Sacto 9-1-1

Yolo County Animal Services officials seek the public's help in locating a dog that bit a teenager in West Sacramento.

The incident occurred about 4 p.m. Thursday at the south end of a walkway running parallel to Shasta Way between Trinity Way and Colusa Road. The 15-year-old victim was was walking on the walkway when the victim saw two small white dogs that looked lost and tired. The victim approached what appeared to be the older of the two dogs and was bitten, according to an Animal Services news release. The dogs then ran off. The victim could not say in what direction they headed and did not see anyone with the animals.

Animal Services has been unable to locate the dogs through licensing records.

Two juveniles were arrested this afternoon after they allegedly placed a homemade explosive device in a school cafeteria trash can in Woodland.

At 12:22 p.m., a Woodland Police Department school resource officer was called to investigate an explosion at Douglass Middle School at 525 Granada Drive. School officials had already detained two boys, both students at the school, who were allegedly responsible for the explosion.

Police said the students created a "works bomb" and dropped in into a trash can in the cafeteria. The device is made of common household items that are placed in a plastic container and sealed. A chemical reaction occurs that releases gases, which eventually cause the plastic container to rupture, creating a loud noise, according to a Police Department news release.

Davis police are searching for a prowler who exposed himself to a resident earlier this week.

Officers were dispatched about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to the 1500 block of H St. regarding a prowler. A 22-year-old woman told police that she was in her apartment when she heard a knocking sound on her wall. When she approached her window, she saw a man looking into her bedroom while exposing himself, according to a Police Department news release.

The woman said the man appeared to be of Hispanic or Middle Eastern descent, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with brown eyes, unshaven with a thin mustache, and a shaved head. She said he was wearing a black "hoodie" style sweatshirt and blue jeans.

The chain reaction accident this morning on the Yolo Causeway that backed up traffic for at least an hour began when a driver didn't notice in time that vehicles had suddenly slowed, according to the CHP.

The crash involving five vehicles in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 was reported about 6:50 a.m. It all began when a woman driving a Chrysler applied her brakes and swerved to the right when traffic slowed, according to a California Highway Patrol press release.

The front of her car hit the rear and right side of a Honda and the left side of a Toyota Camry. The Honda then spun out of control and into the center median.

The Toyota Camry collided with the right rear of a Toyota Echo. The Chrysler that started the crashes, continued spinning out of control and also hit the Toyota Echo, according to the CHP.

Three drivers were taken to UC Davis Medical Center with minor injuries.

An ex-convict recently released from state prison was arrested Sunday after a dangerous flight from police, Woodland authorities said.

Police attempted to pull over Kevin Lee McClean, 26, of Woodland about 4:30 p.m. Sunday for not wearing a seatbelt, but he sped away, driving through stop signs and red lights at speeds that reached 70 mph, according to a police press release.

Eventually, McClean slowed to about 15 mph and jumped out of the Jeep Cherokee he was driving. A woman in the passenger seat also bailed.

Woodland police are searching for the assailants after two men were injured in separate incidents Thursday.

At 5:46 p.m., police officers were dispatched to the area of East Main Street and the Highway 113 overpass. Witnesses said a white man with a shaved head had kicked another man in the face at a bus stop causing serious injuries, according to a Police Department news release. The suspect fled before police arrived.

Officers found a 43-year-old man bleeding from facial injuries. He was taken to Woodland Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Taken into custody after an all-night standoff in West Sacramento, a woman who allegedly held her mother against her will, then slit her own wrists, became a fugitive for a short time Thursday morning.

Melissa Dodd, 38, briefly escaped from a police interrogation room about 9:15 this morning, said Sgt. Nathan Steele. He said the woman was left alone briefly in the room, which had two doors. One was locked, but the other had been improperly secured. He said she was recaptured within minutes.

According to West Sacramento Lt. Tod Sockman, a call for medical aid was received for a home on Marston Street about 7 p.m. Wednesday. As the father, who has health issues, was being loaded into an ambulance, his daughter, Dodd, stormed back into the home and locked her mother out of the house.

Woodland police chased a parolee last night, eventually taking him into custody and throwing the book at him.

The incident began about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday when police tried to pull over a driver in the 500 block of Cottonwood Street for a violation involving equipment on his vehicle. The vehicle pulled into a nearby parking lot and the driver bailed, fleeing into an apartment complex.

Officers developed information that the driver was probably Juan Mora, 26, a parolee who lived nearby. Police went to his apartment and knocked on the door but received no response.

The front door was barricaded but officers eventually entered and checked the apartment with the assistance of a police dog. Inside, they found Mora.

He was taken into custody unbitten and arrested on suspicion of possession of metal knuckles, resisting an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving without a license and driving without insurance. He was also arrested on suspicion of burglary of a vehicle, a charge related to another officer's independent investigation.

West Sacramento police say that a formerly missing 82-year-old woman has been found.

Georgina Crespo had was last been seen at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday when she left her home in the Southport neighborhood to go for a walk. Today, about 10:45 a.m., she was located in good condition and is now home.

West Sacramento police need help in finding an 82-year-old woman missing since Monday.

Georgeina Crespo was last seen at 4:35 p.m. Tuesday when she left her home in the Southport neighborhood to go for a walk. When she failed to return home at 10:45 p.m., family members called the police department to report her missing.

She is known to visit the area of Southport Town Center Plaza. Crespo has made statements that she might make an attempt to travel to Texas, according to a police press release.

She is described as Hispanic, 5 feet tall, 105 pounds, gray hair and hazel eyes. When last seen, she was wearing a beige sweatshirt, jeans and was carrying a green bag.

The number of drivers cited for using their cell phones while driving in April was up over a year earlier.

The California Highway Patrol and 265 local police agencies last month handed out more than 57,000 tickets to drivers who were using a hand-held cell phone or texting. The compares to 52,000 tickets issued in April 2011.

"Unfortunately, we're seeing that the problem of cell phone use for talking and texting while driving is not going away anytime soon," said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the state Office of Traffic Safety.

His office has conducted an advertising campaign that has included the "Don't Be a Distracted Driving Zombie" television commercials that emphasize how up to 37 percent of brain power needed for driving gets switched to cell phone talking.

A woman's cries for help last night in Woodland led police officers to the scene of an apartment house robbery.

Police said they were called to an apartment in the 1700 block of Sixth Street about 11 p.m. on a report of a woman screaming for help. When officers arrived they were told that two men came to the apartment and were allowed inside.

Once inside, the residents were robbed at gunpoint of cash, a purse and medical marijuana. The men then fled on foot.

The first suspect was described as black, about 24 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 165 pounds with short hair and a tattoo on the right side of his neck. He wore a red t-shirt.

The other robber was described as black, about 27 years old, 6 feet 1 inch tall, about 200 pounds and having braided hair. He was wearing a purple and white striped collared shirt.

A cat killer is being sought in Yolo County after a second feline belonging to a Woodland woman has been found shot to death.

A cat named Soot Soot was found dead in an alley behind the 600 block of College Street in Woodland on Wednesday. The owner last saw her cat alive at 8 a.m. that day.

She then took her child to school only to return 30 minutes later to find her cat motionless. Noticing a wound, she took Soot Soot to a veterinarian who confirmed the 7-year-old Calico had been shot, according to a press release from Yolo County Animal Services.

The pet owner had another cat die from a gunshot in June 2010.

Animal Services requests the public's help in finding the person responsible for the cat's death. Call (530) 668-5287.

Yolo County Sheriff Ed Prieto and the Board of Supervisors will dedicate a street in memory of slain deputy Jose Antonio "Tony" Diaz.

"Tony Diaz Drive" will be dedicated on Tuesday in a ceremony. The address change for buildings on the access road into the sheriff's campus in Woodland will be effective July 1.

Diaz died in a June 2008 ambush when a parolee shot him with a military-type assault rifle on a dirt road near the rural town of Dunnigan. His killer was sentenced to death.

The road name change "will keep him in our thoughts," stated a press release from the sheriffs office.

Effective July 1 the Sheriff's administration building will be 140 Tony Diaz Drive, the jail will be 140A Tony Diaz Drive, the boat and evidence building 140B Tony Diaz Drive and the animal shelter will be 140C Tony Diaz Drive.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the recent burning death of a cat in West Sacramento.

The Yolo County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and RedRover, a national animal protection organization based in Sacramento, have each offered $2,500 toward the reward, according to Yolo County Animal Services.

Animal Services responded to a call in West Sacramento on at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday at Circle Park near Circle Street and Alabama Avenue regarding a severely burned cat. Witnesses reported that they had been walking to a friend's house near the park and saw what appeared to be a ball of fire moving through Circle Park.

A 26-year-old man surrendered to Davis police shortly before 7 p.m. today following a standoff at a home where officers had attempted to serve him with a restraining order.

Police Department spokesman Lt. Paul Doroshov said David Manuel Cervantes was arrested on a warrant for weapons charges related to a prior incident. He said he did not know whether new charges would be filed as a result of the stand-off.

He said Cervantes barricaded himself in a home on Adrian Drive in east Davis after officers attempted to serve him with a restraining order about 1:40 p.m. Cervantes refused to come the the door. In the process of trying to make contact with Cervantes, officers learned of the Yolo County warrant.

Davis police are looking for a man in connection with a sexual battery incident that occurred early Sunday.

A 23-year-old Davis woman was walking north on L Street in the area of Eighth Street about 1 a.m. when a man she did not know approached her from behind and put his arm around her waist. The woman pulled away and ran to the other side of the street. But the man again approached her and placed his hand up her skirt, according to a Police Department news release.

The woman was able to get away from the man, who then fled on a bicycle north on L Street.

Teamwork between two officers and a police dog resulted in arrest of two men who would not surrender at gunpoint.

The incident began 5 p.m. Sunday when a Woodland police officer on routine patrol near County Road 102 and East Beamer Street spotted a Honda Accord that had been reported stolen.

The officer began following the car as other officers responded to his location. Initially, the driver stopped when the officer pulled him over. However, once the officer had the driver and passenger at gunpoint, the driver re-started the car and fled.

An man with a gun walked into the Woodland Gas Plaza on the 400 block of N. East Street in Woodland about 4:30 p.m. Saturday and robbed the clerk working at the register, authorities said today.

Witnesses described the suspect as white, in his 20s, about 5-foot-8 with thin build and a mustache, police said. He wore a grey hooded sweatshirt and a baseball cap.

Authorities said the suspect demanded money from the woman clerk and then fled the building with an unknown amount of cash, heading north on N. East Street.

By Allen Pierleoni
apierleoni@sacbee.com

Woodland police found evidence of arson when they responded Saturday morning to a report of vandalism at the Woodland City Library.

The fire damage was "contained to a specific area and was not significant," said Woodland Police Sergeant Frank Ritter in an emailed news release. "However," he added, "the crime is a felony."

On the phone, Ritter declined to give more details of the crime, saying the department "does not wish to jeopardize our investigation."

The Woodland police Department is asking anyone who has relevant information to call (530) 666-2411 or (530) 661-7800. Callers can remain anonymous.

Davis police have arrested two men in connection with an April 15 hit-and-run case in which a teenager was severely injured.

Police announced today that Devin Parsons, 19, and Luis Barajas Jr., 22, both of Woodland, were arrested earlier this week on suspicion of felony hit and run. Both were booked into Yolo County Jail.

On April 15, two vehicles engaged in a reckless exhibition of speed at Eureka Avenue and West 14th Street, doing "doughnut" type maneuvers, according to a Police Department news release. Louis Robertson, 18, a passenger in the rear seat of one of those cars, fell out and onto the pavement. The second vehicle ran over Roberts, and he suffered life-threatening injuries, police said.

Yolo County Animal Services officials are seeking information regarding an animal cruelty case in which a cat had to be euthanized because of severe burns.

Animal Services officers responded to a call about 11:15 p.m. Wednesday at Circle Park near Circle Street and Alabama Avenue. Witnesses said they had been walking to a friend's house near the park and had seen what appeared to be a ball of fire moving through Circle Park. When they investigated, they found a cat that was badly burned but still alive. They called for assistance and stayed with the cat until Animal Services arrived.

The cat, a stray with no known owner, was described as a female domestic short-hair brown tabby. It was transported to UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital for emergency care. Officials said the veterinary staff initially hoped the friendly cat would survive. But after they determined that the pain was unmanageable and the animal would lose its limbs, the cat was euthanized.

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, and law enforcement agencies throughout the Sacramento region urge drivers to look twice for motorcyclists so all motorists can safely share the road.

California is home to more than 1 million licensed motorcycle riders, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

"Whether a driver is at an intersection or changing lanes, they should always keep an eye out for motorcyclists," CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in a written statement. "Because motorcycles have a much smaller profile than other vehicles, it can be difficult for drivers to judge the distance and speed of an approaching motorcycle."

In 2010, the most recent year for which data is available from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, 361 people died in California and nearly 11,000 others were injured as a result of a crash involving a motorcycle.

In addition to using safety equipment and riding gear, motorcyclists are encouraged to seek professional training before beginning to ride.

The CHP-administered California Motorcyclist Safety Program offers rider courses for beginning motorcyclists and for riders interested in improving their skills. The program operates more than 120 training sites statewide and expects to train 65,000 motorcyclists this year. For course information and locations, see the the website at http://www.ca-msp.org/.

A Woodland man has pleaded no contest to three felony charges involving theft from an 88-year-old disabled woman.

The victim and her daughter hired Dennis Martinez , 32, to do yard work over a three-day period, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. 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, authorities said.

During an investigation, the Woodland Police Department recovered video of Martinez and an accomplice using a credit card at multiple locations, according to the news release.

A Yolo County jury Tuesday found a West Sacramento man guilty of 47 counts of child molestation.

Michael Martinez also was convicted of five counts of possessing matter depicting sexual acts with a minor, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

The West Sacramento Police Department began investigating the case after receiving a report that Martinez was sexually abusing the child. With assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, police officers searched Martinez's home. They reported that an analysis of Martinez's cell phone revealed 20 videos showing him engaging in sexual acts with the victim.

A Woodland man suspected of battery and elder abuse was arrested this evening after barricading himself in a bedroom and starting a fire, according to police.

Woodland officers responded to the 200 block of Abele Street at 5:20 p.m. and arrived to find an elderly man with non-life-threatening injuries. He was transported by ambulance to Woodland Memorial Hospital for medical treatment.

Officers then sought to arrest a suspect, identified as James Woodall, 47, of Woodland.

A Yolo County jury has convicted three men identified as Norteno gang members for having an assault pistol in their car and engaging in street gang activity.

Angel Palacios, Carlos Hernandez and German Martinez, all age 20 of Woodland, were each found guilty by the jury Thursday, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

Witnesses testified that on Aug. 17, 2010, two groups of gang members were in the area of Harris Park near Midtown Elementary School in Woodland. Just as school security personnel arrived, a rival gang member challenged Hernandez, who appeared to have an object in his hand. Police were called, and the two groups left before officers arrived.

Two men, one from Elk Grove and the other from Sacramento, have been arrested in connection with a shooting last August at a Woodland bar.

Woodland police, assisted by the Sacramento County Sheriff"s Department and Sacramento Police Department, served arrest and search warrants at two locations in Sacramento County early Thursday. Arrested were Marcus Blackmon, 34, of Elk Grove, and Jason Broadbent, 25, of Sacramento. Both wore booked in to Sacramento County Jail and are awaiting transfer to Yolo County on suspicion of attempted murder, according to a Woodland Police Department news release.

Shortly after 1 a.m. Aug. 28, 2011, Woodland police officers responded to a call of shots fired with two people wounded at Tony's Bar at 607 East St. in Woodland. The victims, a 41-year-old woman from Woodland and a 38-year-old man from Sacramento, were taken by ambulance to U.C. Davis Medical Center. The woman was treated for a single gunshot wound and the man, for multiple gunshot wounds, officials said.

Although multiple gunshots were fired during the incident, no other victims were located.

West Sacramento police are seeking information regarding an individual who may be impersonating a police officer.

The department received a report Sunday regarding someone driving a red mid-2000 model Ford Mustang with a red and blue flashing light and siren. The driver of the vehicle stopped a woman in the area of Promenade Street and Southport Parkway using a siren and flashing lights, according to a Police Department news release.

Police ask that anyone with information regarding the vehicle call police dispatch at (916) 375-6474 or Detective Eric Palmer at (916) 617-4935.

If anyone is stopped by a vehicle and is uncertain whether it is a police vehicle, the motorist may proceed slowly to a well-lighted public location while calling police dispatch, officials said.

Woodland police are investigating two assaults that occurred Tuesday night.

The first was reported at 8:10 p.m. and officers were dispatched to the 2600 block of Nicholson Circle. There they found a man standing outside his residence uninjured. The victim and an adult acquaintance, later identified as a Jerry Donald Kennedy Jr., 25, a homeless man, were involved in an argument that turned into a physical fight, according to a Police Department news release.

Kennedy allegedly vandalized the victim's property before assaulting the man with a piece of broken glass. The victim was not injured, and Kennedy left the area on foot before officers arrived.

Police have released new information about last week's massive manhunt that began in West Sacramento and ended with the fatal shooting of the suspect in Sacramento County.

Among the newly released details is the fact that authorities found out during the course of their search Friday that the suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Jimmy Lee Graves, had stolen a high-powered and "extremely dangerous" rifle from the machine shop where the manhunt began, said Sgt. Nathan Steele, spokesman for the West Sacramento Police Department.

The Remington Model 700 rifle is the same used by most police snipers, Steele said, and has a reach of more than 400 yards. It is a legal weapon often used for hunting.

State Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced the arrest of several gang members and their associates in the Sacramento region.

The arrests, according to a state Department of Justice news release, highlight the Yolo Narcotic Enforcement Team's continuing efforts to combat gangs and narcotics trafficking in local communities. The team is made up of all law enforcement agencies in Yolo County and is led by the state Department of Justice.

The operation in West Sacramento was dubbed "Operation Red Sash" because of the Northern Riders and Broderick Boys criminal street gangs' affiliation with the color red and the Nortenos criminal gang, officials said.

Two men in Woodland were robbed in separate incidents by trios of men in black shirts and jeans.

The first robbery occurred about 9:45 p.m. Saturday when a 24-year-old man suffered a minor head wound when struck with an unknown object by one of three robbers. He was attacked when he went outside to move his truck.

The robbers took his wallet and fled, Woodland police said. The men were described as about 6 feet tall and wearing black t-shirts and blue jeans.

Steve Welch of Sacramento had one adrenaline-pumping morning when he was carjacked this morning by the man who has now the subject of the manhunt on the causeway.

Welch, 45, an employee of a West Sacramento metal fabricating business, had just left a coffee shop and was near a second hand store in his truck when a man came running at him near West Capitol Avenue and Harbor Boulevard.

"I was in my pickup and driving," he said. "He is running up with a shiny revolver, pointing it at my face."

The armed man demanded Welch's pickup.

Interstate 80 from West Sacramento to Davis is now open in both directions after 6 hours of closure after a suspected gunman crashed his first carjacked pickup truck in West Sacramento.

The hunt for the suspect, who also stole a tractor and ditched a second hijacked vehicle, involved swarms of officers and continues across a wide area of Sacramento.

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Here is the story as it is unfolding:

8:26 p.m.

A man who exchanged gunfire with deputies and who may be the West Sacramento shooting suspect is dead, said Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.

Firefighters said in scanner traffic that flareups in the apartment fire are continuing, but they are worried about damaging the crime scene in their efforts to extinguish it.

8:07 p.m.

Authorities are making their way into an apartment in the 1900 block of Ethan Way after Sacramento Sheriff's deputies fired on a possible suspect in today's West Sacramento shootings and carjackings.

"It's certainly very possible," it's him, said Sheriff's spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos. "We're waiting to hear if he's dead."

The suspect was outside the apartment when deputies fired on him, Ramos said. He did not know if the man had fired on deputies.

Investigators began focusing on the apartment about 6 p.m., Ramos said.

"It's a place that our investigation brought us to. I don't want to say how obviously. This place came on our radar."

A fire started inside the target apartment at some point but was under control, he said. "How that was started, we don't know yet," Ramos said.

7:46 p.m.

Police believe they may have the man wanted in connection with the West Sacramento shooting and carjackings barricaded in an Arden Arcade apartment.

That apartment on the 1900 block of Ethan Way apparently caught fire following a firefight between officers and the suspect. Sacramento sheriff's spokesman Jason Ramos said it is "certainly very possible" that the suspect is the man wanted for the day-long ordeal that started this morning in West Sacramento.

6:15 p.m.

West Sacramento police Sgt. Nathan Steele reports that police have discovered a third carjacking they believe is tied to the suspect.

Steele said he did not have much information, but that police believe the newly discovered carjacking was the first to occur, shortly after the suspect fired at employees arriving to work at a Harbor Boulevard machine shop and before he stole a pickup that he later crashed on Interstate 80's Yolo Causeway.

Meanwhile, Sacramento County sheriff's deputies are shrinking their perimeter around Lerwick Drive and might soon leave the scene altogether, without a suspect in custody.

5:14 p.m.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies have released the man they had detained as they continue to search for the suspect associated with a stolen car found abandoned in northeastern Sacramento County.

Authorities have not identified the man who was detained.

Another Lerwick Road resident, Al Purdy, said he was handcuffed and placed in the back of a squad car after a Ford F150 pick up truck pulled up in front of his house around 11:30 a.m.

Purdy, who had taken the day off from his job at the U.S. Postal Service, said and a young man, who fit the suspect's description, got out of the truck and walked away. The truck matched the description of the pickup stolen in Yolo County.

"All of a sudden all there was police activity in front of the house. Guns were pointed at me. I was cuffed and put in the back of a squad car. They searched my house," Purdy said.

3:03 p.m.

A sheriff's helicopter is hovering over the area and through a speaker is urging the residents of 314 Lerwick Road to come out with their hands up.

2:26 p.m.

Sacramento County Sheriff's spokesman Jason Ramos said deputies have detained a white male in the area near Lerwick Road and Morse Avenue where the second carjacked vehicle was found.

Detectives believe the man is responsible for stealing the car, but Ramos said they are not sure the incident is connected with the carjacking in West Sacramento.

12:29 p.m.

Interstate 80 from West Sacramento to Davis is now open in both directions after 6 hours of closure.

The freeway was closed about 6:20 a.m. when the suspect crashed his initial carjacked pickup truck in West Sacramento.

A tow truck has carried away the pickup and officials said that allows for the opening of the interstate.

11:50 a.m.

The brown Ford F150 has apparently been found miles away from where it was carjacked, police said.

Authorities apparently have found the pick-up at Lerwick Road and Morse Avenue along the Capitol City Freeway in Arden Arcade.

11:40 a.m.

Police now say that an empty rifle case was found at the West Sacramento machine shop where the entire incident began this morning when the suspect shot at employees.

It is not known by police if the suspect has a rifle from the shop. During the first carjacking he was armed with a handgun.

Yolo County Animal Services officials seek the public's help in locating dogs involved in five different dog-bite incidents during the past week.

Three occurred in Davis, one in Woodland and one in West Sacramento.

The first incident occurred about 5:30 p.m. April 12 in Davis in a field near Richards Boulevard near the Royal Oaks Mobile Home Park. Officials said a woman was bitten several times by a large black dog believed to be a Labrador retriever, possibly wearing a red collar. The dog was last seen entering the mobile home park, but investigative efforts at the park failed to locate the dog.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

Annette M. Spicuzza, the embattled UC Davis police chief who came under fire in last week's report on what led to the Nov. 18 pepper spray incident on campus, has decided to retire, according to an email statement received by The Bee today.

"My 27 years in law enforcement have been dedicated to the ethical and committed service to the departments and communities I have been proud to be a part of," the statement read. "For the past seven years, I have accomplished many good things for both the Police Department and community here at UC Davis; and am grateful to those of you who have remembered this.

"As the university does not want this incident to be its defining moment, nor do I wish for it to be mine. I believe in order to start the healing process, this chapter of my life must be closed."

A man who had spent three days drifting on the Sacramento River after the motor on his sailboat failed was rescued and his boat secured Tuesday after he rowed to shore in a dinghy.

West Sacramento firefighters were summoned to the riverbank across from Sacramento's Pocket area after the man reached shore, said Eric Edgar, division chief with the West Sacramento Fire Department.

Edgar said the man had been living aboard the 26-foot sailboat for about three years and usually was moored in the Discovery Park area.

Members of fraternities and sororities at UC Davis have signed a pledge this year designed to curb out-of-control drinking on Picnic Day this Saturday.

Among the points in the 10-point covenant signed by 51 of 75 Greek organizations are pledges not to serve alcohol before noon and refraining from drinking games.

"The covenant demonstrates that we are doing our part," said Matt Chemin, president of the Interfraternity Council.

Picnic Day typically draws 75,000 people. The on-campus open house, now in its 98th year, is a wholesome event featuring a parade, music, educational exhibits, animal events and sport.

By Denny Walsh

Police officers are seeking help in their investigation of two stabbings at a party late Friday night in the 1300 block of Leo Way in Woodland. according to a city news release.

It was initially reported that there was an altercation in the street involving 50-60 people, the release states. Later reports were that a person was stabbed and taken to Woodland Memorial Hospital. When officers arrived at the hospital, they found that 22-year-old Woodland resident Daniel Hector Ruiz had sustained multiple wounds to his torso and arm. The injuries were potentially life-threatening, and he underwent emergency surgery.

A second victim, Andres Soloria, also 22 and a Woodland resident, had a stab wound to an arm that was not life-threatening.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Woodland Police Department at 530 661-7800.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office advises people to be alert to a scam involving phony text messages to cell phone users.

Officials cite two messages in particular. The first begins: "Dear Walmart Shopper, Congratulations you have just won a $1000 dollar Walmart Gift Card." The second begins: "Apple is looking for people to Text & Keep the New iPad 3!" Both messages ask the cell phone users to click or go to a website provided.

Authorities advise people to delete these messages.

The Rev. Uriel Ojeda, the Catholic priest accused of molesting girl when he worked at parishes in Woodland and Redding, entered a not guilty plea today in Sacramento Superior Court.

Judge John P. Winn then scheduled Ojeda's preliminary hearing for June 8. The hearing will determine whether Ojeda, 32, will stand trial on the seven molestation counts.

The complaint against Ojeda charges that he molested the girl, who was under the age of 14 at the time of all of the allegations, three times in Sacramento County and four times in Shasta County.

The alleged incidents occurred between June 29, 2007, and Aug. 30, 2009, while Ojeda was working at the Holy Rosary Parish in Woodland and at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Redding.l

A man was killed on Wednesday afternoon when struck by a passenger train in West Sacramento.

West Sacramento police said that the man was found dead on the rail line in the area of Commerce Drive near the IKEA store about 3:45 p.m.

His name has not yet been released by the Yolo County Coroner's office.

Yolo County Animal Services officials seek the public's help in finding a dog that bit a man in Davis.

The man reported that the incident occurred between 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday as he was walking his own dog on the greenbelt in the area of Albany and Concord avenues in south Davis. The biting dog was on a leash, pulling a man who was walking it. The dog was described as a medium brown and black German shepherd. The person with the dog was described as white, in his late 30s to 40s, about 6 feet tall, with a medium build and brown hair.

The victim and his dog were walking on the sidewalk toward the oncoming dog. The victim told Animal Services that the German shepherd became agitated and was biting the victim's dog. When the victim bent down to rescue his dog, the German shepherd bit him on the wrist, according to an Animals Services news release.

The Yolo County District Attorney's office is accepting applications for a Citizens Academy designed to acquaint people in the community with the various aspects of the criminal justice system.

Th academy, which will begin May 3, is sponsored by the District Attorney's Office in partnership with the Yolo County Sheriff's Office; Yolo County Probation Department; and the Davis, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland police departments.

The goal of the academy is to educate the public, and to improve relationships and communication between the different communities in Yolo County and the criminal justice system, according to a District Attorney's Office news release.

Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court Tani Cantil-Sakauye will be the featured speaker later this month at the Yolo County Bar Association's Law Day event.

The theme for Law Day this year is "No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom."

The Law Day gathering is scheduled for 11:30 to 1:30 p.m. April 26 at the Woodland Community & Senior Center, 2001 East St. The bar association hopes to draw lawyers from Yolo County and neighboring counties.

Two robbers held up a video game store in Woodland Saturday night.

Woodland police responded to the Game Stop on East Main Street about 9 p.m. Saturday where two masked men had just held up the business. The robbers took cash and fled on foot.

One of the men was armed with a gun and both robbers wore masks, police said. The robbers were described as black, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, one with a thin build and the other an average build.

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

Six people were arrested at a west Davis home where police reported finding methamphetamine during a parole search.

Davis police officers on Tuesday searched a residence in the 1100 block of Halifax Avenue in the Stonegate neighborhood. Inside the house, they found more than 52 ounces of suspected methamphetamine and other evidence suggesting that drugs were being sold, according to a Police Department news release.

Arrested were Erica Marie Umbay, 37, Chad Stewart Umbay, 28, Michelle Witten, 31, Thomas Witten, 33, and Zachary Hicks, 26, all of Davis, and Matthew Ramirez, 25, of Woodland.

A Yolo County jury has convicted a Dunnigan man of kidnapping and engaging in sex with a 13-year-old El Dorado Hills girl.

Jason Stephen Sigur, 36, was convicted of 41 counts of kidnapping, sex with a child younger than 14, communicating with a minor for the purpose of committing a sex act, and burglary, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

Sigur met the 13-year-old girl on an Internet chat room in August 2010. He immediately began visiting the girl in person at her El Dorado Hills home, sneaking in through a bedroom window while the victim's mother slept in another room, officials said.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

A dozen UC Davis Occupy protestors connected to the shutdown of a U.S. Bank branch on campus were notified Friday by Yolo County District Attorney's officials to appear April 27 in Yolo Superior Court in Woodland.

The 12 protestors face a single count of conspiracy to commit a misedemeanor and 20 counts of blocking access in connection with demonstrations at the U.S. Bank branch on the University of California, Davis campus from Jan. 20 through Feb. 27, said Michael Cabral, Yolo County assistant chief deputy district attorney.

A boy in East Davis had a moment right out of the movie "Home Alone" when a burglar broke into his house.

The 12-year-old was by himself when he heard someone knocking on the front door of his home on Layton Drive on Thursday, according to Davis police. He stayed quiet and didn't answer the door.

When he saw a man in his backyard, the boy ran into the bathroom at the back of the house, locked the door and called 911. The man made entry into the house and took some of the family's property before fleeing.

Responding Davis police officers arrested Kyle Frank, 37, of Placerville nearby on suspicion of burglary. Police believe that he may be connected to another burglary.

The Yolo County coroner's office has released the name of the man whose body was found in the Sacramento River near Clarksburg on Monday.

He was identified as Kaeo D. Alexander, 36, of Sacramento.

A coroner's official said the cause of death is pending. There was no evidence of trauma or foul play.

The body washed up at Stan's Yolo Marina on South River Road, according to the harbormaster.

Davis police are searching for a man who harassed two 11-year-old girls as they were walking home from school Monday.

Officers were called to the area of West Eighth Street and Oak Avenue about 3:24 p.m. regarding a report of suspicious circumstances. The girls reported that as they were walking home they saw a man crouching next to a white van.

He told the youngsters, "I want to show you something," then placed his hand on his crotch, according to a Police Department news release. Police said the man remained fully clothed and did not expose himself.

An arsonist appears to have set a Woodland resident's pickup on fire this morning.

Michael McDonald, 60, was sleeping at his home in the 200 block of Hays Street when he was awakened by a barking dog about 1:30 a.m. He investigated and discovered his truck, parked on the street, was on fire.

Woodland firefighters arrived and put the fire out. Police officers found a large white bottle of lighter fluid in the street in front of the truck and a blackened rag on the hood.

Evidence will be examined for fingerprints, police said.

California Highway Patrol officers arrested a woman on a variety of charges after a struggle at Woodland Memorial Hospital last night.

During the arrest of Victoria Marie Sanders, 50, of Esparto, she allegedly struggled and kicked at officers before being taken to the ground, a CHP press release said. Sanders suffered abrasions in the process.

A leg restraint was used to keep her from kicking.

The incident began about 8 p.m. when an officer was dispatched to the hospital to take a stolen vehicle report. A man said that his girlfriend, Sanders, had taken his vehicle.

The CHP said that during the interview of the man, Sanders drove up. The officer contacted Sanders and the struggle began during her arrest, according to the CHP.

She was arrested on suspicion of resisting, battery on a peace officer, driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license.

A Woodland man left broken windows in his wake as he smashed his way along a downtown street on Wednesday, police said.

Francisco Javier Alvarado, 39, was arrested on suspicion of assault, vandalism, concealment of a weapon and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Woodland police said they responded about 3 p.m. Wednesday to reports of vandalism in the 400 block of Third Street. Dispatchers were told that a man was breaking windows out of vehicles and businesses with lawn clippers.

Alvarado was arrested near Cross and Fourth streets and booked into Yolo County Jail.

Yolo County Animal Services officials seek the public's help in finding a cat that bit a man Sunday in Davis.

The 49-year-old man was bitten by a large, brown Siamese-mix cat, with black and white highlights, and wearing a collar with an oval tag, according to an Animal Services news release. The incident occurred in the area of M and Duke streets.

Finding the animal may spare the victim post-exposure rabies treatment.

West Sacramento police are looking for a man who fled from them this morning after driving the wrong way on Interstate 80.

Police are looking for Lino Garcia Jr., 34, on suspicion of evading police and vehicle theft. Garcia is 5 feet 5 inches tall and has a shaved head.

Police said they tried to stop Garcia for a vehicle violation about 7:45 a.m. today. He didn't stop and a one-minute pursuit was called off for public safety when police said Garcia began driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80.

He exited the freeway and hit another vehicle at Harbor Boulevard and West Capitol Avenue, police said. He was last seen fleeing in the 700 block of Glide Avenue.

A passenger, Christina Rangel, 30, was taken into custody.

Garcia has a felony warrant for his arrest out of Napa County, police said.

Search and rescue crews have found the two women reported missing overnight on Yolo County's Cache Creek.

Yolo County Sheriff's deputies searched this morning along the creek for the two women overdue from a rafting trip.

Sheriff's Sgt. Lance Faille said each of the women were reported missing this morning by relatives. The two rafters, along with, as it turns out, three others, put into the creek on Sunday.

A Woodland man was suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol Saturday night after police found that he had driven his Dodge Ram pickup into a fence, then into seating outside a business at 91 West Court Street and then into a tree.

Woodland Police said Augstin Salazar, 31, was checked by emergency personnel but appeared to have sustained no injuries in the 9:30 p.m. collision. He was the only occupant of the vehicle, police said.

Salazar was booked at Yolo County Jail.

A Woodland man was sentenced today in Sacramento to six years and three months in prison for possessing child pornography.

Kenneth Albert Webb, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. He also is subject to 10 years of supervised release.

According to court documents, Webb's laptop computer was found to contain 50 video files and 21 pictures depicting the sexual exploitation of minors, some of whom were younger than 12 years old. Some of the images were produced in Germany and France, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The case resulted from an investigation by the Yolo County Sheriff's Department and Yolo County District Attorney's Office.

The Yolo County sheriff's animal services section needs help in finding a dog that bit a University of California, Davis student.

Authorities want to find the animal so that the student will not have to undergo "post exposure" rabies treatment.

The female student was bitten March 10 by a dark brown, male terrier weighing about 50 pounds. She tried to pet the dog when it was tied up at the arboretum on the UC Davis campus.

Animal services officials reminded the public to use caution when approaching any animal they don't know. Dogs may exercise their protective instincts and bite, according to a sheriff's office press release.

Anyone who knows who owns the dog is asked to call the animal services section at (530) 668-5287 or e-mail animal.bite@yolocounty.org.

A man standing outside a West Sacramento church this evening was shot in the face by a stray bullet fired during what appears to have been a rolling gun battle, according to police.

The man's injuries are not life-threatening, said police Lt. Deanna Stevens.

Police first received calls about shots fired just before 7 p.m. Callers then reported a man had been shot outside the church at Park Boulevard and Westacre Road, Stevens said.

Witnesses said there had been an exchange of gunfire between two vehicles, a shootout that appears to have continued for almost a mile from the scene, Stevens said. Police found shell casings in two other locations: in the area of Fernwood and Norfolk streets and the area of Stone Court and Stone Boulevard.

Stevens said she did not know how many total shots were fired or what caliber guns were used. However, she said it appears a window of one of the vehicles was shattered during the incident.

One of the vehicles was described to police as a lowered, white Chevrolet pickup with two black male adults inside, Stevens said. The other car was described as a small van or a sports utility vehicle, brown and gray or pewter in color with one black male adult inside.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call West Sacramento police dispatch at (916) 375-6474.

Paul Michael Schmeer of Auburn today pleaded guilty in federal court in Sacramento to serial bank robbery.

According to court documents, Schmeer, 30, on Dec. 5, 2011 robbed the Chase Bank branch on Douglas Boulevard in Roseville. He presented a note to a teller, demanding money and stating that he had a gun.

The teller complied with the demand, and Schmeer left the bank with $4,000, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

The Yolo County coroner has released the name of a man who died Wednesday night when his car failed to negotiate a curve on an Interstate 5 off ramp in Woodland and his car crashed into a tree.

He was identified as Paul William Edwardson, 85, of Redding.

Sgt. Matt Polanco of the California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred about 5:15 p.m. on the North East Street offramp from southbound I-5. There is a tight turn in the downhill ramp, and the driver lost control on the curve. The vehicle, a Buick sedan, continued into a field and struck a large tree at high speed, Polanco said.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. Polanco said investigators are trying to determine whether a medical condition, mechanical defect or the weather may have been contributing factors. A light rain was falling at the time of the crash, he said.

An elderly man died this evening in a single-vehicle accident after his car crashed into a tree as he came off an Interstate 5 offramp in Woodland.

Sgt. Matt Polanco of the California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred about 5:15 p.m. on the North East Street offramp from southbound I-5. There is a tight turn in the downhill ramp, and the driver lost control on the curve. The vehicle, a Buick sedan, continued into a field and struck a large tree at high speed, Polanco said.

The driver, the only occupant in the vehicle, died of his injuries.

A Woodland grandmother was recently bilked out of $14,000 when she fell for a well-known telephone scam.

Woodland police called attention to the swindle and released tips on how to avoid what is commonly called the "Grandparent Scam." In the most recent instance it went like this:

The woman received a call from a person claiming to be her grandson. He told her that he had been arrested in Canada following a traffic accident and needed money to fix the vehicle.

She wired $1,000.

Over the next few weeks, more phone calls were received from the phony grandson and his phony attorney. Money was needed to help defend a lawsuit stemming from the made-up car crash, the scammers said.

The Woodland grandmother kept making wire transfers and is now out $14,000, said police. Police were contacted March 7 by the woman who finally figured out she had been scammed.

Tips to avoid the scam:

- Verify the caller's identity by asking personal questions a stranger could not answer.

- Resist acting immediately

- Call someone you know to help verify the story.

- Avoid giving credit card or bank information to anyone you don't know personally.

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Four teenagers were arrested early today and another suspect was sought in the early morning assault on a Woodland taxi cab driver.

Woodland Police said cab driver James Mooney, 46, picked up five people at 4:21 a.m. today from the 100 block of W. Elliot Street and drove them to the 2600 block of Garrett Way in Woodland.

When it came time to pay, Mooney told police, one of the five passengers grabbed a metal flashlight from the cab and struck him in the face with it. Mooney reported that all five individuals ran to a nearby residence.

A Calistoga woman has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for embezzlement, elder abuse and tax evasion in a case involving a Yolo County resident.

Denise Ann Conophy, 51, pleaded guilty in January and was sentenced today by Yolo County Superior Court Judge Janet Gaard. The court also ordered the transfer of more than $300,000 in money and property, seized from Conophy, to the victim as payment of restitution.

The victim hired Conophy to handle her bookkeeping and other financial affairs relating to a business that the victim operated in St. Helena. Over the course of her seven years of employment, Conophy transferred the victim's assets to various accounts and used them to pay for her personal bills and to start an Internet business, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

Vacant apartments in Woodland were flooded today when somebody stuffed rags in bathtub drains and turned the water on.

Woodland police and fire crews were called to the Redwood Manor Apartments, 132 Fifth St., about 5 a.m. after somebody noticed the flooding. It is estimated that water had been running in the tubs of two vacant ground-floor apartments for several hours.

Police said somebody had broken into the apartments to cause what they said was felony vandalism. Several apartments adjacent to the flooded vacant units also suffered water damage.

Firefighters removed about an inch of water from the apartments. A damage estimate was not immediately available, according to a press release.

Davis police announced that they are deploying additional resources in an effort to stem a rash of residential burglaries.

Since Jan. 1, 31 burglaries and eight attempted burglaries have been reported in the city. That compares with 24 burglaries for the same period last years, said Lt. Paul Doroshov.

The burglaries have occurred citywide, though several have been concentrated in northeast Davis, he said. On the two occasions when someone was home when a break-in or attempted break-in occurred, the residents reported that they had heard the doorbell ring but didn't answer the door.

Woodland police are investigating a teenager's report of an attempt to entice him into a vehicle as he walked home from school Monday.

The 15-year-old boy told officers that he was walking home from Woodland High School about 3 p.m., heading east on Beamer Street near Frost Drive, when he was approached by a four-door sedan occupied by three Latino men in their late teens or early 20s. The vehicle stopped next to the boy, who continued to walk by the vehicle.

As he did, one of the men in the vehicle got out of the passenger side of the front seat, opened the rear passenger door of the sedan and gestured for the youth to get in the back seat, according to a Police Department news release. No words were spoken, but the teenager was frightened and ran several blocks to his home, police said.

A Yolo County jury Monday convicted three gang members of attacks in a Lowe's parking lot in West Sacramento two years ago.

The three defendants, Jose Antonio Duran, 20, Salvador Benjamin Vasquez Jr., 20, and Joseph Vincent Sisneros, 21, all of Sacramento, are members of the Norteno street gang, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. Following a two-week trial, all three were convicted of robbery, battery, assault, witness intimidation and street gang activity for their attacks on three people April 19, 2010.

Authorities said the initial victim was eating a meal from a fast-food restaurant in his car in a nearly empty parking lot about 10 p.m. The three men took his iPod, wallet and keys, then beat him, causing two facial fractures, while the victim pleaded for them to stop.

Two men forced open the door of a house in Clarksburg late Monday and robbed an 85-year-old woman at gunpoint, the Yolo County Sheriff's Office reported today.

The men - both wearing ski masks and gloves - demanded the woman give them the combination of her safe, Sgt. Lance Faille said in a news release.

Then they spent a half hour going through the safe and taking valuables from the rest of the house. The home-invasion robbery happened at about 11:30 p.m. in the 3300 block of Jefferson Boulevard.

Three Woodland men were arrested on suspicion of growing marijuana and two of them were allegedly armed, including one who had an assault rifle, Woodland police said today.

Early Thursday, Woodland officers and members of the Yolo County Narcotics Enforcement Team served a search warrant at a home in the 1900 block of Hecke Drive, a police news release said.

All three suspects were booked into the Yolo County Jail.

By Bill Lindelof

blindelof@sacbee.com

A 53-year-old woman died this morning in a head-on crash south of Yuba City.

A California Highway Patrol press release said that a 20-year-old woman was driving northbound on Highway 99 north of Messick Road about 6 a.m. when she fell asleep at the wheel and drifted toward the southbound lanes.

A car driven by the 53 year old woman traveling in the opposite direction tried to take evasive action and veered to the left into the center two-way left turn lane to avoid a crash. She was unable to avoid a collision and the two cars crashed head on.

An oncoming northbound car was unable avoid the collision and struck the crashed vehicles. Another car, heading southbound, also was unsuccessful in stopping and struck the car of the 20-year-old woman.

The woman initially hit head-on by the dozing driver died at the scene, according to the CHP.

The 20 year old, identified as Angela Elizabeth Mah, 20, of Concord, suffered a broken leg.

The drivers of the other two cars did not suffer major injuries.

A police dog helped apprehend a man suspected of battering a woman in a Woodland motel room, authorities said.

Police arrived about 1 a.m. today to a motel in the 1500 block of East Main Street on a domestic disturbance call in one of the rooms. Police say that Jared Lampkin, a parolee at large, fled to some weeds in a nearby industrial complex.

A police dog found him and inflicted some minor bite wounds, police said. Lampkin was treated at the hospital and then booked on various misdemeanor and felony charges.

The victim, a 27-year-old Woodland woman, was bruised, had a black eye and scratches to her left shoulder, wrist and forearm.

Witnesses have told Woodland Police that a woman involved in a single-car collision in Woodland had been drinking alcohol shortly before the crash that killed her Monday afternoon.

The driver, Vanessa Del Toro, 20, of Woodland, was driving a 1999 Range Rover through a residential area at speeds of about 80 mph, when police gave chase, authorities said.

The SUV struck a tree in front of a house in the 1600 block of College Street just after 4 p.m. Photos from the scene show the SUV partially wrapped around the large tree, its wheels lifted off the ground.

The Yolo County Coroner's office is awaiting the results of toxicology tests to determine Del Toro's blood alcohol level, police said in a news release.

Woodland police and the California Highway Patrol's Major Accident Investigation Team are investigating the accident.

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

A 12-year-old Davis boy was credited with thwarting a burglary by keeping his cool and phoning 911 as a stranger attempted to enter his house this morning.

Abut 8:45 a.m., Davis police received an emergency call from the boy, who reported a burglary in progress in east Davis. The youth was home alone when a stranger appeared at the front door. When the boy didn't answer, the man went to the back door and tried to force his way into the house, according to a Police Department news release.

The boy immediately called 911 while hiding in the bathroom. Police said the youth stayed on the phone, providing valuable information to the dispatcher as officers rushed to the home with emergency lights and sirens.

A presentation and discussion of cyberbullying and other issues involving social media will be held Feb. 29 at Yolo County's Knights Landing Branch Library.

The presentation by the UCD Family Protection and Legal Assistance Clinic will focus on the social and legal consequences of cyberbullying, sexting and sextortion. The session is designed for parents who may attend alone or with their children.

The multimedia presentation will be followed by a question and answer period.

Davis police have arrested two people in connection with robberies Tuesday night in south Davis in which victims reported being threatened with a knife.

About 7:58 p.m., officers were dispatched to the area of the Sorrento Apartments at 1540 Valdora Drive regarding a robbery that had just occurred. The victim, a 20-year-old man and Davis resident, told police that two Latino males had confronted him in front of the apartment complex, pushed him and demanded his property. He said one of the suspects threatened him with a knife.

The victim fled and the suspects left without any of his belongings, according to a Police Department news release.

Yolo County Animal Services officials are asking the public's help in identifying and finding a dog that bit a man in Davis last week.

About 2 p.m. Thursday, a man reported being bitten by a fawn-colored boxer-type dog while he was walking in the area of Valdora Street in south Davis, near the Safeway store.

The victim said a woman was walking two boxers, both of them on leashes. When the man passed, one of the dogs turned and bit him, leaving puncture wounds on his arm, according to a Yolo County Sheriff's Office news release.

A 19-year-old UC Davis student died today of injuries suffered when he was struck by a vehicle Friday night.

Davis police were called to Arlington Boulevard and Shasta Drive about 11 p.m. regarding a collision involving a pedestrian and a vehicle. Police said a 62-year-old Davis woman was eastbound on Arlington Boulevard approaching the intersection of Shasta Drive. As she entered the intersection, her vehicle struck a pedestrian, Brennan Morrow, who entered and started to cross the roadway, according to a Police Department news release.

Morrow, a Davis resident, was taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center with severe injuries.

By Hundson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

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

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

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

By Hundson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A Yolo County judge is scheduled to sentence Marco Antonio Topete this morning for the assault-rifle slaying of sheriff's Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz in June 2008.

Jurors in the case recommended that Topete receive a death sentence. Judge Paul K. Richardson will decide whether to follow that recommendation, after ruling on yet another motion for a new trial by defense attorneys.

The hearing begins at 8:30 a.m. in Dept. 4 at the Woodland courthouse.

Woodland police reported the arrest of four people after a residential burglary was interrupted Monday afternoon.

Officers were called to the 1600 block of Truckee Way about 3:30 p.m. regarding a report of a burglary in progress. When they arrived, the suspects were fleeing the area, but the first officer on scene was able to stop one suspect, Angela Zuniga, 38, of Woodland, according to a Police Department news release.

The officer was able to provide information that led to apprehension of two other suspects, Arthur Tunstall, 43, and Esteban Torres, 21, both of Woodland. The fourth individual, Jason Peck, 345, of Woodland, was taken into custody later at his home.

By Robert D. Dávila
bdavila@sacbee.com

The driver of a stolen commercial van was booked into Yolo County Jail after leading law enforcement officials on a highway chase from West Sacramento to the Tracy area, officials said.

Jeremy Allan Pratt of West Sacramento was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of several felonies, including possessing stolen property and evading arrest, California Highway Patrol Officer Adrian Quintero said Wednesday.

Officials said the chase began around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday when an officer from the CHP's auto theft unit saw Pratt get behind the wheel of the parked commercial truck on Jefferson Boulevard in West Sacramento. The officer was investigating cases involving stolen commercial vehicles in West Sacramento when he spotted the van and found it was reported stolen.

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

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

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

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

An Esparto youth soccer coach and foster parent pleaded not guilty this morning in Yolo Superior Court to 48 felonies and six misdemeanor counts of molesting or endangering two children over a period of more than four years.

Cristan Rooms, 29, is being held in lieu of $12 million bail in the Yolo County Jail. A court commissioner earlier set bail at $250,000 for each felony count.

Prosecutor Rob Gorman said he expects to file additional charges - and to disclose additonal victims - when the parties to return to court March 13.

"I will have disclosed all of the victims (by then)," Gorman told Judge Timothy Fall.

Two employees of a hot dog fast food restaurant were tied up by robbers on Monday, according to Woodland police.

The Wienerschnitzel restaurant clerks had freed themselves by the time officers arrived at the restaurant, 103 West Main St., about 9:30 a.m. They told officers that two men in their 20s robbed them at gun point and then fled with cash, driving away in one of the clerks' vehicles.

No customers were in the restaurant when the robbery occurred. The clerks were not harmed.

The clerk's vehicle was later found in another part of Woodland.

A Yolo County jury has convicted a Vallejo man of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon in the theft of an iPhone.

On Sept. 26, 2010, Calvin Tommy Johnson, 27, contacted the victim, who had listed an iPhone for sale on Cragslist, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. Johnson arranged to meet the victim at a Davis shopping center to complete the transaction.

After examining the phone, Johnson took it with him to his car to get his money. But once in the car, Johnson told the driver to take off, officials said.

They are being called hero dogs.

Credited with saving the lives of their owners from an early Tuesday morning house fire in the Yolo County community of Zamora, Gizzy, a 4-year-old Shih Tzu, and Honey, a 3-year-old Great Pyranees, were released this afternoon from UC Davis' veterinary medical teaching hospital, where they were treated for smoke inhalation.

Cheryl Washington, 63, said she must have already been experiencing effects of smoke about 5 a.m. Tuesday when her dogs began barking. When they had trouble rousing her, they didn't give up.

A Yolo County jury has found a Woodland man guilty of workers' compensation insurance fraud.

Stephen Eugene Harder, 45, was convicted Tuesday in a case relating to his claim for benefits, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

On Feb. 26, 2009, the District Attorney's Insurance Fraud Unit received a complaint from the State Compensation Insurance Fund alleging that Harder was attempting to exaggerate his industrial injury and claiming that it was more severe than it was.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office is warning residents, particularly older adults, to beware of phony collection agency calls.

Several people recently contacted the Yolo County District Attorney's Elder Protection Unit to report phone calls from people pretending to be from a collection agency. In one instance, the caller claimed to be an attorney and that more than $800 was owed for magazine subscriptions.

Officials warn that crooks can disguise the number they are calling from by using computers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

A California Highway Patrol officer has been arrested on suspicion of child molestation involving acts that allegedly occurred more than a decade ago.

Justin Morejohn, 31, turned himself in Thursday morning after a warrant was issued for his arrest, said Lt. Paul Doroshov of the Davis Police Department.

Doroshov said Davis police in August began an investigation into allegations against Morejohn and submitted a report to the Yolo County District Attorney's Office. Morejohn was subsequently arrested on suspicion of 10 counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. Bail was set at $1 million.

By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com

Sara Granda is the first to admit that her beige 2001 Ford Econoline van is not a "hot" car in the traditional sense of the word.

But it became one this weekend when thieves stole it from the driveway from her apartment in Davis.

Granda, a lawyer who is paralyzed from the neck down, was left wondering why anyone would want the van, which has been gutted to accommodate her wheelchair and medical equipment, plugs along at about 10 mph and "has a hard time accelerating," she said.

A West Sacramento man has been sentenced to 45 years to life in prison for a murder that reportedly was triggered by a dirty look.

Christopher Allen Smith, 31, was sentenced Friday by Yolo County Superior Court Judge Stephen Mock for the murder of Gidd Gomel Robinson IV.

Shortly after noon Nov. 3, 2009, Smith, who is white, was driving with his 7-year-old son in his pickup truck after leaving his father's house in West Sacramento, when he encountered Robinson, an African American man, who was walking his children to school.

A Calistoga woman has pleaded guilty to embezzlement and elder abuse in a case involving a Yolo County resident.

Denise Ann Conophy pleaded guilty to embezzlement, elder abuse and tax evasion, and admitted that she took more than $200,000, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. Conophy also agreed to forfeit more than $300,000 in cash and property, previously seized by the District Attorney's Office over the course of the investigation, to pay restitution to the victim.

Officials said Conophy was hired by the victim to handle bookkeeping and other financial affairs relating to a bed and breakfast business that the victim operated in St. Helena. Over the course of her seven-year employment, Conophy transferred the victim's assets to various accounts to pay her personal bills and to start an Internet business.

With rulings pending on two key motions, jury selection for the Davis "sweethearts" murder trial is now tentatively scheduled to begin on March 19.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge MIchael W. Sweet today scheduled hearings for later this month to resolve two of the stickier issues in the case against defendant Richard HIrschfield.

The judge is expected to rule in a hearing set for Jan. 23 on whether prosecutors can admit a suicide note written by the defendant's brother, Joseph HIrschfield. In the note, Joseph Hirschfield said he was at the scene of the killings 30 years ago of UC Davis students John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves at a ravine near Lake Natoma. The brother also said in the note that Richard HIrschfield killed the couple.

A Yuba City man has pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the stabbing of a man last May.

Harjiwan Mann, 36, admitted stabbing Mohammad Bath of Yuba City numerous times in the head and neck with a screwdriver on May 3, 2011, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

Woodland police arrested Mann outside Woodland Memorial Hospital, and during an interview with detectives, Mann admitted that he had been thinking about stabbing Bath because he was angry with him, officials said.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Attorneys defending convicted cop killer Marco Antonio Topete jumped on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling handed down earlier this week and submitted a second motion for a new trial just before their client was to be sentenced this morning.

In today's session, Yolo Superior Court Judge Paul K. Richardson was to hear arguments on the previous motion, submitted by attorneys Hayes H. Gable III and Dwight M. Samuel on behalf of Topete, before potentially sentencing him.

The new motion created another delay in the trial, with the next hearing scheduled for Feb. 7.

The Yolo County Coroner's office has released the name of a man killed Friday when a car overturned on a Woodland off-ramp.

The man was identified as Robert Dale Sunderland III, 25, of Woodland.

The 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was on the off-ramp from southbound Interstate 5 to County Road 102 at about 9 p.m. when the driver, a 22-year-old man from Sacramento, lost control.

A single-car crash killed one of four people Friday after an automobile overturned on a Woodland off-ramp, California Highway Patrol officials reported.

The 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was on the off-ramp from southbound Interstate 5 to County Road 102 at about 9 p.m. when the driver, a 22-year-old man from Sacramento, lost control.

The vehicle overturned several times and came to rest on its roof.

An Oakland man was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft after leading a Davis police officer on a chase and ramming the officer's patrol car, according to police.

Over the past month, Davis has seen an increase in stolen vehicle activity, particularly targeting Hondas and Acuras, which have been recovered in the San Francisco Bay Area, according to a Davis Police Department news release.

About 1:53 this morning, a Davis patrol officer working in the 1800 block of Cowell Boulevard observed an Acura, and a check of the license plate number revealed that it had been reported stolen out of Oakland. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver accelerated, leading the officer on a high-speed chase around the south Davis area.

Yolo County animal services officers are seeking additional information about two pit bulls mix dogs that killed a cat in Woodland.

The Yolo County Sheriff's office, Animal Services Section, on Thursday impounded the two bit bulls. The dogs were running loose in the vicinity of West Woodland Avenue, North West Street, West Beamer Street and Mariposa Street.

One is a tan and white mix and the other is black and white.

Officers learned that the dogs may have hurt other victims. Anyone who may have encountered the dogs is asked to contact animal services at (530) 668-5287, Ext. 0 or email animal.bite@yolocounty.org.

A Humboldt County man was arrested this morning, shortly after he allegedly robbed a Chase Bank branch in Davis.

Police were dispatched to the bank at 330 E St. about 9:24 a.m. regarding a robbery. Officers were told that a man entered the bank and passed a note to one of the tellers stating that he wanted money and that he had a gun. Bank employees did not see a gun, but the teller complied with the demand and the man walked out of the back with an undisclosed amount of currency, according to a Davis Police Department news release.

A bank employee followed the man to his vehicle, which was parked nearby. The employee then called police and provided a description of the man and the vehicle.

Davis police say they believe the Dec. 20 robbery of a U.S. Bank in Davis is part of a series bank robberies in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento Valley.

Based on similar suspect descriptions, officers believe the same suspect is responsible for robberies at eight U.S. Bank branches between Sept. 1 and Dec. 22.

The robberies occurred Sept. 1 in South San Francisco, Oct. 12 in Fremont, Oct. 19 in Cupertino, Oct. 24 in Los Altos and Sunnyvale, Dec. 20 in Elk Grove and Davis, and Dec. 22 in Redwood City.

A family at a Burger King drive-through window in Davis was robbed at gunpoint shortly after midnight.

The two adults and children ages 11 and 19, were in the drive-through lane at the restaurant at 403 Mace Blvd. in south Davis at 12:05 a.m. today when they were approached by two men on foot who demanded money. One man was armed with a rifle and the other had a pistol, said Davis police Sgt. John Wilson.

The driver gave the men cash from his wallet and the two left the area in a car that was parked in the parking lot next to the restaurant.

A toddler suffered a large gash to his forehead Wednesday in a Yolo County crash and had to be airlifted to the hospital.

Ryan Troung, 2, of Woodland suffered a 5-6 inch laceration to his head when the car in which he was riding was struck by a pickup truck on Highway 16. The pickup was pulling a trailer that was improperly loaded, causing the trailer to sway from side-to-side, the California Highway Patrol reported in a press release.

The CHP said that Placido Hernandez was driving a Ford pickup eastbound on Highway 16 just south of the Cache Creek Casino about 3 p.m. Wednesday when his trailer carrying cinder blocks began to fishtail. Hernandez was traveling about 35-40 mph, the CHP said.

Woodland police are investigating the robbery of a 63-year-old woman shortly before 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve at the local Target store.

The victim said a man approached her in the parking lot, threatened her with a knife and ordered her to turn over her purse, police said.

Her purse had her ID, credit cards and a small amount of cash, the department reported.

Police said the suspect is white or Hispanic, 20-25 years old, 5-foot-8, thin build, wearing a stocking cap, a dark coat with a belt, and dark colored pants.

-- Bee staff

A 25-year-old woman who was struck by a vehicle Wednesday morning in Davis has died.

Megan Glanville was crossing Russell Boulevard on foot when she was hit by a pickup truck.

Glanville, who police said is from Chico but was living in Davis, suffered severe injuries including head trauma. She was taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center, where she died of her injuries late this morning, according to a Davis Police Department news release.

Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, but they say heavy morning fog may have played a role. Investigators do not believe drugs or alcohol were involved.

Collisions that backed up traffic for several hours last night on Interstate 5 between Sacramento and Woodland resulted in injury to two motorists.

The California Highway Patrol said that a car and a mini van headed southbound on I-5 just north of County Road 4 about 5:45 p.m. collided.

The car then went through the grass center divider and into the path of a northbound big rig.

The car collided with the big rig. The truck then went through the center divider and into the southbound lanes, traveled off the roadway and came to rest, partially on a golf course.

Two males in the car that hit the truck, one 16 and the other 18 years old, both from Chico, suffered moderate injuries, according to a CHP report.

A 25-year-old woman is in critical condition at UC Davis Medical Center after she was struck by a pickup truck as she crossed a street in Davis this morning.

Megan Glanville was crossing Russell Boulevard on foot at the Lake Boulevard intersection when she was hit by an eastbound pickup driven by George Souza, 61, of Woodland, according to a Davis Police Department news release.

Glanville, who is from Chico but currently living in Davis, suffered severe injuries including head trauma, police said.

Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident but say heavy morning fog may have played a role. Investigators do not believe drugs or alcohol were involved.

The Davis Police Department is teaming with several local bicycle shops in a project to promote and enhance bicycle safety in the city.

Beginning Jan. 9 and continuing through the week, the Police Department will conduct a specialized bicycle safety and enforcement operation. Officers will patrol areas frequented by bicyclists and target traffic violations that lead to collisions with other bicyclists, vehicles and pedestrians.

Since Jan. 1 of this year, Davis police have responded to 54 collisions involving bicycles, according to a department news release. The bicyclist was injured in 93 percent of those collisions.

A bail review motion scheduled for today on a Catholic priest accused of child molestation was put off until Jan. 5 amid suggestions he may be a flight risk.

The Rev. Uriel Ojeda, 32, who served in parishes in Woodland and Redding, is accused in seven counts of molesting a girl under the age of 14. The criminal complaint filed against him said the acts took place between June 28, 2007, and Aug. 30, 2009.

Ojeda's attorney, Jesse Ortiz, asked for the delay in order to obtain his client's personnel records from the Sacramento archdiocese.

Woodland Police say an occupied home in the 300 block of Lincoln Avenue was struck by shotgun pellets, shattering the front window and the front doorway.

Polices reported on Saturday that three adults and four minor children were in the home when the shooting occurred shortly after 11 p.m. the previous evening.

No injuries were reported.

Members of the West Sacramento Police Department will deliver Christmas packages Thursday to local families.

For more than 15 years the West Sacramento Police Officers Association's annual Christmas drive has provided clothing and toys to needy families. Traditionally, the program provides for approximately 20 families in the community, according to a Police Department news release.

This year, members of the department's SWAT team asked for toy donations at the local Walmart store. Thanks to an outpouring of public support, more than 500 toys were received in one day. The additional toys will be provided to local charities.

Christopher Allen Smith of West Sacramento has been convicted of murder in the shooting death of a man who reportedly gave him a dirty look.

A Yolo County jury on Wednesday found Smith, 31, guilty of murder for killing Gidd Gomel Robinson IV on Nov. 3, 2009. Smith also was convicted of shooting from a vehicle and shooting a firearm causing death, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

Shortly after noon, Smith was driving with his 7-year-old son in his pickup truck after leaving his father's house in a residential neighborhood in West Sacramento. Smith, who is white, encountered Robinson, who is black, as Robinson was walking his children to school. After Robinson gave Smith a "hard stare" and Smith "flipped him off," Smith drove his truck around the corner and loaded his gun, officials said.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

Yolo County sheriff's deputies have arrested a youth soccer coach and foster parent in Esparto on suspicion of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy whom he coached.

Yolo County child welfare officials removed a six-year-old foster child in his custody, authorities said.

Cristan James Rooms, 29, of Esparto, was arrested Monday and is being held on $2.75 million bail at the Monroe Detention Center in Woodland, the sheriff's department reported in a news release Wednesday.

He was booked on a charges of lewd and lacivious acts with a minor using force or fear, five counts of continuous sexual assault of a child, and child endangerment, according to the news release.

The charges stem from his alleged assault of 14-year-old boy to whom he acted as a mentor and soccer and bowling coach, it said.

Rooms is a coach with Vacaville Youth Soccer League and Soccer Nation in Vacaville, authorities said.

He is also a foster parent licensed by the state Department of Social Services, they said.

Detectives are continuing their investigation and ask anyone with information to call Detective Jennifer Davis at (530) 668-5215.

An 18-year-old man was arrested this afternoon on suspicion of burglary after he was chased down by a witness.

Woodland police responded at 1:53 p.m. to 83 Utah Ave. to a report of an interrupted residential burglary. When officers arrived, they learned that a witness to the burglary had chased three suspects toward Mariposa Street, according to a Police Department news release. The witness caught and detained one suspect, Louie Brown, whom police described as a local transient. Brown was found on a pathway between Utah Avenue and Mariposa Street.

Police said all the property reported stolen in the burglary was recovered in the area where Brown was detained by the witness.

A judge today denied a motion by defense attorneys in the Davis "sweethearts" murder case to have the trial moved out of Sacramento County.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael W. Sweet said that the defense's own expert said in a declaration that there hasn't been enough publicity in the case to prejudice potential jurors.

The judge delayed issuing a ruling on a motion by prosecutors to bring into the trial a suicide letter written by defendant Richard Hirschfield's brother.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

A bail review hearing on a popular Catholic priest accused of child molestation was rescheduled today for Dec. 19.

The Rev. Uriel Ojeda's attorney, Jesse Ortiz, asked for the continuance so that he could review additional reports in the case.

Ojeda, 32, is accused on seven counts of lewd and lascivious acts with an underage girl. She was 14 when the contact began, authorities said. The offenses took place over the next two years, according to investigators.

By Whitney Mountain
wmountain@sacbee.com

A man with a felony warrant led officers on a high-speed chase from Davis to West Sacramento early Sunday morning, trying to evade a traffic stop, according to reports.

Ronald McZeal, 26, of Vallejo, was driving around 90 mph, heading east on Interstate 80 in Davis when a Davis officer attempted to pull him over around Richards Boulevard at 3:38 a.m.

Davis police spokesman Lt. Paul Doroshov said McZeal briefly pulled over, but took off before the officer made contact.

The chase ended on Riverside Parkway in West Sacramento, where McZeal drove the car into a fire hydrant, causing himself and his two female passengers minor injuries, according to officers. All three were taken to the UC Davis Medical Center for treatment.

A Catholic priest beloved by churchgoers in Woodland was arraigned this afternoon in Sacramento on seven counts of child molestation.

PHOTO GALLERY: Priest's supporters at arraignment

The Rev. Uriel Ojeda, who was assigned to a church in Woodland before being transferred to Redding, did not enter a plea in the brief proceeding in Sacramento Superior Court. He spoke only to confirm his name, and to confirm that he knew the identity of his accuser, whose name has been sealed.

About a dozen supporters showed up on Ojeda's behalf. They could be heard whimpering quietly as Ojeda entered the locked cell in the courtroom.

A Yolo County Sheriff's Department deputy did not suffer injury when he rolled his car near Dunnigan early this morning, according to the CHP.

The California Highway Patrol said the deputy overturned his car into a ditch near County Road 7A and County Road 89. The deputy was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

A man suffered a collapsed lung when he was stabbed on his way to a grocery store in Woodland on Monday night.

Robert Felix, 30, of Woodland told police that he was walking to the store when two men in a car pulled up at Elliot and West streets and started yelling at him about 8:45 p.m. Monday. They also threw a glass bottle at Felix, he told officers later at the hospital.

Felix ran and the two men got out of their car and gave chase. They eventually caught up with Felix and stabbed him twice in the torso.

After they fled, Felix used his cellphone to call his girlfriend who took him to the hospital. Felix could not provide a description of either the men or their car to Woodland Police officers.

A youngster playing with matches is being blamed for a fire that displaced a family from their Woodland home.

The American Red Cross is providing emergency lodging for the family of two adults and a child after the fire at a home in the 1300 block of Oak Avenue Tuesday.

Woodland Fire Department firefighters responded to the single-story structure about 4:30 p.m. When they arrived, heavy smoke was billowing from the rear of the home.

Crews attacked the blaze and ventilated the attic, bringing the fire under control. Fire damage was contained to a small portion of the attic and a back exterior wall where the fire originated.

No injuries were reported.

Woodland police responded to an armed robbery at a Dollar Tree store this evening, according to authorities.

The robbery at the Pioneer Avenue store occurred just before 7:30 p.m., according to a Woodland police press release. After using a firearm to steal an undisclosed amount of cash, the suspect ran to a late 80s, gray or light blue Toyota pickup with an extended cab, the release states.

The suspect fled northbound on Pioneer. Officers attempted to find him but were unsuccessful, according to the release.

Police say they suspect alcohol played a role Sunday night when an SUV ran into a mobile home in Woodland.

The crash occurred about 10 p.m. when the sport utility vehicle struck the mobile home in the 900 block of Bourn Drive. The SUV also appeared to have hit the south sound wall along East Gum Avenue.

Nobody inside the home was hurt. However, the SUV's driver and her passenger suffered cuts and bruises.

The accident is under investigation.

A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide in what Woodland police characterized as a gang-related assault.

Officers were dispatched at 2:14 p.m. Thursday to the county Department of Employment and Social Services at 25 N. Cottonwood St. regarding a report that a man was being assaulted by several people.

Police found the victim, a Woodland resident, inside the building. Medical personnel transported the man to Woodland Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The California Highway Patrol is reminding motorists to buckle up before taking to the road.

The CHP will be paying particular attention to drivers and passengers who aren't wearing seat belts during a Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign beginning Friday and continuing through the Thanksgiving weekend.

The minimum cost of an adult seat belt violation in California is $142, and up to $445 for not properly restraining a child younger than 16 years old. If the parent is not in the car, the driver is issued a ticket.

Four people have been arrested in connection with what Woodland police said appeared to be a gang-related drive-by shooting.

Officers were dispatched about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday regarding a report of shots fired in the 1300 block of Donnelly Circle. When they arrived, police found a white, four-door vehicle that had crashed into Gonzales Park.

Witnesses told officers that the car had been driven by a residence on Donnelly Circle and several male passengers leaned out and fired multiple gunshots at two male victims. Police said the rounds penetrated an occupied residence, but no one was injured.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A Yolo County jury just sentenced Marco Antonio Topete to death for the murder with special circumstances of Yolo Sheriff's Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz.

The verdict was read aloud in Department 3 before Judge Paul K. Richardson.

Topete was convicted last month of first-degree murder in the Father's Day 2008 shooting of Diaz on on a dirt road near the rural town of Dunnigan.

Photo Caption: Marcos Antonio Topete, right, is escorted by a Yolo County Sheriff's Deputy from the Yolo County Superior Court after being given the death penalty. Photo by Lezlie Sterling

Two men were arrested Sunday night on suspicion of drug and parole violations after leading Woodland police on a pursuit that covered more than six miles.

The incident began about 6:42 p.m. when officers were dispatched to the 700 block of Sixth Street regarding a report that an individual with a gun was fleeing the area in a vehicle following an argument.

Upon arrival, a police K-9 officer spotted a vehicle quickly leaving the area and attempted to stop it on Fifth Street, between Pendegast and Cross streets, according to a Police Department news release. The driver led officers southwest through town on residential streets. Near the intersection of Pendegast and West streets, the occupants threw from the car items that officers later discovered were illegal drugs, officials said.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A Yolo Superior Court judge today dismissed a juror from death penalty deliberations in a cop-killing trial because he found her language skills to be lacking.

The woman was one of 12 jurors who last month swiflty convicted defendant Marco Antonio Topete of the first-degree murder of Yolo Sheriff's Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz in June 2008.

On Thursday, the woman, identified only as juror number 11 sent a note to Judge Paul Richardson saying she had been raised in a foreign country and was unable to see the death penalty phase from an American perspective. She worried she was "dragging others juries down." She asked to be replaced with an alternate juror.

An 18-year-old man has been arrested after gunshots were fired at a home in the 900 block of Lincoln Avenue in Woodland on Thursday night.

Woodland police responded about 10:30 p.m. to a report of shots fired and discovered that several gunshots had been fired at an occupied residence. The occupants, all adults, were not injured.

Detectives arrived at the residence about 12:30 a.m. to assist in the investigation and learned that the suspects in the shooting were driving a white minivan with brown trim, according to a Police Department news release. While officers and detectives were still at the scene, a van matching the description drove by the residence.

West Sacramento fire officials were unable to identify the cause of an odor that sent one person to the hospital early this afternoon.

Acting Battalion Chief Scott Pfeifer said that about noon, employees of businesses in an industrial park area along Riverside Parkway and Reed Avenue reported an ammonia-like smell that caused some people to complain of respiratory problems.

When firefighters arrived, the odor had dissipated. Pfeifer said fire crews spent about an hour contacting businesses in the area but were unable to locate the source of the odor.

He said an employee of one area business was taken to a hospital after complaining of feeling ill.

A man convicted of the 1983 murder of his girlfriend's 22-month-old son will stay in prison for at least three more years.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office announced that a panel of two Board of Parole Hearing commissioners made the decision Tuesday.

Last year, the board granted Christopher Fowler parole but was reversed by Gov. Jerry Brown on April 7 of this year. Tuesday's parole hearing took place at California Training Facility in Soledad, where Fowler is in prison.

A Rancho Cordova teen probably fell asleep while driving on Interstate 80 in Davis, causing her to twice careen wildly across the freeway and into a tree.

The California Highway Patrol is asking anyone who might have witnessed the accident that caused major injuries to Nicole Francisco, 18, about 5 a.m. Saturday morning to contact the CHP's Woodland office.

The CHP said in a press release that Francisco was driving eastbound on I-80 west of Mace Boulevard at about 75 mph in the far right hand lane when for unknown reasons her car drifted across all lanes of traffic onto the dirt center median. Francisco's car then swerved back across I-80 onto the dirt shoulder where it hit a big tree and a fence.

A dispute over payment for a business transaction led to a chase and collisions that closed a portion of southbound Interstate 5 for about four hours early Monday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

At 2:53 a.m., the CHP's Woodland-area office received a report of a traffic collision on southbound I-5 just south of County Road 102 involving a 2011 Nissan Juke and a 2012 Ford Focus.

Following an investigation, CHP officers determined that the collision was the culmination of a dispute that began when a 30-year-old Stockton man answered and online escort advertisement posted by Martin Andrade, 21, of Sacramento. The Stockton man drove to Andrade's residence, where the business transaction took place. Leaving an undisclosed amount of money, the Stockton man then left the residence.

Woodland Police arrested three men today after an auto burglary victim tried to detain a man stealing his stereo equipment.

Police went to the 1400 block of Towse Drive at 1:40 a.m. after receiving a report of a vehicle burglary.

Southbound Interstate 5 has reopened to traffic in Woodland after a hit-and-run collision forced its closure, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Traffic was being diverted at Main Street and County Road 102 this morning because of a collision south of County Road 102.

It reopened shortly before 7 a.m.

The collision occurred shortly before 3 a.m. and involved three vehicles, according to the CHP. Nobody was injured.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the Sacramento region will join the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday.

During the event, agencies will offer convenient locations where people can drop off their expired, unused and unwanted pills free of charge, with no questions asked. By doing so, officials say, the public can help prevent drug abuse and theft.

Drop-off sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Prescription drugs that languish in home medicine cabinets are susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse, creating a public health crisis, according a U.S. Department of Justice news release. Nationwide, 2 1/2 times more people abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and inhalants combined, according to the recently released 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The study showed that the majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet.

Davis police detectives arrested two men suspected of knocking out and robbing a man who met their female friend online.

Police said that the 20-year-old man, staying with friends and family in Davis, met the woman online and invited her to visit him. When the two were walking near Covell Boulevard and Highway 113 on Tuesday the man was attacked and robbed.

The two robbers chased him into an apartment complex in the 1500 block of Shasta Drive where they struck him over the head with a "club-like" weapon, rendering him unconscious, a police press release said.

Five Sacramento-area men have been indicted in connection with a marijuana trafficking conspiracy.

A federal grand jury in Sacramento today returned a 23-count indictment charging Thomas Holzmann, 24, Peter Holzmann, 23, and Joseph Andrade, 24, all of West Sacramento, as well as Jonathan Sherman, 27, of Sacramento, and Eddy Arevalo, 29, of the El Dorado County community of Somerset, with conspiring to cultivate and distribute marijuana, and various other drug offenses.

Sherman also was charged with multiple counts of structuring and money laundering. Structuring occurs when large sums of currency are broken up and deposited in amounts less than $10,000 to avoid filing reports required by federal law, according to a federal Department of Justice news release.

One person died and two people were injured this afternoon in a head-on collision on Highway 16 west of the town of Capay in Yolo County.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Ken Walter said the collision occurred shortly before 1 p.m. The big rig was eastbound on Highway 16 and the Ford F-250 pickup was westbound. He said it has not been determined how the collision occurred, or which vehicle may have crossed the center line. Walter said the road curves in that area.

One of the two people in the pickup truck was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was transported to an area hospital. Walter said he did not know whether the person who died was the driver or the passenger. The driver of the big rig also was taken to a hospital. The names of the individuals have not been released.

The section of Highway 16 near Capay Street was closed to traffic for about two hours.

A 20-year-old Oakland man visiting acquaintances in Davis was chased and beaten by two assailants this afternoon.

Davis police Lt. Paul Doroshov said the incident occurred about 4:30 p.m. He said the man was walking on the sidewalk along Covell Boulevard when he was approached by two African American men who demanded money and his cell phone. The victim tried to get away from them, but they chased him across Covell into an apartment complex in the 1500 block of Shasta Drive. There they cornered the victim and beat him over the head with a club.

Doroshov said the victim was unconscious when officers arrived. He was transported to UC Davis Medical Center, where he is recovering.

An 18-year-old man wanted in connection with an attempted homicide in West Sacramento was arrested today in Sacramento.

The U.S. Marshals Service announced that Deshaun Christopher Buford was taken into custody without incident at the University Village Apartments, in the 7700 block of La Riviera Drive, west of Howe Avenue.

About 9:30 p.m. Aug. 25, Buford allegedly fired an automatic 9mm submachine gun into a residence on Proctor Avenue in West Sacramento. Several bullets just missed a young mother and her 2-year-old child who were inside, according to a Marshals Service news release.

Yolo County residents can quickly access custody information about offenders throughout California.

The Yolo County Sheriff's Office has launched VINE --Victim Information and Notification Everyday -- an automated service that notifies crime victims and other concerned citizens when offenders are released from custody. The service provides round-the-clock access to offender information by telephone or the Internet, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.

Users can call (877) 411-5588, or log onto www.vinelink.com and provide an offender's name or booking number to access custody information. They also can register multiple phone numbers or email addresses for automatic notification when the offender is released, transferred or escapes.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

In an effort to spare her husband from the death penalty, Angelique Topete took the stand in Yolo Superior Court this morning and told jurors of her love for Marco Antonio Topete.

"The first day I met him, I told my friend that was my husband," she said. The meeting had taken place behind the walls of Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City. What attracted, asked defense attorney Dwight Samuel. "His strength. I think he's a strong person," she said.

Angelique Topete was among the first witnesses called by defense lawyers today as they opened their case in the penalty phase of the capital murder trial of Topete for killing Yolo County Sheriff's Deputy Jose Antonio Diaz in June 2008. Jurors earlier this month convicted Topete on all counts of of first- degree murder with special circumstances.

A 78-year-old West Sacramento woman has been sentenced to a year in county jail for vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

Yolo County Superior Court Judge Timothy Fall also sentenced Donna Marie McClure to five years felony probation and ordered her to pay more than $26,000 in restitution to the victim's family, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

A Yolo County jury on Aug. 12 found McClure guilty in the death of Jewell Mattos, who was struck by McClure's vehicle in the parking lot of a West Sacramento Raley's store Oct. 1, 2009.

A car was slammed into by a passenger train last night east of Davis after the suspected drunk driver left the disabled vehicle on the tracks, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Alexius Russell, 29, of Sacramento was driving her Honda Civic westbound on Country Road 32a west of County Road 105a about 7:50 p.m. when she drove her car off the road and onto the tracks because she had been drinking, according to a CHP press release.

She got out of her car and called for help, but while waiting for assistance, a westbound AMTRAK train hit the Honda. The car caught fire.

About 20 passengers were aboard the train, but no injuries were reported. Russell was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, the CHP.

The Davis Police Department is warning residents to be alert to thieves who have been stealing tires and wheels from vehicles in the city.

Lt. Paul Doroshov said 20 such incidents have been reported since late January, including five this month.

The latest theft was reported Monday. Police said the owner of an Infiniti sedan had parked the vehicle in the lot of his apartment complex at 955 Cranbrook Court. When he returned to the car at 9:50 a.m., he discovered all four wheels missing and the vehicle on blocks.

By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com

A Woodland woman escaped her burning home without injury Saturday afternoon, fire officials said.

Firefighters arrived to find flames shooting from a rear bedroom in a home on Grand Avenue. One person was home at the time of the fire, but managed to get out safely.

Three fire engines and one ladder truck were used to battle the blaze, which caused about $100,000 in damage, officials said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Two Sacramento County residents were arrested in Woodland, suspected of stealing vehicle batteries.

At 9:40 p.m. Tuesday, Woodland police officers were called to the Target Warehouse, 2050 E. Beamer St., regarding a report that two people had been seen in a restricted area taking batteries out of construction vehicles.

Officers arriving at the scene established a perimeter and immediately detained a woman identified as Ana Tomak, 18, of Rancho Cordova, according to a Police Department news release. A second suspect ran off into an adjacent thistle field.

The name and cause of death of the Davis strangling victim has been released by Yolo County Chief Deputy Coroner Robert LaBrash.

Kevin Seery, 42, of Davis, died of asphyxia by neck compression and gagging. The death has been determined a homicide.

Lt. Paul Doroshov, public information officer for the Davis Police Department, said police responded to the call on Saturday and found Seery dead on the floor of his bedroom on the 900 block of J Street.

Davis police said the suspect, James Elrod Mings, 36, of Davis, was an acquaintance of Seery.

Week 2 of the manslaughter trail against Michael Jackson's doctor begins today with an alumnus of UC Davis at centerstage.

One of two prosecutors who have presented the case against Dr. Conrad Murray is David Walgren, a graduate of the University of California, Davis King Hall School of Law.

Associated Press coverage: Michael Jackson manslaughter trial enters 2nd week

Photo gallery: Conrad Murray on trial in Michael Jackson death

A 42-year-old man is dead and another man is in custody in a strangulation case in College Square Apartments in Davis on Saturday, a police spokesman said today.

Lt. Paul Doroshov, public information officer for the Davis Police Department, said police responded a call about a problem at the apartment on Saturday and found the Davis man dead on the floor of his bedroom in the 900 block of J Street.

Based on evidence at the scene, Doroshov reported, officers began to investigate the case as a homicide.

A Sacramento man was arrested in West Sacramento early today after allegedly attempting to steal tubing from a local beverage company.

Police received a call from the employees of the 24-hour operated Nor-Cal Beverages plant at 1955 Cebrian Ave. about 12:30 a.m. that a man had driven onto the property and started loading the back of his pickup truck with tubing from the site.

When the Comse Aldaco, 33, saw police arriving, he got in his truck and drove through a gate that employees had closed to keep him on the property, said Lt. Tod Sockman, West Sacramento Police Department spokesman.

The parents of one of the victims of the 1980 "Davis sweetheart" killings asked a judge today to not grant defendant Richard Hirschfield another delay in his Sacramento Superior Court trial.

"As we are getting older, this is something that is in our life every day," said Kate Riggins, 76. "We feel very strongly we need to keep to the date and at least get things underway so justice can be done."

Her son, John Riggins, and his girlfriend and fellow UC Davis student Sabrina Gonsalves, both 18, were last seen the night of Dec. 20, 1980. Their slain bodies were found two days later in a ravine near Lake Natoma.

Liquor-related arrests were up, drug arrests were down and assaults pretty much held steady last year on UC Davis property compared to the previous year, according a press release from the university.

The annual statistics were prepared for the federal Clery Act.

"UC Davis is a relatively safe campus, but no community of our size is crime-free," said campus Police Chief Annette Spicuzza.

Comparisons between 2010 and 2009:

By Cynthia Hubert
chubert@sacbee.com

A new nonprofit group is offering help to crime victims and their families in Sacramento and Yolo counties.

The Crime Victims Assistance Network Foundation, or iCAN, offers counseling, advocacy, referral information and support in court and parole hearings, said victim services coordinator Pat Dewey. All services are free.

By Tony Bizjak
tbizjak@sacbee.com

California Highway Patrol officials say they believe their two-year motorcycle safety campaign, now ending, has helped reduce injury and fatality rates. The federally funded campaign, "Look Twice, Save a Life," was designed to increase drivers' awareness of motorcyclists on the road.

Preliminary 2010 CHP statistics show the number of people killed in motorcycle-involved collisions was down 9 percent from the previous year. The number of injuries was down 8.5 percent.

"Although this campaign is coming to a close, we're pleased with the encouraging results," said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. "There is still more work to be done, and our efforts to raise awareness through education and enforcement will continue."

The Davis Police Department is seeking the public's help in identifying a man in a surveillance video collected the afternoon before two suspects attempted to steal a Target Store's ATM last May.

At 3 a.m. May 22, two men drove a Dodge pickup through the glass doors of a Davis Target, attached a cable to the ATM and attempted to drag it out of the building.

The suspects were unable to dislodge the machine and fled the scene, leaving behind the truck that was later found to have been stolen from a landfill north of Sacramento. Damage to the store cost more than $100,000 in repairs.

A woman who died early this morning in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 80 in Davis has been identified by the Yolo County Coroner's Office as Heather Sieren, 43, of Sonoma.

Chief Deputy Coroner Robert LaBrash said the cause of death has not been determined pending an autopsy. Excessive speed and alcohol are suspected causes of the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said that about 12:20 a.m., a car speeding in a reckless manner eastbound on I-80 east of Richards Boulevard attempted to change lanes but struck the center divider. The driver then lost control, traveled back across three lanes of traffic and onto the shoulder of the road. At that point, the vehicle overturned and the roof of the 2004 Subaru struck a tree.

Sieren died at the scene of the crash. The CHP reported that she did not appear to be wearing a seatbelt.

Bee staff writer Cathy Locke contributed to this report.

Two Sacramento man have been arrested in connection with Sunday's armed robbery at a Woodland recycling center.

Woodland police, assisted by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and Sacramento Police Department, served search warrants today that resulted in the arrests of Jose Villegas, 24, and Marlon Chavarin, 23.

Chavarin is suspected of robbing Solorzano Recycle in the 300 block of West Main Street about 11 a.m. Sunday, according to a Woodland Police Department news release. Villegas is accused of being the get-away driver.

A robber hit a recycling employee in the nose with his gun in Woodland on Sunday.

Jose Hernandes, 36, was working at Solorzano Recycle in the 300 block of West Main Street about 11 a.m. Sunday when a robber with a black, semi-automatic handgun stuck up the place.

Cash was handed over to the robber, police said. Also, the butt of the weapon was used to hit Hernandes in the nose, leaving him with a minor injury requiring first-aid.

The robber fled northbound on foot.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Two U.S. Postal Service employees were indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento on charges of stealing AT&T iPhones mailed to buyers.

Angel Pantoja-Lopez of North Highlands and Saravy Yem of Stockton worked at the Postal Service's Sacramento Processing and Distribution Center in West Sacramento, where they sorted and processed mail. They were hired in December 2006.

According to court documents, they opened parcels containing iPhones, hid the phones in their clothing, and deposited the empty parcels into various receptacles in the workplace. Investigators collected approximately 300 empty AT&T iPhone parcels at the facility, the documents say.

Woodland police said they arrested a man who allegedly carried a knife onto an elementary school campus on Tuesday.

Officers arrived at Freeman Elementary School, 126 N. West St., at 2:53 p.m. Tuesday regarding a report of a man with a knife on campus. School had been dismissed at 2:39 p.m., but some students were still on campus for after-hour activities.

Police said they found a man, later identified as Juan Ayala Perez, 26, of Woodland, outside the school administration office. A knife was allegedly visible in his possession, poking out of his pants, police said.

A motorist was severely injured early today in a single-car crash after his Honda hit a raised center median on East Gibson Road in Woodland and then struck a large oak tree before crossing traffic lanes to stop on a sidewalk, police said.

Alcohol may have played a role in the crash, which occurred shortly before 2 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of East Gibson between Matmor Road and Washington Drive, Woodland Police spokesman Sgt. Don Beal reported. East Gibson Road was closed for more than two hours during the subsequent the investigation.

The identity of the driver was not immediately available. Beal said the motorist was unconscious and bleeding and had what appeared to be life-threatening injuries. He was taken by ambulance to UC Davis Medical Center.

By Cathy Locke and Mark Glover
clocke@sacbee.com

A 22-year-old Clarksburg man drowned after the car he was driving went off the road and overturned in a drainage ditch southeast of Clarksburg.

Officer Jon Kitamura of the California Highway Patrol said the crash occurred sometime between 8 p.m. Thursday and 6:30 this morning.

The driver, whose name has not been released, left his home about 8 p.m. and when he hadn't returned this morning to accompany a relative to work, family members began searching for him. They discovered a 1997 Volvo on its roof in a water-filled ditch off Z Line Road, Kitamura said. He said the driver was unable to escape from the vehicle after it overturned.

Robert LaBrash, Yolo County chief deputy coroner, said the cause of death was drowning.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

Jurors in the murder trial of Marco Antonio Topete have seen about half of a six-hour interrogation video this morning.

Prosecutors told the Yolo County Superior Court jury that the video would reveal Topete confessing to the killing of Yolo County Deputy Jose "Tony" Diaz. But as of lunchtime, the video had not revealed that.

Instead, it had shown Topete being responsive to some inquiries but uncommunicative about other lines of questioning by a sheriff's detective, a Yolo County parole agent and a Woodland police officer.

Woodland police said that a suspected drunken driver allegedly tried to drive away after hitting a parked pickup last night.

Police said that about 10 p.m. they were called to the 200 block of Muir Street where a car had hit a parked, unoccupied pickup. Police said that it was reported that the driver of the car had attempted to leave the scene prior to the arrival of officers.

When police arrived, they found the car was able to travel just a short distance because of damage sustained in the crash. Officers arrested Jessica Maria Chavarin, 22, on suspicion of "probable cause" involving felony drunken driving and felony hit and run, according to a department press release.

A passenger in the car driven by Chavarin was hurt and was transported to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, police said.

Credit cards stolen during a weekend holdup in Davis have since been used in a Sacramento spending spree.

Davis police said about 1:30 a.m. Sunday a silver sedan, possible a Toyota Corolla, pulled up alongside a man and a woman in their late 20s who were walking along Alice Street near J Street.

A male passenger in the car pointed a small caliber handgun at the couple and took a wallet and a backpack. The robber and his getaway driver then fled in the car.

A Yuba City man has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for murdering his wife.

A Yolo County jury in August convicted Ignacio Favela Mendoza, 41, of first-degree murder and he was sentenced today by Yolo County Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg.

On May 26, 2007, Mendoza went to an orchard outside Zamora, approached his wife with a shotgun and demanded that she get in the car with him, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. A fellow worker tried but was unable to calm Mendoza. When Mendoza's wife refused his demand, he fired one shot from four feet away, killing her.

A Sacramento man died in the hospital Friday evening after being stabbed several times outside a motel in West Sacramento, according to police.

West Sacramento police responded to the scene at the Towne House Motel on the 900 block of West Capitol Avenue at around 6:53 to find the 29-year-old victim lying in the parking lot with several stab wounds to his upper body. Authorities have not yet released his name.

After attempting to flee the scene, the two suspects, Billy Wolfington, 28, and Shannon Silva, 30, both of West Sacramento, were found hiding in nearby bushes by police.

The two men were arrested and charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They are being held without bail at the Yolo County Jail.

A Sacramento man was arrested in Woodland early Saturday morning after allegedly running his car into a power pole, rolling his vehicle, and knocking power out of a portion of Woodland.

Ralph Soto, 69, was reportedly driving under the influence when he ran in to the power pole at County Road 98 and W. Beamer Street at around 1:19 a.m, injuring a 29-year-old passenger.

PG&E arrived at the scene to handle the live wires that were down, and public works crewsclosed County Road 98 at west Kentucky Avenue and west Main Street to all but emergency vehicles. Roads were closed for about seven hours.

The passenger was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.

Automobile travel is expected to be up slightly this Labor Day weekend -- and the California Highway Patrol will be ready to pull over any drunken drivers.

The American Automobile Association estimates that 27.3 million people plan to travel on the nation's roadways, a 0.5 percent increase from last year. Overall, travel is expected to dip due in part to higher air fare costs.

The California Highway Patrol is warning motorists of congestion and delays on eastbound and westbound Highway 50 in the area of Harbor Boulevard in West Sacramento because of a fatal accident.

According to the CHP website, a crash occurred about 8:55 p.m.

One vehicle overturned and the driver of that vehicle tried to run from an officer. The man reportedly jumped over the center divider and was struck by a vehicle.

The CHP's communications center reported that officers were still on scene investigating the crash and no additional information was immediately available as of late Thursday night.

Authorities have identified the human remains found in a Yolo County creek bed in April as those of Jose Luis Velasquez, a 37-year-old Colusa County man reported missing in October 2008, the Yolo County Sheriff's Office has reported.

The remains were found by hunters April 17 in a dry creek bed in the northern part of the county, the sheriff's office reported.

Coroner's officials and anthropologists who examined the remains estimated they had been there for about two or three years, said sheriff's Sgt. Lance Faille.

A 9-year-old boy reported missing in West Sacramento this afternoon has been found safe, according to West Sacramento police.

The boy was reported missing near Bridgeway Lakes Elementary School, 3255 Half Moon Bay Circle. He was found by a resident near Ramco Street and Southport Parkway a few miles away from the school, according to Lt. Tod Sockman, and is back home with his parents.

Woodland police said a referee was punched after he gave a red card to a soccer player.

Officers were called about 7:45 p.m. Sunday to the soccer field at the Woodland Community Center, 2001 East St., where it was reported that the referee had been struck.

When they arrived, the referee, Juan Manuel Garcia, 33, of Woodland was still present, but the player, who is suspected of striking him in the neck, had fled. Garcia suffered a minor injury from the punch.

The body of a male adult farm laborer was found in an irrigation ditch Monday afternoon near a northeast Davis school, a Yolo County Sheriff's Office official said.

A passerby discovered the body around 2 p.m., in a field on East Covell Boulevard just west of Mace Boulevard, near Frances Harper Junior High School, said Yolo County Sheriff's Lt. Martin Torres.

Torres said the man, an irrigation worker whose identity has not been released, was working in the field and had last been seen there Monday morning around 8 a.m. He said the cause of the man's death has not been determined.

"At this time there are no obvious signs that make it suspicious," Torres said. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday to determine cause of death, he said.

Two Sacramento residents were severely injured in a three-car collision Sunday afternoon in Davis.

Police responded to a report of a crash at the intersection of B Street and Russell Boulevard at 2:35 p.m. Based on an initial investigation, police said they determined that a Toyota Sienna minivan, driven by Bailey Yee, 22, of Davis, went into the right-turn lane, traveled through a stop sign and then directly into the north and southbound traffic lanes of B Street. The Sienna collided with a Toyota Rav4, which was traveling northbound on B Street.

The Rav4, driven by Lue Moua, 22, of Sacramento, overturned on impact and Moua and his female passenger, Jih Lee, 23, also of Sacramento, were severely injured, according to a Police Department news release.

Two people were in stable condition in the UC Davis Medical Center today after they were shot about 1 a.m. at Tony's Bar in the 600 block of East Street in Woodland, police said.

Sgt. Tom Davis, spokesman for the Woodland Police Department, said multiple gunshots were fired, striking 41-year-old Dawn Milliken of Woodland and 38-year-old Tony Mares. No other victims were found.

The suspect was described as a black or dark-skinned Hispanic man, 5-foot-7, 300 pounds, wearing a white T-shirt and armed with a semi-automatic handgun. He fled the scene, traveling east on Alice Street, in a silver Dodge Charger or similar vehicle, police said.

A man shot in the head at a West Sacramento trailer park early today is expected to die, police reported.

West Sacramento police responded to the Welcome Grove Trailer Park on West Capitol Avenue at about 2:43 a.m. and found Matthew Smith in a residence, suffering from a head wound.

Smith and another man, Charles Quillin, 21, were partying at a residence in the park when they began to argue, according to police officials.

A motorist who died Saturday night in a single-car crash in West Sacramento has been identified as 42-year-old Teofil Iorga, the Yolo County coroner's office said today.

Iorga, of West Sacramento, died after his sport-utility vehicle flipped after crashing at high speed into a support beam for an overhead train trestle across South River Road at Gregory Avenue.

Police said Iorga was ejected from his vehicle and suffered major head trauma. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Yolo County jury has convicted a West Sacramento man of 36 counts of child molestation.

Nang Sam, 27, was found guilty last week of molesting the young victim over a six-year period, a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release states.

The victim testified at trial that beginning in 2003, when she was 7 years old, and ending in 2008, Sam repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

A 43-year-old man is dead after his sport utility vehicle crashed at high-speed into a support beam for an overhead train trestle across South River Road in West Sacramento Saturday night, a police spokesman said today.

Police spokesman Lt. Tod Sockman said the West Sacramento man, traveling east near the 5000 block of South River Road, was ejected from his green Range Rover when it smashed into the trestle support at the Gregory Avenue rail overcrossing about 7:20 p.m. Saturday.

The SUV flipped from the impact, and the driver suffered major head trauma. Nearby anglers fishing in the Sacramento River heard the crash and telephoned police.

A 48-year-old Woodland man was assaulted in his motel room early Saturday when a man pushed open the door of the room and robbed him at gunpoint, Woodland police said today.

A department spokesman said Jesus Lopez was staying in the Budget Inn on the 1000 block of Main Street in Woodland when the assault occurred about 12:30 a.m.

Lopez was punched and hit with a handgun, police said, and the suspect took his wallet, which contained about $400.

Woodland police are investigating the baseball bat beating of a San Jose man early this morning.

Officers were called about 2 a.m. to the 1200 block of Alice Street where they found Bong Kim, 43, of San Jose sitting in the passenger seat of his vehicle. Bong, who was bleeding, was transported to the hospital for non life-threatening injuries.

The Woodland Area California Highway Patrol will conduct a sobriety checkpoint Friday night in Yolo County, the CHP reported.

The checkpoint will run from 8 p.m. to midnight at an undisclosed location in the unincorporated area of the county, according to a Woodland CHP news release.

Officers will also check drivers for valid driver's licenses, the release states.

The Davis Police Department announced that it collected 64 new backpacks filled with school supplies through its annual "Pack the Patrol Car" event.

The donation drive, led by the department's Community Policing Unit, aims to obtain backpacks and school supplies for children in need, according to a news release. Donation stations to receive community contributions were set up at Target and Office Max stores.

Patrol officers will work with schools in their respective beats to distribute the items to students who need them.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

California prison officials expect to fall just short of a court-ordered reduction in inmate populations by December, but say they will be in compliance by next June and do not expect to have to ask federal courts for more time to achieve a lower inmate population.

Papers filed today with a panel of three federal judges who have ordered the state to improve medical and mental health conditions inside California prisons say moves by Gov. Jerry Brown will substantially meet the court's requirements.

The state's inmate population is required to be at 167 percent of capacity by December, and prison officials said they expect to reduce populations by 9,200 inmates, or about 169 percent of capacity.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A video of a Yolo County sheriff's deputy being gunned down in June 2008 prompted loud sobs and wailing from the victim's family in a Woodland courtroom this morning.

The emotional outburst prompted lawyers for defendant Marco Antonio Topete to move for a mistrial. Veteran defense attorney Dwight Samuel called it the worst outcry he had seen.

Judge Paul Richardson said he would take up the issue later today. He told jurors to ignore the outbursts and focus only on the evidence.

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

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

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

Woodland police arrested three juveniles in connection with the mutilation and poisoning of 31 fish at Woodland High School over the weekend, according to a police department news release.

The suspects -- all boys and Woodland residents, ages 14, 12 and 11 -- were cited on suspicion of cruelty to animals, burglary and conspiracy, and were released to their parents, according to the police department release.

The killing of the 31 catfish, which were being raised by Future Farmers of America students for showing at the Yolo County Fair, was discovered by a student at about 11 a.m. Sunday in the school's agricultural area.

A 78-year-old West Sacramento woman has been found guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter in the death of a pedestrian in a grocery store parking lot.

A Yolo County jury on Thursday convicted Donna Marie McClure of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. The jury also found that McClure drove her car without a valid license and failed to yield to a pedestrian when she struck and killed Jewell Mattos in the parking lot of a West Sacramento Raley's store Oct. 1, 2009, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

According to witnesses and surveillance video, Mattos walked out of Raley's shortly after 10 a.m. and was halfway through the crosswalk when McClure ran into her with her car. McClure failed to stop until Mattos had been carried 20 to 30 feet.

Woodland police today arrested two people in connection with the burglary of a residence Wednesday afternoon.

A resident returning to her home at 1618 Carnelian Court at 12:37 p.m. Wednesday interrupted the burglars. The intruders fled the home, discarding stolen property as they ran, according to a Woodland Police Department news release.

A witness gave chase and caught one of the suspects. Another suspect in a vehicle attempted to run over the witness. The witness then let go of the suspect he had detained, and the suspects got into the vehicle and headed northbound on Camino Way.

A Yolo County jury has convicted a Yuba City man of first-degree murder in the death of his wife.

The jury also found that Ignacio Favela Mendoza, 41, discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury and that he committed the murder while attempting to kidnap his wife.

On May 26, 2007, Mendoza went to an orchard outside of Zamora and approached his wife with a shotgun drawn and demanded that she get in the car with him, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. A fellow worker tried to calm Mendoza, but Mendoza fired one shot from 4 feet that killed his wife after she refused his demands.

Woodland police say a man who suffered a head injury in an attack near his home is holding his own in intensive care.

Police are also asking for help in finding the assailant who badly injured Pascual Lopez, 74, on Wednesday.

Police said that Lopez was found unconscious in a pool of blood about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 400 block of Academy Lane. Lopez was taken to UC Davis Medical Center.

The Yolo County Coroner's Office today released the names of the three people killed in Monday's fiery crash on Interstate 5 near Woodland.

They were identified as Robert Lee Taylor, 53, and Linda Danell Taylor, 49, both of Monmouth, Ore., and La-nessa Leann DeMillo, 2, of Tacoma, Wash.

Robert LaBrash, chief deputy coroner, said the cause of death, whether from the impact of the crash or ensuing fire, has not been determined.

Davis police used a Taser to subdue a man who allegedly assaulted his brother and other family members.

Police were called to an apartment at 2324 Shasta Drive about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday regarding a disturbance. Jose Paniagua, 30, of Davis had become upset with his brother for not letting him use a cell phone, according to a Police Department news release. Paniagua allegedly assaulted his brother and other family members and began breaking things in the apartment.

A police officer arrived and confronted Paniagua inside the apartment. Paniagua then picked up a large shard of glass to arm himself, and disregarded numerous commands from the officer directing him to disarm himself and cooperate, officials said.

By Hudson Sangree

hsangree@sacbee.com

After a series of unusual delays, the trial of accused cop killer Marco Antonio Topete is scheduled to start next week in Yolo Superior Court.

A jury selection process involving more than 1,000 potential jurors is slated to wrap up Monday and opening statements are planned for Tuesday, court officials said.

A judicial gag order prevents lawyers from talking about the case.

Two cats died in a trailer fire in Woodland this morning.

The residents of the double-wide mobile home at 907 Bourn Drive were able to escaped before the fire swept through their home att about 4 a.m. However, Woodland firefighters were not able to save two cats who died.

The cause of the fire, which caused extensive damage, is under investigation.

An initial investigation has revealed that the wreck Monday afternoon on Interstate 5 that left three dead may have started with a truck that was traveling at unsafe speed when approaching traffic slowed by lane closures.

Six vehicles were involved in the crash. Two adults and a child died in the fiery crash on southbound I-5 in the Woodland area Monday afternoon.

Seven other people were injured. Their conditions and the names of the dead were not yet available today.

By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com
Southbound Interstate 5 has reopened at the site of a fatal multi-vehicle collision in Yolo County earlier this afternoon, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Three people, including a young child, died in the six-vehicle wreck that occurred near County Road 102 in the Woodland area around 12:45 p.m., authorities said. Five of the vehicles went up in flames.

The two southbound lanes of the highway, which had been blocked by wreckage, were reopened shortly before 9:30 p.m., according to the CHP online traffic incident information page.

A Yolo County jury has convicted two men in the armed robbery of a Woodland fast-food restaurant.

Aaron Dufour, 25, of Woodland, and Nathan Espinoza, 24, of Sacramento, were convicted of the Dec. 9, 2009 robbery of the Woodland Taco Bell. The jury also convicted Dufour of robberies of two other Woodland businesses in November 2009, Little Caesar's Pizza restaurant and an AM/PM gas station, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

Officials said that Dufour -- wearing a dark mask, dark gloves and dark hooded sweatshirt -- entered all three businesses, indicated that he had a gun and demanded money. Espinoza drove the car that witnesses saw leaving the Taco Bell robbery, and led police on a high-speed chase from Woodland to Davis, eventually crashing the car.

Dufour and Espinoza are to be sentenced Aug. 28 by Yolo County Superior Court Judge Stephen Mock.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The California Highway Patrol is urging residents to sign up for a service that sends Amber Alerts to cell phones via text message - one more way residents can help authorities find missing children fast.

The service, which is free regardless of your wireless plan, sends alerts tailored to your area based on the zip code that you provide. You can provide up to five zip codes, and authorities recommend you at least add the zip codes in which you live and work.

To sign up, visit www.wirelessamberalerts.org. Alerts can also be sent in Spanish.

A bicyclist died after he was struck twice by vehicles near Davis Sunday night.

He was identified by the California Highway Patrol as Terry Tanner, 71, of Davis.

Tanner was riding on County Road 99 north of Covell Boulevard at about 9:45 p.m. in the middle of the southbound traffic lane when a car going in the same direction hit him, according to the California Highway Patrol. The 40-year-old motorist, who was traveling at about 55 mph at the time of the crash, later told the CHP that he did not see the bicyclist.

The Yolo County Coroner's office has released the name of a driver killed on a dirt road when his truck rolled.

He was identified as Adam J. Connolly, 25, of Clear Lake.

Connolly was driving his pickup south on a dirt road off of County Road 40 west of Rumsey at a high speed about 6 p.m. Friday when he lost control. The pickup overturned and ejected Connolly, the truck ending up on top of him.

A public briefing regarding a two-day sex-offender sweep will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Yolo County District Attorney's Office, 301 Second St., Woodland.

District Attorney Jeff Reisig, along with other county, local and state law enforcement officials, will discuss the results of "Operation Vigilance," a compliance and enforcement check of Yolo County's registered sex offenders.

During the past two days, 130 law enforcement officers from agencies in Yolo County - as well as the FBI, California Highway Patrol and State Parole - conducted sex offender compliance checks in Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento, Winters, Capay, Esparto and Dunnigan, according to a District Attorney's Office news release. Officials said 436 registered sex offenders live in Yolo County. Most were convicted of rape, child molestation or possession of child pornography.

A purse snatching in Citrus Heights this afternoon turned into a high-speed chase that ended when the suspects crashed their vehicle in West Sacramento.

Citrus Heights Police Department spokesman Officer Jon Kempf said a woman was leaving the Costco store at 7000 Auburn Blvd. about 3:50 p.m. when two men grabbed her purse, then got into a vehicle and fled. A witness who was pumping gas at the store gave chase and followed the suspects onto Interstate 80. Kempf said he believes the witness abandoned his pursuit when officers got involved. He added that police do not recommend that citizens pursue suspects.

Kempf said Citrus Heights police were joined in the pursuit by Sacramento and West Sacramento police officers and a helicopter.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

Former Woodland middle school teacher and coach Christopher Tomsett was sentenced Monday by U. S. District Judge Frank C. Damrell Jr. to five years in prison.

Tomsett, 44, pleaded guilty in April in Sacramento federal court to receipt and distribution of child pornography.

The count to which he pleaded guilty charges that Tomsett in 2010, received and distributed via the Internet "visual depictions" that were produced using "a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct."

The Yolo County Coroner's office has released the name of a 21-year-old man who died in a car crash into a tree late Saturday night in rural Yolo County.

He was identified as Joel Lowell, 21, of Brooks, Yolo County.

Lowell was traveling at a high rate of speed about 11:30 p.m. along County Road 23 west of County Road 89, which is just southeast of Esparto. Lowell for an unknown reason lost control and hit a walnut tree.

Officers suspect Lowell was not wearing a seatbelt when he was ejected from the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. The California Highway Patrol said in a press release that alcohol is believed to be involved in the crash.

Davis police have arrested three suspects in connection with a Wednesday night home invasion robbery, the police department reported.

Three residents of a home in the 1400 block of Notre Dame Drive reported that two male suspects had broken in shortly before 8:30 p.m., sprayed them with a chemical and displayed what appeared to be a handgun before fleeing with the victims' property, according to a police department news release.

A fire that burned 20 acres in a field of wheat stubble in Yolo County on Wednesday afternoon has been contained, an Esparto Fire Protection District official said.

Crews responded around 5 p.m., to the field near County Road 85 and Road 13, about six miles north of Capay, said district Fire Chief Barry Burns. Personnel from a half-dozen local fire districts and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection were able to contain the blaze within about an hour, Burns said.

No structures were involved and no injuries were reported. The field had already been harvested, so no crop was lost, Burns said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Yolo County authorities say a Davis baseball star died after being punched by a friend on Picnic Day, but they don't intend to file charges.

The county coroner concluded the death of Scott Heinig, 22, was a homicide - a "death caused by human hands" - the Yolo County District Attorney's office said in a news release.

But the DA's office said Heinig's death was the "result of accident or misfortune," with no intent to kill.

Davis police announced today that they have obtained an arrest warrant for one of two suspects sought in connection with the June 6 robbery of a Motel 6.

Two men, both described as African American, walked into the motel office on Chiles Road, pointed a handgun at the clerk and demanded money. The suspects fled with an undisclosed amount of money. Police said no one was hurt in the robbery.

One suspect was described as approximately 6 feet tall with an average build, short dark hair and wearing a maroon windbreaker. The other was described as about 5 feet, 6 inches tall with a thin build, wearing a light blue shirt and a black rag over his hair.

A suspected carjacker fled late Sunday night when Woodland police arrived on the scene.

Police officers had been dispatched to the area of First Street and Lincoln Avenue about 10:20 p.m. Sunday. As they arrived, officers said Robert Vance, 30, of Woodland fled on foot.

He was eventually detained and arrested on suspicion of attempting to carjack a vehicle from a couple. Officers suspect Vance of approaching a female and her boyfriend who were in a car.

A Sacramento man charged with robbing and assaulting two teenagers at knifepoint has entered a plea deal with Yolo County prosecutors, agreeing to serve a prison sentence of more than 28 years.

The agreement with Robert Christopher Shepler, 40, was reached Wednesday, during the second day of jury selection after the start of the trial, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release.

Officials said Shepler, on June 9, 2010, intervened in an argument among three juveniles. Two brothers, ages 15 and 16, were arguing with another juvenile over an iPod. Shepler pulled a knife on the brothers and told them to empty their pockets. He shoved the younger brother against and wall and searched his pockets, then turned to the 16-year-old, who was wearing a gold necklace. Shepler tried to rip the necklace from the boy's neck. When it didn't come off, he pressed the knife against the boy's neck and demanded the necklace, according to the news release. The boy complied.

IPads, which were flying off the shelf earlier this year, were being tossed out the window of a speeding car by thieves this morning, Sacramento police said.

About 10 or 20 of the Apple computer notebooks were taken about 1 a.m. from the Natomas Best Buy store, 3690 North Freeway Blvd. Thieves used a pry tool to open the glass sliding doors and a car floor jack to ratchet up a drop-down metal door.

Once inside, the two burglars grabbed the iPads, but didn't get away without setting off a burglar alarm. They ran with the loot to a car where a third person was waiting.

A pedestrian in his 50s was struck and killed by an Amtrak train in Davis this morning.

The man was hit while on the tracks at the Davis Depot about 9:30 a.m., according to the Davis Police. The train was westbound but details were not immediately available to how the incident happened.

Davis police reported they are investigating a bank robbery that took place Tuesday afternoon in the downtown area.

Officers responded to a report of a robbery at the U.S. Bank branch at Third and F streets at about 4:13 p.m., police department spokesman Lt. Paul Doroshov said. Officers learned that an unknown woman had walked into the bank, approached a teller and stated she was armed with a weapon, Doroshov said.

The woman apparently then handed the teller a note demanding money, Doroshov said. She was given an undisclosed amount of cash, and fled the bank on foot.

Toys for Sunday school kids were taken by thieves who broke into a church storage locker in West Sacramento.

The thieves took an inflatable bounce house and play balls purchased with the spare change donated by church members. The pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters were dutifully tossed into a wheelbarrow at church services each Sunday as the tune "Pennies from Heaven" played.

With more than $1,000 raised over several weeks, the church bought the bounce house and outdoor toys. The balls and hula hoops were used by toddlers to teens after their Sunday school lessons are over and while their parents are still in services at the Center for Spiritual Awareness, 1275 Starboard Drive, West Sacramento.

A sting has resulted in 11 men being suspected of contracting without a license in Woodland.

Organizers of the sting posed as homeowners and invited workers to a vacant home in Yolo County on June 8 to bid on home improvement projects, including landscaping, fencing and painting.

If a bid cost more than $500 in labor and materials and the suspect was not state-licensed, the men were given a notice to appear in court. The suspects face misdemeanor charges of contracting without a license.

Four tourists from Australia escaped serious injury when a car on Interstate 5 crossed the center divider and came hurtling at them at high speed.

The car's driver suffered major injuries. Three of the tourists suffered minor injuries. The fourth was not injured.

The tourists, on vacation in a mini-van, were southbound about 4 p.m. on I-5 near West Street in Woodland when the accident occurred. The California Highway Patrol said it is unclear why a 29-year-old Citrus Heights woman driving north at 75-80 mph cut across the freeway divider and into the southbound lanes.

A police officer witnessed a collision between a bicycle and a motorist on E. Main Street in Woodland at 12:45 p.m. Friday.

Due to the severity of the cyclist's injuries, a helicopter was called in and landed on E. Main near East Street to transport the crash victim to UC Davis Medical Center.

The motorist was not injured.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A driver who police say may have inadvertently stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brake crashed into a Woodland business this afternoon.

Officers were sent to 11 Purity Plaza at 12:19 p.m. in response to a silent hold-up alarm at Check Max Plus. When they arrived, police were told that there was no robbery, but an employee had activated the alarm after a car crashed into the building.

The entire glass front of the business and part of the surrounding concrete base were broken when a 1992 Toyota sedan crashed into the front of the building, according to a Woodland Police Department news release.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A Woodland bar and restaurant that has been the focus of numerous police calls and the site of a fatal shooting has lost its liquor license.

The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control announced today that it has posted a notice of revocation at the La Finca bar and restaurant, 534 Bush St., Woodland, because the business had been operating a "disorderly house" and has been a drain on law enforcement services.

The Woodland Police Department has received numerous calls to the site regarding fights, assaults and public drunkenness, as well as the March 6 shooting death of a 30-year-old man outside the business, according to an Alcoholic Beverage Control news release.

By Cathy Locke
clocke@sacbee.com

A West Sacramento man was arrested in Woodland this morning after a 12-year-old boy called 911 to report that someone was trying to break into his home.

Police arrived at the home within minutes of the 8:10 a.m. call and arrested Jason Philip Navarrete, 24, on suspicion of residential burglary.

Police say Navarrete had forced his way into the home in the 100 block of Third Street. He first pounded on the door demanding entry and, when there was no response, he forced his way through the back door, walked around and removed a bottle of wine, according to a Police Department news release.

Crews have cleared the wreckage of a big rig crash that closed the left lane of westbound Interstate 80 east of Davis for several hours this morning.

A semi truck pulling two trailers went over the center divide east of Mace Boulevard at about 6:30 a.m. The rig was high-centered on the divide, making it difficult for crews to remove it.

There were no injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A Woodland High School student was arrested today on suspicion of possessing a weapon while on school grounds, the Woodland Police Department reported.

According to a police department news release, school officials notified a school resource officer that a person had been seen on campus with a gun and had last been seen walking eastbound on Beamer Street towards Walnut Street.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

More than 300 firefighters vied Wednesday for eight open positions with the Woodland Fire Department, many arriving at the city's community and senior center before dawn for the chance at a job with the agency.

"There's not a lot of hiring in the fire services, so it's a sigh of relief that someone's hiring again," said Jeff Winslow, a volunteer engineer at Winters Fire Department, after turning in his application.

Woodland police said that they arrested a man hiding in a closet early this morning for allegedly hitting another trailer park resident over the head with a wine bottle.

Officers were called to Bell's Trailer Park, 1224 East Gum Ave., about 12:45 a.m. where two men were reported to be in a fight outside the mobile homes. During the scuffle, a 37-year-old man suffered cuts on his head when he was hit with a wine bottle by his neighbor.

The victim was helped at the scene by medics. Officers searched for the other combatant and found Franco Morales, 28, hiding in a closet inside his trailer.

He was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and booked into Yolo County Jail.

Yolo County sheriff's deputies said suspected burglars who tried to haul stolen possessions from a home using a U-Haul truck were arrested over the weekend.

Deputies said that a homeowner on County Road 27, just north of winters, on Saturday about 7:30 p.m., surprised three people trying to burglarize their home. The suspects tried to flee and were chased by the homeowner and a family friend in two vehicles.

The homeowner's vehicle was rammed by the truck, causing the airbags to deploy, according to a sheriff's department press release. A passenger in the homeowner's vehicle was injured by the airbag.