Sacto 9-1-1

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.

By Sam Stanton
sstanton@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Bee and the Los Angeles Times filed suit today against the University of California Board of Regents in a bid to force the release of police officer names that have been kept secret from the public since last November's pepper-spray incident on the UC Davis campus.

The lawsuit, filed in Sacramento Superior Court, seeks a court order forcing the release of the names that were redacted from a task force study of the incident that was released in April.

The task force, headed by former state Supreme Court Justice Cruz Reynoso, originally included the names of all officers involved in the incident. All but two of the names were subsequently redacted after a successful court fight waged by the Federated University Police Officers Association, the union representing campus officers.

The judge in the Davis "sweethearts" murder trial today put a limit on defense lawyers on how much evidence they can bring in about a group of suspects previously charged but later cleared in the killings of John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael W. Sweet ruled that the attorneys for defendant Richard Hirschfield can only introduce witness statements or physical evidence that directly or circumstantially implicates members of the so-called "Hunt Group." Yolo County prosecutors once charged ex-defendant David Hunt and three others with the Dec. 20, 1980, slayings of Riggins and Gonsalves.

Hirschfield's defense team wanted to introduce similarities between the Riggins and Gonsalves murders and slayings committed by Hunt's half-brother, the since-deceased serial sex-killer Gerald Gallego. They also wanted to explore an attack committed by Hunt in the state of Washington to see if it reflected elements of the the "sweethearts" case.

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.

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.

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.

By Anita Creamer
acreamer@sacbee.com

Davis police officials say they arrested 51 people and wrote at least 100 citations at the 2012 Picnic Day over the weekend.

Picnic Day is the university's annual spring open house, but in the past several years, it has degenerated into public drunkenness and mayhem and caused strains between the campus and the community.

At last year's Picnic Day, in contrast, the Davis Police Department and other agencies made 54 arrests and wrote 221 tickets, most for alcohol-related violations, and the UC Davis police made another 10 arrests. Last year as well, a UC Davis graduate was killed at a Picnic Day party off campus when he fell and hit his head.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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 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.

By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com

Attorneys for the man accused of murder in the 1980 Davis "sweetheart" killings failed today in their effort to exclude the press and public from pretrial motions in the case.

The lawyers for Richard Joseph Hirschfield, 62, said that coverage of several potential "inflammatory" issues they expect to arise in the hearings could prejudice their client's right to a fair trial.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge MIchael W. Sweet disagreed, saying that there are several remedies available to ensure that potential jurors are not contaminated by news coverage of the more than 100 motions the lawyers are expected to argue over the next week.

Among the remedies, the judge said, are a questionaire to be distributed among the jury pool and the individual questioning of candidates for the panel if they say they have learned things about the trial that could be prejudicial.

Hirschfield is accused of kidnapping UC Davis students John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves, both 18, from the college town the night of Dec. 20, 1980. Their bodies were discovered two days later near Lake Natoma.

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.

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.

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.

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 Whitney Mountain
wmountain@sacbee.com

Davis is celebrating Neighbors Night Out from noon to 9 p.m. today as part of its fifth annual event that brings residents of the college town together.

The event is part of a national program that invites communities around the country to come together with activities like block parties, potlucks, brunches, ice cream socials, and more.

While most communities hold their events during the summer, Davis waits until fall for its robust student population to return before the Associated Students of UC Davis and the City of Davis throw their annual event.

When Davis held its first event in 2006, 60 parties registered with the city for Neighbors Night Out. For the last two years, there have been more than 100 parties registered, and 100 have already been registered for this year's event.

For more information, visit cityofdavis.org/neighbors.

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.

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:

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.

By Phillip Reese
preese@sacbee.com

Davis police have arrested and charged a man with committing a hate crime after he allegedly beat and kicked a woman because of her Russian heritage.

Police say Peter Lloyd Zuniga, 25, of Davis, walked into the Quick Shop Market at 1964 E. Eighth St. about 7:40 a.m. Saturday and asked the clerk for some matches. When the clerk said she didn't have any matches, Zuniga allegedly stole two lighters and left. He came back 10 minutes later, police said, and attacked the clerk, beating and kicking her in the head several times. The clerk, a 45-year-old Davis resident, suffered a broken nose and minor injuries.

Zuniga is in the Yolo County Jail on a $180,000 bail after being arrested on suspicion of robbery, felony assault and committing a hate crime. After his arrest, Zuniga also allegedly threatened to kill specific police officers, so he's also been charged with threatening public officials.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A Davis police officer and a partygoer from Sacramento suffered minor injuries early this morning after police were dispatched to investigate a loud party.

Police received a complaint of noise about 1:20 a.m. at 909 Alvarado Ave. The investigating officer believed the noise coming from the gathering was unreasonable and that the residents were in violation of the city's noise ordinance. The officer also suspected that underage guests were consuming alcohol in the apartment, according to a Police Department news release.

When the officer knocked on the front door, Michael Sean Flanagan, 25, of Sacramento came to the door and claimed to be a resident of the apartment, officials said. When officers attempted to issue Flanagan a citation for the excessive noise, he refused to provide identification, yelled profanities at the officers and tried to close the front door to avoid getting the ticket, according to the news release.

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.

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.