Sacto 9-1-1

Rocklin residents will have an opportunity to talk with members of the city's Police Department during three "Chat with the Chief" meetings.

The meetings are intended to provide valuable information to residents, promote new police programs and foster communication with people in the community, according to at Police Department news release.

All three meetings will be identical in content, featuring presentations and question-and-answer sessions led by Police Chief Ron Lawrence, Deputy Chief Dan Ruden and other police managers. During the sessions, the chief and his staff will solicit public comment on designing the the Police Department's strategic plan for fiscal year 2012-13, discuss the department's 2011 Annual Report, provide an overview of new police technology and offer strategies for reducing residential burglaries.

A resident of Cool died last night when his car ran off the road and hit a tree along Interstate 80 in Placer County.

Robert H. Atteberry, 66, was driving his sport utility vehicle westbound on I-80 near Rocklin Road about 8 p.m. when for unknown reasons his SUV swerved to the right, according to a press release from the California Highway Patrol.

His SUV then hit a large oak tree along the highway. Atteberry, who was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, died at the scene.

A 72-year-old man was arrested Tuesday morning, accused of lewd conduct in a Sierra Community College restroom.

About 11:15 a.m., Rocklin police youth services officers assigned full-time to the campus were notified that a man was using a mirror to look at another person while using the public restroom inside the college library, according to a Rocklin Police Department news release. The victim reported that while using the restroom, he saw a person in the stall next to him use a mirror to look at him.

Officers arrested Donald Jackson of Rocklin, who is not a student at the college. He was booked into Placer County Jail on suspicion of engaging in a lewd act in public; loitering in or around a public toilet for the purpose of engaging in or soliciting a lewd, lascivious or unlawful act; and using an instrument to view a person with the intent to invade the person's privacy.

Anyone with information regarding this or related incidents is asked to call the Rocklin Police Department at (916) 625-5400.

Rocklin police executed search warrants over the weekend that resulted in the arrests of two teenagers for burglary.

Officers served the warrants at two residences in the city on Saturday. The warrants stemmed from an investigation that began Feb. 26 when a home was burglarized on Ashland Court.

Both boys, ages 13 and 15, were booked into Placer County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy. Officers recovered electronic items during the searches.

The investigation continues for more suspects and stolen property.

By Ed Fletcher

efletcher@sacbee.com

The Roseville Police Department arrested a group of five teens and young adults Monday for a string of incidents in west Roseville, including an armed robbery and a residential burglary.

The two young adults, Jerome J. Said, 21, and Ronald James Williams, 19, both of Sacramento, were arrested for suspicion of robbery, burglary, and related charges.

A 17-year-old male and a 14-year-old male, both from Citrus Heights, and a 17-year-old girl from Antelope were also arrested and taken to Placer County Juvenile Hall.

The sting of alleged incidents began 11:22 a.m. Monday with a report of teens running from a burglarized home on Donnelly Court. Soon thereafter, a group of youth confronted a 14-year-old boy on Junction Bloulevard at Country Club Drive, striking him and forcibly taking his iPod.

Later, a 14-year-old girl reported that she was being followed by a group of older teens. The girl used her cellphone to call her mother, who called the police. The girl was unharmed.

Police officers contacted Said, Williams and the teens near Woodcreek Oaks and Junction boulevards at about 12:38 p.m. Monday and arrested without incident. Bail for Said was set at $110,000.

Williams, who was also wanted on a warrant for attempted murder in Sacramento County, was not granted bail.

Rocklin police have arrested a Sacramento man in connection with a December home burglary.

The break-in at a residence in the El Don Estates area was reported Dec. 9. Officers found several items of physical evidence that the department's evidence lab technicians tied to David Alan Foster (pictured), 24. He was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of burglary as well as a Plumas County warrant for violation of probation, according to a Police Department news release.

Foster is being held in Placer County Jail on $30,000 bail.

Reflecting the level of public concern about the rash of catalytic converter thefts, openings for the Rocklin Police Department's "Etch & Catch" event were filled within 24 hours after sign-ups began.

Police reported that they received more than 150 calls from interested people within the first 24 hours of announcing the Feb. 11 event. All 80 appointments have been filled. Drive-up participants will be accepted the day of the event, but only on a first-come, first-served basis if time and space allow, according to a Police Department news release.

The free etching event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Les Schwab Tires, 5610 Pacific St., Rocklin. Vehicle license plate numbers will be etched onto catalytic converters to aid police in identifying victims and prosecuting criminals in case of theft.

In response to a rash of catalytic converter thefts in south Placer County, the Rocklin Police Department, in cooperation with local businesses and organizations, has scheduled a free catalytic converter etching event Feb. 11.

In the first three weeks of this year, Rocklin police received 29 reports of catalytic converter thefts. Although some arrests have been made, such thefts continue to occur, according to a Police Department news release.

Catalytic converters, along with copper and other metals, have become a hot commodity among thieves. The catalytic converters are targeted because of their value, the relative ease of stealing them and their lack of identifying markings, police said. The lack of identification makes it difficult to identify victims and to successfully apprehend and prosecute criminals.

Rocklin police announced this afternoon that Rocklin resident Todd Dettner (pictured), who was reported missing Monday, has been located.

Police Tuesday evening requested the community's help finding Dettner, 47, who had not been seen since leaving his home Monday for his workplace in Citrus Heights.

The Rocklin Police Department seeks the public's help locating a 47-year-old man.

Police said Todd Dettner (pictured), 47, was last seen Monday when he left is Rocklin home for his workplace in Citrus Heights. He was driving a white 2010 Ford Taurus with California license plate 6LVT082.

Anyone with information regarding Dettner's whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the Rocklin Police Department at (916) 625-5400.

Planning a copper heist? Then it's a good idea to obey traffic laws during the getaway.

Rocklin police say they stopped a car shortly after 4:30 a.m. today on Pacific Street near Sunset Boulevard after seeing the driver commit an unspecified traffic violation.

Both the driver and his passenger were found to be on probation. In a search of the car, police found three copper water backflow devices, the department reported.

Police in Rocklin and Folsom are warning residents to take steps to protect their vehicles following a rash of catalytic converter thefts in recent days.

Rocklin police reported that at least 10 Toyota owners were victimized Tuesday night or early this morning. Hardest hit was the Pinnacles Drive area near South Whitney Boulevard, according to a Police Department news release.

In Folsom, police reported that 13 catalytic converters were stolen throughout the city Friday morning. All the targeted vehicles were Toyota trucks or sport utility vehicles.

Between them, two men are suspected of committing a wide variety of crimes on Sunday, Rocklin police said.

Included in the crimes the pair are suspected of committing: possible shoplifting, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a sawed-off shotgun and the theft of a classic car.

Police said the arrests began with a simple shoplifting call about 3 p.m. Sunday at the Kmart store, 5615 Pacific Street. The man suspected by store security had fled when officers arrived.

Rocklin police have issued a residential burglary alert, citing 60 residential burglaries in the city during the 120-day period from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.

Neighboring communities of Granite Bay and Loomis, as well as the cities of Folsom and Citrus Heights, also have seen an increase in burglaries involving similar methods such a as front doors kicked open and smashed rear sliding doors. In Granite Bay, 28 door-kick entries are being investigated, according to a Rocklin Police Department news release.

Officials urge residents to be alert to suspicious people and vehicles in neighborhoods. Anyone who observes suspicious activity of a crime in progress is advised to immediately call 911 or the Police Department's non-emergency line, (916) 625-5400.

Anyone with information about the burglaries or other crimes may call Michael Nottoli at (916) 625-5416. To remain anonymous, call the Placer County Crime Stoppers hotline at (800) 923-8191, or access the Tip 411 Program by logging onto www.rocklinpd.com and clicking on "Submit a Tip." Tipsters also may text the keyword ROCKLIN, followed by the tip information to 847411.

A 52-year-old Rocklin man has been arrested on child pornography charges.

A federal grand jury last week returned a four-count indictment charging Barry C. Steiber with sharing, receipt and possession of child pornography, according to a Department of Justice news release.

According to the indictment, in 2008 and 2009 Steiber amassed a collection of images depicting the sexual exploitation of children and traded those images with other people over the Internet. Court documents indicate that a computer recovered from his home in 2009 contained thousands of images of child pornography.

By Carlos Alcala

calcala@sacbee.com

A man was struck and killed while running on eastbound Interestate 80 in Loomis late Friday, Placer County Sheriff's officials reported.

A call came in one minute before midnight, said Sgt. Kurt Walker.

Witnesses said a male had been running between cars on the freeway just east of Horseshoe Bar Road before he was struck by multiple vehicles.

The trauma was so severe that age and ethnicity are unknown, and the man's identity has not been positively determined, Walker said.

A cat burglar entered a home and took the possessions of sleeping Rocklin residents this morning.

The burglar removed a screen and opened a window at the rear of a house in the 5200 block of Water Lily Lane between 12:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. today. Once inside, the burglar took several items while residents slept and then the thief left without being detected.

The thief may have entered the back yard by climbing a fence, Rocklin police said. The burglary was the second in the area since late November of an occupied dwelling, police said.

A large home in Placer County suffered heavy damage in an early morning fire.

A 911 call about 1:30 p.m. Monday alerted Cal Fire firefighters to the blaze at an approximately 3,500-square-foot house in the 3400 block of Amoruso Way. Firefighters could see flames light up the night sky as they left the firehouse near the Thunder Valley Casino.

Firefighters managed to save about 1,200-square-feet of the structure, which was well-involved in fire when engines arrived. Residents were not home when fire erupted, a Cal Fire spokeswoman said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A 49-year-old Rocklin woman was arrested Sunday after she allegedly robbed a local craft store.

Donna Marie Clayton was charged with robbery and resisting arrest after being picked up by Rocklin police at about 1:53 p.m. Sunday.

The incident began with a call to police from the Beads and Treasures store at 3101 Sunset Boulevard, authorities said.

The officer arrived and witnessed a woman matching the suspect description walking near the store, police said. The woman fled when approached by the officer and resisted arrest.

Once handcuffed, she was identified as the robber by a store employee, police said.

Rocklin police are trying to determine whether a man arrested earlier this week is connected with recent burglaries in the area.

On Monday, Rocklin detectives, with the assistance of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, arrested Tomas Gabriel Rios (pictured), 23, of Sacramento following a vehicle stop in Sacramento County.

Detectives recently had contacted Rios and found him to possess several items of suspected stolen property. An ongoing investigation led to the identification of several pieces of stolen property, including a police Taser and items from two residential burglaries in Sacramento and Placer counties, according to a Rocklin Police Department news release. Several dozen pieces of jewelry suspected of being stolen also were found in Rios' possession, police said.

Three people suspected of involvement in a counterfeiting ring were arrested early this morning in Rocklin.

Rocklin Police Lt. Terry Roide said the department has handled more than 20 counterfeit check cases in the last three months, and neighboring jurisdictions have been affected as well. Rocklin investigators have been working with the Sacramento Valley High Technology Task Force to identify individuals in what Roide characterized as a large-scale counterfeit operation.

In most cases, he said, the counterfeiters appear to have approached someone on the street and quickly prepared a counterfeit check for the individual to cash. Many of the checks were for business accounts and written for typical of those for payroll checks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Anita Creamer
acreamer@sacbee.com

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

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

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

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

It was with mixed feelings of pride and loss that George Smith learned that his son was awarded a Carnegie medal for extraordinary heroism.

It became official Tuesday that his son Nathan was the recipient of the honor. He was one of two residents of the Sacramento region who were awarded Carnegie medals for extraordinary acts of heroism.

One award went to Cameron C. Gilbert, a resident of Cool, for pushing away an attacker who stabbed another student at Sierra College. The other medal was awarded posthumously to Nathan N. Smith of Citrus Heights, who died trying to save his brother, Noel B. Smith, who also died, after falling through an ice-covered lake in Shasta County.

By Ed Fletcher
efletcher@sacbee.com

Rocklin Police announced Monday three suspects believed to be involved in knocking out 20 city light poles are in custody.

Darrell Allen Cooper, 41, and Justin Bryan Liddell, 32, both from Roseville, were arrested Sunday by Placer County sheriff deputies. The deputies noticed the men had a large amount of copper wiring in the bed of their pickup truck and notified surrounding agencies, including the Rocklin police.

A Roseville man was identified as the motorcyclist who crashed after a police chase last night.

The California Highway Patrol said that Erick Von Schelske, 42, died at the scene on Stanford Ranch Road when his motorcycle hit a tree.

A CHP press release said that at about 10 p.m. Wednesday night an oficer saw a motorcyclist traveling at a high rate of speed on Galleria Boulevard. The officer tried to pull him over, but the motorcyclist sped away, according to the CHP.

Schelske lost control and his motorcycle struck a tree in the center divider of Stanford Ranch Road, south of Cobblestone Drive, in Rocklin. Stanford Ranch Road was closed for about 5 hours for the crash investigation.

The name of a man who died after being hit by a recreational vehicle Monday on Highway 65 has been released by the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

He was identified as Jay Roberson, 46, of Sacramento.

Details of how Roberson ended up in the traffic lanes of Highway 65 near Sunset Boulevard in Rocklin were not available.

Southbound traffic was temporarily halted while the body was removed from beneath the RV. Roberson's vehicle was found with its hood up along the side of the road.

By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com

A man was struck and killed by a recreational vehicle this afternoon on Highway 65 near Sunset Boulevard in Rocklin.

Sgt. Jeff Swearingen of the Placer County Sheriff's department said the man might have encountered trouble with his vehicle, which was found with the hood up along the side of the road.

The Placer County District Attorney's Office has concluded that an off-duty sheriff's deputy did not commit a crime when he intercepted and shot a man who was being chased by Rocklin police.

The District Attorney's Office announced today that it has completed its review of the May 29 shooting of Sergey Pautov, 22 of Rancho Cordova, by Placer County Sheriff's Sgt. Vaness Bogardus. The review was based on information provided in Rocklin and Roseville police department reports, as well as an analysis of California law, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.

These materials established that officers, including Sgt. Bogardus, were advised that Pautov was a suspect who was wanted for a recent burglary and auto theft. Sgt. Bogardus and other officers were also aware that Pautov had been evading capture while driving a stolen vehicle in a reckless manner that endangered the public, including twice driving on the wrong side of the road, officials said. Pautov eventually abandoned the vehicle and began to run away.

Rocklin police today need help in finding for three young men who were seen fleeing from the site of a playground structure fire.

Rocklin police and the Rocklin Fire Department were called about 3 a.m. Sunday to a playground at Sunset East Park on Willowynd Drive. A witness reported seeing three white males in their late teens or early 20s fleeing the area around the time of the fire.

The suspects were dressed in t-shirts and shorts. They were seen getting into a dark green, late 1990s compact car.

The park playground equipment sustained more than $6,000 in damage. Anyone with information is asked to call Rocklin police at (916) 625-5400.

Two Sacramento region CHP airborne officers have been recognized for outstanding work.

Pilot Jeff Barbao and flight officer Jonathon Pierce have won the fixed wing operator of the year award sponsored by aircraft-maker GippsAero for the impact of their work.

Barbao and Pierce are assigned to the CHP Valley Division air unit based in Auburn. The division covers an area 160 miles in length and 130 miles wide, including Sacramento, Stockton and South Lake Tahoe.

Rocklin police are investigating a stabbing Friday that appears to have had no clear motive.

Police were called to the 5400 block of South Grove Street and found a woman who said she was attacked while in the parking area of an apartment complex.

She was transported to a hospital for treatment, but police had no information on the extent of her injuries or whether she was released.

The suspect was described as a Hispanic male, 5 feet 9 inches tall, with short hair and dark clothing.

Police were unable to locate the suspect in the complex.

Officials did not speculate on the motive and did not indicate what kind of weapon was used to stab the victim.

Traffic is slow on eastbound Interstate 80 near Newcastle after a pick-up truck towing a trailer crashed, spilling debris.

The pickup was traveling eastbound between Penryn and Newcastle at the Gilardi Road overcrossing about 4 a.m. when the driver lost control and hit a guardrail and bridge abutment.

The two slower lanes of the interstate were initially blocked. The slow lane is still blocked and may stay that way for most of the day to repair guardrail damage, according to a California Highway Patrol traffic website.

The crash damaged about 100 feet of guardrail. The driver was transported to a hospital with minor injuries.

Rocklin police are investigating a robbery today at Jasmine's Donuts.

Investigators said the suspect wore a blue bandana over his face and carried a black semi-automatic handgun when he entered the Sunset Boulevard doughnut shop around 8:22 a.m. The suspect demanded money, pushed the clerk and grabbed cash from the register, the police said in a press release.

Police described the suspect as a 6-foot black man with a slim build in his early 20s and wearing a hooded sweatshirt. They say he also tried to rob a customer who didn't have any money.

The Rocklin Police Department is heading into the city's neighborhoods Aug. 2 to celebrate the 28th annual National Night Out.

The department, along with fire department staff, city staff and city council members, is taking part in the national program that aims to increase awareness about crime prevention, support local crime prevention programs, and build partnerships among police departments and the communities they serve.

A 21-year-old Rocklin woman suffered major injuries Sunday night when her vehicle struck the concrete center median barrier on Interstate 80.

Hillary Cantrell was driving a white Chevy Silverado on westbound I-80, east of the Gilardi Road overcrossing northeast of Loomis about 10:55 p.m. She was traveling in the fast lane, when she made an unsafe turning movement, causing her vehicle to hit the median barrier, according to a California Highway Patrol news release. The impact caused the vehicle to overturn several times, ejecting Cantrell into the roadway.

She was airlifted to Sutter Roseville Medical Center by a CHP helicopter. A hospital spokeswoman said today that she is in critical condition.