Sacto 9-1-1

By Darrell Smith and Benjamin Mullin
dvsmith@sacbee.com

A Davis teenager once lauded as a hero for saving his dad's life now faces double homicide charges in the April stabbings of an elderly couple in their south Davis home.

2009 story: Davis boy stops car, starts dad's heart

Yolo County prosecutors filed charges Tuesday against 16-year-old Daniel William Marsh, according to a charging document.

Marsh was widely praised as a 12-year-old in 2009 when he took the steering wheel of his family's station wagon and navigated to safety as his father suffered an almost fatal heart attack. Marsh then thumped his father's chest with his fist to restart his father's heart.

The American Red Cross of Yolo County honored Marsh that year at its annual Heroes Luncheon.

In a 180-degree turn, Marsh was arrested Monday, and authorities are holding him without bail at the Yolo County Juvenile Detention Facility. He faces arraignment Wednesday in Yolo Superior Court.

Marsh, who was 15 at the time of the April homicides, is the only suspect in the case.

Woodland police have arrested a man suspected in a Monday night knife assault on his mother and stepfather.

Police announced that Salvador Fierro Jr. (pictured), 30, was taken into custody without incident about 4:30 this afternoon when he was found in the 1400 block of Edwards Circle.

Police were called about 9:15 p.m. Monday to a home at 1443 Edwards Circle where Fierro, 30, allegedly fought with his mother and stepfather. He was armed with a knife, police said.

A Sacramento-based animal protection group is offering a reward for information leading to the person who decapitated two dogs found in the Yolo County community of Knights Landing.

Yolo County Sheriff's deputies responded on Thursday to a home in Knights Landing where a decapitated and disemboweled Chihuahua was found inside a car parked in a driveway.

Two weeks ago the head of a terrier was found inside a boat parked at the home. Authorities were able to find the Chihuahua's owners, but the owner of the terrier has not been located.

The Yolo County Sheriff's Office is investigating two incidents in which dogs have been decapitated and their body parts left at a Knights Landing residence.

This morning, the body of a Chihuahua was found in the passenger compartment of a vehicle parked in the 42000 block of Fourth Street in Knights Landing. The dog's head was missing and the body had been eviscerated, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

While deputies were investigating today's incident, the resident told them that about two weeks ago, someone left the decapitated head of a terrier inside a boat at the same residence. The residents did not report that incident to the Sheriff's Office until today.

Two teenage boys were taken into custody by Davis police Wednesday on suspicion of raping an 11-year-old girl, authorities said.

The boys, ages 13 and 14, were taken to Yolo County Juvenile Hall. The three minors lived together at FamiliesFirst, a group home on the 2100 block of 5th Street in Davis.

Police said the sexual assault did not occur on the property of Families First, though other youth from the home were reportedly present during the alleged rape. The youths were not supervised by FamiliesFirst staff during the incident.

Woodland police said a fleeing man jumped off a Yolo County drawbridge in an unsuccessful escape attempt.

Police said that an officer saw Michael Ray Lee, 26, driving a stolen Lexus through Woodland about 11 a.m. Tuesday. The officer knew that Lee was wanted by Yolo County Probation.

Officers tried to stop the car on County Road 102 north of Woodland but Lee used evasive driving tactics to avoid capture, police said. He eventually stopped the Lexus on the Knights Landing Bridge and jumped into the Sacramento River.

A wet Lee was taken into custody downstream. The Lexus was returned to its owner in Davis.

Three Woodland residents have agreed to pleas in connection with a violent home burglary in the Wild Wings subdivision near Woodland in April.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office announced that Royce Johannes, 21, on Friday agreed to a plea of three felonies, including residential burglary, assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury and assault with a stun gun. He agreed to a sentence of 12 years and eight months in prison.

Kyle Childress, 27, pleaded to two felonies -- residential burglary and assault likely to cause great bodily injury. He also pleaded to another residential burglary that he had committed a week earlier, officials said. He is to be sentenced to eight years and four months in prison.

Solano County Sheriff's deputies report that a bomb squad on Sunday disarmed an improvised explosive device.

A call came into the sheriff's department at 7:55 a.m. Sunday of a suspicious container in the roadway on Prosperity Lane near Tolenas Avenue between Fairfield and Travis Air Force Base.

At 1:30 p.m., the Yolo County Bomb Squad rendered the device safe using a robot. The IED was described as a 5-gallon jug with a long electrical wire running from it.

Inside the container was an "assortment of small explosives and flammable materials," according to a Solano County sheriff's press release. Anyone with information about the device or the person responsible for placing it on Properity Lane is asked to call Detective Sgt. Brian Travis at (707) 421-7090.

Woodland police said that eight vehicles had their side view mirrors damaged by vandals last night.

The damaged driver's side mirrors was reported around 10:30 p.m. Sunday in the 500 block of Sunset Avenue, the 50 block of Walnut Street and the 300 block of Oak Avenue.

Total estimated cost of damage: $1,000. Anyone with information regarding the vandalism is asked to call the department at (530) 666-2411.

Two men were held up in separate robberies that occurred when they left convenience stores last night in Woodland.

In the first stick-up, Horacio Hernandez, 46, of Woodland was walking back from the 7-11 store at 1229 East Main Street about 9:45 p.m. when robbers described as male teens around 16 years old approached him. One pulled a silver revolver from his waistband and demanded Hernandez empty his pockets.

The other took the property from Hernandez and both of the robbers left on foot northbound on East Street from Lemen Avenue.

Woodland police said that at about 10 p.m. another robbery occurred when Ryen Hirschenhofer, 22, was held up near Quik Stop Market on Kentucky Avenue. He was approached by two men in their 20s who first asked him for a cigarette.

Then, one man pulled a gun from his waistband and demanded Hirschenhofer's property. Hirschenhofer turned over his belongings to the robber and noticed that the other man was holding a gun at his side.

The suspects were seen fleeing on foot westbound on Kentucky Avenue.

Anyone with information pertaining to either robbery is asked to call Woodland police at (530) 661-7800.

Woodland police are looking for a man who they believe hit a transient on the head with a baseball bat during a fight on Wednesday.

Police said Monty Tesnear, 57, was hit on the head and left arm during the brawl, reported about 11 p.m., in which combatants used with knives and bats. Tesnear was treated at Woodland Memorial Hospital for non life-threatening injuries.

The assault apparently happened behind a shuttered movie theater on Main Street where other transients had gathered in an alley. Police described Tesnear's attacker as a black man, about 50 years old, who goes by the name of "Marcus."

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (530) 661-7800.

Clayton Garzon will face trial on assault and hate crime allegations connected to the March 10 beating of a gay Davis man, a Yolo Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

"We have evidence of a severe beating - not just a punch, but a significant beating," said Yolo Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg at Garzon's preliminary hearing.

Garzon faces three felony assault charges and hate crime enhancements in the attack outside the I Street home in Davis where Lawrence "Mikey" Partida had just celebrated his 33rd birthday.

Partida was severely beaten and hospitalized in the attack.

Yolo County Sheriff's officials say that an inmate died Saturday after being found in his cell with labored breathing.

Todd Alexander Phillips, 29, was pronounced dead at Woodland Memorial Hospital after being taken by ambulance from the main jail. Phillips had been in custody since April 12 for various felony and misdemeanor offenses.

The sheriff's office said in a press release that about 12:45 p.m. Saturday a correctional officer peered into Phillip's cell and noticed the inmate was "agitated and upset." Phillips was in bed and experiencing labored breathing, according to the release.

Officers placed him in restraints for safety reasons and jail medical staff responded to the cell.

Medical personnel outside the jail were notified and Phillips was taken to the hospital. "Efforts to revive Phillips failed and he was pronounced dead at the hospital," according to the press release.

The sheriff's office will investigate the death and the coroner's department will conduct an autopsy.

Woodland police said that a Catholic church hall was vandalized with graffiti, including a threat against officers.

Police were dispatched to the Holy Rosary Community Center, 575 California St., about 5 a.m. today for a vandalism report. Once there, officers found gang graffiti, including a threat to kill law enforcement.

"Though the graffiti did not cause permanent damage, any vandalism to a church is a felony and this case is being investigated as such," said a police press release.

Anyone with information that might help solve the case is asked to call the Woodland Police Department at (530) 666-2411.

Woodland police shut down suspected gambling operations on Thursday.

Members of the state Department of Justice and the Yolo County High Tech Task Force joined Woodland police to serve search warrants at 1810 East Main St. and 825 East Street about 3 p.m. Thursday.

Woodland police said both sites were secured without trouble. Few patrons were at the locations at the time of the crackdown.

Computers and money were seized as evidence, police said in a press release.

Three officers suffered minor injuries in a struggle with a man in Woodland last night.

Woodland police were called to a home on King Place at about 10 p.m. Thursday where a man's parents reported their son was violent and agitated. The police call indicated that the son might be under the influence of drugs.

When officers tried to take Eddie Bouphavichith, 27, into custody, he allegedly fought with them -- even after a Taser was deployed. He was eventually handcuffed.

After being treated for injuries at Woodland Memorial Hospital, Bouphavichith was arrested on suspicion of resisting a police officer and three counts of battery on a peace officer causing injury.

The three officers who suffered injury were able to carry on with their duties.

Woodland police said they arrested a boy today who broke a store window in order to escape from the business he had allegedly entered to burglarize.

Officers responded to the Hollywood Market, 1321 College St., shortly after midnight where a citizen reported that somebody had smashed a store window. The window-breaker was hiding in the bushes, according to the citizen.

The vandal took off with the citizen following, and reporting his whereabouts to dispatchers until he lost sight of the teen on Buena Tierra Drive. Officers responded and quickly found the 15 year old.

Officers went to the store and learned that the teen likely entered the market from the rooftop and was forced to break the window to escape, according to a police press release. The teen was booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of burglary and vandalism.

A suspicious box outside a Woodland classroom turned out not to be a danger.

Staff at Prairie Elementary, 1444 Stetson St., found the box on the ground about 8:15 a.m. today. Uncertain who put the box outside the classroom and not knowing what was inside, school employees summoned Woodland police.

Several classrooms were evacuated and the Yolo County bomb disposal team arrived to X-ray the box. Class resumed when it was discovered that the box only contained personal papers, according to a police press release.

A teenage pedestrian was knocked unconscious when struck by a car this morning in Woodland.

Woodland police officers responded to the East Gum Avenue and Kate Lane about 7:20 a.m. today where the 15 year old was down on the roadway. Near the boy was a four-door sedan that police said was involved in the traffic crash.

The teen was transported by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center. The driver of the sedan did not suffer any injury, according to a police press release.

No further information was immediately available, police said. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to call the traffic division at (530) 661-7880.

A homeless man camping behind a shuttered Woodland restaurant was stabbed during an argument late Saturday night, according to police.

Police said they were called to the former Casa De Sapore restaurant at 929 Court St. about 11:35 p.m. for a report of a stabbing. When they arrived, they found a 32-year-old Woodland man with multiple stab wounds to the chest and neck area.

Paramedics responded to the scene and began treating the victim for several life-threatening injuries. He was transported to UC Davis Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition Sunday morning.

Woodland police are reporting a second robbery this week in which the culprit brandished a knife.

The latest holdup occurred Wednesday afternoon when Aaron Pukini, 24, said he was sitting in his vehicle in the 1100 block of Matmor Road. A heavyset man reached through the driver's side window and took Pukini's wallet off his lap.

Pukini got out of his car and followed the man, who turned around and brandished a black-handled folding knife at him. He told Pukini to back away, which he did.

A teenager was robbed at knifepoint in Woodland earlier this week.

The 17 year old was walking in the 700 block of Beamer Street about 10 p.m. Monday when two people approached him from behind. One of the men stepped in front of him, brandishing a pocketknife.

The robber demanded the teen's possession. The teen complied.

Woodland police said the man with the knife was described as Hispanic, in his early 20s, wearing a black shirt and a black baseball cap with a Chicago White Sox logo. His face was obscured by a bandana.

There was no description of the other man. The teen was not injured.

Anyone with information about the suspects may call police at (530) 661-7800.

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

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

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

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

The Yolo County coroner's office has released the name of a boater who fell overboard in the Sacramento River on Sunday.

He was identified as Joua Kao Lor, 55, of Sacramento.

West Sacramento Fire Department personnel were dispatched at 3:48 p.m. Sunday to a report of a drowning. Lor fell from a boat into the river near South River Road and Babel Slough.

Searchers on the bank, in a helicopter and in the water searched for Lor, said West Sacramento Battalion Chief Steve Bins. Details were not available on what caused Lor to fall from the boat.

His body was found and removed from the river at about 7 p.m. Sunday by Drowning and Accident Rescue Teamdivers.

A drunken driving checkpoint in West Sacramento was a busy place on Friday night.

The checkpoint was conducted at Harbor Boulevard and Duluth Street. Here are the stats from police Lt. Tod Sockman, division commander:

• A total of 522 cars came through the checkpoint.

• Four citations were issued for unlicensed driving.

• Four field sobriety checks were conducted.

• There was one DUI arrest

• One car was towed.

By Carla Meyer
cmeyer@sacbee.com

A 25-year-old Davis man who had been missing for more than a week was located Sunday afternoon in Lake County and is "in good spirits," a Davis Police Department spokesman said.

Daniel Brian Thompson, a Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts employee, had been missing since April 13. His car was found down an embankment, but Thompson was not in it.

Law enforcement officers later found Thompson, who was not injured and was removed from the missing-persons list, Sgt. Frank Tenedora said.

Teens initially suspected of drinking in a Woodland alley face more serious charges after police said rocks were thrown at them in the course of their investigation.

Officers were called to an alley near Summertree Lane about 5 p.m. Wednesday for a report of teens drinking. When they arrived, most of the teens scattered.

Two, however, were detained for being in possession of alcohol and public intoxication. As officers went about conducting an investigation, one of the detained teens became combative with officers, according to police. As officers struggled to control the 16-year-old boy, other teens returned and began throwing rocks at the officers.

Backup officers responded and one of the suspected rock-throwers, a 16-year-old boy, was arrested. Two 14-year-olds were also arrested, one for obstructing an officer and another for being drunk.

A police press release said that after being cleared at the hospital, they were booked into Yolo County Juvenile Hall on various charges that include assault, obstructing an officer, battery on an officer and minor in possession of alcohol.

A motorist was arrested Wednesday for allegedly speeding away from a traffic stop through a supermarket parking lot in West Sacramento in an attempt to evade a California Highway Patrol officer.

An officer saw a Honda without license plates about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday on southbound Jefferson Boulevard near South River Road. He stopped the car when the driver entered the Nugget Market parking lot on Lake Washington Boulevard.

During the traffic stop, the driver, identified as Avel Gonzalez Valencia, 21, of West Sacramento allegedly fled in the Honda, driving at high speed through the parking lot where several shoppers were walking.

Woodland police officers said they didn't get much help investigating a stabbing last night from the victim or a witness.

Police were called to Woodland Memorial Hospital around 9 p.m. where a man had been taken by a friend for treatment of stab wounds to his left arm and the middle of his back.

Neither the stabbing victim nor a witness to the assault that occurred near 9 Main Street wanted to cooperate with the investigation, police said. Police said they have not determined a motive for the stabbing.

By Richard Chang
rchang@sacbee.com

Davis police are investigating a possible double homicide in south Davis of a prominent elderly attorney and his wife over the weekend.

Police said they had been asked to check in on Oliver J. Northup, 87, and his wife Claudia M. Maupin, 76, by relatives who were concerned that they had not heard from the couple Sunday.

Police were called out to the home by Maupin's daughter around 9:20 p.m. for a welfare check, according to Stanley Dawson, who is married to Northup's ex-wife.

A Dixon man has been arrested on suspicion of molesting boys and girls.

Corey Wilkins, 34, was arrested on numerous counts of suspicion of lewd acts on a child, according to a Dixon police press release. The police say the alleged criminal activity occurred over an 11-year period in Dixon and Vacaville.

"We do have multiple victims, ranging in age from nine to 17 - both male and female," said Dixon Police Chief Jon Cox.

A Woodland man was arrested leaving the scene of a late-night break-in that was interrupted by the resident of the home.

Police responded about 11:30 p.m. Thursday to the 1600 block of Farnham Avenue in Woodland where a resident reported that she interrupted someone who removed window screens and shattered a window at the rear of the home.

Two men fled with a neighbor of the resident giving chase. One fleeing suspect swung a knife at the neighbor when he got close to capturing him.

That suspect escaped. Another man tied to the attempted burglary was stopped by a Woodland police officer east of the home.

Ernesto Justin Negrete, 19, of Woodland, was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary and committing a felony while released from custody. Negrete had recently been released from the Yolo County Jail on a burglary charge, according to a police press release.

One of three people who helped pin down a suspected burglar near Woodland on Wednesday was stabbed in the side.

The Yolo County Sheriff's office said deputies were called to the report of a burglary on Mallard Street in the Wild Wings subdivision, west of Woodland, about 2:13 p.m. Wednesday.

Once there, deputies learned that three citizens had taken down a suspected burglar. The resident of a home on Mallard Street arrived home to hear voices inside the residence.

West Sacramento police are trying to determine how a truck tractor ran over a 36-year-old man this morning at a local trucking company yard.

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

The man was pinned under the tractor, which was still running. Sockman said the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The California Highway Patrol has released the name of the truck driver involved in the fiery wreck on Interstate 80 near Davis on Thursday as John Manuszak, 45, of Fresno.

Earlier in the day, authorities identified the two people killed in the accident.

The driver was identified as Phang Phetsomphou, 76, and the passenger was Bouaket Phetsomphou, 74, the Solano County Sheriff-Coroner's Office reports. Both were from Petaluma.

The CHP reopened Interstate 80's westbound lanes nearly seven hours after they were closed Thursday morning.

Yolo County authorities are asking for help in finding the person who paralyzed a cat by shooting it with a pellet gun.

The owners of the orange tabby named Annie were away at dinner on the night of March 13 when somebody shot their cat. When the pet owners returned to their Woodland home in the 1500 block of Owens Valley Drive they found Annie on the front porch.

She was unable to move her back legs and a bloody wound was noticeable on her shoulder. The UC Davis Small Animal Clinic diagnosed a pellet lodged next to her spine.

Tipsters who know the identity of the shooter may call the Yolo County Sheriff's Office Animal Services Section at (530) 668-5287.

Police say that 17 vehicles had their tires punctures in a case of malicious mischief in Woodland.

On Sunday morning, police were dispatched the neighborhood where the tires were punctured as vehicle owners awakened to find the damage. Officers noted flattened tires on Hacienda Drive, Adobe Way and the 1700 block of McKinley Avenue.

Police estimated that more than $2,000 in damage was sustained.

Woodland police arrested a man for stabbing his wife while she slept with her daughter next to her.

Police said the Guillermo Aldama, 35, stabbed his wife in the upper part of her chest. Officers were dispatched to the Aldama home on West Cross Street about 1 a.m. today.

A police investigation revealed that Aldama stabbed his sleeping spouse with a knife, according to a department press release. Their 9-year-old daughter was next to her during the attack.

The woman was transported to UC Davis Medical Center where she was treated for non life-threatening injuries. Aldama was booked into Yolo County Jail on suspicion of attempted homicide and child endangerment.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office is warning residents to beware of door-to-door salespeople using high-pressure tactics.

Authorities said they have received several reports recently of salespeople who may be targeting senior communities in the area. They are ignoring clearly posted "no soliciting" signs and a using high-pressure tactics to make sales, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.

In a recent instance at a mobile home park, an 86-year-old woman who is hard of hearing opened her door to an official-looking young man in a yellow uniform who persuaded her to switch from the natural gas service provider she has had for more than 20 years to one based in Texas. Fortunately, authorities said, she checked with her son and was able to cancel the contract within the three-day time period allowed by law.

The body of 58-year-old West Sacramento woman has been found inside a vehicle that went into the Sacramento River this morning.

Officer Cindy Leal, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, said a CHP 911 dispatcher spent about 10 minutes on the phone with the woman who called to report that she was inside a vehicle that had gone into the river off Old River Road.

Leal said the woman worked at Cache Creek Casino and is believed to have been on her way home to West Sacramento when she phoned her daughter and said she didn't think the brakes on her car were working. At 8:11 a.m., the CHP dispatch center received a call from the woman, who said she was inside the car in the river. Leal said there was some difficulty in communicating because the woman spoke Punjabi and it took a few minutes to find someone who spoke the language. Leal said the connection was lost after about 10 minutes.

West Sacramento is looking for a new leader for its police department, following the announced retirement of Chief Dan Drummond.

Drummond, who has served the city since 2004, recently announced that he would be stepping down in July. Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said West Sacramento became a safer place during Drummond's time on the job -- with property and violent crime declining.

An online listing for the open position notes that the police department, with 70 sworn positions, is divided into two divisions: field operations and administration support.

Police are asking for help in an investigation into a crash that injured a Woodland driver and a 5-year-old passenger.

Woodland Police said that about 3:30 p.m. Monday, a vehicle swerved off the Gibson Road between West Street and College Avenue. The vehicle struck a tree in front of a home, causing non life-threatening injuries to the 50-year-old driver and the child.

Both the driver and the child were taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center.

The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Woodland Police Department Traffic Division. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call traffic investigators at (530) 661-7800.

A student died the day after being found unconscious in the Esparto High School weight room.

The male student, who was not identified by the Yolo County school, was discovered at about 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. District staff provided first aid and called 911, according to Esparto High School Principal and Superintendent Aida Buelna.

He was taken by ambulance to a Woodland hospital and then transferred to a Sacramento hospital. He was declared brain dead on Wednesday.

"The district expresses its deepest sympathies to the student's family and friends," said Buelna.

Counselors were made available to classmates having difficulty in dealing with the student's death. His name was not released by the high school.

The name of a pedestrian who was struck and killed by an Amtrak passenger train Sunday has been released by the Yolo County Sheriff-Coroner's office.

He was identified as Mitchell Lee Yarrington, 52, of West Sacramento.

Yarrington was walking on the tracks on Sunday afternoon when he was struck by the westbound train near the Harbor Boulevard overpass, said West Sacramento police Sgt. Trent Tyler.

The train had just left Sacramento and was headed toward San Jose when the incident occurred. Another train was dispatched to pick up passengers, Tyler said.

Applications are available for the Yolo County District Attorney Citizens Academy.

Now in its second year, the academy is sponsored by the DA's Office in cooperation with the Yolo County Sheriff's Office, Yolo County Probation Department and the Davis, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland police departments.

The academy is a 10-week course designed to involve diverse communities in learning about the criminal justice system, with the goal of improving relationships and communication, according to a news release.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

The former West Sacramento police officer facing 35 counts of sexually assaulting women while on patrol will face a March 7 arraignment in Yolo Superior Court.

Sergio Alvarez, 37, made a brief appearance Wednesday afternoon at the courthouse in Woodland. He is being held in lieu of $29.3 million bail in Solano County custody on allegations including rape, sodomy and kidnapping of six women while on duty between October 2011 and September 2012.

Alvarez has been a member of the West Sacramento Police Department since 2007.

Arrests by state and Yolo County law enforcement officers could cripple street gangs who are thought to be responsible for dozens of home and car burglaries, West Sacramento police said.

The arrests stem from more than 80 home burglaries and 40 car burglaries starting in December in West Sacramento and the outlying region. Thirteen people were arrested.

In addition, three assault rifles, drugs, ammunition, body armor and four handguns were confiscated.

The operation was dubbed "Operation Red Bandits" because members of the burglary ring were identified as members of the Norteno street gang. The gang wears the color red.

The operation targeted gang members from 16 to 20 years old. The gang members supported their lifestyle through the selling of drugs and stolen property.

Those arrested face possession of narcotics, narcotics sales, burglary and violent crime charges.

"Today's operation will cripple these criminal street gangs and their criminal enterprise network," stated a press release.

The Yolo County sheriff's department has released the names of both drivers who died from injuries suffered in a fiery crash on Interstate 5 in Yolo County Saturday night.

The California Highway Patrol in Woodland was informed of a vehicle blocking a lane of northbound I-5, just south of County Road 8, about 11 p.m. Saturday. Officers enroute were told that a Honda Accord had collided with an Oldsmobile.

The crash caused the Honda to roll on top of the Oldsmobile and then both cars were engulfed in flames. The drivers of both vehicles died.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The sheriff's department said the driver of the Oldsmobile was Jorge Mora Arias, 40, of Woodland. The driver of the Honda was identified as Cheryl Ann Fortress, 34, of Paradise, Butte County.

Two drivers died from injuries suffered in a fiery crash on Interstate 5 in Yolo County Saturday night.

The California Highway Patrol in Woodland was informed of a vehicle blocking a lane of northbound I-5, just south of County Road 8, about 11 p.m. Saturday. Officers enroute were told that a Honda Accord had collided with an Oldsmobile.

The crash caused the Honda to roll on top of the Oldsmobile and then both cars were engulfed in flames. The drivers of both vehicles died.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The Yolo County Sheriff's Department said the driver of the Oldsmobile was Jorge Mora Arias, 40, of Woodland.

The Honda driver was a 34-year-old Willows, Glenn County, woman. Her name has not yet been released.

A woman leaving her apartment was forced back in and raped by two men, Davis police said.

The rape occurred around 5:00 a.m. Thursday, as the woman was leaving her apartment at the 4500 block of Alhambra Dr. Two men grabbed the victim, forced her inside and took turns raping her, according to reports.

The woman described the men as Caucasian, one with black hair and the other with brown hair. Emergency personnel treated the woman for injuries. The victim waited nearly eight hours before reporting the crime to police.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Davis Police Department's Sexual Assault Unit at (530) 747-5400.

A rare closure of the I Street Bridge occurred this morning due to ice on the trusty old span.

About 7 a.m. today West Sacramento police closed the bridge that crosses the Sacramento River between downtown Sacramento and West Sacramento after vehicles slid out of control and collided head-on.

"Two cars hit the black ice," said Lt. Tod Sockman of the West Sacramento police.

The bridge opened again about 8 a.m. when the sun warmed the pavement enough to melt the ice away.

The Islamic Center of Davis was broken into on Tuesday with the burglar making off with money from donation boxes.

Police said a man entered the mosque, 539 Russell Blvd., about 1:50 a.m. Tuesday through an unlocked window and took the money from the donation boxes. At one point, the burglar is seen on video leaving the mosque and then parking a white four-door sedan on the west side of the house of worship.

The suspect then re-entered the mosque and before finally exiting and driving away in the white car.

Davis police described the man as white or Hispanic, about 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 165 pounds.

He was wearing a dark-colored baseball cap, a light-colored zip-up sweatshirt, blue jeans and he carried a black backpack.

PHOTO CAPTION: A video image of the suspect from the Davis Police Department

Woodland police are asking for help in finding the person who slashed tires on 14 vehicles.

Officers were dispatched to Cross Street and Fourth Street about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday where it was reported that two vehicles had their tires cut by a vandal. Once on the scene, officers found 14 vehicles in the area had one or more slashed tires.

Police set the overall estimated cost of tire damage at $7,000. Anyone with information is asked to call the police at (530) 661-7800.

Staff and wire reports

WINTERS - Authorities say one person is dead after a small plane lost a wing and crashed just feet from a Northern California freeway.

California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Parker says witnesses told authorities that after the single-engine plane lost the wing, the rest of the plane went into a spiral.

Parker says the plane crashed about 30 feet off the side of Interstate 505, while the wing of the plane landed in the center divider of the freeway.

The pilot - the only person on board - was killed in the crash. The pilot was identified today as Jeffrey Sharman, 68, of Vacaville.
There were no injuries to anyone on the ground.

The crash took place around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday near Winters, a rural community on the Solano County-Yolo County line, about 30 miles west of Sacramento.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says the plane was an experimental Avions Fairey Tipsy Nipper T-66.

Staff writer Bill Lindelof contributed to this AP report.

A Caltrans crash protection vehicle was slammed into by a car on Monday in Yolo County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver of the car, John P. Bledsoe, 64, of Woodland, was taken to a hospital with complaints of pain. The Caltrans driver of the crash attenuator truck, Jaime A. Ruiz Fuentes, 27, of Elk Grove refused medical assistance at the scene, the CHP reported.

Fuentes was driving northbound at about 15 mph on Highway 113 near County Road 27 about 1:30 p.m. following a crew that was striping the road. The CHP said that Bledsoe was traveling in the same direction at about 65 mph when he became distracted by his cell phone.

According to a CHP press release, Bledsoe failed to notice in time that he was approaching the Caltrans protection truck. Although Beldsoe applied his brakes, his car collided with the crash cushion on the rear of the Caltrans truck.

Major damage was sustained by both vehicles.

A man arrested last September in a field of marijuana plants has been convicted by a Yolo County jury of cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale.

The jury also found that 57-year-old Fidel Alvarez was armed with a firearm during the commission of these crimes, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

On Sept. 6, 2012, agents from with the Yolo County Narcotics Enforcement Team and the Mountain and Valley Marijuana Investigations Team discovered a marijuana grow on public lands off Highway 16 in Yolo County. The marijuana grow contained more than 500 plants that would have been ready for harvest within a few days, officials said. Agents found Alvarez walking through the field of plants dressed in camouflage clothing and carrying a .22-caliber rifle and a homemade flash suppressor.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

UC Davis chemistry researcher David Snyder will remain in Yolo County Jail in lieu of $2 million bail on explosives-related charges, a Yolo Superior Court judge ruled at a bail hearing Friday.

Snyder was injured in the blast early Jan. 17 that wrecked his Davis apartment, forced the evacuation of more than 70 of his neighbors and sent him into Yolo County custody.

At the Friday hearing, his attorney, Linda Parisi, called for the Davis man's bail to be reduced to $500,000. Parisi characterized Snyder, 32, as an inquisitive tinkerer, with a clean record and no grudges against the university.

A 13-year-old student was arrested after he allegedly brought marijuana cookies to a West Sacramento school.

West Sacramento police said that the student at Southport Elementary, a K-8 school, on Tuesday brought about six marijuana cookies to campus on Tuesday. He then sold two of the cookies to another student who gave them to two other students, according to police Lt. Tod Sockman.

The two who received the cookies for free ate them and one of them got sick, police said.

A machete-wielding man allegedly discovered stealing copper by workers at Woodland body shop fled after being pepper-sprayed but was later arrested by police.

Woodland police said that the owner and of an employee of Leyva's Auto Body Repair Shop, 39608 Kentucky Ave., spotted a man stealing copper wire at the business about 2 p.m. Thursday.

When confronted, the man brandished a machete, police said. The employee retaliated by pepper-spraying the suspected thief.

The thief then kicked the employee and fled on bicycle. About three hours later, the body shop owner and the employee spotted the same suspected thief on his bike in the 1300 block of East Main Street.

Officers responded and arrested Larry Vincent Kruletz, 42, identified as homeless, on suspicion of robbery.

A Union Pacific freight train that originated in Roseville struck and killed a man sitting on Union Pacific railroad tracks in Davis this morning.

The man was hit about two miles from the nearest railroad crossing. An investigation is underway, according to UP.

Davis police said that they initially were called to the fatality at about 4:30 a.m., responding to the area of Second Street and Pena Drive.

A Woodland police officer was assaulted and injured while wrestling a suspect to the ground in the early morning hours Saturday. The officer's K-9 police dog ended the scuffle by biting the suspect on the arm.

Reggie Joe Dickerson, 44, a transient from the Sacramento area, was booked at the Yolo County Jail on felony charges of resisting an officer using force, resisting an officer and causing injury, and violation of probation. He is being held without bail.

The officer, who was not identified by Woodland Police Department, stopped Dickerson on his bicycle about 12:45 a.m. in the 100 block of West Main Street, for riding on the sidewalk and not using a light, according to police reports.

Andy Furillo

afurllo@sacbee.com

Richard Joseph Hirschfield sat impassively today while a Sacramento judge sentenced him to the death penalty for the murders of UC Davis "sweethearts" John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves more than three decades ago.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael W. Sweet told Hirschfield that pending the outcome of his appeals, "you shall be put to death by a manner and means prescribed by law" for the Dec. 20, 1980, killings of the two 18-year-olds who were abducted after working as volunteers on a production of the Davis Children's Nutrcracker.

His voice waivering, Sweet told the parents of the two murdered students, "I recognize there is nothing I can say that can adequately convey anything that will console you, that your lives changed permanently in the worst possible way. You have endured so much. The tortured history of this case must have taken away any hope you had that the person responsible for these acts would be discovered and held to answer.

"Hopefully, with the jury's verdicts in this case, they have provided you some measure of closure and comfort, and that justice in some small way has and will be served," Sweet said.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

A Yolo County judge on Thursday rejected claims by a victims' advocacy group that a video showing the June 2008 shooting death of a Yolo County Sheriff's deputy played at trial and later aired by Sacramento's KCRA-TV violated the privacy of the slain deputy's family.

Attorney Nina Salarno Ashford of Crime Victims United represented the family of Deputy Sheriff Tony Diaz, killed by Marco Topete following a chase near Dunnigan.

Salarno Ashford argued for a protective order stopping viewing of the dashboard camera video that captured the shooting, citing privacy provisions in what is known as Marsy's Law that are designed to protect the privacy of crime victims and their families. Members of the Diaz family attended the hearing but did not speak with reporters.

By Matt Weiser
mweiser@sacbee.com

The UC Davis researcher injured in a suspicious explosion Thursday at his campus apartment was booked into the Yolo County Jail today on charges related to the incident.

David Snyder, 32, was booked at 2:30 p.m., said UC Davis Police Chief Matt Carmichael, after being treated at a hospital for injuries to his hands.

Snyder is being held in lieu of $2 million bail for investigation of felony possession of an explosive, possession of materials with intent to manufacture an explosive device and possession of firearms on campus.

By Richard Chang and Bill Lindelof

UC Davis police are conducting a criminal investigation into the Thursday explosion at a campus apartment that left a university researcher injured.

The explosion took place at a Russell Park housing complex unit in the early morning hours. The UC Davis researcher was treated for hand injuries at a hospital.

Police spent Thursday searching the apartment and carefully removing potentially hazardous chemicals. Nearby residents were evacuated, but many were allowed to return in the afternoon.

A UC Davis researcher suffered an injury after an explosion rocked a campus apartment early this morning, the university said.

The researcher, whose name school officials declined to release, checked into a local hospital for treatment of hand injuries around 1:30 a.m, according to UC Davis spokesman Andy Fell. The hospital then notified police.

When police arrived at the apartment, located in the 400 block of Russell Park, Fell said they found chemicals and cordoned off the area.

Fell declined to speculate on what the researcher was doing, but said the only safe place for research to be conducted is in university laboratories.

A UC Davis researcher has been treated at the hospital after an explosion at an apartment on campus.

UC Davis police evacuated a building early this morning in a housing complex at 418 Russell Park after discovering chemicals in an apartment. Police said the area is considered safe, although a portion of the site has been cordoned off.

A university news release stated that a researcher was treated at a local hospital for hand injuries from a small explosion.

Nearly 3,000 drivers were caught breaking cell phone rules during a crackdown in 37 police jurisdictions in and around Sacramento County.

"We are committed to saving lives on area roadways, and drivers should expect to continue to see officers enforcing cell phone driving laws time and time again," said state Office of Traffic Safety director Chris Murphy.

California was one of two states to receive grants for high-visibility law enforcement pilot programs to squelch motorists' hand-held cell phone use and texting. In addition to California, Delaware was selected to mount a pilot project.

The California program, dubbed "Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other," was conducted in eight counties with 3.8 million residents in an area ranging from Modesto to Marysville and Vallejo to South Lake Tahoe. The crackdown occurred from Nov. 30 to Dec. 9.

By Phillip Reese
preese@sacbee.com

A bicyclist was killed early today after he swerved in front of a moving car in central West Sacramento, police said.

The man, 51, was cycling eastward near 2000 West Capitol Avenue around 7 a.m. in the driving rain when he swerved to miss a large puddle and was hit.

The car was also moving east. Its driver was not hurt.

The identity of the bicyclist was not released pending notification of family members.

A chase of an alleged probation violater in downtown Woodland ended in his arrest.

Police knew that Paul Shuler Jr., 29, of Woodland was wanted on suspicion of recently stealing a vehicle and a handgun. He was also wanted by the Yolo County Probation Department for violating post-release supervision.

When police tried to arrest him about 11:45 a.m. Thursday, police said he bolted, taking a handgun from around his waist as he fled on foot.

Police said a store owner intimidated gun-toting robbers with a pipe last night in Woodland.

At about 10:30 p.m. two armed robbers wearing dark clothing and ski masks entered the Hollywood Market, 1321 College St. They demanded money, but the store owner refused to comply.

Instead, he armed himself with a metal pipe. The robbers left the store and have not been seen since, police said.

A report of a person at Pioneer High School with a gun this morning turned out to be false.

Woodland police responded about 8 a.m. to a report of a person with a gun on the high school campus, 1400 Pioneer Ave. The school was placed in lockdown.

While police were en route to the school, school administration employees reported the person in question was being cooperative. Upon arrival, officers found that the 17-year-old Woodland resident never had a firearm but was in possession of a knife.

The teen, who was not a Pioneer High School student, did not attempt to assault any students or staff, police said.

The teen was arrested on suspicion of possession of a weapon on a school campus.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office is warning computer users of phone calls from scam artists pretending to represent well-known companies like Microsoft, Dell or Norton.

In the past week, several Yolo County residents have reported receiving calls from people claiming to be with "tech support" and saying they need access to the individual's personal computer to remove a virus or maintain the warranty.

Last week, a scammer contacted a retired Yolo County employee telling her that her computer warranty was about to expire. The caller pressured her for more than 30 minutes to accept the service, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.

Two pit bulls where killed during a probation search in Woodland when the dogs charged deputies, according to a sheriff's department press release.

A chaotic scene played out in the home on Antelope Street about 9:30 a.m. Monday after deputies arrived to conduct a search of the premises. Inside the home, were Vincent Van Asperson, 43, and Carole Vitalie, 46, according to deputies.

Three pit bulls were also in a bedroom that needed to be searched. A Yolo County Animal Control Officer was removing one dog when a second pit bull came running out of the bedroom.

By Richard Chang and Bill Lindelof
rchang@sacbee.com

Comedian Katt Williams is free again, after posting bail this morning at the Yolo County Jail.

Williams was arrested Saturday night in Dunnigan by Yolo County Sheriff's deputies, according to Yolo County Sheriff's Deputy Rob Harbaugh. They were acting on an arrest warrant issued by the Sacramento County District Attorney's office on Friday for felony evading of officers and driving in a reckless manner.

The warrant was issued in response to Williams' alleged wild driving in Sacramento Nov. 25.

All westbound lanes of Highway 50 are open now after a major injury collision had reduced traffic flow to one lane in West Sacramento, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The collision occurred shortly after 5 p.m. and involved a sedan and a sports utility vehicle. CHP reports available online indicate more vehicles might have been involved.

The lane closure, at the West Harbor Boulevard off ramp, had traffic backed up to Jefferson Boulevard.

Traffic cams, conditions at sacbee.com/traffic.

Another person has been knocked over the head by a robber near Woodland's Freeman Park.

The latest assault occurred at about 12:20 a.m. Wednesday when a 46-year-old Knights Landing man was walking near the park at 1001 Main St. The man, approached by three attackers, was hit over the head with an object, possibly a bottle.

He lost his wallet in the assault. It was later recovered, minus cash.

Woodland police said that a similar robbery occurred in the area near Third Street and Lincoln Avenue on Nov. 18. In that incident, a man was also hit over the head in an attempted robbery.

Three armed robberies occurred last night in City of Davis greenbelts.

Details are few, but Davis police say the first two robberies happened at 8:17 p.m. and again at 8:25 p.m. in the area of Catalina and Corona drives and on Pamplona Avenue in north Davis.

Later, a third robbery happened in the same area. Police searched for two men wearing hooded sweatshirts, at least one armed with a handgun.

The men took iPhones and other personal items. Police said this morning that nobody had been arrested in connection with the holdups.

The Yolo County Coroner's office has released the name of the Pacific Gas & Electric employee who died when his truck slammed into a traffic signal pole in West Sacramento on Friday.

He was identified as Tommy Gene Flippo, Jr., 57, of Woodland.

Police officers responded to the crash about 2 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Lake Washington and Jefferson boulevards. Flippo died at the scene.

West Sacramento police investigated the incident, which occurred as a rainstorm was moving through the area. Police say it is possible that weather was a factor in the crash.

A 23-year-old homeless man has been arrested in the attempted kidnapping of a woman Sunday at a Woodland shopping center.

Police reported that Kyle Hall was taken into custody without incident at 3 :40 p.m. today in the parking lot at 1720 E. Main St.

About 3:35 p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the Westgate Shopping center at 367 Main St. regarding an attempted kidnapping. A 31-year-old Woodland woman reported that she was walking between parked vehicles in the parking lot when a man seated in a pickup truck opened his door, blocking her way. She said the man grabbed her by the hair and pulled her toward the truck.

A woman was nearly kidnapped at a Woodland shopping center over the weekend, police said.

The 31-year-old woman was walking between parked vehicles in the Westgate shopping center on Main Street Sunday afternoon when a man opened his truck door to block her path. Then, the suspected kidnapper grabbed the victim's hair.

Police said he pulled her toward the pickup but she screamed for help. A bystander heard her cries and approached.

A Woodland church was ransacked last night by a burglar, police said.

Woodland police said that St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 515 Second St., was entered by a burglar breaking an office window. Once inside, the burglar vandalized the office and ransacked the church, police said.

A fireplace tool was used to open desk drawers and cabinets looking for items of value. The exact value of property stolen is not known, according to a police press release.

A Woodland Hallmark card store was ransacked during a break-in this morning.

Police were called about 12:30 a.m. today to the Hallmark store at 375 West Main St. in the Raley's shopping center where a man was reported to have broken a window and climbed into the store.

Officers ordered anyone inside to come out, but got no reply. A police dog was then let into the store through the broken window.

Minutes later, the dog bit the burglar and dragged him to the ground. Drew Dean Biondo, 29, who police said is a transient on parole for arson, was arrested on suspicion of burglary, violation of parole and obstructing an officer.

Police said numerous merchandise displays were destroyed and items thrown about the store. Fragile pieces of merchandise were shattered, police said.

Store owners estimated at least $10,000 in damage, police said.

Three Woodland men have been convicted of attempted murder in a November 2011 drive-by shooting.

After two days of deliberation, a Yolo County jury on Tuesday returned guilty verdicts on Rolando Arismendez, 34, Juan Reyes, 21, and German Vizcarra, 19. The charges included conspiracy to commit attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and gang charges and enhancements, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

On Nov. 16, 2011, Arismendez, a validated gang member, provided guns, a car and a driver to Reyes and Vizcarra, also gang members, the release said. They planned to murder a resident of Donnelly Circle in Woodland, officials said.

A Shafter man was arraigned Tuesday in Yolo County in connection with an assault on an Arbuckle man who was found with gunshot and stab wounds Oct. 1 on County Line Road in the Dunnigan area.

Danny Joe Stearman, 64, was arrested Oct. 9 in Shafter and was booked into Yolo County Jail on suspicion of attempted homicide in the shooting and stabbing of 49-year-old Mark Cullen. Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Lance Faille said Stearman is the uncle of Cullen's ex-wife.

Cullen was found by a co-worker near the Yolo-Colusa County line. When Cullen failed to show up for his scheduled midnight shift at Adams Vegetable Oils Inc. in Colusa County, the co-worker called Cullen's cell phone. Cullen was able to answer the phone and told the co-worker that he was on County Line Road and was dying, according to sheriff's officials.

A 49-year-old Woodland man died this evening when he was struck by a car while trying to cross Highway 113 on foot.

Sgt. Andy Hill of the California Highway Patrol said two men were walking along the freeway about 7:30 p.m. collecting aluminum cans when they decided to cross the roadway near Gibson Road. One man made it safely across the northbound lanes, but the second man ran into the path of a northbound Ford Focus traveling in the fast lane. He was struck by the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released pending notification of family.

The occupants of the Ford were not injured.

The California Highway Patrol is reminding school bus riders and motorists to pay attention to each other to ensure safety.

"I see the driver -- the driver sees me" is the theme of this year's National School Bus Safety Week, Oct. 22-26.

Studies show that the most dangerous part of the school bus ride for children is when they get on and off the bus, according to a CHP news release. Motorists are urged to pay close attention to school buses on local roads and to be aware of their flashing lights. In California, flashing yellow lights on a school bus are a warning to slow down and prepare to stop, while flashing red lights require all motorists to stop.

Davis police are reminding people to take precautions after a woman was sexually assaulted while walking in the city's downtown area late Thursday.

The woman was walking in the area of Fourth and J streets about 11:50 p.m. when she was grabbed from behind by a male and sexually assaulted, according to a Police Department news release. The assailant was last seen running eastbound on Fourth Street.

So far, police said, no description of the assailant has been provided. They ask anyone who was in the area and may have seen a suspicious person to call the Davis Police Department at (530) 747-5400.

Police remind people to:

* Always be aware of their surroundings.

* Walk confidently or with a purpose.

* Try to stay in well-lighted, well-populated areas.

* Travel with another person.

An teenage inmate in Woodland was re-captured after he scaled a barbed-wire topped jail fence.

A correctional officer saw Gabriel Eugene Weston, 18, climbing the perimeter fence at the Leinberger Correctional Facility in Woodland about 6:35 a.m. today. Within minutes, Yolo County Sheriff's deputies arrived and surrounded the area with the help of Woodland police.

Soon, citizens reported seeing Weston. He was eventually found at the nearby Gibson Plaza Shopping Center behind some Dumpsters.

He was taken to the Monroe Detention Center where he was booked on an escape charge.

Weston had been in jail since Tuesday after Davis police for suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, obstruction or delaying a peace officer and driving without a license.

A West Sacramento man pleaded guilty today in federal court to mortgage fraud charges arising from home sales in the Sacramento area.

According to court documents, Sean McClendon, 46, participated in the loan origination process for buyers and in each instance the buyers' income and assets were falsified to qualify for the loans.

Co-defendant Anthony Salcedo allegedly compensated McClendon and another co-defendant, Anthony Williams, for finding buyers for four properties owned by or associated with Salcedo, according to a federal Department of Justice news release. Some of the payments by Salcedo allegedly went to the buyers of the property, although the payments were never disclosed to the lenders as part of the purchase and sale agreements, officials said.

The Yolo County Sheriff's Department is asking the public's help to locate a dog involved in a biting incident Oct. 6 in West Sacramento.

A woman was walking a dog on a leash about 11 a.m. in the area of a bike bath in the 3500 block of Bridgeway Lakes Drive when another woman jogged by on the bike path. The dog lunged at the jogger and bit her, causing moderate injury, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

The dog owner stopped and advised the victim that her dog was current on its rabies vaccination, but the victim failed to get any personal information from the dog owner at the time to be able to verify the information, officials said. Animal Services authorities received the bite report from the victim, but a search of the area has failed to locate the owner or the dog.

A 54-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a shooting in Winters on Saturday.

Winters police received numerous calls about 3 p.m. regarding a shooting near Third and Baker streets. Callers said a 49-year-old man had suffered gunshot wounds.

Officers found the alleged shooter in the 600 block of Third Street standing near a blue Chevrolet Impala.

A man suspected of stabbing another man aboard a sailboat along the Sacramento River on Sunday evening has been identified by police as Robert Parke, 40, of West Sacramento.

West Sacramento police report that a group of people were on a 40-foot sailboat moored in the Sacramento Deep Water Channel when an argument began. Alcohol was being consumed, police said.

A some point a 27-year-old man was allegedly stabbed by a 40-year-old West Sacramento man aboard the vessel. Police responded about 6:30 p.m. Sunday to the boat at the Port of Sacramento to find the younger man suffering from several stab wounds.

He was transported to a hospital where he was reported in stable condition. Parke was booked into Yolo County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

Five people were arrested today on suspicion of transporting marijuana for sale after a Yolo County sheriff's deputy made an an early-morning welfare check on occupants of a U-Haul truck.

The truck was parked on County Road 82b, off Highway 16 near Capay at 2:30 a.m. While speaking with the occupants, the deputy smelled the strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Other deputies arrived and searched the truck. During the search, they found more than 25 bags of marijuana weighing approximately 16 pounds, officials said.

West Sacramento police say that a man reported missing has been located and is with his family.

Tony Savala (pictured) had last been seen about 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Margaret McDowell Senior Center at 1525 Merkley Ave. in West Sacramento.

Police said Savala is not from West Sacramento and was unfamiliar with the area. He was considered at risk because he suffers from dementia and other medical conditions that require medication, according to a Police Department news release.

Today's proceedings in the Davis "sweethearts" trial were a reminder of just how long this case has been winding its way through Sacramento's criminal justice system.

First, jurors heard from Dr. Pierce Rooney - or at least a videotaped version of him. The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on John Riggins - killed with his girlfriend Sabrina Gonsalves just before Christmas in 1980 - has died since he testified in the 2007 preliminary hearing to decide whether Richard Hirschfield would stand trial for the murders.

A judge ruled that he should stand trial, and the video of that 2007 testimony was played Friday for jurors who are now tasked with deciding whether Hirschfield is responsible for the brutal slayings more than three decades ago.

A Davis man convicted in 1994 of murder and child abuse in the beating death of his 14-month-old son will remain in prison.

The Board of Parole Hearing commissioners on Wednesday denied parole to 42-year-old Manuel Bermudez, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. The hearing took place at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, where Bermudez is serving life in prison.

A Yolo County jury convicted Bermudez of murder in the child's death, which occurred in January 1994.

A man suspected of a carjacking in Davis this afternoon has been taken into custody after being tracked to a cornfield southeast of Davis.

Davis Police Department spokesman Lt. Glenn Glasgow said the incident began about 1:30 p.m. when a Davis officer on patrol ran the registration on an apparent stolen vehicle parked at the Motel 6 at Chiles Road. As the officer tried to confirm the status of that vehicle, he saw a man run from the area on foot. The officer began to pursue the man in his police vehicle.

At Chiles Road, the officer was flagged down by people who said a car had just been carjacked at a Taco Bell west of the Motel 6. The suspect, described as a white man in his 30s, reportedly pushed a woman out of the vehicle, a Honda Pilot, and drove off. Glasgow said the woman was not injured.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office has been awarded $56,805 from the state Attorney General's Privacy and Piracy Fund.

The program provides funding to district attorneys' offices statewide to investigate and prosecute identity theft and intellectual property theft, also known as piracy.

The Yolo County DA's high-tech unit investigates numerous identity theft and counterfeiting cases each year, according to a District Attorney's Office news release. The grant funds will be used to train digital forensic investigators and purchase forensic equipment for the high-technology lab.

Officials said high-tech expertise and equipment were employed in a recent elder abuse case in which a bookkeeper embezzled more than a half million dollars from an elderly woman. They said the high-tech investigator was able to prove that the bookkeeper fraudulently created and back-dated documents on her computer, which eventually led to her conviction.

UC Davis police said a heavily tattooed man wearing numerous earrings tried to kidnap a girl on Sunday.

Police said the man was riding his bicycle near Orchard Park, a campus apartment complex, when he approached the girl and asked the whereabouts of her parents. When she failed to answer, he drew close.

"Come home with me," the man said, according to the girl.

Woodland police are investigating a report that individuals tried to lure a girl into a vehicle late Tuesday.

The juvenile was walking in the area of Beamer Street and Frost Drive about 10:30 p.m. when a vehicle pulled alongside the girl. The girl kept walking and was followed by the vehicle. One of the occupants then got out of the vehicle and tried to coerce the victim to get inside, according to a Police Department news release.

The girl was able to run away from the suspects.

The suspect vehicle was described as a green older model Nissan pickup. The suspect that spoke to and approached the girl was described as a Latino man, about 30 years old, 6 feet 2 inches tall, with a medium build, shaved head, goatee, wearing a white shirt, red shorts and red shoes. No description of the second suspect was available.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Woodland Police Department at (530) 666-2411. Callers can remain anonymous.

Yolo County sheriff's deputies are investigating an attempted homicide after an Arbuckle man was found with stab wounds on County Line Road in the Dunnigan area.

Deputies responded to the scene at the Colusa County line at 12:15 a.m. Monday.

When the 49-year-old man did not show up for his scheduled midnight shift at Adams Vegetable Oils Inc. in Colusa County, a co-worker called the man's cell phone. The man was able to answer the phone and told the co-worker that he was on County Line Road and was dying, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

A man robbed a Woodland convenience market Sunday night then drove down the street to check into a motel - where he was arrested, police say.

Woodland police said a masked gunman robbed the 7-Eleven at 1229 East Main St. about 7:30 p.m. Sunday. At about 8 p.m., an officer saw a vehicle matching the description of the getaway car in the parking lot of the Quality Inn, 1562 East Main St.

A woman next to the vehicle, Jackie Hayes, 47, of Woodland, said she was the owner. Inside the vehicle, the officers found a shirt and a BB gun matching the description of the robber's clothing and stickup gun.

Then, Walter Hayes, 51, of Woodland, walked out of a motel room, which then was searched, police said. Inside the room, cash and a ski mask were found.

Motel management said the couple had paid for the room in cash shortly before 8 p.m. Both were booked into Yolo County Jail on suspicion of robbery.

Yolo County Animal Services officials need help in finding a dog that bit a bicyclist in Davis.

The bicyclist was riding in the green belt near Rio Grande Street on Sunday about noon when she was bit by a mixed breed terrier with tan markings and wavy fur. The dog was on a leash held by a woman.

The dog owner was described as about 30 years old, medium build, about 5 feet 7 inches tall. She had dark, short hair, was wearing a white sweat suit and carried a cell phone.

A West Sacramento man convicted of robbing and killing a 68-year-old amputee in 1981 will remain in prison after Gov. Jerry Brown reversed a Board of Parole Hearings decision to grant him parole.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office today announced the governor's decision in the case of Roger Moore.

On March 6, 1981, Moore and Charles Williams robbed and beat to death Paul Ward, an amputee who used a wheelchair. Ward's partially clothed body was later found in a West Sacramento parking lot.

A Sacramento man has been convicted of sexual conduct with a minor who he pursued via social media.

A Yolo County jury today convicted Ronald Vikash Chand, 32, of five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

Chand became involved with the victim when she was 15 years old, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

Authorities said he lied to her about his age and, knowing that she was 15 years old, he pursued her on Facebook and by text messages. On multiple occasions, he picked her up at her high school and engaged in sexual acts with her in his car and at a West Sacramento motel.

Chand is to be sentenced Oct. 22 by Yolo Superior Court Judge Timothy Fall.

A high-speed chase on city streets ended with an arrest last night in Woodland.

The pursuit began when an officer tried to stop a vehicle about 11 p.m. Thursday on Pioneer Avenue near Farnham Avenue. The driver fled southbound on Pioneer Avenue at an estimated 80 mph, according to police.

The chase continued westbound on East Gum Avenue and then to East Street. Other officers caught up when the suspect vehicle hit a curb at Fourth Street and Gum Avenue.

There, the driver got out of his vehicle and started running. He was apprehended by officers after a short chase.

Silverio Delgado Jr., 30, of Woodland was arrested on suspicion of evading arrest, driving under the influence and resisting arrest.

By Darrell Smith

dvsmith@sacbee.com

The pepper-spraying of students by UC Davis police officers last November was not criminal conduct, Yolo County District Attorney's office concluded Wednesday following an inquiry into officers' response to protestors on the campus.

"(V)iewing the incident through the totality of the circumstances, there is insufficient evidence to establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the use of force involved in the November 18, 2011, pepper spraying was unlawful and therefore warrants the filing of criminal charges," officials said in a statement announcing the report's findings.

The response by campus police clad in riot gear last Nov. 18, punctuated by the image of police Lt. John Pike calmly pepper-spraying seated student protestors, was met with international scorn.

Pike was later relieved of duty; his police chief, Annette Spicuzza, resigned under fire; and withering reports from a specially-convened task force led by former state Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso and independent consultant, Kroll, detailed a dysfunctional police department and "systematic and repeated failures" by university leaders.

Pike said he had not heard of the decision by the DA, but added that he was "extremely relieved."

"I have not reviewed or seen their report, but I am relieved at knowing they are not going to be bringing any charges," he said.

A 16-year-old father was arrested today for investigation of kidnapping his 5-week-old baby from the child's mother, police said.

Sgt. Steve Sexton reported that the kidnapping occurred Saturday night at a home in the 1200 block of Alice Street in Woodland.

Police responded to the call shortly 10:30 p.m. Witnesses told police that the suspect argued with the 16-year-old mother of the baby before forcibly taking the child and leaving in a vehicle.

After about 45 minutes, the suspect returned the child to the mother and fled again before police arrived, authorities said.

When the suspect came back a third time, shortly before 1 a.m. today, he was arrested by waiting officers. He was booked into Yolo County Juvenile Hall.

Woodland police are investigating a report that a man may have tried to lure a boy into a truck late this afternoon.

An officer responded to a report of suspicious circumstances. A 12-year-old boy told the officer that he was outside Lee Middle School, 520 West St., about 5:20 p.m. when a man in a pickup pulled up next to him.

The man asked the boy if he knew what time is was. He then asked the youth if he wanted to look in the truck, and then if he wanted to get in the truck, according to a Police Department news release. After the boy said "No" to each question, the man drove away from the area.

A 57-year-old man was arrested this afternoon in Woodland, accused of firing shots into an unoccupied parked vehicle and at an inhabited dwelling.

Police responded to the 400 block of Johnston Street at 3:46 p.m. regarding a report that someone in a 1997 GMC truck had fired shots into an unoccupied parked 1968 Chevrolet.

The suspect, who was known to the victim, left the area before police arrived. Officers found five fresh bullet holes in the Chevrolet, which was parked in a private driveway. They also discovered that a sixth round struck the garage door of the residence, according to a Police Department news release.

Woodland city police arrested two men Wednesday on suspicion of attempted homicide, police officials said today in a press release.

Police officers received a call of a reported stabbing of an adult male at 12:44 p.m. on the 600 block of Elm Street, the release said. When officers arrived on scene, they found the victim with a "life-threatening injury to his neck."

Police also said a burgundy sedan had fled the scene following the stabbing.

Davis police are investigating an early-morning armed robbery at a local motel.

Officers were dispatched to the La Quinta Inn, 1771 Research Park Drive, at 12:40 a.m. The front desk clerk reported that three men brandished guns and demanded money. The clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of cash and the robbers fled, according to a Police Department news release.

No one was injured during the robbery.

The second victim in a fatal crash that occurred Monday west of the Yolo County community of Rumsey has been identified by the Yolo County Coroner's Office as Marco Barajas, 14, of Redwood City.

Also killed was Ann Marie Miller, 39, of Redwood City.

The California HIghway Patrol reported that the driver of the vehicle, Reyes Barajas, 46, of Redwood City was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after the crash.

A 29-year-old Davis man has been sentenced to eight years in state prison for causing great bodily injury while driving under the influence of alcohol.

Rogelio Cardenas Sanchez pleaded no contest to the charge in June and was sentenced last week by Yolo Superior Court Judge Paul Richardson.

On May 19, a Winters man was driving with his teenage daughter after visiting his wife in the hospital. They were en route to a graduation party for one of the daughter's friends when Sanchez ran a stop sign and crashed into the passenger side the victim's car where the daughter was seated.

The young woman suffered major trauma. She was airlifted from the crash scene and later went into a coma, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. Officials said she remains in a coma and is on a feeding tube.

Two Sacramento men hired to work on a Yolo County man's truck have been arrested after they allegedly stole the truck and tools.

The man contacted the Yolo County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, reporting that he had hired two men, identified as Robert Silver, 43, and Howard Glenn Rasberry, 52, after seeing their advertisement on Craigslist. He said he hired them to remove parts from one truck and install them on another vehicle.

The victim told sheriff's deputies that he provided the men with the tools needed to complete the job, then left them alone to do the work. When he returned, his 1989 Chevrolet S10 pickup was gone, along with a pressure washer, a compressor, a table saw and numerous hand tools.

West Sacramento police say this morning that a teen who was being chased in a stolen car when a pursuing squad car hit and killed a pedestrian will be booked on a charge of homicide.

A press release said the 17-year-old West Sacramento auto theft suspect will be booked into Yolo County Juvenile Hall on felony stolen vehicle charges and suspicion of homicide in connection with the pedestrian's death.

Police spokesman Lt. Tod Sockman said an officer pursuing a stolen vehicle about 8:30 p.m. called for assistance. A second unit responding to the call to join in the pursuit struck a male pedestrian at Pine Street and West Capitol Avenue.

Sockman said the first officer abandoned the pursuit to assist at the accident scene, and the stolen vehicle subsequently crashed into a parked car in the 1900 block of Maryland Avenue.

The driver of the stolen vehicle, later identified as a 17-year-old male, ran from the scene and the owner of the parked vehicle gave chase, jumping over a couple of fences, before catching and detaining the youth for police at Park Boulevard and Acorn Street.

The name of the pedestrian who was killed has not been released.

Sockman said the California Highway Patrol will investigate the accident.

Photo caption: The scene at West Capitol Avenue and Pine Street in West Sacramento Tuesday night. Special to The Bee / Robert Petersen / OnSceneFotos

A pedestrian was struck an killed tonight by a West Sacramento police vehicle en route to assist in the pursuit of a stolen vehicle.

Police spokesman Lt. Tod Sockman said an officer pursuing a stolen vehicle about 8:30 p.m. called for assistance. A second unit responding to the call to join in the pursuit struck a male pedestrian at Pine Street and West Capitol Avenue.

Sockman said the first officer abandoned the pursuit to assist at the accident scene, and the stolen vehicle subsequently crashed into a parked car in the 1900 block of Maryland Avenue.

The Yolo County Sheriff's Office is alerting students and parents in Winters to a man who reportedly tried to lure a 10-year-old boy into his vehicle on Sunday.

The incident occurred at 6 p.m. The boy and a group of friends were walking along Russell Boulevard, heading home from a fast-food restaurant. One of the friend's parents picked up the others in the group, but there wasn't enough room for the 10-year-old, who continued walking alone. As he neared Brinley Drive, a Latino man in a gold-colored car stopped across Russell Boulevard and told the boy to get in the vehicle, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

The boy ran to a nearby neighbor's residence. The youngster told deputies that he had never seen the man or the vehicle before.

A Redwood City man has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after two people were killed in a crash west of the Yolo County community of Rumsey on Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Reyes Barajas, 46, was driving on State Route 16 east of County Road 40 about 4:45 p.m. Monday when his pickup went off the roadway, traveled down a steep embankment and hit a tree.

The passenger in the front seat, a 39-year-old woman from Redwood City, and a 14-year-old boy in the back seat, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Robert LaBrash, Yolo County chief deputy coroner, identified the woman as Ann Marie Miller. He said the cause of death was a neck fracture. LaBrash said Miller was wearing a seat belt.

The boy's name has not been released pending positive identification by family. LaBrash said the youth died of a blunt-force chest injury. It is not known whether the boy was wearing a seat belt.

At the scene, Barajas was suspected to have been driving while intoxicated, according to the CHP. He survived with moderate injuries and was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital by helicopter.

Officers from the Santa Rosa office responded to the hospital and determined that Barajas was driving under the influence at the time of the crash. He was placed under arrest for two counts of felony DUI, causing death.

Barajas could face additional counts of manslaughter, according to the CHP. He remains in the hospital, according to a CHP statement released Monday.

Thieves stripped two vehicles on a Woodland car lot, police said.

Police were called Monday morning to Hoblit Chrysler Jeep Dodge, 333 Main St., where employees showed them two vehicles that had parts removed overnight.

A Dodge Charger was missing the left side front and rear doors, the front bumper, the right front quarter panel, the steering wheel, dashboard and stereo. The second vehicle, a Chevrolet HHR, was missing the driver side front and rear doors.

Loss was estimated at $12,000, police said. No suspect information was released.

Drunk driving checkpoints are planned in Citrus Heights and Davis during the long Labor Day weekend.

The Citrus Heights checkpoint begins tonight at 7 p.m. and continues to 3 a.m. Saturday at a still-undisclosed location. Officers at the checkpoint will also check to see if motorists have proper driver's licenses.

Officers from a variety of Yolo County jurisdictions will be conducting a drunk driving checkpoint in Davis from 7 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday. Exact location of the checkpoint has not been released.

Participating officers include Woodland police, Davis police, Winters police, Yolo County sheriff's deputies and the California Highway Patrol.

A West Sacramento man has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for child molestation.

Dmitry Dudkin, 27, pleaded no contest on July 24 to two counts of child molestation in the case. He was sentenced today by Yolo Superior Court Judge Stephen Mock.

Dudkin molested an 8-year-old girl from 2009 to 2011, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. The crimes were discovered when the girl went to school with a hickey on her neck, authorities said.

The girl told police that Dudkin showed her pornography and asked her to perform various sexual acts. She also told authorities that Dudkin took pictures of her with his cell phone.

Members of the Yolo County High-Tech Crimes Task Force analyzed Dudkin's computers and cell phones and found provocative photos of the victim.

A Yolo County jury has convicted two Woodland gang members of brutally attacking a man three years ago as he sat in his car outside a convenience store.

After a two-week trial and one day of deliberations, Jose Rodolfo Rivas, 24, and Aaron Anthony Valadez, 22, were found guilty Monday of aggravated mayhem with gang enhancements and additional felony charges of robbery, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

The attack occurred in the early morning hours of Sept. 20, 2009. Shortly after midnight, the victim drove an acquaintance to the AM/PM minimart near County Road 102 and Interstate 5 in Woodland. As the victim waited in the car for his acquaintance to come out of the store, he saw several young men in the parking lot.

A man was hit and killed by a pickup in Woodland this morning.

The collision occurred near intersection of East Street and Lemen Avenue just before 8 a.m. Woodland police officers and firefighters found the victim lying in Lemen Avenue east of the intersection with a head injury. The driver of the pickup had stopped his vehicle nearby.

The man was transported by ambulance to the University of California, Davis, Medical Center in Sacramento, where doctors later said he had died of his injuries. The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has not released his identity.

Woodland Police Department spokesman Sgt. Steve Guthrie said that traffic investigators are unsure what caused the fatal collision but do not believe the driver of the pickup was at fault.

"There's no foul play on the part of the driver," Guthrie said.

A police chase of a car from Davis to Sacramento this morning appears to be the case of a man driving erratically because of a medical condition.

The incident began about 10:30 a.m. when the California Highway Patrol received a call of a driver recklessly traveling east on Interstate 80 just east of Mace Boulevard.

Officers tried to find the car while witnesses continued to update dispatchers. Witnesses said that the driver entered a construction zone his vehicle possibly side-swiped a big rig and also ran over plastic construction cones.

The car continued at different speeds, weaving across lanes and dragging a construction cone. CHP officers picked up the chase on the causeway and attempted to stop the driver.

However, he failed to stop, at times slowing to 30 mph. The driver, who had originally been heading to work in Sacramento before his erratic driving began, took the eastbound Highway 50 ramp to southbound Interstate 5.

There, the car crashed into a concrete wall, but that did not stop the vehicle. The driver continued south on I-5 before exiting at Sutterville Road.

There the car "became disabled," a CHP press release states. The CHP determined that the driver, a 55-year-old man from Vallejo, appeared to be suffering from a medical condition related to diabetes.

He was transported to UC Davis Medical Center for treatment.

A worker at a Woodland Laundromat apparently interrupted the tossing of an explosive device into the business Sunday afternoon.

Woodland police said that when they arrived about 3 p.m. Sunday to the Wash House, near West and Main streets, officers were told by a maintenance worker that he witnessed a young person open the back door of the business and begin to toss a bottle into the business.

The youth was with other young people, he said. When the worker approached, the group started to flee.

The annual list of top ten stolen cars was released today by an insurance industry crime-tracking bureau.

The Hot Wheels list from the National Insurance Crime Bureau tracks all theft data, without regard to whether the stolen vehicle was insured.

A recent trend being monitored: thefts of late model vehicles that theoretically are harder to steal due to sophisticated key code technology.

NICB president Joe Wehrle said in a press release that thieves have figured out how to
get the key code for a vehicle, have a replacement key made -- and steal the vehicle within a matter of days.

UPDATE: A notebook belonging to missing UC Davis student Linnea Lomax was found just off the American River Bike Trail, her family announced at a press conference this afternoon.

This was the first solid lead since her disappearance June 26, said Craig Lomax, the girl's father.

The notebook was found near the Sutter Medical Center outpatient facility on Howe Avenue where the 19-year-old Placerville woman was last seen. She was receiving treatment after having a mental breakdown while studying for finals, her father said.

The evidence has been turned over to police, but Lomax confirmed it belonged to his daughter. "I saw the handwriting on the notebook," he said. "It was Linnea's."

The notebook was found during a search by 250 volunteers over the weekend.

The KlaasKids Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to finding missing children, joined in the search. The Sausalito-based group was founded by Marc Klaas, whose daughter Polly was kidnapped and murdered in 1993. "You shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel every time," Klaas said.

The foundation's Director of Search Operations Brad Dennis came from Florida to aid in the search. "We're doing a very thorough grid search," Dennis said.

"After seven weeks, we finally got a ground zero," Klaas said of Sunday's breakthrough.

Lomax said that as far as he knows, Linnea is alive. "I hope she's still alive, but I also have to believe every tip, theory and lead," he said.

The search has taken a toll on the family. In addition to Linnea, the Lomax's also have a son and daughter who are still in high school. "We're maintaining the search, but we also have to maintain life," Lomax said. "We still have to be mom and dad."

The number of rumors circulating, coupled with the time the case has dragged on, is challenging the viability of the search, Lomax said. "I'm not going to stop looking for her until I can confirm she's safe," he said at the press conference.

The family plans to organize another search Sept. 8. Anyone who wants to help or has information about the whereabouts of Linnea Lomax is asked to visit helpfindlinnea.org.

- Richard Chang

Law enforcement agencies throughout the Sacramento region have launched a summer campaign to crack down on impaired drivers.

The "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" anti-DUI campaign began today and will continue through the Labor Day weekend. During that period officers in various jurisdictions will conduct sobriety and driver's license checkpoints as well as roving patrols targeting motorists driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The statewide campaign, led by the California Office of Traffic Safety, is intended to heighten public awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to deter people from driving under the influence.

More organized searches begin today for missing college student Linnea Lomax.

People who want to participate in the searches on today, Saturday and Sunday should check in at the Find Linnea search center, 2440 Glendale Lane. Check in times are between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., all three days.

Lomax disappeared after walking away from an out-patient mental health facility, where she had been receiving treatment after she had what her family has described as a breakdown while studying for finals at the University of California, Davis.

Lomax, 19, was last seen June 26 around 1 p.m. on the 800 block of Howe Avenue in Sacramento County. She is described as a white woman, 5 feet 2 inches tall, and 100 pounds. She was last seen wearing faded green pants and a dark hooded sweatshirt with the word "Sweden" on the front.

A Galt resident operating a private investigation company was arrested in Woodland this afternoon, accused of impersonating a peace officer.

Anthony Vegas, 52, was taken into custody about 2:15 p.m. in front of the Yolo County Sheriff's Monroe Detention Center.

On several occasions in the last week, Vegas allegedly presented himself as an active state of California parole agent in attempts to obtain information for a child custody case he was privately investigating, according to a Woodland Police Department news release.

Woodland police say that a suspected shoplifter was arrested after store security tried to stop his vehicle in a grocery parking lot.

Police said the suspected thief took an item from the Nugget Market, 157 Main St., about 4 p.m. Wednesday. When he began to flee in his vehicle, police said, loss prevention employees reached into and held onto his vehicle in an attempt to stop him and retain the merchandise.

The thief fled as the store employees moved away from the vehicle.

At about 7:30 p.m., Woodland police spotted the getaway vehicle on East Beamer Street west of County Road 102. Officers stopped the vehicle and took Corey Olsen, 35, of Woodland into custody.

He was booked on suspicion of robbery.

A teenager suffered a severe wound when he was shot in the abdomen last night in Woodland, police said.

The 18-year-old was found in the street when officers arrived to a call of a shooting in the 600 block of Cottonwood Street near a diner. He was transported to UC Davis Medical Center.

The diner was closed at the time of the shooting around 10 p.m., however a few employees were inside. Several rounds went through the diner's window but the employees were not hit, police said.

An older Ford Mustang was seen in the area, but police are not sure if the occupants of the car are involved in the shooting. Both the Woodland Police Department and the Yolo County Gang Task Force are investigating the shooting.

The California Supreme Court has reinstated the felony conviction of a Woodland man who left a fake bomb at the Yolo County Communications Center in 2006.

A Yolo County jury in July 2008 convicted Barry Allen Turnage, 66, for leaving a fake bomb at the center in September 2006. Turnage was charged with a felony under a section of the California Penal Code that allows felony or misdemeanor punishment for anyone who maliciously places a false of facsimile bomb with the intent to cause another person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of others.

Based on the felony conviction for placing the false bomb and his violent history, Turnage was sentenced to life in prison under California's Three Strikes Law. In separate cases, Turnage had been convicted of armed robbery and assault with a firearm for shooting a rifle into a Berkeley city fire truck, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

A West Sacramento man has been convicted of robbing the owner of a Woodland check cashing business in April.

A jury on Monday also convicted 32-year-old Vincent Sloan of hit and run, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

On April 10, the victim deposited checks at the Wells Fargo ATM in Woodland before going home. The woman, with her 8-year-old son, then parked in the driveway of her Woodland home and was walking to her door when Sloan, wearing dark clothing and a mask, demanded her bank bag, authorities said. Sloan slapped the woman and struggled with her to get the bag as she screamed for help.

Woodland police are investigating the stabbing of a jogger at a city park.

Officers were called to Woodland Memorial Hospital about 10 p.m. Monday where the jogger had gone for treatment after being stabbed at Pioneer Park, 1925 Branigan Ave., near Interstate 5 and Highway 113.

The 18-year-old Woodland man told officers he was jogging on the sidewalk on the south side of the park when a man punched him in the stomach and then plunged an unknown object into the left side of his abdomen.

This evening is National Night Out, an annual event in which neighbors have some fun and send a serious message.

In neighborhoods across the country, there will be gatherings to mark the 29th annual National Night Out event.

National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, boost neighborhood spirit and send a message to would-be criminals that neighbors are standing together to fight crime.

A late-night brawl in Woodland, in which combatants used knives and baseball bats, resulted in two injuries and four arrests.

Woodland police were called to a report of a fight with firearms about 11:40 p.m. Thursday in the 900 block of Fourth Street. Upon arrival, the vehicles were gone but officers were able to detain four young men walking away from the area.

The investigation revealed that three vehicles rammed each other near Fourth Street and Gum Avenue. A fight then began with bats and knives.

The Yolo County sheriff's Animal Services Section is asking the public's help in solving a case of extreme animal cruelty involving the torture and death of a dog in West Sacramento.

At 2 p.m. Thursday, Animal Services officers responded to a call at 1720 Merkley Ave. near Westacre Road regarding a dog that appeared to have been tortured and then killed. A probation officer working with a yard maintenance crew found the 3- to 5-year-old, small, tan and white male Chihuahua mix with its legs bound together and its mouth tied shut, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

The dog, a stray with no known owner, identification or microchip, was examined by an Animal Services veterinarian. Based on the veterinarian's preliminary examination and X-ray, it was determined that the dog's neck had been broken, authorities said.

Anyone with information pertaining to the case is asked to call the Yolo County Sheriff's Office, Animal Services Section at (530) 668-5287, or the West Sacramento Police Department at (916) 617-4900.

Woodland police are investigating two fights involving several combatants Thursday night in parking lots east of downtown.

Officers were dispatched at 10:38 p.m. to a convenience store at 1400 East Main St., where 10 people were fighting. Officers arrived within minutes of the call, but the people involved had scattered.

At 10:53 p.m., officers went to Woodland Memorial Hospital to speak to two 18-year-old Woodland residents, who were treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.

Woodland police announced the arrest this evening of a suspect in a Wednesday night assault and robbery.

Victor Vargas Vargas, 26, of Woodland was arrested on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy and booked into Yolo County Jail. Police said additional suspects are being sought.

Officers were dispatched at 7:26 p.m. Wednesday to the 1200 block of Donnelly Circle regarding a robbery that had just occurred. They contacted the victim, a 21-year-old Woodland man, who reported that he was sitting in his car when he was approached by about five people. He said two of the people assaulted him and stole his cell phone and iPod, according to a Police Department news release.

Officials said the victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

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

QUESTION: Dennis Martinez, 32, of Woodland was arrested for theft from an 88-year-old woman. He was supposed to be sentenced May 23 by Yolo Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg. Can you tell me what his sentence was?
Submitted by: Laura, Sacramento

ANSWER: Dennis Lee Martinez was sentenced to 3 years and 8 months in state prison after pleading no contest to felony charges involving theft from an 88-year-old disabled woman, according to the Yolo County District Attorney's Office.

The victim and her daughter hired Martinez to do yard work over a three-day period, officials said. On the third day, the elderly woman, who is legally blind, let Martinez in the house to use the bathroom while her daughter was away. The woman later discovered that Martinez had stolen her late husband's wallet and had begun using his credit cards at different locations.

Martinez is incarcerated at Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy.

A West Sacramento man has pleaded no contest to two counts of child molestation.

Dmitry Dudkin, 27, molested an elementary-school-age girl from 2009 to 2011. The crimes were discovered when the youngster went to school with hickey on her neck, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

The victim told police that Dudkin showed her pornography and asked her to perform various sexual acts on him. She also told authorities that Dudkin took pictures of her with his cell phone. The Yolo County High-Tech Crimes Task Force analyzed Dudkin's computers and cell phones and found provocative photos of the victim, officials said.

Dudkin is to be sentenced Aug. 24 by Yolo Superior Court Judge Stephen Mock.

An 11-year-old Woodland boy reported missing early this afternoon has been found safe and has been reunited with his mother, according to police.

The boy, identified as Justin Harris (pictured), was reported missing from his home in the 300 block of North Street about 12:45 p.m. Woodland police said he was considered at risk because of required medication and his age.

After an eight-hour, door-to-door search and following up on numerous leads, police reported this evening that the youth was found in good condition near his grandmother's house about three miles from his home.

Firefighters were mopping up a fire outside of the Yolo County community of Guinda today.

Good overnight progress was reported on the fire that as of 8 a.m. today was 95 percent contained. The blaze, which began Saturday morning, had burned 520 acres.

Overnight, firefighters had good success in building containment lines around the fire and extinguished hot spots. Today firefighters would work to mop up remaining hotspots.

No structures were destroyed.

Davis police report that their search for a suspect in recent vehicle burglaries in the city has ended with the arrest of the man in Solano County.

Michael Cordell (pictured), 44, is believed to have been the passenger in a pickup truck that Davis officers stopped about 6 a.m. June 11 after receiving a report of individuals looking into vehicles in the 1800 block of Picasso Avenue.

Two men were inside the truck. As officers stopped the vehicle, the passenger got out of the truck and ran off, according to a Police Department news release.

A woman taken into custody after fleeing the scene of collision is also a suspect in the burglary of a Woodland supermarket, according to Woodland police.

Police officers and firefighters responded to a traffic collision at the intersection of West Lincoln and Ashley avenues about 3:30 this afternoon. Witnesses told officers that one of the drivers, described as a white female with red hair, had left the scene on foot westbound on West Lincoln Avenue. The woman, later identified as 23-year-old Dezaray Murrietta of Woodland, was located, detained and identified as the driver of the vehicle that allegedly caused the collision, according to a Police Department news release.

The driver of the other vehicle, a Nissan pickup truck, was identified as a 17-year-old Woodland youth. He was taken by ambulance to Kaiser Hospital in Vacaville, where he was treated for injuries and later released, police said.

By Ravali Reddy
rreddy@sacbee.com

Mercy San Juan Hospital officials confirmed today that a second passenger involved in Wednesday's United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) bus crash died from her injuries on Friday. The driver of the truck that collided into the bus died at the scene.

Laura Sue Weiderholt, 48, of Woodland had been transported to Mercy San Juan Hospital by a California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter after the accident. A CHP news release said Weiderhold "suffered from multiple extremity injuries, including broken bones, and head trauma."

The first passenger to die in the crash was Sara Rae Johnson, 35, of Davis. Johnson worked as an assistant for UCP. Her cause of death is being reported as blunt force head, neck, and chest injuries.

Davis police are looking for a Dixon man suspected of being involved in recent vehicle burglaries.

About 6 a.m. Wednesday, police responded to 1809 Picasso Ave. regarding a report of individuals looking into vehicles. As officers arrived, they stopped a pickup truck that was leaving the area.

Two men were inside the truck. The passenger opened the door and ran off as officers stopped the vehicle, according to a Police Department news release. The driver was taken into custody and later identified as Eric Buenafe, 46, of Dixon.

A 16-year-old Woodland youth was arrested this afternoon, suspected of stabbing a 17-year-old boy.

At 1:59 p.m., Woodland police were dispatched to the area of 90 W. Woodland Ave. regarding a report of a stabbing that had just occurred. They were told the suspect had left on foot, heading west on West Woodland Avenue.

Yolo Gang Task Force officers, who were in the area, intercepted the suspect near the intersection of Cottonwood Street and West Woodland Avenue. One officer chased the youth on foot while the other Woodland officers went the the victim's location.

The reward for information in the case of missing teen Linnea Lomax has increased to $10,000, according to volunteers with the search effort.

Lomax, a 19-year-old from Placerville, has been missing since she walked away from an out-patient mental health facility on Howe Avenue on June 26. Her family said she was getting treatment after having a mental breakdown while studying for finals at the University of California, Davis.

The most recent possible sightings were reported in Woodland, volunteers report, though she earlier was believed to have been seen near the American River Parkway in Sacramento.

Linnea is 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighs about 100 pounds and has curly, long blonde hair. She was last seen wearing green pants, a black sweatshirt with "Sweden" in red letters and flip flops. She has no medication, wallet or phone with her.

On Thursday, her parents, Craig and Marianne Lomax, released an open letter to their daughter expressing their pain and asking that she send them notice that she is safe.

"We love you every second of every day and are praying for you," they wrote in the letter, which can be read in its entirety at www.sacbee.com/links. "We long for the day that we know you are safe."

The Yolo County Coroner's office has released the name of a rider on a United Cerebral Palsy bus that was hit by a pickup on Wednesday.

She was identified as Sara Rae Johnson, 35, of Davis.

Johnson and the still-unidentified driver of the pickup, a man in his 50s, were killed and eight others sent to the hospital on Wednesday after the two vehicles crashed.

The small bus belonging to United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Sacramento was traveling northbound on County Road 102 at about 2:43 p.m. when it was hit by the Ford F250 pickup traveling southbound.

According to a California Highway Patrol spokesman, witnesses said the truck drifted across the center line into the northbound lane.