without bail in Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of both the state and federal offenses.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Charles Antonio Williams of first-degree murder in the May 8, 2010, shooting death of Marcel Hatch.

The shooting took place at the Eco Lodge on Auburn Boulevard.

Judge Michael Savage scheduled a Feb. 25 sentencing for Williams, who shot and killed Hatch with an AK-47 assault rifle.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A father got 50 years in prison and his son was sent off for seven years for the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy in the Northgate area.

Cuauhtemoc Rodriguez, 40, had been convicted of first-degree murder in the Aug. 21, 2008, killing of Kevin Marshall while his son, Agustin, had been found guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette imposed the terms in the killing that was precipitated by a dirty look that another member of the Rodriguez family directed at Marshall, who then engaged in a fistfight with the two defendants.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The defense attorney for the suspect in October's arson at the Roseville Galleria said he was taken aback by a Placer County prosecutor's statement in court today that his client is "mentally competent," but he is not concerned that the information has been made public.

Attorney Johnny L. Griffin III said he had sent another member of his staff to Tuesday's court session at which the Placer County District Attorney's Office was to request dismissal of the Superior Court charges in order to transfer the case to federal court.

During the dismissal proceedings, Deputy District Attorney David Broady stated that defendant Alexander Piggee's medical report concluded that he was mentally competent.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department seeks the community's help in identifying a suspect believed to be responsible for at least six robberies in the last three weeks.

A single suspect is sought based on surveillance photographs and the method used to commit the robberies, according to a Police Department news release.

In each robbery the man was described as white or Hispanic, 20 to 30 years old, weighing 120 to 170 pounds, with short hair, a mustache and a goatee.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Tomato king Frederick Scott Salyer's bid to keep a significant portion of the government's evidence from being used against him has been rejected by a Sacramento federal judge.

U. S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton ruled that Salyer has no standing to challenge warrantless searches of property that then belonged to his now-defunct company, SK Foods LP.

The defense motion to suppress the fruits of the searches struck at the heart of the high-profile prosecution. Salyer's lead defense lawyer, Malcolm Segal, claimed the case rests on a mountain of documents obtained without court order from Anthony Ray Manuel who, as a vice president of SK Foods, simply picked up the material, walked out and turned it over to the FBI.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A man died this morning when the motorcycle he was driving left a Placer County roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Few details of the crash were initially available. The motorcycle apparently drove off Sierra College Boulevard just south of Highway 193 about 10:45 a.m.

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

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

A Sacramento County sheriff's deputy and a 49-year-old woman were sent to the hospital this morning after their cars collided, according to authorities.

The deputy complained of pain in his neck and back area; however, the injuries did not appear to be serious, said Deputy Jason Ramos, sheriff's spokesman.

A passenger in the car that hit the deputy's patrol cruiser complained of pain to her side, but also did not appear to have serious injuries, Ramos said.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Placer County man has been arrested on suspicion of stealing brass plumbing devices for their recycling value.

Roseville police said that Kenneth Elliot Amick, 45, who has no permanent address, was arrested on suspicion of grand theft. Police said there has been a spate of thefts of the expensive backflow devices.

Detectives were conducting surveillance when they saw a person they said was Amick tampering with a water backflow device on Springview Drive in Rocklin. Amick was arrested and police said they collected evidence linking him to thefts of the devices in the Sierra College Boulevard, Miner's Ravine and Olympus Pointe areas.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Two people have been arrested in connection with church vandalism that included the destruction of a set for a children's Christmas play.

Burglars caused thousands of dollars of damage and destroyed a set for an upcoming children's Christmas play at New Hope Lutheran Church in Foresthill, Placer County, on Dec. 13.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The name of the 31-year-old man who was killed in a single-car crash in Wilton late Sunday afternoon has been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's department.

The driver of the car has been identified as Turan Kumar Dutta of Milpitas, Santa Clara, County.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A teenager was accidentally shot in the chest by a friend in the garage of his Fair Oaks home Monday night.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies have recovered a handgun at the house in the 5600 block of Ritz Way where they were called about 9 p.m. Deputies responded to the home to find a 17-year-old boy shot in the chest.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies arrested a wanted parolee Monday morning after they said he led them on a 15-minute chase in a Jaguar from the Arden Arcade area to Citrus Heights.

Department spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos said Zachariah Lee, 26, has a history of felony evasion. He was spotted by deputies and the chase started at 9:32 a.m. at Watt Avenue and Auburn Boulevard.

The pursuit, which reached speeds of 70 mph, ended at the Sierra Oaks Apartments on Auburn Boulevard when Lee allegedly crashed and fled from the car, Ramos said.

By Chelsea Phua and Anita Cramer
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento police said the suspects involved in a stabbing early Sunday morning at a downtown nightclub left in a white Chevrolet Tahoe with chrome rims. They are still at large.

The five male victims suffered non-life threatening injuries and were taken to local hospitals, police said.

The fight allegedly took place in the parking lot of the Dream Ultra Lounge on 15th Street near I Street but police said it apparently started with a "verbal altercation" inside the business.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Roseville officials announced Monday that Sacramento police captain Daniel Hahn will be the city's next police chief.

Hahn was seen as a rising star within the Sacramento Police Department, where he worked for 23 years.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are investigating a robbery and an attempted robbery this morning.

Police were called to a McDonald's in the 3700 block of Northgate Boulevard at 4:50 a.m. where two masked men took cash and escaped in the restaurant manager's car. The car was later found by police.

The robbers were described as two black men, one wearing a blue and white-stripped shirt and the other a black jacket.

By Anita Creamer
acreamer@sacbee.com

A fight that spilled out of a downtown Sacramento nightclub and into the street in the early hours of Sunday morning left five people hospitalized with stab wounds, said police. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening, according to authorities.

The fight took place in the parking lot of the Dream Ultra Lounge on 15th Street near I Street.

Investigators continue searching for suspects, said police.

Call The Bee's Anita Creamer, (916) 321-1136.

By Anita Creamer
acreamer@sacbee.com

Sacramento Sheriff's deputies busted an illegal cockfighting operation before noon Sunday at a residence in the 9000 block of River Road in South Sacramento.

Officers arrested six people on cruelty to animal charges: Jose Pimental-Lopez, 35; Jose Magdaleno, 34; Rafael Gallegos-Herrera, 32; Alejandro Jimenez, 27; Luis Navarro, 30; and Vicente Hernandez, 39.

Dozens of people fled the scene, said department spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

A Sacramento man was arrested and booked today for investigation of murder in the bludgeoning and stabbing of an Arden Arcade woman Saturday evening, Sheriff's officials said.

Robert Syas, 58, was taken into custody late Saturday at a service station on Del Paso Boulevard and booked into Sacramento County main jail early today.

Coroner's officials have identified the victim as Syas' girlfriend, 55-year-old Pamela Lynn Johnson, whose body was found shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday by her son in her apartment in the 2000 block of Bluebird Lane.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Sacramento sheriff's detectives tonight are investigating the death of a woman at an Arden-Arcade apartment complex.

Deputy Jason Ramos said deputies were called about 6:50 p.m. to the Parkwood Square Apartments, a sprawling collection of eight-plexes that reaches to the 2000 block of Blue Bird Lane where the body was found.

The cause of death is being investigated, Ramos said. Some blunt force trauma was evident, he said.

The victim, who was not identified, has lived at the apartments for about three months. During that time, five or six 911 calls were placed from her apartment for disturbances and other matters, Ramos said.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A 21-year-old Yuba City man was shot and killed Friday night while driving away from a convenience store, the Sutter County Sheriff's Department reported today.

Alfredo Martinez had just bought some gas at the Quick Stop at Lincoln Road around 10 p.m. Friday night and drove out to the west when a car pulled up alongside and someone inside fired at him several times and hit him once.

Martinez, who had two passengers with him, tried to get away by heading north on Sanborn Road but drove off into an orchard at Cherry Street.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Motorists inclined to use handheld cell phones while driving are being given fair warning: The California Highway Patrol's Valley Division will conduct a "zero tolerance" cell phone enforcement day from 6 a.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The enforcement effort, which includes the Sacramento area, aims to cite drivers who are distracted by using hand-held cell phones or who are texting while driving. Officials said many motorists are still not dialed-in to the rules and are being cited for violating California's cell phone laws, or are becoming a grim statistic.

According to the CHP's Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System data, since the inception of the hands-free law in 2008, there have been 1,303 collisions statewide in which a contributing factor was inattention by the driver due to cell phone use.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A cyclist is in critical condition after being hit by a vehicle on the northern border of the city, Sacramento police report.

The cyclist, a 41-year-old male, was riding eastbound on W. Elkhorn Boulevard near Northborough Avenue around 6:40 a.m. said Sgt. Norm Leong, police spokesman.

It was dark and somewhat foggy at the time, which may have been played a role in the collision, Leong said.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento police arrested an auto theft suspect who flew the coop and then hid in a coop Friday.

Police reported that the suspect, 22-year-old James Johns, took a bait car in the vicinity of O'Donnell Avenue and Dry Creek Road in Del Paso Heights.

Police found the car and saw the suspect fleeing on foot and climbing a fence near South Avenue and May Street.

Johns was arrested after a police canine tracked him to a hiding place in a chicken coop.

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

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento County Sheriff's sexual assault detectives arrested a 22-year-old former basketball coach on suspicion of sex crimes against a young boy.

Authorities said Melvin Flemings, who was previously employed as a basketball coach at El Camino High School, was expected to be booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on charges of child molestation and meeting with a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd behavior.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A motorcyclist riding an off-road-type motorcycle on a sidewalk in Auburn was seriously injured Thursday when he collided with a pickup truck that was turning into a driveway.

Auburn police officers responded about 2:30 pm. to the 900 block of Auburn Folsom Road. The investigation showed that the motorcyclist, identified as Tanner Webb, 32, of Auburn, was riding the motorcycle on the sidewalk against the flow of traffic and collided with the side of a Ford F 150 pickup as the truck driver was making a left turn into a driveway, according to an Auburn Police Department news release. Webb was knocked from the motorcycle and dragged under the truck for a short distance.

Webb suffered significant injury and was airlifted to Sutter Roseville Hospital.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man convicted of torturing his girlfriend in repeated assaults that left her paralyzed has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Joe McCoy, 51, was convicted by a jury of torture and corporal injury to a cohabitant causing great bodily injury, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. He was sentenced today by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lloyd Connelly.

On the evening of Sept. 15, 2009, McCoy repeatedly assaulted his live-in girlfriend. At one point, he pinned the woman to the ground and flipped her legs over her head, breaking her neck, then sexually assaulted her. The woman was left quadriplegic.

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

Modesto Bee

DNA samples have confirmed that the boy whose body was found in the Delta-Mendota Canal on Tuesday was Juliani Cardenas, who was kidnapped Jan. 18 from his Patterson home, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said Friday.

The sheriff's office said it received the test results from the California Department of Justice. DNA from the child matched that of his mother, Tabitha Cardenas. She was notified of the results, the sheriff's office said.

Juliani's death is being investigated as a homicide. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Joe Esteban Rodriguez, whom a farmworker saw drive his Toyota Corolla into the canal near Patterson a short while after Juliani was snatched from his grandmother's arms. Juliani was in the car.

Read the full story here.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Two people were injured this afternoon when a helicopter crashed in a field near the levee at Sorento and West Elverta roads in northern Sacramento County.

Sacramento County sheriff's officials described the injuries as non-life-threatening and said both individuals, a male pilot and female passenger, have been transported by emergency medical personnel for treatment.

Capt. Brian Rice of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said the woman suffered some broken bones and scrapes, and the man sustained minor injuries

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento jury convicted Dennis Robert Mains of first-degree murder today in the April 25, 2008, shooting death of his wife, Pamela Wales.

Mains, who called himself "Outlaw Josie Wales" after the Clint Eastwood movie character, sat silently at the defense table when the jury released its verdict after a single day of deliberations.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny scheduled the second phase of the bifurcated trial for Monday on Mains, who pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

The driver in a wreck that killed a 23-year-old Elk Grove man Tuesday night has been booked into the Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving, authorities said today.

Joshua Phillip Barksdale (left), 22, was arrested and booked Thursday afternoon after being treated for moderate injuries in the crash, which killed Jarrod Francis Harrington, a passenger in the truck Barksdale was driving, Elk Grove police said.

The crash occurred in the 9300 block of Calvine Road about 10:35 p.m. Tuesday when a red Ford pickup hit a retaining wall and flipped over, trapping Harrington under the vehicle.

A public memorial for Principal Sam LaCara of Louisiana Schnell School will take place at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Green Valley Community Church, 3500 Missouri Flat Road, Placerville.

LaCara was fatally shot in his school office on Wednesday, allegedly by a school janitor.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the Sam LaCara Memorial Fund through the El Dorado Community Foundation.

By Peter Hecht
phecht@sacbee.com

John Luebbers, the Placerville school custodian accused of killing the principal who was his friend and golfing partner, was arraigned on a charge of murder this afternoon as his family members and friends hugged and sobbed in the courtroom.

El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister ordered Luebbers held without bail after the janitor entered a plea of not guilty in the shooting death of Sam LaCara, the principal at the Louisiana Schnell School in Placerville.

Luebbers is due to appear in court March 7 for a conference to set a preliminary hearing in the case.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Grass Valley man has been indicted for distributing child pornography over the Internet using peer-to-peer software.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento on Thursday returned a two-count indictment charging Clifford Donald Wells, 55, with distribution and possession of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

According to allegations contained in court documents, in June and August 2010, Wells used peer-to-peer software that allowed authorized users worldwide to access and download images from computer directories that Wells made available.

An undercover FBI agent in another state downloaded several dozen illegal images from Wells' computer, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

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

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A judge ordered a juror today to allow Facebook to turn over his in-trial postings to the court to determine if the panelist was prejudiced in a recent Sacramento gang-beating trial.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny said in his order that he "must investigate" the postings as a result of the juror's misconduct of discussing the case publicly in violation of a judicial admonition not to do so.

Kenny's order circumvents a constitutional issue that arose in his courtroom. Facebook had contended that it was precluded by the federal Stored Communications Act of releasing the postings without the juror's consent. Attorneys for the defendants in the Killa Mobb gang trial said the company's position ran up against their clients' right to a fair trial.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The West Sacramento Fire Department will receive $1.1 million from federal government for emergency equipment.

The money will come in a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security, said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Napa.

The funding will help the Fire Department buy equipment, including 543 portable radios for local agencies in Yolo County and the Sacramento region.

"The city, with its port, has some unique homeland security needs," said West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon. "These funds for radio equipment will help ensure that we and our neighboring public safety agencies have superior communications."

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police said a hit-and-run suspect left his false teeth behind at the scene.

James Robert Brown, 53, was booked into Sacramento County Jail today on suspicion of motor vehicle theft, receiving stolen property, hit and run and giving a false name to police.

Police said that officers were in the area of 24th Street and John Still Drive in Meadowview around midnight Thursday when they were hailed by a citizen about a reckless driver.

Q: Is the killer of Johnny Compton still in prison? Did details ever come out about the motive for the killing of the boy? - Nick, Sacramento

A: Randall Archie Cope, now 43, is incarcerated at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo.

He is serving a 16 years to life sentence for the June 23, 1988 murder of Jonathan Lee Compton, 11, in Diamond Springs, The Bee reported and records show.

Cope pleaded no contest to second-degree murder.

Cope told authorities he went to the Diamond Springs apartment shared by the victim and his mother to confront the woman over her accusation "of his stealing drugs," according to a probation report.

The report said Cope recalled finding the boy at home alone, cooking eggs in the kitchen. The child asked him to leave but Cope said he would wait for boy's mother.

Cope said the boy attacked him and he blacked out. He next remembered being with the dying boy. Compton was beaten and stabbed to death.

The probation report said Cope was an alcoholic, who experienced blackouts.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An Elk Grove man has been indicted in connection with an $11 million Ponzi scheme.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento returned an indictment charging Christopher Jackson, 43, with six counts of wire fraud in a Ponzi-style scheme involving real estate investments, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The indictment alleges that Jackson operated a company, Genesis Innovations, that took in $11 million from more than 75 people to invest in real estate. However, Jackson allegedly invested only about $2.5 million in real estate. He is accused of using the rest of the money to pay purported returns to other investors and for his personal expenses, including lease of a Lamborghini and Land Rover, frequent dining at high-end restaurants, lodging at luxury hotels, purchase of expensive diamond jewelry and substantial home improvements.

The case resulted from investigation by the FBI.

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

By Cathy Locke
clcoke@sacbee.com

Five people, from Sacramento, Placer and Solano counties, have been indicted for child pornography.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento returned the indictment Wednesday charging the individuals with using peer-to-peer software to distribute images depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

Indicted were Gerardo Tomas Almeida Jr., 31, of Elk Grove; Dustin Cassady, 29, of Carmichael; Justin Graham, 29, of Lincoln; Robert Curtis Bauer, 62, of Roseville; and Steven Munoz, 52, of Fairfield.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

A standoff at a South Natomas apartment complex ended Thursday night when a SWAT team entered the apartment of a resident and detained him, Sacramento police report. No one was hurt in the incident.

The man, described as in his late 50s, indicated Thursday afternoon that he would shoot anyone who came to his door, said Sgt. Norm Leong, police spokesman. The SWAT team entered the apartment about 8:30 p.m., distracted the man, then detained him, Leong said. The man was placed in a mental hold based on the things he said, threats he made and because he was a danger to others, Leong said.

The incident began at 3:55 p.m., when the man called the manager at the Riverview Ranch Apartments, 2763 River Plaza Drive, and began saying odd things, Leong said. He made a threat that if someone came to his door, he would shoot them, Leong said. Police had responded to his apartment in the past, including Thursday morning, and they had information that he had owned a gun, Leong said.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The man arrested on suspicion of arson in the two October fires, including one that caused more than $55 million in damage to the Roseville Galleria, has been federally charged with arson.

Charges filed in Placer County will be dismissed, the U.S. attorney in Sacramento said.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento returned an indictment charging Alexander Piggee, 23, of Sacramento with two counts of arson for causing fires that damaged the Westfield Galleria Mall in Roseville and a Wal-Mart store on Antelope Road in Sacramento County. Both fires occurred Oct. 21.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

A handcuffed suspect grazed in the face by an Elk Grove Police officer's rifle shot early Sunday had threatened officers shortly before the incident and told them he was armed, the department revealed today.

John Hasselbein, 32, was arrested at the 8600 block of Callippe Way before 3 a.m. Sunday after his wife called to complain that he had threatened her. In previous reports of the incident, the limited information released said that Hasselbein had moved around in the back seat of the police cruiser while handcuffed. But there had been no report that he also had threatened officers or that he told them he had a gun, the Elk Grove Police Department said today.

In the more detailed preliminary report issued today, authorities said Hesselbein refused initially to leave the house, where the couple's 2 1/2-year-old daughter remained. He verbally threatened an officer before leaving the residence and remained by a security door in a "shooting position," according to the report from department spokesman Officer Christopher Trim.

Photo caption: Placerville Union School District Superintendent Nancy Lynch answers questions about during a press outside the district office in Placerville. Photo by Randy Pench.

By Peter Hecht, Bill Lindelof, Carlos Alcala and Cathy Locke
phecht@sacbee.com

A disagreement between the custodian and principal over a hiring panel that had met the previous day may have led to shooting of Louisiana Schnell Elementary School principal Sam LaCara Wednesday.

Placerville Police said custodian John Luebbers told investigators that he went home to get a gun after being fired by LaCara. But Placerville Union School District Superintendent Nancy Lynch said during a news conference this afternoon that Luebbers had not been fired, but rather instructed by LaCara to go home and cool off.

"He was upset about a disagreement," Lynch said of Luebbers. "It was a personnel issue, but he was an employee of the district."

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

A woman walking home with a couple of pizzas was attacked, Auburn police said today. A Grass Valley man was booked into jail on suspicion of swiping one of the pizzas.

Police gave this account:

A woman called police to say that about 1:30 a.m. Saturday she was walking from Pistol Pete's bar, 140 Harrison Avenue, to her home with two pizzas when a car pulled alongside.

The passenger of the car got out and knocked one pizza from her hands.

Photo credit: Phillip Garrido, 59, has mostly sat quietly through his court appearances over the past 18 months.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

The judge in the Jaycee Lee Dugard kidnap case today ruled that Phillip Garrido is mentally competent to face trial in her 1991 abduction.

El Dorado Superior Court Judge Douglas Phimister said, "The defendant is in fact competent to stand trial."

He set the next hearing the case for Feb. 28.

Garrido and his wife Nancy are accused of kidnapping Dugard when she was 11 and holding her captive for 18 years, but the case has been on hold because of questions about Phillip Garrido's mental competence.

The lawyers on both sides agreed today to allow the judge to decide that issue.

Phimister said that after reviewing reports from psychiatrists he determined Garrido is competent.

Gallery: The Dugard case

Story: Garrido competency issues to be discussed

Story: Judge puts Garrido couple's phone calls on hold

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento police today released a security camera photo of a man they suspect may be a burglar.

A news release gave this account:

On Jan. 27 at 12:39 p.m. a burglar alarm system was activated at a house in the 2800 block of Honeysuckle Way in the College Glen neighborhood. A video camera system captured images of a man (left) getting out of his car and going into the backyard of the home.

By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com

Bankrupt Roseville developer Abe Alizadeh, accused of stealing state tax dollars, has been released on bail from the Placer County jail.

His release Wednesday came two weeks after he was arrested, according to jail records. Bail had been set at $1 million.

He is scheduled to appear in Placer County Superior Court on Feb. 28 to enter a plea.

By Dixie Reid
dreid@sacbee.com

Full of chicken wings and guacamole - and more - hundreds of Super Bowl partiers are expected to hit the streets following Sunday's big game.

Be warned: So will a lot of DUI enforcement officers.

The Sacramento Police Department is conducting a post-game "saturation patrol," looking for folks who've had too much to drink and unlicensed drivers, according to a press release issued today.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives said today they have arrested a 5th person in connection with the June 15 killing of 50-year-old Fernando Vichez in the Town & Country Village neighborhood.

On Wednesday, Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrested Alexander Marquis Lewis (left), 18, on suspicion of murder and robbery. He was taken into custody at his home in the 4800 block of Pasa Robles Way.

Witnesses told investigators that Vichez was walking on Howe Avenue near Whippoorwill Lane when a vehicle stopped and suspects got out. They approached Vichez and a fight began.

Q: What is the status of Douglas Scott Mickey who killed two people in Placer County? - T.G., Newcastle

A: Douglas Mickey, now 62, is on death row at San Quentin State Prison, where he has been since September 1983, records show.

Mickey received the death sentence for the September 1980 murders of two Placer County residents - Eric Hanson, 29, and Catherine Blount, 19, The Bee reported.

The two were killed in their rural home off Wise Road in Ophir.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Firefighters were kept busy when two fires at the same time broke out in two separate duplexes -- both started by unattended candles.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters arrived at 12:22 a.m. to a fire burning on one side of a duplex at 10988 Hirschfield Way in Rancho Cordova. Firefighters rescued a woman who was trapped between a side fence and the home when she tried to escape the blaze.

It took 30 firefighters about 12 minutes to bring the fire under control. A cat and a dog died in the blaze.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Golden 1 Credit Union is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of a man and woman who robbed a Golden 1 branch Jan. 21 in Sacramento.

The robbery occurred at the branch at 1326 Broadway. The suspects entered the credit union wearing masks and demanded money, according to a credit union news release.

The man is described as black, approximately 5 feet 11 inches, with a husky build, wearing black clothing, including a black jacket with a white circular design on the back, gloves and a mask. The woman was described as black with a large build, wearing all black clothes, gloves and a mask. The two left the area in a maroon 2000 Dodge Ram, two-door truck with California license plate number 6F31406, according to the news release.

No one was injured in the robbery, which is under investigation by the Sacramento Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department at (916) 808-3835, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357 or (800) 222-7463 to remain anonymous.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A man who Auburn police say was on Placer County's "20 most wanted" list has been arrested in connection with a collision between a quad runner and a Union Pacific train.

About noon Jan. 22, police were dispatched to the area of a train trestle over Interstate 80 regarding a report that a train had hit a person riding a quad runner, according to an Auburn Police Department news release. The quad rider left the area before police arrived and was not located.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Placerville Union School District officials have announced that the district's three school campuses will be closed Thursday, following this morning's fatal shooting of Louisiana Schnell Elementary School Principal Sam LaCara.

Along with Schnell school, Markham Middle and Sierra Elementary schools will be closed but will reopen Friday. Counseling and grief support services will be provided to students at the schools when they return, according to an announcement on the district's website.

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

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A 19-year-old Sacramento County man is facing a prison sentence after being convicted for trying to run over a Roseville police officer with his car after undercover officers closed in on him during a drug bust.

A Placer County jury on Jan. 26 found Walter Carrillo guilty of felony assault on a peace officer for trying to strike the officer with his vehicle as Carrillo tried to flee from a parking lot at Main Street and Foothills Boulevard in Roseville the night of March 6, 2009. The officer, who was not in a car, managed to dive out of the way and suffered injuries when he landed on the ground, according to a Placer County District Attorney's Office news release.

The jury also found Carrillo guilty of assault on a citizen because he struck a vehicle being driven by a woman as he tried to speed away from officers. The woman suffered injuries as a result, officials said.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

John Luebbers' home in the comfortable Summitview subdivision of El Dorado remained roped off with police tape Wednesday afternoon, with an officer and his K9 partner parked out front.

Neighbors said Luebbers and his wife and daughter have lived on Skycrest Drive for about nine years, a welcome addition to a close-knit community.

"We're all flabbergasted about it," said 54-year-old George Lehr, who has known Luebbers all nine years he's lived on the street.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A candlelight and prayer vigil is planned this evening following the fatal shooting this morning of an elementary school principal.

The gathering is scheduled along the sidewalk in front of Louisiana Schnell Elementary School at 6 p.m.

Christina Bist, a parent whose children previously attended the school where Principal Sam LaCara was shot and killed this morning, said a number of high school students were the organizing forces behind the gathering.

Caption: Parents Connie and Don Rood stand at the intersection of Highway 50 and Schnell School Road in Placerville waiting for information about the shooting at Louisiana Schnell Elementary School. The Roods have two children who attend the school, one in kindergarten and one in fourth grade. Photo by Randy Pench

By Kim Minugh and Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

Authorities are investigating whether there may have been a dispute between the principal slain today in his Placerville office and the janitor suspected of shooting him, said Placerville Police Chief George Nielsen.

Principal Sam LaCara, left, and suspect John Luebbers

Nielsen said the suspect may have confronted the principal over some perceived grievance.

"It's not really clear whether there was a dispute. It appears there had been a discussion" before the shooting, he said.

Sam LaCara, the principal at Louisiana Schnell Elementary School in Placerville, was shot to death today in his office on campus.

Nielsen said at least one student may have witnessed the shooting.

LaCara, 50, died at Marshall Hospital from a single gunshot wound, the police chief said.

• Mourner at vigil: Principal 'like a father to all the kids'
• Luebbers' neighbors stunned that he is suspect
• Sign a guestbook for Sam LaCara

The suspected shooter has been identified as John Luebbers, 43, a custodian at the school. Nielsen said Luebbers was taken into custody at his home by El Dorado County sheriff's deputies. The police chief said he did not believe Luebbers had a previous criminal record.

By Bill Lindelof and Sam Stanton
blindelof@sacbee.com

Suspect Joseph Kidd, above

Larry Smith

Deputies hope that the arrest of Joseph Kidd on Tuesday has put to rest a nightmare of identity theft for a Florida man.

Kidd, 56, a homeless Auburn man, was arrested by Placer County Sheriff's deputies on suspicion of identity theft, welfare fraud and grand theft.

Deputies allege that for 17 years Kidd has told people he was Larry Smith of Florida. During that time, Smith has been trying to clear his name.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The attempted getaway in a Regional Transit bus by a suspect in an attempted burglary was thwarted when he was arrested Tuesday by Sacramento police.

A woman who lives in the 8700 block of Pocket Road was alerted by her dog to look toward her patio door about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday. There, she came face-to-face with a 17-year old boy standing at the half-open door, perhaps preparing to enter, police said.

The teen fled, hopping over a fence and running to a nearby bus stop at Pocket Road and Greenhaven Drive. The woman said she saw the boy get on the bus in an attempt to flee via Regional Transit.

By Bill Enfield
benfield@sacbee.com

A Placerville man serving a 21 years to life sentence for murdering his 14-year-old stepson and attempting to kill his estranged wife and another stepson is due a parole hearing.

Robert Patrick Kaser, now 70, shot the trio on March 17, 1985, after visiting his estranged wife, 41, in Placerville and asking if he could have his television set, The Bee reported.

The woman asked her sons - ages 14 and 12 - to help Kaser load the television set and told them to put on their shoes.

By Bill Enfield
benfield@sacbee.com

A purse-snatching suspect suffered an asthma attack while fleeing, was hospitalized and eventually ended up in jail, according to a Sacramento Sheriff's Department crime summary released this week.

The summary gave this account:

At about 4 p.m. Jan. 27 in the 11000 block of Howe Ave., a woman grabbed the purse of a 62-year-old woman and fled with an accomplice through an apartment complex.

By Bill Enfield
benfield@sacbee.com

Sacramento comedian Jack Gallagher will entertain at a Crime Alert fundraising crab feed on March 19 at McClellan Park.

Cocktails will be at 6:30 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m. at the Garden Pavilion, 5640 Dudley Blvd.

Tickets are $45 per person in advance and $50 per person at the door. Tickets are tax deductible.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Folsom police said that a purse snatcher was no match for the nose of a tracking police dog.

The police dog not only found one of two robbery suspects but also recovered the victim's purse. The incident occurred Friday night about 7 p.m. at the Iron Point Road light rail station when two teens took a 43-year-old woman's purse.

A witness saw one robber put a ski cap with holes cut out for his eyes over his head and the other cover his face with a scarf. While one robber wrapped his arm around the woman's throat, the other ripped the purse from her hands.

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The passenger in a pickup that hit a wall and flipped over Tuesday night in Elk Grove died at the scene of the crash.

The dead man was identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's office as Jarrod Francis Harrington, 23, of Elk Grove.

Elk Grove police said Harrington was the passenger in a red Ford pickup that was traveling eastbound in the 9300 block of Calvine Road about 10:35 p.m. when the truck hit a retaining wall at a home. The pickup then overturned and came to rest near the center median of Calvine Road.

By Chelsea Phua
cphua@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have arrested a Luther Burbank High School teacher for allegedly possessing a prescription drug illegally.

Police spokesman Sgt. Norm Leong said Devin Kelish, 34, was pulled over about 5 p.m. Thursday at Franklin Boulevard and Broadway for driving with an expired registration plate.

Officers searched the car and found a small amount of Oxycontin, a painkiller drug, but Kelish apparently did not have a prescription for it, Leong said.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

The Elk Grove Police Department will hold its first community meeting of the year on Feb. 15.

The meeting will focus on issues affecting residents living in police beats 1, 2 and 4, in the western portion of the city west of Highway 99. Representatives of various units within the Police Department will be on hand to answer questions regarding crime issues.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Elk Grove City Council Chambers, 8400 Laguna Palms Way.

For more information, call the Problem Oriented Police Unit at (916) 478-8110.

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

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Placer Superior Court Judge Colleen Nichols declared a mistrial Tuesday morning in the case of a sheriff's deputy accused of firing shots into the air in 2009 after a jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked and couldn't reach a unanimous verdict. NIchols then dismissed the case, meaning it cannot be refiled.

Jury Foreman Chris Randolph said final vote was: 9 not guilty; 2 guilty; and 1 undecided.

He said the jury ultimately discounted the testimony of a key prosecution witness, a woman, then 18, who claimed to have seen Placer Sheriff's Lt. John Savage firing a gun as he stood in the driveway of this then Rocklin home. (An earlier version of this story didn't accurately characterize her testimony.)

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com
A 20-year-old inmate who escaped from a minimum-security Sutter County lock-up last month is back in custody.

Jeremy Lee Grove, who was being held on a minor drug offense, escaped Jan. 22 from the Sutter County jail where inmates are housed in three large dormitory buildings surrounded by a fence with razor wire, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Grove apparently scaled the fence and threw his shirt over the razor wire before climbing out, a news release states.

Yuba City police officers arrested Grove on Saturday. He was returned to Sutter County where he was booked on a charge of suspicion of escape, authorities said.

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

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

A Roseville man has been arraigned in Placer County Superior Court on suspicion of insurance fraud, according to California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. Investigators said they suspect the man was trying to avoid a $400 monthly car payment.

A news release from Jones stated Anthony Molina, 24, allegedly pushed his car off a cliff in Placer County and then reported it stolen July 27 to his insurance company and police.

A search warrant for cell phone records confirmed a call was made from Molina's cell phone to his girlfriend and that the call was placed in the Blue Canyon area where his car was later found, the press release stated.

Photo gallery: The search for 4-year-old Juliani Cardenas

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

The Stanislaus County sheriff left little doubt that the child's body found this morning in the Delta-Mendota Canal is that of kidnapped 4-year-old Juliani Cardenas.

Sheriff Adam Christianson said in a press conference televised live that the physical description and clothing of the child found in the canal Tuesday matched that of Juliani. Deputies said the child's abductor is believed to have driven into the canal Jan. 18.

"At this point we want to offer our deepest condolences to the Cardenas family," said Christianson.

The little boy's body was found this morning near Santa Nella, Merced County, about 25 miles south of Patterson, Stanislaus County, where divers recovered the car of suspected kidnapper Jose Esteban Rodriguez last Friday. No bodies were in the car when it was pulled from the canal last week.

The body of the little boy was spotted by water district employees. Juliani's family was alerted that a body had been found, authorities said.

At about 11:10 this morning, a posting went up on the Facebook page of Juliani's mom, Tabitha Cardenas, that said:

"I have the worst news in the world to tell you all...='( My son's body has been found in the canal no DNA has confirmed it but its his clothes and shoes have and it's a 4 year old boy. So I want everyone to pray that Jose's body is found so we can all know that he's burning in HELL and I don't have to worry about him taking my unborn baby girl....='("

Positive identification would be made through DNA analysis.

Although deputies suspect that Rodriguez also died in the canal, a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

"This investigation continues," said Christianson. "This is a homicide investigation. It is an ongoing investigation."

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

For coverage from the Modesto Bee, click here.

Previous Sacramento Bee stories:

Mother of abducted boy relieved no bodies were in canal car - Jan. 29, 2011
'Frustrating' canal search finds more vehicles - Jan. 26, 2011
Car hulks add to mystery - Jan. 24, 2011

By Bill Lindelof
blindelof@sacbee.com

Police need help in finding who set fire to a portable classroom in Antelope on Sunday.

Somebody broke a window and entered a classroom at Antelope View Charter School, 3243 Center Court Lane, about 2 a.m. on Sunday before lighting the room on fire. Fire damaged carpeting, walls and a window.

No suspect information is available and there is no security camera video of the break-in. The Twin Rivers Police Department urges anyone with information to contact the Arson Tip Line at (916) 859-3775.

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