Sacto 9-1-1

An elderly woman was taken to a hospital Monday night after she was struck by an individual who entered her Land Park home through an unlocked door.

Sacramento police Sgt. Glen Faulkner said police received a call about 9:10 p.m. from the family of a woman in her 90s who lives in the 1100 block of Perkins Way. She had called family members and told them that someone was inside her house.

Police officers and family members arrived about the same time and found the woman with a bruise over one eye. She said someone had come into the house and struck her.

By Melody Gutierrez, Kim Minugh and Sam Stanton
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

T-shirts sold by the Twin Rivers Police Officers Association have this message: "U raise 'em, we cage 'em," surrounding a picture of a young child behind bars.

On Monday, community leaders and child advocates said the T-shirts are highly offensive and could validate feelings of mistrust for the Twin Rivers' school police force. The agency has been under intense scrutiny over complaints it has overstepped its authority.

"There is nowhere on the planet where it is OK to wear a shirt like this," said Ed Howard, senior counsel for the University of San Diego's Children's Advocacy Institute, after seeing the image of the shirt.

Three people were arrested in recent sting operations conducted by the Marysville Police Department and state Alcoholic Beverage Control investigators targeting people who sell or furnish alcohol to minors.

The operations, conducted Thursday, consisted of "shoulder tap" and "minor decoy" stings. Shoulder tap stings target people who purchase alcohol for underage drinkers, whereas minor decoy stings target store or restaurant personnel who sell alcohol to minors.

During the minor decoy operation, six Marysville establishments licensed by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control were checked. One sold alcohol to the minor decoy, according to a Police Department news release.

An Amber Alert for a brother and sister in Shasta County has been canceled. The California Highway Patrol reports that Mya Sandoval, 4, and Michael Sandoval, 7, have been found and are safe.

No further details about their recovery were immediately available.

Sgt. John Hubbard of the Shasta County Sheriff's Department said earlier this evening that the children's parents had asked April Joy Swartz, 31, to care for their children Sunday afternoon while they tended to some personal business. Swartz telephoned them later and said she planned to take her three children, all 5 year old and younger, fishing and asked if she could take the Sandoval children along. The parents gave their permission, but when Swartz failed to return the youngsters Sunday night, their parents reported them missing.

Two people whose car was stopped for vehicle code violations in Rocklin early Saturday morning ended up being arrested in connection with a vehicle burglary that occurred a few days earlier.

A Rocklin police officer on routine patrol about 4:30 a.m. stopped a sedan after observing several vehicle code violations. The officer found a driver's license and credit card inside the driver's purse that did not match the name of the driver, according to a Police Department news release. The officer determined that the license and credit card had been stolen earlier in the week from a car in the parking lot of California Family Fitness in Rocklin.

Ryann Michele Heasley, 28, of Roseville, and Robert Paul Mehall, 43, of Auburn, were arrested on suspicion of possessing stolen property, possessing burglary tools and conspiracy. Both were booked into Placer County Jail.

By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com

Halloween night can be a particularly scary time for pet dogs and cats.

As a result, the day after Halloween typically is one of the busiest of the year at area animal shelters, as pets frightened by ringing doorbells, roaming ghouls and Halloween pranks can become agitated and bolt their homes and yards.

The Sacramento SPCA and county and city shelters offer the following tips for keeping pets safe tonight.

By Whitney Mountain
wmountain@sacbee.com

A man in disguise robbed a Carmichael bank this morning.

The Wells Fargo on the 7200 block of Fair Oaks Boulevard reported at around 9:30 a.m. that a man wearing a wig and glasses (pictured) passed a teller a note demanding cash, said Sacramento Sheriff's Media Spokeswoman Sharon Chow.

The case has been turned over to the Sacramento Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as is routine for bank robberies. FBI Spokeswoman Gina Swankie said that the suspect did not appear to be carrying a weapon.

The suspect is described as a black male between 5'11" and six feet tall with a goatee. He was seen wearing a long black wig, sunglasses with a blue reflective tint, a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, and light blue jeans.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call the Sacramento FBI field office at (916) 481-9110, the Sacramento Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.00.

A 31-year-old man was arrested Sunday night after he allegedly exposed himself to a woman in the Pocket neighborhood that morning, according to Sacramento police.

The victim was walking in the 7300 block of L'Arbre Way about 9:15 a.m. Sunday when a man exposed himself to her, police reported. The man pulled up his pants, and then ran at the victim, tackling her and climbing on top of her, police said.

The victim screamed and the suspect ran away. Police later identified the suspect as 31-year-old Bradley Gray and arrested him at his residence in the 700 block of 7th Avenue, police reported. Inside the suspect's residence, police also located firearms.

The victim did not know her alleged attacker, according to police.

Officers booked Gray into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of assault with intent to commit rape; violation of probation; false imprisonment; possession of ammunition by a prohibited person; possession of concentrated cannabis; possession of a hypodermic needle and syringe; and possession of marijuana, according to jail booking records.

He is being held in lieu of $160,000 bail.

Citrus Heights police and city officials are accepting referrals for their annual holiday charity effort for needy families.

Referral forms can be found at the front counter of the Citrus Heights Police Department, 6315 Fountain Square Drive, or online at www.citrusheightspd.net. Completed referrals should be dropped off at the front counter or mailed. Applications will be accepted until Monday, Nov. 14.

Program organizers hope to "adopt" 100 families for the program.

The annual program is a joint effort between Citrus Heights police and the city that provides food, household items and toys and clothes for children. Partners include local service clubs, schools, neighborhoods, businesses and community members.

Anyone interested in "adopting" a family, donating items or who has questions about the program should email Cassandra Roesser at croesser@citrusheights.net or call (916) 727-5561.

Southbound Interstate 5 has reopened to traffic in Woodland after a hit-and-run collision forced its closure, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Traffic was being diverted at Main Street and County Road 102 this morning because of a collision south of County Road 102.

It reopened shortly before 7 a.m.

The collision occurred shortly before 3 a.m. and involved three vehicles, according to the CHP. Nobody was injured.

An elderly man missing from his Carmichael home since Sunday evening has been located, according to authorities.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department was on the lookout late Sunday night for 75-year-old Ron Kurtz, who was last seen leaving his Melisa Court home about 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

Kurtz suffers from dementia and was considered to be at-risk because of his age and medical condition, authorities said.

Kurtz was located this morning and is back home, according to the Sheriff's Department.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ron Kurtz

A spate of gunfire, robberies and assaults marked much of this weekend, the Sacramento Police Department reported today.

One stabbing occurred in the 2000 block of Del Paso Boulevard about 30 minutes after midnight after two men argued, police said.

The suspect was described as a black man, in his 30s, 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds and wearing a red 49ers jacket. He fled on foot before officers arrived.

It wasn't the decision of the 43-year-old man to climb into a Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Truck in Carmichael and turn on the siren that got him into trouble.

But, of course, that didn't help.

What got him into hot water was allegedly breaking into the U.S. post office in the 6900 block of Fair Oaks Boulevard in Carmichael shortly before 6 a.m. today, a spokesman for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

A Roseville man who fled while on trial for rape was arrested Friday in New York City by the FBI.

Patrick Gregory Baccari, 32, was out on $50,000 bail when he went on the run for 13 days beginning Oct. 17. The Placer County District Attorney's Office was prosecuting Baccari for rape, as well as burglary and assault with the intent to commit rape.

The trial continued while Baccari was on the run with a warrant issued for his arrest. He was convicted of four felony charges Oct. 19.

Baccari will be extradited to Placer County to be sentenced Nov. 4 for the four felony counts, as well as additional charges for failing to appear during his trial.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916)326-5521. Follow her on Twitter @MelodyGutierrez.

By Melody Gutierrez
mgutierrez@sacbee.com

A man fired several shots while robbing a recycling center on Longview Drive today before fleeing in a gold colored sedan, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, Sacramento police spokesman. No one was hurt in the incident and the shots were fired in the air or at the ground.

The suspect was described as a Latino or white man wearing a black mask, black shorts and a black hat.

Call The Bee's Melody Gutierrez, (916) 326-5521. Follow her on Twitter @MelodyGutierrez.

An Oregon man who was shot by law enforcement officers following a pursuit in Shasta County that shut down southbound Interstate 5 for hours Thursday is reported in stable condition at a Redding Hospital.

The Redding Police Department reported that Albert Anthony Smith, 42, of Medford (right) has been arrested on suspicion of 11 counts of attempted murder on a police officer, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, possession of an assault weapon, importing an assault weapon into California, malicious harm to a police officer and the pursuit. Officials said Smith will be booked into Shasta County Jail when he is medically cleared.

A California Highway Patrol dog, Edo, was reported in good condition after being shot in the lower leg during the incident. Edo underwent surgery at a Mount Shasta veterinary hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, according to a Police Department news release.

A Linda man was arrested today in connection with what sheriff's officials described as a gang-related shooting incident Thursday.

Yuba County sheriff's deputies were called to the 1700 block of Hammonton-Smartsville Road shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday regarding a report of shots fired. They found an individual who reported being shot at by a person walking past the area, according to a Sheriff's Office news release. The victim was not hit.

Investigators were called to the scene and determined that the incident was gang related. The suspect was identified as Patrick O'Day, 20, of Linda.

A Sacramento woman is headed to prison for mail theft.

U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. today sentenced Jennifer Lynn Murphy-Oliver, 45, to five years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of stolen mail and possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices.

According to court documents, Murphy-Oliver possessed more than 200 pieces of stolen mail and more than 15 unauthorized access devices, such as credit and debit cards. The total loss attributable to the stolen mail is more than $70,000, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The case resulted from an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Sacramento Police Department.

The California Highway Patrol seeks the public's help in the investigation of a Monday night collision on Capital City Freeway in which a motorcyclist died.

Sequoia Jones (pictured), the registered owner and suspected driver of a white Volkswagen Beetle that fled the scene of the crash, was arrested Wednesday by the CHP. Authorities are seeking information regarding Jones' whereabouts between 3 and 8:50 p.m. Monday.

Monday's collision occurred about 8:50 p.m., as Robert Wilson, 64, of North Highlands was riding a blue 2003 Suzuki GZ 250 motorcycle northbound on Capital City Freeway, north of El Camino Avenue, traveling about 65 mph. A Volkswagen Beetle, also northbound, was negotiating through traffic, when the left front of the Volkswagen struck the right side of the motorcycle, causing Wilson to be ejected onto the roadway. He subsequently was struck by a red 1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse.

A 17-year-old Cordova High School student was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries this afternoon following a fight with rival gang members in front of the school.

Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Officer Jason Ramos said a call was received about 3:20 p.m. from a woman who said a teen had been beaten by individuals with a baseball bat and the assailants had fled.

Ramos said the 17-year-old told deputies that he brought the bat to school because he feared he would be jumped by rival gang members. Two members of the rival gang confronted him after school, wrested the bat from him and stuck him in the arm and hip before running off toward Hagan Community Park.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Sheila Caceres, the day care operator arrested late Thursday in the death of a 2-month-old baby, is now scheduled to make her first court appearance Nov. 4 instead of Monday, officials said.

Initial online court records listed Caceres' appearance as scheduled for Monday, but a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's office said today that the appearance is now set for Nov. 4 at 10:30 a.m. in Dept. 8 of Sacramento Superior Court.

Caceres, 31, faces a felony count of child neglect and a misdemeanor count of violating state safety codes by "repeatedly" allowing day care children to be on the second floor of her Mather home.

She was booked Thursday evening and released on $50,000 bail in the Feb. 23 death of 2-month-old Avin Rominger, who was found unresponsive in the upstairs of Caceres' home, where she had operated Sheila's Garden Daycare since 2005.
Call The Bee's Sam Stanton, (916) 321-1091.

A former youth soccer coach in Elk Grove was sentenced to 4 years and 4 months in prison.

Arthur Temblador, 36, pleaded guilty to four felony charges involving sexual misconduct.

Folsom police are warning city residents to be watch out for what they say are phony invoices in the mail.

The alleged scam generated from Southern California involves an entity named UST Inc. or UST Development, police said. Officers say UST has sent bogus invoices to Folsom businesses.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the Sacramento region will join the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday.

During the event, agencies will offer convenient locations where people can drop off their expired, unused and unwanted pills free of charge, with no questions asked. By doing so, officials say, the public can help prevent drug abuse and theft.

Drop-off sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Prescription drugs that languish in home medicine cabinets are susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse, creating a public health crisis, according a U.S. Department of Justice news release. Nationwide, 2 1/2 times more people abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and inhalants combined, according to the recently released 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The study showed that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

Auburn police are asking the public's help in locating a man who borrowed a woman's car, then sold it on Craigslist.

Police said the 55-year-old woman on Oct. 6 loaned her car to an acquaintance who said his name was Jeff Keller (pictured) or Kellar.

When Keller did not return the car by the agreed upon time, the woman filed a stolen vehicle report with the Auburn Police Department.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint Friday in the area of 16th and C streets.

Between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. motorists traveling through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers. They also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

The checkpoint is intended to promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers associated with drinking and driving, and serve as a deterrent to potential impaired and unlicensed drivers, according to a Police Department news release.

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

Three men were convicted of first-degree murder today in the drug-related May 5, 2008, shooting death of 35-year-old Jason Fletcher in south Sacramento.

The Sacramento Superior Court jury returned the verdicts against Brandon Theodore Morton, 25, Anthony Arturo Medina, 23, and David Whitehead, 21.

According to the prosecutor's trial brief, Morton had been shorted methamphetamine on a drug deal and had arranged to meet with the woman who made the connection for him to "make it right." Fletcher drove with the woman to the meeting spot on Brookfield Drive at Franklin Boulevard while Medina and Whitehead took a separate car to provide back-up for Morton, the court papers said.

A 7-year-old boy who died this afternoon when he was struck by a car as he was crossing Howe Avenue in Arden Arcade has been identified by the California Highway Patrol as Tevon Webb.

The accident occurred about 1:20 p.m. A 37-year-old Sacramento woman was driving a 2002 BMW northbound on Howe Avenue, just north of Burney Way, traveling about 40 mph in the left lane, according to a CHP news release.

Davis police detectives arrested two men suspected of knocking out and robbing a man who met their female friend online.

Police said that the 20-year-old man, staying with friends and family in Davis, met the woman online and invited her to visit him. When the two were walking near Covell Boulevard and Highway 113 on Tuesday the man was attacked and robbed.

The two robbers chased him into an apartment complex in the 1500 block of Shasta Drive where they struck him over the head with a "club-like" weapon, rendering him unconscious, a police press release said.

Roseville police are looking for two male subjects in a home invasion robbery that occurred Wednesday evening.

The incident occurred at a residence on the 1200 block of Glenbrook Avenue at about 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Roseville police officials.

The male occupant heard a knock at the door and when he answered two men armed with handguns entered the home. They then used zip-ties to restrain the couple and a small child, and searched the home.

The man accused of running over Maggie the cattle dog has been sentenced.

Justin Phillip Lombardo-Barton, 19, of Camptonville, was sentenced to five years probation and time served. A Sierra County Superior Court judge gave Lombardo-Barton credit for 122 days in county jail.

Lombardo-Barton, who pled no contest to felony animal cruelty and hit and run, also will undergo counseling and faces a fine restitution hearing.

Smoke rising this morning south of Elk Grove is coming from a barn fire that is expected to burn through the day.

Firefighters were called to a ranch on Carroll Road about 2 a.m. today. Fire companies from the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department were on the scene through the night.

A barn filled with hay burned to the ground. Firefighters are allowing the remaining hay fire to burn itself out.

A 22-year-old Sacramento woman was arrested today in connection with a fatal motorcycle crash that occurred Monday night on the northbound Capital City Freeway.

Robert Wilson, 64, of North Highlands died after he was ejected from his motorcycle when it was struck on the right side by a Volkswagen Beetle that was negotiating through traffic. Wilson was thrown into the roadway where he was hit by a Mitsubishi Eclipse.

The driver of the Mitsubishi stopped and remained at the scene. The driver of the Volkswagen initially stopped, but fled in the vehicle moments later, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Folsom police announced that five people were arrested during a decoy operation targeting people who purchase or sell alcohol to minors.

The operation was conducted Friday by the Police Department's Special Investigation Unit.

A minor decoy is any person younger than 21 who assists police with identifying and apprehending suspects who violate laws associated with alcohol ordinances. Police, in coordination with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, select individuals older than 18 years of age with no criminal history and no suspected alcohol violations, according to a Police Department news release.

By Cynthia Hubert

chubert@sacbee.com

A Susanville man has been arrested and charged with 30 counts of animal cruelty for allegedly neglecting horses whose decomposing remains were discovered on his property.

Dwight Bennett, 57, who runs Whispering Pines Ranch west of Susanville, was booked into the Lassen County Jail on Wednesday, sheriff's officials said.

Sheriff's deputies, along with Lassen County Search and Rescue, searched the 54-acre ranch this week amidst allegations of severe animal cruelty and neglect by the nonprofit Grace Foundaiton of El Dorado Hills.

They found the decomposing remains of 28 horses and three dogs, they said Wednesday. They arrested Bennett and seized a small amount of methamphetamine, marijuana and five firearms from the property.

The Grace Foundation has been pressing for an investigation into Bennett's ranching operation since August, when it took custody of 36 horses housed at Whispering Pines.

Bennett maintained the horses had been victims of poisoning.

Grace has started a fund-raising campaign on behalf of the horses, said founder Beth DeCaprio. For more information about the case or to donate, go to www.thegracefoundation.com.

An employee in the preschool program at Woodbine Elementary School in Sacramento was removed from the campus this morning following allegations that the individual engaged in inappropriate conduct.

District spokesman Gabe Ross said the allegations were made this morning, and district officials immediately placed the employee on administrative leave and contacted police. Ross declined to comment on the nature of the alleged conduct or the employee's position in the program.

Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit said the department has initiated an investigation to determine whether any crime was committed. District officials said they will work closely with police.

Five Sacramento-area men have been indicted in connection with a marijuana trafficking conspiracy.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento today returned a 23-count indictment charging Thomas Holzmann, 24, Peter Holzmann, 23, and Joseph Andrade, 24, all of West Sacramento, as well as Jonathan Sherman, 27, of Sacramento, and Eddy Arevalo, 29, of the El Dorado County community of Somerset, with conspiring to cultivate and distribute marijuana, and various other drug offenses.

Sherman also was charged with multiple counts of structuring and money laundering. Structuring occurs when large sums of currency are broken up and deposited in amounts less than $10,000 to avoid filing reports required by federal law, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

One person died and two people were injured this afternoon in a head-on collision on Highway 16 west of the town of Capay in Yolo County.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Ken Walter said the collision occurred shortly before 1 p.m. The big rig was eastbound on Highway 16 and the Ford F-250 pickup was westbound. He said it has not been determined how the collision occurred, or which vehicle may have crossed the center line. Walter said the road curves in that area.

One of the two people in the pickup truck was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was transported to an area hospital. Walter said he did not know whether the person who died was the driver or the passenger. The driver of the big rig also was taken to a hospital. The names of the individuals have not been released.

The section of Highway 16 near Capay Street was closed to traffic for about two hours.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today found Matthew David Riley guilty of first-degree murder in the Dec. 9, 2008, stabbing deaths of his parents in their Natomas area home.

Riley, 33, (pictured left) sat impassively as the verdicts were read. The multiple murders amounted to a special-circumstance finding by the jury that likely will result in a life-term prison sentence with no chance of parole. Judge Gary S. Mullen scheduled Riley's sentencing for Dec. 2.

El Dorado County Sheriff's deputies arrested a man suspected by Oregon authorities of killing of his brother and sister-in-law.

Gary L. Goins, 58, of Pollock Pines was arrested Tuesday at 1 p.m. at a gas station in the 4700 block of Sly Park Road by El Dorado deputies who were acting on information provided by Josephine County Sheriff's detectives in Grants Pass.

El Dorado deputies first checked for Goins at a Pollock Pines residence. When he could not be found at the home, deputies searched for his vehicle, which was found at the gas station.

A Sacramento man was sentenced to 21 years for the fatal beating of a Loomis resident.

Kenneth Lewis Massey Jr., 24, was sentenced today for the September 2009 killing of Rudy Ramos. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Massey pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter and three counts of influencing the testimony of a witness, according to the Placer County District Attorney.

Sacramento police officers arrested Massey at his south Sacramento home in 2009 on a Placer County warrant. Placer sheriff's detectives alleged Massey bludgeoned 34-year-old Ramos to death in Ramos' Loomis home.

The body of a Roseville man missing for more than a week has been found in unincorporated Placer County.

Brent Bell, 49, left his home near Woodcreek Golf Club Oct. 16, riding his white Trek cruiser-style bicycle. He reportedly has been depressed about personal issues and may have taken a handgun with him, according to a Roseville police department new release.

Bell's family was concerned that he may have ridden his bicycle to a remote area and harmed himself, police said.

A man shot and killed by a Shasta County Sheriff's deputy during a struggle with another deputy along Interstate 5 Tuesday night has been identified by Redding police as James Thomas Jobe, 26, of Redding.

Jobe had an extensive arrest history in Shasta County for drug and weapons-related offenses, according to a Redding Police Department news release. Police said their records indicate that Jobe was arrested eight times in the past 15 months.

Redding police, the lead agency in the in the investigation into the fatal shooting, said the incident began shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday. A deputy saw a traffic violation committed by the driver of a pickup near Cascade Boulevard and Oasis Road, along I-5.

An 18-year-old Sacramento man was arrested Monday evening in the parking lot of the Twin Rivers Police Department after he was found to have a loaded gun.

Police officers noticed a suspicious looking man in the parking lot about 6:30 p.m. Officers detained him and discovered the loaded gun, according to a Police Department news release. The man was identified as Treshawn Johnson (pictured).

The gun was described as a .32 caliber automatic pistol.

A 20-year-old Oakland man visiting acquaintances in Davis was chased and beaten by two assailants this afternoon.

Davis police Lt. Paul Doroshov said the incident occurred about 4:30 p.m. He said the man was walking on the sidewalk along Covell Boulevard when he was approached by two African American men who demanded money and his cell phone. The victim tried to get away from them, but they chased him across Covell into an apartment complex in the 1500 block of Shasta Drive. There they cornered the victim and beat him over the head with a club.

Doroshov said the victim was unconscious when officers arrived. He was transported to UC Davis Medical Center, where he is recovering.

The California Highway Patrol seeks information from anyone who witnessed a fatal single-vehicle crash Friday afternoon on Fair Oaks Boulevard.

Robert Jacobs, 32, of Roseville was driving a 1998 Chevy Cavalier westbound on Fair Oaks Boulevard west of Los Molinos Way, in Arden Arcade, about 2:27 p.m. He was traveling about 40 mph, and for unknown reasons, his vehicle drifted onto the right shoulder and into a drainage ditch, according to a CHP news release. The impact caused the vehicle to become airborne and overturn.

The Cavalier struck a cinder block mailbox, then landed on its roof. Although Jacobs was wearing a seat belt, he sustained fatal injuries.

An 18-year-old man wanted in connection with an attempted homicide in West Sacramento was arrested today in Sacramento.

The U.S. Marshals Service announced that Deshaun Christopher Buford was taken into custody without incident at the University Village Apartments, in the 7700 block of La Riviera Drive, west of Howe Avenue.

About 9:30 p.m. Aug. 25, Buford allegedly fired an automatic 9mm submachine gun into a residence on Proctor Avenue in West Sacramento. Several bullets just missed a young mother and her 2-year-old child who were inside, according to a Marshals Service news release.

Sacramento County officials are mailing notices to neighborhoods where street lights have been targeted by copper thieves.

The rate of theft has accelerated in recent weeks resulting in more than 1,000 street lights out of service, according to a county news release. Officials say the county Department of Transportation has spent more than $160,000 since January making repairs in vandalized areas.

Even though wiring is replaced, thieves are returning to the fixtures to strike again. The damage is extensive, officials said, and affects the wiring in the pole as well as the underground conduit.

Yolo County residents can quickly access custody information about offenders throughout California.

The Yolo County Sheriff's Office has launched VINE --Victim Information and Notification Everyday -- an automated service that notifies crime victims and other concerned citizens when offenders are released from custody. The service provides round-the-clock access to offender information by telephone or the Internet, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

Users can call (877) 411-5588, or log onto www.vinelink.com and provide an offender's name or booking number to access custody information. They also can register multiple phone numbers or email addresses for automatic notification when the offender is released, transferred or escapes.

A body was found Tuesday morning in Rocklin after fire crews extinguished a burning sport utility vehicle. Rocklin Police are investigating the death as suspicious, according to a department news release.

Dispatchers received a report of the SUV on fire about 10:40 a.m. today on West Oaks Boulevard near Lonetree Boulevard.

Firefighters put out the flames in the passenger compartment of the SUV.

The name of a motorcyclist who died after a crash Monday evening on the Capital City Freeway has been released.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office identified the motorcyclist as Robert Preston Wilson, 64, of North Highlands.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

The Rio Linda man accused of using an ax to kill a man he thought had burglarized his house was ordered this morning to stand trial on a murder charge, and his defense attorney said he likely will enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Steven Zinda, 30, is accused in the March 20 slaying of 20-year-old David Valdez. Zinda has been jailed since the slaying and after a brief preliminary hearing in Sacramento Superior Court this morning was ordered to stand trial.

Judge Ernest Sawtelle, after hearing testimony from sheriff's Detective Stanley Swisher, decided there was enough evidence to show Zinda must face trial and ordered him returned for arraignment on Nov. 7.

A police search of Curtis Park Monday night resulted in the arrest of a suspected burglar.

Sacramento police said they arrested Joshua Smith, 35, on suspicion of burglary and violation of parole.

A Sacramento County press release today noted that preliminary findings of an autopsy revealed no trauma to the body of a man who shot a police officer and later died in custody.

"The cause of death has not been determined pending further medical and toxicology studies," the release noted. "Preliminary findings reveal the absence of trauma."

By Whitney Mountain
wmountain@sacbee.com

A motorcyclist was killed Monday evening on Capitol City Freeway after a car hit the bike, ejecting the cyclist. The victim was then struck by another car.

A witness told the California Highway Patrol that a late model white Volkswagen Beetle was weaving through traffic at about 8:50 p.m. when it pulled between the witness's car and the motorcyclist, striking him.

After the cyclist was thrown, a Mitsubishi Eclipse struck his body, which had landed in the center lane of the three-lane highway just north of El Camino Real, said CHP spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton.

By Whitney Mountain

wmountain@sacbee.com

A motorcyclist was killed Monday evening on Capitol City Freeway after a car hit the bike, ejecting the cyclist. The victim was then struck by another car.

A witness told the California Highway Patrol that a late model white Volkswagen Beetle was weaving through traffic at about 8:50 p.m. when it pulled between the witness's car and the motorcyclist, striking him.

After the cyclist was thrown, a Mitsubishi Eclipse struck his body, which had landed in the center lane of the three-lane highway just north of El Camino Real, said CHP spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton.

Both cars pulled over, but the Beetle drove away before officers arrived on-scene, said Dutton.

Officers are trying to locate the driver of the Beetle, which sustained mild to moderate damage during the accident.

Anyone with information is asked to call the California Highway Patrol Dispatch after-hours number at 916-861-1300 or the regular-hours number at 916-338-6710.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

El Dorado County Animal Services officials are searching for dogs that bit people in two separate incidents, one in South Lake Tahoe and the other in Grizzly Flat.

On Oct. 16, a 17-year-old boy was bitten about 6:30 p.m. on the South Tahoe Middle School soccer field on Al Tahoe Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe. The teenager and his brother began playing soccer with the dog's owner and another man, and the dog suddenly bit the youth, according to an El Dorado County Public Health Department news release. The dog owner left the area and no information was exchanged.

The dog is described as a larger size dog, possibly a golden retriever-boxer mix. The dog's owner is described as white, in his late 20s with light-colored hair.

The family of Carrie McCullough, a young mother slain while attending a friend's barbecue earlier this month, has finalized plans for her funeral.

Services will take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Sierra View Funeral Chapel, 6201 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael.

Anyone is welcome to attend. A viewing for immediate family and friends will precede the services from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Sacramento Coroner's Office has released the name of the victim of a Sunday-night shooting.

Jose Navarro, 23, was shot Sunday night at around 10 p.m. on the 2500 block of Traction Avenue in the north area, according to Sacramento Police Spokeswoman Laura Peck.

When Sacramento Police arrived on-scene at 10:14 p.m., they found Navarro with a gunshot wound to his upper body. Navarro was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said Peck.

Police are investigating the alleged homicide and are looking for the suspect.

The Twin Rivers police officer who was shot while on duty last weekend has moved from intensive care to a regular recovery room, and his condition has upgraded to stable, the police department reports.

The 25-year-old officer, whose name has not been released, remains in pain but is in good spirits, said department spokesman Officer William Cho. The officer probably will stay in the hospital at least through this week, and his recovery is expected to take up to three months, Cho said.

The officer was shot four times after a Saturday afternoon traffic stop in Del Paso Heights developed into a vehicle and foot pursuit during which the suspect fired at the officer, authorities said.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

In an effort to spare her husband from the death penalty, Angelique Topete took the stand in Yolo Superior Court this morning and told jurors of her love for Marco Antonio Topete.

"The first day I met him, I told my friend that was my husband," she said. The meeting had taken place behind the walls of Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City. What attracted, asked defense attorney Dwight Samuel. "His strength. I think he's a strong person," she said.

Angelique Topete was among the first witnesses called by defense lawyers today as they opened their case in the penalty phase of the capital murder trial of Topete for killing Yolo County Sheriff's Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz in June 2008. Jurors earlier this month convicted Topete on all counts of of first- degree murder with special circumstances.

Sacramento police have arrested a second suspect in the September killing of a man at an abandoned car wash on Marysville Boulevard, according to authorities.

On Sunday, police arrested 34-year-old Adrienne Boulware on suspicion of murder in connection with the Sept. 14 death of Audie Hogue, whose body was found in the parking lot of the car wash, said police Officer Laura Peck.

Earlier this month, police arrested 21-year-old Amoura Dawson in connection with the killing. Detectives allege that Hogue's death stemmed from an argument between him and the suspects that turned physical.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

An indictment unsealed this morning in El Dorado Superior Court adds one new felony conspiracy charge and two misdemeanor charges to those facing former Placerville Mayor David Machado.

Machado now faces a total of three felony and two misdemeanor counts stemming from in the political scandal over an alleged cover-up of his property dealings in Placerville.

Authorities allege that he concealed his involvement with the property by transferring title back and forth between himself and his son and that he had work performed without city permits on two properties he owned in the city.

Sacramento Police Department officers are investigating a Sunday evening homicide that left a 23-year-old man dead.

The suspect is described as a male in his 20s wearing dark clothing, said Laura Peck, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Police Department.

At 10:14 p.m., Sunday, officers responded to reports of gunfire to the 2500 block of Traction Avenue, in North Sacramento, Peck said.

Officers discovered the victim with a gun shot wound to the upper body. The man was transported to a local hospital where he was declared dead, Peck said.

Bee staff

The Sacramento Police Department confirmed tonight that the suspect in the Twin Rivers police shooting case died while in custody Saturday night.

Tyrone Smith, 32, was suspected of shooting an 18-month officer multiple times during a chase in the north area Saturday afternoon. He was arrested at 11:10 p.m. Saturday, police said.

After surgeries, the wounded officer was in stable condition Sunday and expected to recover.

On Sunday night, city police held a news conference to say Smith became unresponsive at 11:33 p.m.while city police officers were transporting him to police headquarters.

By Tony Bizjak
tbizjak@sacbee.com

Bee photo by Autumn Cruz: Law enforcement officers search for a suspect that shot a Twin Rivers Unified School District officer; mug shot of Tyrone Smith courtesy Sacramento Police Department

Sacramento police late Saturday night arrested the man they suspect of shooting a Twin Rivers Police Department officer several times during a chase that followed an attempted traffic stop.

"We got him in custody," said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, Sacramento Police Department spokesman, referring to 32-year-old Tyrone Smith.

Pettit said the suspect was apprehended about 11:10 p.m. without incident on Branch Street, a few blocks from the shooting site.

Officers from more than a half-dozen agencies had combed Del Paso Heights on Saturday in search of Smith.

Authorities checked several "houses of interest" in the neighborhood where the afternoon shooting took place just west of Grant High School.

The 25-year-old officer, whose identity had not been disclosed Saturday evening, was in critical but stable condition after surgery at the UC Davis Medical Center, according to William Cho of the Twin Rivers Police Department, which serves the Twin Rivers school district.

"He has multiple serious injuries, but the doctors are optimistic he is going to make it," Cho said.

The officer was hit by several bullets from what police believe was a lone shooter after the officer attempted to pull a white sport-utility vehicle over on Roanoke Avenue a little after 2 p.m.

Police did not offer a reason for the attempted traffic stop.

The shooting occurred after a brief chase, first in vehicles, then on foot. The officer was able to radio in the suspect vehicle's license plate number before the shooting.

Police said the suspect had stopped his vehicle and was fleeing on foot on Branch Street, just south of Grand Avenue, when he turned and fired at the officer. Witnesses told police the suspect got back into the SUV and drove off.

Officials cordoned off a dozen or more blocks near Grand and South avenues throughout the afternoon and evening as officers from numerous agencies aided in a block-by-block search.

Investigators found the suspect vehicle hours later, several blocks south of the shooting site.

Call The Bee's Tony Bizjak, (916) 321-1059.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Witnesses to a burglary Friday formed an impromptu posse - including one member on horseback - to trap three suspects until police arrived.

The incident began when the witnesses saw three people leave a neighbor's backyard in the Hagginwood area of Sacramento.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire and California Highway Patrol officials are reporting a major accident with injuries affecting traffic on Highway 50 at Zinfandel Road.

The bulletins refer to as many as five participants involved, with at least one overturned vehicle.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento Coroner's officials have released the identity of the man shot and killed Friday by a Sacramento Sheriff's deputy in Rancho Cordova.

The man is identified in the coroner's death register as Antonio Lopez Gonzalez, 36, of Sacramento.

A South Lake Tahoe investment broker has pleaded guilty to stealing from clients' investment and retirement accounts.

Lori Zoval, 46, pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud for embezzling client money while employed as an independent contractor with a brokerage firm in Folsom. As part of the plea agreement, Zoval agreed to pay restitution, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

According to court documents, Zoval used her position of trust to embezzle at least $24,939 from the investment and retirement accounts of her clients between October 2005 and April 2006. She admitted to stealing funds by telling her clients that she was setting up tax shelters that required her to transfer funds into the names of third parties that she called "provisional employees." To facilitate the fund transfer, she fraudulently created documents making it appear that her clients authorized the money transfers.

The Sacramento Police Department today announced the arrest of 21-year-old woman in connection with the death of Audie Joe Hogue, 44, whose body was found Sept. 14 at a Marysville Boulevard car wash.

Amoura Dawson, 21, was arrested Thursday night. Police said Dawson had a recent address in North Sacramento.

Investigators believe that an argument between Hogue and Dawson escalated into a physical fight, according to a Police Department news release.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Nazir Fazel of first-degree murder for the Nov. 10, 2005, shooting death of Mohammad Samini in Elk Grove.

Fazel, 55, had been romantically involved with the 60-year-old Samini's wife years before the shooting, sheriff's investigators said. Authorities say he fled to Afghanistan after the shooting on Bertolani Circle and was arrested in late 2009 while crossing over into the country of Georgia. He was extradited to Sacramento in March 2010.

Judge Russell L. Hom scheduled Fazel's sentencing for Nov. 10.

A 17-year-old boy from Meadow Vista has been arrested following a fatal crash near Applegate in Placer County on Thursday night.

The crash occurred about 7:30 p.m. The teenager was driving a 1997 Subaru Outback on Applegate Road north of Boole Road when he failed to negotiate a curve and hit a tree, fatally injuring three of his four passengers, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

Lukas Warren, 21, and Daniel Silverman, 31, both of Meadow Vista, were pronounced dead at the scene. A 21-year-old man from Auburn was ejected from the vehicle and was airlifted to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries. His name has not been released pending notification of family members.

A preliminary hearing got under way today in the February 2010 killing of Rebecca Renee Layson in Citrus Heights' Van Maren Park.

Prosecutors have charged Anton Adolph Johnson Jr., now 20, and Tyler Shawn Espinoza, 19, with murder and sexual assault in the death of the 17-year-old girl.

Layson's family identified Espinoza in the days after the killing as the girl's boyfriend.

A Sacramento County sheriff's deputy fatally shot a suspect in Rancho Cordova this afternoon, according to authorities.

The shooting was reported behind the Mills Shopping Center in the 10000 block of Folsom Boulevard, said sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos. The shooting occurred after a call was made to the Sheriff's Department regarding suspicious activity, Ramos said.

The man was transported by ambulance to a local hospital, where he was declared dead, Ramos said.

Authorities report that 69-year-old Alexis Medina, who went missing from his assisted living facility on Sky Parkway this morning, has been found and is safe, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department reports.

A fired former Sacramento sheriff's deputy who ran her car into a Natomas-area Starbucks and injured an 85-year-old woman two years ago was sentenced today to two years in state prison.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary E. Ransom imposed the term on Lisa Gargano, 39, who pleaded no contest in June to two counts of driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

Gargano was on pain killers and other medications at the time of the Sept. 6, 2009, collision that resulted in the injury to the woman in the coffee shop on Duckhorn Drive. Her attorney, Michael Bowman, said she began taking the pain killers as a result of a lower-back injury suffered in her deputy's job.

A police dog helped track down a suspect accused of using a gun to rob a taxi driver late Thursday, Elk Grove police reported today.

The suspect, Jeremy Kekahuna, 31, took a National Cab from Strikes to near Frye Creek Drive and Lodestar Way after 11 p.m., according to the police incident report.

Upon arrival, he offered a $100 bill to pay, but when the driver began to provide change, the passenger showed a handgun and grabbed all the money.

A Sacramento man was shot while in his house in the 2700 block of Fruitridge Road this morning.

Police said the man's bedroom window was broken and at least two shots were fired into the room at about 7 a.m.

The man was struck at least twice, but his wounds were not life-threatening, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department.

A man shot early this morning by a Redding woman as she was on the phone with police dispatchers reporting an intruder has been identified by the Shasta County Coroner's Office as Jesse Edward Theis, 37, of Redding.

According to Redding police, Donna Hopper, 66, called police after noting a person in her yard on Branstetter Lane. She armed herself with a gun and shot the intruder while talking to dispatchers, police reported.

While Hopper was on the phone, the suspect broke a window to Hopper's bedroom and she fired multiple shots, hitting the intruder at least once.

Two men held up a customer at Chase Bank on El Camino today, escaping on foot, Sacramento Sheriff's officials report.

The men, described as male Latinos in their 20s, fled on foot and evaded officers who arrived to look for them around 7 a.m.

The suspects were described as armed and wearing black jackets and black pants.

More than a dozen officers are now searching for two men involved in an early morning copper theft in North Highlands, Sheriff's officials report.

A witness called to report a man on the roof of a strip mall in the 5400 block of Watt Avenue, throwing things off the roof to someone below.

Responding deputies arrested a woman in a truck that was waiting, but two male suspects fled.

Deputies found copper in the truck.

Sacramento Police officers are searching for a shooting suspect in a Del Paso Heights neighborhood.

About 9:30 p.m. a call came in from the 1000 block of South Avenue that a man had been shot in the side, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, police department spokesman.

The man was transported to the hospital.

Officers were searching for suspect vehicles in the area of May Street and Roanoke Avenue, according to scanner traffic.

A Sacramento man pleaded guilty today to possessing a firearm after a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Keshon Murry, 22, is to be sentenced Jan. 5 by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr.

According to the plea agreement, on Dec. 31, 2010, California Highway Patrol officers saw Murry driving his car about 60 mph in a 25 mph zone. After a high-speed chase in which Murry crashed his car into a parked car, officers discovered a Smith & Wesson 38-caliber handgun with five rounds in the cylinder, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The case resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Safe Streets Task Force and the CHP.

The California Highway Patrol reported today that DUI deaths in the state dropped by about 25 percent last year in connection with a campaign to reduce the number of alcohol-involved fatal and injury collisions.

The Border to Border II DUI Enforcement Program focused on enhanced enforcement and public awareness. Funding for the program came from a grant provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

CHP officers conducted more than 240 sobriety checkpoints and made more than 2,000 DUI arrests, the agency said in a news release.

Preliminary statistics show that in 2010, there were 467 fatal collisions and 534 people killed in those collisions. The numbers are a roughly 25 percent reduction in people killed by DUI drivers from the previous year, the CHP said.

By Andy Furillo

Three separate Sacramento Superior Court juries have returned first-degree murder convictions against the three defendants accused in the March 26, 2010, shooting death of Salvador Heredia-Arriaga, an assistant football coach at Natomas High School.

Jurors today convicted the accused shooter in the case, Dejon Wayne Murray, 19, but they could not reach agreement on the prosecutor's allegation that the defendant personally fired the bullet that killed the 26-year-old Heredia-Arriaga.

Kenneth Oliver Owens Jr., 24, was convicted on Wednesday, and the jury in Maurice Edward Reed Jr.'s case came back with a guilty verdict Tuesday.

Sacramento police have arrested a homicide suspect in Southern California where he was living under an assumed name.

Augustine Aranda, 28, was arrested in El Centro, Imperial County. He was living there with a woman who was not aware of his true name or that he was wanted for the killing of Mark Vincent Colquitt on March 8, Sacramento police said.

Police found 48-year-old Colquitt lying near 21st Avnue and Franklin Boulevard about 5:45 a.m. March 8 after residents reported hearing gunshots. He died at a local hospital.

Detectives have not identified a motive.

In an interview after his death, Colquitt's mother said her youngest child was born in France - the son of an Air Force veteran - and graduated from Hiram Johnson High School.

Colquitt had three older brothers, and was father to a son, 10, and a daughter, 20.

His mother said Colquitt lost his job as a Transportation Security Administration officer at Sacramento International Airport about two years ago, and previously had worked as a manager at several fast food restaurants. He was living in south Sacramento with a roommate and his son.

Detectives received information that led to Aranda as a possible suspect. With the help of the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, Aranda was found in El Centro.

The reported cries of a man and a child have prompted a search in Nevada County.

A search and rescue mission began after 8 p.m. Wednesday when a citizen reported hearing a male and a small child calling from help near the Deer Creek Tribute trail, off Champion Road, west of Nevada City. Volunteers searching the area on foot have not been able to find anyone.

A California Highway Patrol helicopter crew has also been helping in the search.

A man wanted by the Concord Police Department was arrested early this morning after his vehicle was spotted on Highway 50 near Placerville.

The El Dorado County sheriff's dispatch center was notified to be on the lookout for Doran Long, 50, who was described as armed and dangerous, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. He was suspected of discharging a firearm in an inhabited building and attempted homicide. The notice stated that he was last seen driving a 1999 red Toyota Tacoma pickup.

At 5:40 a.m., a sheriff's deputy located the vehicle traveling westbound on Highway 50 in the Placerville area. The deputy followed the vehicle until other sheriff's deputies were in position to make a felony stop.

A package headed for the East Coast was intercepted at a Sacramento shipping business when employees smelled marijuana.

Officers responded Monday afternoon to the business in the 3100 block of Folsom Boulevard regarding a box to be shipped overnight to an address in Vermont. Police were called after an employee smelled the odor of marijuana coming from inside the package, according to a police activity log.

The investigation of the package revealed that there was three-to-four pounds of marijuana inside. The box was booked as evidence and an investigation is ongoing.

The name of a teen who died from injuries suffered in a traffic accident last week has been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.

He was identified as Alejandro Emmanuel Medina, 19, of West Sacramento.

Medina died at 4 p.m. Wednesday, more than a week after suffering major injury after his vehicle was involved in a crash on northbound Interstate 5 while taking the transition to Highway 50 in Sacramento. The California Highway Patrol said Medina's vehicle spun out of control Oct. 10 on wet pavement and hit construction equipment parked on the freeway shoulder.

All lanes are open but traffic is still slow on Interstate 80 to the San Francisco Bay area from Sacramento more than six hours after an early morning crash involving a chicken-hauling big rig.

The 2 a.m. crash occurred on westbound I-80 just west of Lagoon Valley Road between Vacaville and Fairfield. The center divider was opened shortly before 3 a.m. to let traffic slowly pass as chickens were picked up from the roadway.

An estimated 5,000 crated, live chickens were on the truck but only a small portion of the hens fell onto the roadway.

The former vice principal of a Fairfield elementary school has been convicted of molesting two boys in Sacramento County.

Jurors returned their verdicts Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court againt Christopher Vargas, 39, who had been an administrator at Cleo Gordon Elementary School in Fairfield.

Judge Roland L. Candee scheduled Vargas' sentencing for Nov. 15.
.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrested a 39-year-old man today on suspicion of selling counterfeit goods at his Watt Avenue business, authorities say.

Deputies arrested Raymond Silas, 39, at his store, BJ's Fashions, in the 5500 block of Watt Avenue, said sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos. Silas was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of selling counterfeit goods and is being held in lieu of $85,000, jail booking records show.

The sheriff's High Impact Patrol Team had received information that Silas, the sole proprietor of BJ's, was selling counterfeit merchandise, Ramos said. Undercover officers from several law enforcement agencies purchased items from Silas several times, he said.

An inmate is accused of killing his cellmate at High Desert State Prison on Tuesday, authorities say.

Ivan Mejia, 26, was found dead in his cell Tuesday evening, said prison spokesman Lt. Charlie Hahn. Prison authorities say they suspect Mejia's cellmate, 27-year-old Angel Gomez, in the killing and have placed him in the Administrative Segregation Unit pending further investigation, Hahn said.

Mejia's exact cause of death has not been released by the coroner's office, Hahn said.

Four suspected marijuana patch growers were arrested after they ran from law enforcement officers in southern Sacramento County.

State Department of Justice marijuana investigation team agents conducting surveillance came upon the seven suspects who fled from them this morning near Interstate 5 and Hood-Franklin Road.

Four of the suspects were caught. The Sacramento Sheriff's Department aided the DOJ in finding the other three.

Elk Grove police need help in identifying two suspects who tried to hold up a Subway sandwich shop.

The two young men entered the Subway, 8145 Elk Grove Blvd., shortly after 9 p.m. Friday. One vaulted the front counter, while the other ordered the two employees to open the safe.

The employees said they had no way of opening the safe, prompting one of the suspects to try to tie up an employee. Not long after that, a customer entered the restaurant, scaring the robbers out the back door of the business.
No weapon was seen by employees, police said..

Both suspects were described as 16-19 years old, white and male. One was 5 feet 8 inches tall, 160 pounds and was wearing a green cap, a white, long-sleeved shirt with red stripes, blue jeans, gray running shoes and black gloves. The other suspect was 5 feet 6 inches tall, 140 pounds, and was wearing a blue cap, a white hooded jacket with blue and red stripes, black jeans, white athletic shoes and gloves.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Elk Grove police detectives at (916) 478-8060.

PHOTO CREDIT: The two suspects in attempted robbery of Elk Grove Subway shop.

The name of a pedestrian who was hit and killed by a car in the south area was released today by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.

She was identified by coroner's deputies as Guangmei Zhong, 56, of Sacramento.

The California Highway Patrol got a call at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday regarding a woman who had been hit while crossing Power Inn Road north of Gerber Road at 68th Avenue.

The car that hit Zhong stopped after the accident, the CHP said.

A 27-year-old bicyclist was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries following a collision with a vehicle at Bradshaw and Gore roads in Rancho Cordova late this afternoon.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department responded about 4:50 p.m. to a report of a collision involving a car and a bicycle. Witnesses told deputies that the motorist was traveling northbound on Bradshaw in the far right lane and was approaching Gore Road, on a green light, when the bicyclist, traveling westbound on Gore Road, entered the intersection against a red light, said sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.

He said the driver was unable to avoid the bicyclist, who was struck by the front of the car and then hit the windshield, before striking the pavement. Ramos said the bicyclist suffered significant injuries, including head trauma. He said investigators found no sign of a helmet at the scene and believe the bicyclist was not wearing one.

The Roseville Police Department is searching for a west Roseville man who was last seen Sunday evening.

Brent Bell (pictured), 49, left his home near Woodcreek Golf Club about 6 p.m., riding his white Trek cruiser-style bicycle. His family hasn't seen or heard from him since, and he didn't go to work Monday. He reportedly has been depressed about personal issues and may have taken a handgun with him, according to a Police Department new release.

Bell's family is concerned that he may have ridden his bicycle to a remote area and harmed himself, police said.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the woman shot to death on Della Circle late Friday as 22-year-old Carrie McCullough.

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives believe McCullough was struck by a stray bullet that was intended for somebody else as she stood outside a duplex on the 7400 block of Della Circle, near Power Inn and Florin roads.

She was struck twice and pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 10:30 p.m.

Witnesses described the two shooters as Asian and male, both wearing white hats, white bandannas over their faces, dark T-shirts and dark pants, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP. Callers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

The prosecutor and defense attorneys have completed their closing arguments in last year's shooting death of a Natomas High School assistant football coach and the three separate juries today began their deliberations.

Dejon Wayne Murray, 19, Kenneth Oliver Owens Jr., 24, and Maurice Edward Reed Jr., 21, are accused of first-degree murder in the killing of Salvador Heredia-Arriaga, 26.

Heredia-Arriaga was shot and killed March 26, 2010, when he went to visit some friends at their apartment on River Plaza Drive in South Natomas and walked into a robbery in progress, authorities said.

PHOTO CREDIT: Salvador Heredia-Arriaga

Prosecutors in court filings have identified the second suspect arrested in the shooting deaths of Sean Aquitania and his 7-month old son as an alleged shooter in the case.

The suspect, Richard Noguera, 33, made his first appearance today in Sacramento Superior Court. He did not enter a plea. Local defense attorney Danny Brace represented Noguera at the hearing and told the court he will decide by Oct. 27 if he will be retained in the case.

Sacramento State police are investigating the rape of a female student by an acquaintance last week, according to a police news release issued today.

The assault allegedly took place about 2 p.m. Oct. 13 in a residence hall room on the California State University, Sacramento campus, the news release states.

The incident was reported to university police about 5:45 p.m. Saturday, according to the release.

By Denny Walsh

dwalsh@sacbee.com

A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced well-known Sacramento businessman Collins Max "Collie" Christensen Sr. to five years in prison for investment fraud - a term in excess of two years beyond what his plea bargain called for and more than a year and a half above the top of the sentencing guidelines.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Carlberg and defense lawyer McGregor Scott told the judge they felt the three years and nine months they earlier had agreed on was fair and just punishment.

But U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez, whose opinion was the only one that counted in the end, said he didn't believe their negotiated time behind bars adequately reflected the immense damage done to the investors.

Firefighters discovered the bodies of a man and a woman after extinguishing a house fire in Tahoe City.

The fire in the single-story home in the 1700 block of Spruce Avenue was reported at about 1:45 a.m. Tuesday. When firefighters arrived the porch was heavily involved in flames and fire was also burning inside the house.

Roseville police hope they have stopped a series of snack shack burglaries with the arrest of suspects at Woodcreek High School.

Officers responded to a burglary in progress at the school at 2:15 a.m. Saturday. Four weekend burglaries or attempted break-ins had occurred at the snack shack since Sept. 3.

A pedestrian was hit and killed by a car in the South area this morning.

The California Highway Patrol got a call at about 6:30 a.m. regarding a woman who had been hit while crossing Power Inn Road north of Gerber Road at 68th Avenue.

Her body was still in a northbound lane at 7:45 a.m. as authorities waited for the Sacramento County Coroner to arrive. The car that hit the woman stopped after the accident, the CHP said.

Two men were arrested for burglary of a cell phone business this morning in Citrus Heights.

Timofey Dalekorey and Angel Sanchez, both 20-year-old Rancho Cordova residents, were arrested on suspicion of burglary and possession of stolen property, police said.

Citrus Heights police were brought to a business in the 7200 block of Greenback Lane shortly before 1 a.m. today by a tripped burglar alarm. Officers saw that a window was broken and conducted a search.

Roseville police say that robbers tied up employees of a Outback Steakhouse and smashed cellphones before making off with money from the safe.

The restaurant robbery occurred around midnight Saturday as the employees were closing up the steakhouse at 181 North Sunrise Avenue. The robbers, one who was armed, were described as two white men with stockings over their faces. One of the robbers appeared to have facial hair and wore a tan jacket.

A robbery at 4:30 a.m. today may be related to the steakhouse stick-up, police said. Just as employees arrived at the McDonald's at 120 Harding Blvd., they were confronted by an armed man demanding money from the safe. He disabled a telephone before leaving.

CHP officers with a suspected drunken driver in the back seat of their patrol car were crashed into by another motorist suspected to be under the influence.

Neither officer was injured in the early morning collision in South Sacramento. Both suspects were booked.

The incident began about 2:25 a.m. when the squad car was traveling southbound on Stockton Boulevard near Lemon Hill Avenue. A car driven by Gustavo Guerrero, 31, traveling in the opposite direction, turned in front of the officers and collided.

Light rail trains are operating again at the 29th and R street station after an early morning hazardous material investigation was apparently resolved.

Until about 7 a.m., trains were traveling through the midtown station but passengers were not being allowed to get on or get off the light rail cars. Sacramento Fire Department investigators were called to the scene to examine a suspicious substance.

The situation was apparently cleared about 7:15 a.m. when RT officials said the station was open again for passengers to board and exit trains.

The reward for the arrests and conviction of assailants responsible for the March 4 fatal shooting of two elderly Sikh Americans taking a walk in an Elk Grove neighborhood has reached $57,000, police and members of the community said today.

The still-unsolved shootings on March 4 led to the deaths of Surinder Singh, 65, Gurmej Atwal, 78. Singh was killed instantly. Atwal spent six weeks in a hospital before he succumbed.

Today, law enforcement officers, two Elk Grove City Council members, representatives of the Sikh American community and other volunteers met in a Park and Ride lot just a few hundred feet from where the slayings occurred.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A rare sexual assault in Lassen Volcanic National Park led to the arrest Friday of a Red Bluff man, park officials said.

The assault took place earlier this year at a time officials are not releasing at the request of investigators, said John Roth, chief park ranger for Lassen.

At that time, a child under age 12 was allegedly molested by a person she knew.

Her mother reported it to police when the family returned to Red Bluff, about 50 miles from the park, Roth said.

Police contacted the National Park Service which investigated the incident.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento on Thursday indicted Vernon Lee Williamson, 61, on two felony counts of sexual assault.

Williamson was arrested Friday at his Red Bluff home and jailed in Sacramento.

The event is unusual for the park, officials said.

"The park has no record of sexual assaults, of any kind, for at least the past 15 years," said Lassen Superintendent Darlene M. Koontz, in a prepared statement.

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

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento police investigating a burglary nabbed three juvenile suspects Friday, but also recorded a bonus arrest unrelated to the break-in.

The investigation began before 11 p.m. when a resident in the 7500 block of Balfour Way in Meadoview reported hearing glass break and thought there was an intruder in the house.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department reported two incidents Saturday that occurred in or near vacant homes, the number of which has grown during the region's economic downturn.

In the first, a resident of 75th Street's 6400 block reported on Friday that squatters were tapping his electricity for a neighboring house that was supposed to be vacant.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Gunfire killed a woman in south Sacramento Friday night, Sacramento Sheriff's officials reported.

Deputies responded to numerous reports of shots fired in the 7400 block of Della Circle around 10:15 p.m.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A 19-year-old Chico woman was killed Friday when the van she was driving left the roadway near Highway 99 in Chico and overturned, California Highway Patrol officials reported.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was driving on Durham-Pentz Road when, for unknown reasons, her van drifted over into oncoming traffic lanes.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

An 11-year-old boy missing for more than 5 hours overnight was found before 9 a.m. this morning, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department officials reported.

Octavio Orozco went missing from his apartment on Little Oak Lane near American River College at about 3 a.m.

Because he is under 12, officials considered him at risk and established a command center near the college.

By Cathy Locke and Bill Lindelof
clocke@sacbee.com

Fire investigators have completed their on-site work but have not determined the causes of fires that occurred Thursday in two buildings on the California State University, Sacramento, campus.

Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said Friday evening that investigators will study the information gathered from the scene.

Fire officials cleared the fourth floor of Mariposa Hall, where a fire damaged a studio classroom, and turned it over to cleaning crews, which are expected to work through the weekend in hopes the floor can reopen by Monday, said Kim Nava, CSUS spokeswoman. The fourth floor houses interior design and graphics classes.

A 78-year-old West Sacramento woman has been sentenced to a year in county jail for vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

Yolo County Superior Court Judge Timothy Fall also sentenced Donna Marie McClure to five years felony probation and ordered her to pay more than $26,000 in restitution to the victim's family, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

A Yolo County jury on Aug. 12 found McClure guilty in the death of Jewell Mattos, who was struck by McClure's vehicle in the parking lot of a West Sacramento Raley's store Oct. 1, 2009.

The Sutter County Sheriff's Office seeks the public's help in identifying a large amount of metal believed to have been stolen from various farms in surrounding counties.

On Thursday, deputies responded to a call of a burglary in progress in the 3100 block of Tierra Buena Road. They arrived to find a 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl getting into a maroon Ford F150 extended cab pickup, which was parked on the shoulder of the roadway.

The homeowner told deputies that the two were inside her camp trailer, removing property, when she arrived at her residence. When the homeowner called 911, the two suspects ran from the trailer toward their pickup. As the girl ran, she threw her purse into nearby bushes. The purse was found to contain drug paraphernalia, marijuana and prescription medication, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

Jaime Enrique Torres was sentenced today to 50 years to life in prison for his first-degree murder conviction in the Memorial Day 2008 shooting death of an innocent man in the front yard of his North Sacramento home.

Judge Kevin J. McCormick imposed the term on Torres, 24, for the death of Jose Isabel Guerrero, 47, on Lindley Drive.

The judge granted a delay in the sentencing of Jose DeJesus Gonzalez, also 24. Jurors also convicted Gonzalez of first-degree murder in the case and named him as the gunman in the fatal shooting.

Jennifer Dalton was sentenced today to 40 years to life in prison for her second-degree murder conviction in the July 13, 2009, shooting death of her husband, Craig Dalton.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Helena R. Gweon handed down the term after rejecting the 42-year-old defendant's claim that she shot her husband in self defense.

The judge said Dalton showed "zero degree of remorse" for the killing that took place in the garage of her Elk Grove home. Gweon called Dalton "a serious danger to society."

Dalton told the court that her husband, who had separated from her, was breaking into her garage and had threatened to kill her when she shot him.

"The law says I can stand my ground," she said.

Another man has been arrested in the shocking 2007 killing of a baby and father in south Sacramento County.

Richard Noguera (photo right), 33, was arrested by Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies in connection with the Sept. 14, 2007 shooting deaths of 21-year-old Sean Aquitania and his 7-month old son, Sean Aquitania, Jr.

Noguera was arrested on a charge of suspicion of homicide at 11:30 a.m. today at a business in south Sacramento.

The brothers Gary and Chong Vue each were sentenced today to life terms without parole for the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting death of state correctional officer Steve Lo in the garage of his south Sacramento home.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White gave Gary Vue another 20 years for his personal use of a firearm in the killing of the 39-year-old victim.

Sacramento police today said they have identified another suspect in the attack on a woman in south Sacramento that was captured on video and posted by suspects on a website.

Police earlier arrested 21-year-old Rasaan Zawadi in connection with the unprovoked attack.

CalFire investigators returned to Sacramento State today to pin down the cause of three fires that erupted on campus Thursday afternoon.

"We are back out there today to investigate how and where those fires were started," said CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant.

The California Highway Patrol said today that the two PG&E workers who drowned when their utility truck plummeted into a Plumas County lake are from Chico.

Ryan Patrick Miles, 29, and Aaron Joseph Weiss, 31, drowned in Rock Creek Reservoir, between Paradise and Lake Almanor, about 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Miles was the driver of the blue Ford-550 truck that sank in 25 feet of water.

Sacramento police said a man was struck and killed by a vehicle last night on Arden Way.

The man was hit while crossing the street shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday in the 800 block of Arden Way in North Sacramento by a van traveling eastbound. The name of the man was not released, pending identification of relatives.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Department has released the name of a man found shot in his pickup earlier this week in the Parkway neighborhood of South Sacramento.

Coroner's deputies identified the man as Kevin Kent Burks, 51, of Sacramento.

A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to 16 years to life in prison for the stabbing death of a homeless woman in downtown Sacramento last year.

Casey Daniel Brown was sentenced Wednesday by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Brown for the second-degree murder of 68-year-old Bernice Nickson. He pleaded no contest to the charge in August.

About 4 a.m. April 10, 2010, Nickson was sleeping on a bus bench near Eighth Street and Capitol Mall, when Brown walked up to her and engaged in her conversation. After short talk, Brown walked away, but soon returned and stabbed Nickson, according to Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies have arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with the shooting death of a man outside a south Sacramento nightclub in April.

Detectives from the sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau arrested Allen Benzler (pictured) at a residence in Modesto, and he was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of murder, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. He is being held without bail.

About 1:20 a.m. April 17, deputies responded to reports of shots fired outside the Warners Rendezvous Lounge in the 7100 block of Governors Circle. They found Jesse Fowler, 29, with a gunshot wound to his head.

A former Dixon businessman sentenced to prison last year for bank robbery has been charged with mortgage fraud.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento today returned a two-count indictment charging Hubert Rotteveel, 49, with mail fraud for a mortgage fraud scheme, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

According to the indictment, Rotteveel acted as a real estate salesman for 13 properties in Dixon that were purchased by two people. Rotteveel allegedly inflated the values of the properties and worked with loan officers to provide false information to lenders about the income and liabilities of the purchasers to induce the lenders to fund loans for the properties.

A Rancho Cordova man has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for child pornography.

Benjamin Cameron Halpain, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to five years and 10 months in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for receiving and sharing child pornography. Halpain pleaded guilty to the charge on July 28, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

According to court documents, between September 2009 and March 2010, detectives with the Sacramento Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force identified a computer at Halpain's residence offering files of child pornography for download through a file-sharing network. When law enforcement agents searched Halpain's home on April 26, 2010, they found computers in his bedroom containing about 900 files of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including 234 video files, according to the release.

The case resulted from an investigation by the federally and state-funded task force, which is managed by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department with members from federal, state and local agencies. The task force investigates online child exploitation crimes, including child pornography, enticement and sex trafficking.

By Ed Fletcher

efletcher@sacbee.com

Sacramento State officials are now reporting that fires at Mariposa and Mendocino halls have been extinguished.

There have been no reports of injures. The cause of the simultaneous fire is not known. Classes scheduled in the two buildings have been canceled, campus officials state. It's not yet clear whether Friday's classes will occur.

The first reports the fires were posted on Twitter at 3 p.m.

Sacramento police today arrested 21-year-old Rasaan Zawadi (left photo) in connection with the unprovoked attack on a woman in south Sacramento that was captured on video and believed to have been posted on the Internet by the suspects.

The Police Department on Wednesday was made aware of the video of an assault on a woman that had gone viral on the Internet. Calls were received from throughout the country inquiring about the investigation, according to a Police Department news release.

Detectives assigned to the case learned that patrol officers had responded to an assault call about 12:11 p.m. Oct. 1 at Center Parkway and Mack Road. When officers arrived, the suspects had left the scene, and the victim, a 42-year-old woman, did not want to pursue prosecution of her attackers at the time, police said.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Juan Rangel Gonzalez of first-degree murder in the Nov. 21, 2009, shooting death of Francisco Medina-Tomas.

Prosecutors say Gonzalez, now 22, shot and killed the 16-year-old victim for the benefit of the defendant's street gang. The shooting took place in a south-area apartment complex on 49th Avenue.

Judge Kevin J. McCormick scheduled Gonzalez' sentencing for Nov. 19.

A base jumper, who took a moonlight leap off the Foresthill Bridge on Wednesday night, landed in jail after a Placer County Sheriff's helicopter crew had to pluck him from a pine tree.

Scott Liske, supervising ranger for Auburn State Recreation Area, said Nicholas Frey, 34, of Olympic Valley, jumped from the bridge 730 feet above the American River canyon. Frey intended to land near the east side of the north fork of the American River, but his parachute became caught in a gray pine.

Liske said Frey hung there for about an hour -- possibly while companions tried to figure out how to get him down - before calling 911 shortly after midnight.

By Carlos Alcalá and Bill Lindelof
calcala@sacbee.com

Searchers in Nevada County wrapped up the hunt for 3-year-old Davyn Wilkison about mid-morning Thursday when a neighbor heard the boy crying on a hill about 70 feet above the little town of Washington.

Barry Seiler found Davyn around 10 a.m., about 20 hours after he was last seen at his home in the community of fewer than 200, according to Nevada County Sheriff Detective Jesse King.

A key committee recommended today that Sacramento County spend $6 million of its "realignment" money from the state to open a 275-bed wing in the jail system to accommodate inmates who otherwise would be in the California prison system.

The 4-3 vote in favor of of the jail bed plan came after an at-times heated exchange between Sheriff Scott Jones, who wanted the beds, and Chief Probation Officer Don Meyer, who thought more money should be allocated for inmate rehabilitation programs.

"What if you're wrong?" Jones shouted at Meyer at one point in today's debate at the meeting of the Community Corrections Partnership Committee.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court judge this morning refused to reduce the $2 million bail an alleged child torturer is being held on in the county jail.

Instead, Judge Lawrence G. Brown said pictures he had seen of the injuries inflicted on the 12-year-old girl are "photos I won't soon forget," and he hiked the bail for Duewa Lee to $3 million.

"This case involves allegations of incomprehensible cruelty to an innocent little girl," Brown said as the alleged victim's family sat weeping and sobbing loudly in the courtroom.

A car was slammed into by a passenger train last night east of Davis after the suspected drunk driver left the disabled vehicle on the tracks, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Alexius Russell, 29, of Sacramento was driving her Honda Civic westbound on Country Road 32a west of County Road 105a about 7:50 p.m. when she drove her car off the road and onto the tracks because she had been drinking, according to a CHP press release.

She got out of her car and called for help, but while waiting for assistance, a westbound AMTRAK train hit the Honda. The car caught fire.

About 20 passengers were aboard the train, but no injuries were reported. Russell was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, the CHP.

By Whitney Mountain
wmountain@sacbee.com

The Roseville Police Department arrested four males, two adults and two juveniles, Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of burglarizing at least two residences Wednesday.

Officers are also investigating to see if they are connected with a string of other residential burglaries in west Roseville.

Police responded to an emergency call at 2 p.m. Wednesday by a man who had interrupted a burglary-in-progress in his home near Junction Boulevard and Woodcreek Oaks Boulevard.

The Placer County Sheriff's Office has announced that it will use a $40,000 grant from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to fight underage drinking and alcohol sales to minors.

The problem was apparent during a recent Sheriff's Office decoy operation in the Lake Tahoe area, where 40 percent of the businesses visited sold alcohol to the decoys, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

The grant will assist in promoting awareness and providing training in alcohol-related crimes and their effect on schools, parents and students countywide. Anyone who sells or furnishes alcohol to a minor faces a fine of $250 and up to 24 hours of community service. If a business sells alcohol to a minor, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control can take administrative action on the business' alcoholic beverage license, impose a fine, or both.

By Bob Shallit
bshallit@sacbee.com

They've quacked, er, cracked the case of the missing duck suit.

Local carwash exec Travis Kimball reported last weekend that a duck costume worn daily by a company employee was stolen out of a minivan parked in downtown Sacramento.

Kimball offered a $1,000 reward for the return of "Quackals." No questions asked.

The Sacramento Police Department needs help identifying a man who is suspected of robbing several elderly women over the last few weeks.

During midday hours between Sept. 26 and Oct. 11, the suspect has forcibly taken the purses of five women between the ages of 68 and 85 years old. Police say that the suspect has knocked victims down, causing them to sustain injuries during the robberies.

The man is described as a Hispanic male in his early 20s between 5'6" and 5'9" and between 145 and 160 pounds. He has been fleeing the scenes on foot or in one of two pick up trucks: one red and one dark-colored with large rims and low-profile tires.

Anyone with information regarding these robberies is asked to contact the Sacramento Police Department on the Crime Alert line at 916-443-4357, or via text at 274637 beginning with SACTIP. People with information may remain anonymous.

PHOTO CREDIT: Video still shot of the robbery suspect. Sacramento Police Department.

The Davis Police Department is warning residents to be alert to thieves who have been stealing tires and wheels from vehicles in the city.

Lt. Paul Doroshov said 20 such incidents have been reported since late January, including five this month.

The latest theft was reported Monday. Police said the owner of an Infiniti sedan had parked the vehicle in the lot of his apartment complex at 955 Cranbrook Court. When he returned to the car at 9:50 a.m., he discovered all four wheels missing and the vehicle on blocks.

The Sacramento Police Department seeks the community's help locating a suspect in the fatal shooting March 8 of Mark Colquitt.

Police responded about 5:45 a.m. that day to reports of gunshots near 21st Avenue and Franklin Boulevard. They found Colquitt, 48, who had been shot. He was transported to an area hospital where he died of his injuries.

Detectives have identified Augustine Aranda, 28, as the suspect in the shooting, according to a Police Department news release. He is described as Hispanic, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighing 220 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

A rash of burglaries hit the west side of Roseville on Tuesday, prompting police to ask for help in catching the thieves.

Between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. four homes were hit in Roseville -- three in Sun City and one in the Longmeadow Village area north of Blue Oaks Boulevard, according to a press release from the Roseville police department.

A video posted on the internet showing the taunting and then punching of a woman outside a South Sacramento coffee shop has drawn the attention of police.

The short video was first posted on the Worldstar Hip Hop website and later The Smoking Gun. Police said it was recorded at a strip mall at Mack Road and Center Parkway.

It shows a woman walking back and forth in front of the shop while a young man stands nearby. Behind the camera another person laughs.

Minor injuries were reported to students on a school bus that was tipped on its side after a collision this morning with a farming tractor outside Dixon.

The crash occurred about 7:30 a.m. to the east of Dixon at Hackman Road and Runge Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver of the bus reportedly suffered moderate injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol. Only a handful of students were aboard.

Sacramento police are investigating the death of a man found shot in his pickup last night in the Parkway neighborhood of South Sacramento.

Officers responded to a call of shots fired on Decathlon Circle near Franklin Boulevard and Mack Road at about 11:15 p.m. Tuesday. When they arrived, police found a 51-year-old man dead inside his vehicle.

The man was shot at least once in his upper body. Few details were released as police conduct an ongoing investigation this morning.

The Sacramento Police Department reported this morning that a missing 85-year-old man has returned home.

George Vernathi left his home in the 1900 block of 65th Avenue about 1:50 p.m. Tuesday to go pick his dog up in Lodi.

By Jane Braxton Little
Bee correspondent

Neither suspect entered a plea Tuesday in the January killing of Susanville police officer Robert McElrath, 37.

Robin Glen James, 46, and Joanna McElrath, 36, the victim's estranged wife, both appeared in Lassen County Superior Court but requested their cases be continued.

Laureen Bethards, who is representing McElrath, said she had received an extensive amount of material from Lassen County District Attorney Robert M. Burns and needed time to review it.

With no objection from Burns, Judge John T. Ball continued the hearing until Dec. 19.

Burns has charged that James and McElrath, his girlfriend at the time, used a prescription narcotic to drug Robert McElrath before using his own car to drive him to a railroad trestle over the Susan River seven miles west of Susanville, where they shot him with his service weapon and returned later to dump his body off the bridge.

They face felony charges of premeditated murder, conspiracy to commit murder and special allegations that the murder involved lying in wait and the use of a firearm.

Burns has also charged McElrath with committing murder for financial gain.

Both defendants have been in custody without bail since their Jan. 6 arrests.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the man shot Thursday night outside a Gold River business as Michael Paul Gonzales, 26, of Sacramento.

Anthony Michael Vigil, 46, was arrested on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon following the shooting, which occurred shortly after 10 p.m.

According to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, the California Highway Patrol dispatch center received an emergency call from a man on a cell phone who told the dispatcher there were trespassers at his business in the 11300 block of Amalgam Way, an industrial area along Highway 50 near Sunrise Boulevard.

One lane will remain closed until 3 p.m. after a fiery crash involving two big rigs on Interstate 80 about halfway between Auburn and Truckee.

Traffic now is getting by the scene of the crash that involved burning hay bales. Most of the mess has been cleaned up, but Caltrans will need to keep the right lane closed until until mid-afternoon to fix a guardrail.

The crash was reported about 5 a.m. to the California Highway Patrol. The caller said a big rig had jacknifed between Crystal Springs Road and Alta on I-80.

A driver safety class for new teenage drivers and their parents or guardians will be offered Oct. 20 by the California Highway Patrol in Sacramento.

The Start Smart program targets new and prospective drivers age 15 to 19 years old. The class, scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at CHP headquarters, 601 N. Seventh St., Sacramento, will cover collision avoidance techniques, driver responsibility, collision trends, distracted driving laws and alcohol-related driving laws. Participants also will have an opportunity to ask questions of CHP officers.

The Oct. 20 class is offered during National Teen Driver Safety Week. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that mile for mile, teenagers are involved in three times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers, according to a CHP news release. In 2009, there were 5,623 fatalities in motor vehicle crashes involving drivers 15 to 20 years old, including 988 drunken driving fatalities. Also in 2009, 619, or 16 percent of drivers under the age of 20 who were involved in a fatal crash were reported to have been distracted while driving, including 138 drivers with cell phones.

The California National Guard this morning launched a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Mather Army Aviation Support Facility to assist the Trinity County Sheriff's Department in the search for a 66-year-old hunter who has been missing near the Eel River since Saturday.

The helicopter is equipped with a hoist designed to lift people from the ground to the aircraft in hard-to-reach areas and is regularly used in the state's more mountainous and heavily wooded regions, according to a National Guard news release.

The hunter, Joe Quen Sr., was reported missing about 8:30 p.m. Saturday by family members who called the Trinity County Sheriff's Office, according to a story posted this morning on the Redding Record Searchlight's website. Quen was hunting in the Hopkins Camp area of southern Trinity County, southeast of Ruth Lake in the Yolla Bolly Wildnerness, according to the account. He had parked his truck in the Hopkins Camp.

The search began Sunday and continues today with teams from the Trinity County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol and National Guard.

It's costume season, and someone in Sacramento treated themselves to an early trick: stealing the "Quackals" mascot costume for the Quick Quack Car Wash franchise.

The "duck suit" was taken from the mascot performer's white minivan, which was broken into at around 6 p.m. Saturday near Front and O streets, according to city police.

The car wash company, which has six locations in the area, is offering anyone with information leading to the return of the costume a $1,000 reward.

"This is a sad day for us. It's hard to believe that someone would steal our beloved duck. We are assuming that it was just a prank by someone desperate for a Halloween costume," said Quick Quack President Jason Johnson. "We have no desire to press charges if we can just get him back."

Quick Quack is asking anyone with information regarding "Quackals" to contact the company at 916-971-3274, info@dontdrivedirty.com, or any Quick Quack location.

--Whitney Mountain

A suspect has been arrested in connection with the Sept. 14, 2007 shooting deaths of 21 year-old Sean Aquitania and his 7-month old son, Sean Aquitania, Jr.

Det. Brian Meux, of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, said Donald Ortez-Lucero, 27, was booked into Alameda County Jail on two counts of murder in the Aquitania homicides in South Sacramento.

Ortez-Lucero, who was arrested without incident around 9 a.m. today in Oakland, is not one of two men suspected of shooting Aquitania or the baby, but is alleged to have been a participant in the home-invasion robbery and was waiting outside when the Aquitania was killed.
Meux said he was unsure when the suspect will be transferred to Sacramento County Jail, but he is expected to be arraigned later this week or early next week.

Until now, no suspects have been arrested in the September 2007 killing of 21-year-old Sean Aquitania and his infant son, Sean Jr. Sacramento County sheriff's deputies have long speculated that Aquitania and his son interrupted a robbery gone bad. Authorities had not been able to identify any suspects until today.

News of the arrest was made public at a press conference this afternoon.

An 18-year-old Sacramento man is due to appear in court Wednesday, accused of child endangerment after leaving his 5-month-old daughter alone in an unlocked car Friday.

Sacramento Police Department spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit said the car was parked in front of a business in the 6000 block of Mack Road about 10 a.m. when a woman parked next to the vehicle a noticed an infant inside, crying.

Police officers and firefighters responded to the woman's 911 call. Pettit said they found the passenger door of the vehicle was unlocked and were able to remove the baby from the car.

Remember the guy who bit the snake? The Rancho Cordova woman who left her dog in the hot car?

What happens to flash-in-the-pan criminal cases once they fade from the headlines?

The Bee's Sacramento Connect blogging partner, RanSACkedmedia.com asks that question and provides the answers in a compelling post that brings you up to date.

Fire investigators today are looking into origin and cause of a blaze at a Granite Bay home where a man was found dead.

Crews from the South Placer Fire District responded to the fire in the 8100 block of Barton Road around 9 p.m. Sunday, said Fire Chief Tony Corado.

When the first fire units responded, flames were shooting through the roof of the older ranch-style home on a large parcel. Neighbors told firefighters it was not a vacant home, so firefighters advanced into the structure with fire hoses and found the man inside.

No Occupy Sacramento protestors were arrested late last night when the order was given to vacate Chavez Plaza, according to Sacramento police.

About 40 people were in the park across from City Hall at Ninth and I streets at 11 p.m. Sunday. When the dispersal order was given by police all protestors left and marched around the park until 12:30 a.m.

The night before, 14 protesters were arrested for failure to disperse.

A South Lake Tahoe police dog successfully tracked a suicidal man to a forested field, finding him on the ground with slit wrists.

The rescue occurred Friday when police responded to the area of Markoffer Way and Pioneer Trail on a report of a man 34-year-old man who had been depressed and drinking heavily. His family also said that he had cut his wrists.

Officer Mark Hounsell, the handler of police dog Argo, responded to the scene to track the man. Argo led officers to a field with tall pines near the intersection of Keller Road and Markoffer Way, not far from the original call.

There on the ground, along a line of trees, the dog found the man. Paramedics were summoned, treated the man for his self-inflicted injuries and took him to the hospital.

A fire that broke out Sunday afternoon at a Folsom home damaged the garage but caused no injuries, officials said.

The Folsom and Sacramento Metropolitan fire departments responded around 3 p.m. to flame reported at a two-story home in the 900 block of Palmer Circle, according to a Folsom Fire Department news release. Crews limited the fire to the garage and contained the blaze within 12 minutes, officials said.

Damage was estimated at $60,000, the statement said. The cause was under investigation Sunday.

By Whitney Mountain
wmountain@sacbee.com

Davis is celebrating Neighbors Night Out from noon to 9 p.m. today as part of its fifth annual event that brings residents of the college town together.

The event is part of a national program that invites communities around the country to come together with activities like block parties, potlucks, brunches, ice cream socials, and more.

While most communities hold their events during the summer, Davis waits until fall for its robust student population to return before the Associated Students of UC Davis and the City of Davis throw their annual event.

When Davis held its first event in 2006, 60 parties registered with the city for Neighbors Night Out. For the last two years, there have been more than 100 parties registered, and 100 have already been registered for this year's event.

For more information, visit cityofdavis.org/neighbors.

South Lake Tahoe police today are searching for two masked men who walked into a USA gas station-store at the 2400 block of Lake Tahoe Boulevard at gunpoint Saturday night and left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Sgt. Shannon Laney, police spokesperson, reported that the robbers pulled a large revolver on the clerk, demanded the money and left without further incident.

Three patrons were inside store during the robbery, but no one was injured, police said. A police K-9 was used in the search. Police released photos of the suspects today.

Fourteen protesters were arrested early today for failure to disperse after Sacramento Police gave the order at midnight to leave Cesar Chavez Plaza, a police spokeswoman said.

Spokeswoman Officer Laura Peck said about 30 people joining the protest against Wall Street and corporate America remained in the park at midnight Saturday when the dispersal order was given. About half the crowd left.

The rest were taken into custody for failure to disperse, Peck said.

By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com

A Woodland woman escaped her burning home without injury Saturday afternoon, fire officials said.

Firefighters arrived to find flames shooting from a rear bedroom in a home on Grand Avenue. One person was home at the time of the fire, but managed to get out safely.

Three fire engines and one ladder truck were used to battle the blaze, which caused about $100,000 in damage, officials said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com

The "Occupy Sacramento" movement took on a festival-like atmosphere Saturday evening at Cesar Chavez Park, with more than 300 people milling, lounging, singing and waving signs critical of Wall Street and corporate America.

Some local participants in the national resistance movement said they planned to "march on Second Saturday," the city's monthly art walk, later in the evening to draw more attention to their message.

Much of their frustration seems centered on banks and other large corporations, which they contend hold too much power and are dismissive of people who are suffering in the midst of a recession.

Sacramento police are gearing up for an active Saturday night at Cesar Chavez Plaza, the home of the Occupy Sacramento resistance movement, following a relatively peaceful Friday.

"There was only one arrest last night and I understand it was someone who didn't associate with the group," said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, Sacramento Police spokesman. "My understanding is that it was 'rest night.'"

Police are expecting a scene more similar to Thursday night, in which 20 demonstrators were arrested at Cesar Chavez Plaza for "failure to disperse," a misdemeanor. More than 500 protested in downtown's streets against corporate greed and Wall Street power on Thursday.

The driver involved in an alleged street racing crash in El Dorado County in which his three passengers were killed has pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter.

Mark Steven Barrerra, 22, of Rocklin today pleaded no contest in Placerville to three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, said Joe Alexander, El Dorado County deputy district attorney.

Barrera was accused of participating in a form of street racing in November 2009, when he lost control of his friend's car and crashed into a tree on Salmon Falls Road.

Two inmates of California State Prison, Sacramento, have been sentenced in a case involving a 2009 attack on a fellow inmate.

Travis Eugene Britt, 39, and Devin Merritt, 29, were convicted by a Sacramento jury in June.

The men attacked another inmate on the yard, punching him in the head and upper torso, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's office news release. The victim was transported to UC Davis Medical Center with serious injuries, including multiple facial fractures, a broken nose, and a cut on his left eyebrow.

On Sept. 23, Britt was sentenced to 28 years to life in prison by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Delbert W. Oros. Merritt was sentenced today by Judge Oros to 30 years to life in prison.

One killer was sentenced to two life terms without parole and two of his cohorts received 30-year terms for a double-fatal gang shooting three years ago on 73rd Street.

James Lamar Riggins Jr., 22, was convicted of murder in the Jan. 11, 2008, slayings of Isidro Rivas, 18, and Rigoberto Aguirre, 22. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Lloyd G. Connelly gave Riggins an additional 135 years to life for gun and gang allegations and a separate attempted murder conviction.

Connelly sentenced co-defendants Orlando Gabino Camacho, 21, and Christopher Hernandez, 20, both of whom had been convicted of voluntary manslaughter, to 30 years and eight months each.

A former John F. Kennedy High School student has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in a 1999 attack that resulted in a fellow student's death 11 years later.

Demarcus Lavell Mason, 27, pleaded guilty today in the death of Christopher Thompson. Mason has already served time in prison for the attempted robbery of Thomas, who was injured on Jan. 22, 1999.

During the robbery attempt, Mason assaulted the then 16-year-old Thompson, causing him to fall, hitting his head on a locker, then on a concrete floor.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

A Sacramento Superior Court judge increased bail for a child-torture suspect to $2 million today after the 36-year-old woman was charged with 12 counts of abusing a 12-year-old girl over the past several months.

Duewa Abeana Lee, the fiance; of the girl's father, is charged with using a frying pan, a stapler, a hot clothing iron and other instruments to severely abuse the girl, as well as kicking her and smashing her head against a window.

Lee was arrested Wednesday and ordered held on $1 million bail, but Judge Lawrence Brown approved the prosecutor's request for a bail increase.

A hearing is set Thursday to determine the permanent bail amount.

Photo by Randy Pench

By Peter Hecht
phecht@sacbee.com

California's four U.S. attorneys, declaring that marijuana dispensaries in the state are illicit, profiteering operations violating federal law, today announced multiple criminal complaints and forfeiture actions against medical pot stores, property owners and major cultivators.

"We want to put to rest the notion that large marijuana businesses can shelter themselves under state law," said Melinda Haag, the top federal prosecutor in San Francisco who joined U.S attorneys from Sacramento, San Diego and Los Angeles in a Sacramento press conference.

Haag said the voter-approved Compassionate Use Act, which legalized medical marijuana use in California in 1996, "has been hijacked by profiteers...using the cover to make enormous amounts of money" as California cities burgeon with marijuana storefronts purporting to serve suffering people.

An inmate was stabbed to death this morning at California State Prison-Sacramento.

The inmate was attacked at the Folsom area prison during regularly scheduled recreation time. The prisoner, who was incarcerated in the Secure Housing Unit, was assaulted about 7:45 a.m. today.

Medical personnel pronounced him dead 15 minutes later from multiple stab wounds.

The name of the dead man is not being released pending notification of relatives.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Accused molest suspect Robert B. Adams made a brief appearance in court this morning on charges that he abused students at the Citrus Heights school he once ran.

The matter was rescheduled for Nov. 4.

A business operator has been arrested after killing a man he told dispatchers was trespassing last night on his Gold River property.

Anthony Michael Vigil (photo right), 46, was arrested on suspicion of homicide and assault with a deadly weapon. The identification of the dead man was not available pending notification of relatives.

By Cynthia Hubert and Bill Lindelof
chubert@sacbee.com

Occupy Sacramento protesters walked a few blocks to Sacramento County Jail to greet fellow demonstrators who were arrested last night at Cesar Chavez Plaza.

Last night, the Occupy Sacramento group, composed of the unemployed, students, and workers, were told to move from the park late last night by Sacramento police.

Most complied, but police took 19 Occupy protesters who would not vacate the downtown park to jail.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department detectives are investigating a suspected homicide at The Terrace Garden Apartments near Fair Oaks Boulevard and Howe Avenue.

Department spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said the apparent victim is a man in his 50s who suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the upper body.

No weapon was discovered near the body, and investigators do not believe the wound was self-inflicted, he said.

A 10-year-old boy suffered major injuries this afternoon when he was run over by a FedEx delivery truck as he was leaving a south Sacramento elementary school.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Michael Bradley said that about 1:30 p.m., a FedEx truck was northbound on Caymus Drive in front of Beitzel Elementary School. Classes had just been dismissed, and Bradley said it appeared a car may have been blocking a portion of the crosswalk.

As the FedEx truck turned left onto westbound Chantal Way, he said, the boy ran onto the crosswalk. He ran into the truck and was knocked to the ground, then was run over by the truck's rear tires.

By Brad Branan
bbranan@sacbee.com

A Sacramento County committee couldn't reach an agreement today on a $6 million proposal to reopen part of a county jail to handle new criminal offenders from the state.

The committee deadlocked on a 3-3 vote because Sacramento Police Chief Rick Braziel was away on a family emergency. The committee plans to vote again Oct. 13.

A Sacramento woman has been arrested on suspicion of torturing a 12-year-old girl.

Duewa Abeana Lee (left), 35, was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of torture with intent to cause cruel or extreme pain and endangering the life or health of a child. Her bail was set at $1 million.

A Sacramento County Sheriff's department spokesman could not comment on how the girl received her injuries but did note that she had significant internal and external injury. A document describing the arrest said the girl had been abused with a heated clothing iron, a metal spatula heated on the stove and a stapler.

Matthew David Riley's wife admitted on the witness stand today that she lied several times to law enforcement officials who were investigating the stabbing deaths of his parents.

"I was protecting him," Jannilin Overton said of her 33-year-old husband, who is now on trial for murder in the killing of his parents, Steven Riley, 54, and his wife, Linda Riley, 53.

Assistant Public Defender David Lynch had Overton recount the lies in an attempt to undermine her credibility. She testified Wednesday he had left their Auburn apartment at 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 9, 2008, the day authorities believe Riley's parents were killed. She had originally told investigators he was home in bed with her all night.

A man alleged to be a validated gang member has pleaded guilty to selling crack cocaine.

Jeffrey Conner, 37, of Sacramento entered his plea Tuesday, a day before the scheduled start of his jury trial. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 13.

Court documents said that Conner is a validated member of the Oak Park Bloods street gang, according to a press release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District. The release notes that Conner has a prior conviction for assault with a firearm.

On Oct. 19, officers conducted a buy of seven ounces of crack cocaine from Conner in the Oak Park neighborhood, according to the release. Conner charged $3,200 and later admitted to law enforcement that he made a little less than $1,000 on the drug deal, according to prosecutors.

Sacramento State police said a report in which two men claimed to be officers in a conversation with a female student actually were members of law enforcement.

The student reported that at 1 p.m. Monday she was approached in the River Front Center near the Guy West Bridge by two men who claimed to be campus security officers. They told her they were conducting an investigation and asked her to accompany them to a nearby parking lot to assist in their investigation, according to a campus Police Department news release.

The student refused and contacted campus police.

Police said a missing 85-year-old man has been found today 50 miles away from the Elk Grove street where he had last been seen.

Kenneth Davis, who suffers from dementia and uses an oxygen tank to assist in breathing, had last been seen at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday on Park Meadows Drive in Elk Grove. He was driving a silver 2006 Chevy Trailblazer.

Davis was planning to visit his adult daughter, who lives in the west area of Elk Grove, but he never arrived.

Early this morning he was found by the California Highway Patrol in Salida, Stanislaus County, on Highway 99. He is doing fine and will be re-united with family, the Elk Grove police reported.

Two Sacramento County residents were arrested in Woodland, suspected of stealing vehicle batteries.

At 9:40 p.m. Tuesday, Woodland police officers were called to the Target Warehouse, 2050 E. Beamer St., regarding a report that two people had been seen in a restricted area taking batteries out of construction vehicles.

Officers arriving at the scene established a perimeter and immediately detained a woman identified as Ana Tomak, 18, of Rancho Cordova, according to a Police Department news release. A second suspect ran off into an adjacent thistle field.

A man killed in a fight in a Folsom commercial district Saturday night has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Minor Anibal Leon, 19, of Folsom.

A 22-year-old drifter, Joshua Allen Atkins, was arrested just before midnight Saturday after he attracted police attention when he ran across East Bidwell Street in front of a marked patrol car, according to a department spokesman.

When the officer caught up with Atkins a few blocks away, the suspect took the officer to a nearby spot where he had hidden a knife, according to spokesman Officer Jason Browning.

A mother and son have been arrested in connection with the gunshot death of a man suspected of trying to steal marijuana from their back yard.

Sacramento police said they have arrested Vanna Nomesiri, 51, on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. Her son, Chinda Nomesiri, 31, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

Both were arrested today at police headquarters on Freeport Boulevard in the death of 29-year-old Vue Cheng.

The Elk Grove Police Department seeks the public's help identifying two suspects involved in an armed bank robbery Wednesday morning.

A security guard fired at robbers as they fled the Chase Bank in the 8700 block of Elk Grove Boulevard. It is not known whether he hit either of the men or their car as they sped away about 9:30 a.m. According to witnesses, both men were armed with handguns, police said.

Upon entering the bank, one robber ordered customers to get on the floor, while the other vaulted the teller counter. A security guard inside the bank confronted the robber who had ordered patrons to the floor and a physical struggle occurred, said Officer Christopher Trim, police spokesman.

The suspect was able to disarm the security guard. But as the suspects left the bank, the one who had disarmed the security guard ejected the magazine from the guard's firearm and threw both parts of the gun across the room, according to a Police Department news release. The suspects then left the bank and ran into the parking lot.

The security guard was able to recover and load his weapon, and fire four rounds at the suspect's vehicle as it was driven away. The vehicle was described as a white Honda or Toyota sedan. It was driven behind a nearby restaurant and last seen traveling west on Elk Grove Boulevard.

One suspect was described as black, 30 to 40 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall with a large build. He was wearing a black baseball hat, dark sunglasses, black jacket with a white shirt underneath, blue jeans, white athletic shoes and gloves. The other man was described as black, 20 to 30 years old, 6 feet tall, with a thin build. He was wearing a black knit cap, dark sunglasses, a black hooded sweatshirt, dark pants with black athletic shoes and blue gloves.

After canvassing the area, investigators recovered several pieces of clothing believed to have been worn by the suspects behind a nearby business. Officers also recovered a handgun that had been discarded along Highway 99 just north of the Elk Grove Boulevard onramp. Police said a records check revealed the automatic firearm had been reported stolen.

Anyone with information regarding the robbery is asked to call the Elk Grove Police Department Detective Bureau at (916) 478-8060 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers to Crime Alert can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Tips can also be sent via SMS text message by entering 274637 on a cell phone, followed by Tip732 and the message.

Bee staff writer Cathy Locke contributed to this report.

A man sought in connection with an attempted murder in Oakland was arrested today in Sacramento.

U.S. Marshal Albert Najera announced that the U.S. Marshal's Service arrested 38-year-old Embrey Steven at his mother's residence in the 7600 block of 25th Street.

On July 22, Steven allegedly shot and severely wounded a 29-year-old man during a robbery in the 2300 block of San Pablo Street in Oakland. Steven then allegedly attempted to rob another individual a short distance away but ended up in a gunfight with that person and fled, according to a U.S. Marshal's Service news release.

Sacramento firefighters responded late this afternoon to a report of smoke in a men's restroom on the 11th floor a building at 1325 J St., but they found no fire.

Assistant Chief Niko King said a power outage had occurred in the building about a half hour before firefighters were called. Although no fire was found, King said there was an odor of burning electrical wiring that appeared to be related to the elevators.

He said the power outage may have caused an electrical breaker to burn, producing a small amount of smoke and producing the odor.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A Yolo Superior Court jury convicted Marco Antonio Topete of all counts against him for the murder of Yolo Sheriff's Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz in June 2008.

Their verdicts included findings that he committed special allegations that could make him eligible for the death penalty.

Yolo County Superior Court officials announced at 1:30 p.m. that the jury had reached verdicts in the capital murder case against Topete. The verdicts were handed down at 3:45 p.m.

The jury got the case just after 3 p.m. Monday and deliberated for 90 minutes before adjourning. They had resumed deliberations this morning.

A Sacramento police "hot spot" study has revealed that highly visible focusing on an area by officers reduces crime.

The 90-day study was conducted in East Sacramento and downtown beginning Feb. 8. Police identified 42 hot spots where high amounts of calls for service -- often involving violent crime -- were reported.

Roseville police have released a man initially suspected of trying to lure a child into his vehicle Thursday afternoon.

At 5:04 p.m., officers responded Thursday to Catherine Gates Elementary School on Trehowell Drive regarding a report that a man had tried to lure a child into his white van.

Folsom Police say the stabbing death of young man over the weekend may have been the result of a drug deal gone bad.

The death of the 19-year-old Folsom man was solved only minutes after his body was found Saturday night, although the investigation into his killing continued into the next day.

The names of five men arrested last week in connection with the shooting death of 45-year-old He Ting Fu in Amador County have been released by the Amador County Sheriff's Department.

All were arraigned Friday in Amador Superior Court, and Judge David Richmond ordered them held in Amador County Jail without bail, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

The men were identified as Andrew Minh Manisap , 18 (photo, top row, left), Michael Saechao, 20 (top center), David Van Tai, 22 (top right), and Vu Xuan Tran, 23(bottom left), all of Sacramaento, and Son Thai Nguyen, 19 (bottom right), of Elk Grove.

An evacuation of two Citrus Heights schools has been lifted following a bomb threat earlier today.

On Friday, the same schools, Mesa Verde High and neighboring Carriage Drive Elementary, were evacuated following a report that a student had been seen on the Mesa Verde campus with a handgun, a report that authorities have determined was a hoax.

Students at Mesa Verde High and Carriage Drive Elementary School were evacuated from their classrooms at noon today after Mesa Verde officials received a phone call stating that there was an explosive device on campus.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation seeks help identifying a young man (pictured) wearing a fedora, who is wanted in connection with a North Highlands bank robbery.

About 3:18 p.m. Sept. 8, the Bank of America at 7465 Watt Ave. was robbed by a man who made his demands by presenting a note. No weapon was seen, and he left on foot shortly after making the demand, according to an FBI news release.

He was described as white, in his early 20s, about 5 feet, 6 inches tall with dark hair, a thin dark goatee and a slender build. At the time of the robbery, the man was wearing a dark blue T-shirt with a logo that included word "HONOR" with a reversed "n," a black fedora and a black backpack.

The Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force, including FBI agents and Sacramento County Sheriff's Department detectives, is investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI in Sacramento at (916) 481-9110, the Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

The name and cause of death of the Davis strangling victim has been released by Yolo County Chief Deputy Coroner Robert LaBrash.

Kevin Seery, 42, of Davis, died of asphyxia by neck compression and gagging. The death has been determined a homicide.

Lt. Paul Doroshov, public information officer for the Davis Police Department, said police responded to the call on Saturday and found Seery dead on the floor of his bedroom on the 900 block of J Street.

Davis police said the suspect, James Elrod Mings, 36, of Davis, was an acquaintance of Seery.

The Sacramento Police Department seeks the public's help identifying a man wanted in connection with an attempted murder that occurred Aug. 23 on Franklin Boulevard.

Police today released a composite sketch (shown below) of the suspect and a photo of a car (below) similar to the one involved.

At 2:47 p.m. Aug. 23, officers were dispatched to a fire station in the 3700 block of 47th Avenue regarding a male who had been shot. The victim was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.

Sacramento-area firefighters will join firefighters nationwide in sporting pink T-shirts during October to promote breast cancer awareness.

October is nationally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month by major breast cancer organizations, an observance that is marking its 25th anniversary this year.

The local campaign is a joint effort of the Sacramento Area Fire Fighters, Local 522, along with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District and the Sacramento City Fire, Folsom Fire, Cosumnes CSDFire, West Sacramento Fire, and Sacramento County Airport Fire & Rescue departments.

The Sacramento County prosecutor said it was a "simple case" -- four people set out to rob a pot dealer and wound up killing a popular assistant coach at Natomas High School.

Two of the three defense lawyers countered that the key witness in the case can't be trusted and that their clients will be exonerated.

Testimony then got under way after the opening statements in the murder trial of Dejon Wayne Murray, 19, Kenneth Oliver Owens Jr., 24, and Maurice Edward Reed, 21.

Investigators have determined that the wounding of a man at Folsom Lake last month was self-inflicted.

Mike Doyle, 53, of Loomis on Sept. 21 called 911 on his cellphone to report he had been shot while loading his kayak onto his vehicle after a day on the lake. He drove himself to the park entrance and awaited paramedics.

Placer County Sheriff's deputies, State Park Peace Officers and Placer County Fire District employees responded to the scene to find Doyle suffering from a back wound. He was transported to Sutter Roseville Hospital.

The Sacramento District Attorney's office said today that inmate Orlando Williams was convicted last week for possessing drugs at Folsom Prison.

Williams was convicted by a jury on Thursday. The district attorney's office said Williams had 22 tablets of the drug Ecstasy and 3 grams of heroin while an inmate at Folsom Prison.

Williams faces a sentence of 10 additional years in prison, according to the DA. Sentencing is set for Oct. 27.

The southbound lanes of Watt Avenue at Hurley Way are closed for an indefinite period so that a power pole can be replaced.

About 5 a.m. it was reported that a car hit a power pole at Watt Avenue and Ardenridge Drive, prompting the closure at Hurley Way until Sacramento Municipal Utitlity District crews can fix the problem.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Rich Wetzel said that crews will have to replace the pole. The lanes are closed as a precaution.

Week 2 of the manslaughter trail against Michael Jackson's doctor begins today with an alumnus of UC Davis at centerstage.

One of two prosecutors who have presented the case against Dr. Conrad Murray is David Walgren, a graduate of the University of California, Davis King Hall School of Law.

Associated Press coverage: Michael Jackson manslaughter trial enters 2nd week

Photo gallery: Conrad Murray on trial in Michael Jackson death

A Sacramento man was arrested north of downtown late Sunday morning after his girlfriend called to report domestic violence.

Alonzo Smith, 42, surrendered after police called in hostage negotiators and a SWAT to talk him out of the residence on the 1000 block of Alamos Ave.

The victim reportedly left the house and went to her friend's house down the street to call the police at around 11:20 a.m., saying that her three children, ages 6, 3, and 6 months, were still in the house with the suspect, who was holding what appeared to be handgun.

A 42-year-old man is dead and another man is in custody in a strangulation case in College Square Apartments in Davis on Saturday, a police spokesman said today.

Lt. Paul Doroshov, public information officer for the Davis Police Department, said police responded a call about a problem at the apartment on Saturday and found the Davis man dead on the floor of his bedroom in the 900 block of J Street.

Based on evidence at the scene, Doroshov reported, officers began to investigate the case as a homicide.

Folsom Police have arrested a transient for investigation of homicide after a fight in a commercial district Saturday night left one man dead, authorities said today.

The 22-year-old drifter from Folsom was identified as Joshua Allen Atkins, who attracted police attention when he ran across East Bidwell Street in front of a marked patrol car just before midnight Saturday, a department spokesman said.

Spokesman Officer Jason Browning said when the officer caught up to Atkins a few blocks away, the suspect took the officer to a knife he had hidden nearby.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Firefighters in their dark dress uniforms with white hats and belts, along with family members and dignitaries, gathered Saturday in Sacramento to pay tribute to 30 of their own who died protecting the lives and property of Californians.

Continuing a sobering autumn tradition, the names of those who fell in the line of duty, including 18 who died from injuries or job-related illness in the past 12 months and 12 others from earlier years, were added to a polished limestone wall at the California Firefighters Memorial on the east grounds of Capitol Park.

By Anita Creamer
acreamer@sacbee.com

Rocklin police arrested four people this morning in connection with a string of thefts at the California Family Fitness on Sunset Boulevard in Rocklin.

Three of the suspects were arrested in a car in the gym's parking lot, authorities said. The fourth fled but was arrested after a foot chase.

Arrested were Tiffany Bruner, 20, of Sacramento, Diana Melnichuk, 19, of Sacramento, Maksim Mshchenko, 21, of Sacramento and Sergey Stepanyuk, 23, of Rancho Cordova.

Officers recovered a number of stolen items as well as narcotics, police officials said.