Sacto 9-1-1

Citrus Heights police are investigating a drive-by shooting that injured a 19-year-old man late Monday, authorities said.

The teen suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot to his ankle, said Citrus Heights police Sgt. David Moranz. He was treated at a local hospital and released this morning.

Officers responded to reports of a drive-by shooting in the 6300 block of San Pablo Drive, near Greenback Lane and Mariposa Avenue, just before midnight Monday. Detectives are investigating the shooting, but have few leads and no suspects, Moranz said.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call police at (916) 727-5500.

Sacramento police have arrested a man who they say has made more than 100 calls to 911 in the past several weeks.

Jimmy Shao, 56, was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of falsely reporting an emergency and making annoying and harassing 911 calls.

Sixty of the 911 calls were transferred to the Sacramento Police Department. Dispatchers told the caller to stop dialing 911 because he had no emergency.

Police declined to comment on why Shao said he needed to phone 911.

A man shot last week when he allegedly attempted to rob a Carmichael pharmacy at gunpoint has been cleared to be booked into Sacramento County Jail.

Zechariah Abraham Scholes, 36, had been in the hospital since he was shot on Tuesday by a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy. His condition had improved enough so that on Sunday he was booked into jail on suspicion of kidnapping and robbery.

He is being held on $150,000 bail.

By Al Pierleoni
apierleoni@sacbee.com

The 27-year-old man who was shot to death early Saturday at the 4800 block of Baker Avenue has been identified as Atelea Matini Kaihea, a Pacific Islander, according to Sacramento County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos.

Another man, 22, was found at the scene near Stockton Boulevard. He had been shot once in the arm and was taken to a hospital. He has been identified as the victim's cousin, said Ramos.

"We have virtually no information about a suspect," Ramos said. "There was a vehicle seen speeding away, but we do not know if that was a suspect's vehicle."

Kaihea's cousin has so far been unable to supply investigators with the details of what happened, Ramos said.

The incident occurred at about 12:30 a.m. Saturday. When deputies responded to a call that gunshots had been fired in the Baker Avenue area, they found Kaihea lying in front of a house with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A couple were arraigned Thursday in federal court in Sacramento on charges related to the arson of their former home in Antelope.

Alexander Sakhanskiy, 39, and Larisa Sakhanskiy, 43, of Sacramento pleaded not guilty and each was released on a $50,000 bond, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. A status conference is scheduled for June 6 before Chief U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr.

On May 2, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment charging the Sakhanskiys with arson to commit another felony, mail fraud, wire fraud and arson affecting interstate commerce. The indictment alleges that on May 22, 2010, a fire destroyed the couple's home, a single-family house at 5745 Hawkeye Lane in Antelope. The home was also being used as the business location of "Alex's Plumbing."

A man previously convicted of sex offenses has been arrested in connection with the mid-day abduction of a 7-year-old girl on a south Sacramento street nearly a week ago.

Cedric Lain Holland, 25, was booked into Sacramento County Jail Thursday night on suspicion of kidnapping to commit another crime and violation of parole. He was taken into custody at his home on Sixth Avenue in Sacramento, about two miles from the location where the kidnapping occurred, said Sacramento County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos.

A vehicle believed to have been used by Holland during the commission of the crime was also found at his residence and is being held for evidence.

The girl and her mother were walking near 54th Street and 47th Avenue about 1 p.m. May 11 when a man drove up and grabbed the child. He then forced her into the trunk before driving away.

A moment later, according to a sheriff's news release, the girl was able to escape when the trunk opened. The man drove away.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today acquitted Teng Thao, the alleged "homeless hitman," of murder charges in the Jan. 9, 2011, shotgun shooting death of Jenny Cha.

The jury returned its verdict after more than a day of deliberations, meaning that the 59-year-old Thao is likely to be released sometime today.

Prosecutors charged Thao with setting up in a field next to a West Lemon Hill apartment building that had been converted into a gambling den. Cha, 25, who was in the gambling parlor at 37th Street and 45th Avenue, had stepped outside for a cigarette around 3:15 a.m. when she was shot in the back with a shotgun that had been pointed at her through a fence.

Authorities believed it was a jealous ex-boyfriend who arranged the killing.

Thao's attorney, Assistant Public Defender Norm Dawson, argued to the jury that the witnesses who identified Thao as being in the field on the other side of the fence and then leaving it in the moments after the shooting couldn't be believed

A male sexually touched and exposed himself to a teenage girl walking on a city street this week, Sacramento police said.

Police released a sketch of the suspect, who may be the same person sought in a string of indecent exposure incidents in South Sacramento.

In the latest incident, a 17-year-old girl was walking near Florin Road and 17th Street in Meadowview about 7 a.m. Wednesday when a man rode up on a white BMX-style bicycle with pink handlebars. He attempted to speak with the girl, but she showed disregard for him and went on her way, police said.

Traffic was snarled for about 20 minutes shortly after 6 p.m. today in Sacramento along multiple railroad crossings at Q, S, P and N streets, close to 19th Street.

The guard rails were in a down position for 20 minutes, blocking traffic. Motorists were spotted trying to steer around the barricades.

Regional Transit workers were seen directing traffic at the S Street crossing, which is shared by Sacramento Regional Transit and Union Pacific. An RT worker said the issue usually happens three times a week.

A Union Pacific train proceeded slowly, honking its horn several times to warn bystanders and cars. Alane Masui, RT spokeswoman, said Union Pacific was responsible for the guards and referred all questions to the railroad company.

Aaron Hunt, a spokesman for Union Pacific in Sacramento, apologized for the traffic snarl.

"Our gates have a fail-safe mechanism, so that if there is an issue, it just goes down," Hunt said.

As of 6:30 p.m., the guardrails were up.

Lodi police said they have arrested a man on suspicion of killing his roommate.

Richard Welker, 33, (pictured) was arrested on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter, felon in possession of a firearm and felon in possession of ammunition, according to a police press release.

Officers responded to the 700 block of South Central Avenue about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday to investigate a shooting. When they arrived, police found Arlie Druen, 33, had been shot more than once.

He was taken by ambulance to Lodi Memorial Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Welker, Druen's roommate, was then arrested.

Motorists can have identification numbers etched onto the catalytic converters on their vehicles for free in Elk Grove next month.

The Elk Grove Police Department is partnering with Jiffy Lube to etch the license plate numbers onto catalytic converters at the "Etch and Catch" event. The effort takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 4 at Jiffy Lube, 9611 Auto Center Drive in Elk Grove.

The etched numbers may deter the taking of the air pollution control devices and can help law enforcement tie captured thieves to specific converter thefts.

Thieves caught with unetched catalytic converters often say they found the device or got it from an unnamed acquaintance, area police have said.

Thieves especially try to steal the emission control devices from Toyota Sequoias and Tundras, but also are drawn to other high-off-the-ground trucks and SUVs from other carmakers.

Thieves slide underneath and unbolt or saw off the converters and then sell them at metal recyclers.

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A man arrested Tuesday by Sacramento police in connection with a rash of midtown business burglaries - including three break-ins at a long-established art gallery -- today was accused of two additional burglaries.

Gregory Musso Knecht, 43, (pictured) was arrested on suspicion of burglary after detectives armed with a warrant on Tuesday searched his residence in the 1500 block of J Street. Property stolen during several recent burglaries was found at Knecht's residence, police said.

Police initially tied Knecht to four business burglaries between May 4 and May 10. Three of the burglaries occurred last week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Barton Gallery, 1723 I St.

A Rio Americano High School freshman whose family thought she may have been lured away by someone she met online has been found.

Daria "Dasha" Clarke, 15, has been reunited with her family, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Last Thursday, Clarke went to algebra class and was also seen on campus about 10 a.m. But when her mother arrived back at school to pick her up at 12:30 p.m., she was nowhere to be found, her mother, Margie Clarke, said on Sunday.

Supporters distributed leaflets in the American River Drive area near the school.

Sheriff's detectives need help identifying a robber who held up a Madison Avenue credit union.

The robber hit the Schools Financial Credit Union, 5210 Madison Ave, at about 12:45 p.m. Friday. He used a note to demand money from a teller and then left with cash.

A sheriff's department press release describes the robber as a white man in his mid-30s, about 6 feet 1 inch tall and around 250 pounds. He has red hair and a goatee.

He wore a brown baseball cap with a black logo on the side, a black shirt and dark pants. Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call the sheriff's robbery bureau at (916) 874-5051.

A man who allegedly attempted to rob a CVS pharmacy at gunpoint was shot late this afternoon by a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy when the suspect refused to put down his gun, a sheriff's official said.

Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos said the suspect, whose name has not been released, was taken to a hospital with injuries that are not thought to be life-threatening.

Ramos said deputies responded about 5 p.m. to a report of a robbery in progress at the CVS pharmacy at Marconi and Walnut avenues in Carmichael. The suspect, described as a white man in his 30s, was reported to have a gun.

A woman driving under the influence of methamphetamine and other drugs who ran over and killed a 6-year-old boy walking to school last year and injured his 8-year-old brother pleaded no contest today to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Tresa Bales-Sterba, who was 52 at the time of the fatal Oct. 5 collision, is facing a maximum term of 15 years in state prison. She will be sentenced July 15 by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Laurel D. White.

Prosecutors said Bales-Sterba ran a red light while speeding through an intersection in Citrus Heights at Mariposa Avenue and Greenback Lane. According to police reports, Bales-Sterba's Chrysler 300 hit a Chevrolet Suburban and then spun into Henry Perez-Rocha and his big brother Juan. Henry died Jan. 16 at UC Davis Medical Center. Juan was released from the hospital four days after the wreck.

The two boys were walking in the crosswalk with their mother to Skycrest Elementary School at the time of the collision.

Sacramento police released a sketch today of a man who reportedly ordered an 11-year-old girl into his car in North Natomas last week.

On Wednesday, the girl was walking home in the area of Honor Parkway and Bill Bean Circle about 4 p.m. when a man pulled up in a black sports utility vehicle, according to police. The man got out of the car and ordered the girl to get in, but she ran and told her parents what had happened.

The man was described to police as a black man in his 20s with dark blue eyes and long black hair. A police sketch artist worked with the 11-year-old to create the sketch, pictured at left.

Police are still investigating whether the incident is linked to the kidnapping of a 7-year-old girl in south Sacramento County over the weekend. In that Saturday afternoon incident, Sacramento sheriff's detectives say a man grabbed the girl, who was walking along 47th Avenue near Stockton Boulevard with her mother, and forced her into the trunk of his car.

The girl soon was able to open the trunk and jump out. She was not seriously injured.

According to the Sheriff's Department, that suspect was described as a man 25 to 35 years old, about 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall and weighing 170 to 190 pounds. He had light brown skin and shoulder-length, black hair worn in braids or dreadlocks. He was wearing a black shirt with a white design on the front, and was driving a dark green or blue four-door sedan with tinted windows.

An artist also produced a sketch of that suspect, pictured at left.

Sacramento police Officer Michele Gigante said detectives from the two agencies are exchanging information but have not been able to determine whether the same man is responsible for both crimes.

In light of the recent incidents, police are trying to spread the following safety tips for children:

-Avoid walking alone.

-Avoid short cuts and walk only in safe areas.

-Never go into a stranger's home or car.

-If approached or followed by a car, do not approach or speak to anyone inside. Instead, run and get help.

-Remain alert to your surroundings.

-Always report suspicious behavior.

Anyone with information about the identity of either suspect is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP, or to text in a tip to 274637 with "SACTIP" followed by the tip information. Callers cam remain anonymous and might be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

A 28-year-old man has been arrested in connection with two burglaries of an Arden Arcade music store that involved the thefts of thousands of dollars worth of musical instruments.

Eric Brown (pictured) was taken into custody in Citrus Heights last week, accused of break-ins at Tim's Music Store in the 2800 block of Marconi Avenue, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department news release. Sheriff's officials said he was identified through an anonymous caller who recognized him from surveillance video from the business.

About 12:30 a.m. May 2, sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a smashed window at Tim's Music Store, and determined that several musical instruments had been taken from the business. The following day, they were called to the same business about 10:15 p.m., where someone had again smashed a window to enter the business and steal several instruments. Sheriff's officials said the loss was estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Two robbers held up a man and then apparently used the information in his wallet to go to his home where they stole weapons.

The man was in his car in the 5900 block of Bamford Drive in the Valley Hi neighborhood about 1:45 p.m. Monday when he was approached by two armed men. The driver was ordered out of his vehicle.

The men rifled through the driver's pockets, taking his car and house keys, wallet and cell phone before forcing him into the trunk of his own car. The robbers then fled on foot.

Two men were arrested by Sacramento police for stealing wine on Monday.

Officers were patrolling about 9 a.m. near Meadowgate Drive in South Sacramento when they saw a vehicle "lurch" into traffic. The officers pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and the driver stayed at the car.

However, the passenger ran, carrying what was described as "box of wine," according to a police activity log. It was quickly determined that the men had robbed a store.

Responding officers eventually caught up with the man with the wine. An officer suffered a minor injury while taking Jerome Wells, 35, (pictured right) into custody.

The driver was identified as 45-year-old Jonathan Reed (pictured left). Both men were arrested on suspicion of robbery.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of the man who died along with four dogs in a house fire on Monday in Fair Oaks.

He was identified as 64-year-old Ronald Burns.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District crews responded to the fire on the 4000 block of Main Street around 3:15 p.m. First-arriving firefighters reported heavy smoke and flames at the rear of the home.

A little girl was able to escape Saturday after being kidnapped in broad daylight from a south-area street by a man who placed her in the trunk of his car.

Sacramento sheriff's deputies say residents of the south area of Sacramento should be alert for the man who may attempt to kidnap another child.

The attempted kidnapping occurred about 1 p.m. Saturday when a 7-year-old girl was walking with her mother in the 5300 block of 47th Avenue. A man pulled up and grabbed the girl, placing her in the trunk of his car.

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives are interviewing three men found with a bagful of catalytic converters at Sacramento International Airport.

Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos said the discovery comes at a time of increased catalytic converter thefts from vehicles in airport parking lots. A deputy assigned to the airport was on patrol in the economy lot about 6:30 a.m. when he noticed a parked vehicle with three men inside.

A bag was on the ground outside another vehicle nearby. The deputy stopped and apparently interrupted the theft of a catalytic converter from a large truck, Ramos said.

A search of the vehicle with the men turned up three other large truck catalytic converters inside a bag. Ramos said the men would likely be booked on grand theft charges.

Thieves typically slide under vehicles and cut the car air pollution control devices from vehicles. The devices are then sold for their metals.

The name of the man shot to death Friday night in Rio Linda has been released by Sacramento County Coroner's deputies.

He has been identified as Terrell Deandre Smith, 28, of Sacramento.

The shooting occurred about 10:15 p.m. at a home in the 6800 block of Radalyac Court. Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrived to find Smith inside a residence with at least one gunshot wound to his upper body, according to reports. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two men found at the home were detained for questioning. They reported to police that two or three vehicles were seen speeding away from the house after the shooting, though it was unclear if the occupants of the vehicles were related to the incident.

No suspects have been identified and the motive is still unknown. Anyone with information about Smith's killing is asked to contact the Sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115.

Authorities have served a search warrant at the site of an apparent marijuana-growing operation -- a home that was destroyed by fire today, Elk Grove Police reported.

Elk Grove Police spokesman Officer Christopher Trim said a woman who drove to the home has been arrested. Authorities plan to search a second location, he said, and more arrests could follow.

The fire was reported shortly after 11:30 a.m., and firefighters from both the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department and the Sacramento Fire Department responded.

"As they were putting out the fire, they discovered signs of a marijuana-growing operation," Trim said. "They called us."

The home in the 6000 block of Laguna Villa Way appeared to have been a rental house, Trim said.

Two people received non-lethal injuries this afternoon in a drive-by shooting at 4th Avenue and San Jose Way, Sacramento police said.

Sacramento Police spokesman Officer Doug Morse said police cordoned off the area and were interviewing witnesses after the shooting, which occurred about 1:30 p.m.

"We are trying to identify those involved," Morse said, describing the case as "an ongoing investigation."

The identities of the victims were not immediately available. Both were talking to authorities and were being treated at a nearby hospital.

A man was shot to death late Friday in Rio Linda, authorities said.

The incident happened shortly before 10:15 p.m. at the 6800 block of Radalyac Court. Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrived to find a black male inside a home "with at least one gunshot wound to his upper body," according to reports. Emergency personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene.

Two men found at the home were detained for questioning. They reported to police that two or three vehicles were seen speeding away from the house after the shooting, though it was unclear if the occupants of the vehicles were related to the incident.

The identity of the victim, who appeared to be in his 20s, has not been released pending notification of his family.

No suspects have been identified and the motive is still unknown. Anyone with information pertaining about this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Whatever happened in the trial of my murdered friend Jill Alamo?
Submitted by: Colleen, Sacramento

ANSWER: Augustine Espino Munoz pleaded no contest in 2011 to second-degree murder in the 2007 strangulation of his ex-wife, Jill Alamo.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is asking the public's help in finding a teenage girl who has been missing since Thursday morning.

Daria Clarke, 15, was last seen in the 4500 block of American River Drive about 10 a.m. She is considered at risk because of mental health issues and because she may be in the company of people who could endanger her welfare, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Clarke (pictured) is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 195 pounds. She has brown hair and blue eyes, and was last seen wearing a black shirt and gray leggings.

Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115.

The 31-year-old woman who slapped a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy this week in hopes of being thrown in jail and kicking her cigarette habit has received time behind bars.

Etta Mae Lopez (pictured), 31, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery on a peace officer and was sentenced to 63 days in jail on Thursday, said Shelly Orio, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office.

Lopez gets credit for the three days she served. She was also was sentenced to five days for violating her probation from a drunken driving conviction.

Deputy Matt Campoy on Tuesday booked Lopez into jail after being slapped by Lopez as he exited the main jail, in uniform, at the end of his shift.

Campoy said Lopez moved into his way and continued to block his path before eventually slapping him in the face. Lopez, the deputy said, told him that she slapped him to serve time in the smoke-free jail and in that way quit smoking, cold turkey.

A man parked in a space reserved for disabled drivers fell asleep in his vehicle, leading to attention from Sacramento police and his eventual arrest.

Officers noticed a vehicle parked at Elder Creek and Stockton Boulevard in a space reserved for the disabled about 11 a.m. Thursday. Police said no vehicle placard allowing use of such spaces was visible.

Inside the vehicle, Chris Murel Nesseth, 31, was seated in the driver's seat, sound asleep. A subsequent search of the vehicle turned up a loaded handgun and narcotics, police activity log shows.

Nesseth was booked into Sacramento County jail on gun and drug charges.

A brother and sister are in Sacramento County Jail, accused in a plot to have a woman killed.

Manuel Perez (top left photo), 47, and his sister, Natalia Perez (top right photo), 45, were arrested earlier this week on suspicion of solicitation to commit murder and criminal conspiracy, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department news release.

Manuel Perez has been in custody since December on charges related to committing lewd acts with two minor females. He is alleged to have victimized one of the females on several occasions in 1996, and the other child during 2010.

A woman allegedly slapped a deputy to kick her cigarette habit this week in Sacramento.

Etta Mae Lopez, 31, (pictured) wanting to trash the ash and knowing that health is wealth, gave Sacramento Sheriff's Deputy Matt Campoy a slap across his face in order to get herself booked into the Sacramento County Jail, officials said.

Campoy was able to accommodate her unorthodox method for smoking cessation, booking her into the smoke-free county jail on suspicion of battery on a peace officer.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department reports that a woman reported missing from the Foothill Farms area Wednesday night has been found and is safe.

Karen O'Neal (pictured), 48, had last been about 3 p.m. Wednesday at a family member's residence in the 4900 block of Little Oak Lane. She was considered to be at risk due to diminished mental capacity, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to the two sheriff's deputies were charged in 2011 for selling guns to the ATF?
Submitted by: Sophia, Sacramento

ANSWER: Two Sacramento County sheriff's deputies were among four people indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2012 in a case that officials said involved the illegal purchase and sale of dozens of high-powered pistols.

The Sacramento Sheriff's Department invites anyone with a computer or smart phone to follow its helicopter crew during a Friday night "Tweet-along."

The first-ever virtual ride-along via Twitter will show the public what a night shift is like for the pilot and observer deputies in a department helicopter. The Tweet-along begins at 5 p.m. and runs until midnight on Friday.

During that time, a deputy inside the STAR (Sheriff's Tactical Air Resource) helicopter will be posting messages, photos and videos that exhibit the preflight checks, take-off and interaction with patrol deputies on the ground.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department reports that a missing man last seen leaving a south area hospital has been found.

Ross Hightower, 85, had last been seen leaving Kaiser Permanente South Medical Center at 6600 Bruceville Road about 2:30 p.m. Monday. He was considered to be at risk due to his age and because he is missing under circumstances that are inconsistent with his normal behavior patterns, according to a sheriff's department news release.

Today, the sheriff's department reported that he has been found and is safe.

Sacramento officers didn't have too far go to take a man into custody, confronting a subject at their own police station last night.

Police found the man about 9 p.m. standing near the closed front gate to the parking lot of the South Sacramento police station on Franklin Boulevard near Fruitridge Road. A police activity log said that the man might have been trying to get inside the lot.

When officers went up to him to talk, the man assumed a fighting stance, according to police. One officer used his baton to ultimately take him into custody.

Police said the man appeared to be under the influence of drugs. He was transported to the hospital for medical care.

Folsom police released the results of last Friday's drunk driver checkpoint.

Last Friday's checkpoint was conducted from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. at East Bidwell Street and Orchard Drive. The results:

• 752 vehicles screened

• 2 DUI-alcohol suspects arrested

• 3 drivers cited or arrested for operating a vehicle without a valid license

• 1 arrested on other criminal charges

• 6 citations issued

A Little League game was disrupted this evening when shots were reportedly fired at a south Sacramento County park.

Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos said multiple calls were received about 6:45 p.m. reporting shots fired in Rutter Park on Palmer House Drive south of Florin Road. He said information regarding the incident was sketchy, with people reporting that two to four males were seen running from the area.

Between six and 10 shots reportedly were fired, but no one was struck and no injuries were reported. He said it was unclear who was targeted or what prompted the shooting.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is asking the public's help in finding an 85-year-old man who has been missing since Monday afternoon.

Ross Hightower (pictured), 85, was last seen leaving Kaiser Permanente South Medical Center at 6600 Bruceville Road about 2:30 p.m. He is considered to be at risk due to his age and because he is missing under circumstances that are inconsistent with his normal behavior patterns, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Hightower is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 125 pounds. He has short, gray hair and brown eyes. He reportedly was wearing a short-brimmed straw hat, wire-rimmed glasses and light blue jeans.

An Orangevale man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for his alleged role in a mortgage fraud scheme.

The five-count indictment unsealed Monday charges Valeri Kalyuzhnyy, 41, with false statements on a loan and credit application and money laundering, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The indictment alleges that Kalyuzhnyy caused the preparation and submission of loan applications to federally insured lenders that falsely stated various home buyers' income, employment, assets and intent to occupy the homes as their primary residences. Kalyuzhnyy allegedly was responsible for origination of nearly $4 million in residential mortgage loans.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department reported today that a man missing from south Sacramento County since last Wednesday has been found.

David Abel, 57, had last been seen boarding bus No. 54 in the area of Power Inn and Gerber roads. He was considered to be at risk due to mental health disorders and a serious medical condition, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Elk Grove police need help in identifying a robber in a wide-brimmed hat who held up a bank last week.

Police said the man entered the River City Bank, 8923 Elk Grove Blvd., at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday and handed a note demanding money to a teller. The teller gave him an undisclosed amount of cash and the robber left the bank.

He was last seen running west on Elk Grove Boulevard. The suspect is described as black man, 30 to 40 years old and six feet tall. He was wearing a tan hat, a white or tan long-sleeeved shirt, khaki shorts, white socks and white athletic shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call police detectives at (916) 478-8060 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers to Crime Alert may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.

A name of a motorcycle passenger who was ejected from the vehicle during a lane-splitting stop has been released.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office has identified her as Snezhana Pavlova, 20, of Sacramento.

The fatal incident occurred at about 4 p.m. Saturday on Antelope Road, west of Roseville Road, according to a California Highway Patrol incident report.

By Robert D. Davila
rdavila@sacbee.com

A parolee driving a stolen car was arrested and jailed on four felony charges after leading deputies on a chase early Sunday in south Sacramento County, sheriff's officials said.

Robert Treadway, 32, was booked on charges of felony evasion of a peace officer, evading in a reckless manner while driving in opposite lanes, possession of stolen property and vehicle theft, sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos said in a written statement.

Treadway also was also found to be in violation of parole, according to the statement. He was jailed Sunday in lieu of $210,000 bail.

Treadway was arrested following a chase that began at 1 a.m. Sunday, when a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy tried to stop a BMW for a traffic violation near 37th Avenue and Vista Avenue, Ramos said.

Sacramento County Sheriff's detectives are investigating a south Sacramento shooting that left a teen dead.

The shooting at the Willow Pointe Apartments, in the 6600 block of Sunnyslope Drive, occurred at just after 10:15 p.m. Friday.

Deputies arrived to find a male teen victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds just inside the gate of the complex. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

As of Saturday afternoon, authorities could provide no additional information about the motive or person(s) responsible.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the sheriff's homicide bureau at (916) 874-5115 or at www.sacsheriff.com by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) and entering the keyword "SSD" or by calling (916) 874-TIPS (8477).

A man convicted of killing his neighbors and their dogs, then setting fire to their Rio Linda home in 1979 has been denied parole.

Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully announced that a representative of her office appeared at the Board of Prison Terms hearing, where parole was denied for 51-year-old Michael Lynn Love for a three-year period.

On Aug. 10, 1979, Love, then 17, went to his neighbor's house in Rio Linda armed with a baseball bat and a knife. He encountered 62-year-old Faye Alexander outside the home, beat her over the head with a bat and stabbed her repeatedly, killing her, according to a District Attorney's Office news release. He then went inside the home and found 63-year-old Charlie Love, an invalid, lying on the couch. Love killed the man by beating him with the bat and repeatedly stabbing him.

An investigation into U.S. Mail letter box break-ins has led a federal grand jury to charge an ex-felon with a variety of offenses, including possession of ammunition.

Tony Nhiachong Khang, 28, a resident of Sacramento's Natomas area, also is charged with bank fraud, aggravated identification theft, access device fraud, possession of stolen U.S. mail, possession for fraudulent use of identification documents of others, and possession of stolen Postal Service keys, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. Khang is to appear before U.S. Magistrate Carolyn K. Delaney for arraignment Monday.

According to court documents, the investigation arose after the U.S. Postal Inspection Service received numerous reports of U.S. Mail letter box break-ins in the Sacramento County area. On April 18, agents with a federal search warrant searched Khang's Natomas residence. He was found to possess ammunition, stolen U.S. mail, stolen credit card and bank account access numbers, and a number of identification documents belonging to other people, according to court documents. Because he had been previously convicted of felony burglary and felony vehicle theft, Khang was prohibited from possessing ammunition.

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

Community members and law enforcement leaders from across the state will gather at the California Peace Officers Memorial Monument during two events to honor officers lost in the line of duty.

At 8:30 p.m. Sunday, a candlelight vigil will be held at the monument at 10th Street and Capitol Mall.

At 10:30 a.m. Monday, a dedication ceremony will be held at the monument. Two officers who died in 2012 will be honored: Stanislaus County sheriff's Deputy Robert Lee Paris Jr. and California Highway Patrol Officer Kenyon Youngstrom.

Sacramento police are asking for the public's help in identifying a man who exposed himself to female walkers and joggers on at least seven occasions.

In each of the incidents, the man approached the victims, who were walking or jogging alone near parks or on city streets, and made small talk before exposing himself or making vulgar comments, according to Sacramento police.

The suspect then ran away or pedaled away on a bicycle. The victims were not injured in any of the incidents, police said.

The man has been described by police as a light-skinned Hispanic or Asian man, 18 to 20 years old. He is 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, weighs 180 to 200 pounds and has short dark hair and thick eyebrows. Twice he was seen carrying a backpack.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department seeks help locating a man who has been missing from his south Sacramento County neighborhood since Wednesday morning.

David Abel (pictured), 57, was last seen board bus No. 54 in the area of Power Inn and Gerber roads about 11 a.m. He is considered to be at risk due to mental health disorders and a serious medical condition, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Abel is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing approximately 210 pounds. He has short gray hair and brown eyes, and is missing his front teeth.

A 71-year-old woman died in a head-on collision Wednesday night on Howe Avenue in the Arden Arcade area.

The crash occurred about 9:30 p.m. as the woman was driving a white 2012 Nissan Versa southbound on Howe, approaching the intersection with Northrop Avenue, when her vehicle veered to the left and into the opposing lanes, according to a California Highway Patrol news release. As she entered the intersection, her vehicle struck the front of a gray 2006 Acura TSX that was traveling northbound on Howe Avenue.

Fire Department personnel found the woman unresponsive and she was transported to Sutter Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department has released a composite sketch of a man believed responsible for shooting a 10-year-old boy two weeks ago in North Highlands.

The suspect is described as Latino, 20 to 30 years old, and may have a scar on the side of his forehead.

At 11:15 p.m. April 20, the 10-year-old was standing with friends in front of a residence in the 6300 block of Whitecliff Way. A black vehicle with several occupants drove up to the boy, and one of the occupants said something to the juveniles standing outside the residence, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

More than 100 law enforcement officers, their relatives and community members gathered Thursday afternoon to honor Sacramento County's fallen peace officers.

The annual ceremony was held at the Sacramento Police and Sheriff's Memorial in Woodlake Park. Enshrined there are the names of 31 police officers, sheriff's deputies and a district attorney's investigator who died in the line of duty.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of the woman whose bullet-riddled body was found in her Rio Linda home on Wednesday.

She was identified as 51-year-old Julia Ray.

Her roommate, Stephen Ross Brainard, 58, (pictured) is suspected of killing her.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies believe that Brainard telephoned authorities at 5:30 a.m. to report that he had killed his roommate in their house in the 400 block of Lilac Lane in Rio Linda.

By Bill Lindelof and Richard Chang

A law enforcement standoff has ended with the discovery of a woman shot dead in Rio Linda where a man earlier had telephoned to say he had killed his roommate.

The suspect, identified as 58-year-old Stephen Brainard, has been taken into custody and Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies have found the woman dead in the home on Lilac Lane.

Brainard telephoned dispatchers at about 5:30 a.m. today to say that he had shot and killed his roommate. Deputies set up a command post and tried to get the man to surrender.

Deputies were in intermittent contact over the telephone with the man. SWAT members were also called in.

Around 9:50 a.m., with SWAT members in place around the home, Brainard left the home. He was detained without incident.

A few deputies then went inside the home and found the woman dead in a bedroom. Sheriff's Department Sgt. Jason Ramos said the woman had been shot. The victim has not been identified, pending notification of her family.

"We have not identified her as yet but everything points to that she is the roommate," said Ramos.

Neighbor Dave Gamboa, 65, said he was shocked to hear about the murder.

"It's a rural and quiet area," Gamboa said. "That's why I moved here."

PHOTO CAPTION: Sheriff's deputies respond to a standoff in Rio Linda. Richard Chang/Sacramento Bee

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: A couple who owned the Farmer's Daughter restaurant was arrested last year for selling marijuana in the back room. What happened to them?
Submitted by: Rose, Sacramento

ANSWER: Robert Sand and Shelby Lucero, proprietors of the Farmer's Daughter restaurant, were arrested in July 2012 after Sacramento County sheriff's narcotics detectives raided the restaurant and the owners' Rio Linda home.

One house was destroyed and another damaged in a wind-driven fire in the Sacramento's Pocket area this afternoon, just a few hours after a vehicle fire spread to a home in North Highlands.

Sacramento city firefighters responded about 4:30 p.m. to a fire at Souza Circle and Portugal Way in the Pocket area. Deputy Chief Lloyd Ogan said they arrived to find a single-story home fully involved and fire extending to a neighboring two-story home.

"It was definitely a wind-driven fire, and it was accelerating very quickly," Ogan said.

A Sacramento County jury has convicted a 34-year-old man of felony grand theft auto for conducting a fraudulent lien sale of a vehicle left at his shop for repairs.

On June 9, 2010, the registered owner of a 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser left his vehicle a Alim Hussain's vehicle repair shop for transmission repairs, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. Soon after, the owner of the vehicle left the country and never paid for the repairs.

On March 17, 2011, Hussain conducted a fraudulent lien sale of the vehicle by failing to first notify the legal owner of the Land Cruiser, Schools Financial Credit Union, about the lien sale, authorities said. As a result, the credit union learned of the lien sale after it had been removed as the legal owner of the vehicle. Hussain then sold the Land Cruiser to an unsuspecting buyer.

A Sacramento postal carrier has been fired for allegedly discarding mail in a Dumpster.

The U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General was notified on Monday of the alleged dumping of mail in the parking lot garbage bin at an apartment complex in the 2700 block of Meadowview Road.

The mail was recovered and was delivered. The postal carrier suspected of the dumping was fired today, according to the postal service.

Postal service agents will continue to investigate the offense. Delay or destruction of mail is punishable to up to five years in prison.

An e-mail from a postal service representative noted that the overwhelming majority of carriers protect the "sanctity of the seal" of all mail entrusted to them.

The California Highway Patrol reported that is unknown if a man who fell from the Northgate Boulevard overcrossing on Saturday onto Interstate 80 died from the drop to the pavement or from being run over by vehicles.

The CHP said that the 66-year-old man from West Sacramento parked his vehicle on Northgate Boulevard overcrossing about 5:20 a.m. Saturday. A CHP press release said for unknown reasons the man fell from the overcrossing onto a lane of westbound I-80.

One vehicle hit the man and continued on its way. Several other vehicles then struck the man.

The man, whose name has not been released pending notification of family, died at the scene.

A Fairfield man has been arrested after a passenger in his car died from injuries suffered when the vehicle slammed into a tree along Northgate Boulevard.

Sir Von Church, 33, was booked on suspicion of manslaughter, driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license.

The California Highway Patrol said that Church was driving his Camaro on Northgate Boulevard, south of West Stadium Lane, at a high rate of speed about 3:30 a.m. Sunday when the car drifted to the right. His car left the roadway, hit a tree and the impact split the car in half.

A passenger in the car, Christopher Lee Daniels, 29, of Sacramento, was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the Camaro. Daniels was pronounced dead at the scene.

Church suffered minor injuries. He was booked into jail after treatment.

A bicyclist told Sacramento police he was knocked to the street by a motorist in a sharing-the-road dispute.

The beef between the bicyclist and motorist occurred on a street in Oak Park about 3:30 p.m. Monday. The male bicyclist and the female driver were traveling in the same direction on 37th Street.

The bicyclist was trying to make his way around a parked car as he was being passed on the left by the motorist. The bicyclist believed that the driver was not sharing the roadway, passing very close.

Words were exchanged and the motorist eventually circled back around, again traveling alongside the bicyclist on Ninth Avenue. At that point, the bicyclist believes the motorist intentional struck him.

He was knocked to the pavement, suffering minor injuries. The description of the car was only given as a gray, four-door vehicle.

A man is dead after being hit by a freight train this morning in North Highlands.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department received a call just before 5 a.m. to assist fire crews with the report of a man hit by a train near Roseville Road and Winona Way. He was declared dead at the scene.

The Sheriff's Department said that Union Pacific police will handle the investigation. No explanation was immediately available as to why the man was on the tracks in the early morning darkness.

Rancho Cordova police say that a woman who went missing on Monday has returned home.

Jenith Pasion, 45, (pictured) who has diminished mental capacity, left her residence Monday afternoon, according to a police press release. A police spokesman said this morning she returned home and is safe with family.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Why don't you do a story about Brian Mays? He killed somebody in 2007, only received a two-year sentence. Now he is back in Sacramento, was arrested again for DUI, then released on bail and is a no show.
Submitted by: Dennis H., Sacramento

ANSWER: Brian James Mays pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated in the January 2007 death of 48-year-old Janusz Porembski of Sacramento.

One person was killed and several were injured when multiple cars slammed together at the intersection of Folsom and Sunrise Boulevards in Rancho Cordova just before 11:15 p.m. Friday, police said.

Authorities said the accident was triggered when a Volvo sedan traveling westbound on Folsom Boulevard at "an extremely high rate of speed," collided with a Range Rover SUV traveling southbound through the intersection.

The collision then initiated a chain reaction, causing three other cars to be struck, according to reports.

Two men have have been sentenced jail terms for theft and fraud offenses related to their operation of a used car dealership.

Ali Maadarani, owner of M3 Motors, was sentenced to 160 days in county jail, 1,200 hours of community service and five years of formal probation. His brother, Amin Maadarani, was sentenced to one year in county jail and five years of formal probation, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. The defendants were convicted by a jury in February and sentenced today by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Allen Sumner.

Amin Maadarani worked with his brother at the dealership. In 2010, the defendants had possession of several vehicles, including a Hummer H2, BMW 330i, Mercedes S550 and a Ford F-150. All had been ordered to be repossessed by the legal owners, which were finance companies. When the defendants notified the finance companies that they had possession of these vehicles, they falsely claimed that they were owed money for the cost of storing and towing the vehicles.

When the finance companies inquired about the condition of the vehicles, the defendants indicated that they were stripped, burned, or "down to the chassis," authorities said. Based on the representations that the vehicles were essentially worthless, the finance companies did not contest the defendants using lien sales to obtain clear title to the vehicles and recoup their costs. The Maadaranis then used, sold or attempted to sell the vehicles, all of which were in good condition.

Sacramento police are investigating whether the same man exposed himself on the street and later sexually assaulted a woman on Thursday in the Pocket-Greenhaven area.

In the first incident, a man was seen exposing himself around Royal Garden Avenue and Havenside Drive at about 6:45 a.m. Police searched the area but no suspect was found.

A police activity log said that crime scene investigators were called in and detectives were notified to follow up on the case.

Then, about 8:45 p.m., a pedestrian along a waterway near the 7300 block of Gloria Drive was approached from behind by a man. The man reached around and briefly touched her.

The heavyset man in his 20s ran away. A search aided by a police helicopter failed to find the perpetrator.

Police believe the incidents could be related.

The woman who claimed she came home to find her roommate dead in their Fruitridge-area home Tuesday is now accused of killing her, according to authorities.

Linda Gabaldon, 45, told Sacramento County sheriff's deputies she came home shortly before 4 p.m. to find her roommate fatally shot in the Mascot Avenue home they shared.

Detectives questioned Gabaldon and shortly thereafter arrested her on suspicion of violating the terms of her parole. Today, they added the murder charge in connection with the death of Rebecca Brau, 53.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Comedian Katt Williams pleaded no contest today to reckless evasion of an officer for a short chase on a three-wheeled motorcycle last November through downtown Sacramento.

Williams entered his plea to the misdemeanor charge in Sacramento Superior Court.

Williams sentenced was 180 days in the county jail. However, the court converted that to 90 days of community service. The other half of the sentence will be stayed if he completes the community service and there are no new charges.

An Elk Grove business owner has been arrested on suspicion of grand theft after Caltrans staff discovered what is believed to be fraudulent invoices.

Eric B. Hodgson, 43, was booked into Sacramento County Jail today. Paperwork, business records and computers were seized.

He was arrested following a state Department of Justice investigation that was sparked by Caltrans staff discovering invoices for print advertisements that the state believes never ran in newspapers as promised.

A ten-year-old boy caught in a hail of bullets from a drive-by shooting in North Highlands Saturday night is doing better at UC Davis Medical Center.

The boy, who has not been identified by authorities, was listed in fair condition on Wednesday, according to hospital officials. His assailants have not been found.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were called to a home where a child's birthday party was occuring in the 6300 block of Whitecliff Way about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. The boy and a teen were standing at the front of the house when a vehicle pulled up outside the residence.

A Carmichael man who went missing for a second time in a year has been returned to his home, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Hugh Myers, 70, had last been seen at his residence in the 3700 block of Kimberly Way at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday. He was considered to be at risk due to dementia, and he has a serious medical condition requiring medication.

Last August he also went missing, only to be found in Vancouver, Wash. The sheriff's department did not release information on where he was found this time.

Light-rail train service, which was temporarily suspended near Watt Avenue this morning as officials investigated a suspicious suitcase, has been restored.

The suspicious suitcase was discovered around 7 a.m. along an access road between two Regional Transit stations: Watt/I-80 and Watt/I-80 West. A bus shuttle was temporarily put in in place to get passengers to a station where trains are still operating.

Law enforcement bomb experts detonated the suitcase and the train service began operating again at about 9 a.m.

Elk Grove police and fire personnel pulled a small dog from a storm drain this morning using an air hose to move the little pooch along.

Emergency officials were called to the area of Bond and Brandshaw roads where the dog had somehow gotten into an underground storm drain and then apparently couldn't figure how to get out.

Pressurized air was sprayed into the pipe where the dog was located, which caused the dog to walk underground to a spot where rescue crew members above ground had taken off a storm drain grate.

By Kim Minugh and Bill Lindelof
kminugh@sacbee.com

The woman who reported finding her 53-year-old roommate dead in their south Sacramento home Tuesday has been taken into custody, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

The woman, 45-year-old Linda Gabaldon, was found to be in violation of the terms of her parole, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos. She was not arrested on suspicion of murder.

Earlier today, the Sacramento County Coroner's office identified the victim as 53-year-old Rebecca H. Brau.

Shortly before 4 p.m., Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies responded to a residence in the 5900 block of Mascot Avenue regarding a shooting victim. A woman had called saying that she had returned home to find her roommate shot to death inside the residence, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038. Follow her on Twitter @Kim_Minugh.

Two south Sacramento County homes were damaged this afternoon in what started as a vehicle fire between the two residences.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District crews were dispatched to the 8300 block of Turnbury Drive, east of Power Inn Road, about 3:38 p.m. regarding a report of a house fire with visible flames. As firefighters were en route, additional callers reported that the fire appeared to be spreading to another home, resulting in a second alarm requesting additional manpower, according to a fire district news release.

Officials said firefighting was made more difficult by gusting winds and a gas meter that was burning with unlimited amount of fuel.

Sacramento County sheriff's homicide detectives are investigating the death of a woman who was found shot this afternoon in her south Sacramento home.

Shortly before 4 p.m., deputies responded to a residence in the 5900 block of Mascot Avenue regarding a shooting victim. A woman had called saying that she had returned home to find her roommate shot to death inside the residence, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Deputies found a woman in her 50s with multiple gunshot wounds to her upper body. She was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

Police say two people are in custody after they reportedly robbed a blood donation clinic in south Sacramento, CBS13 reported.

A Sun City resident who spotted a man under her neighbor's pickup helped police nab a suspected catalytic converter thief.

A resident on Pineschi Place looked out her front window at 2:30 a.m. last Wednesday to see a man crawling under her neighbor's Toyota pickup. Figuring something was amiss, she called 911.

She kept an eye on the man while talking to the dispatcher, according to a Roseville police public safety newsletter. Officers responded and surrounded the area.

Police moved in and arrested the man, who, they said, was in the process of sawing off the pickup's catalytic converter. The 24-year-old Sacramento man had a list of other local addresses.

They suspect that he had driven around earlier, writing down addresses of places to return to in order steal other catalytic converters. Police said the alert Sun City resident deserves credit for nipping that in the bud.

A Sacramento restaurant employee ran from the business early this morning when a burglar's noisy entrance scared her.

It was around midnight last night when the employee heard loud banging as if somebody was trying to break into the closed International Bistro, 2377 Northgate Boulevard. When the banging reached a certain loudness, she fled out the front door and waited for the arrival of officers.

When police got to the scene, they surrounded the building. Upon entering the restaurant, officers found Julio Anthony Basquez, 26, (pictured) hiding away.

Officers said he was pretending to be asleep. Police believe Basquez broke into the restaurant through the shared wall of a vacant adjacent business.

Police noticed that several items from the restaurant had been moved to a back door prior to their arrival. Basquez was booked on suspicion of burglary and outstanding warrants.

Law enforcement is accepting for disposal potentially dangerous and unwanted prescription drugs on Saturday at four sites in Sacramento County.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency have set up four spots to bring the unwanted medicines from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

The locations: Sheriff's Garfield Station, 5510 Garfield Ave., Sheriff's Florin Station, 7000 65th Street, Rancho Cordova Police, 2897 Kilgore Road and Antelope High School, 7801 Titan Road.

Studies reveal that most of the prescription drugs that are abused come from family and friends, often out of the home medicine cabinet, according to a sheriff's press release.

Collection sites will accept any medicines in capsule and tablet form. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked, according to the sheriff's department.

A Carmichael man is missing again - and the Sacramento Sheriff's Department needs help in finding him.

Hugh Myers, 70, was last seen at his residence in the 3700 block of Kimberly Way at about 10:30 a.m. Sunday. He is considered to be at risk due to dementia and has a serious medical condition requiring medication.

It's not the first time Myers has gone missing. Last August he also went missing, only to be found two states away in Vancouver, Wash.

Myers is described as a white man, 5 feet 8 inches tall, about 185 pounds. He has brown eyes and gray hair, a gray mustache and beard and wears glasses.

It is not known what he was wearing when he went missing on Sunday but he often dresses in clothing with Harley Davidson logos. Anyone who spots Myers is asked to call the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department at (916) 874-5115.

A Sacramento County jury on Thursday convicted 31-year-old Rico Lyntice Riley of multiple sexual assault charges, including rape and tying up the female victim.

The woman was assaulted by Riley and one of her friends after she refused Riley's sexual advances, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. The friend eventually left the woman's apartment, but Riley stayed and continued to sexually assault her.

The woman and her son found Riley four days later, and her son was able to detain him until law enforcement officers arrived.

Riley is to be sentenced May 10.

A former Sacramento police officer was sentenced today to one year in jail for falsifying drunken driving reports and lying at a state Department of Motor Vehicles administrative hearing.

Brandon Michael Mullock, 27, was sentenced to five years in prison, but Judge Patrick Marlette suspended that sentence and instead ordered that Mullock serve one year in county jail in order to get five years of probation. If he violates the terms of his probation, he will be forced to serve the prison sentence.

Mullock was taken into custody at the conclusion of this morning's hearings as his family members wept in the audience.

In March, Mullock entered no-contest pleas on four felony charges.

Authorities began their investigation into Mullock after defense attorneys in drunken driving cases reported in 2010 that some of the visuals taken from the officer's in-car patrol videos did not match up with the written reports he prepared.

Defense lawyers also complained that some of the testimony Mullock gave at DMV driver's license revocation hearings strayed from the video evidence.

As a result of the discrepancies, prosecutors were forced to dismiss 79 cases involving Mullock, District Attorney Jan Scully told reporters at a May 2011 news conference, before criminal charges were filed against Mullock in the case.

The DA's Office already had obtained convictions in 73 of those cases before it was forced to dump them, according to prosecutors.

At today's sentencing, Judge Patrick Marlette said that he was particularly disturbed by how Mullock's actions threatened the integrity of the criminal justice system and violated due process of the accused.

Mullock's lawyers argued that their client didn't act with malice. They said his intentions were good: he wanted drunken drivers off the streets. Mullock, they noted, was remorseful for his actions.

A good Samaritan who lost his life as he tried to aid a crash victim on Interstate 80 was described by his boss as a "good family guy" and a man with a great spirit.

Jeff Hohle, owner of Castlewood Cabinets in Dixon, said Spencer West Myers, 36, of Vacaville was on his way to work Thursday morning when he stopped to aid a motorist whose car had overturned on eastbound I-80. Hohle said such actions were typical of Myers.

"He was an all-round good guy," Hohle said. "He was just that one notch above."

A man who died Tuesday night as he walked across Fair Oaks Boulevard has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Veniamin Pekun, 39, of Carmichael.

A 54-year-old Carmichael woman was driving a 2001 red Ford Mustang westbound on Fair Oaks Boulevard east of Marshall Avenue about 9:15 p.m. She was traveling about 40 mph when Veniamin began to walk across the roadway directly in front of the Ford, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

The Ford struck Pekun, causing him to be thrown into the left lane of eastbound Fair Oaks Boulevard. A second car, driven by a 56-year-old man from Fair Oaks, was unable to avoid hitting him.

CHP officials said Pekun was not crossing in a crosswalk. They said it is not known whether alcohol or drugs contributed to the incident pending a toxicology report. The collision is still under investigation.

A man is dead after tripping and falling in front of a light-rail train heading inbound into Sacramento.

The train operator sounded his horn around noon when he saw the man on the tracks at the Power Inn Station, near Power Inn Road and Folsom Boulevard, but could not stop in time.

Buses are shuttling light-rail passengers between the University-65th Street station and the Watt-Manlove station on the Gold Line so that officials can conduct an investigation.

Citrus Heights police re-opened Greenback Lane after a suspicious package turned out only to be a briefcase with nothing explosive inside.

Police responded to the report of a suspicious package at about 10:15 a.m. today in a parking lot at 6124 San Juan Avenue, near Greenback Lane.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's department's bomb disposal unit was requested by Citrus Heights police to go to the scene.

Greenback Lane was closed in both directions between San Juan Avenue and Mariposa Avenue until about 1:30 p.m..

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives have arrested a 24-year-old Rosemont woman on suspicion of murder after they found a newborn baby's body hidden in her home, according to authorities.

Deputies arrested Courtney Kathleen Addington (pictured) on Tuesday night, two and a half months after deputies discovered the baby's body in a trash bag underneath a bed in Addington's Wildrose Way home, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos.

On Jan. 25, staff at Mercy General Hospital notified Sacramento police after they admitted a woman who they were confident had given birth - she was bleeding excessively - but who had denied doing so, Ramos said. Sacramento police then notified the Sheriff's Department, and deputies went to Addington's home to check on the welfare of a possible baby.

That night, deputies found the baby's body.

Addington is being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail, where she is ineligible for bail. She is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

A man was arrested for attempted robbery thanks to fast work by mall security officers, Sacramento officers and a police dog.

A man reported to Arden Fair Mall security about 8 p.m. Tuesday that an armed robber tried to hold him up in the parking lot. Police were notified and mall security provided a good description of the suspected robber's vehicle.

Police arriving to the call made a stop of the vehicle away from the mall parking lot.

Police said Jordan E. Urban, 22, (pictured) then fled from the car.

Urban was brought into custody with the assistance of a police dog. A discarded, loaded handgun was booked into evidence.

Urban was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of attempted robbery, carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony and giving false identification to police.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to Nina Butler, who embezzled from her employer, Normac, in the late '80s or '90s?
Submitted by: Boston, Sacramento

ANSWER: Nina Rae Butler was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1991 for stealing more than $6 million from her employer.

Two California prison inmates have been convicted of assaulting a fellow inmate in 2011.

Alexander Rey Dixon and Francisco Javier Nunez were each convicted by a jury of assault on an inmate with a deadly weapon and possession of a weapon by an inmate, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

On May 1, 2011, Dixon and Nunez assaulted Lance Melendez while incarcerated at California State Prison, Sacramento, in Folsom. Authorities said Melendez suffered numerous stab wounds to his back and head.

Dixon and Nunez face a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison as a result of the convictions, according to the news release. They are to be sentenced May 13 by Sacramento Superior Court Judge James Long.

Two Sacramento-area brothers pleaded guilty in today to wire fraud related to a mortgage fraud scheme.

The pleas were entered in U.S. District Court in Sacramento by Andrey Andreyev, 37, of Sacramento and Vitaliy Andreyev, 30, of Antelope, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

According to court documents, the Andreyev brothers were recruited by Vera Kuzmenko, owner of VK Tax Services, a tax preparation business, to purchase properties they could not afford. Andrey Andreyev purchased a property for $850,000 and Vitaliy Andreyev bought a property for $1.2 million.

The California Highway Patrol has released details in the deaths of a motorcyclist and his passenger that occurred in a collision with a car Saturday night in Fair Oaks.

The CHP said that Christopher J. Bartish, 34, of Citrus Heights was riding a motorcycle southbound on San Juan Avenue north of Palm Avenue abut 9:30 p.m. Saturday. Riding on the back of the motorcycle was Brandi Anzaldua, 34, of Citrus Heights.

A motorist in a Toyota Corolla was headed northbound on San Juan Avenue in the two-way left turn lane. As Toyota driver almost completed her turn onto Palm Avenue, the motorcycle struck the right front of the car, according a CHP press release.

Both helmeted riders on the motorcycle were thrown from their vehicle. Bartish was pronounced dead at the scene. Anzaldua was transported to the hospital where she later died from her injuries.

The Toyota driver and her passenger suffered minor-to-moderate injuries. The collision is under investigation.

Caltrans workers are installing "Move Over" signs statewide today in an effort to protect highway workers and California Highway Patrol officers.

The new signs will display the messages "Move Over or Slow for Stopped Emergency and Maintenance Vehicles" and "Move Over or Slow When Amber Lights Flashing." Signs will be at the Elkhorn on-ramp on southbound Interstate 5, at Gold Run on Interstate 80 and Pollock Pines on Highway 50.

"Every day, highway workers put their lives in danger just by going to work," said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty.

A motorcyclist died when his vehicle crashed into a school bus this morning in the Natomas area.

Few details are available yet on how the crash occurred. The California Highway Patrol, which handles school bus accidents, reported that at about 7 a.m. the school bus with students aboard collided with the motorcycle on San Juan near Tumbleweed Way.

The motorcyclist died at the scene. Neither the students nor the bus driver were injured.

A woman previously convicted of child molestation in Placer County has been convicted by a Sacramento County jury of 17 counts of lewd and lascivious acts with force against a child younger than 14 years old.

Rosemary Eusted, 40, began continuously molesting two female family members in November 1997 at her Rio Linda home, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. The victims, who were 6 and 7 years old at the time, did not report the abuse for several years because they feared retaliation and further physical abuse, authorities said.

In May 2005, Eusted was convicted of two counts of child molestation in Placer County. In that case, the victims included her ex-boyfriend's daughters, who ranged in age from 5 to 10 years old. These victims traveled from Red Bluff, Marysville and Twin Falls, Idaho to testify in the Sacramento County case, according to the DA's office.

Eusted is to be sentenced May 10 by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny.

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives are asking for the public's help in identifying the man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman on the American River Parkway last month.

A woman was running along a horse trail on the parkway between Watt and Howe avenues about 11 a.m. on March 26 when a man allegedly grabbed her from behind and forced her to the ground, said Sgt. Jason Ramos.

The man attempted to further assault the victim, but he rode away on a mountain bike when she screamed, Ramos said.

The man was described as white, in his late 20s to early 30s, with a blonde scruffy beard and a moustache. He is between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall and has a slender build, according to the Sheriff's Department. At the time of the alleged assault, he wore a red baseball camp, sunglasses, long-sleeved olive-green T shirt and black and gray pants. He rode a black mountain bike with white detailing.

Anyone with information about the suspect's identity is asked to call sheriff's sex assault detectives at (916) 874-5070 or the sheriff's tipline at (916) 874-TIPS. Tips also can be left anonymously at www.sacsheriff.com or texted to 274637 with the word "SSD."

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to David Harrell, who was accused of killing young Brady West?
Submitted by: Jolene, Sacramento

ANSWER: John David Harrell was convicted of second-degree murder in the February 1997 beating death of 15-month old Brady West.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the man found fatally shot in a Pocket area apartment Monday as 30-year-old Lawrence Dominic Smith.

Friends of Smith discovered Smith's body in his apartment, located on the 8000 block of Pocket Road, just after 10 a.m. Monday, according to Sacramento police. The friends called 911, and paramedics pronounced Smith dead at the scene.

Smith had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, police said.

Homicide detectives are investigating, but have not yet made any arrests in the case.

The Yolo County coroner's office has released the name of the man who was run over by his truck tractor at a West Sacramento trucking company yard.

He was identified as Vitali Dobic, 36, of Sacramento.

Police and California Highway Patrol officers responded to an industrial accident in the 3000 block of Evergreen Avenue about 11 a.m. Wednesday. When they arrived, officers found a semi-tractor that appeared to have crashed through a chain-link fence of the business. It had stopped at the side of Interstate 80, just west of the Harbor Boulevard entrance, said West Sacramento police spokesman Lt. Tod Sockman.

Dobic was pinned under the tractor, which was still running. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Dobic was an employee of the trucking company and the tractor was assigned to him. Sockman said it was not unusual for someone to be in the trucking yard alone, and there were no witnesses to the incident.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of a bicyclist hit when he rode into the path of a Regional Transit light-rail train in Folsom on Wednesday.

He was identified as Michael Higgins, 48, of Folsom.

Folsom police spokesman Sgt. Jason Browning said the light-rail train had just left the station at Glenn Drive and Folsom Boulevard about 3:30 p.m., headed for Sacramento. As it crossed Parkshore Drive at Folsom Boulevard, Higgins rode into its path and was struck by the train.

Browning said a preliminary investigation indicates that Higgins was westbound on the the south side of Parkshore, riding on the wrong side of the road, against traffic. He said the bicyclist apparently ignored the crossing arms and bells warning of the approaching train and continued onto the tracks.

A 35-year-old Sacramento man was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for using the Internet in an attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual acts.

Eric G. Lowe also will be subject to 10 years of supervised release following his time in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

On April 14, 2012, Lowe posted a Craigslist advertisement seeking someone with whom to "have a Daddy/Daughter incest relationship," according to court documents. An undercover detective from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department responded to the ad through email, posing as a 13-year-old girl.

A 21-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a sexual assault on a woman on the campus of an Antelope-area school last November.

Demarea Brown (pictured) was taken into custody today at his Sacramento County residence and was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of felony offenses related to the assault, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

About 8:30 p.m. Nov. 25, a 19-year-old woman was walking around Olive Grove Elementary School in the 7900 block of Firestone Way when she was approached by a man who engaged her in a brief conversation. The two then went their separate ways, but moments later, while the woman was still on the campus, the man approached her again, grabbed her and sexually assaulted her before leaving on foot.

Sacramento police today arrested a 52-year-old man in connection with a 25-year-old homicide case.

Stanley David Grow (pictured) was taken into custody shortly after 9 a.m. as he exited the rear door of his home in the 3600 block of Gayle Way in North Highlands, according to a Police Department news release. He is accused of the 1988 slaying of Manuel Morales. Police said the arrest was based on DNA evidence.

At 2:17 a.m. Oct. 19, 1988, a Sacramento police officer was on patrol on 14th Avenue in the William Land Park area. While westbound on 14th Avenue from 19th Street, the officer saw an individual lying in the gutter wrapped in a blood-soaked sheet. The victim, later identified as 51-year-old Morales, had suffered multiple stab wounds and was declared dead at the scene.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies are investigating the fatal shooting of a young man in the Fruitridge area this afternoon.

Shortly before 11:30 a.m., a caller reported a man had been shot in the area of E. Nichols Avenue and 16th Avenue, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos. Subsequent 911 calls reported shots heard in the area.

Deputies found a man lying on the sidewalk on the west side of E. Nichols Avenue, south of 16th Avenue, next to a parked car, Ramos said. The car's front passenger door was open, and the windows on the driver's side had been shot out.

Firefighters this afternoon will sift through the rubble of a heavily damaged home in South Sacramento looking for the cause of an explosive fire - and to make sure there are no bodies in the rubble.

Two people were critically burned in the fire that erupted about 4:30 a.m. today on Herbosa Vista Court. Sounds of explosion were heard coming from the single-story residence.

Firefighters said two vehicles with lights turned off were seen speeding from the scene. Two burn victims were transported by private vehicle to UC Davis Medical Center about 30 minutes after the fire was reported.

Fire officials said they suffered second- and third-degree burns over 50-70 percent of their bodies, including on their hands, faces and legs.

A 25-year-old woman was in surgery this evening after being dropped off at Sutter Memorial Hospital with gunshot wounds.

Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos said the Sacramento Police Department was contacted by the hospital after the the woman was dropped off there by someone in a vehicle. The vehicle was found to be registered to an owner with an address on Lincoln Village Drive, in the Sheriff's Department's jurisdiction.

Ramos said the woman's husband later returned to the hospital, where he was detained by police. He provided information indicating that the shooting had occurred in the 9800 block of Lincoln Village Drive.

Ramos said sheriff's deputies have found evidence of a shooting at that location and are conducting and investigation. He said investigators are interviewing the husband and have yet to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: I was wondering whatever happened to the men that were arrested in connection with the death of William Kempton's daughter?
Submitted by: Bill McCormick, Sacramento

ANSWER: Andres Arturo Tostado and Jacob Edwards were arrested in connection with the 2007 death of 21-year-old Summer Kempton, daughter of then state Department of Transportation Director Will Kempton.

Sacramento police said a man was robbed of his just-purchased beers after being touched with a stunning device.

The man was walking from store in the 2000 block of Point West Way near Arden Way about 12:20 p.m. Tuesday with two beers and energy drinks when he was approached from behind.

He was then touched with an electrical stun gun that left him unable to stop the female robber from taking his purchases. The robber fled.

A woman has died from injuries suffered when she was hit by a car while crossing a street in Arden Arcade.

The California Highway Patrol said that Laura Barnes, 54, of North Highlands was crossing Watt Avenue near Barberry Lane about 8:30 p.m. Sunday when she was stuck by a car traveling southbound at about 35 mph.

The CHP said that that Barnes suffered major injuries and was transported to UC Davis Medical Center. She died the next day.

The CHP said that Barnes was not within a marked crosswalk.

Three of four Sacramento brothers involved in a sophisticated residential marijuana growing operation were sentenced today in federal court in Sacramento.

Tony Le, 55, was sentenced to 48 months in prison, and Cuong Le, 43, and Minh Le, 36, received prison sentences of 51 months and 46 months, respectively, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. They were sentenced by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb for their involvement in a conspiracy to manufacture marijuana.

Co-defendant Tien Le was recently found guilty after a six-day trial in the same case and is to be sentenced July 1.

Sacramento police confirmed today that the death of a man whose body was found in a Pocket-area apartment this morning is being investigated as a homicide.

The man, identified only as 30 years old, was discovered inside an apartment on the 8000 block of Pocket Road by friends who hadn't heard from him in awhile, said police Officer Michele Gigante.

The friends found him unconscious inside the apartment. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, and called police. The man had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, Gigante said.

It was not immediately clear how long the man had been inside the apartment, Gigante said.

Detectives are investigating. No suspects have been arrested.

A man had to go to the hospital as a precaution after police had some difficulty in bringing him under control.

Officers made a traffic stop of Anthony M. Mancuso, 37, near Acacia Avenue and Clay Street in the Hagginwood neighborhood of Sacramento about 4 p.m. Sunday. Once stopped, Mancuso ran from officers.

Police said at one point he tried to reach into his pants and was not complying with the commands of officers. An officer used a Taser to gain control of Mancuso.

The vehicle he had been driving was confirmed to be stolen, police said. Police said he was arrested on suspicion of possession of burglary tools, motor vehicle theft, heroin and hypodermic needle possession and resisting arrest.

The name of the driver killed Thursday when his vehicle hit a tree along the Capital City Freeway near Arden Way has been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.

He was identified as Roberto Meza Ayon, 59, of Winton, Merced County.

The motorist was apparently traveling eastbound on the Capital City Freeway about 7 a.m. on wet roadway. Ayon's vehicle ended up near the westbound side in the center divide.

Ayon's vehicle hit a tree in the center divide, backing traffic up in the commute on the westbound side of the freeway.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What is the status of Michael Bolden, who was charged in a real estate fraud case?
Submitted by: Rocketman916, Sacramento

ANSWER: The trial for Michael Bolden and four other people indicted by a federal grand jury is set for May 14, according to federal court online records.

Five people were arrested this morning after firearms and drugs were found at two Foothill Farms homes.

Members of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's problem oriented policing detail were assisting the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's criminal apprehension personnel in the 4700 block of Greenholme Drive. During a search of two duplex units, at 4771 and 4773 Greenholme, three firearms were located, one of which was an assault rifle, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos. Deputies also found $35,000 in cash, as well as various amounts of marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine.

A Carmichael man suspected of being connected with a major dogfighting operation in Mississippi was arrested Wednesday.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos said James Leiva, 60, was arrested after a search warrant was served at his home in the 6000 block of Holeton Road in Carmichael. Four dogs also were taken from the residence.

Leiva was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of possession of fighting dogs, possession of a controlled substances for sale and unlawful possession of ammunition by a person prohibited from possessing ammunition or firearms.

A big rig crash has backed up the morning commune on Interstate 5.

Read more: Fatal crash into tree along Cap City freeway during morning commute

The crash of a big rig has stalled traffic in both directions on Interstate 5 in South Sacramento. The crash occurred about 6:30 a.m. just south of Seamas Avenue when the truck crashed into a center divider.

Both southbound and northbound traffic was still slow through the area at 8:45 a.m. as lanes were closed to clear the wreckage.

The California Highway Patrol said a fatal collision occurred on the Capital City Freeway near Arden Way this morning.

Read more: I-5 big rig crash slows morning commute

The motorist was apparently traveling eastbound on the Capital City freeway about 7 a.m. on wet roadway. The vehicle in which the motorist died ended up near the westbound side in the center divider.

The motorist's vehicle hit a tree in the center divider. Traffic was backed up at 8:15 a.m. on the southbound side of the freeway.

A motorist was killed Wednesday night in collision at an intersection near Sacramento's River Park neighborhood.

The crash involving a tow truck and a small pickup occurred about 6:30 p.m. at Carlson Drive and H street. The tow truck was northbound on Carlson and the pickup was westbound on H Street, according to Sacramento police.

The tow truck struck the pickup on the driver's side door. The driver of the pickup, Denis James Tomassetti, 60, of Sacramento, died from injuries suffered in the crash. Tomasetti worked for The Bee in the finance and circulation departments from 1977 to 1992. His wife, Mary Rhea Breen, currently works in finance for The Bee.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters rescued a dog that fell down a steep hillside on Wednesday along the American River.

Twelve-year-old Bandit was out for a morning stroll with his owner in the Gristmill Park area of Rancho Cordova. Part of the trail gave out, sending Bandit down the hillside into some thick bushes, said Capt. Jon Rudnicki.

His owner realized he could not get to Bandit so firefighters arrived to execute a rescue. Firefighters carefully made their way to the dog and placed him in a basket.

The frightened pooch snapped at the firefighters, so a towel was placed over his head to protect them from a bite, according to Rudnicki. The basket was slid up the hill and then Bandit was carried to the owner's car.

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with a sexual assault on a woman in February.

About 6:15 p.m. Feb. 6, the youth allegedly entered an apartment in the 4900 block of El Paraiso Avenue on south Sacramento County, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department news release. The resident, a woman in her 60s, tried to escape but was overpowered by the youth, who is accused of sexually assaulting her. The teenager allegedly stole money and other items from the woman before fleeing.

Sheriff's officials said the youth, who has not been named because he is a juvenile, was taken into custody at a residence Tuesday. He was booked on suspicion of robbery, burglary, forcible rape, elder abuse and injury to a telephone line.

Sacramento police are investigating a home-invasion robbery reported at a South Land Park apartment Tuesday night.

According to a police report, the female victim was inside her apartment on the 6000 block of South Land Park Drive about 10 p.m. when three men came in the open back door.

One of the suspects assaulted the woman, and the three suspects stole cash before leaving, according to the report. The woman went to a local hospital for treatment of a non-life-threatening injury.

She told police one of the suspects was a white male in his teens. No description was given of the other two suspects, according to the report.

Police spokesman Officer Doug Morse said police are still investigating.

A Sacramento-based Coast Guard air crew helped recover 3.3 tons of marijuana from the ocean on Sunday off the coast of Southern California.

The crew of the Coast Guard C-130 Hercules, based in Sacramento, spotted a suspected smuggler's vessel during a routine patrol, according to the Coast Guard. Sailors on the suspected smugglers boat began throwing bales of marijuana overboard and sped south.

The C-130 crew provided the location of the ship, about 90 miles west of San Nicolas Island, to the Coast Guard Cutter Alert. The cutter responded to recover 245 bales of marijuana.

San Nicolas Island is one of the Channel Islands 60 miles off the coast from Los Angeles. Coast Guard crews regularly patrol the waters off the coast to disrupt smuggling of illegal migrants and drugs, according to a Coast Guard press release.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Last July, neighbors and I were evacuated from our homes because a young man named Marcus Kiplinger had 6 pounds of C4 in his garage. I haven't read anything about it since the initial news reports. Can you please find out if he was charged with anything and, if so, whether he was found guilty, sentenced, etc.?
Submitted by: Chelsea, Sacramento

ANSWER: Marcus Jerome Kiplinger, 28, was arrested July 1, 2012 after plastic explosives were found at his Arden Arcade home.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrested a 28-year-old man early this morning after a robbery at a convenience store and a home-invasion robbery at a home in the Fruitridge area.

Just before 1 a.m., a clerk at a convenience store at 3920 Fruitridge Road called 911 to report his store had been robbed, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos. The clerk said the suspect was armed with a gun when he demanded money, Ramos said.

The suspect was described as a black man about 30 years old, 5 feet 7 inches and wearing a pink hoodie, Ramos said.

A man has been taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation after he was found running naked at the Rio Linda Airport.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos said a 911 call was received about 4 p.m. reporting that a white man in his 20s, wearing a white shirt and jeans, was running up and down the airport and acting "weird." A second caller reported that a man was running naked around the airport in the 900 block of E Street.

When deputies arrived, they spotted a naked man, who ran from them. Ramos said he finally was subdued with a Taser.

An uncle of the man who police suspect was in the act of tagging when he was found hanged from a downtown building said he never knew his nephew to deface any property with graffiti.

"I have never known for him to do that before," said Joseph Fugate, whose nephew, Craig Michael Fugate, 30, was discovered Monday morning hanging from rope outside the 16th floor of a building at 12th and K streets. "He is an artist. I know that."

He said that his nephew was adept at artwork on t-shirts, including silk-screening. He was a kind man, his uncle said.

Sacramento police say that evidence suggests that the man who died while descending from a downtown building was attempting to mark or etch something on the facade.

Police and fire personnel responded to calls of a man's body found hanging from a building at 12th and K streets at 7:45 a.m.

The man's death appears to be accidental, according to police spokeswoman Officer Michele Gigante. A can of spray paint and an etching tool that could be used to deface glass was found on a roof above where the man was found hanging.

A reward is being offered for the arrest of a man who sexually assaulted a jogger on a well-traveled portion of the American River Parkway last week.

The woman was knocked to the ground by a man who tried to put his hand under her clothing during the attack that occurred about 11 a.m. Tuesday along the American River between Howe and Watt avenues.

Supervising Park Ranger John Havicon said the young woman was jogging on the horse trail between the river and the paved bicycle path. At one point, she passed a picnic table where the man was sitting next to a bike.

Police baton, Taser and a police dog were used to bring a man under control in a wild fight with officers on Sunday afternoon in a neigborhood near Howe Avenue and American River Drive.

Sacramento police were called to the 2000 block of University Avenue at about 4 p.m. Sunday on a report of a man was on the caller's roof acting crazy and possibly under the influence of drugs.

When officers arrived, the man was down from the roof but he refused to cooperate with police. The officers requested cover from colleagues and tried to subdue the man, using a Taser and police baton.

In the past two months, California Highway Patrol Officer Rick Murray has done more than keep the speeds down on Sacramento freeways: He has used life-saving skills to restore breathing to both a toddler and a woman.

In the first incident, on Feb. 13, Murray, a motorcycle officer, was on patrol when he rolled up to three stopped vehicles in the center median of Highway 50, east of Highway 99. As he arrived, Cassie Moore showed Murray her 18-month-old daughter.

Moore's child had stopped breathing.

"The baby was absolutely blue," said Murray, a 17-year CHP veteran.

A lane of westbound Interstate 80 is blocked this morning while emergency crews clean up pool supplies spilled when a pickup truck overturned this morning.

The crash occurred about 4 a.m. when the driver lost control of his truck on I-80 just west of Antelope Road. The driver veered to the left and struck the center divider, causing the vehicle to overturn and then land back on its wheels, according to California Highway Patrol officer Rich Wetzel.

The driver was not badly injured. His truck was carrying pools supplies, consisting of dry chlorine and muriatic acid.

Fire department personnel worked through the morning to remove the contents. Traffic was slow on westbound I-80 at 7 a.m.

There was no estimate when the fast lane on westbound I-80 at the site of the spill would be re-opened.

A man who died in a standoff with police in Washington was wanted in Sacramento for real estate fraud.

The two-day police stand-off at a home in the small town of Hoquiam, along Washington's coast, ended this morning when the man was shot and killed.

The house where he had been holed up, then erupted in fire.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's investigators have found no evidence of any altercation or argument leading up to the fatal stabbing of a Carmichael man Wednesday night.

The attack, described by authorities as "brutal," appears to have been "a very spontaneous event" and the motive remains unclear, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos.

Killed in the attack was 65-year-old Roy Shier, according to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

Just before 11 p.m., deputies were called to a home on the 6200 block of Coyle Avenue after receiving a report of a stabbing. Deputies found Shier, who had suffered "significant trauma consistent with sharp force and blunt force trauma," Ramos said. Shier was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses quickly told deputies the identity of the alleged attacker and gave a description. Deputies found the alleged assailant, identified as 26-year-old Kenneth Azlin, on the campus of a nearby elementary school and arrested him. They also found the weapon believed to have been used in the attack, Ramos said.

Azlin was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail early this morning.

Azlin is the grandson of Shier's wife, Ramos said. She and two juvenile family members were at the Coyle Avenue home at the time of the attack but were not injured.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038. Follow her on Twitter @Kim_Minugh.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Around the late 1990s, I was on a jury that convicted several people for robbery and murder of a truck driver in a parking lot of a Stop-and-Go near 46th Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard in south Sacramento. The victim's brother, also a truck driver, saw his brother's truck in the parking lot before and after making deliveries himself to the Campbell Soup plant. Upon investigating, he found his brother partially clothed and dead in the truck from a gunshot wound. The judge determined the sentencing after we were released. What punishment did the judge impose, and what are the defendants' status?
Submitted by: Dave, Folsom

ANSWER: James "J.T." Bertram and Nikita Suzanne Powell, both of south Sacramento, were tried for the shooting death of Woodland trucker Darrel Gaskill.

A 23-year-old Sacramento man died after the all-terrain vehicle he was riding on a street in McClellan Park early Sunday struck a block wall.

The crash occurred at 1:25 a.m. as the man was riding a Bombardier ATV four-wheeler north on Arnold Drive just north of Howard Street. For unknown reasons, the ATV traveled off the roadway and struck a cinder block wall, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

The rider suffered fatal injuries. His name has not been released pending notification of family.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

A Carmichael couple have entered no contest pleas in the 2009 death of a parolee whose body was found in a rural area of El Dorado County.

Charles Gaskin, 48, pleaded no contest today to the first-degree murder of Neil Hayes, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. Gaskin's wife and co-defendant, Sandra Sheaves, pleaded no-contest to a felony charge of being an accessory to murder. Gaskin also admitted an enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon, and his wife admitted an enhancement for misuse of information obtained from the Megan's Law website.

Hayes, 66, was released on parole in June 2009 and contacted Gaskin, whom he had met while both were incarcerated in the same prison, authorities said. Gaskin and Sheaves allowed Hayes to stay in their garage because he had no permanent residence.

A 52-year-old Carmichael man died and his 16-year-old son was seriously injured Tuesday night when the motorcycle they were riding collided with a van on Fair Oaks Boulevard.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified the father as Martin M. Madson.

The crash occurred about 7:38 p.m. as Elmira Atarbekyan, 51, of Sacramento, driving a green 2000 Toyota Sienna, was pulling out from a private driveway on the west side of Fair Oaks Boulevard, just south of Marconi Avenue, according to a California Highway Patrol news release. The motorcycle, a 2000 Harley Davidson, was southbound in the left lane.

Sacramento's popular new beer hall LowBrau will be hosting a fundraiser Saturday night to contribute to a reward fund for information in the case of Josiah Humphreys, the 28-year-old man fatally beaten in midtown earlier this month.

Early in the morning March 17, Humphreys was beaten at the corner of 18th and P streets by three suspects who have not yet been identified by Sacramento police. His family and friends started a reward fund for information that leads to arrests in the case and have raised almost $5,000, said Humphreys' sister, Veronica.

The fundraiser will begin at 7 p.m. at LowBrau, 1050 20th Street, and last until closing time. Several businesses and restaurants in town have donated items for a raffle that will benefit the fund, and several others are sponsoring the event, said Tom Goode, a friend of Humphreys.

Sacramento police arrested a man for possessing a Molotov cocktail last night in Del Paso Heights.

Police said they were called to the 3400 block of Branch Street about 9 p.m. where a man reportedly had ignited a Molotov cocktail in the street near an occupied recreational vehicle.

No property damage occurred and no injuries were suffered. The person who allegedly lit the Molotov cocktail was known to the occupants of the RV and officers were able to find Davy Liu, 22, at nearby residence.

He was identified as a suspect and booked into Sacramento County Jail on $1 million bail. Liu was arrested on suspicion of possession, exploding or igniting a destructive device and possession of a destructive device in a public place.

One person is dead and another injured after a motorcycle and a van collided at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Marconi Avenue in Carmichael.

The crash was reported at 7:38 p.m.

Rashawn Fulcher, a spokesman for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, said two people were on the motorcycle. One died and the other was transported to a local hospital.

Fulcher said no one in the van was injured seriously enough to require treatment at a hospital.

No information was immediately available on the cause of the accident.

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives have arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of distributing child pornography.

Danny R. Smith (pictured) was booked into Sacramento County Jail this afternoon and is being held on $50,000 bail.

The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information that Smith was trading files of child pornography via the Internet, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. A federal search warrant was served at Smith's residence in the 2000 block of Bluebird Lane in the Arden Arcade area. Detectives discovered, however, that Smith had recently moved and tracked him to Citrus Heights, where he was taken into custody.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman in Foothill Farms last week.

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives allege Marquon DeAnthony Green-Vasquez is responsible for the death of 30-year-old Deandra Horton. A 31-year-old man standing next to her also was shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries in Friday's violence at the Cambridge Park apartments on Hamilton Street.

Detectives suspect the surviving victim - and not Horton - was the intended target, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos.

Green-Vasquez also suffered a gunshot wound in the incident, and was identified by detectives after seeking treatment at a Walnut Creek hospital, Ramos said. Detectives are still investigating who shot Green-Vasquez.

He and the surviving victim are both known gang members, and the homicide is being investigated as gang-related, Ramos said.

On Saturday, detectives arrested 29-year-old Shoreem Bryant on suspicion of accessory to murder in connection with the shootings.

Ramos said detectives are investigating whether there are any outstanding suspects.

A driver and passenger were treated for minor injuries this afternoon after their SUV crashed into a building in a Fair Oaks shopping center.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District crews were called to the Raley's shopping center shortly after noon. An elderly couple had been parking their vehicle in front of the building when the vehicle accelerated and crashed through the glass front of one shop, through the wall of a vacant unit and then into a third unit, according to a fire district news release. The SUV came to rest with its front end inside Rims Deli.

Although the three commercial units suffered significant damage, no one was seriously hurt, according to fire officials. Fire crews treated the driver and passenger for minor injuries.

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives seek help identifying a man wanted in connection with an attempted bank robbery earlier this month.

On March 1, the suspect entered the Chase Bank in the 3600 block of Fair Oaks Boulevard and gave the teller a note demanding cash, but he fled on a bicycle before obtaining any money, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

On March 13, the same man entered the Bank of the West in the 2500 block of Fair Oaks Boulevard. Sheriff's officials said he loitered inside the bank for a few moments before being directed outside by employees.

A California State Prison, Sacramento inmate has been convicted of a 2010 attack on a fellow inmate.

A Sacramento County jury today found Steven Thompson, 50, guilty of assault on another inmate, personally inflicting great bodily injury and possessing a weapon in prison.

While incarcerated at the prison in Folsom, Thompson stabbed another inmate on the yard with an inmate-manufactured knife, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. The victim suffered a punctured lung.

Thompson faces up to 53 years to life in prison for the offenses. He is to be sentenced May 3 by Superior Court Judge Maryanne Gilliard.