Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.
QUESTION: What is going on with the case of the Asian gangsters in Amador County, where the marijuana farm went wrong and a worker was killed? Do each of them have separate cases in court? What are they looking at? Any updates?
Submitted by: Sac, Sac
ANSWER: Five men remain in Amador County Jail charged with murder in the Sept. 27, 2011, shooting death of 45-year-old He Ting Fu.
Arrested in connection with the shooting were Andrew Minh Manisap, 18, Michael Saechao, 21, David Van Tai, 23, Vu Xuan Tran, 23, all of Sacramento, and Son Thai Nguyen, 20, of Elk Grove. According to Amador Superior Court online information, the next court date for all five is Thursday. Each defendant is represented by a separate public defender or court-appointed attorney.
The five were arrested following a shootout at the site of medicinal marijuana cultivation operations on Carbondale Road that were reportedly operated by Fu and three other individuals. Fu was found dead, grasping a shotgun, in a bullet-riddled trailer.
Sheriff's officials said all five are known gang members.
A fire believed to have started in a wood shake roof caused damage estimated at $400,000 to a Folsom home Thursday.
The Folsom Fire Department responded to a fire at 103 Cedar Ridge Court at 4:28 p.m. When firefighters arrived, they found the house engulfed in flames. A second alarm was requested, and the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department responded to assist.
Based on witnesses' statements, it appears the fire began in the wood shake roof of the two-story home, officials said. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
Two people taken into custody in Bakersfield are now believed to be the only suspects in the death of Stephen Sieck, 60, whose body was found May 20 in his burned apartment in the Arden Arcade area.
In announcing the arrests of Stacey Perryman, 43, and Bryan Denton, 49, Sacramento County sheriff's officials Wednesday said they also were trying to identify a third person, a woman shown in a surveillance photo who was believed to have been with Perryman at a Shell gas station at Elk Grove Boulevard and Auto Center Drive about 1:30 p.m. May 19.
Sheriff's officials said Thursday that further investigation has determined that the woman is not involved or associated with Perryman, and detectives are not trying to identify or speak with her.
The man who was shot after fleeing from a gang enforcement team last week has been released from the hospital and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail.
Juan Javier Alvarado, 21, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, having a concealed firearm and carrying a loaded firearm registered to another person, according to jail booking records.
Alvarado was shot by a California Highway Patrol officer May 23 after he was pursued by the officer and a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy, both of whom are assigned to an anti-gang team led by the Sheriff's Department, who tried to contact him.
During the pursuit, authorities allege, Alvarado turned around, pulled out a gun and pointed it at the CHP officer, who then fired. Alvarado suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his lower body.
Officials recovered a gun from the scene that they believe was brandished by Alvarado.
Two Sacramento Superior Court juries returned first-degree murder convictions today against two street gang members in the shooting deaths of three bicyclists last year in Rancho Cordova.
Judge Helena R. Gweon set a June 22 sentencing date for defendants Saul Isidro-Aucencio, 25, and Francisco Ignacio Delgado, 21. The two face life in prison with no chance of parole on the juries' special-circumstance findings that the pair committed the Feb. 13, 2011, drive-by, multiple murders of Robert Corpos, 20, Richard Ward, 16, and Jamir Miller, 15.
According to evidence at trial, Isidro-Aucencio had been assaulted in an apartment complex earlier in the day. In retaliation, Isidro-Aucencio, armed himself with an AK-47 assault rifle, and he and Delgado got in a car and hunted down their victims in the 10100 block of Malaga Way. The three who were shot had nothing to do with the earlier attack on Isidro-Aucencio.
An Auburn man has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank robberies in Roseville and Davis.
Paul Michael Schmeer, 30, was sentenced today in Sacramento by U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. to four years and nine months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for serial bank robbery. He also was ordered to pay full restitution for the robberies, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.
According to court documents, on Dec. 5, 2011, Schmeer robbed the Roseville branch of Chase Bank on Douglas Boulevard. He presented a note to a teller, demanding money and stating that he had a gun. The teller complied, and Schmeer left the bank with $4,000.
A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted London Ramon Shaw of second-degree murder in the June 22, 2009, shooting death of Sevon Boles inside a south area apartment complext on Sunnyslope Drive.
The panel could not reach a verdict on co-defendant Dominique Lavance Givens, and Judge MIchael W. Sweet declared a mistrial. Deputy District Attorney Anthony Ortiz said his office will refile second-degree murder charges on Givens, 25.
Shaw, 24, also is a suspect in two shooting deaths in San Francisco, authorities said.
More than 100 janitors and union supporters blocked the intersection of Capitol Mall and Third Street this morning before seven participants were arrested voluntarily after sitting in the middle of street.
The protest took place as negotiators for the Service Employees International Union United Service Workers West met in a downtown Sacramento hotel with representatives of major property management companies that employ local janitors. The SEIU's union contracts with property managers expired April 30. Workers complain that the companies are seeking to raise their healthcare premiums and the number of work hours required to qualify for benefits.
Araceli Quezada, a single mother of three, said she makes $11.05 an hour cleaning buildings near Cal Expo, and already pays $150 a month for health care benefits. "We're fighting....for medical coverage," she said. "We don't want to lose that."
The janitors were joined Thursday morning by a half dozen Occupy protesters in black tshirts and white masks. Two of seven arrested were Occupy members, and the rest were union officials.
The California 3rd District Court of Appeal today denied a petition filed on behalf of a Sacramento juror who fought a judge's order to make available his Facebook postings written while he was sitting on a jury on a gang beating case.
The attorney for the juror could not be reached immediately, but the lawyer, Kenneth L. Rosenfeld, had previously said he would take the appellate court's decision to the California Supreme Court if it went against him.
Sentencing on the defendants who were convicted in the gang trial has been delayed for nearly two years pending higher court rulings. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny last year ordered the juror to make his postings available to defense attorneys. They wanted to review the writings out of concern that the juror either was biased or had been influenced by his friends on the social networking site.
A Sacramento jury convicted a man Wednesday of stalking a former juvenile dependency court referee and assaulting two of his children by driving a van at them at their Rancho Cordova home.
John Thomas Parlante, 46, will be sentenced June 27 for the Feb. 17 incident at the residence of the former referee, Daniel Madden Horton. Authorities believe Parlante was upset at the Horton for a ruling in a child dependency matter.
The assault took place a day after local news agencies reported that Madden had been arrested on misdemeanor charges of enticing underage girls to strip for an adult magazine.
Nobody was injured because sheriff's detectives who were serving a search warrant on Madden's residence thwarted Parlante -- who had an axe in his car -- before he made contact with anybody.
Three men were arrested in Roseville after police said they were spotted peering into parked cars while in possession of burglary tools.
Police credited an alert resident of Meadowlark Way in east Roseville for supplying information leading to the arrests. At about 2:20 a.m. Monday, the resident reported men looking into parked cars.
Beat officers quickly swooped in, detaining the men on Oak Ridge Drive and Michael Way. Police said the men had bent coat hangers, presumably to slide into door compartments to jimmy locks, wire cutters and other suspected burglary tools.
The men from Roseville, Carmichael and Citrus Heights, all in their early 20s, were arrested on suspicion of possessing burglary tools and conspiracy.
With impending summer vacation and recent burglaries at two schools, Roseville police are asking for the public's help in stopping campus break-ins.
Thefts and vandalism tend to increase during the summer months. Police would like residents who live near schools to pay special attention to suspicious activity on campuses.
Overnight May 24, someone came onto Oakmont High School and forced open the door to a vending machine enclosure on the quad. Thieves then broke into three vending machines, stealing coins and snacks.
Overnight Tuesday, a burglar broke into a portable classroom at Buljan Intermediate School. The intruder ransacked a classroom and made off with a computer and audio-visual equipment.
Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.
QUESTION: A woman named LaTanya McCoy was killed in a car crash. Could you tell me what happened? Submitted by: c nite, Oregon
ANSWER: LaTanya Janelle McCoy, a 24-year-old hospital employee en route to work, was killed on Mack Road when a parolee crashed into her car, then engaged in a shoot-out with police, seriously wounding an officer.
McCoy's car burst into flames after it was rammed by a Chevrolet Camaro driven by David Scott Daniels on Jan. 2, 2000. McCoy, who left a 2-year-old daughter, had reportedly attended high school in Stockton and moved to Sacramento a few years before her death.
Daniels had past convictions for burglary and robbery and was trying to elude police following a 35-day spree of murder and robbery, according to an account in The Bee.
After crashing into McCoy's car, Daniels screamed for help, claiming he was pinned and bleeding in his car. A Sacramento police officer grabbed a bulletproof shield and led three other officers toward Daniels' car. When they got within a foot of the car, Daniels began shooting. He hit Sgt. Steve Weinrich in the chest and thigh. Weinrich was saved by his bulletproof vest.
In addition to McCoy's death, Daniels was convicted of the Dec. 28, 1999, murder of LeWayne Alan Carolina, 23, who he shot to death in a south Sacramento apartment, and the attempted murder of Weinrich.
He was sentenced in 2001 to die by lethal injection. Now 44 years old, he remains on death row at San Quentin State Prison.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department announced today that two people have been arrested in connection with the death of a man whose body was found 10 days ago in his burned apartment in the Arden Arcade area.
Stacey Perryman (left photo), 43, and Bryan Denton (center photo), 49, were taken into custody about 5 p.m. Friday at a hotel in Bakersfield. Both were booked on suspicion of murder and are being held without bail, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.
Shortly after 5 p.m. May 20, sheriff's deputies responded to a burned apartment in the 200 block of Selby Ranch Road. Stephen Sieck, 60, was found dead inside the apartment, and investigators determined that his vehicle was missing. The vehicle was located in Kern County on May 23.
Donations to cover medical costs for a Sacramento police dog shot in the line of duty earlier this month have come from the local community and around the world.
The Sacramento Police Department and Sacramento Police K9 Association expressed their thanks for the public's support, including contributions of approximately $30,000 toward police K9 Bodie's stay at a Rancho Cordova veterinary hospital. The funds will help offset an estimated $25,000 in medical bills, according to a Police Department news release.
Bodie (pictured) was shot May 18 by a suspect who was attempting to flee from officers. He spent eight days in the VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center, where he received 24-hour care from a team of surgeons and veterinarians who repaired his injured jaw and paw.
The Yuba County Sheriff's Department has recovered the body of an 18-year-old Lincoln man from the waters of Camp Far West Lake.
Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Damon Gil said a California Highway Patrol helicopter crew that had been called in to assist in the search spotted the body of Spencer Loper about 10:13 this morning in what is known as the overflow area near the lake's north shore.
Gil said Loper and friends arrived at the lake Saturday and spent the night in a campground. Friends reported seeing him about 2 a.m. Sunday, but when they awoke later that morning, he was gone. They initially thought he had left on his own, and Gil said the Sheriff's Department wasn't notified that he was missing until Tuesday.
The Sacramento County Probation Department announced that it recently recovered its 200th stolen vehicle using automated license plate reader technology.
Of the 200 vehicles located and recovered in Sacramento County, 43 percent were Hondas, 11 percent were Toyotas and 8 percent were Fords, according to a Probation Department news release. The recovered vehicles were typically older models, and a majority were taken by offenders who used keys that have been shaved down to start the vehicles, officials said.
The Probation Department in April 2010 equipped two vehicles with automated license plate reader technology, which uses cameras mounted on cars to automatically scan and cross-match license plates against a statewide list of stolen vehicles. More than 3,000 license plates are analyzed an hour while probation officers conduct routine caseload supervision in the county. Officials said the Sacramento County department is the only probation agency in California that uses the system.
A 21-year-old student at California State University, Sacramento, was arrested this morning after he allegedly punched a female staff member as he rode by her on his bicycle.
Cpl. Jeff Solomon of the CSUS Police Department said the incident occurred about 9:40 a.m. between the campus bookstore and the University Union. Police located a man matching the description of the bicyclist about 10 minutes later at a nearby bridge over the American River. He was identified as Victor Vazquez.
Solomon said Vazquez acknowledged that he struck the woman, but offered no explanation as to why he did it. Police said it did not appear that the woman was specifically targeted and she was not seriously injured. There have been no reports of similar incidents on campus.
Vazquez was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor battery.
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of cruelty to animals in connection with an incident earlier this month in which a cat was set on fire in West Sacramento.
On May 2, a citizen reported a cat was on fire in the 100 block of Circle Street. Yolo County Animal Control officers responded and took the cat to the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital for treatment. The cat was later euthanized because of the severity of the burns.
Police said veterinarians treating the cat determined that an accelerant may have been used to set the cat on fire.
There were no witnesses on scene and no one came for ward with information, but police said the detective assigned to the case was able to establish leads that led to the teenager's arrest this morning.
A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted one man of murder and acquitted another in the Feb. 20, 2011, shooting death of Chester Jackson outside the International House of Pancakes in North Natomas.
The panel found Marcus Jamal Davis, 27, (left photo), the purported shooter in the 2:40 a.m. killing of the 27-year-old Jackson, guilty of first degree murder. The same jury returned a not-guilty verdict against Robert Earl Lucas, 31, (right photo), who had been charged under a theory of aiding and abetting the shooter.
Davis and Lucas, both of whom are from Vallejo, had come to Sacramento the night of the incident to go bowling. When the alley closed, they went to the restaurant in the 2900 block of Advantage Lane. According to videotapes taken inside the restaurant and shown at the trial, Davis, who was severely inebriated, argued with members of the Jackson group who also came to the IHOP for a late-night meal.
When the argument moved outside the restaurant, shots rang out and one of the bullets fatally wounded Jackson, a prospective mechanic who also was the father of two young children. The two defendants drove off in Lucas' vehicle after the shooting.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of the teen killed on a Rosemont street on Monday.
He was identified today as Joshua Baker, 18, of Sacramento. Baker died in a local hospital from a gunshot wound to the head after a large street fight took place Monday in the 2900 block of Norcade Circle.
Officer responded to an 11:50 a.m. call where it was reported that about 30 people were involved in a street fight.
Officers arrived on the scene to find the wounded teen and about 20 people standing by.
The cause of the street fight is still under investigation, and it was not clear whether the fight was gang related, Ramos said. However, detectives suspect that Baker fired a gun at some point during the altercation, and a gun that detectives believe Baker used was recovered from the scene, Ramos said.
This post was updated by Bee staff writer Kim Minugh.
A gang awareness symposium is scheduled for Thursday in the Rosemont neighborhood.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's Youth Services Unit will host the gathering, which is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Albert Einstein Middle School, 9325 Mirandy Drive.
The meeting will include an overview of gangs in the area, the consequences of gang violence, details on the Rosemont Community Association's graffiti abatement program and information on the Sheriff's Activities League.
A former Sacramento police officer accused of filing false police reports and then lying about it has been ordered to stand trial.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette issued the holding order Tuesday on Brandon Michael Mullock, 27, on 23 counts of filing false police reports and 11 counts of perjury.
Marlette ordered Mullock back into court on June 8 to set a trial date.
A liquor store owner is in Lodi jail today after shooting an alleged shoplifter in the shoulder.
Lodi police arrested Gurminder "Gary" Parmar on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in the shooting of Christopher Driggers, a member of the Army.
Police said Driggers, 21, entered Tokay Liquors about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night to buy some beer. However, police said that Parmar questioned whether Driggers had proper identification to purchase the beer.
An inmate at California State Prison, Sacramento will do additional time after being convicted by a jury for possession of an inmate-manufactured weapon.
Joe Nathan Taylor was sentenced by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley to 26 years to life prison.
During a search, Taylor was found to have concealed a weapon in his waistband, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. The weapon was made out of a melted CD case, sharpened to a point, and measured 5 inches long.
According to the DA's Office, Taylor's criminal history spans more than 25 years and includes convictions for robbery and sex crimes. Officials said he also has been the subject of numerous disciplinary actions while in prison, with violations including mutual combat, willfully inciting others in force and violence, battery on a correctional officer and possession of dangerous contraband.
Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.
QUESTION: What happened with the sexual assault case in Roseville against the CHP officer? His name was Wayne Alger and I think it was 2007 or 2008. Submitted by: Tim, West Sacramento
ANSWER: According to a story in The Bee, Wayne Robert Alger pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of molesting children and one count of possessing child pornography.
He was sentenced in September 2009 to one year in the Placer County jail and five years of formal probation. He also is required to register as a sex offender for life.
Alger was a California Highway Patrol sergeant assigned to the CHP's Capitol Protection Section before his arrest by Rocklin police in October 2008.
He was accused of molesting two girls. The younger of the two was 12 and 13 years old when she was molested in 2007 at Alger's Roseville home. He was a friend of the girl's family.
The other victim, a 16-year-old girl, was molested at Alger's home in July 2008.
The prosecutor said at the time of the sentencing that the offenses that could be proved did not amount to felony conduct.
A new digital photo enforcement camera has been installed at 16th and W streets in Sacramento and is scheduled to go "live" at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.
For a period of 30 days, red-light violators will be mailed a warning notice. Beginning at 12:01 a.m. June 29, motorists who run red lights at the intersection will receive a citation, which will include a referral to a website where the violator can view still and/or video images of the violation. The violator should be able to clearly see where his or her vehicle was in relation to the intersection's limit line, and the green, yellow and red lights, according to a news release from the Sacramento Metropolitan Red Light Photo Enforcement Detail.
Officials report up to a 76 percent reduction in red-light-related crashes at city and county intersections with photo-enforcement since the program was implemented. They also report a 28 percent reduction in such crashes at all signal-controlled intersections within the city and county of Sacramento.
Firefighters have contained a fire in the attic of the VA Dental Clinic at McClellan Park.
Assistant Chief Walt White of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said the clinic staff had experienced problems with a light ballast earlier in the day. Firefighters were called to the clinic at 5401 Arnold Ave. at 6:04 p.m. and discovered a fire in the attic. White said the fire resulted from some type of electrical problem and probably had been smoldering for a while.
He said crews remain on scene doing overhaul work, including removing ceiling tile to make sure the fire has been extinguished.
Sacramento area law enforcement agencies report that arrests for driving under the influence during the Memorial Day weekend were up this year, but no deaths were attributed to drugged or drunken drivers.
From 12:01 a.m. Friday through midnight Monday, officers representing 17 county law enforcement agencies arrested 137 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to a news release. In 2011, 74 DUI arrests occurred during the Memorial Day weekend. No deaths were reported during the four-day special enforcement period this year, compared with one alcohol-related death last year, officials said.
Special enforcement activities included a sobriety checkpoint and a DUI saturation patrol. Officers on routine patrol also focused on impaired drivers.
Two dogs were shot and killed after they reportedly charged a Sacramento police officer arresting a suspect this afternoon.
Police Department spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit said two officers were following up on general narcotics activities at 2:18 p.m. when they detained two suspects, a man and a woman. He said the woman had injuries that reportedly were inflicted by another man, her boyfriend, who as at a nearby residence in the 4200 block of Y Street.
Officers went to the residence, and one officer went into the back yard to contact the man, who was also suspected of narcotics activity. While in the back yard, the officer was charged by three dogs, described as pit bull/bulldog-type breeds, Pettit said. The officer, fearing for his safety, fired at the dogs, killing two of them. Pettit said the third dog was not shot and was later isolated.
The two male suspects were taken into custody, and the woman was taken to an area hospital for treatment of the injuries believed to have resulted from domestic violence.
With temperatures expected to climb into the 90s this week, the Sacramento Police Department reminds residents to take measures to safeguard their homes during summer.
Although it may be tempting to go to bed with windows an doors open, this can be an invitation to burglars looking for easy and quiet access to a home. Police recommend closing and locking doors and windows before retiring for the night.
A recent increase in nighttime burglaries to second-story apartments, particularly in the South Natomas area, also has been reported. Residents of upstairs apartments often have a false sense of security, police said.
Anyone with information regarding the break-ins is asked to call the Sacramento Police Department's Dispatch Center at (916) 264-5471 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357, or text a tip to 274637. Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
A death row inmate has committed suicide at San Quentin, according to California prison officials.
James Lee Crummel, 68, on death row since 2004 for killing a 13-year-old boy, was found hanging in his cell. He was pronounced dead at 4:20 p.m. Sunday.
Crummel was sentenced to death by a Riverside County jury on July 9, 2004 for the 1979 kidnapping, sexual abuse and murder of James Wilfred Trotter. The teen disappeared on his way to school.
A mother and father admitted today to second-degree murder charges in the Aug. 20, 2009, beating death of their 22-month old son.
Theresa Harper, 27, and Paul Gappo Harper, 31, entered their pleas on the day that attorneys had been scheduled to deliver their opening statements to two juries that had been empaneled in Sacramento Superior Court.
They were charged in the killing of Paul G. Harper Jr., who Deputy District Attorney Chris Ore said in court today had been severely battered the day that paramedics responded to their home on South Avenue in the Del Paso Heights area.
A Sacramento man was arrested Monday on suspicion of battery against his girlfriend and for kicking a police dog.
Officers were called to the home in the 2700 block of 18th Avenue near Franklin Boulevard about 6 p.m. Monday where a woman said she had been assaulted by her boyfriend. She also said he took her cell phone.
When police arrived, officers said Clifton J. Allison, 20, the boyfriend, fled from the rear of the home. Police dog Brig was deployed to bring Allison into custody.
Allison kicked Brig and ran back inside the home, according to a police activity log. He was later arrested on suspicion of grand theft, battery, domestic violence, resisting arrest and interfering with a police dog.
About 15 students could face disciplinary action after school officials say they were caught red-handed executing a senior prank.
The students are suspected of spray-painting exterior walls and dumping dirt and debris in the driveway of Foothill High School, 5000 McCloud Drive, in the Twin Rivers Unified School District.
The Foothill High students were caught in the act early this morning by district police on regular patrol. The students were made to clean the driveway, a district spokeswoman said.
The graffiti vandalism will be cleaned from the walls. A decision is pending on possible disciplinary action.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of the pitchfork-wielding man who was shot and killed Monday by a sheriff's deputy.
The coroner identified the man as Nikolay Pugach, 40, of North Highlands.
A press release from the Sacramento County Sheriff's department stated that deputies were called to a home in the 6800 block of Weddigen Way in North Highlands about 2 p.m. Monday to sort out an altercation between neighbors.
An 18-year-old man died in a local hospital from a gunshot wound to the head after a large street fight took place Monday in the 2900 block of Norcade Circle, said Sacramento County sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos.
Officer responded to an 11:50 a.m. call where it was reported that about 30 people where involved in a street fight.
Several shots were fired soon after the call. Officers arrived on the scene to encounter the wounded teen and roughly 20 individuals standing by. The victim, who died several hours later, has not yet been identified.
A car and a home were also struck by gunfire in the incident, Ramos said.
The cause of the street fight is still under investigation, and it was not clear whether the fight was gang related, Ramos said.
"An initial canvass of the neighborhood yielded no significant information regarding a suspect (or suspects), and it was not immediately known what the motivation for the shooting was," according to Ramos.
The Sheriff's Department has asked anyone with information about the fight or shooting to call (916) 874-5115 or (916) 443-4357, or send a text message tip to 274637, then enter "SACTIP" and the pertinent information.
Tipsters can remain anonymous and might qualify for a reward of up to $1,000.
A Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy fatally shot a pitchfork-wielding man Monday afternoon in North Highlands.
Deputies responded to a 2 p.m. call from a woman, who alleged that an argument had taken place with the victim in her yard in the 6800 block of Weddigen Way in North Highlands. She said the victim had assaulted of one of the home's occupants, said Sacramento Sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos.
When deputies arrived, the man had returned to his home. As officers knocked on his front door, he allegedly appeared from behind a garage door with a pitchfork in his hand, Ramos said.
"The victim began advancing very aggressively toward the officers," Ramos said, and they ordered him to "stop and drop the pitchfork."
"While backing away from the subject in an attempt to create a safe distance between them," a female deputy "lost her footing and fell to the ground," Ramos said.
When the subject continued to advance," the other deputy - a male officer and 16-year veteran of the department - shot him several times in the upper body, Ramos said. Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene, despite life-saving efforts by the deputies. Neither the names of the deputies or the shooting victim have been released.
The deputy who fired the fatal shots will be placed on administrative leave during an investigation by the Sheriff's Department.
A Sacramento County-wide crackdown for the Memorial Day weekend has resulted in the arrest of 111 individuals driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs since Friday, authorities said. That number is a significant rise in arrests compared to the 55 DUI arrests made in 2011 during the same period.
The holiday weekend crackdown is being enforced by 17 county law enforcement agencies and the crackdown will continue through midnight Monday.
No alcohol-related driving fatalities have been reported this weekend, said Officer Brian Fritsch of the Citrus Heights Police Department, one of the agencies participating in the crackdown. Last year one alcohol-related fatality was reported.
The crackdown in Sacramento County netted the second-most DUI arrests statewide among the law enforcement agencies participating in the holiday crackdown. Orange County's crackdown resulted in 135 DUI arrests, so far, since Friday.
Sheriff's deputies have arrested a 27-year-old man found with a 13-year-old girl missing from a group home earlier this month.
The girl left the group home in the 3000 block of Subaru Court on May 7, and was believed to be having an intimate relationship with Armando Juanico Rivera.
On Sunday night, shortly before 10 p.m., sheriff's deputies found the two at a movie theater on Ethan Way. Rivera was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on a charge of committing a lewd act with a child under the age of fourteen.
The girl was placed with Sacramento County authorities in a local receiving facility, said Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos. Rivera is being held on $100,000 bail, Ramos said.
Sacramento police are asking for the public's help in finding a developmentally challenged man missing since Friday.
Gary Askew, 55 and pictured in the center of the picture at left, was last seen about noon Friday at the Sacramento Convention Center downtown, according to police.
He is described as a black man, 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 130 to 150 pounds. He has black and gray hair was last seen a maroon and black checkered suit.
Anyone with information about Askew's whereabouts is asked to call police at (916) 264-5471 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.
Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Police Department.
A 22-year-old man has died after he attempted to leap from the roof of one houseboat to another Friday night near Slaughterhouse Island on Shasta Lake. The man slipped, hit his head and fell into the water.
Two persons who witnessed the 10:30 p.m. mishap dove into the water and after searching for several minutes brought the unconscious victim to the surface, according to information released by Shasta County Sheriff officials.
Trevor Krieg was taken by ambulance to a Redding hospital where he died at approximately 4:10 a.m. today. Officials said they did not yet have a place of residence for Krieg.
The cause of death was drowning, a coroner's official stated.
Redding police arrested 28 people in May as a result of investigation into three storage unit burgaries in Redding and Shasta Lake, police announced Friday.
The burglaries netted a large amount of property, including 28 firearms, many of which have not been recovered.
Police arrested Edward Harsh, 37, of Redding May 2 in connection with the April 9 theft of a gun safe with 27 weapons.
Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.
QUESTION: What happened in the John Lithgow murder case in the late '80s? Submitted by: Chadyd, Sacramento
ANSWER: Rafael Leland Jackson was convicted in 1995 of murdering 18-year-old John Lithgow in a parking lot on Mack Road on the night of Aug. 26, 1988.
According to stories in The Bee, Lithgow and two close friends were walking along Mack Road when they passed two other teenagers in a Kmart parking lot.
"Do you know me?" were reportedly the only words exchanged before Lithgow was fatally shot in the chest.
Fingerprints on a McDonald's drinking cup and on a pair of non-prescription eyeglasses were found. But no arrests were made until January 1994, when a full set of Jackson's fingerprints were obtained and a match made by a Sacramento police detective.
Jackson originally was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison, but according to Sacramento Superior Court online records, the sentence in 2002 was modified to 8 years.
Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.
QUESTION: Did that chiropractor Todd Baldini ever answer for his embezzlement and fraud charges? Did he do any prison time? Was his partner, who disappeared, ever found and brought to justice? Submitted by: Rosie, Rio Linda
ANSWER: According to a story in The Bee, chiropractor Todd Daniel Baldini of El Dorado Hills was arrested by state investigators in August 2004, accused of bilking automobile and workers' compensation insurers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars over a period of at least three years.
His partner, Reginald Martin "Marty" DePaoli of Carlsbad faced similar charges.
According to Sacramento Superior Court online records, Baldini and DePaoli pleaded no contest to misdemeanor counts of unlawful referrals under the state Insurance Code.
Felony counts of conspiracy and presenting false or fraudulent claims were dismissed.
Yolo County Animal Services officials seek the public's help in locating a dog that bit a teenager in West Sacramento.
The incident occurred about 4 p.m. Thursday at the south end of a walkway running parallel to Shasta Way between Trinity Way and Colusa Road. The 15-year-old victim was was walking on the walkway when the victim saw two small white dogs that looked lost and tired. The victim approached what appeared to be the older of the two dogs and was bitten, according to an Animal Services news release. The dogs then ran off. The victim could not say in what direction they headed and did not see anyone with the animals.
Animal Services has been unable to locate the dogs through licensing records.
Three people, including and a husband and wife from Elk Grove, have been arrested in connection with arson at a Lodi market in October.
Following a joint investigation by the Lodi Police and Fire departments, arrest warrants were issued for Prem Basuta, 47, and his wife, Kulwinder "Kelly" Basuta, 48, of Elk Grove, and brother Gurmail "Gary" Singh, 55, of Lodi. They are suspected of being responsible for a fire that damaged Salisbury's Market at 2401 W.Turner Road on Oct. 15, 2011, according to a Lodi Police Department news release.
The Basutas and Singh turned themselves in to the San Joaquin County Superior Court on Wednesday, officials said. They are to appear in court June 12 to answer to charges that include insurance fraud, attempted grand theft and arson.
Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully announced Friday that as result of DNA analyses by the District Attorney's crime lab, suspects have been identified in three unsolved cases in recent months.
Evidence from crime scenes and victims is sent to the crime lab where criminalists examine it for DNA. Any DNA profiles found in unsolved cases are entered into the national DNA database of criminal offenders in an attempt to identify suspects.
Since April 2000, 24 cold hit homicide cases were filed in Sacramento County as a result of DNA analysis, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.
Two juveniles were arrested this afternoon after they allegedly placed a homemade explosive device in a school cafeteria trash can in Woodland.
At 12:22 p.m., a Woodland Police Department school resource officer was called to investigate an explosion at Douglass Middle School at 525 Granada Drive. School officials had already detained two boys, both students at the school, who were allegedly responsible for the explosion.
Police said the students created a "works bomb" and dropped in into a trash can in the cafeteria. The device is made of common household items that are placed in a plastic container and sealed. A chemical reaction occurs that releases gases, which eventually cause the plastic container to rupture, creating a loud noise, according to a Police Department news release.
Davis police are searching for a prowler who exposed himself to a resident earlier this week.
Officers were dispatched about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to the 1500 block of H St. regarding a prowler. A 22-year-old woman told police that she was in her apartment when she heard a knocking sound on her wall. When she approached her window, she saw a man looking into her bedroom while exposing himself, according to a Police Department news release.
The woman said the man appeared to be of Hispanic or Middle Eastern descent, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with brown eyes, unshaven with a thin mustache, and a shaved head. She said he was wearing a black "hoodie" style sweatshirt and blue jeans.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's Work Project Division has announced a summer amnesty program for individuals who want to return to the Work Project to complete their court-ordered commitment rather than risk arrest.
The one-time weekend amnesty opportunity will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 9 at the Work Project office at 700 North 5th St. in Sacramento.
The amnesty program is intended for people who either never reported to or stopped attending the Work Project, but who want to complete their commitment, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. It is designed for anyone with an active sheriff's order of commitment warrant for failure to appear/complete Work Project.
After a week of surgery and recuperation, Sacramento police K-9 Bodie, who was shot by a car theft suspect last week in Land Park, received a big sendoff at his release today from the Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center in Rancho Cordova. According to tweets from Bee crime reporter Kim Minugh, fellow officers, vets and even the police department's Air1 helicopter was on hand for the dog's departure from the vet center.
Minugh's photos show Bodie at the vet center before his release, top. And all the media attention for Bodie's sendoff from the vet center, below.
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies arrested a man on suspicion of pistol-whipping his robbery victim before riding off on a bike.
Ryan Helmecy, 25, was arrested on suspicion of robbery, crime against the elderly, altering an imitation firearm and violation of probation.
Deputies suspect Helmecy of robbing a 77-year-old man in the 4900 block of Little Oak Lane near Madison Avenue and Interstate 80 about 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Deputies said Helmecy pointed a weapon at the man and demanded cash.
He struck the man on the head before fleeing on a bike. Helmecy was arrested nearby and deputies said he tried to discard what turned out to be a replica weapon painted to look like a real handgun.
Property that belonged to the robbery victim was found near the arrest. The victim was treated for minor injuries.
PHOTO CAPTION: Ryan Helmecy
Funeral services for Sacramento firefighter William Porter will be held this morning in Elk Grove.
Traffic could be fairly heavy as firefighters from around the region gather at 10 a.m. today at First Baptist Church, 8939 East Stockton Blvd.
Porter's body was recovered May 21 from Camp Far West Lake near Wheatland. He was reported missing when he didn't return from a fishing trip May 9 at the reservoir.
Porter, 58, was assigned as a fire engine driver at Station 6 in Oak Park. He joined the department in 2002, and also played a role with an urban search and rescue team as a logistics manager and transportation specialist.
The driver of a speeding car who died when he flipped his vehicle on Highway 50 early this morning has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Mayur B. Sarhad, 24, of Rancho Cordova.
The car was reported traveling eastbound on Highway 50 just west of Hazel Avenue at a high rate of speed about 1 a.m. when the driver lost control. The Honda Accord rolled over onto its roof and the driver was killed.
One lane of the freeway was blocked for about two hours.
Two Sacramento men have pleaded guilty to structuring cash transactions from marijuana sales to avoid reporting requirements.
Keni Renta, 29, and Jauwon Pierre Wilder, 28, entered the pleas today in federal court in Sacramento, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.
In 2011, Renta was in the business of interstate sale of marijuana, obtaining a majority of his supply from California growers, according to court documents. He took orders from out-of-state individuals, primarily in the Midwest and Northeast. These buyers paid him by depositing cash in bank branches in other states for accounts in Renta's name or that he controlled.
An 81-year-old man who died Thursday afternoon in a collision on Watt Avenue near Pope Avenue in the Arden Arcade area has been identified by the California Highway Patrol as Fred Schwarz of Sacramento.
CHP spokeswoman Officer Lizz Dutton said Schwarz was driving northbound on Watt in a Mercedes approaching Pope Avenue about 2:55 p.m. As he approached, Schwarz crossed into the No. 1 southbound lane. A driver traveling southbound on Watt reported honking at Schwarz, who appeared to acknowledge him and began to attempt a left turn or U turn.
A 25-year-old woman driving a Volkswagen Touareg SUV southbound in the No. 3, or far right lane, was unable to stop and struck Schwarz's vehicle broadside.
The two men convicted of second-degree murder in a Oct. 24, 2009, shooting death outside a North Natomas night club were each sentenced today to 40 years to life in prison.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Ernest W. Sawtelle imposed the terms on Nicholas Leathel Newsome, 23, and Sean Lekeith Joyner, also 23, for the killing of David Blanks, 22.
The two were each sentenced to 15 years-to-life on the murder conviction plus 25 years-to-life for the use of the gun. Authorities said the killing, which took place outside the now-shuttered club that used to be owned by former Sacramento Kings basketball star Chris Webber, was gang related.
A man who ran from a law enforcement team in North Highlands last night is recuperating from being hit by police gunfire after he allegedly pulled a weapon on officers.
The 21-year-old suspect man non life-threatening injuries when he was shot once in the lower body.
The incident, one of a string of recent officer-involved shootings in Sacramento County, began about 6 p.m. when a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department detective and a California Highway Patrol officer working together in an unmarked police car came upon a man walking in the 3700 block of Myrtle Avenue.
Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.
QUESTION: There was a kid that I knew who got arrested last year. His name was Poasi Linauna. I looked on the Sac Sheriff's inmate log and saw he was awaiting trial. His name is now gone. What was he convicted of? Submitted by: Curious, Citrus Heights
ANSWER: According to Sacramento Superior Court online records, Poasi Linauna pleaded no contest to second-degree robbery and was sentenced in April to 12 years in state prison.
Linauna, 19, is incarcerated at Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy.
A man has been taken to an area hospital after he was shot by a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy during a foot pursuit in North Highlands.
Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said two deputies were together in a sheriff's vehicle when they made contact with a pedestrian about 6:10 p.m. in the 3700 block of Myrtle Avenue, east of Watt Avenue. The pedestrian, a male, took off running, and the deputy who was the passenger in the vehicle got out of the car and gave chase.
During the pursuit, the pedestrian pulled out a gun and turned toward the deputy, who in turn shot the suspect, Ramos said.
The 2012 "fire season" will officially begin at 8 a.m. Monday, and fire officials urge residents, especially those living or recreating in rural areas, to use caution as the state enters a period of increased risk for wildfires.
The state's final snow survey May 1 found the statewide snowpack water content is only 40 percent of normal. From January though April, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crews responded to more than 800 wildfires, nearly two and a half times the approximately 300 the agency responded to during the same period in 2011. This year's number also exceeds the five-year average of more than 600 wildfires for January through April, said Terri Mizuhara, spokeswoman for Cal Fire's Amador-El Dorado Unit.
So far this this month, she said, Cal Fire crews have responded to numerous small fires. Several in Amador and El Dorado counties have been escaped debris fires, Mizuhara said.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department seeks the public's help in locating a 13-year-old girl who went missing from a group home two weeks ago.
Payton Hensley (pictured, left) voluntarily left a facility in the 3000 block of Subaru Court in the Rosemont area on May 7, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.
She left in a grey Plymouth Grand Voyager van, with California license plate No. 3JUN734. The vehicle is registered to Armando Juanico Rivera (pictured, right), 27. Rivera, also known as "Fabio," is believed to be involved in a dating relationship with Hensley, officials said.
The Sacramento Police Department is offering a free driver safety education class targeting new and future teenage drivers.
The Start Smart driving course is scheduled from 5:30 to 8 p.m. May 30 at the Police Department's Central Command Station at 300 Richards Blvd. It is geared for 15- to 18-year-olds and their parents or guardians.
Teenage drivers are found at fault in 66 percent of all fatal collisions in which they are involved, although they represent only 4 percent of the state's licensed drivers, according to a Police Department news release. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for Americans age 15 to 20.
Sacramento County sheriff's deputies are continuing their search today for two vehicles associated with the discovery of man's body after a fire in an Arden-Arcade apartment Sunday.
They also seek to narrow the time frame for when 60-year-old Stephen Sieck was killed, authorities said.
Sieck was found dead Sunday afternoon after firefighters arrived to extinguish a blaze at his Shelby Ranch Road apartment. Authorities initially described his death as suspicious but later classified it as a homicide.
The Sacramento Bee and the Los Angeles Times filed suit today against the University of California Board of Regents in a bid to force the release of police officer names that have been kept secret from the public since last November's pepper-spray incident on the UC Davis campus.
The lawsuit, filed in Sacramento Superior Court, seeks a court order forcing the release of the names that were redacted from a task force study of the incident that was released in April.
The task force, headed by former state Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso, originally included the names of all officers involved in the incident. All but two of the names were subsequently redacted after a successful court fight waged by the Federated University Police Officers Association, the union representing campus officers.
Daniel Chartraw, accused of multiple financial schemes that duped people of millions of dollars, entered a plea of not guilty in federal court today.
Chartraw, who had been a resident of El Dorado Hills, was indicted last week on 18 counts involving $2.4 million dollars in investments involving gold, dairies, movies and other allegedly bogus businesses.
Chartraw had been a fugitive until his arrest in Mexico in April.
He was scheduled to appear next before U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb.
The judge in the Davis "sweethearts" murder trial today put a limit on defense lawyers on how much evidence they can bring in about a group of suspects previously charged but later cleared in the killings of John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael W. Sweet ruled that the attorneys for defendant Richard Hirschfield can only introduce witness statements or physical evidence that directly or circumstantially implicates members of the so-called "Hunt Group." Yolo County prosecutors once charged ex-defendant David Hunt and three others with the Dec. 20, 1980, slayings of Riggins and Gonsalves.
Hirschfield's defense team wanted to introduce similarities between the Riggins and Gonsalves murders and slayings committed by Hunt's half-brother, the since-deceased serial sex-killer Gerald Gallego. They also wanted to explore an attack committed by Hunt in the state of Washington to see if it reflected elements of the the "sweethearts" case.
The chain reaction accident this morning on the Yolo Causeway that backed up traffic for at least an hour began when a driver didn't notice in time that vehicles had suddenly slowed, according to the CHP.
The crash involving five vehicles in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 was reported about 6:50 a.m. It all began when a woman driving a Chrysler applied her brakes and swerved to the right when traffic slowed, according to a California Highway Patrol press release.
The front of her car hit the rear and right side of a Honda and the left side of a Toyota Camry. The Honda then spun out of control and into the center median.
The Toyota Camry collided with the right rear of a Toyota Echo. The Chrysler that started the crashes, continued spinning out of control and also hit the Toyota Echo, according to the CHP.
Three drivers were taken to UC Davis Medical Center with minor injuries.
A former private school principal who has been charged with six felony counts of child molestation pleaded not guilty today.
Robert Benson Adams, 61, who used to run the Creative Frontiers school in Citrus Heights, entered his plea on his eighth court appearance since his arrest last September.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge John P. Winn scheduled Adams' preliminary hearing for Aug. 17.
Adams is accused in the felony counts of molesting girls at the school who were under the age of 14. He faces a seventh, misdemeanor count of annoying or molesting a child under the age of 18.
Roseville police are warning of calls from phony "Microsoft support technicians" who are interested in credit card fraud - not solving computer problems.
At least two Roseville residents have received unsolicited calls from the men with East Indian accents who said they were from Microsoft and wanted to help resolve computer issues.
One resident was talked into using her credit card to buy phony anti-virus remote access software. She was directed to download and install software, which allowed the scammers to get into data on the victim's computer, according to a police activity log.
The name of the 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Arden Arcade was released today by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.
The man killed outside a duplex Tuesday night in the 2100 block of Wyda Way has been identified as Kerry Ray Burns of Sacramento.
Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said the department received multiple calls about 8:25 p.m. from people reporting that someone had been shot.
A 27-year-old man was fatally shot Tuesday night in the 2100 block of Wyda Way in the Arden Arcade area.
Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said the department received multiple calls about 8:25 p.m. from people reporting that someone had been shot.
He said it appears that the victim stepped outside a duplex.
Several family members were inside and reported hearing gunshots. They went outside and found the victim on the ground about two residences to the east. His name was not released.
Paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene.
Ramos said deputies had only a vague description of a suspect, a male who was seen running westbound on Wyda Way.
A Sacramento man and a Yuba City woman were taken into custody after leading law enforcement officers on a chase through Sacramento County this morning, at one point striking a patrol vehicle and pinning the officer inside.
About 7:27 a.m., Sacramento Police Department auto theft detectives learned of a "Crime Alert" tip regrading the location of a possible stolen vehicle. Detectives found the vehicle in the area of Northwood and Woodcrest roads in the Arden Arcade area. They contacted the California Highway Patrol because the location was in the unincorporated area of the county, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.
The vehicle was described as a silver and blue 2002 Ford F350 pickup truck.
The body of a skydiver has been recovered from the waters of Lake Tahoe.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office identified the man as 29-year-old Robert Ranieri of South Lake Tahoe. He was one of three skydivers who landed in the lake. The other two were rescued, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.
The Sheriff's Office began receiving calls about 8:45 a.m. regarding a skydiving accident near Camp Richardson in South Lake Tahoe. The callers reported that three skydivers had landed in the lake and all appeared to be in distress.
A Colfax woman has been arrested on suspicion of elder abuse in a case involving fraudulent credit card accounts.
Auburn police reported that Sarah Ellen O'Neal (pictured), 48, turned herself in Monday and was booked into Placer County Jail, with bail set at $25,000.
On April 17, the victim in the case reported to Auburn police that she had found at least 10 fraudulent accounts on her credit report, according to a Police Department news release. The victim said she did not know about the accounts, which were credit card accounts, and that she did not authorize anyone to open them.
A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Carlos Ojeda of second-degree murder in the May 23, 2008, shooting death of his cousin, Javier Juarez Serna.
Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard scheduled the sentencing on Ojeda, 30, who waived the preparation of a pre-sentencing probation report, for Thursday.
Authorities do not know why Ojeda shot and killed his 26-year-old cousin, whose body was found in a car parked near Elkhorn Boulevard and Roseville Road.
Ojeda at one time had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but he withdrew that plea prior to trial. Investigators said Ojeda had methamphetamine in his system at the time of the killing.
A man was booked into Sacramento County jail for slicing his neighbor with a sword, police said.
Sacramento police were flagged down by firefighters around 12:30 p.m. Monday in the 2700 block Rio Linda Boulevard. Police said they learned that a dispute among neighbors ended with swordplay and injury.
The victim suffered lacerations to his arm and was transported to the hospital. The man suspected of wielding the sword, Donald Wayne Miller, 36, also suffered some cuts to his face.
Miller was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and for having nine warrants for failure to appear in court and failing to pay fares to Sacramento Regional Transit District.
A judge today sentenced an Oak Park man who blew up his next door neighbor's house and nearly killed four firefighters to 17 years in prison.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Marjorie Koller said Robert William Durst's "vile act" stamped him as a "serious danger to society." She further characterized the 46-year-old defendant's suggestion to investigators that the four firefighters were responsible for their own injuries as "despicable."
Jurors last month found Durst guilty of arson for the 9:47 a.m. blast on July 5, 2010, that injured the firefighters who were responding to a report of a heavy gas leak on 25th Avenue. They also convicted him of two theft-related charges on items stolen from the house he destroyed, as well as being an ex-con in possession of a firearm.
A man and woman were taken into custody after gunshots were fired during a police pursuit this morning in Sacramento County.
The incident began about 8:10 a.m. in the Arden Arcade area when police tried to pull over the driver of a suspected stolen pickup.
Officers followed the suspects to a neighborhood near Howe Avenue and Highway 50 where gunshots rang out, although a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said that it was unclear if officers fired or if the suspects in the pickup fired a weapon. The spokeswoman also said the pickup came dangerously close to ramming officers.
Officers then chased the suspect vehicle to the South area. Near French and Gerber roads, the suspects in the pickup ran from officers.
Eventually, after nearly two hours of searching, both a man and a woman were taken into custody. Their names were not immediately available.
Photo caption:Sheriff's deputies and a K9 dog search fort suspects at the Cedarwood mobile home park on Gerber Road in Sacramento Tuesday morning. Photo by Randy Pench / rpench@sacbee.com
The CALSTAR air ambulance company based at McClellan Park in North Highlands has added a large, high-flying patient transport plane to its fleet.
The non-profit air-ambulance provider, which serves patients from Santa Barbara to Mendocino to South Lake Tahoe, has acquired a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, which in its former life was a corporation jet.
The aircraft is powered by two turbine engines, boasts a maximum service altitude of 35,000 feet and can cruise at speeds of more than 345 mph.
The body of Sacramento firefigher William Porter was recovered this afternoon from Camp Far West Lake near Wheatland in south Yuba County, Yuba County Sheriff's officials said.
Porter's body was recovered by sheriff's searchers about 4:15 p.m. in about 100 feet of water near the center of the lake, said Yuba County Sheriff's Deputy Matt Crippen.
Porter, 58, was assigned as a fire engine driver at Station 6 in Oak Park, one of the city's busiest firehouses. He joined the department in 2002, and also played a role with an urban search and rescue team as a logistics manager and transportation specialist.
He was reported missing when he didn't return from a fishing trip at the reservoir on May 9.
Folsom police and paramedics were responding to a call late Monday of bicyclists reportedly struck by a hit-and-run motorist, according to information on the California Highway Patrol's website.
It was immediately unknown how many bicyclists were involved the 9:20 p.m. incident near the Folsom Boulevard offramp on eastbound Highway 50
Sacramento County sheriff's homicide detectives are asking the public's help in locating a missing vehicle that belonged to a man found dead inside his burned apartment Sunday.
Stephen Sieck, 60, was found dead Sunday afternoon in his apartment in the 200 block of Selby Ranch Road in the Arden Arcade area. Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said investigators have determined that Sieck was the victim of a homicide.
Assistant Chief Walt White of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said fire investigators have determined that the fire was intentionally set.
The Yuba County Sheriff's Department has arrested a 27-year-old man in connection with several commercial break-ins that occurred Saturday morning in Olivehurst.
Authorities said Keith Cook, who is homeless, was taken into custody later in the day when a deputy saw him walking in East Linda. Cook was in possession of an item allegedly stolen from the Cinco de Mayo Restaurant, one of the targeted businesses, officials said.
Deputies received the first of the burglary reports just before 2 a.m. Saturday. Responding to an alarm at Hometown Burger in the 4700 block of Olivehurst Avenue, deputies found that someone had pried open a door of the business. The owner later determined that the cash register had been stolen, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.
A 54-year-old man from North San Juan died this afternoon when the vehicle he was driving crashed into a tree along Highway 49 near the Nevada County community of Sweetland.
CHP Officer Justin Barnhouse said the crash was reported shortly before 2:30 p.m. at Pleasant Valley Road and Highway 49 and involved a single vehicle.
The driver, the only occupant, was partially ejected from the vehicle. A motorist who came upon the scene was able to pull the man away from the vehicle before it caught fire.
A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Frank William Rackley of two counts of rape and other charges in the sexual attacks of two prostitutes, including a 17-year-old girl the DA's office had arrested to ensure her appearance in court.
Attorney Lisa M. Franco, who represented the juvenile victim-witness, said the girl who never wanted to testify but did anyway has "already started moving on with her life." Now in foster care, the girl is enrolled in school, going to the gym and thinking about going to college, according to Franco.
"She's a strong girl and she's recovering from this," Franco said. The ordeal of the girl's arrest and incarceration for 27 days to make sure she showed up in court -- and ultimately to testify, even though she did not have to -- "is definitely something that has caused her to get to a better place," Franco said.
In her trial testimony, the girl, whose name is being withheld by The Bee because she is a sexual assault victim, said she was working as a prostitute last July 22 when she got into Rackley's car on a Watt Avenue stroll. She said they never discussed money. She said when Rackley tore into her, she told him to stop. She testified that Rackley responded by saying, "Shut up..., or I'll slap you."
Deputy District Alan Van Stralen said, "I thought she did fantastic" on the witness stand.
One juror interviewed after the verdict told reporters that the panel was able to get past the lies the girl told police when they first questioned her. The juror also said a few other members of the panel also had concerns about the fact she was working as a prostitute at the time of her rape. But he said they still were able to focus on her courtroom testimony and find it credible.
"When it came down to the actual charges, we believed what she said," said the juror, William Anderson, 70.
Assistant Public Defender Ricahrd Berson said he was disappointed in the verdict.
"I continue to believe that Mr. Rackley was not guilty," he said.
Judge Greta Curtis Fall scheduled Rackley's sentencing for June 22.
Bodie, the Sacramento police dog shot Friday by a man during a pursuit, was up and walking for a brief period Sunday.
"I saw his handler with him. They were out on the grass for a few minutes," Sacramento Police spokeswoman Officer Michele Gigante said today. "He is doing surprisingly well for the critical injuries that he sustained. We're still very hopeful of a full recovery."
Bodie was shot twice through the left jaw and once in the paw. He is being treated at Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center in Rancho Cordova, where he underwent surgery.
A young woman who was killed Saturday when the automobile she was driving went off Power Inn Road and crashed into a utility pole has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.
She was identified as Brianna Farrar, 22, of Elk Grove.
The California Highway Patrol reports that Farrar was headed south on Power Inn near Gerber Road at about 4:45 a.m., traveling at about 55-60 mph, when her car left the road for unknown reasons and crashed, said CHP Sgt. Sean Duryee.
Cellphone distraction may have been a factor in the crash, as there was a call taking place on the phone in the woman's car at the time of the accident, Duryee said.
Authorities don't know what caused a plane to nose-dive into a Sutter County rice field this morning, killing the crop-duster pilot.
The plane crashed about 6:30 a.m. into the muddy field near the town of Nicolaus and Highway 70.
The single-engine airplane lifted off with about 1,000 pounds of zinc fertilizer. Once the aircraft arrived at the field, the pilot made several passes in which he dropped the supplement.
An ex-convict recently released from state prison was arrested Sunday after a dangerous flight from police, Woodland authorities said.
Police attempted to pull over Kevin Lee McClean, 26, of Woodland about 4:30 p.m. Sunday for not wearing a seatbelt, but he sped away, driving through stop signs and red lights at speeds that reached 70 mph, according to a police press release.
Eventually, McClean slowed to about 15 mph and jumped out of the Jeep Cherokee he was driving. A woman in the passenger seat also bailed.
Police and fire officials are jointly investigating a suspicious death that occurred Sunday in connection with an apartment fire in Sacramento's Arden neighborhood.
The incident began at about 5 p.m. Sunday when Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District units were called to a fire at the Selby Ranch Apartments near the intersection of Watt Avenue and American River Drive. Upon arrival, they found that the fire had already extinguished itself, and the damage was limited to a single apartment.
But in that apartment, they found the burned body of a male adult.
"There is no obvious cause of the fire, and it's unknown whether or not this person died as a result of the fire or by some other means," said Sacramento County Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.
A robbery suspect shot by a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy on Saturday has been identified as Timothy Michael Miranda, 21, of North Highlands.
The identity was released Sunday afternoon by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.
Miranda was shot at about 6:15 a.m. Saturday after allegedly fleeing from officers on his motorcycle. Officials said the suspect had stopped the motorcycle abruptly in the 7300 block of Hutchins Way, then fled on foot.
The supect later stopped running and turned to face pursuing officers with his hands in his waistband, officials said. It was then that he was shot by a pursuing officer at least once in the upper body, deputies said.
A man matching the suspect's description is believed to have committed three robberies in Antelope and North Highlands early Saturday morning.
A man fleeing police when he was killed Friday amid gunfire in the Land Park neighborhood has been identified as 33-year-old Lucus J. Webb of Chico, Sacramento County Coroner's officials said Sunday.
Police briefly pursued Webb just before 10 a.m. Friday after an officer tried to pull him over in what is believed to have been a stolen vehicle near Broadway and 24th Street.
Officers again saw the car in the Land Park area as its two occupants were walking away. Police chased them again, this time into the back of a home near Robertson Way and Riverside Boulevard. The male suspect then turned and shot the pursuing police dog, police said.
A 26-year-old man killed in a car accident Saturday on Highway 50 has been identified as Devin Alimena, a Mather resident.
The accident happened early Saturday on eastbound Highway 50 near 65th Street. Alimena was the driver of a Jeep Cherokee that drifted into the center divider of the highway, then spun after striking an unoccupied Dodge van that had been left in the center divider.
A Nissan hit the Jeep broadside after attempting to steer around debris in the road. The driver of the Nissan suffered minor injuries.
A suspected drunken driver refused police warnings to stop his car and then sped off, losing control of the vehicle less than a half mile away and smashing into a parked car and a home, Auburn Police said today.
Police arrested Ross Levin for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was taken into custody at the site of the crash on Vista Del Monte shortly after 1:30 a.m. today. A male passenger was released without charges.
Police reported that officers had responded to a report of a loud party on Buckeye Court when two officers standing outside their cars saw the suspect drive through an intersection without stopping for the stop sign.
Police have identified a female suspect arrested Friday during a shooting in the Land Park neighborhood that left a male suspect dead and a police dog badly wounded.
Leslie McCulley, 28, of Chico was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on charges of possessing a stolen vehicle, possessing a handgun and negligent discharge of a firearm, Sacramento police said in a news release.
She may have accidentally fired off a round in the vehicle sometime before police contact, authorities said.
A 26-year-old man was killed in an odd crash on Highway 50 early today.
The man, a resident of Mather who was not identified, apparently allowed his Jeep Cherokee to drift into the center divide on the eastbound side of the highway near 65th Street in Sacramento.
The Jeep struck the right rear of an unoccupied Dodge van that had been parked in the divide and spun, coming to rest across the lane of traffic.
A 22-year-old woman was killed today when the Saturn automobile she was driving went off Power Inn Road and crashed into a utility pole at high speed, the California Highway Patrol reports.
The woman was headed south on Power Inn near Gerber Road at about 4:45 a.m., traveling at about 55-60 mph, when her car left the road for uncertain reasons and crashed, said CHP Sergeant Sean Duryee.
Cell phone distraction may have been a factor in the crash, as there was a call taking place on the phone in the woman's car at the time of the accident, Duryee said.
Sacramento police K-9 Bodie is still in stable but critical condition after being shot Friday in a confrontation with an auto theft suspect, officials said Saturday.
The suspect was shot and killed by the officer handling Bodie after the dog was shot.
The suspect has not been identified, nor has a female arrested in connection with the car theft.
Bodie received another transfusion overnight. He is being treated by the Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center in Rancho Cordova.
Bodie, the Sacramento Police Dog that was shot by a suspect yesterday, rests at the VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center in Rancho Cordova. His condition has been upgraded from critical to serious and stable. May 19, 2012. Sacramento Bee/Autumn Cruz
A suspect in an early morning string of robberies in Antelope and North Highlands was shot and killed by a veteran deputy this morning, after the suspect turned and reached for his waistband, according to Deputy Jason Ramos, spokesman for the Sacramento Sheriff's Department.
It is not yet known whether the suspect was armed, but robbery reports included information that he had simulated a weapon, Ramos said.
The incident began to unfold before 5 a.m. when officials received a report of a robbery at a 7-11 store.
The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint at Meadowview Road and Amherst Street in the Meadowview area Saturday night.
Beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing for five to seven hours, motorists traveling through the checkpoint will be contacted by uniformed officers, who will check for drivers under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. They also will check to make sure all drivers have a valid driver's license.
The checkpoint it intended to promote public safety, increase awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving, and to serve as a deterrent to potential impaired and unlicensed drivers.
Funding for the program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Several homes were threatened by a grass fire that burned into a eucalyptus grove in an area south of Wilton, off Clay Station Road, late this afternoon.
Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that as of about 7 p.m., the fire had burned about 10 acres, but it was no longer advancing. He said firefighters would be on scene for several hours mopping up hot spots.
The fire burned to the edge of one residential property, and Berlant said the home was spared because of excellent defensible space.
Woodland police are searching for the assailants after two men were injured in separate incidents Thursday.
At 5:46 p.m., police officers were dispatched to the area of East Main Street and the Highway 113 overpass. Witnesses said a white man with a shaved head had kicked another man in the face at a bus stop causing serious injuries, according to a Police Department news release. The suspect fled before police arrived.
Officers found a 43-year-old man bleeding from facial injuries. He was taken to Woodland Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Bodie, the police dog shot while trying to apprehend a suspect in Land Park this morning, faces a long recovery if he survives.
The dog, pictured at left, was reported in critical but stable condition and undergoing surgery.
Sgt. Steve Oliveira, supervisor of the canine unit for the Sacramento Police Department, said the three-year-old German Shepherd was in surgery as of 12:30 p.m., a couple of hours after he was shot by an auto theft suspect at Riverside Boulevard and Robertson Way.
The suspect died when Bodie's officer handler returned fire and a female suspect was taken into custody.
The gunshot suffered by Bodie hit the left side of the dog's face, shattering his jaw and injuring his tongue.
After he was shot, his handler-officer returned fire, killing the suspect. The officer then scooped up Bodie and transported him to a veterinary office.
Oliveira said that Bodie's jaw would either have to be wired so that the fracture can "heal in place" or put in a metal plate.
"He will be out of commission for a while," said Oliveira. "He is not out of the woods at this point. He's lost a lot of blood."
A police chaplain and the wife of the officer-handler is at the veterinary office. The dog lives with the officer's family.
Photo caption: Sacramento Police K9 officer Linda Matthew closes the door on Bodie's K9 patrol car at the VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center in Sacramento on Friday, May 18, 2012. Police dog, Bodie, was shot during a pursuit of an alleged auto thief.
Video Caption:General, Orthopedic, and Neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Runyan briefs members of the press at the VCA Sacramento Veterinary Referral Center in Sacramento on Friday, May 18, 2012. "Bodie," a Sac PD Canine officer, was shot during a pursuit of a suspected criminal. The dog's handler returned fire. Bodie was said to be in critical, but stable condition.
Video Caption:Sacramento Police Officer Andrew Pettit delivers information on the shooting.
A Chico man is dead and a Sacramento police canine recovering after shots were fired in the Land Park neighborhood this morning.
The incident, which began about 10:30 a.m., prompted a precautionary lockdown at Crocker-Riverside Elementary on Riverside Boulevard. The lockdown has since been lifted, and students will be let out at the usual time unless a parent requests his or her child to be released early.
The name of the suspect who allegedly shot the police dog and then was fatally shot by the dog's officer has not been released. However, police have identified him as a white man in his 30s from Chico.
Police have the man's alleged accomplice, a woman in her 20s also from Chico, in custody, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit.
The ordeal began when officers tried to pull over a car that had been reported stolen, and the driver failed to yield, Pettit said. A pursuit ensued, but was called off after police feared it was getting too dangerous - the driver nearly hit several young children while fleeing from officers, Pettit said.
A description of the suspects and the stolen vehicle was broadcast to other officers, and officers spotted the vehicle near California Middle School. They also saw two people that matched the suspect descriptions walking away from the car, Pettit said.
When officers tried to make contact with the two people, they ran, and officers pursued on foot. At one point, the male suspect turned and fired at a police dog pursuing him, hitting him in the face and paw.
Fearing for his life and the safety of others, Pettit said, the officer returned fire, striking the suspect. The officer then picked up the dog, a German Shepherd named Bodie, and carried him to a patrol car.
The SWAT team was called out to try and make contact with the suspect, who was lying in a backyard at Robertson Way and Riverside Boulevard. Police believed the suspect to be injured, but had to take precautions because they believed him to be armed, Pettit said.
Eventually, paramedics were able to examine the suspect, and he was pronounced dead, Pettit said.
The female suspect, who has not yet been identified, was arrested. Nobody else was harmed.
Morning kindergarteners were released to anxiously waiting parents at about noon. Afternoon kindergarten classes were cancelled, but the school's annual fundraiser, the Spring Jubilee, is still going on tonight as planned.
Bodie, the police dog, is expected to survive.
Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038. Follow her on Twitter @Kim_Minugh.
A woman standing near a market in Oak Park had her cell phone snatched from her hand -- but police were later able to recover it.
The woman was talking on the phone in the 3400 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard about 7:45 p.m. Thursday when a man came up from behind and attempted to pull the cell phone away.
She held on to the phone in a struggle with the man who dragged her a short distance. Eventually, the phone was wrested from her grip and the suspect fled on a bicycle with the cell phone.
Later, an observant Sacramento police officer spotted a man matching the description of the cell phone thief and arrested Joseph Stanley, 37, on suspicion of possession of the stolen phone, robbery and a parole violation.
Convicted rape-murderer Sylvester Griffin was sentenced today to life in prison with no possibility of parole for the Dec. 21, 2009, sex killing of Alice Lynn Murphy in her Folsom senior-living apartment.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Greta Curtis Fall called the asphyxiation murder of the 64-year-old victim "depraved" and "unconscionable." Griffin, 43, said in a probation report that he had been in a relationship with Murphy and that somebody else killed her. The judge said in court that Griffin is a "serious danger" to society.
A friend found Murphy's body in the bedroom of her apartment on Creekside Drive in Folsom. Griffin, a medical transport driver with a long criminal record out of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, had a client who lived in the same complex. He left California for South Carolina a month after the killing and was later arrested there.
A man was arrested after he fired a gun within city limits while teaching his son and nephew how to shoot in the backyard.
Tracy Miranda, 36, was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment, according to a police activity summary. Police said they got a call about 6:30 p.m. Thursday regarding shots being fired in the backyard of a home on Leitch Avenue in the Noralto neighborhood near Norwood Avenue.
When they arrived at the home, officers found a handgun and rifle. Police said that Miranda was showing his son and nephew how to fire a gun by shooting it into the ground in the yard.
A homeowner stopped the burglary of his home on Thursday and called police, which eventually led to the arrest of two Truckee residents.
The homeowner arrived at his home about 8 a.m. Thursday in the Tahoe Donner subdivision to see a man and a woman removing items from his garage. The homeowner parked his vehicle as the couple got into a pickup and sped away.
The homeowner then called 911 and tried to follow but lost sight of the suspects.
A man is dead after Grass Valley police opened fire after a high-speed chase last night.
The man, described as being in his early 60s, was shot to death near the Bear River Bridge in Nevada County on Thursday.
A Grass Valley police press release said the incident began with a call to dispatch about 7 p.m. that reported at least one vehicle was chasing another near East Main Street and North Auburn Street. Also, the caller said, one of the parties may have a gun.
Three men convicted of attacking three people in Lowe's parking lot in West Sacramento in 2010 have been sentenced to prison.
Jose Antonio Duran and Salvador Benjamin Vasquez Jr., both 20 years old, and Joseph Vincent Sisneros, 21, attacked a Starbucks employee and UC Davis student who they saw eating in his car in the Lowe's parking lot about 10 p.m. April 19, 2010. The three men, all of whom a Yolo County jury found to be active Norteno gang members, took the victim's iPod, wallet and keys, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. The men then beat the victim, causing two facial fractures, while he begged them to stop, officials said.
The men were laughing and shouting "Norte," the name of their gang, which caught the attention of four Lowe's employees as the exited the store. One of the employees, a U.S. Army reservist, approached the scene of the assault and attempted to call police. He was then targeted by the men, who threatened to shoot him and chased him away.
Elk Grove police police are searching for a teenage boy in connection with the stabbing another teenage youth this afternoon.
Police spokesman Officer Christopher Trim said police were called to Tares Circle, south of Whitelock Parkway, at 3:38 p.m. regarding an assault. They found a boy, 16 to 18 years old, with multiple stab wounds to his stomach and chest.
The youth was transported to a hospital. In a late afternoon update, Trim said the teenager's injuries were not life-threatening and were described as superficial..
A man authorities dubbed the "El Camino Real Bandit" has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for three bank robberies, including two in the Sacramento region.
Robert Todd Bruce, 51, of Arroyo Grande on the Central Coast was sentenced today in federal court in Sacramento to 12 years and seven months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release for serial bank robbery. He also was ordered to pay restitution to the banks, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.
According to court documents, Bruce was sentenced for three bank robberies. He admitted that he committed additional bank robberies that were prosecuted in various state courts in California.
Scrap metal thieves are flush with success after taking a toilet part from a fast food urinal in Roseville.
On May 10, according to a Roseville police crime report, two men entered a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on Sunrise Avenue about 2 p.m. While one acted as a lookout, the other went into the men's restroom.
Once inside, the thief removed the control valve for a urinal. The two men then left the restaurant and rode off on bicycles.
The Nevada County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a woman reported Wednesday morning at a residence in the community of French Corral.
Deputies responded to a call in the 20000 block of California Street about 7 a.m. They received confirmation of the death while en route.
The cause of death has not been determined, but because of evidence at the scene, it is being investigated as a suspicious death, according to a Sheriff's Office news release. The name of the woman has not been released pending notification of family.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District officials said the response downtown this morning by fire personnel downtown was due to failing underground electrical equipment and not a blown transformer.
Earlier reports from police officials indicated that a transformer had blown proved to be inaccurate.
Crews are working to fix the failing equipment underground near Eighth and H streets. No power failure was reported.
A woman struck in an Arden Arcade crosswalk while pushing her bicycle has died.
The California Highway Patrol reported that Diane Bindernagel, 55, of Sacramento was crossing the street at Arden Way and Morse Avenue on April 29 at about 10:30 p.m. A car driving eastbound on Arden Way at about 35 mph struck Bindernagel as she pushing her bike in the marked crosswalk.
A CHP officer reported that the pedestrian symbol was on, making it permissible for Bindernagel to push her bike across the street at the intersection. For an unknown reason, the driver failed to stop for the red light on eastbound Arden Way.
After the collision, the driver continued eastbound on Arden, but later returned to the scene and waited for the CHP. The CHP said the driver is suspected of running the red light and that the accident investigation is on-going.
The Sacramento County Coroner's office reported that Bindernagel was pronounced dead on Saturday.
Taken into custody after an all-night standoff in West Sacramento, a woman who allegedly held her mother against her will, then slit her own wrists, became a fugitive for a short time Thursday morning.
Melissa Dodd, 38, briefly escaped from a police interrogation room about 9:15 this morning, said Sgt. Nathan Steele. He said the woman was left alone briefly in the room, which had two doors. One was locked, but the other had been improperly secured. He said she was recaptured within minutes.
According to West Sacramento Lt. Tod Sockman, a call for medical aid was received for a home on Marston Street about 7 p.m. Wednesday. As the father, who has health issues, was being loaded into an ambulance, his daughter, Dodd, stormed back into the home and locked her mother out of the house.
Woodland police chased a parolee last night, eventually taking him into custody and throwing the book at him.
The incident began about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday when police tried to pull over a driver in the 500 block of Cottonwood Street for a violation involving equipment on his vehicle. The vehicle pulled into a nearby parking lot and the driver bailed, fleeing into an apartment complex.
Officers developed information that the driver was probably Juan Mora, 26, a parolee who lived nearby. Police went to his apartment and knocked on the door but received no response.
The front door was barricaded but officers eventually entered and checked the apartment with the assistance of a police dog. Inside, they found Mora.
He was taken into custody unbitten and arrested on suspicion of possession of metal knuckles, resisting an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving without a license and driving without insurance. He was also arrested on suspicion of burglary of a vehicle, a charge related to another officer's independent investigation.
Sacramento County sheriff's detectives are investigating the possibility that a missing toddler who hasn't been seen since April of last year was given to a mysterious woman in Reno about that same time.
Detectives continue to sort through conflicting and sometimes nonsensical statements by Dwight Stallings' mother, Tanisha Edwards, who is in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail.
Authorities said Edwards has told them that "Baby Dwight" is dead, that she gave the him away, and that he was kidnapped.
A Sacramento County jury has convicted a 49-year-old man of a 2011 carjacking near the Florin Road light-rail station.
District Attorney Jan Scully announced today that Willie Weaver was found guilty of carjacking and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On April 14, 2011, Weaver exited a light-rail train at the Florin Road station and walked into a nearby Walgreens store. Shortly after he arrived, a woman pulled her car into a parking space in front of the store. Weaver approached her on foot and demanded her keys. Following a short struggle, Weaver wrested the woman's keys from her hand, pushed her to the ground and drove off with her car, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.
Sacramento real estate agent Behrooz Badie has been convicted of of mail fraud in a mortgage fraud case.
A federal jury in Sacramento found Badie, 53, guilty of 13 counts of mail fraud following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Garcia, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.
According to evidence presented at trial, Badie, with co-defendants Derek Davis and Dino Rosetti, participated in a scheme to defraud mortgage lenders from June 2005 to December 2006. Davis and Rosetti previously pleaded guilty in the case.
A sketch was released by the Sacramento Sheriff's Department on Wednesday of a man who pulled a woman into a wooded area and threatened to sexually assault her after her car had broken down.
The woman was parked on Verner Avenue near Greenback Lane about 8 p.m. May 7 when she was approached by a man who initially offered to help her. When she turned down assistance, he pulled her a short distance into a wooded area.
Once there, the man, who had a large knife in a sheath at his side, exposed himself and said he intended to sexually assault her. Luckily, the attack was interrupted by the arrival of the victim's friend, which caused the attacker to flee.
A search was conducted but the man was not found.
He was described as a black man about 40 years old, approximately 6 feet 4 inches tall, weighing 220 pounds. He had short, curly hair and a full beard.
He was described as wearing a dirty, white t-shirt and camouflage pants.
Anyone who recognizes the man depicted in the sketch is asked to call the Sheriff's Sex Assault Bureau, (916) 874-5070.
A suspected tagger from Citrus Heights was arrested Tuesday night for allegedly defacing freeway signs in the Oak Park-Curtis Park area.
Timothy Navarro, 20, was booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of felony vandalism.
At about 10:45 p.m. a citizen reported that somebody was spray painting graffiti on the freeway signs on Highway 99 near 12th Avenue. Responding California Highway Patrol officers saw fresh graffiti on northbound and southbound signs -- and a man standing on a highway sign catwalk.
The CHP requested help from the Sacramento Police Department and shortly after 11 p.m., city officers had somebody who matched the tagger's description. CHP officers responded and took the suspect, Navarro, into custody.
The CHP said in a press release that Navarro had fresh paint on his clothing and hands.
West Sacramento police say that a formerly missing 82-year-old woman has been found.
Georgina Crespo had was last been seen at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday when she left her home in the Southport neighborhood to go for a walk. Today, about 10:45 a.m., she was located in good condition and is now home.
The public is invited to join the Roseville police and fire department for a day of community safety activities at the Westfield Galleria Mall this Saturday. The event, which runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. includes ladder truck, K9, SWAT, auto extraction demonstrations.
West Sacramento police need help in finding an 82-year-old woman missing since Monday.
Georgeina Crespo was last seen at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday when she left her home in the Southport neighborhood to go for a walk. When she failed to return home at 10:45 p.m., family members called the police department to report her missing.
She is known to visit the area of Southport Town Center Plaza. Crespo has made statements that she might make an attempt to travel to Texas, according to a police press release.
She is described as Hispanic, 5 feet tall, 105 pounds, gray hair and hazel eyes. When last seen, she was wearing a beige sweatshirt, jeans and was carrying a green bag.
The number of drivers cited for using their cell phones while driving in April was up over a year earlier.
The California Highway Patrol and 265 local police agencies last month handed out more than 57,000 tickets to drivers who were using a hand-held cell phone or texting. The compares to 52,000 tickets issued in April 2011.
"Unfortunately, we're seeing that the problem of cell phone use for talking and texting while driving is not going away anytime soon," said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the state Office of Traffic Safety.
His office has conducted an advertising campaign that has included the "Don't Be a Distracted Driving Zombie" television commercials that emphasize how up to 37 percent of brain power needed for driving gets switched to cell phone talking.
A Butte County deputy has been arrested on suspicion of agreeing to meet a minor for sex after a sting conducted by the district attorney's office.
Deputy Earl Klapperich, 27, was arrested Friday by investigators from the Butte County District attorney's office. His arrest came after a complaint filed April 14 over the way Klapperich handled a call involving two reported runaway teens.
The complaint alleged inappropriate conduct on the part of the deputy toward the girls, one 16 years old, the other 14 years old.
The sheriff's department brought in the district attorney's office and an undercover operation began. The sting involved investigators posing as a 14-year-old girl.
A two-alarm fire reported this evening caused extensive smoke damage to a Western Dental building in the Florin area.
Assistant Chief Niko King of the Sacramento Fire Department said the fire started and was largely confined to a treatment room on the first floor of the two-story building at 4401 Florin Road, just east of Franklin Boulevard. He said the room was on the west side of the building and the fire burned largely in the area of a dental chair and surrounding equipment.
King said about 55 firefighters responded to the call and were able to contain the fire within about 10 minutes. But he said much of the building suffered smoke damage.
The Placer County Sheriff's Office is accepting sign-ups for its annual Ride With Pride, a one-day camp that pairs elementary school children with deputies and their horse partners.
Youngsters may choose to attend the camp one of four days -- June 18, 19, 20 or 21 -- at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn.
Members of the Sheriff's Office, all with equestrian experience, have developed a program to acquaint children with the care, handling and riding of horses. The camp, offered free of charge, is open to children age 7 to 12.
A judge today imposed the expected 18-year, four-month term -- with a chance of lifetime in a mental hospital -- on Sacramento State student Quran Jones for the Oct. 21, 2009, beating death of his dormitory roommate.
Clinicians who had treated Jones, 22, after his fatal attack on fellow student Scott Gregory Hawkins stated that they believe the defendant was in a full-blown psychotic decompensation at the time of the killing. But that did not detract from the grief expressed by the victim's parents at the Sacramento Superior Court sentencing hearing.
"I miss my son," Elizabeth Hawkins said in her statement to the court. "I miss him every waking moment of every day. Sleep is no relief. So many of my dreams are endless nightmares of his brutal death."
A federal jury in Sacramento today convicted a man with a criminal record and a history of deportation of illegal re-entry to the United States.
Nicasio Roman of Mexico was found guilty after a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller.
According to testimony presented at trial, Roman had been deported three times. He also had been convicted in Stanislaus County Superior Court in 2006 of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.
Roman is to be sentenced by Judge Mueller on Aug. 1.
A Carmichael man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Sacramento to one count of sharing child pornography via a peer-to-peer file-sharing network over the Internet.
According to court documents, on Nov. 20, 2010, an undercover agent was able to download child pornography from a computer that was later traced to Dustin Cassady, 31. During a search of his residence, Cassady admitted that he had numerous images and videos of child pornography, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.
Cassady is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A Mendez on Aug. 28.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
A free community safety event in Rancho Cordova on Saturday will bring together first responders and others.
The "Proven Insurance Services Community Safety Saturday" occurs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Proven Insurance headquarters, 2721 Citrus Road. Among the activities scheduled at the event sponsored by Capital Insurance Group:
- KlassKids Foundation will provide digital photo ID and fingerprint kits for children.
- The California Highway Patrol will operate a child safety/booster seat inspection station.
- Sacramento Police Department volunteers will provide safety information.
- Sacramento Metro Fire Department will bring along a fire engine.
- The California Department of Boating and Waterways will be encouraging safe boating practices with educational materials and by raffling off 30 life jackets.
- The American Red Cross will provide information on flood and earthquake preparedness and other information.
A raffle will be conducted at the end of the event with prizes such as a solar flashlight, emergency radio and a roadside emergency kit. In addition, four grand prize winners will be chosen to receive a Barnes & Noble Nook Simple Touch.
A teenager was shot Monday night during a robbery in a Sacramento Regional Transit light rail parking lot.
Sacramento police were called to the 47th Avenue station on the south line about 8 p.m. for a report of a shooting. Police were able to find out that a 16-year-old boy was walking home with friends when three males tried to take one of his friends' property.
The 16 year old tried to help his friend fend off the theft but was shot in the upper body by one of the robbers. The 16 year old was transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
An investigation is in progress, according to a police activity log.
A woman's cries for help last night in Woodland led police officers to the scene of an apartment house robbery.
Police said they were called to an apartment in the 1700 block of Sixth Street about 11 p.m. on a report of a woman screaming for help. When officers arrived they were told that two men came to the apartment and were allowed inside.
Once inside, the residents were robbed at gunpoint of cash, a purse and medical marijuana. The men then fled on foot.
The first suspect was described as black, about 24 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 165 pounds with short hair and a tattoo on the right side of his neck. He wore a red t-shirt.
The other robber was described as black, about 27 years old, 6 feet 1 inch tall, about 200 pounds and having braided hair. He was wearing a purple and white striped collared shirt.
Lodi police have arrested a couple for their part in the stabbing of a teen in the neck and back.
Police said the couple then fled with the woman's toddler in the car with them.
Police received a call about 12:30 a.m. today that a 19-year-old man at an apartment complex in the 2400 block of Eilers Lane had suffered a severe laceration to his throat and two stab wounds in his back.
The grandfather of a dead 2-year-old Roseville girl will be released today after spending the weekend in solitary confinement in Sacramento County's Main Jail after being arrested Friday for possession of child pornography.
Daniel McGrath, 58, told Roseville investigators about the pornography while he was being interviewed after his daughter Denise McGrath Wilder's arrest. Wilder was arrested for the murder of toddler McKinley Wilder, but no charges have been filed pending a toxicology report.
The stash of child porn includes approximately 3,000 images and videos on CDs, hard drives and VHS home movies, according to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. attorney's office.
Authorities sought to keep McGrath jailed without bail indefinitely, but his attorney Mark Reichel secured his release on a $200,000 bond.
"There are always two sides of every story," Reichel told reporters on the steps of the federal courthouse. He said the evidence described in the complaint was quite old, but that he has not had a chance to examine it.
Three Yuba County men were arrested Saturday for allegedly catching sturgeon illegally in the Bear River, then conspiring to sell the giant fish on the black market.
Wardens from the California Department of Fish and Game made the arrests after extensive surveillance of the suspects, which resulted from an anonymous tip.
They observed the suspects using illegal fishing gear to "snag" the sturgeon bodily, rather than tempting the fish to bite a lure, said Patrick Foy, a warden and spokesman for Fish and Game. The illegal gear included treble hooks larger than the 3/4-inch maximum legal size, he said, and weights placed below the hook, which is also illegal.
One of two suspected gunmen accused of murder in the June 22, 2009, shooting death of Sevon Boles in a south Sacramento area apartment building denied today that he had anything to do with the killing.
Authorities focused on Dominique Givens, 25, as a suspect in the Boles shooting after police in San Francisco arrested him in December 2009 with a gun that traced back to the fatal shooting at the Willow Pointe apartment complex on Sunnyslope Drive.
Under questioning from his attorney, Donald Manning, Givens said he bought the handgun a month before his arrest for $80 from co-defendant London Ramon Shaw, 24. Asked why he didn't tell that to San Francisco police when they arrested him, Givens testified, "You don't want to implicate people."
Sacramento police and prosecutors say that Givens and Shaw shot and killed Boles, 26, during an attempted robbery that involved apparently just a few grams of marijuana.
Gunshots rattled an east Sacramento neighborhood last night but nobody was injured.
The shooting occurred near 38th Street and McKinley Boulevard about 8:45 p.m. Police were told by the victim that he was seated on the porch when a sedan pulled up in front of the house.
Two people got out of the car and then got back into the vehicle. The car then pulled up a few feet and the passenger got out and began shooting at the porch-sitting victim and the house.
Neither the man on the porch nor a person inside the home were injured. The victim was not completely cooperative, police said.
Cameras on the cars of Sacramento County probation officers have snagged another stolen vehicle - this time a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
Cameras on two probation department cars automatically focus on license plates of cars and trucks as officers go about their regular duties on the streets of Sacramento County. More than 3,000 license plates can be scanned in an hour.
Every so often they get a hit, matching a vehicle with cars and trucks on a statewide list of stolen vehicles. Since April 2010, the department has found 193 stolen vehicles using the plate-matching technology.
A Sacramento police officer walked into a robbery at a convenience store and then had to defend himself against an attack by the perpetrator of the holdup.
In the end, the robber was booked into Sacramento County Jail. Marquiz Feagin, 36, was arrested on suspicion of robbery, resisting police and violating probation.
The incident occurred at the 7-11 store at West El Camino Avenue and Northgate Boulevard 7 a.m. Saturday. The officer, initially not knowing a robbery was taking place, quickly caught on and confronted Feagin.
A brawl between a group of teenage girls and women at a Rosemont apartment complex led to a stabbing Sunday when friends of one of the women returned to the scene for payback.
Sheriff's deputies received a call of a fight involving a half dozen girls and women at Cassandra Park Apartments on Cassandra Way about 6:45 p.m., said Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos. About 20 minutes later, a second call came in that a man had been stabbed in the leg and gunshots had been fired, Ramos said.
The man was not seriously injured, Ramos said.
Witnesses said one of the women in the fight left with a warning that she was coming back.
The woman returned minutes later with as many as five carloads of people. The group then ran into an apartment to find one of the women in the fight, said neighbor Dominique Idleman. She said the man was in the apartment when he was stabbed.
Soon after, the woman and friends returned to their cars, firing seven shots into the air before speeding away, Idleman said. Idleman and another neighbor, Andrew Gregory, rushed children away from the gunfire.
"We had to pull all the kids inside. It was just crazy," Idleman said.
"I've lived here 15 years, it had me scared," Gregory said. "Some Mother's Day," he said as deputies marked spent shell casings and continued to investigate the incident.
Ramos said sheriff's deputies stopped a car believed to have been involved in the incident and recovered a firearm. However, he said authorities have so far made no arrests.
Sacramento police responded to an unspecified call for service in the 7200 block of Greenhaven Drive before 5 a.m. today.
While police were there, a person unrelated to the original call backed into the patrol vehicle, causing minor damage, accord to the Sacramento activity log.
The driver was found to be intoxicated and was arrested for driving under the influence.
Sacramento police responded to a call early today after a woman woke up in her College Glen home and found a stranger in her bedroom.
The woman's son was able to detain the man, described as a 19-year-old African American.
When officers arrived, they discovered that the intruder "was intoxicated and entered the wrong home," according to the entry in the Sacramento Police Department activity log.
The man was taken to a friend's home nearby at Sacramento State.
The grandfather of the 2-year-old whose mother was arrested in connection with her death has been arrested and is facing federal child pornography charges, the Roseville Police Department confirmed Friday.
Daniel McGrath, 58, told Roseville investigators about the pornography while he was being interviewed after his daughter's arrest. The stash of child porn includes approximately 3,000 images and videos on CDs, hard drives and VHS home movies, according to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. attorney's office.
Denise McGrath Wilder was arrested April 4 at her father's Diamond Oaks Road home after her 2-year-old daughter was found dead while in her care. She was reportedly intoxicated and could not explain what happened to her daughter McKinley Wilder, according to the complaint.
Wilder was released on her own recognizance and no charges have been filed.
During the investigation of McKinley's death, the Roseville Police Department sought and received a warrant to search McGrath's home.
"You are going to go on (the computer) and see some underage stuff," McGrath told investigators in a videotaped interview.
McGrath told investigators that he did not distribute the material and that is was from a user group from years ago.
The material on a hard drive not connected to McGrath's computer was created between 2002 and 2009 and was most recently accessed on March 31, 2012, according to a forensic analysis of the computer.
William E. Baker of Chico was sentenced to 18 months in prison today, in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme in 2007, the U.S. Attorney in Sacramento announced.
Baker inflated sales prices of five homes to secure large loans and then used the money as kickbacks to purchasers, according to a press release from the office of U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner.
Baker pleaded guilty and will have three years of supervised probation following his release.
A judge told carjack murder suspect Ryan Allan Hays today that he faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted in Sunday night's shooting death of Joseph Oropesa.
Hays, 25, did not enter a plea after Judge Tami R. Bogert told him that he's facing a capital murder charge. The judge referred to the special-circumstance allegation that Hays shot and killed the 19-year-old Oropesa during the course of a robbery. Besides murder, Hays also is facing carjacking and robbery charges.
An estimated 15 supporters of Hays showed up for his Sacramento Superior Court arraignment today for the first reading of the charges against him.
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