Sacto 9-1-1

A Carmichael woman reported missing from her home last week has been located.

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives have had contact with 55-year-old Melodie Benton (pictured), also known as Melodie Rowan, and report that she is OK, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Benton left her workplace in Folsom about 2 p.m. Feb. 15 and was observed on video surveillance cameras leaving the Red Hawk Casino in Shingle Springs about 8 that night.

She was reported missing after she failed to return home. Officials said she was considered at risk because her disappearance was inconsistent with her normal behavior.

By Kim Minugh and Bill Lindelof
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento police confirmed today they believe a love affair was behind a murder-suicide outside the Sacramento Municipal Utility District building Tuesday night.

Police Sgt. Andrew Pettit said detectives suspect the shooter, identified today as 73-year-old Robert Gully, fatally shot 62-year-old Jerome Votaw because Votaw was having an affair with Gully's estranged wife.

Gully then chased the 49-year-old woman, who witnessed the shooting, back inside the SMUD building lobby, firing shots at her as they ran, Pettit said.

A shoplifting suspect had the book thrown at him after he allegedly bit a Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy.

Deputies were called to the Walmart store in the 5800 block of Antelope Road about 7 p.m. Tuesday where store security officers were detaining Breyon D. Wilson, 20, a shoplifting suspect.

When deputies arrived to take Wilson into custody, he tried to run, according to a sheriff's department press release. A struggle began and Wilson bit one of the deputies on the arm.

Eventually, he was subdued and placed under arrest. He was later booked on suspicion of mayhem, battery on a peace officer, resisting an executive officer, committing a crime while out on bail and theft.

The deputy went to a hospital for evaluation but did not sustain any significant injury, according to the department.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were called this morning to a home in southern Sacramento County where a family was tied up by robbers.

Shortly before 9 a.m., the deputies responded to the robbery call at a residence in the 8800 block of Skipjack Way near Gerber Road and Elk Grove-Florin Road.

Deputies said the suspects, clad in brightly colored vests, used the ruse that they were utility workers to get into the home. Once inside, they handcuffed and tied up the family before searching for cash.

The suspects left without injuring anyone. A media alert from the sheriff's department said it was not immediately known if the robbers were successful in getting away with any loot.

A Sacramento man has been sentenced to four years in prison for aggravated identity theft.

Melvin Lee Gregory, 30, was sentenced in federal court in Sacramento by U.S. District Judge John A Mendez, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. His prison term is to be followed by one year of supervised release.

According to court documents, between March and July 2010, Gregory stole U.S. mail, looking for financial and identification information. He opened lines of credit using his victims' personal information, and obtained cash and goods from merchants and financial institutions in the Sacramento area.

A Nevada City man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Sacramento to involvement in a marijuana and money laundering operation.

Charles Miller Hilkey Jr., 58, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to conspiring with others to cultivate marijuana and to structuring financial transactions to avoid federal reporting, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

According to court documents, Hilkey was the leader of a significant marijuana growing operation. The marijuana grown on multiple properties that he controlled was ostensibly for medical purposes. Officials said Hilkey and his confederates structured various financial transactions with some of the money they made selling marijuana to avoid financial reporting requirements under federal law. Hilkey structured at least $859,000 in transactions with one or more financial institutions, usually post offices in Nevada County.

By Kim Minugh and Cathy Locke

kminugh@sacbee.com

Two men were killed Tuesday night in a murder-suicide that occurred in the parking lot of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District headquarters, Sacramento police officials report.

Police spokesman Andrew Pettit said the men were not SMUD employees but were among a group of people using SMUD facilities for a meeting.

Pettit provided these details about the fatal incident:

A judge today ordered a woman to stand trial for murder on charges she burned her two-month-old baby to death by placing her in a microwave oven.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Eugene Balonon also found evidence to support the special allegation filed by prosecutors that Ka Yang also tortured the baby. The allegation would guarantee Yang a life term in prison with no chance of parole if she is convicted. Prosecutors earlier agreed to not pursue the death penalty because Yang has no prior criminal record.

Yang, 30, is accused in the March 17 burning death of her infant daughter, Mirabelle Thao-Lo, in their home on Rood Avenue in the Robla neighborhood on the city's north side.

A 16-year-old was grazed in the head by gunfire as a result of another teen playing with a handgun, police said.

Sacramento police said the two 16-year-olds were in the backyard of a residence in the 100 block of Fairbanks Avenue in Strawberry Manor on Sunday morning when the recently acquired weapon fired.

One of the teens was "playing with the handgun" when it fired, according to a police activity log.

The injured boy was treated and released from the hospital. The 16-year-old who was handling the weapon was booked into Sacramento County Juvenile Hall for suspicion of negligent discharge of a firearm.

A group that provides train rides to boys and girls has had a vintage tractor stolen that was essential to keeping their Rancho Cordova excursion railroad in good running order.

The Sacramento Valley Live Steamers, a nonprofit organization runs a scale-model steam train in Hagan Community Park, has been delighting children since the early 1970s with train rides through the trees with glimpses of American River.

The railroad line has endured vandalism and the theft of tools and track before, but never something like what happened last week when somebody took their vintage tractor.

A week ago, somebody broke into a locked shipping container and took the group's red-orange 1951 Ferguson farm tractor with a front loader. The tractor is used for a variety of tasks, including carrying gravel ballast that is used under the tracks.

The group is in the process of replacing track. That's when the sturdy workhorse comes in handy.

But now it is gone, apparently driven away down the bike trail.

"I'm told that the transmission is worth $1,000 on its own," said Bill Yoder, president of the Live Steamers. "As heavy as that thing is, they will probably chop it up and sell it for scrap."

Yoder wanted help in making the public aware of the theft in hope that somebody spots the hard-to-hide tractor. The group has offered a $1,000 reward for its return in good condition.

Any information about the stolen tractor should be provided to Rancho Cordova Police, Yoder said.

Starting in March, the group plans to start excursion runs again. Yoder will use his small tractor to move gravel.

PHOTO CAPTION: The stolen vintage tractor. Sacramento Valley Live Steamers

Citrus Heights officers working on a domestic violence call this morning say they were greeted by a shotgun blast that shattered a sliding glass door.

Police said that about 12:45 a.m. today they responded to meet a woman who was the victim of assault. She told them that her husband, Loren Fullmer, 43, assaulted her while they were inside their vehicle.

Police obtained an emergency protective order on behalf of the victim. At about 2:11 a.m. officers tried to contact Fullmer at his home in the 5800 block of Sunrise Vista Drive.

Officers knocked on the front door. At about the same time they allege Fullmer fired one shotgun round through the frame of a sliding glass door several feet away from the front door.

Officers ordered Fullmer to surrender, which he did several minutes later, according to a department press release.

Officers later confiscated a 12-guage shotgun and a spent casing from the home. Fullmer who police said was on probation for burglary, was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and weapons violations.

PHOTO CAPTION: Loren Fullmer/Citrus Heights police

A 45-year-old man was in critical condition in the hospital Sunday after he was struck in the crosswalk by a hit-and-run motorist at Stockton Boulevard this morning, the Sacramento Police Department reported.

Police said the incident occurred before 7 a.m. at Stockton Boulevard and Dias Avenue.

Investigators reported the car that hit the pedestrian was a newer model charcoal gray sedan, possibly a Honda., and that the driver is an Asian mail, 36-42 years old, medium build with "scruffy facial hair."

A Sacramento woman reported missing Friday has returned home, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department said.

Donna Delgadillo, 43, left her home Friday afternoon and had been considered at risk because of her mental and emotional state.

Delgadillo "has returned home and is OK," said Deputy Jason Ramos, in a Sheriff's Department release.

No other details were provided.

By Carlos Alcalá

calcala@sacbee.com

An accident initially described as a hit-and-run involving a pedestrian turned out to be a woman who was seriously injured after she leapt, fell or was pushed out of her boyfriend's car.

The 35-year-old woman, whose name was not released, had been drinking with her boyfriend in a bar on Northgate Boulevard.

After leaving the bar, they were in a car on Northgate near San Juan Road when the woman left the car in an unknown fashion.

By Carlos Alcalá

calcala@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department is looking for public help to find Donna Delgadillo, 43, who went missing Friday from her home in the 9100 block of Parducci Way in Sacramento.

She is considered at risk because of her mental and emotional condition.

She is a white female, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, about 130 pounds with brown hair and eyes.

She is thought to be driving a 1998 gold Toyota Camry with front-end damage and a California license of 4CBR335.

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

PHOTO CAPTION: Donna Delgadillo/Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

By Carlos Alcalá

calcala@sacbee.com

Lovie James was convicted by a Sacramento jury Friday in a violent 2011 attack on his then-69-year-old girlfriend.

James, 54, assaulted his girlfriend in her Elk Grove home, slamming her head on a tile floor and then pouring gasoline on both of them, telling her they would both die.

He then stole her car and fled, evading arrest for a week.

By Carlos Alcalá

calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento police arrested a pair of juvenile burglary suspects Friday, after a 12-year-old girl called 911 and hid in a closet while on the phone with the dispatcher.

The girl called police around 11 a.m., reporting that someone had broken into her home on Candela Circle through a back window.

She then ran upstairs and hid in her bedroom closet.

A man who allegedly accosted people outside the home of a former juvenile dependency court referee arrested earlier this week was taken into custody this morning after he was observed by Sacramento police officers waiting to serve a search warrant.

Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said a preliminary investigation indicates the John Parlante (pictured), 46, may have been the recipient of an unfavorable decision in Referee Daniel Madden Horton's court sometime in the past few years.

Horton was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of trying to entice underage girls to strip for an adult magazine. A court spokeswoman said he resigned from his court referee job last weekend.

A man who admitted to an assault at the Strikes Family Entertainment Center in Elk Grove last June was sentenced today.

Joel Baltazar Olivarez pleaded guilty to assaulting Seth Parker and admitted to a hate crime enhancement. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Steve White sentenced Olivarez to three years in prison, but the sentence was stayed pending successful completion of five years of formal probation, according to Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

Terms and conditions of Olivarez's probation include one year in county jail, drug and/or alcohol treatment, and 240 hours of community service to be served in an organization or program within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. If Olivarez violates any term or condition of his probation in the next five years, the stay will be lifted and he will be required to serve the prison term, officials said.

By Rick Daysog
rdaysog@sacbee.com

An Elk Grove man was sentenced today to four years and nine months in prison for his role in an $8 million mortgage fraud scheme.

U.S. District Judge Edward Garcia also ordered Gabriel Viramontes, 49, to pay restitution after a jury found him guilty last March on bank and mail fraud charges.

According to the U.S. Attorney's office, Viramontes and his Sacramento-based partners -- 34-year-old James Roy Martin and 42-year-old Mario Fellini III -- recruited straw buyers who purchased 19 homes in the Sacramento area using phony documentation.

The sales generated illegal kickbacks and "substantial loan broker commissions," federal prosecutors said.

Martin and Fellini pleaded guilty previously and testified against Viramontes. Martin was sentenced to 20.5 months in prison and Fellini will get six months in prison plus five months of home detention.

Two reputed street gang members were ordered today to stand trial for murder in last year's shooting deaths of three bicyclists in Rancho Cordova.

Saul Isidro-Aucencio, 25, and Francisco Ignacio Delgado, 21, were held over by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael A. Savage for the Feb. 13, 2011, killings of Robert Corpos, 20, Richard Ward, 16, and Jamir Miller, 15.

The judge scheduled their trial for April 10.

A one-time Sacramento street gang member was sentenced to two life terms with no chance of parole today for the 1991 double killing of two men who were standing outside a club on Stockton Boulevard.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley imposed the term on Ricky Tran, 39, for the Oct. 25, 1991, drive-by shootings of Huy "Joey" Nguyen, 23, and Quon Anh Tran, 23, outside the Craven Club.

Tran was not arrested until January 2010 in Pennsylvania when his two children reported him to police for a domestic attack on their mother. Fingerprints taken from Tran in that arrest identified him as the suspect in the 1991 killing of the two innocent bystanders.

Sacramento police say that a missing developmentally disabled man has been found.

John Saechao, 30, was seen walking out of his Del Paso Heights home in the 3900 block of Dry Creek Road about 2 p.m. Thursday. The police department put out a plea for the public to help find him last night.

Police said this morning that the Sacramento Sheriff's Department had found him at Manzanita Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard.

A police spokesman said that Saechao was spotted by citizens who saw him in the Fair Oaks Boulevard and Manzanita Avenue area. Both citizens said he seemed to match the picture of Saechao they had seen on television.

When deputies approached him he was sitting at a bus stop and appeared to have been out all night. Saechao is new to the Sacramento area.

He told deputies that he was hungry and that his feet hurt. Medical personnel checked out his health condition as a precaution.

Deputies bought him a burrito and a bottled water. He was then re-united with his extremely appreciative family, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, Sacramento police spokesman.

Saechao expressed an interest in becoming a police officer.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies need the public's assistance in finding a missing woman who works in Folsom.

Melodie Benton, 55, of Carmichael, left work Wednesday about 2 p.m. Sheriff's officials said Benton, who is also known as Melodie Rowan, was observed on video surveillance cameras leaving the Red Hawk Casino in Shingle Springs about 8 that night. She appeared to be alone, and left in an unknown direction.

"She is considered at-risk due to her disappearance being highly inconsistent with her normal behavior patterns," according to a sheriff's department press release.

Police would like citizens to help them find a missing developmentally disabled man who is new to the Sacramento area.

John Saechao, 30, was last seen walking out of his Del Paso Heights home in the 3900 block of Dry Creek Road about 2 p.m. Thursday.

He is described as Asian, 5 feet 7 inches tall and 270 pounds. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black t-shirt and blue jeans.

PHOTO CAPTION: John Saechao

The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of the woman whose burned body was found Tuesday in Discovery Park.

She has been identified as Sharion Renay King, 43, of Sacramento. Her death is listed as undetermined.

Sacramento police announced Thursday that they had arrested Robert Thompson 36, on suspicion of homicide in the killing of King.

While the cause of death has yet to be determined, the woman suffered upper body trauma, according to a press release from the police department.

Police said they cannot yet release the relationship between the victim and Thompson.

According to Sacramento County Superior Court online records, Thompson has an extensive criminal history. It includes sentences in 2001 for second-degree robbery and in 2007 for possessing or purchasing cocaine for sale and for committing a sex offense while in prison. In October 2011, he also pleaded no contest to failing to register as a sex offender.

Her severely burned body was found Tuesday morning by a passing bicyclist.

The bicyclist initially thought the smoke he was seeing near the archery range off the Garden Highway was simply burning leaves.

He contacted authorities to put out the fire. Sacramento firefighters arrived and discovered the badly burned body. Police were called in to investigate.

By Phillip Reese and Cathy Locke
preese@sacbee.com

A nearly three-hour standoff with police at a Land Park home ended peacefully Thursday evening with a man's surrender.

Police spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit said officers were called to a family disturbance in the 1300 block of Seventh Avenue about 4:45 p.m.

Everyone in the family subsequently left the house except the man, whom police identified as Gregory Dumond, 48. Family members told officers that he may have had a shotgun.

Sacramento police today announced the arrest of a man suspected of being the "Evil Clown Robber."

Detectives located and arrested Vanna Sisounthone (pictured), 43, Feb. 3 in connection with three robberies that occurred Jan. 19-21. Law enforcement officers dubbed the robber the Evil Clown Robber because of the mask (pictured) he wore during the robberies.

During the first two robberies, the masked robber shot at store employees and a witness who was attempting to write down the license plate number of the get-away car. In the third robbery, an elderly store clerk fought with the robber and ripped off the robber's mask as he ran from the store, according to a Police Department news release.

A second defendant pleaded no contest today to the videotaped attack on a mentally ill woman outside a south Sacramento donut shop.

Donnell Damone Wade, 19, entered his plea in front of Sacramento Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Frawley to a single count of participating in a gang-related event.

Under the terms of a plea deal, Wade will be placed on three years probation and can be sentenced to no more than a year in county jail. He has been in custody since Nov. 13. Wade is scheduled to be sentenced March 23 by Judge Kevin J. McCormick.

Another defendant in the case, Rasaan Ali Zawadi, 21, entered his no contest plea last week. Zawadi will be sentenced on March 1. Under the terms of his plea deal, Zawadi is expected to be placed on probation, ordered to stay away from the site of the attack and directed to obtain services for himself from the Alta Regional Center for the developmentally disabled. Zawadi also is expected to be sentenced to the four months he's already served in jail plus 60 more days of electronic monitoring.

Two Sacramento Superior Court juries have found three defendants guilty of murder in the March 17, 2010, shooting death of Marque Alexander Johnson while he was walking to a bus stop in south Sacramento to go to school.

One of the juries came back today with a first-degree murder verdict against Robert Maurice Hunt, 20, and a second-degree conviction against Khalief Raheem Taylor, 19. The panel concluded that Hunt was the shooter in the killing of the 17-year-old Johnson.

On Tuesday, another jury found a third defendant, Marquice Devon Wallace, 20, guilty of first-degree murder. The panel also convicted Wallace of arson for setting fire to a street memorial put together by friends and relatives of Johnson at the site of his killing on Summersdale Avenue just south of Mack Road.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A Sacramento couple who were trapped for days in a snowed-in car in remote Placer County were happy and relieved today, a day after they were rescued.

Mark Schroeder and Janette DeGrace met with members of the media at Schroeder's home to talk about their ordeal, which went from a fun Sunday outing to a terrifying situation that had them fearing for their lives.

The two had gone to a remote mountain bar called Uncle Tom's Cabin on Sunday. On the way home, Schroeder's Porsche 911 got stuck in the snow and the couple spent three nights in the car near the Hellhole and French Meadows reservoirs.

A reward is being offered for the return of a designer snake stolen from an Elk Grove store.

The $500 Bumblebee ball python was stolen about 11:30 a.m. on Valentine's Day from The Serpentarium, 9160 East Stockton Blvd.

Store security video shows a man and a woman looking at snakes in the showroom. At one point the man removes a lock from a terrarium and eventually pocketing the snake, according to Robert Coral, owner of The Serpentarium.

Coral said a Bumblebee is created by cross-breeding a Spider ball python with a Pastel ball python. A very low percentage of the off-spring will be Bumblebee pythons, which have a brilliant color.

"It looks like a pastel, brightly-colored Spider ball python," said Coral.

Since they are less common, they go for more money. Coral has offered a $100 cash reward or $150 store gift certificate for a return of the reptile.

This is not the first snake stolen. Before he had good surveillance in the store, a $125 boa was stolen from the store three months ago.

The snake was born at the Serpentarium in Lodi. The Lodi breeding facility has been in existence for 23 years, while the Elk Grove store opened just 8 months ago.
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call the Elk Grove store at (916) 686-1447.

PHOTO CAPTION: A bumblebee ball python was stolen from The Serpentarium in Elk Grove.

An arrest has been made in the killing of a woman whose burned body was found Tuesday in Discovery Park.

Sacramento police said today they have arrested Robert Thompson (pictured), 36, on suspicion of homicide in the killing of the still-unidentified female.

It will take several days to make a positive identification of the severely burned body that was found by a passing bicyclist. Police say the body was burned beyond recognition.

Sacramento police have arrested a man suspected of twice holding up the same downtown bank.

Sacramento police said that on Wednesday at about 4 p.m. Michael Johnson, 52, entered the River City Bank at 900 K Street and demanded cash.

After money was handed over, Johnson left the bank, according to police, and got into a taxi. Eventually, police learned, the robber was dropped off at Arden Fair Mall.

Police arrested Johnson while he was walking along the rear parking lot of the mall. He is suspected of robbing the same bank on Jan. 25.

Police said that in addition to the two Sacramento robberies, he is a suspect in three other bank robberies, two in San Francisco and one in South Lake Tahoe.

Sacramento police today arrested a county juvenile dependency court referee on suspicion of trying to get two women he thought were underage girls to strip for an adult magazine.

Sacramento Juvenile Dependency Court Referee Daniel Madden Horton, 47, was booked into the downtown jail at 5:05 p.m. today. No charges had been filed on him as of today, but a criminal complaint is likely to be filed as soon as Thursday, according to documents obtained by The Bee.

Horton was in the process of being booked late this afternoon and was unavailable for comment. District Attorney's officials also declined comment. He has resigned from his job in the Juvenile Dependency Court, according to courts spokeswoman Ginger Sylvester.

In a case summary Sacramento police presented to the District Attorney's Office, detectives are asking prosecutors to charge Horton on three misdemeanor counts.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's Youth Services Unit will join with the Boys and Girls Club in a "Unity for Youth" event on Friday.

The event, offered free of charge and open to the public, will be held from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club, Greater Sacramento Teichert Branch, at 5212 Lemon Hill Ave., Sacramento.

It will feature a variety of activities, including prize drawings, bounce houses, carnival games, face painting and K-9 units.

BREAKING NEWS ALERT via Carlos Alcala:

A Sacramento area couple missing since Sunday has been found alive many miles from the area where a search was being conducted in southern El Dorado County.

Mark Schroeder and Janette DeGrace were found Wednesday afternoon after Schroeder hiked miles through snow near Georgetown, in the northern part of the county, and guided a rescue helicopter to DeGrace, said Jim Jungsten, who had co-ordinated search efforts.

They were being transported to Auburn where Schroeder was expected to be treated for frostbite, Jungsten said.

A T-38 Talon aircraft from Beale Air Force Base sustained minor damage after a tire blew out upon landing at Mather Airfield this afternoon.

About 1:30 p.m., the aircraft, carrying two pilots, was on a routine training mission known as "touch and go's", when upon landing at Mather, a tire blew out, according to a Beale Air Force Base news release. Officials said crosswinds pushed the aircraft, causing a second tire to blow out.

Officials said no injuries were reported.

Beale Air Force Base safety and maintenance crew members are en route to Mather. The cause of the blow-out is under investigation.

The Citrus Heights Police Department has won an award for community policing.

The department will be presented the 2012 James Q. Wilson Award for Excellence in Community Policing at a March 12 symposium in Sacramento.

The "Citrus Heights Model - Community Based Domestic Violence Intervention" took the top award from the Regional Community Policing Institute -- California, according to a press release.

The Wilson award judging is based on several factors: problem solving, partnership with the community, partnership with public and private organizations, the extent of community policing and results.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Alfredo Daniel Tafoya on two counts of second-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Carlos Montes and Efrain Zambrano at a Nov. 28, 2009, quinceanera celebration in Galt.

The jury had deliberated for four days and appeared unable to reach a verdict until Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall announced this morning that prosecutors had amended the complaint against Tafoya to dismiss the first-degree murder charges as well as a special-circumstance allegation of multiple murders.

Tafoya, 20, faces a potential term of 80 years to life in prison at his scheduled March 23 sentencing in front of Judge Greta Curtis Fall. Defense attorney Pete Harned said after the verdict he will ask the judge to sentence Tafoya to a concurrent term of 40-to-life on the two second-degree murder convictions.

Law enforcement authorities are asking for the public's help in finding a missing couple.

Mark Schroeder, 55, was last known to be at his home in the 2900 block of Morse Glen Lane sometime during the day on Monday. He may be with his girlfriend, 52-year-old Janette DeGrace.

"He is considered at-risk because he is missing under suspicious circumstances," stated a press release from the Sacramento County Sheriff's department.

Schroeder drives a 1999 Porsche 911 with the California license plate of 5DRB566.

Schroeder is white, 5 feet 10 inches tall, about 140 pounds with collar-length brown hair and brown eyes. DeGrace is white, 5 feet 3 inches tall and about 130 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information about Schroeder is asked to call the sheriff's department at (916) 874-5115. Anyone with information about DeGrace is asked to call the police department at (916) 264-5471.

Sacramento police say that the person whose burned body was found this morning in Discovery Park was the victim of foul play.

"We are definitely investigating this as a homicide," said Officer Laura Peck, police spokeswoman. The body was set on fire, Peck said.

It will take several days to make a positive identification of the severely burned body that was found by a passing bicyclist. Police say the body was burned beyond recognition, but police believe it may be a woman.

Race and age are not known, police said. It is also not known how she died.

The bicyclist initially thought the smoke he was seeing near the archery range off the Garden Highway was simply burning leaves.

He contacted authorities to put out the fire. Sacramento firefighters arrived and discovered the badly burned body, according to Peck. Police were called at about 6:30 a.m. to investigate.

A man who was apparently suffering delusions fired a handgun into the home of his sister in Galt, wounding his brother-in-law, police said.

The man then fled before being captured on Highway 50 about 8:30 a.m. near Bass Lake Road in El Dorado County.

Galt police said the incident began about 6:30 a.m. in the 900 block of Whitford Court in Galt when Lonnie Ray Orman, 41, went to his sister's home under the erroneous impression that his niece was being harmed.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of a four-year-old boy who was been killed in what authorities described as a road rage incident involving his father and a second driver.

Ryan Chanthavong of Sacramento died after his father, 26-year-old Joe Chanthavong, crashed his car as the second driver followed him and he tried to exit from Interstate 5 near the Garden Highway Saturday afternoon.

When Chanthavong lost control of his car, it went down an embankment, according to a California Highway Patrol officer.

The boy, who was not properly secured in a child restraint seat, was thrown from the car and killed.

Joe Chanthavong and the child's mother, 23-year-old Melinda Phouglonghong, who was also in the car, suffered minor injuries.

The driver of the second car drove away.

The motorist who died early Monday morning when the car he was in left the roadway and struck a tree near the California State University, Sacramento, campus has been released.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office identified him as William F. Schuster, 21, of Sacramento.

The car Schuster was in was traveling eastbound on J Street near Carlson Drive about 12:45 a.m. Monday when the vehicle left the roadway and struck at least one tree.

Schuster, who was ejected from the vehicle, died at the scene.

A man and a woman who were also in the car, were transported to the hospital with significant injuries, a Sacramento police spokeswoman said.

Police have not determined a cause for the crash.

Initially, police identified Schuster as the driver of the car. However, investigators are not absolutely sure as yet if he was driving.

Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

A charred body was found after a passing bicyclist summoned authorities this morning to Discovery Park.

The bicyclist initially thought the smoke he was seeing near the archery range off the Garden Highway was simply burning leaves.

He contacted authorities to put out the fire. Sacramento firefighters arrived and discovered the badly burned body, according to Officer Laura Peck, Sacramento Police spokeswoman. Police were called at about 6:30 a.m. to investigate.

The body could possibly be that of a woman, according to Peck.

A Roseville man is headed to prison for bank fraud and mail theft.

U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb today sentenced Darryl M. Everett, 47, to three-and-a-half years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release for multiple counts of bank fraud, mail theft and conspiracy to commit such offenses, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. Everett also was ordered to pay more than $10,000 in restitution to his victims.

According to court documents, Everett stole U.S. mail on multiple occasions from the customer lobbies of the Discovery, Town and Country, and Strong Ranch post offices. He altered stolen financial instruments found in the stolen mail, and organized other people to cash the altered checks and money orders at financial institutions in Sacramento County. More than four banks and 20 postal customers were victimized, according to the news release.

A 65-year-old Sacramento man was arrested today on child pornography charges.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento returned a one-count indictment Thursday charging Robert M. Schaefer with distribution of child pornography.

According to the indictment, between 2008 and 2009, Schaefer used the Internet to distribute images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He allegedly uploaded to various file-sharing websites thousands of images of children being exploited, including children younger than 10 years old. He also is accused of surfing the Internet looking for people seeking particular types of photos, which he then shared from his extensive collection.

Sacramento County sheriff's narcotics detectives today arrested five people in connection with an interstate marijuana distribution operation.

Taken into custody were Keni Renta (pictured, top left), 29; Jauwon Wilder (top center), 28; Charles Wilson (top right), 34; Nathan Curry (bottom left) , 35; and Maryann Hunter (bottom right), 25. All were booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale, cultivation of marijuana and conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

In October 2011, sheriff's detectives began an investigation along with the U.S. Postal Service and the Financial Crimes Task Force of the Internal Revenue Services. The investigation focused on a group of people who appeared to have laundered more than $1 million in cash deposits into fictitious business and personal accounts, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. The deposits were made in states on the East Coast, then withdrawn the following day in Sacramento.

A driver died this morning when his car left the roadway and struck a tree near Sacramento State.

The Mitsubishi automobile was headed eastbound on J Street near Carlson Drive about 12:45 a.m. today when it left roadway and struck at least one tree.

The driver, a man in his 20s whose name has not yet been released, died at the scene. His passengers, a man and a woman, were transported to the hospital with significant injuries, a Sacramento police spokeswoman said.

Isaac Givens and Cesar Santana, members of the Norteno street gang, were convicted Friday of carrying out a 2010 retaliation shooting, according to a release from the Sacramento District Attorney's office.

Givens got into an argument with a rival gang member, leading to the shooting and hospitalization of Vincent Garay, Givens' fellow gang member, the DA's office said.

Detectives doing surveillance on the rival's house saw Givens drive Santana to the house five days later.

Citrus Heights police have arrested Nicholas Mangelli, 21, of Citrus Heights, in the killing of Michael Cole, 26.

Cole's body was discovered by a neighbor in a home in the vicinity of Auburn Boulevard and Halifax Street.

Cole lived in the 6000 block of Westbrook Drive.

Police arrived at the scene at about 11 a.m. Friday and found the victim, along with evidence that a violent struggle had occurred.

The Sacramento Police Department is offering a class on driver safety for teenage drivers and their parents or guardians.

The classes are intended to educate new drivers who lack the experience that is sometimes needed in various driving situations, according to a Police Department news release. Officials site statistics that show teenage drivers are found to be at fault in 66 percent of all fatal accidents in which teens are involved. Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 15 to 20 years old.

The Smart Start Driving Class, offered free of charge, is open to teenagers 15 to 19 years old. Participation of a parent or guardian is encouraged but not required.

Citrus Heights police announced that they have detained a suspect in a homicide after a man was found dead in a residence this morning.

Just after 11 a.m., officers responded to a home in the area of Auburn Boulevard and Halifax Street after a neighbor found a man dead inside the home. Officers found signs that a violent struggle had occurred.

Detectives began a homicide investigation and, through witness statements, quickly identified a suspect, according to a Police Department news release.

A man suspected of committing numerous residential burglaries in Granite Bay over the past few months has been arrested.

Jason Earl Rogers (pictured), 30, of Citrus Heights, was booked into Placer County Jail today on suspicion of residential burglary and possession of stolen property. He was originally arrested by El Dorado County sheriff's detectives, who discovered a large amount of stolen property during a search of his home Feb. 2, according to a Placer County Sheriff's Office news release.

The El Dorado County detectives were looking for a a burglar who had kicked in the front doors of dozens of homes and stolen jewelry. Placer County detectives joined the search of Rogers' home and found property belonging to Granite Bay victims.

Because of the large number of cases in Placer County, Rogers was extradited today, officials said. He is being held on a no-bail parole hold.

The preliminary hearing of six defendants accused of murder in the death of an innocent woman who was killed by a stray bullett during a shootout at a south area barbershop was delayed today due to a conflict on the part of one of the defense lawyers.

Meanwhile, it was disclosed in Sacramento Superior Court today that a seventh defendant has been arrested in the case. He is Ernest Burton Stoute, 28. According to jail and court records, Stoute was arrested Jan. 6 and charged three days later. His case is expected at some point to be joined with the other six defendants, attorneys said court today.

Deputy District Attorney Scott Triplett did not say what role Stoute might have played in the Dec. 14, 2010, shootout in which a stray bullet killed Monique Nelson, 30, as she wrapped her body across her 2-year-old son to protect him when the gunfire erupted. The boy had been strapped in his security seat in her sports utility vehicle.

A thorough Sacramento police officer followed up on a good eyewitness description and netted a strong-arm robbery suspect Thursday.

A couple staying in a motel near East Sacramento was robbed at a store on 30th Street around 7:30 p.m., when the husband was pushed to the ground by an assailant, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit.

The husband gave the responding officer a thorough description, including that the culprit had a "lazy eye."

Sacramento police have arrested a man in connection with the Thursday shooting death of 20-year-old Christopher Kai Sisoukchaleun, officials announced this morning.

Antoine Blessett, 36, was arrested Thursday after police found him driving in the vicinity of the shooting, according to a release from the Sacramento Police Department.

Blessett was believed to have shot the victim multiple times following an argument between two groups near a liquor store on Del Paso Boulevard near Fairfield Street.

Local pastor Cornelius Taylor was convicted Thursday on eight counts of sexual assault on a minor, the Sacramento County District Attorney's office reported.

A troubled teen with no family support was befriended by Taylor at his church.

She moved in with the pastor and his wife when she was 16 years old, the district attorney's office reported.

Sacramento police have arrested a suspect in the shooting death of 20-year-old Christopher Kai Sisoukchaleun, police announced this morning.

Antoine Blessett, 36, was arrested without incident Thursday after police found him driving near the scene of the crime, according to a release from the Sacramento Police Department.

Blessett is believed to have shot Sisoukchaleun several times after an argument about the purchase of alcohol near a liquor store on Del Paso Boulevard near Fairfield Street in North Sacramento.

A 13-year-old girl who was reported missing from her Florin-area home Monday morning has been located in Fresno.

According to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, Madison Watson (pictured) was found earlier this evening. Officials said she was safe and in the custody of FBI agents, who assisted the Sheriff's Department in the investigation.

The teenager was reported missing by her mother, who awoke to find the girl gone from her home in the 7900 block of Springarden Way.

Sheriff's officials said arrangements are being made to return Watson to Sacramento and reunite her with her family.

A man sought for outstanding felony warrants fell through a ceiling and into the hands of waiting deputies this morning after he tried to elude a sheriff's dog.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies went to a residence int he 3600 block of A Street in North Highlands about 8 a.m. in search of 26-year-old James Baker (pictured). Believing that Baker was hiding in an attic crawl space, deputies called upon a sheriff's K-9 unit to assist.

After Baker failed to respond to numerous commands from deputies to come down from the attic, the canine handler sent the dog into the attic in an attempt to apprehend him, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

An Elk Grove man has entered a no-contest plea in a case involving the illegal collection of upfront fees for loan modification services.

Rodney Andrews, 57, pleaded no contest to two felony violations of embezzlement, two felony violations of theft by false pretenses, one felony violation of diversion of construction funds and one felony violation of unlawful use of personal identifying information, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

At the time he committed the offenses, Andrews operated a company known as Andrews Investment Group, which offered loan modification services. He also was a pastor at the Comeback Christian Church, where he solicited congregation members and low income property owners to refinance their homes, lower their mortgages or stall out their foreclosures, officials said.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury failed to reach a verdict today on three defendants accused of murder in the shooting death of a man who prosecutors say was targeted over a $16,000 win he had scored at a local Indian casino.

Judge Roland L. Candee then declared a mistrial in the case of Genneledward Miles Jr., 29, Derrick Dwayne Sam, 33, and Shannon Shorter, 35.

The jury, which deliberated for six days before it hung, had voted 11-1 for conviction.

The case against the three men was scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 17. Deputy District Attorney Andrew Smith said prosecutors will retry the case.

An Antelope man was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Sacramento on charges of wire fraud and money laundering.

Leonid Yakovlev, 41, through his corporation 24 Hour Corp., fraudulently charged more than 20,000 American Express cards in small amounts 40,000 separate times, according to the 11-count indictment. As a result, Yakovlev allegedly obtained more than $900,000 in fraud proceeds. He is accused of using some of the money to purchase a residence in Sacramento, resulting in a money laundering charge, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The case resulted from investigations by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the United States Secret Service.

Sacramento police have located the truck used as a getaway vehicle in today's early morning shooting in North Sacramento.

A 20-year-old was shot and killed around 2 a.m. after an argument broke out between two groups on Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento police reported.

The suspect, described as an African American male in his 30s, fled in a white 2000 Ford F150 with the license plate 8K45096, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, police spokesman.

In what could be a watershed moment in the Davis "sweethearts" murder trial, a judge today denied a motion by defense lawyers to delay the case to mid-June.

Jury selection is currently scheduled to begin on March 19 for defendant Richard Hirschfield, who is accused in the Dec. 20, 1980, stabbing deaths of UC Davis students John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves.

Defense attorneys Linda Parisi and Ken Schaller asked Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael W. Sweet to move the case back to give them more time to nail down a commitment from a mitigation expert they intend to hire if the Hirschfield case proceeds to the death penalty phase.

California Highway Patrol officers have arrested three suspects parked in an area near Cisco Grove that had been the site of wire thefts and equipment vandalism.

The suspects, all from North Highlands, were in possession of stolen copper wire and tools used for taking the wire.

Officers Schuyler Bell and Chris Crabtree found the trio early Tuesday morning in an area where several Caltrans electrical boxes for message signs had been vandalized.

One victim has died in a shooting along Del Paso Boulevard at Fairfield Street in North Sacramento early this morning.

As of 6 a.m., police were still out on the scene investigating, and portions of Del Paso Boulevard were closed off.

No further details were available.

An observant resident is credited with alerting Rancho Cordova police to suspicious activity that led to the arrest two juveniles and the recovery of stolen property.

Police were dispatched to the area of Cregan Court and Pericles Drive shortly after 1 p.m. Monday after a citizen reported seeing to males enter a residence through the back yard and later leave through the garage. The caller reported that the two were pulling a wagon with a safe inside as they left the area.

As officers responded, a burglary alarm call also was pending for a residence on Pericles Drive. On of the officers called the homeowner and verified that a safe was inside the residence, according to a Police Department news release.

Sacramento police arrested a 17-year-old burglary suspect Tuesday after a pair of alert witnesses called in reports of suspicious behavior.

Police first took a call from the 2500 block of Marty Way in Land Park around 1:45 p.m.

The caller reported suspects running from a home, carrying electronic equipment.

A Santa Barbara County man was sentenced today in federal court in Sacramento for his involvement in marijuana growing operations in El Dorado County.

Ryan Louis Ennis, 39, of Buellton was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez to nine years for conspiring to cultivate marijuana.

In sentencing, Judge Mendez described Ennis as the leader and financial backer of a sophisticated, well-funded marijuana operation, saying that he provided marijuana to distributors on the East Coast, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department seeks the community's help in locating a teenage girl who was reported missing from her Florin-area home.

Madison Watson (pictured), 13, was last seen Sunday evening at her home in the 7900 block of Springarden Way. She was discovered missing Monday morning and is believed to have voluntarily left her residence sometime during the night, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. Officials said she is considered at-risk because of her unstable mental condition.

She is described as white, about 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighing approximately 100 pounds. She has light brown, shoulder-length hair and blue eyes.

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

By Hundson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A Yolo County judge sentenced Marco Antonio Topete to death this morning for the June 2008 assault-rifle slaying of Sheriff's Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz.

Yolo Superior Court Judge Paul K. Richardson called the weight of the aggravating circumstances in the case "simply enormous."

Topete, wanted on suspicion of DUI, led Diaz on a high speed chase with his infant daughter in the car. He stopped on an isolated dirt road, grabbed an assault rifie and took cover behind a house. Then he fired on the deputy, who had gone to check on the girl instead of pursuing Topete.

Sacramento police arrested a suspected bicycle thief Monday, after he was chased by the bicycle's owner.

Police were alerted at 8:57 a.m. that the white bicycle had been stolen from the vicinity of 17th Street and Markham Way in Land Park.

Having seen the thief taking his bicycle, the victim jumped in his van and followed, honking his horn and yelling for people to stop the culprit.

Carlos Alcala

calcala@sacbee.com

A jackknifed semi truck has been cleared from where it was blocking northbound traffic on Interstate 5 near Laguna Boulevard, the California Highway Patrol reports

The truck driver lost control in the rain about a mile north of Laguna Boulevard at about 6:20 a.m., said Officer Rich Wetzel, CHP spokesman.

All lanes are now open, though the backup had stretched back into San Joaquin County, so it may take time for the traffic jam to clear.

No injuries or spilled cargo was reported.

Carlos Alcala

calcala@sacbee.com

A crash involving a Regional Transit bus is blocking southbound lanes on Watt Avenue at Winona Way in North Highlands.

The collision involved a Dodge Durango and Chevrolet HHR in addition to the bus.

Minor injuries are reported and the California Highway Patrol is on scene.

Drivers are advised to use alternate routes, including Roseville Road, to avoid the area of the accident.

In conjunction with National Burn Awareness Week, Feb. 5-11, the Firefighters Burn Institute in Sacramento urges people to take measures to prevent "scald" burns.

Scald burns are the leading cause of death in the home among children age 4 and younger, and account for 40 percent of the burn injuries for children up to age 14, according to a news release.

Such burns, caused by hot liquids or steam, are more often the cause of burn-related injuries among young children than contact burns, which are caused by direct contact with fire and are more prevalent among older children, officials said. The majority of scald burns suffered by children result from hot foods and liquids spilled in the kitchen or other areas where food is prepared and served.

A Sacramento County sheriff's deputy shot and killed a 47-year-old man during a physical confrontation early this morning, according to Sacramento police officials.

The Sacramento County coroner's office identified the victim as Lamont Harmon. An autopsy is pending, officials said

Harmon was shot around 2:30 a.m. in a Kmart parking lot at Stockton Boulevard and Lawrence Drive, police Sgt. Andrew Pettit said. Two deputies spotted him walking in the parking lot shortly after city police reported finding a stolen vehicle parked nearby at Stockton Boulevard and Fruitridge Road, Pettit said.

Three people were hospitalized after their Jeep Cherokee flipped over during a collision with a Chevy Malibu being chased by California Highway Patrol vehicles on Stockton Boulevard near 65th Street in Sacramento, a CHP spokesman said.

The Malibu driver, D'Anthony Chaney, 21, of Sacramento, also was hospitalized for injuries he suffered in the crash and while trying to flee on foot, CHP Officer Michael Bradley said.

The pursuit began around 7 p.m. Sunday, after the Malibu exited a Burger King parking lot into the path of a CHP vehicle on Stockton Boulevard that was forced swerve, Bradley said.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the three people killed early this morning in a yead-on collision with a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction on Highway 50 near Gold River.

According to the California Highway Patrol, a man identified as Oliverio Lopez, 41, died inside a Pontiac SUV that was struck about 12:45 a.m. by a Honda CRV that was eastbound on westbound Highway 50. Two women in the rear seat of the SUV, Francisca Temblador Raymundo, 58, of Mexico, and Margarita Temblador de Lopez, 53, of Sacramento, were ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.

The driver of the SUV, Gustavo Sandoval-Gonzalez, 31, of Sacramento and a rear-seat passenger, Pedro Cornejo, 59, also of Sacramento, were reported in critical condition at area hospitals late this afternoon.

A fire in the garage of a home on William Way in Sacramento Sunday evening caused $13,000 in damage.

Twenty-four firefighters responded to the fire, which started in trash near a dryer in the garage, according to Sacramento Metropolitan Fire officials. The fire had been smoldering for hours, and the dryer wasn't on while the homeowners were gone, said Battalion Chief Steve Turner.

"It's important to keep combustibles and trash away from dryers," Turner said.
Nobody was home at the time of the fire. A neighbor called for firefighters after smelling smoke.

The fire caused $8,000 in damage to the structure and a $5,000 loss of personal property.

An early afternoon fire at an apartment complex on Pinata Way in Sacramento displaced three families and damaged all units in a fourplex today.

There were no injuries.

Thirty firefighters responded to the fire, which appeared to have been caused by electrical problems, according to officials of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

Three of the four units were occupied, and the Red Cross was requested to assist the three displaced families.

Glen Davis was driving to work this morning when he saw the late-model four-door sedan lodged in the side of a tree on Sunrise Boulevard in Citrus Heights.

He said he almost kept driving to his job at the American River Fish Hatchery, since a couple had already stopped to help the occupants of the crashed car, apparent victims of a single-car accident.

Then he saw the woman passerby struggling to open the driver's door. He quickly pulled off the road to help.

By Carlos Alcala and Kim Minugh
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have found no bombs despite threats from a man arrested after he allegedly robbed a Wells Fargo branch this afternoon.

Instead, they found stolen cash, a few of the suspect's personal belongings and a couple apple pies from McDonald's, according to police.

Sgt. Andrew Pettit, police spokesman, identified the suspect as 33-year-old Daniel Hegwood, who was a parolee at large at the time of his arrest.

According to Pettit, Hegwood went inside the bank, at Capitol Avenue and Alhambra Boulevard, early this afternoon and demanded cash, threatening that he had a bomb inside a package that he placed in front of the teller.

He fled on foot with a "substantial" amount of cash as people in the bank called police. Arriving officers quickly found the suspect hiding in a nearby parking garage, Pettit said.

Sacramento police responding to an alarm call at a bicycle store on H Street at 3 a.m. this morning saw a man walking in the vicinity, wearing a bike helmet.

The man, who police said had cuts on his arms, was detained while officers checked the business.

Police found the front window of the store was broken.

It also appeared that a helmet was missing, according to the Sacramento Police activity log.

Police arrested Nicholas Velieux, 30.

A man accused of carjacking a taxicab driver in 2010 was sentenced today to 30 years in state prison after pleading no contest to the charges.

Darnell Pruitt, 44, was sentenced by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Jack Sapunor. The sentence was based on a plea agreement and prior strike history, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

On the morning of Sept. 19, 2010, cab driver Gurdev Chahal picked up Pruitt at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Sacramento. Pruitt told Chahal he needed a ride to south Sacramento. Pruitt then directed him to drive to the end of an alley off Riverside Boulevard, where he violently grabbed Chahal by the face and demanded money, officials said.

Chahal gave Pruitt his money, then fled from the taxi and ran to a nearby residence to call 911. Pruitt drove away in the cab but was arrested minutes later by Sacramento police.

By Kim Minugh and Cathy Locke
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies have taken a woman into custody after she allegedly left her infant grandson in a carseat, along with a bottle of brandy, on the side of busy Watt Avenue.

The child's grandmother, Kit Samuel (pictured), 54, told authorities she left the one-month-old baby boy on the side of the road near the now-closed Carrows restaurant so she could retrieve belongings, said sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos.

A witness told authorities the child was left unattended for about 45 minutes, Ramos said. The baby was not injured and is expected to be turned over to Child Protective Services.

The boy's grandmother was found to be intoxicated and was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of child endangerment and public intoxication, Ramos said. Bail was set at $60,000.

The Sheriff's Department was contacted after a California Highway Patrol officer was flagged down by a passerby who had seen the baby on the side of the road, according to Ramos and the CHP.

An Elk Grove running store was burglarized early this morning in the second break-in since November, a co-owner said.

Elk Grove police responded to an alarm at about 1:15 a.m. at The Running Zone, 8470 Elk Grove Blvd., Officer Christopher Trim said. Police found the front glass door smashed by a rock and the cash register stolen, he said.

"It appears to be a smash-and-go," Trim said.

The register had "less than $100," store co-owner Mimi Veiga said. Nothing else was taken, she added.

The Running Zone, at 8470 Elk Grove Blvd., suffered a similar burglary in late November, Veiga said. Owners plan to install video surveillance equipment, she added.

A man was found dead after he was hit last night by a Union Pacific train on railroad tracks south of the Arden Way overpass, officials said.

Train workers reported they stopped the train after hitting an unknown object around 10:15 p.m. and found the body of an unidentified man, Sacramento police Sgt. Andrew Pettit said.

The victim was described as a black man, possibly in his 40s. The accident is being investigated by Union Pacific authorities, Pettit said.

A wanted parolee who had holed up in a north-area home has been taken into custody, according to authorities.

The man, identified as Marcus Chapman, 27, finally came out of the home, near Main Avenue and Marysville Boulevard, after Sacramento police deployed tear gas.

The SWAT team went to Chapman's house to arrest him because he is a parolee at large, said police Officer Laura Peck.

However, the man refused to come out of the house, Peck said. Backup officers arrived shortly thereafter.

Homes in the area were evacuated, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit.

Chapman finally surrendered about 4:30 p.m.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department's calendar for applicants seeking a concealed weapons permit is booked to the end of the year, according to authorities.

Residents can still submit applications, but must watch the department's website for a cancellation of an existing appointment, said sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.

The full calendar reflects the intense interest in concealed weapon permits since the agency relaxed its approach to such permits. Sheriff Scott Jones has said that under his watch, it would take serious issues such as criminal or mental health issues to keep an applicant from receiving a permit.

Sacramento police are seeking help in identifying a suspect in an early-morning burglary at a downtown office in December.

According to a police statement, a man entered the second floor of a business in the 1000 block of 15th Street at 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 15. He jimmied a lock into an office area, where he stole several laptop computers, and left through a back stairwell leading to the half-alley west of 15th Street between J and K streets, police said.

From surveillance video, the suspect appears to be a white man 20 to 26 years old, with light brown to blond hair and a possible scar on top of his head, the statement said. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with a grey or white wing pattern on front, blue jeans and blue athletic-looking shoes, officials said

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Alert by calling (916) 443-43576 (HELP) or texting 274637 (CRIMES) and entering SACTIP followed by the information. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

Citrus Heights police arrested two people today in connection with the operation of an illegal marijuana dispensary.

The arrests of Steffany Vilas (pictured, left), 27, and Richard Garland (right), 55, followed a lengthy investigation involving unlawful sales of marijuana, according to a Citrus Heights Police Department news release.

Detectives served search warrants at the dispensary and two private residences in Granite Bay and Roseville early this morning. During the investigation, they discovered evidence that indicated Vilas and Garland were profiting from the criminal sale of marijuana, according to the news release.

All lanes are open and traffic is clearing up on southbound Interstate 5 at Arena Boulevard in Natomas, where a Toyota Corolla collided with a big rig, officials said.

The small car flipped over on its roof during the collision, which happened around 7 a.m. The driver reportedly was taken to a hospital with undetermined injuries.

Three lanes were closed and southbound traffic was backed up on Interstate 5 beyond the Highway 99 split for almost an hour before the road was cleared.

Sacramento police arrested a 44-year-old man today after he allegedly called 911 to report an "officer down" - just to get a quicker police response, authorities said.

Responding to the call this morning, units rushed to the 4300 block of Pell Drive - lights and sirens blaring - until the first arriving officers made contact with the man, who then admitted the ploy, said police Sgt. Andrew Pettit.

The man, later identified as Rayard Simmons, pictured at left, wanted police to get there quickly, he told officers, to settle a dispute he was having with his landlord, Pettit said.

Along with fast response, he also earned a trip to jail.

Police arrested Simmons on suspicion of falsely reporting an emergency, a misdemeanor, said Pettit, who added that he hopes a night in jail will teach a lesson.

"It's just dangerous," Pettit said of making such a report.

Sacramento police have arrested two people suspected of shooting at Bee carriers delivering newspapers in Meadowview earlier this year.

Police say they believe the suspects mistook the victims as rival gangsters because one of them was wearing a bandana across his face to shield him from the cold as he hung out the slow-moving car, tossing newspapers, said Sgt. Andrew Pettit.

Last week, police arrested the driver of the suspect vehicle, 21-year-old Xou Thao, pictured at left, Pettit said. On Tuesday night, they arrested Thao's passenger, a 17-year-old boy they suspect fired the gun, Pettit said. His name was not released because he is a juvenile.

Both suspects face two felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, as well as a gang enhancement, Pettit said.

By Robert D. Dávila
rdavila@sacbee.com

An explosion and fire that ripped through a North Highlands home early this morning were intentionally set, according to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

"We've confirmed it's arson," Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum said.

Crews were called at 2:45 a.m. today to a fire caused by a blast at a house in the 6500 block of Grattan Way, Cockrum said. Firefighters arrived to find flames and thick smoke coming from the house and signs of an explosion outside.

By Robert D. Dávila
bdavila@sacbee.com

Sacramento police have arrested a 20-year-old suspect in the fatal shooting of a man at an apartment complex near Folsom Boulevard and Howe Avenue.

The suspect, Jazz Curry, was one of several people detained Tuesday by officers investigating the slaying of Tralane Thomas, according to a police statement. Thomas, 19, was found Monday night with multiple gunshot wounds in his upper body in a parking lot in the the 100 block of Bicentennial Circle.

Detectives believe that the two men were meeting to conduct a drug deal when Curry shot and killed Thomas, the statement said.

By Robert Davila
rdavila@sacbee.com

A standoff between Sacramento County sheriff's deputies and a gunman barricaded in a Florin area apartment ended late last night with the arrest of a suspect.

William Hearn, 29, was arrested around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and booked into the Sacramento County main jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and an active felony warrant, officials said in a written statement.

Hearn was arrested at the Meridian Apartments after holding officers at bay for eight hours in a standoff that forced the evacuation of residents in the large complex at 7475 Stockton Blvd. A teenage girl who was with him in the apartement during the standoff was not injured.

A chase that began about 6 p.m. in West Sacramento ended more than 90 minutes later near Stockton when the driver of a stolen box truck finally surrendered to California Highway Patrol officers.

Sgt. Trent Tyler of the West Sacramento Police Department said the CHP has been investigating cases involving stolen box vans, and this afternoon they spotted a stolen van that was parked and unoccupied on Jefferson Boulevard. When a man got in the vehicle and started to drive away, CHP and West Sacramento police officers attempted to stop it.

Tyler said the truck driver tried to ram an unmarked CHP car and then a police car, and law enforcement officers gave chase.

Sheriff's deputies are attempting to negotiate the surrender of a man who has barricaded himself in an apartment on Stockton Boulevard in the Florin area.

Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said deputies went to the Meridian Apartments, a large complex at 7475 Stockton Boulevard, about 3:30 p.m. to serve a warrant. The man they were seeking, who is in his late 20s, came out of a back room of the apartment and brandished a gun. Ramos said a deputy fired a shot at the man, who then fired two shots at deputies.

The deputies, who were not injured, then backed off. It is believed that the man inside the apartment also was uninjured, Ramos said.

Sacramento police have two males in custody who may be related to a homicide last night at a large apartment complex near Folsom Boulevard and Howe Avenue .

A police SWAT unit took the two males into custody about 9 a.m. this morning from one apartment. Police were still trying to get a female to leave the apartment.

The homicide occurred in the 100 block if Bicentennial Circle Monday night. Police said calls were received to dispatch about 7:08 p.m. from people who reported hearing a woman yelling that someone had been shot. Officers arrived and found a man in his 20s dead in a parking area at the apartment complex.

The victim's name has not been released

Police said that the shooter may have ties to the complex or actually live in one of the apartments. Police said it looks like the killing was the result of a drug deal gone bad.

Photo caption: Top: Sacramento police officers and SWAT members gather at an entrance to the Woodlake Village apartment complex at Howe Avenue and Folsom Blvd. Tuesday morning. Bottom: Apartment complex residents wait for police to let them into the complex after they took two men into custody. Photos by Randy Pench / rpench@sacbee.com

Sacramento police are conducting a homicide investigation at a large apartment complex this morning near Folsom Boulevard and Howe Avenue .

The homicide occurred in the 100 block if Bicentennial Circle Monday night. Police said calls were received to dispatch about 7:08 p.m. from people who reported hearing a woman yelling that someone had been shot. Officers arrived and found a man in his 20s dead in a parking area at the apartment complex.

The victim's name has not been released

No suspects have been identified but police say that the shooter may have ties to the complex or actually live in one of the apartments. Police said it looks like the killing was the result of a drug deal gone bad.

A former Sacramento man pleaded guilty today to wire fraud for defrauding customers of his motorized wheelchair and scooter business.

Carlos B. Jerez, 35, who lived most recently in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., pleaded guilty in federal court in Sacramento to 16 counts of wire fraud, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

According to court documents, Jerez owned 1st Class Mobility Inc., a business that offered to sell motorized wheelchairs and scooters over the Internet. Between April 2008 and April 20009, Jerez and 1st Class Mobility received payment from consumers for motorized wheelchairs and scooters but had neither the ability nor intention to deliver the devices.

Sacramento police are investigating a homicide that occurred early this evening in the 100 block of Bicentennial Circle, just north of Folsom Boulevard and east of Howe Avenue.

Police spokeswoman Officer Laura Peck said multiple calls were received about 7:08 p.m. from people who reported hearing a woman yelling that someone had been shot. Officers arrived and found a man in his 20s dead in a parking area at an apartment complex.

The victim's name has not been released

Peck said few details were immediately available, and no suspects have been identified.

Sacramento police are warning the community to be alert for a suspicious man who has been contacting juveniles in the North Natomas area.

At 10:51 a.m. Friday, two juveniles were walking in the 3200 block of North Park Drive when they were approached by a white cargo van. The driver asked if they wanted a ride. When the youths replied that they did not, the man repeated the question in a more demanding fashion and the juveniles ran away, according to a Police Department news release.

At 11: 25 a.m. Saturday, a juvenile was walking in the 2800 block of Stone Creek Drive when she was approached by a white cargo van. When the driver honked, the girl became alarmed and ran away.

Several cameras captured the chaos and in one instance the actual shooting death of one of two men who were killed when gunfire broke out at a quinceañera celebration in a Galt ballroom two years ago, a prosecutor said today.

In his opening statement in the murder trial of Alfred Daniel Tafoya, Deputy District Attorney Eric Kindall showed jurors still photographs from the Nov. 28, 2009, party at the Estrellita Ballroom on C Street where Carlos Alonso Montes, 24, and Efrain Zambrano, 20, were shot and killed.

The pictures showed Tafoya, who is now 20, walking across the ballroom's dance floor approaching the area where a fight had broken out between a friend of his and other people who were at the party. Kindall said that Tafoya's friend was wearing a blue baseball cap emblematic of his affiliation with a Sureno street gang faction.

Rancho Cordova has selected its new police chief from a trio of Sacramento County Sheriff's Department captains.

The city has chosen Rosanne Richeal to be its top cop. Richeal, a 20-year law enforcement veteran, was the first woman to command the Sacramento County Jail, the first female motorcycle officer for the sheriff's department and also served as a K-9 officer, according to a city press release.

She once served as Assistant Police Chief for the Rancho Cordova Police Department. Prior to entering law enforcement, she worked as an emergency medical technician.

Racist graffiti was sprayed on a sign and other objects at a new park near 65th Street and Highway 50 during the weekend.

"KKK" was spray painted on the Mae Fong Park monument sign at the front of the community park, 3004 Redding Ave. Also, racist epithets and Nazi insignia were scrawled in other parts of the park.

"They are the most hateful of hateful signs you can imagine at a kids' playground," said City Councilman Kevin McCarty.

A man alleged to be a validated gang member has been sentenced for selling crack cocaine in Sacramento.

Jeffrey Conner, 37, of Sacramento was sentenced in federal court to seven years and eight months in prison for distributing the drug in Sacramento's Oak Park neighborhood.

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

On Oct. 19, 2006, officers conducted a buy of seven ounces of crack cocaine from Conner in Oak Park, the release states. Conner charged $3,200 and later admitted to law enforcement that he made a little less than $1,000 on the drug deal, according to prosecutors.

Sacramento police arrested two men this morning suspected of stealing 300 feet of copper wire in Natomas.

Officers were told at roll call to watch out for copper thieves who had hit the Westshore neighborhood last week.

About 12:30 a.m. officers patrolling near Natomas Central Drive and Hovnanian Drive stopped a man standing near a U-Haul truck. The 39-year-old man ran but was caught.

Stolen copper wire pulled from in-ground utility boxes was found in the U-Haul. The truck was being used as a shield to carry out the theft, said Lt. Norm Leong.

Officers also learned that the man had a suspected accomplice, also 39, who was arrested at his home. He is known to officers from "prior copper theft contacts," Leong said.

City crews estimated cost of damage from the theft at $2,000. The copper wire often carries electricity for street lights.

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

A suspected burglar shot Friday by a Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy is expected to survive, an official said Saturday.

The man will not be identified until he is released from the hospital and booked by the Sheriff's Department, according to Deputy Jason Ramos, spokesman for the department.

The incident took place around 2 a.m. Friday, when deputies were summoned to a burglary alarm call at It's a Grind coffeehouse on Twin Cities Road in Galt.

Officers had entered the business to investigate, and the burglar was shot in the store while running toward the door where a deputy was standing, law enforcement officials told reporters.

He was believed to be armed with a hammer and did not respond to shouts to show his hands, according to the officials.

Gunfire struck the suspect in his upper and lower body.

A second suspect, George Jett, 22, was arrested after he was found hiding under a recreational vehicle in the area.

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

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento police officers conducting a traffic checkpoint overnight Friday and early Saturday arrested four people on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Officers contacted 917 vehicles during the operation, which was held at 24th Street and Fruitridge Road.

They screened 59 drivers for license violations, issued 56 citations and had 21 vehicles towed.

The four arrests were the result of screening six drivers for possible impaired driving.

A Sacramento man is headed to prison for distributing crack cocaine in the city's Oak Park neighborhood.

U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. sentenced Jeffery Conner, 37, to seven years and eight months in prison, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

According to court documents, Conner is a validated member of the Oak Park Bloods street gang with a prior felony conviction for assault with a firearm on a person.

A judge sentenced the three defendants convicted in the Sacramento library corruption scandal to prison terms today, telling one of them, "You prostituted your office for personal gain."

Former library facilities superintendent Dennis Nilsson, 65, received a 14-year, eight-month prison term as well as a tongue-lashing from Sacramento Superior Court Judge Allen H. Sumner.

The library authority's one-time security chief James Mayle, 66, who once headed up the old Grant school district police force, was sentenced by Sumner to five years and four months.

Detectives are asking for the public's help in finding a man who held up a bank on Thursday while wearing a San Francisco Giants baseball cap.

The man entered the Wells Fargo Bank near the intersection of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Munroe Street about 10:45 a.m. and gave the teller a note demanding cash. The teller didn't see a weapon but the robber indicated he was armed, according to the FBI.

The robber is described as a black man in his early 30s, about 180 pounds and 6 feet tall. The Giants cap was red and "San Francisco" was embroidered on the brim.

The case is being investigated by the Sacramento Violent Crimes Task Force, comprised of FBI agents and Sacramento County Sheriff's detectives.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at (916) 481-9110 or deputies at (916) 874-5115. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward by calling Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357.

A suspected burglar was shot this morning by a sheriff's deputy in Galt, law enforcement officials said.

The suspect, shot twice, was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. A sheriff's spokesman said the deputy was forced to shoot because the man was running in the direction of another officer with what the deputy believed was a hammer in his hand.

About 2 a.m., Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were called to assist Galt police on a burglary alarm call at "It's a Grind" coffee house on Twin Cities Road, just off Highway 99.

Three deputies responded. The last deputy who responded saw someone running away from the coffee shop.

The first two officers noticed that a car was idling and backed up to the business. The front door to the business was smashed.

Deputies thought they saw someone moving around inside the shop. Cautiously, the two deputies entered the building to see a man run from behind the counter.

The deputies shouted for the man to stop and also commanded him to "Show us your hands."

One of the deputies believed that the suspect was armed with a hammer as he ran toward the front door where his fellow officer was standing.

"He is yelling stop, show us your hands," said sheriff's department spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos. "The suspect is still running and the officer thinks he has a hammer in his hand. He shoots at the suspect, striking him twice."

A hammer later was recovered from the scene, authorities said.

After being hit by the gunfire once in the upper body and once in the lower body, the suspected burglar continues to run out of the shop. The deputies chased him and detained him just outside the business.

He was transported to the hospital where he was in surgery this morning. His wounds were possibly life-threatening, Ramos said.

About 3:15 a.m. a second suspect, presumably the man who ran from the business earlier, was found hiding nearby beneath a recreational vehicle. He was taken to the hospital with bite wounds inflicted by a police dog.

This post was updated by Bee staff writer Kim Minugh.

The Sacramento Police Department will conduct a sobriety and drivers license checkpoint Friday night at 24th Street and Fruitridge Road.

Beginning at 8 p.m. and continuing for five to seven hours, motorists passing through the intersection will be stopped by uniformed officers checking for drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They also will check to ensure all drivers have a valid driver's license.

In case of inclement weather, the checkpoint will be canceled and officers will conduct a citywide saturation patrol looking for impaired drivers.

A 16-year-old boy suffered serious injuries when he was shot in the Florin area Tuesday evening.

His injuries initially were life-threatening, but he is now expected to survive, said Sacramento County sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos.

The shooting occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. Tuesday on the 8600 block of Crystal River Way, according to a Sheriff's Department report.

By Andy Furillo and Kim Minugh
afurillo@sacbee.com

The former Cordova Park District employee accused of murder in the shooting death of his boss made his first court appearance today.

Dupree Barber answered "no" when Sacramento Superior Court Judge Larry Brown asked him if he could afford a lawyer. Brown then appointed Assistant Public Defender John Perkins to represent him.

Barber, 47, faces two special-circumstance allegations in the Monday morning killing of Steve Ebert, 59, the park district's maintenance superintendent, at Hagan Community Park.

Folsom police apprehended two men for allegedly stealing copper piping from air conditioning units atop Riley Street businesses.

Police received a call about 5 a.m. Thursday that two people were seen climbing from the rooftop of a business complex at 1151 Riley Street near Wales Drive.

Officer Jason Browning said that the suspects left the area on bicycles but were caught by Folsom police. James Andrew Mackenzie, 25, and Jared Wayne Adams, 31, both of Folsom, were booked into Sacramento County Jail on multiple charges, including vandalism, grand theft and possession of burglar's tools.

Browing said the men had 40-50 pounds of air conditioning copper pipes and burglar's tools when stopped. A check of the building revealed that 16 air condition units sustained major damage.

Sheriff's detectives need help in identifying a robber who shot a pizza shop employee.

A video of the robbery attempt at Domino's Pizza in Carmichael earlier this week shows the man shooting at the clerk and then fleeing. However, it is difficult to tell who the suspect is because the robber is masked.

The crime occurred at 8:40 p.m. Monday when a man walked into the pizza shop in the 7000 block of Fair Oaks Blvd. The robber then demanded money from the employee.

The impatient robber shot at the clerk when the employee could not open the cash register quickly enough. The suspect stepped back and shot the employee once in the upper body before fleeing without any cash.

The clerk was treated for a non life-threatening injury and is expected to recover. The suspect is described as a thin white man, 20-25 years old, about 6 feet tall.

He wore a black ski mask and black hood jacket.

Anyone having information is asked to call the sheriff's robbery bureau at (916) 874-5051 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers to Crime Alert may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

Diesel exhaust from a construction lift caused a partial evacuation of the state Department of Motor Vehicles headquarters in Sacramento.

A lift being used in refurbishment of the building sent fumes through an air intake and into offices on the third floor of the six-story building at 24th Street and First Avenue.

Some of the employees on the third floor were evacuated about 10 a.m. and the Sacramento Fire Department was summoned. Employees are now back to work, a DMV spokeswoman said.

Two employees went to the hospital after breathing in the fumes.

A native of Mexico, deported 5 times before, has been convicted of two counts of illegal re-entry by a federal jury in Sacramento.

Roberto Solis-Cabralles has repeatedly illegally returned to this country, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office. He has felony convictions in Sacramento that include drug-trafficking and liquor store robbery.

Solis-Cabralles, convicted on Wednesday, is scheduled to be sentenced April 9 by U.S. District Judge William S. Shubb. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, however, his sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of sentencing guidelines.

Sacramento police say that the KISS bandit is actually more of an Evil Clown robber - and he's struck again.

And now, thanks to a tough store clerk in his 70s, the clown mask is in police evidence. The robber has been unmasked by a grandfather.

The Sacramento Police Department is asking the public's help in identifying the masked individual sought in connection with the armed robberies of three businesses. In all cases, police say, the robber wore a white clown mask.

He was initially dubbed the Kiss Mask Robber because the mask he wore was similar to the make-up worn by the KISS rock band.

However, police today said he wore a mask that could more accurately be described as an "Evil Clown."

The first robbery occurred about 8:45 p.m. Thursday in the 4200 block of Norwood Avenue, in the Robla area. The robber climbed over the counter, fired two shots close to store employees, took money from the register and left on foot, according to a Police Department news release.

Less than an our later, about 9:28 p.m., an individual wearing the same mask and clothing, entered a liquor store in the 2900 block of Del Paso Boulevard. Police said he fired a single shot inside the store, robbed employees at gunpoint, then fled to a waiting blue or black four-door sedan. A witness tried to write down the vehicle's license plate number, but the suspect fired a shot in the witness' direction.

Then, on Saturday, about 8:15 p.m., the man in the signature mask struck again, entering a small neighborhood market in the 4000 block of 12th Avenue armed with a gun.

He pointed the weapon at the store owner's grandfather but the man would have none of it.

He grabbed the gun of the Evil Clown robber and a struggle began. The mask was pulled off in the alteracation and is being held by the police.

The suspect fled in a light blue sedan.

Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357, or text a tip to 274637. Enter SACTIP followed by the tip information. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

PHOTO CAPTION: Thanks to a tough store clerk in his 70s, the clown mask is in police evidence. Sacramento Police Department

The Sacramento police Gang Enforcement Team was very busy Tuesday afternoon and into the night on the north side of the city, conducting stops and searches.

Here's a list from the police activity log of some of the team's efforts in such neighborhoods as Del Paso Heights, Johnson Heights and Noralto:

 Probation search, 4000 block of Taylor Street. Team conducted a probation search looking for someone who possibly had a handgun. Only turned up a BB gun.

 Probation search, 3400 block of Norwood Avenue. Officers went to gang members home. While there, a former gang member, was found with ammunition and methamphetamine.

 Subject stop, Fairfield Street and Las Palmas Avenue. GET officers took a former gang member into custody. Had a felony warrant and was in possession of brass knuckles.

 Subject stop, 200 block of Eleanor Avenue. Officers located a man near Johnston Park who had a felony warrant out for his arrest. Admitted gang member, police said.

 Search of home, 100 block of Arcade Boulevard. Gang enforcement officers searched gang member's home. At home was suspect's girlfriend, who had an outstanding warrant.

 Watch of hot spot, Grand Avenue and Clay Street. Gang Enforcement Team continued to monitor the location in Del Paso Heights due to citizen complaints of narcotic and gang activity. Officers found a person with an outstanding warrant.

A 47-year-old man arrested today in Monday's shooting death of a Rancho Cordova parks superintendent has been identified as Dupree Barber (pictured), a former district employee.

Steve Ebert, 59, superintendent of the Cordova Recreation and Park District, was fatally shot as he arrived for work at the district office in Hagan Community Park early Monday.

Dupree was arrested this morning on suspicion of murder after he flagged down a police officer in West Sacramento and said that police in Rancho Cordova were looking for him, according to Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.

A Sacramento man has been sentenced to 10.5 years in prison for money laundering and conspiracy to distribute oxycodone in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Wilbert Barber, 31, of Sacramento, received his sentence on Friday in federal Court in Fairbanks.

Prior to imposing the sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Ralph R. Beistline said Fairbanks was tired of dealing with drug dealers such as Barber, according to a U.S. Attorney press release.

Proscuter Kelly Cavanaugh said that Barber was involved in a two-year conspiracy to distribute more than $130,000 worth of oxycodone pills beginning in 2008. Barber supplied the pills to his co-defendants in Fairbanks for distribution, according to the prosecutor.

The oxycodone, a prescription pain reliever, reached Fairbanks by private mail carrier or were carried by passengers on commercial airline flights.

Barber's co-defendants would deposit money in Barber's bank account or use wire transfers to send money to him, according to the press release.

A vehicle sale on Craigslist that went bad prompted the seller to take matters into his own hands last night in Sacramento.

The suspects and the seller met about 9:30 p.m. Monday at 29th Street and Meadowview Road to show the vehicle. The alleged buyer arrived in what police later said was a stolen car with stolen license plates.

The seller allowed the female "buyer" to test drive the vehicle while the man waited with the victim.

However, as soon as the woman drove away, the man ran to his stolen car with the stolen plates and took off. The seller chased in his pickup, eventually running the "buyer" off the road.

At that point the two men began to fight and the woman and Sacramento police officers arrived. Both the man and woman were arrested, according to a police activity log.

Three Sacramento women were arrested today, accused of stealing taxpayers' identities and their tax refunds.

According to federal court documents, Nadiyah Muhammad Woods, 33; Nakia Renee Vaughn, 26; and Tomisha Lee McKinnie, 24, are charged in a conspiracy to defraud the United States through the filing of false tax returns using TurboTax, an income tax preparation software and filing service.

The women are charged with executing a mail fraud scheme to obtain Green Dot debit cards, a service offered through the TurboTax software, loaded with the tax return money of taxpayer victims.

One person was arrested and nine others received notices to appear in court during a recent Contractors State License Board sting operation in Amador County.

The undercover operation was conducted Friday at a Pine Grove home by the board's Statewide Investigative Fraud Team and investigators from the Amador County District Attorney's Office.

Investigators, posing as homeowners, sought bids for general construction and painting projects at a multievel house on 7 acres. The 10 people who bid more than the legal threshold of $500 for labor and materials will be required to appear in court for contracting without a license, according to a Contractors State License Board news release. They also face an additional misdemeanor charge for illegal advertising.

A judge today ruled that portions of a suicide note written by Richard Hirschfield's dead brother can be used against the defendant who is accused in the 1980 sex murders of UC Davis sweethearts Sabrina Gonsalves and John Riggins.

"I was there," the defendant's brother, Joseph Hirschfield, wrote in a note he authored before killing himself in 2002, the day after Sacramento sheriff's homicide detectives questioned him the Gonsalves and Riggins case.

Sacramento prosecutors hope Joseph Hirschfield's admission, combined with other evidence that he lived close by where the victims bodies were found in the Lake Natoma area, will help convince jurors his brother also was at the scene of the killings. The D.A.'s office claims that DNA from a semen stain retrieved from a blanket in Riggins' van matches Richard Hirschfield.

Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet also sought to introduce portions of the suicide note where Joseph Hirschfield claimed his brother killed the teen-aged college couple. Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael W. Sweet excluded that portion of the note from trial.

Hirschfield's lawyers sought to exclude the entirety of the note on grounds it is inadmissable hearsay. The judge ruled that the selected portions of the note qualified to be shown to the jury as exceptions to the hearsay rule.

Defense attorney LInda Parisi said she and her co-counsel, Assistant Public Defender Ken Schaller, may appeal Sweet's ruling. It is not expected that such an appeal would further delay the trial now scheduled for March 19.

A man was found shot to death this morning, slumped over in the driver's seat of his still-idling car in a Rancho Cordova park.

The man's body was found in the car in Hagan Community Park about 6 a.m. by a citizen who noticed the car stopped with its lights on partially in the roadway that winds through the park.

The citizen got out of his vehicle and noticed numerous bullet holes in the driver's side door and the side window shattered.

Honolulu authorities say that a police officer killed over the weekend when he stopped to help a stalled driver grew up in Folsom.

Officer Garret Davis, 28, pulled over to help a motorist whose vehicle had stalled in the left lane of the H-1 freeway in Aiea about 8 p.m. Saturday. The officer had turned on his blue lights and had stopped behind the stalled vehicle to shield it from traffic.

Before Davis was able to get out of his police cruiser, his squad car was slammed into the stalled vehicle by a oncoming pickup driven by a 41-year-old man, according to Police Chief Louis Kealoha in a department Facebook post.

By Matt Weiser
mweiser@sacbee.com

Two families were forced out of their homes in Sacramento's Arden Arcade neighborhood late Saturday when a Christmas tree caught fire from a candle burning too close.

The fire in an apartment building at 2501 Hurley Way began around 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Assistant Fire Chief Scott Cockrum said residents of the second-floor apartment saw the tree catch fire and tried to extinguish it, but it burned too fast.

"It went up like gasoline," Cockrum said. "It was just very quick and intense, a lot of smoke, a lot of heat production."

By Carlos Alcalá
calcala@sacbee.com

Sacramento police officers arrested two suspected burglars Friday, after victims in two separate incidents interrupted home burglaries.

In the first case, a male and female reportedly broke into a car on West El Camino Avenue and used a garage door opener to open the victim's garage around 9 a.m.

The victim confronted them as they were in the process of taking items from the garage.

The suspects fled, but police captured and arrested the male, who was not identified in the report from the police activity log.

In the second incident, officers were flagged down near the 2300 block of Fairfield Avenue where a burglary had just occurred.

The victim told police he had arrived home to find someone burglarizing the residence.

Police searched and found a suspect, Jerry Adams, 51, in hiding. Police allege that Adams was in possession of items belonging to burglary victim. He was arrested on suspicion of burglary and parole violation.

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

Isleton police officers are back on duty, a week after they were taken off the streets due to a lapse in the city's workers' compensation coverage.

The city turned over law enforcement responsibilities to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Jan. 12. As of 8 p.m. tonight, those responsibilities were handed back to the Police Department, according a Sheriff's Department news release, which stated that the matter of workers' compensation coverage had been rectified.

David Larsen, Isleton's city manager and attorney, said earlier in the week that the lapse in coverage occurred when the city's longtime insurer declined to negotiate a payment schedule and canceled the city's policy due to lack of payment.

One person has suffered injuries in a fire at a Citrus Heights residence.

Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said firefighters responded to a home at 6564 Greencreek Way shortly before 9 p.m. It was initially reported as a garage fire but appears to have burned into the attic.

Cockrum said the injured person was being treated at the scene as firefighters worked to bring the fire under control.

The Sacramento Police Department is asking the public's help in identifying an individual sought in connection with armed robberies of two businesses Thursday night.

In both cases, police say, the robber wore a white clown mask similar to the KISS rock band.

The first robbery occurred about 8:45 p.m. in the 4200 block of Norwood Avenue, in the Robla area. The robber climbed over the counter, fired two shots close to store employees, took money from the register and left on foot, according to a Police Department news release.

A judge hit with several late sentencing motions in the Sacramento library corruption scandal today postponed his imposition of the terms on the three defendants convicted in the case.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Allen H. Sumner rescheduled for next Friday the sentencing of the library's former facilities director Dennis Nilsson, former security chief James Mayle and Mayle's wife, Janie Rankins-Mayle.

The three were convicted in a kickback scheme on outsourced maintenance contracts that purportedly looted the library of $780,000 from 2004 to 2007.

Deputy District Attorney Mike Blazina is seeking terms of 18 years and four months on Nilsson and 11 years and four months on the Mayles.

Nilsson is seeking a reduced term from the D.A.'s proposal while the Mayles are asking for probation.

A man who murdered his girlfriend by hitting her 10 times in the head with a hammer and then stuffing a sock in her mouth was sentenced today to 26 years to life in prison.

Donald Joseph Fernandes, 37, received the term after his conviction in November for the murder of Karen Ann Curtin, 50 (pictured).

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The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of the big rig driver who died Thursday when his vehicle slammed into an embankment and freeway overcrossing south of Elk Grove.

He was identified as Bruce Allen Land, 55, of Lodi.

Land's rig was northbound on Interstate 5 about 1:15 a.m. Thursday when his truck and trailer carrying groceries crossed into the southbound lanes. The rig then hit the embankment and bridge overcrossing at Dierssen Road.

The truck and trailer was destroyed in the crash. Land died at the scene.

By Kim Minugh and Bill Lindelof
kminugh@sacbee.com

In a dramatic turn of events, Sacramento police have arrested the wife of murdered Afghan war veteran Ghulam Ayobi ,who was found shot last month in his minivan on Interstate 80.

Shajia Ayobi, 45, was booked into Sacramento County Jail at 10:50 p.m. Thursday after questioning by detectives.

Police said her statements just didn't add up. They now suspect she played a role in the shooting; however, they are not sure whether she fabricated her previous story about a carjacking or whether there were other suspects involved, said police Sgt. Andrew Pettit.

The couple's nephew, Munir Safi, issued this statement today: "Our family is incredibly distraught by this awful turn of events. We are withholding judgment until all facts are known and the police complete their investigation."

Police were called at 12:04 a.m. Dec. 18 to a report of a man shot on eastbound I-80 at Norwood Avenue. When they arrived, police found Ghulam Ayobi suffering from a gunshot to his upper body.

He later died at the hospital. Without a motive, police said only that they believed that Ayobi and his wife, who was with him but not injured, were targeted at random.

The information at the time indicated that the couple had left the home of a family friend in the area of Torland Street and San Juan Road in Natomas' Gateway West neighborhood.

Safi previously told The Bee that his uncle sat down in the passenger seat in the couple's minivan, parked in the friends' driveway, and apparently became aware of two people hiding in the back seat.

Under duress, the nephew said, Ayobi ordered his wife to drive, not look back and not to ask questions.

Shajia Ayobi was said to have followed directions and never got a good look at any assailants. The nephew said that Shajia told relatives and police the unknown suspects wanted money.

An altercation broke out as the minivan traveled eastbound on I-80. A shot broke out, according to the nephew, killing his uncle.

The suspects ordered Shajia to pull over on eastbound Interstate 80, east of Northgate Boulevard, the nephew said. After they fled, she pulled out her cell phone and called police, who told her to meet them at the Norwood Avenue offramp.

On Thursday, detectives re-interviewed Shajia Ayobi. Police spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit said that detectives had wanted to speak with her for some time.

"She was one of the people we wanted to re-interview," said Pettit. "We were finally able to get a hold of her. "

Detectives brought her into the station Thursday afternoon, speaking with her into the evening. This morning a press release announced her arrest.

"Based on her interview and inconsistent statements, things just didn't match up," said Pettit. "In these types of investigations, our detectives are very keen on details. Some of those details were not lining up with the evidence we found."

Pettit said Shajia Ayobi made incriminating statements, but he was not able to elaborate.

No motive has been established for the killing of Ghulam Ayobi, a former Afghan soldier who had also served as a cultural adviser to U.S. troops headed for war in Afghanistan.

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

A 16-year-old girl suffered critical injuries today after she was struck in the crosswalk while crossing a busy south Sacramento road, according to police.

The girl was crossing Fruitridge Road southbound at 58th Avenue. An eastbound car in the far left lane stopped for her, but a car in the next lane did not and struck her, said police Sgt. Andrew Pettit.

The girl was taken to a local hospital with severe injuries, Pettit said.

The Police Department's traffic investigation team responded to the scene.

Two men were arrested in Elk Grove after police reported finding a stolen catalytic converter and a backpack containing cutting-type tools in the suspects' vehicle.

Officers stopped a vehicle driven by Tou Vang, 20, for a vehicle code violation about 3:34 a.m. Wednesday, and a records check revealed that his passenger, Neng Vang, 25, was on probation, according to an Elk Grove Police Department activity summary.

During a search of the vehicle, officers found the cutting tools, catalytic converter and several "shaved keys." Police also reported finding a controlled substance in Tou Vang's wallet.

A third suspect in the 2007 shooting deaths of Sean Aquitania and his infant son was arrested this morning in San Mateo.

Christopher Strong (pictured), 28, was taken into custody at his residence about 10 a.m. and was booked this afternoon into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of murder, burglary and attempted robbery. He is being held without bail.

Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos said this is last of the suspects that had been sought, although anyone with additional information about the case is still encouraged to call Detective Brian Meux at (916) 874-8486.

Fire officials are warning people not to leave candles unattended, citing a structure fire late Wednesday afternoon that sent a resident to the hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District firefighters were called to 7405 Chantilly Lane, in the Florin area, at 6:10 p.m. They found a rear bedroom engulfed in flames and fire extending down the hall, according to a fire department news release.

The homeowner, located outside the house, told firefighters that he was sleeping in the bedroom where the fire started. He suffered minor smoke inhalation and was taken to a hospital

Sacramento Police have arrested a man suspected of robbing or attempting to rob four businesses in the last two days.

Police spokesman Sgt. Andrew Pettit said the man, described as white and in his 30s, was taken to police headquarters for questioning. Detectives are withholding his name while they conduct their investigation, Pettit said.

Pettit said the man went to the Rite Aid store at 2211 F St. about 11:20 a.m. today and presented a note to a clerk. The note stated that there were people who were going to hurt his family if he didn't give them money.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Sacramento County coroner's officials have ruled out trauma in the Jan. 6 death of an inmate at the main jail, but still do not have a conclusion as to why 48-year-old Mark Anthony Scott died, county spokeswoman Kerri Aiello said today.

Scott was found unresponsive in his cell about 10 p.m., sheriff's officials have said, and efforts to revive him failed. He was declared dead at 10:22 p.m.

Scott had been in the jail since Dec. 1 after being arrested on outstanding warrants, officials said.

CALSTAR air ambulance will move its helicopter base operations from McClellan Park to Vacaville.

California Shock Trauma Air Rescue (CALSTAR), a not-for-profit air ambulance company serving northern and central California, will relocate the helicopter base operations from McClellan Park in North Highlands to existing operations at the Nut Tree Airport.

The company also announced that the helicopter base in Jackson, Amador County, would end.

The consolidation of the bases would have no major impact on communities CALSTAR serves, said the company's chief executive, Lynn Malmstrom.

He said the move was undertaken to "eliminate redundancies" and "more efficiently serve patients."

Malmstrom noted the opening of three new trauma centers, which shorten travel time from accident scenes.

"Kaiser South Sacramento, NorthBay Medical in Fairfield and Kaiser Vacaville all recently became designated trauma centers," he said.

CALSTAR employees affected by the changes are being offered positions at the other bases, as well as at the company's McClellan Park headquarters.

CALSTAR operates 18 helicopters at bases in Ukiah, Vacaville, Concord, Gilroy, Salinas, Santa Maria, Auburn, South Lake Tahoe and two airplanes at McClellan.

A big rig driver died early this morning when his vehicle slammed into an embankment and freeway overcrossing south of Elk Grove.

The driver of the rig was northbound on Interstate 5 about 1:15 a.m. when his truck and trailer carrying groceries crossed into the southbound lanes. The rig then hit the embankment and bridge overcrossing at Lambert Road.

The truck and trailer was destroyed in the high-speed crash. The driver died at the scene.

All lanes of traffic have been reopened after crews picked up truck debris and removed the rig.

Sacramento County sheriff's homicide detectives are headed to Rio Linda after a woman was discovered dead in a car there, according to authorities.

Deputies responded to the 2600 block of Q Street about 4:15 p.m. after a caller said there was a group of people gathered around a parked car and yelling that a person was dead inside, said sheriff's Deputy Jason Ramos.

The woman, who appears to be in her 40s, has no obvious signs of trauma. However, homicide detectives are en route to investigate, Ramos said.

Check back later for more information.

A Sacramento jury today convicted Demetrius Shaffer of murder in last year's sex killing of Rajneet Kor Singh.

The Superior Court panel also found Shaffer guilty on seven other counts of sexual assault on a second victim in an attack that took place on Thanksgiving Day 2010.

Judge Maryanne G. Gilliard scheduled the sentencing on the 32-year-old defendant for Feb. 16.

A man already serving life without parole on one murder conviction pleaded guilty Tuesday to another murder he had previously committed.

Langimaa Faulolo, 29, entered his plea in Sacramento Superior Court in the Jan. 11, 2004, attempted drug robbery stabbing death of 17-year-old Eddie Heydaragha in Citrus Heights. Faulolo is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 15 by Judge Marjorie Koller.

A second defendant, Benjamin Philmath Taholo, 33, last year pleaded no contest to manslaughter charges and was sentenced to six more years in state prison -- on top of the life term with no chance of parole he also was serving already.

Faulolo and Taholo both were convicted in 2007 in the robbery murder of Danny Johnson, 21. The Johnson killing took place about three months before Heydaragha was slain.

Names of the man and woman who died in a collision in Elk Grove last night have been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's office.

The coroner's website identified Ashley Simpson, 21, of Elk Grove, and Christopher Ragosa, 34, of Elk Grove as the crash victims.

Elk Grove police spokesman Officer Christopher Trim said the crash occurred shortly before 6 p.m. on Kammerer Road east of McMillan Road.

Investigators have determined that Simpson was driving a white Ford Mustang westbound on Kammerer Road when she lost control and crossed into oncoming traffic, striking a Ford Focus traveling in the opposite direction

The Mustang was forced off the roadway and into a ditch. Simpson was partially ejected from the car. She and her passenger, Ragosa, died at the scene.

The driver of the Focus, the only person in that vehicle, was taken to a hospital. Trim said he did not know the nature of the man's injuries.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

A Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy, in the midst of a violent struggle last night with a suspect, was forced to draw his handgun and kill his attacker, department officials said.

The Sacramento County Coroner said the man killed by the deputy is Johnathan William Rose, 24 of North Highlands.

Deputies were called to a home in the 6200 block of San Martin Street in North Highlands about 10 p.m. Tuesday. Rose's father said in a 911 call that his son was acting violently with family members and throwing items around the house.

The first deputy inside the home was aggressively confronted by Rose, according to a sheriff's press release. The deputy tried to calm Rose but the man came toward him and tackled the officer.

With Rose on top of the officer, a struggled began, the suspect wildly punching the deputy several times in the head. The deputy feared for his life, unable to get out from under Rose.

At one point Rose tried to grab equipment on the deputy's gun belt, according to the sheriff's department.

The injured deputy drew his service weapon and fired several shots at Rose, hitting him in the upper body. The deputy then called for medical help, which responded, along with other deputies.

Rose died at the hospital. The deputy was treated at the hospital for his injuries. Rose's family members were not hurt.

The deputy, 31, has been with the department 8 years. He was placed on administrative leave, pending a review of the shooting.

A man and woman have died and another man has been injured in a two-vehicle collision on Kammerer Road east of McMillan Road in Elk Grove.

Elk Grove police spokesman Officer Christopher Trim said the crash occurred shortly before 6 p.m. A white Ford Mustang was westbound on Kammerer Road with two occupants when it veered into oncoming traffic and was struck broadside by a Ford Focus.

Trim said the Mustang flipped over and one person was ejected. Both occupants of the Mustang, who appeared to be in their 20s, were pronounced dead at the scene, he said. The driver of the Focus, the only person in that vehicle, was taken to a hospital. Trim said he did not know the nature of the man's injuries.

He said Kammerer Road will be closed to traffic for several hours from just east of the Elk Grove Promenade to McMillan Road while officers conduct their investigation.

The man shot during a violent struggle with a Sacramento County sheriff's deputy last weekend has been booked into jail, according to authorities.

After treatment for his non-life-threatening injuries, 23-year-old Lonnie Hammett, pictured at left, was arrested and booked on suspicion of resisting a peace officer, possession of stolen property, unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and violating parole, said sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.

On Sunday morning, a deputy patrolling the Arden-Arcade area saw two men walking away from a closed county building on Fulton Avenue, Ramos said. As the deputy tried to talk to them, one of them, later identified by authorities as Hammett, punched the deputy and ran, Ramos said.

A juvenile boy who was with Hammett did not run, was questioned later and released.

A Fairfield man was convicted today of a 2011 car bombing targeting a former tenant.

Daniel Ricahrd Garcia, 30, was found guilty of malicious use of explosives, possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence, and two counts of possession of unregistered destructive devices, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. The guilty verdict was returned by a federal court jury in Sacramento after a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton.

According to testimony presented at trial, about 1 a.m. May 27, Garcia placed a bomb underneath a sport utility vehicle parked next to an apartment building in Fairfield. The bomb detonated, causing a fireball and sending shrapnel into the car and the nearby apartment building where two young children were sleeping. Investigators were able to piece together parts of the bomb and link them to Garcia.

Jurors began deliberations today in the rape-murder trial of Demetrius Shaffer who is charged in the New Year's Day 2011 strangulation death of Rajneet Kor Singh in Rancho Cordova.

Shaffer, 33, also is charged with seven additional sexual assault charges on a second victim.

Deputy District Attorney Thienvu Ho told a Sacramento Superior Court jury that Shaffer raped and killed Singh when she refused his sexual advances after he had given her methamphetamines and gambling money. Her body was found about a block away from the Rancho's Club Casino on Mills Park Drive and Folsom Boulevard.

Assistant Public Defender Michael Nelson said a jealous boyfriend killed the 37-year-old victim.

By Phillip Reese
preese@sacbee.com

Sacramento police found two children, ages 10 and 4, huddled in some bushes, shivering, near Richards Boulevard and Bercut Drive around 9:30 p.m. Sunday evening.

An officer took the children to the warmth of a patrol car. The children said their mom had left them so she could go to McDonalds, police said. After 15 minutes, the woman returned, but was drunk, police said.

They arrested and charged Farris Star Martin, 39, of Sacramento, with endangering the life or health of a child, and booked her in Sacramento's main jail, where she is being held on $60,000 bail. Police also notified Child Protective Services.

The children were placed in the custody of a relative.

Updated at 5 p.m. to correct time

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

A parolee led officers from three police agencies on a high-speed chase this morning that ended in Sacramento when the suspected carjacker pulled over and surrendered on eastbound Interstate 80 at El Camino Avenue, according to Fairfield Police Officer Cleo Mayoral.

Jamaal Storms approached a parked car occupied by three young women about 7:45 a.m. in a commercial strip on North Texas Street in Fairfield, pounded on the driver's window and yelled at the women to get out of the car, Mayoral said.

Storms kicked in the window and reached in and unlocked the door while the three women were jumping out of the vehicle through the right rear door, the officer said. Storms then drove the white 2005 Toyota Carolla north on North Texas, and a bulletin was broadcast on the vehicle.

A Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy shot a man he stopped for questioning shortly after 11 a.m. today after the man began pummeling the officer, a department spokesman said.

The man, whose identity was not immediately available, was with a juvenile. The two were walking away from a closed county building in the 2700 block of Fulton Avenue when the lone officer stopped his car to ask why they were in the area, Sheriff's public information officer Deputy Jason Ramos said.

"When he got out of his car and called them over, one of them swung a punch and tried to hit (the deputy)," Ramos said. "Then he started to run away."

By Phillip Reese

preese@sacbee.com

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office today identified the two men found dead inside their tent Saturday as Kevin Christopher Moore, 38, and Chester Raymond Sletto, 44.

Police believe the men and their dog were apparent victims of carbon monoxide poisoning from a camp stove inside their tent, which was staked near the American River just east of the Highway 160 bridge.

The coroner's office has not yet confirmed a cause of death, but police do not believe foul play was involved.

Sacramento coroner's officials today identified a man who died Saturday after trying to cross Fair Oaks Boulevard in Carmichael as 50-year-old Richard Edward Halford.

Halford left a McDonald's restaurant at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Manzanita Avenue about 7 p.m. Saturday and was crossing the road when he was hit by a motorist headed north on Fair Oaks Boulevard, California Highway Patrol officials reported.

CHP spokeswoman Officer Liz Dutton said paramedics recognized Halford Saturday night as the same man who had suffered broken ribs in a fall the previous night.

The driver in the collision was not cited.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

The sentencing of Rio Linda First Baptist Church pastor Tommy Gene Daniels was delayed Friday after his lawyer filed a motion for a new trial.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Trena Burger-Plavan rescheduled Daniels' sentencing to March 12.

Jurors convicted Daniels last fall of molesting five girls in his Citrus Heights home between 2003 and 2005.

A recent truck inspection by the California Highway Patrol's commercial truck inspectors prevented a shipment of bathroom tissue holders with radiation contamination from reaching retail stores in Northern California, according to a CHP news release.

The items were detected during routine commercial vehicle inspection and determined to be made of contaminated metal containing Cobalt-60, officials said. The CHP notified the California Department of Health Services, leading to a nationwide recall of the product.

The CHP has the largest commercial vehicle inspection program in the nation, conducting more than 600,000 inspections annually, according to the news release. The department operates 51 commercial vehicle enforcement facilities in 37 locations statewide, plus 73 mini-sites. Sixteen of these facilities are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Although highway safety is the primary purpose of commercial vehicle inspections, officials said the inspections often turn up narcotics, illegal contraband and other potential hazards.

Roseville resident Brian David Clayworth, 43, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography.

According to the plea agreement, in December 2004, Homeland Security Investigations agents in Los Angeles received information about a website selling access to child pornography. During that investigation, Clayworth was identified through email and financial records as someone who had purchased child pornography from the website, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

On April 19, 200